Friday Favorites 12/16

It's time for another round up of our current Friday Favorites! 

Organic Valley and Organic Prairie  

Organic Valley has a line of Protein Shakes and man are they tasty! Jared and I both think that they taste like milkshakes! They are super decadent tasting, yet they have Absolutely NO antibiotics, synthetic hormones, toxic pesticides or GMO anything. 

We are HUGE fans of having snacks on hand at all times, and these Mighty Bars and Beef Jerky packs are DELICIOUS and perfect to carry around in your purse or golf bag ;) 

Check out their Organic Valley's website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Check out Organic Prairie's website and Facebook  

Primal Kitchen 

Jared LOVES Ranch dressing. He used to put it on EVERYTHING. In college, he started to eat healthier, so he significantly decreased his ranch consumption because most of the dressings available are full of bad ingredients. Jared was so excited to eat ranch dressing again! Here's some info about the dressing from the website: PRIMAL KITCHEN™ dairy-free ranch is the holy grail of dressings: an uncompromisingly delicious, rich, full-flavored, and oh, so healthy ranch dressing. Using 100% pure avocado oil, our ranch includes only the finest health-enhancing, nutritional ingredients, including organic garlic, onion, dill, cage-free organic eggs, nutritional yeast, black pepper and chives. And that means no dairy, no buttermilk, gluten, soy, canola or sugar in sight.  

The Grass Fed Collagen Protein Bars were absolutely DELICIOUS! The texture was chewy and packed with nuts and the collagen is really good for your skin, hair, and nails! Talk about a winner of a protein bar! If you are unaware of what collagen does, check out this info from their website: Collagen is the protein that holds everything in your body together. It makes up about 30% of all the protein in the human body, and is found in your bones, tendons, ligaments, connective tissues and skin, and plays various roles in your overall health. Collagen production naturally declines with age, reducing the structural integrity of the skin and instigating the weakening of cartilage in joints. You can help make up for decreased collagen production by eating collagen sourced from grass-fed bovines pasture-raised in Brazil.

Mayo was another favorite of Jared's a long time ago, so he is looking forward to making some chicken salad with this Mayo from Primal Kitchen! Here's info about it from their website: PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Mayo takes us back to our primal roots—pure, nutritious, real food ingredients with no artificial colors, preservatives, or ingredients. It’s the first ever avocado oil-based mayo, made with cage-free organic eggs and vinegar from non-GMO beets whipped into that full, rich classic mayo taste you love. Because avocado oil boosts the bioavailability of nutrients it’s paired with, you increase your body’s absorption of antioxidants whenever you add a dab of Primal Kitchen Mayo.  And our mayo is sugar, gluten, dairy, soy and canola-oil free, and non-GMO Project Verified so you can indulge to your taste buds delight. Healthy mayo, who knew?

Check out Primal Kitchen's website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more info and more awesome products! 

Banza Chickpea Pasta 

I am not a pasta fan, so I tried a few bites to see if I would like it better, and it tastes just like regular pasta. My husband on the other hand is a HUGE pasta fan and he clearly enjoyed it because I came home and he had eaten the ENTIRE box (minus the few bites I tried). He didn't even snap a picture before he inhaled it all. haha He definitely had his protein and fiber quota for that day! One serving of Banza packs 25g of protein and 13g of fiber! How awesome is that?!?!

Check out their website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more details. 

Fit Darlings T-Shirt!

This is my new favorite shirt! When I showed it to Jared, he immediately said, "That is you EXACTLY." I just want to LOVE JESUS, Train Hard, and Eat ALL the Peanut Butter!!!! 

Check out Fit Darling's website and Instagram for even more awesome shirts and other products as well.  (I was given 40% off for this review). 

ZOODLES 

This isn't sponsored, I just wanted to share that we finally got a spiralizer and are having so much fun making noodles out of zucchini!! We also tried eggplant, but it didn't work quite as well as the zucchini. It's the perfect way for us to eat more veggies and be able to make new meals that usually use pasta (since I don't like pasta). We love it! 

These companies were very gracious to send us free product. All opinions are our own. 

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas season! 

