Majorly Busy!

I just love how Pun-y my last name is! A little catch up for the past few weeks!

We went to our sweet friend's little boy's first birthday and had so much fun! Madison is gearing up for her birthday as well, so our friend Becky took her photos. See above! If you are in VA and want to hire her check out https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Becky-A-Gardner-Photography/247771818617589

Last weekend was also a huge weekend for the Major family! We participated in the family dedication at our amazing church, Lifepoint! We are so proud and honored to be parents of our sweet girls, and could not be more privileged to have the support of our church family as we guide our girls in life. We are so proud to publicly commit to raising our girls with Christian values and principles as they navigate thru this complicated life. To view a photo of this dedication see the link below!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifepointchurchfrederickburgva/6794038134/

Following the dedication we had a large group of people over to our house to celebrate! We love to entertain and haven't been able to in the new house very much so this was a great time. After we reassured all of the children that it was okay to walk on the cowhide in the front room we all had a great time! Thanks to everyone who came and shared in our big day with us!

We had a random snow day on President's day, and loved playing outside in it...even if it melted in less than 24 hours.

It seems our weeks are flying by lately. Bethany is doing Good News Club on Tuesdays after school, Piano Thursdays after school. Madison and I are at the gym each day as I get closer and closer to my goal of becoming a fitness instructor. Justin is working hard at his DOJ job and is doing so well. I could not be more proud of my man who is such a hard worker, and provider for our family. Madison is now 11 months old and in to everything! Preparations have begun for her big birthday bash, and I am so excited and sad and overwhelmed all at the same time.

We are still going to our couples bible study on Friday nights, I am in a women's bible study on Monday nights, and we lead a student bible study for 8th and 9th graders on Sunday evenings. Our weeks are packed but we are having the time of our lives right now. The only thing that could make it better would be having our families close by.

Projects around the house have kept us busy as well, and we are looking forward to spring so we can plant our first garden and play outside!

Happy 10 Months Madison West

Birthday!

 6 Months!

10 Months!

This week we celebrated Madison's 10 month bday! I cannot believe it has been 10 months! Happy 10 month birthday lil bug!

Splitting Up!

NO, not Justin and I...but I feel like I have 3 blogs running in 1 right now. I have created another blog to focus in on my weight loss, and motivation for other people going through the same journey. I will also be considering creating a 3rd for my spiritual and Christian centered blogs. I want to keep Meet the Majors about our family adventures. Stay tuned for the new additions!

Check out the new health and weight loss blog @ http://majorsmotivation.blogspot.com/2012/01/big-loss-part-1.html

10 reasons I LOVE my morning workouts!

Here is a list of things that I LOVE about going to workout every morning! They are in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. I love meeting new people every day at the gym.

It shouldn't come to a shock to you all that I love meeting new people everyday and getting to talk to them about what ever may be going on. I love that every day there are familiar faces and new ones. I can share a smile with the new people and let them know that they can be comfortable. I love making new friends, and making instant connections with people, even if it is over how insanely hard the spin class is!

2. I crave endorphins.

I have been working out daily since October. The discipline was very hard at first, but now I NEED the endorphins. I crave them. Working out makes me a happier mom, a better wife, and a better Christian. When I am toning my physical body it helps the health of my spirit. I am a happier person!

3. I love having 1-2 hours a day to myself, where the only person I have to worry about is me.

While the best part of the gym is meeting new people, I also love that this is the only time of the day where someone is not depending on me. Madison is an amazing baby and I love her more than words could ever express...but every Mommy needs a break. Even the people with the most important jobs get a lunch break.

4. When I get to meet new people it is an opportunity to share my story.

I love being able to share my story of weight loss. I am not finished yet, but I have made a great progress. I love being able to let people know that no matter how unattainable or how far away their goals may seem, they can do it. If I can do it, anybody can. But I also want them to know that it isn't an end all. I share my regain as much as my initial weight loss. I want to inspire people to reach their goals. Maybe some day I will be a trainer, or something HA!

5. Not only is it so important to share my story of weight loss, I also get to share my faith.

In the last few weeks thru our fast I have really learned how much the Lord has empowered me to reach my health goals. He has blessed me with the resources to pay for a gym membership, the determination to reach my goals, the will power to eat healthy, a husband who is so supportive, and a body that is capable of far more than I give it credit for. When I let people know that I am working toward my goals to be a healthy person in order to better serve the Lord I know that it may sound strange...but somewhere deep down, they get it. At the gym when I am meeting new people I am given opportunities to share how the Lord has changed my life!

6. Pushing myself to the limit physically shows me what I am capable of.

Those days when I finish the hardest workout I could ever imagine, or when I am taking a class that leaves me feeling totally done, I realize just how much I can do. I never thought I could complete a cycle class, but now it is my favorite class! I always said I couldn't do yoga because I am not bendy, but now I am in a class 2 times a week!

7. Madison gets to socialize too.

Even though she is only 9 months old, I know that it is important for her to get some time away from mommy! She loves going to the kid's club, and is always doing something adventurous! The other day she climbed into the playground and was headed to the slides. Crazy baby!

