Cold Day. Downtown Chicago. Us.

A few months back, our good friend and my co-worker Nathan Gomez took some pics of Joseph and I in the city. It was freezing but we had a blast being our goofy selves. He also made us look good. Check a few of them out, y'allz . . .

Typical.

Love.

Inappropriate.

And the dance session begins . . .

Dang.

One word: Cold

There are more. I'll post them to FB or something.

10.10.10: First Month: Check.

Well - the first month of marathon training is officially done. Yikes. I am almost half way there in my mileage. The "twenties" still seem so daunting and far . . .

I just did 12 miles with my mom downtown on the lakefront on Saturday. Running on the lakefront is a piece of cake compared to running my long runs near my house on hilly roads. Yes, there are "hills" in the outer suburbs of Chicago. I am not crazy, come out to Cary.

Training is going well - and the sunrise at 5:00 A.M. helps me get my butt out of bed to go run. Convincing myself to get up is getting harder and harder but the little voice in my head tells me that I will feel so much better when I am done. And, I do - but I just love the comfort of my bed.

Challenges Ahead: More miles. Hotter days. Lack of time/desire. I am slow. Need new running shoes but lack of funds.

Welp - I am feeling pretty good about my training so far - 12 miles doesn't seem like a lot to me but then again, it is only July.

I'll let you know how July goes in a bit. And any other new information along the way.

365 Incredible Days of Marriage

Year #1, check. We made it. Best 365 days of my life. Marriage is officially one of the best decision ever. (Especially when you marry your best friend, like I did.)

And what a year it was. Hectic, amazing, challenging, eventful, and blessed.

What can I say, I am completely blessed with a man who loves and adores me for me. He is a man after God's own heart and am so thankful for the love we share that comes from the Lord.

And what a love it is . . .

sweet love.

deep love.

everyday love.

passionate love.

forever love.

our love.

Joey - Happy Anniversary to the one I LOVE with all my heart, for all my life.

Here's a snap shot of a year ago, what a perfect, beautiful day . . .

Graduation Season 2010 = Bittersweet

Have I ever told you how much I love serving in the High School Ministry at Harvest? Well, I do. I JOYFULLY and faithfully serve every week and was BLESSED to be the leader this past year to eight INCREDIBLE girls: Becca, Bekah, Elyse, Lindsey, Michelle, Michelle, Paige and Rachael. Did I say incredible? Well, they are.

Sadly, they are Seniors, which means, they graduated. I am so unbelievably excited for them but also torn over the fact that I won't see their beautiful and bright faces every week. They made serving in high school ministry easy. Well, this year at least - let's just say last year was a whole different story. That was rough.

However, aren't we all like that? Our lives are like a roller coaster-up and down, twists and turns, good and bad? But ultimately, getting right back to where God wants us? And what a blessing it was to see as each one of these girls reached their highest point with Christ after hitting some really rough low points. And, in the end, God gets all the glory, right? right.

It has been hard and sad - I am going to genuinely miss these girls. Every time I think about it or pray for them in the morning, I tear up. It is crazy! But, see how much they impacted my life? - or better yet, how God has filled my life with joy by SERVING HIM! Praise God! Now, if I can only take that excitement and joy and bring it back in the fall as I start all over with Freshmen . . . (Lord, give me patience. :)

So, here is to each one of my girls. I hope these few sentences encourage them as they start the next big chapter of their lives . . .

Rebekah Charlier aka Bekah: Bold. Watching her grow over the past seven years has been a joy and of course, comical. She was my comedian of the group and frankly, quite honest - very honest and very bold for Christ. You can witness this through this group of girls - she boldly asked Paige to come to Youth Group and look what happened . . . Bekah: I encourage you to continue to be bold in your faith. Never give up and never be ashamed. We are called to make disciples and be bold for Him. He will bless you . . . "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Michelle Martin: Model. Michelle is a supermodel . . . seriously. And when I think of models, I think of example. And that is Michelle - not only because of her looks (wink,wink) but because of her Godly example that she leads by. Michelle is a genuine leader. A leader after God's own heart. She exemplifies Godly characteristics and has the ability to engage others around her. Michelle - continue to be a leader - stand up and out for Christ! Always lead others in the right decision and always serve before you lead.

