I am on day 3 of a juice fast. Plus a raw salad or banana here or there to take the edge off. I agreed to do it for 2 weeks. Had a slight headache in the evening of day one and off-and-on all day of day 2. Today I feel fantastic! Hoping this effects my breastmilk only in the positive. I was thinking I might be losing it before I started this. Seems this little girl wants more than I can give her. I have started giving her solids in the evenings and she is sleeping 8+ hours. Yikes! I am excited to see how I feel at the end of it. My whole family is doing raw and they all look and feel amazing. This is our second time starting a juice fast so we will see if we can finish this one out strong. We are praying for direction, provision, and partners to start a Celebrate Recovery for the Flagler County area. Exciting to have some clear vision, but now to have the steps laid out and actually start down the path is exhilarating. I'm so hoping this ministry explodes and blesses many. Enjoying my girls! Love my husband! God blesses and Life is awesome!
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I am thrilled to announce that this morning I weighed myself to find all the weight I gained with Dassa-Beanie GONE!! I wasn't one of those lucky women whose weight came off easily with breastfeeding. :( I have had to work for it. My first weight goal is done. I have been rollerblading Mon-Fri every morning about 7miles. I also threw in the occasional abs exercise. I need to throw in a few more of those, but I can now work on getting off the 10 pounds of 'first-year marriage weight' now. I am confident that if I continue on this path that my diligence will be rewarded. I have enjoyed the muscle toning in my legs and butt. ;) The tummy continues to be the trouble zone, but the angry stretch marks have faded thank goodness! It makes me feel confident to know that if we have another that I am not just adding to the first pregnancy's weight. I have watched a friends baby several times now and am pleased with seeing how well Dassa-Beanie would do with sharing attention and being a help. I enjoy knowing that I would still have another 10 months of just me and Dassa-Beanie time before a sibling would come along, however. I feel more emotionally prepared since the weight is off that if it were to happen I would welcome it completely. Who knows if God will bless us with another? - If so, wonderful - but if not I can confidently state that I have been so blessed by having Dassa-Beanie! I am enjoying every stage with its challenges and discovery. Beautiful to see the world through the eyes of your child. I just finished co-teaching a women's bible study and really enjoyed seeing God stretch and teach me through the experience. It was great to have some good discussion and fellowship with other women. But I am glad now that my summer is stretched wide open and free before me! Can you say BEACH! POOL! PLAYING! YAY! So, I was going to start an official blog then it dawned on me that I already have one! Hello, Meg.... journal/blog same difference... I submitted 3 articles for publishing at associated content the other day. I am really excited about getting back into this hobby of mine- writing! I love to write as long as I get to pick the subject and I don't have a deadline. I figure if I write my opinionated articles I might annoy people less than by discussing all my thoughts and ideas. Plus, if the articles get enough views I might even make a few bucks. If someone happens to be interested in one of my crazy tangents they can access it on this page anyway. :) Warmer weather is back, so the bike and rollerblades have come out. I love being a stay-at-home mom. I fill my time pretty well with all my little projects but it is nice to have a person or two to fellowship with during the week. I got three tentative play dates this week so I am feeling richly blessed with good friendships. I have a few more article ideas to write and my plastic crocheting bag is coming along nicely. (I am always trying something new including cutting my own layers!) I am hoping to do a mini Easter photo shoot with Dassa-Beanie soon as Easter is right around the corner! So many ideas....nice to have a place to write them down. Good Night world! So, good news to report!! I have hit my next weight goal!! I am so excited to be feeling like I'm getting my body back! You always have more you want to lose of course but this liquid fast is working. This is day 19 and I am feeling good. Dropped a total of 12 pounds!! And I had lost 5 before the fast too. I felt a little dizzy again last night when I laid down to go to sleep, but Saturday I get to break my fast. I am excited to see something other than soup or a smoothie. Our friends are getting married Sunday and I am looking forward to having some sweet fellowship and DANCING!! I got some new dresses and now I am just trying to narrow it down to which one I will actually wear! I keep going back and forth between my two favorites! Josh has talked about doing another 21-day liquid fast and I may join him after the wedding. I will at least be doing another week so we can continue to support the church who started later than we did. It has been so cool to see how little your body actually needs to keep itself sustained and to have energy! I have noticed an increase in energy, not a lack. I am taking off extra weight that made me feel lethargic. I am a huge fan of the fruit smoothies at tropical smoothie!!! Yum! I think I will try to keep up the smoothie drinks in place of a meal every now and then. It is good to be back journaling. Makes my soul feel good to share even if no one reads it! I have been strollerblading twice now. I am loving