8. It's fun!

I have a great time, listen to fun music, and I really enjoy it! Yes I am that girl who is dancing on the elliptical!

9. My body is changing, for the better.

I was taking the Les Mills Body Pump class on Wednesday (SOOO FUN!) and I sat down to get ready to work on chest muscles, and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I didn't even realize it was me! My arms are getting toned, my stomach flatter, legs less tree trunk like, and even my booty is looking better. I am actually happy to get on the scale to see where I am at, and when I look in the mirror I know that my hard work is beginning to pay off!

10. When I workout in the morning my entire day goes more smoothly and I am more productive!

No explanation necessary! You work out, you have more energy, you have a better day!

If you actually took the time to read this I hope it was a little inspirational and that you feel more inclined to head to the gym. It will make you feel so much better, and who knows who you might meet, inspire, or help along your own journey to a healthy life!

with my Grandparents, July 2006 (I never used to show this photo to people...yeah)

New Years Eve, this is before our fast. 10lbs gone since this photo.

Daniel Fast mid way update!

We are on day 15 of 21 of our Daniel Fast! It has gone by really fast and has been way easier than I had expected. The Lord has provided us with so many resources for recipes and so much support from our friends! Of course we have gotten several looks from people who do not understand, several people who think we are just 'on a diet', and even people who question our motives in fasting. I feel amazing, and have found that I really enjoy the light feeling of not being weighed down by all of the junk in our food. Not eating sugar and preservatives makes me feel so much better! The Lord is revealing so much to Justin and I about discipline, and it is spilling over into other areas of our lives as well. In fact we are getting back on our cash, envelopes, and Dave Ramsey plan starting Saturday.

I will write a full update next week, and will be doing a guest post on http://www.wholesomemother.com/. Stay tuned for a full update!

Fasting like Daniel

Back in October our dear friends embarked on their first Daniel fast. Their 18 year old son did it first, and experienced great spiritual growth and clarity. Upon his suggestion they did it, and after they did it once we were all intrigued. Our friends told us they are starting the fast for the 2nd time in January, and Justin and I are going to join them.

So, what is the Daniel Fast?
The Daniel Fast is a partial fast, which means that we will eliminate some common things from our daily diet, but will have generous options available. We will focus on eating fruits and vegetables that are pure and simple. (From the elevation church website)

Why?
While I am currently on a mission to a size 8, this has nothing to do with my health goals. I want to challenge myself to call on the Lord for his help when I am craving certain foods. I want to eat to live, and focus in on the Lord and his plan in my life.

How Long?
21 days.

What can you do to help us?
Pray for us. Encourage us as we go on our journey. And most of all please refrain from teasing us with your food.

I will be blogging about it a lot and will update you all on our progress through out the fast. Also to all of my vegetarian friends...how do I make tofu taste like something other than feet?

To learn more about the fast visit the website for Elevation Church. We will be using their guidelines.
http://danielfast.elevationchurch.org/DanielFast.pdf

Road Trip recap!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am an only child. For most of my life our friends were more like a family than our family. Not because of bad blood or anything, but because we lived in Texas and my parents' families lived in Michigan, except for my Nana and Papaw who lived on the ranch with us! Anyway my family is pretty small, my mom is an only child and my dad is 1 of 4 kids. But like I said all of those cousins live in MI and that is a long way to go for playdates. I was never one of those kids who played with cousins all the time. When I was in junior high my dad's cousin came down with Uncle Dale (he and Aunt Gretna came every year and stayed at the ranch and it was always awesome having them visit!). Cousin Joni also brought her kids with her (Amy, Jake, and Neil), they were all around my age and it was awesome getting to know cousins! After that, her youngest kid Neil would come down and spend summers with us. The most memorable was when I was 16 and he was 13, we spent all summer on the road showing horses. We went all over TX and to New Mexico, and more places that I cannot remember. Neil is the closest thing to a brother I have ever had. He is an amazing dude. He joined the army and has been at Ft. Bragg in NC for the last couple years. Having him close by has been great even if we only hung out once. Now that you have a little history on the life of Ryan and her fam, here is what happened this weekend!

Neil is finally finished with his army training he was doing in NC and had a graduation yesterday. He invited all of us over to celebrate. This was our first road trip with 2 kids. The drive took about 4.5 hours, and the girls did really well! I don't care how old I get or how much I travel it is still really exciting when you go over a state line. I don't know what it is about it, but it always makes me giddy!

It was a cousin reunion, and it was awesome. I even got to meet another cousin who I had never met before. We had a great time. We went out after dinner and played pool and danced around. It was a great night. I am so thankful for family. Coming from a small family of blood relatives it is so nice to get to know everyone as 'grown ups'. The girls got to meet Uncle Dale and Aunt Gretna, and all of their cousins. I still maintain that it is far too complicated to know which level of removed and 1st or 2nd or whatever cousins. As far as I am concerned family is family and that is all that matters! Thank you for having us share your day Neil! We are so proud of you! Also we love your girlfriend, she is pretty awesome!