My husband as a teenager and "Newspaper Ministry"

We had a very busy week. One of those weeks when my planned out meals don't get cooked and I pass my husband like a ship in the night. Not my favorite kind of week. It was homecoming week at the school I work for and I was in charge of the alumni reception. I'm not an "event-planner" kind of person. I take no joy in that sort of thing unfortunately. But...it is part of my job and so I do it with as much joy as I can pray for. :) My sweet husband came to the homecoming game Saturday night with me and helped me set up the reception. The Girls Varsity basketball team was running drills and the Varsity cheerleaders were practicing on the sidelines. After a while, D.R. & I noticed a group of guys that had gathered on the cheerleader side of the gymnasium and were watching the girls practice...with all the wide-eyed wonderlust that teenage boys have. My husband shook his head and said, "bad situation right there". (note: these boys were from the rival team that were visiting our gym- not that our school's boys wouldn't have done the same thing)
Later on, in between the girls and guys games, on our drive to grab Subway, we talked more about that situation. He said how when he was in high school, he had to be up at 5:30 for before-school football practices or sometimes for physicals and the cheerleaders were often there practicing too at that time. On the days when they had physicals, they were allowed out of class the entire day (whaaaa???) and waited around in the gym for their turn. Inevitably, there were girls in gym clothes stretching and such and D.R. got sick of all the temptation before him. So him and his friend Josh Elrod decided to bring newspapers with them on these "sit-around-and-wait" days. They would read them whenever a group of girls would enter the gym as a way to avoid temptation with their eyes. They called it the newspaper ministry. After a while, other guys caught on to what was happening and brought their own newspapers. I thought that was such a great way to fight sin. I'm glad the Lord convicted my husband's heart even in high school to "train his mind for godliness" and "think on pure things". In what ways are you fighting the sins of everyday life? This example may seem like a small thing but it has/had lasting effects on these men.

I'm committed!

Registration Confirmation for:

The Locomotive Half Marathon and the Locomotive Thunder 5K
Dear Danelle,

Congratulations! You are now registered for The Locomotive Half Marathon and the Locomotive Thunder 5K. Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.locomotiveraceseries.com

View your complete registration details »
Thank you for registering for the Locomotive Half Marathon and the Locomotive Thunder 5K! Stay tuned to www.locomotiveraceseries.com for all the latest updates!


Registration Details
Confirmation #: 60703412-011112053634
Date & Time: 02/19/12
Location: Town Center Mall (Map)
Purchased at: 01/11/12
Category: Locomotive Half Marathon
Name: Danelle McNew

I did it! I registered! No turning back(no refunds)! Less than 6 weeks to train! So excited! I need a cold-weather running shirt and a new playlist. I can't wait to say I've run 13.1 miles. Holy cow, that's a long way! Here's hoping my training goes well and feels good!

What are your new year's goals???

one part of our trip: sweat bands, ice baths & the ER

I know, it's a crazy title. Let me start off by saying D.R. & I had the most wonderful 2 weeks together traveling through 3 states and seeing both sets of family. We began our trip in Nashville- one of my all-time favorite cities. My family went to Nashville most every summer when I was in elem-middle school. We love the music-influence of the city, the beautiful country-side, the quaint shops and the amazing local dining. I remember drinking my first strawberry-limeade slush at SONIC (we didn't have sonic in FL growing up) and then going to a Chick-fil-a parking lot where Jars of Clay was playing free for the locals. Awesome stuff.
Ok back to my story. This post is only going to tell one snippet of our travel experience- the rest being oh so much more cheery.