Massage Track

The Massage Track™ tools were invented by Eric who is 45 and has a rare condition which causes tightness in the muscles and connective tissues. This is more than a nuisance for him, but a blessing for you because his body is the perfect sandbox for developing exceptional deep tissue massage tools (what your Physical Therapist might refer to as ‘self-myofascial release tools’).

He created Massage Track for relief when he was really desperate and has used it nearly every day since. He uses it after waking and often a few more times during the day. After two years of development, Eric launched the Massage Track tools on Kickstarter to a dramatic response from around the world. 

Our tools are now in use in 35 countries. They’re great for getting relief from generic aches and pains but are also being used successfully to treat repetitive strain injury, accelerate workout recovery for athletes, manage degenerative disc disease and slipped disc pain, and last but not least, help accident victims and injured veterans.

As a couple who likes to be active on a regular basis, we love getting sports massages, but we don't love the expensive cost that goes along with it. The massage track is an affordable way for us to get a deep tissue massage at HOME and Jared can even take it on the road with him to tournaments! We absolutely LOVE our massage track and we've been having fun learning new exercises from the video that's included in your package, and they also have a bunch of videos on their website as well!  

Our new nightly routine is to use the massage track while we are watching a tv show. It's so nice to release tension in our muscles from our workouts and Jared's practice sessions! We tend to hold stress tension in our neck and upper back/shoulders, so this is so relaxing and helps alleviate the tension in a few minutes each night. 

We highly recommend the Massage Track to everyone! It's especially helpful for athletes, but I'm sure it would also be very beneficial to people who have desk jobs! Please check out their website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more info. 

Protein Packed Pay Day Waffles!

Purely Inspired is providing us with product in exchange for recipes each month. We are not compensated for these posts, just sent product. 

Today, I have a recipe for PROTEIN PACKED PAY DAY WAFFLES! If you're a non-chocolate person like I am, your favorite candy might be a PAY DAY. Peanuts and caramel, mmmm. While I eat a Pay Day bar every once in a while, I love making these waffles more often because they are healthier and give you that peanut and caramel flavor without the overload of sugar! 

For the waffle, all you need is:

Two Eggs, Half a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder, and two spoonfuls of Purely Inspired Powdered Peanut Butter. (You could also add a splash of milk if you'd like) 

Just throw everything in the blender, and pour the batter into your waffle maker. Top with Greek God's HONEY CARAMEL greek yogurt! That's it. Super simple and very tasty! I like to add a banana on top as well. You can get creative with your own topping preferences. 

Hope you enjoy! It's protein packed goodness! 

The One Set - 15 Rep Workout with ExMed360

Decades ago scientists found that lifting a weight makes you breathe hard and your heart pound, but lowering a weight gives you the strength without the effort. For thiry years medical fitness companies have sought to develop resistance machines that gave the benefits of lowering the weight without out the stress and fatigue of pushing and pulling it. ExMed is the result of these decades of work. Designed and developed by an Orthopaedic surgeon from the University of Florida, ExMed provides the exact dose of resistance required to strengthen bones, muscles and ligaments with the least amount of effort. This revolutionary system breaks down the barriers to resistance training and makes it accessible to normal individuals and our aging population. The computer control system simplifies complex workouts and condenses the training down to a single session of 15 minutes a week.

Resistance training involves three phases:

• Concentric phase (positive movement) which involves lifting weight and contracting the muscles.
• 
• Eccentric phase (negative movement) which involves lowering weight and lengthening the muscles.
• 
• Isometric phase (static) which involves holding a weight with no movement.

Yes, you read that correctly, ONE session per week! Jared and I were both skeptical when we heard our friend Luke talking about this workout. He had Jared come in with him one day and do the workout and Jared was on board. Then, he had to bring me in to actually convince me. This is seriously NO JOKE. It is a super efficient workout that really uses your muscles, but in a way that you don't feel the strain that comes with doing heavy lifting. 


