Pictures from North Carolina

Maria and Brynley, getting ready for our picnic lunch at Chimney Rock.

Sweet Blythe.  

Little Brynley. I can't believe she is almost 1 year old!

The school bus we rode to the trailhead at Chimney Rock.  The kids LOVED it!

BFF's!  Mason has really missed Mitchell, as you can see.

The four big kids, Mitchell, Blythe, Max, and Mason.

My 3 favorite boys!

The Nudd's.  Five of our favorites!

My family!

I'm always up for some lovin' on mommy!

We made it!

Brynley got tired.  So she took a nap.  We were all a little jealous.  Brandon is a stellar dad.

It was totally worth it.  Look at that view.

I carried Max the whole way down.  He rode on Mike's shoulders on the way up, but Mike had to carry Mason most of the way down. We weren't exactly doing a kid-friendly hike, but it was well worth the extra effort.

Max was the first one to cross the finish line at the bottom.  

Mason loves "race-cars" because they are "RRRRRRRReeeeaaaaallly Faaaaaaaaaassst" to quote him.

Future Lovas?  If I have my way...that is a yes.

Amazing.

The start of my amazing birthday with Maria at the Biltmore Estate, getting our pedicures.

In the waiting room, having some snacks.

Maria's turn.

The view of the Biltmore "house" from the start of the courtyard.

Getting some treats in the carriage house courtyard after our pedi's and tour of the house.

Isn't she so cute?!!

We walked so far that we had no guilt indulging in some delicious pastries.

Yum.  Apple pastry, Cream puff, baklava, pecan roll.  No leftovers.

Front ride side of the house. I wish we could have taken pictures inside.  I can't really describe how amazing it was.  It has a bowling alley, swimming pool, 3 kitchens (pastry kitchen, meat kitchen, main kitchen) and literally wings of bedrooms.  My entire house wouldn't fill up the music room and the two story library was at least twice that large.

Looking down from what I'm guessing is some sort of driveway or extra parking or who knows what.  I should check my info book, but I'm too lazy right now.

We were all smiles.  SO much fun, wish such a wonderful person!

Looking back at the left side of the house.  

I just LOVE this girl!

Ok, so I had to flirt with the camera just a little bit.

We stayed until after everyone was gone, even the employees were walking home.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  It felt like we were living in "Pride and Prejudice".

Facing away from the house these are multi-leveled walkways.

Let's be honest, we're more like sisters than friends.  :)

The bridge you see in "The Last of the Mohicans".  Most of the movie was filmed at Chimney Rock and on the Biltmore Estate.

Another set of future spouses, cross your fingers, sharing puffs at an awesome place called Tupelo Honey Cafe.  

Our big family table!

These two have mostly a loving relationship.

Who says you can't just suck the jam off the biscuit and then put more jam on it?

Big smiles!

Blythe perfecting the process.

Me and my goofy little Max.

Homemade black bean burger with fried okra.  We are in the south and loving it!

Back at the Nudd's hanging out on the front porch.

The big boys got to work quickly.

I don't think I've seen two boys who aren't related love each other so much.

Popsicles!

You have to be around Blythe to fully appreciate her cuteness. Not only is she a darling to look at, but she's a dear to be around.

Singing "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" to the kids.  I felt like a superstar.

A shirtless Blythe pushing Mason in the stroller.

My turn!

Bathtime!  

For a few minutes we had all 5 kids in the tub at the same time!

Jammies on, ready for bed.

Thanks for looking.  We had such a wonderful time!

Birthdays and Castles

It's been so long since I've blogged that my kids have grown up and I have grandchildren of my own.  Okay, obviously, that isn't true, but in the blogging world it's not that far off.  I've been overwhelmed, extremely busy and distracted.  I do have a lot of fun stuff to talk about, but it can't happen in one night.  I did want to let you all know that I am still alive and have missed you too!  

