Thankful for Charlie Jean

Today I'm thankful for a community of athletes that came together to support a family in need. The story started like this: Josh has competed with Brett at a few CrossFit competitions over the past couple of years. Some of our Facebook friends were circulating a page for a little girl that had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer. Her name was Charlie Jean. Josh finally made the connection that Brett was her dad this summer some time. I began to follow her page fervently for updates and progress. Late one night I was browsing Facebook and came across an update - they had been admitted at Children's for nearly a month, with no sign of "home" in their near future. Charlie Jean was very sick as a result of some of the treatments they were doing, and had developed a liver disease. If you know me, you know I have a huge heart for children with medical complications and families that are stuck in the hospital. Josh was at the station and I was just laying in bed crying and praying, so I texted him to ask him to do the same (pray, not cry... that rarely happens). The next day he talked to Jake (our friend and owner of CFI) about starting a donation bucket at the gym for the members to contribute if they felt led to do so. That night, Jake and Mandy decided that we'd host an event and take up donations to WOD and invite all of the local boxes. That week, I created the event on Facebook, and the response was overwhelming.

We ended up with 55 athletes as well as some spectators. Almost every box in the area came out to support. My favorite part was that Brett was able to come into town to participate, and to let everyone know about Charlie Jean's progress and their hope for future Charlie's Angels events to benefit neuroblastoma research or Children's hospital. This family has BIG faith, and it's so encouraging to see their continued diligence in spreading God's love through Charlie Jean's story. Please take a minute to like Charlie Jean's page, and keep her (and her family) in your prayers as she continues to fight.

Thankful to run

I'm thankful for my ability to run. It sounds basic, but today provided me with an opportunity to test myself physically and mentally. Put one foot in front of the other. Go fast or go slow. Walk a little. Run a little. The Color Vibe 5K was a great "first" experience for me. My friend Amanda made it so much more tolerable. She's an "expert" runner in my opinion and she really motivated me to keep going. We had a blast getting color ALL over us and spending time with our CFI family.

  

We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
- Romans 5:3-4 

Thankful for small group

Today I'm thankful for our small group, Strong in Faith. We have a wonderful group of men and women that meet at CFI on Wednesdays as part of the Church of the Highlands small group fall semester. I'm always sad when I miss it, and I'm refreshed when I make it. "Hump Day" is the perfect time of week to hit a workout and then fellowship with believers that will encourage you and lift you up in prayer. I'm thankful for every one of you, and super proud of Jake and Mandy for stepping out in faith to lead this group.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
- Matthew 18:20

Thankful for support

I'm thankful for our OEIS Support Group that we found on Facebook. We're currently at over 150 members... mothers, fathers, and foster parents of children with OEIS/CE, teens and adults who are living with OEIS/CE, and even some advocates and educators on these conditions! Everyone who is active in the group is SO helpful. We vent our fears and frustrations, talk about products that work best for our kids, and share funny stories that other families just can't relate to. There are families from different countries, religious backgrounds, and all walks of life - all gathered together to support each other as we tackle a crazy life with these special kids. I can't imagine not having them there to ask questions in my moments of panic, and it's always nice to have a reassuring word from them when times get hard. If you're reading, and you're one of those members - thank you!

Ecclesiastes 4:11

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

Thankful for friends

Josh and I have been blessed with some of the greatest friends. Lifelong friends, the MFD brotherhood, and our CFI family have all been there along our journey - praying for us and supporting us in every way.  We have a lot more friends than what's listed below, but these are the ones that have been around for a lot of life... the nitty gritty, down in the weeds details that not everyone gets to hear or see.

Briana - My most adventurous, independent friend. She inspires me to follow my dreams no matter how hard and real the struggle may be. She's one of the most motivated people I've ever known, and I know someday she'll achieve every goal she ever made for herself.

Nichole - My stubborn friend. We've been side by side through almost every phase of life. We've fought, ignored each other, loved each other, and cried together. We've given tons of advice to each other: taken some and ignored some.  We've learned a lot of things the hard way, but we always make it work in the end. She just recently married an amazing man and I couldn't be happier for her to start this new journey.

Michael - For the record, Michael was MY friend first. My older brother, the sole trustee of the male population by my parents, I could often be found as a 15 year old riding around with this 30 year old looking man. HA! He's the reason I met Josh, and there's never a dull moment when he's around.

Shannon - This girl provides more life lessons for me than anyone. She gives the best advice, and she's always real and real blunt with me. She took the leap of faith and we started CrossFit together and we've since become great friends. She's also my sanity on bad days at work. She talks me down. Often.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Thankful for church