While we were there, we did 3 different exercises. 
1. Squat/Dead Lift

2. Leg Press

3. Lower Back Extension 




We did 15 reps of a heavy weight. I actually lifted WAY MORE than I normally do in the gym because of this special machine. Jared has worked his way up to doing 400 pounds for his legs!!!! On the last rep we held it for a longer period of time. I held mine for 30 seconds (because it was my first time) and Jared held his for closer to a minute. I didn't think I would feel any burn after doing just one set of each exercise, but boy was I wrong! My legs were shaking afterwards. The even better part was that my body didn't hurt like it can sometimes after a hard workout. It's hard to describe, but I just felt like my body was worked, but because of the special machine, I didn't stress any muscles because of improper form due to a heavy load on the way down during each exercise. It is incredible and below I have listed the benefits to using this machine. PLEASE GIVE THIS A TRY!!! 

Benefits

Bone & Muscle Strength

The body can resist 30% to 40% more weight than it can push. With a higher weight load in the lowering phase (eccentric), there is a greater and faster gain in muscle strength with less repetitions. As muscles grow and increase in mass, they exert force on the bones with a corresponding increase in bone density. 

Better Balance & Improved Posture

Using heavier loads during lower body eccentric training has been shown to increase the sit-to-stand strength, balance, and knee extensor and flexor strength. For the elderly population, this approach has far reaching indications in terms of overall independence and quality of life.

Flexibility & Joint Mobility

Eccentric exercise increases the range-of-motion in joints significantly more than static stretching exercise, thereby increasing joint mobility and flexibility. This is particularly helpful in rehabilitation efforts for both athletic and general injury. 

Greater Concentric Power

By gaining greater strength using eccentric exercise, the capacity for concentric exercise is also increased. Many normal activities of living use both concentric and eccentric strength, so an increase in both capacities is optimal. The key is to increase concentric strength without damaging the body or causing an injury. Getting a head start by building eccentric strength first paves the way for increasing concentric strength faster.

Athletic Training, Rehab & Injury Prevention

As mentioned above, focusing on eccentric exercise can speed up the increase in concentric capacity as well as eccentric strength. This produces more physical power for sports that require large muscle strength as well as agility, flexibility and balance. Building muscle strength without injury, and rehabilitation after injury are both benefits of a concentration on eccentric exercise using the correct load prescribed load. 

Cardiovascular 

Concentric exercise requires a greater output of both energy and oxygen, which places greater stress on the cardiovascular system. Eccentric exercise reduces stress on the cardiovascular system while actually resisting more weight and increasing muscle strength. It is the best option for the elderly who might otherwise not be able to participate in strength training due to the stress on the body.

Quality of Life & Independence

As the body ages, bones loose density and can become brittle, muscle mass decreases making it harder to ambulate, flexibility is decreased, and joints become stiff. Eccentric exercise that is individualized to get the greatest benefit while avoiding injury and undue strain is key effectively combating these issues, and can serve as a preventive measure as well. By engaging in just the right amount of prescribed eccentric exercise, aging can be inhibited and the quality of life preserved and enhanced.

For more info, please check out ExMed360's website! 

New Product Round Up #275

Today, we have a few new butters, bars, and snacks to share with you! We are grateful for the opportunity to review so many delicious and nutritious snacks. 

Pro Mix Nutrition 

Talk about a protein win! These puffs are an easy way to get in a lot of extra protein to your day! We poured them in yogurt, smoothie bowls and oatmeal. They contain unflavored whey from pasture raised cows with no NO: SOY, GLUTEN, HORMONES, ACID, BLEACH, GMO'S!!!

We love these Whey Protein Puffs and we know you will too! Check out their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more info. 

 New Pop

This is the world's first SKINLESS popcorn!!! Here's some more info from their website:

We start with a kernel of corn and remove the skin using a very unique (secretive!) process. The skin is the annoying part that always ends up stuck in your teeth and that you end up trying to wrestle out with your tongue for the next 2 hours. Not fun!

Once the skin is removed, the kernel is then popped under high pressure. Not heat! Using high pressure locks in all the nutrients and maintains its flavor.

Most conventional popcorn is popped using heat, salt, oils and butter.

Not New Pop! No Oil, No Salt and No Butter used here!

After our skinless kernels have popped, we add a dash of raw organic cane sugar and a dusting of natural flavors to create our different flavor varieties.

             New Pop is Non-GMO, Vegan and Gluten-Free!