The big event of my life recently was a Memorial Day weekend road trip to visit our dear friends, the Nudd's, in North Carolina.  We've missed them terribly since they left around the new year.  We did some pretty intense hiking, played at the pool, saw where the movie "The Last of the Mohicans" was filmed (a Hibbs' family favorite), and I had an incredible birthday present from Maria! Here's what it was: We spent the day, just us two girls, at The Biltmore Estate, which is the French Chateau-style home built by George Vanderbilt.  It is literally a castle, and is the largest private residence in the country.  The 2 most incredible statistics I found out about it, was that George built it when he was a 33 year old bachelor, and that it has 43 bathrooms.  Don't worry, pictures will come later...although, we weren't allowed to take any inside.  Boo. :(  Anyway, our day started with luxurious pedicures at the Biltmore Inn before we moseyed over to the "house" (I'm not sure how they get away with calling it that) where we took a tour (we even sprung for the audio tour) and walked around the vast gardens.  The whole estate is an incredible showcase of extravagance, art, history, and also of a loving family.  After our tour, we indulged in some pastries at the European style cafe/bakery in the old carriage house courtyard.  It felt like I imagine it would if I was sitting in a little cafe in France!  It was so peaceful, relaxing and like a dream come true.  It helps that I'm obsessed with all things French and castle-related.  I could go on and on about it, but I'll stop for now, at least until I post the pictures.  Thank you, Maria, for giving me an incredible birthday surprise and more importantly, for being a wonderful, true friend.  The day wouldn't have been half as fun if I wouldn't have experienced it with you!  

By the way, for those of you wondering, I turned 31, and it actually feels pretty good!

Pictures and more to come later!

Easter

Last night when I was telling Mason that we celebrate Easter because Jesus rose from the grave, Mike added, "with bunnies and eggs".  It is kind of a weird tradition that I'm sure is an interesting history lesson in pagan traditions from hundreds of years ago.  While bunnies and eggs don't have anything to do with why our family celebrates Easter, I have some pretty fond memories of hunting eggs with my older sister, Renee and even with my brother-in-law, Troy (yes, I was in college at that point).  I used to always find the most eggs until he came along.  :)

Tomorrow, we are having a group of friends over to our house for an Easter brunch and Egg hunt.  Last year we did the same thing and I think we will have even more people here this year.  I love gathering friends together and eating good food (and it's fun to have a potluck so you can try lots of different dishes).  I'm making vegan tater-tot casserole, mini egg-souffle's, and a Strawberry breakfast punch.

Last night, Mike and I watched a DVD Mark and Steph let us borrow.  It's a talk by Louie Giglio and it was very moving.  I really connect with relating the existence of God to science and biology.  I feel that in addition to the Bible, the Earth is one of the best tools through which to see God.  In this talk, Louie shares details about the vastness of the universe and the size and distance of stars in our galaxy and beyond.  He also described some of the incredible things our bodies do on a molecular level.  Somehow, if I've ever felt doubt about God's existence or doubted his presence, I've always been reassured by looking at nature.

I think the most incredible thing that happens on earth is new life.  I was in awe during each of my pregnancies, to realize that a whole new human was being made and I was essentially doing nothing at all to make that happen, except eat and sleep.  I struggle to see how someone could think that life on earth happened by chance.  The more I read, the more I learn about how our bodies work, how amazing our organs are and how powerful our brains can be, the more I can't comprehend anyone believing a theory that life began completely by chance.  Does that seem more logical than the idea that God created this world?  I just can't see that.

This weekend, I'm so thankful for the reminder of Jesus' great sacrifice for us.  He came down from His heavenly throne to live with us in our imperfect, pain-filled world.  After watching Louie's talk, I realized even more how small we are and was left wondering why God would even bother with us.  But He DID care!  He let - no, he sent - His only Son to come down to our little, tiny, insignificant planet and die, just so He wouldn't lose us forever.  That's how bad He wants a relationship with you and that's how much He loves you.  I hope you too can take a moment this weekend, between the eggs and bunnies, to let that sink in.  What an incredible God!

Happy Easter!

April showers also bring the need to read.

April's goal kind of decided itself.  This month my mind has been distracted and foggy, yet I found myself doing something I've never done before and I decided to use it as my monthly goal.  I've been burying myself in books.  Not literally, but I have been reading them, and a lot of them (at least for me).

If you know me well, you know that while I often have great aspirations for reading, I struggle to get past the 1st chapter in most books.  I'm more of a magazine reader.  In fact, I love my magazines.  I like the colorful pictures, short blurbs, and the low commitment required to read an article.  I've read very few books in my life, and even managed to get a bachelor's degree without reading all that much.  However, it's certainly not something I'm bragging about and I've always wished I would read more.