On Easter Sunday of this year, our friends Jake and Mandy invited us to come try their church - Church of the Highlands - in Montgomery. My number one hang up on going to church is the childcare factor - since Carter is so intimidating to some people. My friend Nichole had been attending for some time, and told me that the childcare is top-notch and they have an awesome notification system if a problem should arise. So that morning, we put on our Sunday best and headed downtown. I cannot explain to you the vast ways this church is different from any other church I've ever been to. We instantly felt at home. They were understanding of Carter's mobility delays and let us pick which age group he attended. We chose to put him in the class underneath what he would normally be in as they aren't nearly as wild and crazy (the 2 y/o class is aptly named "Zoo"... he's definitely more of a "Bee"!) We went back downstairs and fixed coffee, and Josh got a handful of mints. The worship service was moving, to say the least. I boo-hoo'd the whole time, I think. Pastor Chris is such an intriguing speaker. He's able to keep Josh's attention for the entire message - and that's saying something. You can feel his heart absolutely spilling over with joy for sharing the love of Christ. His vision and mission for the church is to be the hands and feet of Jesus - to LOVE people - to show the world that church does NOT have to fit the mold of boring Sunday services, judgment and damnation, and trying to be the "perfect" Christian. He is fully aware that there are tough subjects that have to be addressed, but believes that it's more appropriate to address those subjects in a small group setting where people are close to each other and can provide accountability and support. I have never wanted so badly to serve in a church - in fact, I never have served in a church! This will be my first! We've changed our view on generosity, on service, and on giving. The pastor that married us referenced the triangle (God at the top point, husband and wife on the two bottom points), where as a husband and wife get closer to God they get closer to each other, and we are seeing this in action! It's also important that we found a place where Carter can grow and thrive in the Word, aside from the teaching he gets at school.

I am forever thankful to our friends who urged us to try Church of the Highlands. We are so grateful for our new church family, the joy it's bringing to our home, and the growth we're experiencing in our personal walk with God.

¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. -- Col 3:14-16

The Last Of Us

The Last Of Us
 

The last of us waited longest

For love to come her way

Trials and tribulations

Brought her to this day

The last of us had passion

Far too much for other boys

But this one, he's a keeper

And he'll pamper her for sure

The last of us prayed

Bright day and dark night

For that special someone

Who would make her heart feel light

The last of us found it
When she expected it the least

And love came soft and quickly

As she slumbered, sighed, and dreamed

 

And now the time's upon us

When we'll walk her down the aisle

The last of us is one of us

And boasts the most deserving smile

 I love you so much Nichole, and I couldn't be more happy for you and Cooper! 

Nichole is my oldest friend - since 2nd grade! She has been with me through everything... good & bad. She is the last of our group of girl friends (Savanna, Me, Danielle, Dede) to get hitched. She has been there for every major life experience: high school, college, pregnancy, and she stood beside me on my wedding day as my Maid of Honor. I am so thankful for a friend like her - someone who knows my past, my fears, my personality, and my secrets. She is going to be a wonderful wife, and I'm so happy that she finally found a man that complements her so perfectly. Cooper, welcome to the Sayer/Smith family!

Without Limits

Event: Without Limits

Series: Garage Games

 

Hosted By: PrimeTime CrossFit 

 

Location: Montgomery, AL

 

Date: 7.14.13

 

Category: Rx Male Teams

 

Ranking: 6/19

 

WOD #1

15 minutes total for both partners to find a one rep max on Snatch and Clean & Jerk.

 

Jake's Snatch PR: 235#

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josh's max snatch: 255#

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josh's  345# Clean & Jerk - heaviest lift of the day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandy's 120# Snatch

 

 

 

 

 

This guy - Andrew Rape - has to clean from the hang position due to a fused spine. He was throwing around almost as much weight as Josh. Pretty impressive. His partner - Wade Witten - claimed the heaviest snatch for individuals on Saturday, and again on Sunday during the team competition. Both of them competed both days, and never showed the pain they were in. Awesome athletes to watch.

 

 

 

 

WOD #2

Each partner completes the following for a total time:

21-15-9

Kettlebell swings (70#)

Shuttle run

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOD #3

3 Rounds:

75 Wallball shots (20#)

Lunges/Sprints with sandbags 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOD #4

For time:

20 burpees

20 thrusters (115#)

20 pull-ups

20 snatches (115#)

20 toes to bar

20 power cleans (115#)

40 box jump overs

20 power cleans (115#)

20 toes to bar

20 snatches (115#)

20 pull-ups

20 thrusters (115#) 

20 burpees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Possibly my favorite shot of the day....

 

 

Daniel and Matt tied for 1st and had to do a tie-breaker WOD of squat cleans and pull-ups...

 

 

 

...And ended up placing 2nd for the Scaled Male Teams division. 

 

 

Mandy & Beth took 2nd for Rx Female Teams.

 

 

Wade and Andrew placed 1st for Men's Rx Teams. Their team name was 1COR1031.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

 

 

CFI Family

 

 

Loading up the equipment we loaned... and Daniel...
 

 

 What an awesome day for CFI! Some highlights included this conversation:

 

Guy: Hey man, great job on that clean & jerk.

Josh: Thanks!

Guy: So, I have  question... does your diet consist of small children?

Josh: (laughing)

Guy: Earlier one of the kids in our group went missing and everyone was like, "Where's Jasper?!" and I'm thinking... "In that guy's belly..."

 

Josh thinks he's pretty awesome now that he has a video on YouTube.

 

He wants a 270# snatch pretty bad now after talking to Wade more.

 

My favorite part of a competition day is after it's all over and he starts decompressing. He's always really talkative and wants to go back through all of the events to hash it out. We took Carter to Applebee's since we hadn't seen him all day (we had a friend sit for him since it was a long day). Over dinner we talked about what could have gone better and where he could improve. I love watching his progress as an athlete, and seeing him grow as a person through this sport. A year ago he would walk into the box and not speak to anyone... now you can find him coaching and encouraging, learning member's names, talking and smiling with people he may not even know. I can't say it enough - CrossFit is more than a sport, it's more than exercise, it's more than sweaty, hot bodies... it's a community. Every day I'm more thankful for our CFI family and the happiness they bring. All of you did awesome today! Be proud and get some rest!

The Pay-Off