Sarasota, Florida

2 days/23 hours of driving to get to what I consider 

'Heaven on Earth!'......THE BEACH!!! 

a 4 hour trip from Kansas City to St Louis... lunch...

 a 7 hour trip from St. Louis to Chattanooga 

 a 12 hour trip from Chattanooga to 

Sarasota Florida! 

The Beach is Beautiful!!! I couldnt help but think to myself "I can TOTALLY live here!" I LOVE this place!!!!

Hopefully I will have pictures to put up... I kind of forgot my camera charger so pictures from me are going to be a little limited. oops! 

3 Miles

Ok, so this is going to sound like a little run ... but its not... I promise :)

Today is the 3 mile run. So follow my thinking process...If you think about it... real hard. (Beware... you are entering into the mind of Melissa Hodges.. its a little loopy at times.)

 If I run 2 of the 3 mile runs, thats 6 miles. And thats almost half of 13 miles, which is what I need to get to for the half marathon... So technically I almost there... Right? :)

Hold Him Close

A couple weeks ago at

  Midtown Community Church 

the floor was open for people to share where and how Christ is moving through them. This resulted in us (the church) to pray for them. A few people shared their stories... tired, worn out, busy... you know, things that get to a lot of us. 

Then I heard a story about one ladies life. She and her husband were currently going through a divorce. My heart literally sank to the floor. (Obviously, she is hurting way more than I did in that moment) But my heart was so heavy for her. I began crying... for her and for myself. They are both Christians and have been married for over 15 years and now this is happening.  They have been married for a lot longer than Michael and my 2 year marriage (August 8th). All I could think about is "People change." That can be super scary or super exciting! 

Someone once told me that in a marriage you as a couple are never in one place together. You are either moving together or moving apart. There is NO being stagnant together. I know I was supposed to be there in that moment to hear those heart wrenching words from this broken and fragile woman. 

Now I know nether Michael nor I am perfect... by any means! But I did learn something. I learned that I need to Hold Michael Close. Love him and treat him well. Treat him like I LOVE him.... because I DO! 

Why am I sharing this? Because this made me rethink about the way I treat loved ones...especially my HUSBAND. My prayer is that more people (including myself) would love without restraints and to show Grace to those we love. 

Marriage is work... and if you're not working at it at some point... then most likely you are moving apart. I dont want that for my marriage. And I know Christ doesn't want that for any marriage either. 

So.... Michael, I LOVE YOU!

God give me strength!

So far training for the 1/2 marathon is going pretty well. My jog is still a little slow for now but I know the training will be beneficial in the end. Each time I run, I think "God give me strength! God give me strength!" Because I am realizing how CRAZY I am for this endeavor! lol :) So far I've run 1 1/2 miles. 12 1/2 more to go.... eek! 

"God give me strength!" 

118 Days to go

Its official!!!! I have signed up for a Half Marathon!!!! The race is October 15, 2011 here in Kansas City. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Half Marathons [like I was] it is 13.2 miles. I know, I know, I might be crazy for doing this. I was given a little nudge from some friends. [Which I AM thankful for] Running a larger race has been a goal of mine for a few years now. Its a "Bucket List" item for sure. I'm a little nervous....But I've already paid for the race so... I HAVE  to run it now. No turning back!.... right?

You can check out the race HERE.

Day 1: Tiffany and I ran almost 2 miles... I think it went well... I was extremely tired... but felt good after the fact.

This time next month I will be able to run 4-5 miles. Holy Cow!!!! Pray for me!!! and the other girls running it too!!!

New [old] dresser!

So I love finding a sale. But then again... who doesn't? Anyways, Michael and I really needed a dresser because our clothes are LITERALLY stacked around our room on the floor. Its crazy. So we went out on a mission to find a new dresser.

Here is the BEAUTY! $5 Bucks!!!!!

It has Pretty features... minus the jeweled out handles. :)

So  I sanded it WE [Michael and I] sanded the dresser down and painted it a fresh coat of paint with NEW handles! Ready for it????

So I learned a lot about "projects"... they take a lot of work and time. I wasn't ready for the commitment... but I'm so HAPPY my wonderful husband helped out. 

Cant wait to get the whole room together!!!

ONE Week In

Tomorrow is our "official" first full week of the Kansas City life. I cant say it enough... so far... I LOVE IT! Kansas City is such a great place to live. And I would have never thought I would like living in the city... I LOVE IT!!!! Its been amazing here so far. I love our house and the neighborhood... its great! 

A little run-down on the week.

Day 1: We drove to Kansas City in 5 [full] cars. 
Day 2: My cat goes missing.... a few hours later, Tiffany's dog goes missing. What?!? How does that happen... 2 animals in one day? What is going on??? 
Day 3: Tommi shows up downstairs in the CEILING. He is dirtier than EVER! Gross!!!! But he is getting used to everything. Then Michaels parents hit a deer on the way back to St. Louis. The car was totaled but everyone was safe! 
Day 4: I got a job with the Missouri Baptist Children's Home as the Office Manager. It was such a BLESSING. God provided a job for me. I trusted he would After I got this job, I called Holiday Inn to cancel my interview. They offered me a part time job! 2 jobs in one day! Thank you God. I never stopped trusting. I knew he would provide.
Day 5: A hippie gets Tiffany's number from the signs she put up to find Eddie [the dog] and calls her. HE FOUND EDDIE!!!! Eddie came home!!!!
Day 6: I finished my first week of work.  And Im so excited because Im learning so much about Foster Care and Adoption. Michael and I both want to adopt some day so this is perfect!


I am also learning the roads and highways... which is a little rough at times... but my tom tom [gps] has saved the day!!!!!

Well, we miss everyone, but we ABSOLUTELY LOVE it here!