For some reason, the last several weeks have been very different for me.  I've always liked to read, but now I'm actually able to do it so I'm just going to run with it.  I've been devouring books faster than I can keep up with my magazines.  I'm not quite sure what is happening to me.  I even checked a book out from the library, which is unheard of, since the idea of finishing any book in less than 6 months is completely foreign to me.

My goal for April is to read as many books as I can (not counting Mason or Max's books) and then compile a list on my blog of the books I've read since the end of March (I started a little early).  I'm just choosing books as I go, with no particular rhyme or reason except that they pique my interest.  Once I have my final list compiled, I'll try my skills at analyzing my choices to see if there are any trends or insights I can garner.  Until then, I'm not thinking about it too much.  I'm just going to enjoy the prose.

This goal pertains to the "mental" health aspect of my overall goal.  They say reading makes you more intelligent.  Let's see if this works.

Photos As Promised

 My "home" for the weekend, "Helene's Room"

 My Bathroom

Don't want to miss your favorite show while you take a hot bath?  No problem!

All you ever needed to know about raising farm animals. 

These are actual records of daily work completed on the farm.  As you can see, this page is from 1933. 

One of many self-portraits. 

Oh look, I'm on the bed. 

And now I'm casually sitting against this wall.

 Awkward?!   

My first morning's breakfast.  It was INCREDIBLE!  The homemade cider topped it off. 

I'm very good at using the timer on the camera at this point.  It's just hard to run back to the chair and act like I've been quietly sitting there the whole time. 

Heading out after breakfast to go see the lake. This was the view from my room.

Serene.  Quiet.  Perfect. 

Not another awkward self-portrait!

The very steep stairs heading down to the lake. 

I made it. Totally worth it.

Untouched snow.

I was fascinated by these crevasses. I couldn't tell where the water ended and the land began.

My soon-to-be companion.

It's okay.  I'm pretty sure this wasn't meant for me.

Back up the stairs.

View from the top.

Time for some serious snowshoeing.

Really, again?

Making my path where no one had gone before.  Or, at least since the last snowfall.

I love how brilliant this red was in contrast to everything else.

A funny peeling tree.

Wow, you're a natural.  You look so at-ease on those snow shoes.

Some of the cool farm machines.

All done.

My sweet little buddy.  Followed me around the whole morning and waited outside my door when I'd go inside.  I'm not usually a dog person, but she got to me.

I love red barns.

Some of the silos for storing grain.

We get it.  You like to take pictures of yourself.

Cozy feet.  Thanks Nae.

Sunday morning breakfast was equally AMAZING! 

The last self-portrait.  Showing off my timer-skills one last time.

An old butter churner was just one of their original antiques.

Exploring Sheboygan, this was a resort I came across on the lakeshore.

The only time I didn't take a picture of myself. As you can see, I decided to get my haircut.

A new "do" for a renewed me!

A trip and personal journey I will never forget.

Choosing My Moment

I started my goal for March a little early. The last weekend of February, I did something almost unheard-of, at least for a mom with two small children. Friday afternoon, I dropped the kids off with Miss Shelley while Mike was finishing up work, and I drove up to a little Bed and Breakfast in Wisconsin on the edge of Lake Michigan called the Lake Orchard Farm Bed and Breakfast. That is where this month's goal and eventual journey began.

I had been feeling a lot of turmoil inside of me, for various personal reasons and I knew that getting some alone time to sort through my feelings, enjoy some quiet time, and reconnect with God was something I really needed to do. I needed more than just an evening sitting in Starbucks, or a walk around the block. I needed to be really alone. For a whole weekend. This idea was perfect.

The Bed and Breakfast is located on a farm in a building that used to be the summer kitchen many years ago. It has since been converted into a beautiful building with four suites and two beautiful common areas filled with pictures and antiques showing the history of the farm. Each morning I ate breakfast by myself at an old oak farm table while I talked to the 5th generation farmer's wife who told me stories of the old days. Having spent many of my best summer memories as a child at my Great Uncle's farm, I felt right at home.  After breakfast, I headed down to the lake and sat in silence, listening to the wind, the water, and the thoughts I needed to straighten out. I almost got lost at one point when I went snowshoeing in the farm's wooded acreage. I followed the trails, but still got completely turned around. I didn't care, though. There was no one waiting for lunch or needing a nap. I could take as long as I wanted.

