Why I Was Baptized Yesterday

(Pictures to come!) 

Yesterday was amazing. We played corn hole, we ate, we hung out with friends, we sung & played guitar on the beach, and 25 of us, got baptized in the Chesapeake Bay with the help of National Community Church, all of her pastors, staff, band, and other church goers, who just came out to experience t and show support. 

I was so thankful to have my parents, my sister & her 2 boys, my dear friend & fellow fitness enthusiast,Debra, and my wonderful business running buddies and great friends, Justin & Sara there to support me. I am so appreciative beyond words for all of them to be there. 

What was most amazing to me, was that while I was so thankful for my friends to be there, but they all thanked me for the opportunity to witness it and take part. That leaves me wordless. 

...Well I guess, not technically wordless, but you know what I mean!

I was baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church

I was taught in school and at church that baptism was for babies and converts 

I've believed in God for as long as I can remember, and growing up was super involved in church. 

In high school & college, I started exploring other Christian denominations, but I was one foot in one foot out with my faith. 

At 24, at a non-denominational Christian service at an entrepreneurs conference, I heard the words, "if you're 99% sure you're going to heaven, then you are 100% unsure." I was frozen, because at the time I was literally 99% sure! 

Then he said, "God loves it when people are bold for Him." Then I thought, 'oh no... That was meant for me.' And I walked forward amongst 15,000 people to accept officially Christ (along with about 2,000 others!)

In reality, I discovered that up to that point, I believed in God, but did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. "What does that even mean?"  (I often questioned)

After this, I talked to people about Jesus more boldly, but I was making more mistakes a month than I had my whole life, up to that point. 

For about 5 years, I made compromising decisions that didn't even fit in with anything I believed in. I didn't want to talk about my faith, because I had begun to believe that I was a poor example and that God couldn't use me broken (how wrong is that?!)

Anyway, in September of 2013, I desperately wanted to get my relationship with my Heavenly Father right, and I started reading from the Word almost everyday & praying consistently. I decided to lead a bible study table at another church (why not?!) We studied baptism and I listened to the perspective about getting baptized as a believer. 

Truly I had never thought about getting baptized, because I'd received it as a baby. 

My heart wouldn't let it go though. Around that time, good friends of mine shared the Baptism by the Bay video from NCC. I knew immediately,  I wanted to do it like that. 

I started to realize that if Jesus insisted on getting baptized (and he's obviously all in!),  then it was good for me to. 

I started attending NCC in April 2014, and I when I saw that Baptism on the Bay was happening, I knew this is how I was supposed to do it. For me, it's an act of faith and a stamp in my faith passport on the way to my calling. 

15 Day Road Trip Starting in DC

Fly Road Trip

Alright y'all, this is about as detailed as I get planning a trip, but who's in?!

Day 1: 9:05 fly from DC to Nashville, TN, arrive at 11:30 am

Agenda-- buy a road trip worthy car, check into a resort hotel, go to the spa, then go to a Nashville country show/restaurant/whatever! 

Day 2: breakfast In Nashville, then drive to New Orleans ( 530 miles, 8 hours). Arrive by 8 pm with dinner reservations in the French Quarter. 

Day 3: tour New Orleans & eat beignets in the morn/ early afternoon, then drive to Dallas (500 miles, 7.5 hours)

Day 4: tour Dallas. Visit Chelsea & Edson! Leave for Austin, TX in late evening (3hr, 200 miles)

Day 5: hike in Austin, visit the sites, do a Texas food tour, buy from the best country boot store in America. Drive halfway (5 hours) toward White Sands, NM. 

Day 6: drive second half (5 hours) to White Sands National Park in NM.. One of my favorite places in the country. Hike, walk, experience White Sands.

Day 7: drive to Pheonix, AZ (440 miles, 6.5 hours). Rent bikes and do a long ride, rent dune biggies to hit up the desert, then hit the spa! 

Day 8: drive to Grand Canyon (220 miles, 3 hours)... Tour all day! Rent a helicopter for a scenic tour. 

Day 9: drive to Vail, CO (550 miles, 9 hours). Go night skiing & snow tubing!

Day 10: in Vail-- Snowmobile trip in late morning, snowboarding/ skiing in afternoon/ massages in the evening :-)

Day 11: drive to Mount Rushmore, SD (500 miles, 8 hours). Experience the monument and have a relaxing evening! Drive halfway ( 5 hours, 450 miles) toward Kansas City

Day 12: drive second half to KC, stop through Omaha and go to the zoo! In Kansas, Visit Monica's friends and go to a KC Royals game. 

