When I was thinking about this blog post, there were lots of things I wanted to post that feel very random…so I decided to do a “5 Things I Am Loving” post. So without further ado…

1. Noom!!

What is Noom? It is a weight loss app I have been using since the beginning of May and I have lost 42 lbs using it!. A friend was using it and loving it, so I entered into a free 14 day trial. I then signed up and, if you sign up under a friend, they get a referral credit and I got a 30% discount (there pricing is dependent on how long they think you need to hit your weight loss goal). I have tried lots and lots and lots of diets and eating plans, and Noom is so different!

I like to say that Noom is like “Weight Watchers for Millennials”. You can eat what you want as long as you track, but it also combines a coach, accountability, a tracking system, and lots and lots of psychology to deal with not only the weight, but also the mental and motivation aspect. I love to share more about Noom, so if you want more details about how it works or want accountability if you jump on board, let me know. Here are some before and after pictures.

AND, if you want to jump on board, its a 14 day free trial before you start paying, but you have to use my referral link when signing up for the free trial so that if you continue on, you will get the 30% off. 

2. The Bronx Zoo

Have you ever seen the show “The Zoo” on The Animal Planet? It is filmed at the Bronx Zoo which happens to be only about a 30 minute drive from us. Our kids LOVE this zoo, so much so, we decide to invest in a membership (which also gives us access to zoos in Central Park and Queens and Brooklyn as well). During Halloween time, they have Boo at the Zoo, where people wear costumes, where they have Halloween decorations everywhere, where they have a candy trail for kids to go trick-or-treating. I can’t say it enough – our kids love this zoo!

This is us riding the tram that goes through a ton of exhibits. They also love the Carousel! A few weeks ago, a lady climbed into this lion exhibit and was taunting the lions…can we talk about crazy and a death wish? In the kid’s zoo, the kids can climb up and be part of the exhibit with the meerkats.

3. Students having spiritual conversations on campus

On campus this past week I got to see Kseniya (shown below with our kids after dinner at our house) have a spiritual conversation with a girl. Kseniya, who is from Belarus, was able to have a great discussion with Lourdes, who is Hispanic….such a great representation of the diversity here in Queens!  I love, love, love seeing these students take time out of their busy schedule to engage with fellow friends and classmates – I wish I had invested my time like this when I was a student! Please pray for Lourdes and that she continues to engage with Kseniya!

4. Our church!

This past weekend, our church hosted a parenting conference all day on Saturday (they even provided childcare so parents could attend!). We got to hear from a variety of speakers, Pete and Geri Scazzero, our lead pastor Rich and his wife Rosie Villodas, our youth pastor, and so many others on a variety of topics from discipling your child to sex to the genogram to social median and your kids. We love the investment they make in us as parents but also our kids. They had these charts up all around the sanctuary which provided great resources as to when we could/should do different things at different ages related to different topics with our kids.

5. The Curly Girl Method

I have been following this facebook group for quite a while that talks about the “Curly Girl Method” of doing hair. From what I could tell, it was a lot of work that involved investing in many products and trying different routines since different things work for people. I finally took the time to watch You Tube videos and figure out the crazy language they were using (what does plop mean? Or co-wash? or Pineapple ponytail?). I then started trying a few things with my hair that were different than normal and I have to say, I can tell a huge difference in how my hair looks. While there are still more things to tweak, it has more volume, the curls go higher instead of being flat at the top, and I am able to refresh with a water bottle and gel for a few days after washing instead of showering every. single. day. Again, here are before and after pictures. What do you think?

For the longest time in my life, I had no idea what to do with curly hair. I am so thankful for people who have shared their wisdom so curly women can embrace and love their curls!

One the benchmarks of the fall in college ministry is reaching Fall Retreat – it usually marks the end of the first 6-8 weeks on campus and is a great connection point for old and new students to hear solid Bible teaching, experience community, and just get away during the Fall Semester.

This past weekend, we traveled to New Jersey to join the rest of the NYC campus teams and the NJ campus teams at Fall Retreat. We had 6 students join us specifically from St. Johns and Queens College (we would have had more from St. Johns if it hadn’t been the same weekend as homecoming when many of our students were required to stay – and athletes were in season and couldn’t come). Here is a picture of our trip out of the city (love the view but don’t love the traffic!) and their trip riding together in a rental van driven by one of our staff ladies.

We traveled to Camp Tecumseh for the weekend, which was filled with lots of green open space, lots of trees and woods, and lots of deer (even little baby ones!). And lots of bugs :).  It is always so refreshing for us to get out of the city.

We brought in a speaker named Tyrone who shared his life story and also more about what Jesus has been teaching him, we had seminars from everything from “How To Know God Personally” to “time management” to “authentic community”. We had mens and womens times where we had fun but also got to hear super wise staff women share from their hearts and answer questions from student women (see second pic below). We had a bonfire, talent show, and lots of free time to just enjoy the camp and each other.

The best part about it? Our kids getting to live life alongside college students who love Jesus and want to grow in their faith and impact the world. Our kids seriously soak it up.

Following the lead of another staff family from NYC who has older kids, we bought walkie talkies and let our girls go exploring with friends, students, and each other, checking in with them through our walkie talkie. They absolutely LOVED the freedom, which is something they don’t get in the city, but that we feel is absolutely vital to them growing up and maturing and establishing independence. Blake wished he was old enough to go with them, but because he isn’t quite there, he loved holding on to our end of the walkie talkies and communicating with the girls that way. And what happened when he wanted to talk to staff and students but had his hands full with his walkie talkie? Just clip on his back pocket, of course.

All in all, it was a great weekend. We heard great things from our students, from “I realized that I should put my phone on airplane mode when I read the Bible so I am not distracted – I didn’t even know I could do that” to “I always thought Christianity was for white people but this weekend, I realized it is for me” to “I loved being able to fellowship with students from all over the world who are living in NJ and NY and I got to see Cru as being a community in different places around the world that are all passionate about Christ.” Pray that God continues to teach them so many things now that they are back in NYC!!