The Biggest Loser.....

I love the Biggest Loser! It is just one of those shows that I love to watch year after year. The show that I try to pick the winner of in the first episode. The show that seriously gets me teared up. The show that makes me want to get up and do push ups and sit ups...which I really need to do. It motivates me.

Why???? Because you see people's lives transformed....literally before your eyes. You see people that can't walk to mailbox run marathons in 4 months. You see people loose 239 lbs in a six month period...and that my friends is amazing. I look forward all season long to the end of the show when you see how everyone did. This season was by far the greatest transformations ever...every single one of those people lost a crazy amount of weight! They were transformed...different people....unrecognizable! I loved Danny's comment last night, that no one in his town even knows that he is the guy that was on the biggest loser because he has changed so much! Way to go Danny!

Yes, I admit that seeing these peoples lives changed because of their weight loss tears me up and gets to me....but even more than that...seeing some one's life transformed by Christ. Now that is what gets me! Just like those contestants that went on the show to change their life weight wise...Jesus Christ changes our lives in every way. I have seen people changed by the power of Christ...even more dramatically than Danny's weight loss last night. I serve a big God who can change anyone. So many of those contestants say they could never change....so many sinners say that they can't change...that they are too far gone. But God can. Just like Bob and Jillian saw something great in those players....even greater than that is a Holy God that wants to love us and change us....to be unrecognizable.

My husband lived a lifestyle as a young adult that was a tad bit on the crazy side. He had quite a reputation around his home town. God saved him when he was 20 years old and completely transformed him....to someone completely different. Ric has old friends that can't believe he is in the ministry...can't believe the change that has taken place in his life. The old man is definitely gone! A testament to the Grace of God! He has truly been transformed....have you?

SO yes, I love the show...but I love seeing lives changed by Christ. Yes, I will still tear up watching the show.....but I will always be brought to tears when a life is changed forever. Yes...I love to see people lose weight and get healthy...but I love to see people's eternal destination changed more than anything! Yes, I love the Biggest Loser and seriously want Bob to be my trainer...but I love God and am thankful he is constantly working on me!!

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Did I fall???.......

My husband and I got married in September and in December we headed to my folks in Virginia to celebrate our first Christmas together. We had a pretty uneventful trip up…except for the speeding ticket….but boy did things get exciting later that week!

A few days after Christmas we decided to head up to Wintergreen to do a little snow skiing. We love to ski and Ric is really good at it and we just couldn't wait to hit the slopes! It was freezing that night and they were blowing snow like crazy. I had gone out on the "bunny slope" to teach my sister in law Tanya…who had never been and I can guarantee will probably never go again! We had only been out there maybe 15 minutes when my brother in law skied up and said "Ric fell…bad….he has no clue where he is"! Ric then ski's up and I can see it in his eyes…you know the look of "I just whacked my head on the ice and have no clue where I am". He asked me "Did I fall?" I told him I didn't know but let's go get checked out……his response…..he took off across the mountain! I followed him and finally caught him in the ski lift.

The four minutes we spent on that lift were terrifying yet comical. He repeatedly asked me if he had fallen…and then questions like, "Where are we….Am I a youth pastor…..Did I plan the youth ski trip yet…Did I miss Thanksgiving…Did I fall" came. They were one after the other. I am answering them, but the whole time I am answering them I am thinking…how do I get him to Ski Patrol. We get close to the top and I tell him…."Whatever you do…don't you dare ski to the left and go back down this mountain..stay with me"! Well…he tried to ski to the left and I yelled at him…really loud to get his concussioned self back over here next to me or I was gonna beat him dead!

I got him to the Medic and they began to assess the situation. All the while I am thinking "where is my family?" This was before cell phones were big so there was no way for me to contact them. Ric is being questioned by the nice medic and Ric's answers were comical……He asked Ric to remember three things…apples, oranges, and bananas….and he was going to ask Ric about said three things shortly. After two minutes of Ric telling me he was fine, the medic came back and asked him what those three things were. The answer: "Buddy, I don't even know who you are"! Their response…."get this big guy on a back board and lets drag him off this mountain without his family and take him to the tiny little backwoods hospital 45 minutes away". Yeah, I know!

The ski patrol assured me that they would help in my venture of finding my family…if you call writing on a dirty chalkboard the size of a notebook at the ski lift helping. What's a girl to do but ski herself all over that bitter cold…icy mountain to find her family. I found my sister in law first…remember she was the one who was in the lodge drinking hot coco 'cause skiing was just not for her. It took a good hour to find the rest…..and the only reason I found my brother is because he is a redneck(he's ok with me calling him that) and wore blaze orange that day. I will forever be indebted to that lovely color. We later found my brother in law( he was really concerned about Ric as he was skiing on the Black Diamonds) and headed off the hospital to find Ric.