It took a little bit to get used to the different texture of this popcorn. Jared absolutely LOVED it and said it reminded him of corn pop cereal from when he was younger. So, we decided to put some in our smoothie bowls and it was a huge hit! It was the perfect little crunch without getting stuck in our teeth like regular popcorn! 

Check out their website,  Facebook, and Instagram for more info. 

 Gopal's Coconut and Almond Butter

We were surprised at how delicious these butters tasted without any added sugars! The only ingredient in the coconut butter was raw organic coconut butter and the only ingredient in the almond butter was organic raw sprouted almonds. INCREDIBLE! 

We enjoyed spreading both on our waffles, toast, and oatmeal. It's a great way to get in some extra healthy fats to your day! We also made a little jar with each butter mixed together so it made a coconut almond butter that was insanely good! YUM! 

Check out their website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more details and to see lots of other amazing snacks! 

 Dive Bars

These protein bars were very tasty! They were the perfect post workout fuel and pick me up because they have caffeine in them! Jared said the chocolate ones tasted like a straight up cookie and I thought the cinnamon bunz tasted extremely similar to a cinnamon bun, just in a different form. Super yummy and good ingredients! 

Check out their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see all they have going on and their other flavors! 

FitSnack

JUST LOOK AT THOSE FULL SIZE PRODUCTS IN THAT BOX!!! We were super pumped to find a full jar of Purely Inspired powdered peanut butter, beef jerky, tickle water, and more of our favorites like Smarty Pants vitamins and Kamut snacks! This box was LOADED with stuff! Please click this link to order yours today! 

Top 10 Quick Exercises for Busy Entrepreneurs

 Today, I have a guest post from Sarah over at Start Blogging Online about some great exercises for busy entrepreneurs! Hope you enjoy. 

Whether you work from home or you go to your office daily, the truth of the matter is we are all busy.  These modern days have certainly evolved into becoming such a survival place for the fittest that to emerge as the winner, you got to keep busy.  The sad part is that we forget that we are able to work because of our health. 

Many busy people lose more than gain from their line of work once their health deteriorates.  You must never realize late that there are actually easy to follow exercises that you can implement even in your busiest routine.  You just have to motivate and program yourself to spend a few minutes, right where you are, to perform some physical activity and get that blood flowing.

To stay fit is not a walk in the park.  But you should also stop making excuses on why you cannot find the time to exercise.  Not having enough time to go to the gym or not having the right workout equipment should not be entertained as valid reasons.  Remember that it is your health that is being put at risk.

Short workout routines can do way more than what you think.  No matter how knocked off you may feel during your work day, there is always an equal opportunity to sneak in a few minutes or even an hour or two for your physical fitness.

Check out the compelling infographic below and be informed of the easiest http://startbloggingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/top-exercises-busy-entrepreneurs.png >exercises you can do in the middle of your hustling schedule!

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All the Snacks!!! (Giveaway)

It's time for another round up of some awesome products that we've been blessed to review lately! There's also a chance for you to win something at the end! 

Wewalka

Wewalka introduces another U.S. first with its sweet, layered Danish Dough. A versatile seamless sheet comprised of 36 folded layers of yeast dough, it is the perfect foundation for baking up croissants, sweet rolls, turnovers, and other delicious pastries. Whether you fill it, roll it, braid it or top it, Wewalka Danish Dough provides another European classic destined to be an American favorite.

Jared and I loved this dough! It was light and fluffy. It tasted incredible stuffed with savory and sweet flavors. The first thing we made was a pizza "hot pocket". They tasted so much better than the store bought brand that we grew up eating, and they didn't have any weird ingredients! YAY! 

I had my friend, Bridget, over for brunch one weekend and we made some fruit filled pastries, and I even made an egg and peanut butter filled roll. (As you know, I put peanut butter on almost everything) They were all delicious and the rolls by themselves without any filling are tasty as well. 

Check out Wewalka on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

FitSnack 

Another great box from FitSnack! I loved the Shine Organics fruit and veggie pouch. I froze it a little bit and then added it to my smoothie and it was SO GOOD! A lot of people drink Kombucha and this box supplied a kit to make your own! There were lots of yummy snacks, check out this link to get 50% off your first box!! 