Day 13: drive from Kansas City to St. Louis, MO (4 hrs, 250 miles). Visit the arch. Continue onto Chicago.

Day 14: do Chicago, shop, eat, visit Willis Tower, and the Bean. Stroll Michigan Ave. Stay downtown. 

Day 15: sell the car and fly back to DCA!  

Why Being An Entrepreneur Is So Awesome

As an entrepreneur you're on all the time, your income fluctuates, you get up early and stay up late, you have independent health insurance, and your retirement plan is your business.  You're constantly thinking of new ideas, and products, and strategies to reach people, to help people, to improve society.

It sounds exhausting right?

The truth is, yes, it can be. Yes, there are moments when you want to throw in the towel and go get a job flipping burgers or apply to have a cushy office position with a view.

But an entrepreneur has a desire to discover, to press forward, to find solutions. We sometimes live in self-afflicted (temporary) misery in order to move things forward. But we wouldn't trade it for any salaried job in the world. 

Entrepreneurs can't help but get there hands dirty. We have or be involved. We want to help people. 

Today I treated myself to coffee at my favorite local spot at 7am. I asked the sweet girl how her day was, and she said with a smile, "we're out of regular coffee." Her tone indicated that her regular customers wouldn't be excited about this. I immediately asked questions like, "who's your supplier?" "Aren't they right down the street?" "Can't we fix this?" I found myself trying to problem solve a business problem that 1) wasn't mine, and 2) i wasn't asked to fix. I had to bite my tongue and walk away. But.. It was hard! If I had a wholesaler coffee connection, I would've offered my services. I still am looking into how I can help. But this is a simple example... entrepreneurs can't help but get involved and seek solutions.

Ok onto the even more awesome part.. Here are a couple of bullet points about why being your own boss is so amazing:

1. Flexibility

This is so key. I personally operate 2 businesses, one which is local and requires my physical presence (personal training) and the other which can be run at any hour, from anywhere, with a smartphone or tablet. With the second option, I don't have to worry about being in a specific spot... If I have a call set up with a partner, I can be in DC or Hawaii and get the same result. With the latter, I can send a fellow entrepreneur videos and education through an app, and my newest partner can educate themselves, while I'm working out, sleeping or meeting face to face with another business partner.

2. Control 

Continuing on from flexibility. The ability to control your schedule and only dedicate time where you find to be of value. When I worked for someone else, I didn't get to decide who I met with or the terms of our meeting. As an entrepreneur, you are in control of your time & your associations. This is priceless.

3. No ceiling 

When I was naive to the corporate world, I thought that my bosses wanted to help me progress, purely. As I got "older" in the industry.. I learned... Not the case. As am entrepreneur, the only ceiling that exists is the one you place on yourself. Your expectations, your vision and the action you take toward your dreams and goals affect how your story plays out. You can write yourself in the lineup of a successful entrepreneur, and do what most don't even dare to dream about.

4. Freedom

My favorite word.. What the great United States of America was founded on. I've heard many an entrepreneur say, that you are not free in America until you are financially free. While owning your own business will take work, and it may take your blood, sweat, and tears (so to speak)... My personal training business has literally taken all of those! 

Anyway.. owning your own business and being an entrepreneur is not for the weak...it's not for the lazy.. It's not for someone looking for a quick fix. Anything that produces success is going to take work, work ethic, commitment, focus, and follow through. The reward is worth it. 

I'm going to be expanding on this topic in the coming months. It's on my heart to educate on entrepreneurism. My hope is that whether your goal is to make an extra $3,000 or $3,000,000 a year, this series will benefit you.

In health & prosperity,

Monica 

Taking Shots

Today I had a cool opportunity to shoot some hoops for a few minutes. It had been awhile, although I used to have a great shot.  I took around 30 shots and made one.. One!! 

It was funny. 

It was semi-embarrassing (although I was the only who saw--hopefully)

And it got me thinking. 

If you had seen me, it would have looked weird. I kept laughing at myself, in a jovial way, but kept taking shots, although my head was saying, stop while you've only missed 10, 20, 25 shots.. 

I kept going. 

I made 1/30 shots. 

But that 1 shot... Let me tell you... It was perfect. I knew as soon as it left my hands it was a swoosh. I could feel it. It was a win. Even a few hours later, I still remember the sweet feeling of that shot. It was beautiful and I owned that shot... 

Somehow the other 29 misses didn't matter. I may remember the comedy of the missed shots, but I think about/ remember the victory of that 1 perfect shot.

(And let me just clarify... In my mind it was perfect.. Thank goodness there is no YouTube evidence! If you're a ball player you may have cringed... But to me.. It was beautiful!)

