Places I need to see

So, you know when you want to write about something but you truly have no idea what to write. Well that’s me right now. Just sitting here with my large 17 inch laptop purchased by my wonderful dad a couple years ago. Just tap tap tap on the keyboard. Tried looking for inspiration online. Googled health, running, Adobe illustrator, blah blah blah. Nothing sounds good. So, I’m going to post photos of places I plan to visit one day:

1: Naples, Italy

I’m a huge pizza eater. Huge. And I definitely want to visit Italy. But when I go to Italy, and I will go, I want to go to Naples for the pizza.  I also want to ride my own scooter like the guy in the picture. I’ll put my guy on the back since I like to be in control. Here is a list of top ten things to do in Naples http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/campania/naples/things-to-do/top-things-to-do-in-naples 

 

2. Bergen, Norway

I love quaint towns with buildings all squished together. I can imagine me and the Mr. sitting at a table with the sun shining down and enjoying a warm drink with a nice bay breeze blowing on us. Would probably do some kayaking out there and get a beach cruiser to ride around town.  Oh and I definitely would like to see some Trolls.  http://www.visitnorway.com/us/where-to-go-us/fjord-norway/bergen/what-to-do-in-bergen/ 

 

3. Bora Bora

I have a flare for the exotic so where else but Polynesian Bora Bora. I definitely would love to go here and lay in the sun and swim in the clear water. Kids will not be invited but I’ll make sure the babysitter takes them to Water World. JK. No seriously. What would I do in Bora Bora? Swim. Relax – something I could really learn to do.

 

4. Kenya (ANYWHERE)

I’ve made the trip to Africa and I must say the country won my heart. I’ll always want to go back. There are some amazing things to do in the country. Safaris are a blast. And my goal is to climb Kilimanjaro with my church in the next couple years, although Kili is technically now in Tanzania. At night on our safari we could see lights all throughout the mountain from all the people climbing it. It was very impressive.  So, that’s my goal. Will anyone come with me?

 

So that’s my list. Four places I want to visit. I know there are a lot places to see and who knows where I’ll go but I’m up for the adventure.

Bayside Women’s Retreat 2014

Had a pretty amazing weekend. Went to the Bayside women’s retreat at the Woodleaf Young Life Camp. The most gorgeous camp I have ever seen. I was so impressed with the camp, I pray Vanessa gets the opportunity to spend summers there

I met amazing women this weekend and definitely had moments where you knew God brought them into your life. All with struggles but still so much faith in God. They were all uplifting and nothing but pure love for their sisters.  I ran into a family friend who grew up in Pacifica with all my family since she was little. So it was so great seeing her. And many of the women in my cabin shared inspiring stories and there was never a doubt that there was a reason we were supposed to meet.

I feel so blessed to be part of something so special. Bayside has been a blessing in every aspect of my life and I’m glad I get to share it with my friends and family. It was a great weekend for reflection, clarity and some new questions in my life. We had breakout sessions, quiet time, time to chat at the coffee shop, crafts. The rain kept most people from the hike around the lake, but God answered the prayers for rain and boy did we get it.

I was also very impressed with the operation of Young Life. I knew about the organization but never had any experience with it. At the camp they had high school students prep and serve all our meals. First off, the meals were amazing. I couldn’t say enough about how yummy everything was. Second, you could see God working in these kids. They were so polite and wanted to give you themselves through their service. We did a collection at the end of our retreat for Young Life and donated $3500 to send kids to Woodleaf.

For more information about Woodleaf Young Life Camp go to: http://woodleaf.younglife.org/Pages/default.aspx 

For more information about Bayside Women’s Ministry go to: http://www.baysideonline.com/adults/womens/ 

Body Fat Test

So, it was bothering me. I’ve been pinched. I took measurements and calculations. I grabbed electronic machines. I did it all – testing my body fat. None of the numbers were ever the same and I wracked my brain trying to figure how fat my body really was. I liked telling people that I was what you called “skinny fat”. It does exist people. Its basically where you might look skinny but your body is made up of all fat. Well, I was ready to face the truth.
Started looking online for places that performed body fat test by hydrostatic or also known as getting dunked. We were able to find a great guy, who has been professionally dunking people for more than 8 years. He travels to gyms, bootcamps, etc. so people can experience the dunk. It is 99% accurate so I felt pretty good about the results I was going to get.
I made the appointment, grabbed my bathing suit and headed down to the Natomas Racquet Club. The body fat test was in the parking lot and I did start to get nervous. But Mike was super friendly and made you feel pretty comfortable.
The first step was to get weighed. I wasn’t too happy when the scale flashed in big red numbers 113.8 but I had to remember I have been putting on some muscle or so I hoped. Then I hopped into the tank which was a nice warm 90 degrees (very nice when it’s the middle of winter). He gave me clear instructions on how to breath out all my air underwater and that we would do it three times. It definitely wasn’t as easy as I thought trying to get rid of all the air in my body.
I took my three dunks and was very anxious to see my results. He printed up four pages of information. I thought I was just going to get a number, but he gave me so much more than that. My body fat percentage was 21.5%. That put me in the fitness level


My resting metabolic rate, target weight, and how much I burn during 30 minutes of activities were also included in my analysis. I told him my goal for my body fat was 17% and he gave me suggestions on how to get there. I definitely think I’ll be able to make my goal. I’ll also go back in three months to see how much I’ve improved.
I would definitely suggest anyone interested in improving their health to get this done. I’m gaining weight but my size is getting smaller, so me weighing myself every day won’t be indicative of improving or declining health. There are many factors of that. And getting your body fat tested is one of them. Check out www.bodyfattest.com for more information.