Over the course of the weekend, I took many hot baths in my personal whirlpool tub, during which I talked with God, cried with God, and listened to Him.  The joke to myself was that anytime I was ready for another "therapy session" all I had to do was fill up the tub and before I knew it the tears would be flowing.  Sometimes you just need to let it out.  As a mom, you don't take time for yourself. You forget how important it is to take care of your needs and that if you don't, you might not have the strength and energy to be the kind of mom, wife and person you want to be.

One of the things I learned, is that I need to work on finding balance.  I tend to be an "all or nothing" kind of person.  I usually put all of my energy in to something and the rest of the world is invisible to me, or I don't try at all.  This is a challenge when I want to work on my relationship with God and grow closer to Him, but keep getting distracted and finding other things to put "all" my energy into.

I went into the weekend thinking what I needed most was quiet time alone, but what I learned was that what I actually needed most was quiet time alone - with God.  And I need it on a regular basis, not just for one relaxing weekend, but I need Him all the time, to get through life without getting overwhelmed and overspent.

This month, my goal has been to keep finding these "moments" with God.  I've found them out on walks with my kids, laying in bed looking out my window, and sitting in the backyard.  It's actually much easier than I thought, I just have to choose to make it happen. During the day, we spend more time outside exploring than we do walking around the mall (helps that the weather is nicer now).  I've taken the boys to some new parks and several forest preserves. I feel more peaceful, the boys love running around outside rather than being stuck in a stroller or scolded for wandering away, and we all feel more connected to each other. I feel a peace that I haven't felt in a long time.

For the rest of this month, I'm going to keep choosing to have these moments, and to give myself more opportunities to experience them.  I can feel the changes and I want to keep them coming.

March-in' on.

We're a week in to March already, and I'm so glad. I think everyone I've talked to is more than ready for warmer days. We're finally having high temps in the 30's now - and it's about time! My yellow lily plant - the plant that was split and transplanted from the garden I had growing up in Washington, then to Denver, and now to Illinois (of course always leaving a piece behind) is already starting to come up!  We're ready for you, Spring!

My "Vegan Experience" for February was a huge education for me. I'm usually good at starting things with fierce motivation and it's always the finishing part that's hard for me. However, this time I stuck with it. Let me say, before I go on, that anything I share below is not meant to be judgemental or critical to anyone's personal eating preferences. My goal is to share my personal insights through my experience of going vegan, and my intent is not to offend anyone, but to share candidly with you.

I was having fun trying my little "experiment" until after about 2 1/2 weeks. It was then that I was very close to throwing in the towel, and making myself the biggest grilled-cheese sandwich I could ever imagine. I was definitely cranky for a week, missing my dairy products after the newness wore off. I pushed through it though, and am happy to say that I'm so glad I did. I had some great advice and insight from several vegan friends of mine.

One of my friends, Kristin, is vegan (or more appropriately, she is actually "cruelty-free") primarily for the abuse animals undergo so that we can eat food or use other products derived from them. She is an expert on all things vegan including the best places to eat, the best tasting imitation products, and also the processes animals go through to produce the products we use. It's pretty horrible to think about what they go through, and I'll admit that I hadn't thought seriously about that issue before. One thing I learned from her that especially impacted me was that even as a vegetarian, I can contribute to animal cruelty. For instance, cows are subjected to forced lactation, and eventually slaughtered after their milk production days are over. Another idea to consider, is whether it is actually natural for a human to drink milk from a cow anyway?  It's probably easier for me than for some to think of it as being unnatural since I don't drink milk anyway, but I may be the only one who feels that way in my family since I have several family members who LOVE milk (and for the record: they are totally entitled to love it!). For me, as a scrambled egg-lover, it was hard for me to hear that chickens beaks are cut off and baby boy chicks are literally thrown into the trash can since they produce no profitable product. Overall, I certainly have a lot to consider when it comes to consuming food from animals who endured pain and suffering to give it to me in the first place. There very well may be some exceptions to the treatment of animals in these situations, but I would expect that would be a rare exception.  To sum it up, I appreciate this thought from Kristin: "I just can't fathom forcing any person or animal to give me ANYTHING when I can live very happily and healthily without it."