At the hospital…that he had been at for a few hours..they assured us that he was ok..just a concussion..no damage! We breathed a sigh of relief…..and then checked him out to head home. He still was out of it and continued to ask us "Did I fall?" for the next two hours. We got to the point where we were all exasperated by his questioning and seriously felt like saying "shut up already….yes you fell…yes you fell…yes you fell!!!" Oh wait…we did tell him that!

And the best thing about this whole trip.....Ric ended up in the hospital with his ski boots on and I believe he rode home with them on....and well, they sat in my Mom's closet for almost a year before Wintergreen saw the likes of them again. And no, we haven't gone back to Wintergreen...but we do ski in West Virginia. Needless to say....he hasn't fallen again!!!

And the Winner is.....

Drum roll please........and the winner is......Tammie Casteel! She said...

"I've never blogged before, but I check it out every time Ric posts on facebook.And it has been a blessing. I love the Dandelion he posted on facebook but I would also like a growth chart for all five of the Casteel children. "

I went to Random.org to have them generate my winner...they randomly pick the number...just so you know how I picked:)!

Yeah Tammie...I am super excited you won and know where I can find you! Tammie's kids have played in our sports program at our church for years and yes, she has five kids and always seems to have it all together. She is a precious lady with a precious family. Can't wait to get you your vinyl.

Thanks everyone who entered the drawing. I will continue to do them ever so often so keep checking back. For those of you who did not win, you can always go to the website and place your order there. IF you want them in time for Christmas, just make sure you place your order by the 15th!!

Thanks again to all who entered!

100 is grand.....and a giveaway...

100. I can't believe I made it. To some it may be no big deal. To others, they think I am _tupid(I am not allowed to say that word or I get in trouble by my kids)....but to me, it's pretty grand!

I finally made it to my 100th post. I haven't truly been blogging long and I surely should have hit 100 long ago...but babies came...noses needed to be wiped...other things needed to be wiped...and well, you get the picture. I have been so blessed to be able to write on this blog and I have loved every second of it. Can you tell that I love to blog??

This blog started out as just a way to put pictures up for our families to see, and then I began to write things that God was teaching me. Then I began to think of neat things to write about...and well, the rest is history. I am by no means a great writer...witty...smart....or whatever! I just share my heart...share my life...and share my faith.

To celebrate my 100th post, I am hosting a giveaway. I will be giving a $30 gift certificate to my vinyl company "On the Doorpost"! You can buy whatever you want to buy with it....hey, you can even buy two things if you want. The catch is this....to enter you must go to my website - http://www.onthedoorpost.com/ and look around. Come back here and leave me a comment telling me which vinyl you love the most. If you become one of my followers I will throw in a second chance at winning and if you blog about my giveaway I will throw in a third chance(just leave a comment with a link to your site). SO, that is three chances to win a fabulous gift certificate to my creative new company. I could go crazy with $30 people. There is just too much to choose from!
So get to looking while I throw confetti and blow my horn in celebration of my 100th post! Comments will remain open until Saturday night @ 11:59 pm!

It's official...

Well....it's officially begun. The trees are up...stockings hung with care..lights are covering anything that stands still....and I am excited. I love Christmas and everything about it. From the sweet smell of my Christmas Eve Yankee Candle to the twinkling lights on the tree...it seriously gives my home such a cozy feeling.

Every year I do an advent box with the kids and normally I put little presents in bags that are tied on the back of their kitchen chair. This year I am doing something a little different. Sure I will put a small prize in their bags a few times, but every day I will put in a fun activity for us to do as a family. Today was bake cookies and watch a movie. I got the list from another blog(which I can not for the life of me remember) and loved all of the neat things she was going to do with her kids. She sold me on it and I can't wait to tackle each thing:

1. Play a board game together
2. Build a fort and have dinner in it
3. Cut out paper snowflakes
4. Color a special picture for someone
5. Make popcorn and watch a Christmas movie
6. Find a special treat
7. Special treat: Hot cocoa and marshmallows
8. Make a Christmas craft
9. Breakfast for dinner
10. Find a special present and open it
11. Make a card for someone and mail it
12. Go to dollar store and shop for family
13. Go out to a movie
14. Decorate a gingerbread house
15. Kids make dinner for Mom and Dad
16. Go see Santa Claus
17. Make a pine cone bird feeder
18. Make a Christmas craft
19. Find a special present and open it
20. Go roller skating
21. Bake Christmas cookies
22. Go downtown and look at lights
23. Popcorn and movie night

I don't just love Christmas because of the lights, smells, food, and gifts. I will let you all know why I love Christmas so......on another day, so stay tuned!