We had a great 3 days in Nashville, visiting college friends, hearing great music at awesome venues, eating artsy-fartsy food (me=love, D.R.="where's the meat?" :)), walking and walking some more in downtown Franklin & Nashville, Going to the Opryland Hotel and looking at lights! Fab. Well our last full day of the trip, I woke up with a sore throat which is always how I know a fever is coming. But I ate some breakfast, drank some O.J. and I started feeling better. We met one of our college friends & beloved bridesmaid of mine, Laura Durchsprung, for lunch at Puckett's in downtown Franklin. Great lunch- Caesar salad, fried chicken and veggies. I still felt at 90%. Well I hadn't run in 3 days and mentally I was clawing at the chalkboard if you know what I mean. I had to get outside and pound the pavement someway somehow. Laura recommended a nearby park. I had packed running clothes so I was ready. D.R. graciously read in the car while I ran my 3+ miles around the park. It was 61 degrees but I bundled up b/c of the slight "ick" feeling I still had. Sports bra, long sleeve tee, pull-over, leggings, nike shorts, head sweat band and mittens. I was toasty. I usually shed layers when I run in the cold but I decided that it was good for me to stay bundled and just bear the pouring sweat in all my crevices. I finished, I rang out my sweat band (cause my head sweats more than the rest of me). I felt great. Yes, calories burned and people prayed for!! I walked back to the car, we drove back to downtown Franklin where I wanted to get a to-go order of churros from SOL (a food-network seen restaurant with great Mexican dessert) With churros in tow, we headed back to our hotel in downtown Nashville. I began to get a little chilled due to the sweat in my cotton attire (note to self: invest in wickless running shirt)and by the time I got back to the DoubleTree I had blue lips and was violently shaking. D.R. kinda chuckling at me which is what he does at first when he is nervous or concerned. I immediately got into the hot shower and let the water try to warm me up. It didn't. I couldn't stop shaking/convulsing. D.R. got in, held me and I still didn't stop. I sat down in the tub and let the water warm cover me from the spout. Still not working. I couldn't even breathe evenly. I got out- ran to the bed and got bundled in the covers (which is what D.R. suggested). He ran out to CVS to buy a thermometer. Eventually I calmed down and the shivering subsided. I still felt terrible- cold/hot spells and achy all over. D.R. returned and took my temp- 104. He wanted a more "accurate reading" so he took it anally. (oh to be married to a health-care professional) temp=104. He looked at me in fear and said, "you need to get in the shower and be iced." "what?!!? no!!! I can't, D.R., I'm freezing!!?!" He said he knew but he was afraid I had over heated my organs by bundling up so much during my run and they could be "cooking". Ok- not cool. I reluctantly got out of bed and heading into the bathroom. I can't explain the pain of having ice-cold water poured on you, ice-cold dipped towels wrapped under your arms & in-between your legs for 10 minutes. I was crying the whole time meanwhile believing that my husband was only doing this because he was concerned for my health. He took my temp rectally after 4 minutes- still 104. He continued the torture. Took my temp again- 104. This really scared him. "We're going to the ER." 10 minutes later I'm being wheeled out of the hotel on a stretcher. A little embarrassing. My first time in an ambulance. The young paramedic looks just as nervous as I am. We get to the hospital, they take my temp which is down to 100 by this point and take my blood pressure. They decide to take a blood sample to see if my white count is elevated- something about D.R. thought my liver could be affected from the internal heat. (I think I got that right) 2 hours later- turns out I just have a virus and shouldn't have run if I wasn't feeling 100% well. duh, Danelle! I feel immediately humbled. D.R. is completely embarrassed and ashamed for the ice-bath thing but I reassure him that he was only doing what he thought was necessary. I told him that I'm glad he's willing to hurt me to help me. :) That night marked the very loving, tender tone for the rest of our trip. God used it greatly in both our hearts. For me, I realized that exercise is definitely an idol that I depend on too much for how I feel and act. It was so hard to not exercise for a full week after that. Mental hell. But I learned to respect my husband more and love my idols less. I still love to get out there and run but I don't feel guilty if I skip 2 days now. I'm so thankful for that lesson that God so brutally taught me. He gets our attention and persistently draws us back to Himself and for that I am so grateful. I guess He just wanted me to "chill out"- literally. :)

Merry Christmas

taking a blogging hiatus until after the new year. I hope everyone has a joyful Christmas. What a special time of year. I can't wait to write about our extensive travels when we return.