Paige Kubicz: Devotion. That is the word that comes to mind when I think about Paige. Devotion to her family, friends, school work, youth group, church, and most importantly, her relationship with Christ. Paige always strives to be a better person, daughter, sister, friend, and child of God. She is completely devoted to Christ. Even devoted to help me become a better follower of Christ. Paige, continue to be devoted to Christ when you are in college. That no matter what happens, always keep Christ first! He is going to use you in some BIG ways - be ready!

Michelle Mitchell: Firm. One thing that I have been able to get to know about Michelle is that she is completely firm in her faith. She never gives up and always trusts in the Lord. Michelle's foundation is solid and I know the Lord has huge plans for this girl! Mitch, I pray that you will continue to stay firm and grow deeper and deeper in your relationship with Christ! I can only imagine how the Lord could use you with your firm foundation.

Rebecca Haraf "Becca": Determination. My volleyball star. Becca is quite the little athlete - playing volleyball at Liberty in the fall. One thing about Becca is that she never gives up, always finishes, and finishes strong - especially in her relationship with Lord. Times got hard and the ground got rocky, but Becca never gave up and never gave in. She always got back up and fought the fight. Becca, college is hard, trust me - but never give up. Always seek the Lord for the strength, wisdom, and encouragement. Remember we are here for a short time, so fight the fight, finish the race, and ALWAYS keep the faith.

Elyse Wegner: Growth. I have not seen someone grow and be so fired up over the past few months then in Elyse. Ever since the Spring Break trip in March, Elyse's need and want to grow more in Christ has gone to another level. Just in the past few months, the joy in Elyse's face is hard to miss - you can see the Lord working in big ways in that girl's life! There is a lot in Elyse that reminds me of myself and for that - Elyse, I encourage you to always have that need for Christ. Continue to be fired up for Him and never let that fire go out. Be that LIGHT in the dark world in the fall. You are not alone.

Lindsey Johnson: Christ-like. I thing I love about Lindsey is her since of style. Lindsey is my little fashionista. This girls gots style, y'all. ;) But not only is she always dressed to the nines, she is always wanting to be more Christ-like. That whatever she did - it would be for Him and because of Him and His Glory. Lindsey, continue to give Christ all the glory in all you do and continue to be the Christ-like example to the many you will encounter.

Rachael Houp - Distinguished. I picked this word for Rachael because I think she has a very distinguished personality. She completely portrays the "gentle and quiet spirit" women are called to have accordingly to 1 Peter 3 (that I so lack . . .) but also completely portrays a fun and strong side. No matter what happens, no matter what the obstacle or circumstance is, Rachael endures solely on the Lord with her gentle, quiet, strong and fun personality. Rachael - continue to set your ways strong in the Lord. No matter what happens, whatever obstacle you will have to jump over, God is there, holding your hand helping you through.

There you have it - Eight incredible, God-honoring/fearing beautiful young women that I am proud to call some of my greatest friends.

I am beyond excited to see how God uses each one of you - I can only imagine what He can do with eight fired-up girls all across the United States. Keep your eyes always on Him. He will never let you down.

Always here. Always praying.

Your former leader, now friend for life - Danielle

(Missing: Becca Haraf and Lindsey Johnson)

Aren't they all beautiful?? ;)

I Have Come to Grips That I Am...

A HUGE PROCRASTINATOR!

I always wait till the last minute to do and get things done and I am changing this once and for all. My new goal this year (a little "Spring Cleaning" in my life) is to be more on top of things like birthdays, thank you cards, or not waiting three days before we need to get out to start packng up our entire apartment - you know, things like that.

Don't you hate that feeling? When you are racing against time to get something done that it affects everything else in your life, even people? Well, I quit Procrastination. No mas.

