Sweet 16

For her 16th birthday party, Carmen wanted to do a service party. She wanted to serve God and others instead of just celebrate herself. She decided to do a blanket party through Circle of Hope International. This is the same organization that her and Logan will be going with to Malawi, Africa in 2012. Her and her friends got together and made 10 blankets that will be sent to orphans in Malawi. They made blankets, prayed over the blankets, then had some chips and pizza and watched a movie about Malawi and Circle of Hope called "East of Mvera". It was an awesome birthday party. She has always had such a generous heart. She is so beautiful inside and out. I am so proud of her.













For more info or to make a donation visit http://www.cohcommunity.org/
To support Carmen and Logan's mission trip write "Hortenberry 2012" on the memo line of the check.

Exercise

I don't like to exercise. I mean, I REALLY don't like to exercise. I have always said that I would rather be fat than exercise. So, why have I started working out everyday? I am not quite sure. But for some unknown reason I have dusted off my basic walking video for beginners and have been walking a mile in my own living room almost every day for two weeks. I have realized a few things about myself during this time of sweating and toning. First of all, I still really dislike exercise and I find it dreadfully boring. Secondly, I would not survive on The Biggest Loser Ranch for more than 10 minutes. And finally, I need to get off my tush and start moving more, because this easy 1 mile workout is KICKING MY BUTT! I am not hoping to loose a ton of weight with this workout. I am just hoping to be able to be more active without pain and exhaustion. (Of course it would be nice to loose a few inches off my waist and tone my rear end a little.)

I have many exercise videos collecting dust on the shelf. But I never use them. For one thing, I can't get through the entire workout on most of them. They are definitely meant for non beginners. And nothing makes me want to quit working out more than watching skinny, muscled ladies in skimpy, tight clothing bouncing around on tv. Not to mention the fact that I don't want my teenage son to see those tiny ladies wearing tinier outfits. So,I just ordered a new dvd that features women who actually look like they need to work out. I look forward to using it. Well, I can't really say that I look forward to it because I dislike exercise in general. But I look forward to feeling like I fit in while I work out.