May the joy of knowing Christ fill your hearts in this next week and for always.

Substitute It

I've made some yummy eats lately and wanted to share them with my blog world.

I made this for senior girls Bible study and it was a hit.


Baked Oatmeal. Hearty. Healthy. Fiber-packed & filling. Plus, it tastes dang good too. You can substitute apple sauce for the butter if you want to make it even healthier.

Thanks to Pinterest/Annie's Eats for the recipe. I'll be making this a lot of Saturday mornings from now on.

I made Christmas Quinoa with pomegranate for our ladies, "Pinterest-inspired" lunch at work yesterday.



It's delicious and so good for you. It has toasted pine nuts, pomegranate arils, peas, green onion & pomegranate dressing in it. Quinoa is a little scary-looking as it resembles fish eggs but don't be scurred. It's delicious & fiber-packed. It's a little chewier than rice and is gluten-free. A nice break once in a while from oats, pasta or rice. It's a blank "canvas" that you can add anything to. Sweet or salty. I think I'll try some in the morning sometime and drizzle some honey and dried cranberries over it. And it's so festive, isn't it?! Thanks Eat8020 for this amazing recipe. (disclaimer: I substituted kamut for quinoa. Kamut takes too long to cook)

I made these little cuties for a couple different things.

1) youth Christmas party; 2)work. They were a hit. I think it's the mascarpone cheese. You can substitute chocolate chips for black beans. Yes, it tastes good! I can't explain how but the beans take on the choclately flavor of the brownies and you're tricked into eating something good for you! Can I get a "amen!"????
I used strawberries for one batch and raspberries on another. I have to say, the strawberries looked cuter. Thanks again, Pinterest. You're stealing way too much of my time these days.

I have found some other really great, healthy substitutes lately.
Bolthouse Yogurt Salad Dressing. It's very low-fat and low-cal AND it tastes great. Although it's a little pricier than others, it's worth the nutrition difference. Now I look forward to eating salad's at lunch time.

Wasabi peas instead of nuts. They are 90% lower in fat than peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc. And I love the spicy-ness.

Mini-Pretzels instead of chips. I love me some chips. Especially plain, salty, tortilla chips. But Rold Gold pretzels have barely any fat at all and you can eat two big handfuls for only 120ish calories! Salty craving? Satisfied.

Animal Crackers instead of cookies. They are a slight addiction of mine. I have a bag in my work desk, a bag in my pantry at home, and (gasp) a bag in my car. But you can eat 16 of them for only 120 measly calories and 2grams of fat. Bye, bye cookies.

Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Make sure it's 0% fat Greek yogurt. You'll never taste any difference in your casseroles. Promise.

Ok, that's enough food love for now. :)

Put It On a Plate

Great tip from a fellow blogger- especially around this "munchie", holiday time.

If you are a snacker like me, you probably know it. But when does snacking actually turn into grazing? What's the difference? Well, snacking is having a small meal between meals when you are actually hungry. (a yogurt, a piece of fruit, a handful of crackers/pretzels) Grazing is eating small amounts all day long, possibly due to cravings, boredom, stress, some hunger, etc.

Snacking may be a good idea. It will give you that little energy boost in between meals. Grazing, however, may actually cause you to consume MORE calories than you would by eating regular meals. Eating little amounts all day long may never trigger your satiety cues, leading you to constantly feel like you are hungry.

So what do you do if you ARE a grazer? I say "Put it on a Plate". Make an occasion out of eating. When it is placed in front of you on a plate, your portion may appear larger than if it was something that simply traveled from the bag to your mouth via your hand. Putting it on a plate may also cause you to think before you eat. What is the reason why you are eating? Hunger should be your answer (there are exceptions).