How much does this apply to life, to success, to striving for a goal? I've experienced this other times: Crossing the finish line at my first marathon, playing the chimes perfectly during a band concert in high school (when I had no business in that position), hitting a new PR with my deadlift, starting my own business and walking away from a W-2 forever, and experiencing someone else succeed at a goal that I played a small part in. 

We all take shots, and we all fail. 

Mistakes are a part of life. 

It's good. 

If you were perfect, you wouldn't have anything to strive for. 

The goal is not perfect.

The goal is to set a goal and go after it with your whole heart. 

To do something that matters. 

Does it matter that I played basketball for a few minutes today? No. But what matters is the lesson.

Sometimes you take shots. And you may miss a lot. But with consistency and a not-giving-up attitude, you will hit that sweet shot and it'll inspire you to go for another.

What if, in your life, for ever "30 shots" you take, you get 1 swoosh?

Is it worth the fight? The repetition? The semi-potential-humiliation?!

I say yes, and I encourage you to go for the swoosh (whatever that means to you in your life). Look back on the missed shots with humor, take the failure in stride, and remember the feeling of the swoosh because it won't just happen once. 

The more shots you take, the more swooshes you'll get. You won't care about the missed shots. 

Even if you're opposed, stick to what you know!

Today at the grocery store, my meager total came to $8.71 and I gave $20 cash.

I received back 4 five dollar bills and a single (or $21).

"You gave me to much change"  I said.

"No, you gave $20 and this is your change."

I had to argue with the sweet woman at the register on how she gave me too much. She was so persistent that she was right, that for a brief moment, I wondered if I couldn't add right (when was the last time you received 4 five-dollar bills as change!).

I think she was just overwhelmed with her work.

We had a positive tiff (although I knew I was right!) and once she really realized (and after I humbly said, maybe I'm wrong!), she said, "thank you for saving me..."

How easy would it have been to walk away!.

And how easy would it be for her employer to fire her.

Living with integrity is vital. I'm not trying to boost myself in any way (trust me!), but I think that if we can all live in a way that serves others and helps them out, we will have a better society.

It doesn't matter that she fought me and thought I was wrong...it would have been so easy to take the extra $10... And then could have been fired!

Let's do people right, no matter how argumentative they are!

2 Snack Plates for 200 Calories or Less

If you love to eat but want to eat less, without feeling deprived...

If you have trouble with too much snacking and want to reduce your calories but still "eat a lot," try out one of these snack plates. The ingredients/combos may seem kind of random, but it will give you something to munch on, plus take a break between bites. Enjoy with a big glass of ice water!

Movie Night Snackers Plate
145 calories
1/2 cup low fat popcorn
1/4 green pepper (sliced)
7-8 baby carrots
2 tbsp salsa
1 tbsp hummus
1/2 cup raspberries
10 grapes

Mid-Afternoon Snackers Plate
190 calories
4 olives
1/2 cup celery
1/2 tbsp peanut butter
1 (66 g) plum (fruit+(2-1/8"+dia))
1/2 cup strawberries
60 calorie Jello pudding cup

You'll be surprised at how much this fills you up and can help stop cravings and overdo it!

5 Recipes for Everyday or Entertainment!

Recipe #2: Edamame Cups!

The past 5 recipes that I have posted on my alter-ego food blog,  www.workoutfoodie.com are all multi-functional. Each can be made at home or totally used for a dinner party, bridal/baby shower, casual get-together with friends, etc. What's cool about each of these is that none of them involve a lot of ingredients or any ingredients that leave you thinking, 'and where do I get that from.'

As we move into 2014, I know healthy eating and quick cooking is key! We are all busy, yet w
e all still want to maintain health and provide healthy options when we entertain!

Enjoy: 

1. Turkey, Avocado, Swiss Wrap Pizza: take your favorite wrap and turn it into a hot, personal sized pizza! This recipe takes 10-min and is gluten-free!

2. Edamame Salad w/ Homemade "Ranch" Dressing: make a batch to eat throughout the week or serve in cupcake cups! It's yummy, fun and high fiber!

3. My Italian Chile Relleno: I know...what does that mean? It's 4 ingredients and it happened because I was at the international market and got inspired! Everything about it is Mexican, except for the sauce, which is marinara!

4. Radish & Kale Salad with a light vinegarette: a beautiful dish filled with flavor, nutrition, iron and fiber!  A great side dish for salmon, steak or chicken!

5. Spaghetti Squash with Kale & Parmesan: exactly as it sounds! An alternative to pasta and a simple way to save money, pack a lunch and get multiple vitamins in one dish!