Keep your eye out on FitSnack's Instagram and Twitter for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals that you won't want to miss! 

 Biena Foods

Jared and I were so pumped when we tried these because they taste amazingly delicious and they are packed full of protein! The Ranch is probably our favorite because they remind us of our childhood chip choice, Cooler Ranch Doritos, without anything bad! They are crunchy and packed full of flavor! 

I shared them with my church small group and they loved them as well!  

Another cool part about the cinnamon crunch is that it's a great smoothie topper. It tasted like cinnamon cereal and it was perfect for my pumpkin pie smoothie bowl. YUM! 

Check out Biena Foods on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

Little Lad's 

Why popcorn? Many years ago, we were searching for a healthy side dish to serve our restaurant patrons. We popped up a few batches of our family’s favorite popcorn and customers enjoyed it so much, they started asking for bags of the popcorn to take home. Sales took off, and the rest is history. Today, Little Lad’s pops thousands of pounds of corn kernels a week…that’s a lot of corn. If you haven’t already, we invite you to try Little Lad’s Herbal Corn or any other Little Lad’s flavored popcorn, for that matter.

I declare myself THE popcorn-o-holic! I absolutely LOVE popcorn, and this popcorn exceeded my expectations! It has nutritional yeast added to it and with that comes vitamins, amino acids, minerals and protein. I wish everyone could taste this popcorn RIGHT NOW! It's THAT good! 

Little Lad's also sent us some almond butter, along with some herb crackers, that were just perfect! I told Jared that the crackers were way better than the EarthFare whole wheat crackers. That says a lot, because I really like those! I don't know how they do it, but the almond butter was just oven roasted washed almonds and sea salt, but we both agreed that it was some of the best almond butter we've tasted. 

See the latest news from Little Lad's on their Facebook page. 

Essentially Coconut 

This stuff is the perfect blend of coconut butter and nut butter all in one jar! It tastes incredible by the spoonful, but it also makes your every day food taste like dessert! It is full of healthy fats and only has a couple ingredients. We were blown away by the incredible taste. 

It went on top of our eggs, on toast, eaten by the spoonful, and also into this super easy 3 ingredient lunch: 

All I did was sauté shredded chicken with cauliflower rice and a heaping spoonful of the creamy cashew butter. HOLY MOLY IT WAS GOOD! 

You've gotta check out their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all kinds of recipes and tasty ways to eat this jar of goodness! 

I have a new recipe to share, that I like to call VACATION MUFFINS because the flavors remind me of vacation!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup Purely Inspired Powdered Peanut Butter

2 very ripe bananas 

3 extra large eggs

3 tbsp honey

3 drops liquid stevia

sprinkle of cinnamon and baking powder 

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a food processor and mix for about 3 minutes. Then, bake at 370*F for about 20 minutes or until you can poke them with a fork and not have any batter stick to the fork. Enjoy! 

Purely Inspired is providing us with protein in exchange for recipes each month. We are not compensated for these posts, just sent product. 

 Maxine's Heavenly 

Inspired by his mother's tasty cookies, MAXINE'S HEAVENLY COOKIES founder Tim Miller wasn't willing to sacrifice the delicious taste he remembered as a kid on his quest to turn her recipe into a healthier, guilt-free vegan treat! 

We know that vegan and gluten free don't always mean healthy and that's why we put a lot of work into selecting only the highest quality, healthy ingredients that make you smile, without weighing you down.  Loaded with tasty gluten-free oats, nutrient-rich rice & oat flours, and coconut sugar to keep the glycemic index low—we've brought the latest health trends together into one delectable treat. 

OH. MY. GOSH. These cookies are disappearing rather quickly around here. We cannot get enough of them. We have eaten these for dessert almost every night and sometimes even eat them with breakfast because they are loaded with oats and flaxseeds that are GOOD for your body. Do yourself a favor and go try these asap. 

Check out their Facebook and Twitter for updates on these awesome cookies!

Now, for your chance to WIN some of these cookies, all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

While We Are Waiting...

I figured it was time for a little life update here on the blog. Unfortunately, Jared did not make it through first stage of Web.Com Tour Q-School this year. While it was extremely difficult to process immediately afterwards, Jared has gotten his emotions out and let them go. 