To get out of the habit of grazing, try having three basic meals. Make them balanced, then assess your HUNGER between meals. If you are hungry, try a small snack AND...............put it on a plate.

A Wonderful Week!

I'm so glad D.R. is home. After 4 weeks away from each other, it's good to have him back in everyday life...to have him there when dinner is ready...when I need my dress zipped up...when I can't reach the olive oil and feel to lazy to go grab the step stool. But I didn't just miss him in those moments. I missed him because he's part of me. He's my flesh. I'm incomplete. Sweet stuff that marriage stuff. :)

We had a great week & weekend. A recap:
Tuesday night we went to dinner at Bonefish Grill. One just opened in Columbus and it's been hard to find a night when the wait isn't an hour at least. We didn't have the best experience. Both our meals were "eh..." Should've gotten the bang bang tacos. Those are tried and true. But we went home and watched 007:Golden Eye and played with champ.
Wednesday night was our church's Christmas dinner. Such a special event. I love our church family. And great food. A delicious catered meal of lemon chicken or mushroom Marsala roast, steamed veggies, salad, roasted potatoes and 2 kinds of dessert & coffee. Singing Christmas carols and hearing the Christmas story through a drama presentation was heart-warming. Earlier that day, we took our Christmas card pictures with our friend Zach Smith. I can't wait to get our cards in the mail (hopefully tomorrow) and sent them out! They're pretty cute if I do say so my self. (Thanks Zach!!)

Thursday we went to 2 different events to support our youth. D.R went to a middle school boy's football game and I went to a Christmas Choir concert at Calvary (the school I work at) to see two of our youth, Laura & Daniel. We love our youth and love to support them.

Friday, we went to a musical "Joseph's Journey". It was a concert feat. songs by Journey, REO Speedwagon & Rick Springfield with the lyrics slightly altered ("Oh Mary" instead of "Oh Jenny" by REO, "Joseph's Girl" instead of "Jesse's Girl" by Rick Springfield) You get the picture... :) It was awesome. It told the story of Christmas (80's style) through Joseph's eyes. A light presentation of the gospel & the Christ-child but still fun. Afterwards, we went to dinner with Zach, Chelsey, Jordan, & Caleb- great friends from our small group. We ate at Woodstone Mediterranean- THEE best hummus you've ever tasted. I was a happy girl.

Saturday, we woke up whenever the heck we wanted, drank coffee, and watched a Christmas movie.

Almond Pancakes

I finished my Christmas shopping (can I get a Hallelujah!?) and then took a long, slow run outside. It was glorious. Just enough chilliness in the air to keep me going for 7 miles.
D.R. & I went to see my dance studio perform The Nutcracker that night. It was special to see it with people I know in it. All of my level 5 girls had special parts which was exciting to see. They are so talented. So poised and graceful. Ballet is hard stuff. It takes strong legs and balance and determination. I'm glad these girls have the solid foundation of ballet when they come in to my jazz class. Now, to get them to shake their booty a little more.... :)

Sunday: church. Christmas hymns, Peppermint-flavored coffee creamer, the Word proclaimed. Ahhh..... love it. We sing this hymn "Let all mortal flesh keep silence". It has a dreary, minor-key sound but is so powerful and I'm always in awe of God's holiness as we sing the words.
"Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly-minded,
for with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.
At his feet the six-winged seraph,
cherubim, with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

Last night, we had our youth Christmas Gift exchange. We made out with a Justin Bieber poster (yes!) and very fragrant lavender hand soap (yippee). We brought a $5 whoopie cushion key chain and yes, a middle school boy tried to steal it twice.


It was an eventful, fun week with D.R. Life is so much more fun with him and I'm thankful to know what it feels like without him so I can be more thankful when I'm with him. It hasn't been all-peachy, argument-free since he's been home (yes, we argue. We're sinners) but I'd rather have him home and argue with him than not have him home. Time to get back on the sanctification train. :)

Merry Monday.