that because it is so much fun. I went 7.4 miles the other day! Hoping to go today but definitely tomorrow! We had Fuel - young adult group last night. It was sweet! Over twenty people showed up and I was so stoked to be able to grow with others again. Sharon watched Dassa-Beanie and it was nice to be us again like back when we met! My baby is 11 months today. I am so loving this new stage of learning she has entered and glad I am getting some new energy to keep up with her and all her exploring. She can move! A lot of friends are starting baby number number two and I just can't bring myself to think about that yet. I want to have energy and time to focus on Dassa-Beanie before another one comes along. God's timing with that, but I am really hoping I can avoid catching the bug this time around. I have five friends starting baby #2. Three others about to pop with baby #1. It is crazy!!!! Love is in the air - and no one is using protection Ahhhh! Glad to have more playmates for Dassa, but I am so glad I will be able to pass that baby back when it cries. I am done being the meal source! Maybe we can revisit the idea in 6 months or a year. I may be ready to try again then, knowing that I have another 10months of pregnancy before I have to run after a second kid. Praying about where God might be leading. Matt and his wife are moving out probably in April and the little one will be able to get a room all to herself - so nice! Sad that they are leaving though. I like having them around. Maybe when Josh is closer to being done with school we might think of putting the house up for sale and move down to be closer to my family. Josh has a real vision for a ministry there and a vision for my parent's land. It will be interesting to see how 2010 unfolds and all it brings. We also have the hope of a missions trip to Krasnodar in July to help build a two-story garage for our friend who married a pastor there! So excited about this!!! I guess that sums up everything for now. More later... So, I was thinking in retro the other day and God showed me where I had been disobedient and made a wrong choice (a big, wrong choice). I was sobered. I started to live in the land of 'what ifs' and was saddened even more. God reminded be of His sovereignty and I was encouraged. He knew the decision I would make ahead of time, He allowed me to make it, and He has used it for His purpose. It came with incredible blessing even though I was sinful. Now, it is my choice whether I stay in the land of 'what ifs' and dwell on what might have been missed. It might have been even greater than I already have.
Or I can choose thankfulness for the fact that He has blessed despite my disobedience! I am humbled and so unworthy of His great love. How big He is to forgive in the midst of my rebellion and even choose to bless me instead of giving the punishment and discipline I so deserved. Thank you for your mercy, God, and for opening my eyes to see more clearly. May I not repeat past mistakes! This is day 12 of my fast. Despite having a small dizzy spell the other day, it has been fairly easy to give up food. I need to make sure I am drinking enough water! Thinking on the past was the first real spiritual eye-opener. I think it helped make my marriage stronger to discuss it with my husband. I am grateful that he is so supportive and walks with me in wanting God's best and God's will first, above all else. Having such an open relationship with my husband where we can talk about anything and everything honestly is no small thing. Thank you, God! 8 pounds lost since the fast started - 8 more till baby weight is off. Happy 2010!!
I am so excited about this new year! Maybe because God blessed us so much in 2009 that I can't imagine how he can top it this year, but every year he does! 2005 - I met my hubby, 2006 - I got engaged, 2007 - I got married, 2008 - I got pregnant, 2009 - I had Dassa, so what could be in 2010???? AND THOSE WERE ONLY THE HIGHLIGHTS! We had snow this morning too, so something is just magical about 2010. I am looking forward to a mission trip with my family this year! We are hoping for the end of July to be headed either to Ukraine or maybe even Guatemala. It will be Josh and Dassa-Beanie's first trip outside the USA. We are still in the planning stages but are pumped about the possibility. It is very important to me that my family travels. It gives you a bigger perspective of what God is doing in different cultures when you leave your comfort zone. It will be interesting to see how I handle bringing a child out of the country. My mom did it with four and I am oh so glad she did! I had an incredible childhood and the memories and experiences I wouldn't change for the world! I want them for my child too! She is a bit young to remember it, but it will get our feet wet as parents dealing with customs officials while towing a little toddler around. I am on day 8 of my fast and feeling good. 8 of 21. The longest I have ever fasted was ten days and that was back in 2005 so I am enjoying the challenge so far. Plus the perk of dropping 5 pounds. My prayer life has increased mostly because I lay down at night tired but it takes me a good hour to shut down my mind - thus the extra prayer time. We are doing liquids/soups so it isn't too extreme. I rarely feel hungry since a protein shake for vitamins really does fill me up. Makes me realize how little your body really needs to function. And we as an American culture really do stretch out our stomachs out. My goal, for after the fast, is to not stretch it back out! Easier said than done when we are surrounded by delicious smelling, artery-clogging treats! More later... |
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