Right now, we are in what seems like a long waiting season, but, what most people might not know is that we are doing our best to LOVE it. We don't want to stay in a constant state of sadness just because ONE ROUTE of making it back on the Web.Com tour didn't work out. God is showing us each and every day that there are TOO MANY BLESSINGS to miss out on right now!  Jared and I have been doing the best we can to serve God and serve others around us. Here's just a few of the things we have been doing lately. 

We are cheering on our friends who made it through first stage and want to see them succeed and make it to finals! Our good friends, Zack and Katie Fischer, were headed to the Web.Com Tour Championship and unfortunately, the hurricane caused the cancellation of the tournament. But, I was so blessed to be able to hangout with Katie for a little while during their stay close by before everyone evacuated. It's always nice to be able to talk to someone who is in the same boat and can relate! I was so grateful for that one on one time with her! 

We are still doing our part to help spread the word about our favorite snack, Fig Bars! This company has gone above and beyond to not only supply Jared with a healthy snack on the course, but encourages us and cheers for us on along the way! We are so grateful to work with such a supportive company! 

When Jared is home, we've been enjoying as much time as possible with each other. We cherish the days we can wake up together, (when I'm not working my morning babysitting job) read our couples devotional together, and workout at the start of our day. 

On the days where I only watch Christopher when he gets out of school, I sometimes tag along with Jared at the course and help watch his swing, see if his shoulder is moving a lot while putting, or video taping for him. I also like to practice my putting too. (It is getting better every time!) 

One weekend, our friends asked if we wanted to do a double date to a nice course so Jared could still practice, but we could get some quality time together! It was such a perfect day! Plus, the girls did a lot better than the guys thought we would! 

We had family come and stay with us one night on their way to Disney World. We enjoyed making homemade pizza and just hanging out together. 

An unexpected 'lemon turned into lemonade' was when hurricane Matthew came on my birthday and I had to evacuate. Fortunately, I was able to stay in Tallahassee with family. My cousin even got me my FAVORITE protein cookie, put a candle in it and sang happy birthday to me!!!!  It was such a fun surprise and it made my day! 

 

I also got to see all of my family that lives in Tallahassee at some point during my stay. It was a trip that wasn't planned, but turned out pretty awesome!  

I also got to see Jared's parents for one meal before they flew home. The hurricane made all the schedules out of whack! They were supposed to stay with us the weekend after my birthday, but all the flights messed up with the weather so they flew out of Tallahassee. 

When I came back after all the hurricane madness was over, I rescheduled my birthday dinner with friends and it was still just as fun! We had dinner at my favorite place, Zoe's Kitchen, and since Jared wasn't there, HE CALLED ZOE'S KITCHEN AND ASKED THEM TO SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! It was the sweetest thing and I couldn't stop smiling after they told me he called! 

Lastly, Jared has really been working hard at the course and has decided to finish out the year trying the rest of the PGA Tour Monday Qualifiers because he can still skip the pre-qualifier and has a discounted entry fee until the end of 2016. We've prayed and prayed and still feel like making it to the PGA Tour one day is what God has in store for Jared. He is going to give it his all these next few weeks and see what happens. Then, we will decide what route to take for the next year. Most likely, he will be going back to the Canada Tour and fighting his way to earn a spot on the Web.Com ASAP! 

Wife Brag: I am SO incredibly proud of my husband. He sacrifices so much time and puts his body through so much when he repeats the same motions over and over again every single day at practice. He works HARD for us and I want more than ANYTHING for his lifelong dream to come true! 

But, even though we are hoping and waiting for Jared to make it to the PGA Tour, it doesn't mean we aren't thoroughly enjoying the ride to get there!!! These tough seasons make us appreciate the little things more. Our prayer is that even though we may not have a lot according to the world's standards,  that we share what we DO HAVE and bless other people around us as much as we can. Please pray for us to make the most of every opportunity and share God's love wherever we are. Thanks for your support!

*Edit: TWO hours after I wrote this post, I read this for my nighttime devotional....* 

It's so amazing how God shows us that He is ALWAYS here with us!!!!