Ignatian Workout

Quick update:


Training:  Stephanie B. and I did an awesome circuit/boot camp style work out on Tuesday morning.  It's always great to see her.  And working out is so much more fun (and probably productive) when you're laughing the whole time.  I also got Insanity in the mail on Tuesday!  I had ordered it on ebay, but then received a message saying the seller was shady and I probably wouldn't receive it.  I was bummed. But, it did come, and I got it for super cheap.  Woot.   I'm going to start next Tuesday!   I went to the gym tonight and did a five mile interval on the treadmill and elliptical type machine.  It was nice, it's been a while since I've had a good run.  Other than that I've been doing a lot of Jackie Warner workout DVDs.  It's just so dang hot, and I'm too lazy to run early in the morning and it's too creepy to be a night jogger. 


Spirituality:  I bought a book a couple of months ago called "The Ignatian Workout: Daily Spiritual Exercises for a Healthy Faith"  Jason and I had started reading it together but when the semester picked up, we didn't get to see each other as much and the reading dropped off.  Well, we've picked it back up! I'm really enjoying it.  The author does a lot of comparing to athletes, which I appreciate. Much like training for an athletic event he encourages the reader to begin slowly, remain committed, and work toward a goal (which sounds very familiar to Deacon Pete's advice to Jason and I). It's based on the writings of St. Ignatius Loyola and after an introduction to prayer is broken down into four "workouts".  Jason and I are beginning our first one this week.  Side note: I thought this book was perfect because St Ignatius Loyola is the namesake of the church Jason and I attend in Houston, and a place where Jason learned a lot about the Catholic Church  :) 

I've also been listening to a podcast during my workouts of a Bible Study using Scott Hahn's "Understanding the Scripture: A Complete Course on Bible Study"  I'll need to go back and sit down with the Bible and Hahn's book to really get much out of it, but it's a nice little primer for the book.  The Wagner's were awesome enough to get J Fry "Understanding the Scriptures" when he was Baptized. 

Domestication:  Ok I'm going to need the most help in this area.  My ability to stay clean and organized has big ups and downs. I'm just not very consistent.  Every once in a while I'll get on a cleaning kick...but it doesn't happen quite often enough.  Any advice here would be appreciated!  I did write down a recipe for a healthy creamy basil pesto dip or sauce.  It sounds delicious.  I actually have a bunch of recipes I can't wait to try from a book my wonderful future mother-in-law got me for Christmas!  But both the pesto recipe and the ones from the book require a food processor for purees...I suppose that means someone will need to get the food processor from our registry  ;)   I'll be honest, thus far, that's probably the thing I'm most excited about on our registry.  

And there you go!  That's what I've been up to lately :)  

PS You should read my sister's Blog: Everlasting Encouragement  She wrote a beautiful tribute to my Meemaw 

"God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven. 
All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully. 
As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God. But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal, we ought to let them go." 
— St. Ignatius of Loyola