Top 3

Today I conclude my list with the Top 3 Wood life moments of 2012.

#3........I was a big loser

I have been the recipient of one of God's greatest blessings in life for many years;  a high metabolism.  I spent most of my life eating whatever I wanted and exercising next to never without the fear of gaining weight.  Even after I married and had Lydia it wasn't that big of a deal.  I lost most of my pregnancy weight pretty quickly without working particularly hard.  But once I had Rebekah everything changed, including my body.  Now, some of it was age.  Some of it was emotional eating.  And some of it was laziness.  But whatever the culprit, the weight just didn't fall off as easily and I wasn't very motivated to do anything about it.

But 2012 was bringing about big change and new beginnings for our family so I decided it was time.  At the beginning of the summer I set a goal for myself to lose 25 pounds.  I pulled out my Jillian Michael's DVDs, devised a menu for myself of chicken, fish, fruit, vegetables, water & green tea.  And then I got to work.  Make no mistake.  It was awful.  But every morning I met Jillian at 5:30am and then I'd take a 30 minute walk around our neighborhood.  And throughout the day I resisted the urge to snack.  I ate no bread, no pasta and no sweets for over a month.  An whaddaya know.  It started working.

Revolutionary.

All that babbling about healthy eating and exercise resulting in weight loss was apparently accurate.

As of October 1st, I had dropped 27 pounds.  Then we went on vacation and I slacked off a little.  Then came Thanksgiving and Christmas and I slacked off a lot.

But miracles abound and I haven't gained one pound back.  I've lost a little muscle tone which I'm sure Jillian will take great pride in beating back into me when we start meeting again next week on a regular basis.  I hope to round the weight loss number up to 30 pounds by the time summer rolls around. I'm sure I'll live to regret every snickerdoodle.  But now I know I am capable of doing it. And I can have visible abs.  And I'm here to tell you it's true;  nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.

#2.........Finally home

At the end of January we finally moved into our new house.  After years of living in a house filled with regrets and bad memories, and years of trying to get out only to hear God say "no" a hundred times, we finally got our "yes".  The home He has given us is beautiful and well beyond what we deserve.  And it's not just the finishes in the kitchen, or the awesome walk-in closet or the mud room.  And oh, how I love the mud room.

For me, it's the fact that everything about it is new.  New chances, new memories, new beginnings.  There was no loss or death associated with any room.  We didn't buy this house for a family of 4 only to live as a family of 3.  Not one room was meant for a nursery but used as an office.  Not one room wasn't prayed over or covered in scripture.  And the fact that it's the first house we've ever lived in that Handiman built makes it even more special.  He took great care to make sure that it was just what his girls wanted.  And we're finally home.

#1..........A new creation

I've prayed for my daughter's salvation from the moment she came into the world.  She's been raised knowing who Jesus is and what He did for her. She's been in church her whole life, gone to a christian school where the Bible is taught and is surrounded by godly friends and family.  So, it was never a question of if she would receive Him.  It was simply a matter of when.  We've had conversations for years about what it meant to be saved and why people were baptized.  But everytime I'd ask if she were ready, she'd say "not yet."

There were several times, at VBS or summer camp, I thought she was ready but she'd insist "not yet." Selfishly, I was little relieved since I wanted to be a part of it.  My mom led me to Christ when I was 12 and I really wanted to share that moment with my daughter.  But, I would have been overjoyed either way.

But now I know God was saving that moment not just for me, but for our new home as well.  It all started with her mission trip application for Big Creek.  We were filling it out when it came to the part where she was to write her testimony.  She wasn't sure what that meant so I explained it was the story of how she came to know Jesus.  We talked for a little while and asked if she thought she was finally ready to ask him to be her personal Savior.  She said yes and I had the honor of leading my girl to Christ at the table in our brand new kitchen. 

A bonus was that she was baptized by Pastor Eric, who happens to be the dad of her very best friend Morgan.

Baptism was actually her biggest fear and the reason she waited so long.  She was not at all excited about standing in front of our whole church and getting her hair wet.  The fact she did it so confidently proved to me her decision was sincere.

There was no greater moment this year than when my sweet girl stood before our congregation and said "Jesus is my Lord & Savior".  And I doubt there will be any moment in years to come that will come close.

Buried with Christ in baptism............................................................................................. Raised to walk in a brand new life