Things I am going to start doing:

1. Write down people's birthdays and get their present (if I really like you) or a simple card a week in advance and write in it right away. Next birthday: Mine. May 28th. I won't procrastinate on that one. :)

2. Appreciation Cards/Thank You Cards/Etc. --- I LOVE getting and giving cards, but am awful at getting them out. I probably have started about 10 cards that I never finished -- or the 15 blog posts that I have saved in my draft file because I never got around to finish them . . . I procastinated and then, they are wayyyy to late to send or post. Fail.

3. Deadlines - like Moving. :) I take full responsibility on this whole moving fiasco. So, whenever we move again - probably when our house is full of the pitter patter of tiny little feet we will move on to bigger and better things and I will be 100% prepared. Speaking of moving, not children - blog post and pics to come. :)

4. Things I sign up for. You know when you sign up for things way in advance and then remember like, hum... the day before? Yeah, that is me. My intensions are always great, but my execution slightly fails.

Well, there are many more, but I am glad to say that I have left the fail train and onto a new and refreshing start in my life. No more procastination. (Sigh of relief)

And, yes --- I promise to be back for awhile.

Hello My Long Lost Blog Friends ...

Sorry I have neglected the blog world for hmmm . . . a few months. I look through my drafts and I have started about 20 different blog posts over the past three months and published . . . zero. With that in mind, I am sorry for my lack of posts to the four followers this blog has. ;)

Goal = At least one post a week.

Here we go . . .

16 Years Later...

Every year, November 18th roles around and I am just awed by my vivid memory of that day back in 1993. Even though it is 16 years later and at the time - having a mind of a unemotional seven-year-old - I remember that morning like it happened today.

Death is never easy, especially when it is an immediate family member and in my case, my little brother. I often wonder what he would like like if he was alive, or where he would attend college? Would he have a girlfriend? What would be his hobbies? Would we be really close? And while I reflect on the day and the "what ifs...", I take a deeper look at the many, many blessings the Lord has given my family. And let me tell you -- I could go on and on and on and on.

And our blessings in life wouldn't occur without the many storms we also endure through life...

Joseph and I are both in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) [We are studying the book of John this year] and this past week was on John 6:1-21 - This section of John 6 tells us about the miracle of Jesus feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on the water towards the disciples during the storm. When the disciples were out on the boat right after feeding the five thousand -- they were caught in a great storm and struggling to get to the other side. Jesus saw their struggle and went out to them and delivered them.

Few things I was thinking - Jesus helps us during our trials and He will not let us be tempted or tried beyond what we are able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). When the disciples were struggling against the storm and we getting weary with "rowing" and going nowhere - Jesus watched, estimated their strength and delivered them at the perfect time -- and that is the same with us. During our "storms,"He is with us, he sees us, he is thinking and praying for us -- just like he did with Shadrack, Meschack and Abednego in Daniel 3. And in every trial and storm - the Lord provides a way out... he may use a different means than we anticipated, yet He will always bring us through to His destination. In my family's case, the death of Kyle wasn't what we wished -- but He brought us through and we experienced Jesus with us... and still do.

So remember - if you are doing through something hard - the Lord is always watching. He knows, He cares, He heals, He saves, He holds us in His hands, He loves.... Take it to the Lord. Embrace Him - take him into your boat just like the disciples did. It is amazing when we do that, how He takes our hand and walks us through it to His destination, one step at a time.

And while this storm is still hard and every year the anniversary of Kyle's death falls during a time of thankfulness - when I think about it, I am truly thankful. I am thankful that Kyle is rejoicing with the Lord in Heaven. Thankful to the Lord that He has made me who I am from this situation. I am thankful for my husband. And for my beautiful and God fearing & serving Family. THANKFUL For Jesus - who died on the cross, for me and you...and saved me from eternal punishment. Thankful for an amazing small group. Thankful for amazing high school girls. Thankful for amazing friends to serve with. Thankful for my job. Thankful for a house. So ..Thankful.

So, as I think about Kyle today, I think about God's grace and His unfaltering love. Today is hard. It will always be. But, we have a great God who has used this storm-this situation- this trial -and turned it into gold. May He continually be glorified through this situation. It is not how my family and I all turned out to be but how God changed our lives to always point this situation back to him...

Praying for my family today. It will always be hard.

Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”



Kyle Christian Plantz. 04.13.90-11.18.93