Two of my other vegan friends, Becki and Kelsey, adopted the vegan-way primarily for health reasons (as I understand it from my conversations with them). A great benefit of a plant-based diet is that you don't have the fats and cholesterol issues to worry about.  You will almost always consume less calories which is also a benefit especially with the challenges of obesity we currently have in our culture.  You do have to take more care to think about what you're eating to make sure you have a balanced diet, but as long as you plan it right, you can get all your necessary vitamins and nutrients from plants.

Eating vegan is not necessarily the easiest way to eat - at least for me. I tend to have that common American problem of wanting things to be easy and fast and it can be hard finding good vegan options, especially if you eat out often. We eat at home much more than we used to, but I have been happy with Taco Bell's "Fresco" menu items on more than one occasion. Something else I learned was that it's not only dairy that a true vegan won't eat, but also gelatin (ingredients made from hooves) and honey. Just like a vegetarian, there are different types of vegans. Some choose to omit gelatin and honey, while others don't.

Overall, I have loved being vegan, and I decided to continue past February because I'm feeling so good. That's right, I'm still going! My body feels great, I am more "regular", and I've lost a few pounds! I still have plenty of energy and have found that I am eating less naturally. I don't crave food like I did before and I find I eat with more intention, to fuel my body, rather than to eat for pleasure or indulge in something tasty. I don't think there's necessarily something wrong with eating something just to enjoy it, but for me, I was bordering on an addiction to cheese and that wasn't healthy.

I would definitely recommend to anyone to try it out, but also to do it for at least a month so your body and mind really has time to adjust. You have nothing to lose, but you might lose cholesterol and a few pounds!

Thanks for reading.  I really learned a lot this month!

Later, I'll catch you up on my March goal!

Welcome to February - and a blizzard - and the start of my 2011 Resolution.

Tonight, I'm sitting on the couch in my cozy little living room with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand (when I'm not typing), looking out the window at the blizzard that, according to the news, is part of the "worst storm in decades to hit Chicago".  Illinois has declared a State of Emergency (I felt like doing the same for my house earlier today) and Mike is on duty all night at the hospital Command Center.  My two favorite little boys are asleep in their toasty bedroom.  Right now we have a windchill of 1 degree and about 10+ inches of snow on the ground with more falling.

Now that I had my month-long break in January, to recoup from the holidays and my temporary work, I'm ready to start my new resolution.  Are you ready?

This year, I've decided to do monthly goals that accumulate into a larger goal, or resolution, over the course of 2011.  My overall resolution for the year is summed up as follows: Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Soul.  I want to focus on doing things that will help me be healthy in every way.  In some ways, last year was a time for me to recover from my pregnancy and c-section, and then, learn how to be a mom of two little ones.  Now that I'm feeling much more comfortable in the role of mom-of-two, I am ready to take some of the energy I have left at the end of the day (pending I still have some) and put it back into myself.  After all, I believe that being a healthy me, will make me a better mom and a happier mom.

So, about the goals.  I will be picking and announcing a new goal each month.  Each goal will either fit into the Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, or Healthy Soul category.  "Mind" goals might be something that would stimulate me (or the opposite - relax me) in an intellectual capacity.  "Body" goals would refer to a goal that is more "physical" in nature.  Finally, "Soul" goals will be intended to help me journey in a spiritual or emotional way.  I already expect that some goals will have an overlapping effect into at least one of my other "healthy" categories, but each will be initially intended to focus on just one of them.  I've already compiled a list of some ideas I've had, but I will be doing a constant self-evaluation to make sure that I'm working on goals that are currently relevant to me.  I'm so excited to begin this journey and share my strengths and struggles as I go.

Here's the first one:  February's goal is related to a "Healthy Body".  For the month of February, I'm going VEGAN!

That's right, this self-proclaimed lover of cheese is going to see if it's really possible for distance to make "the heart grow fonder" when it comes to my favorite animal byproducts.  It's not all about my cheese "addiction", however.  I've been increasingly interested in the vegan lifestyle (do you call it that?) particularly for it's health benefits.  I have yet to do much research, but I am curious if I'll notice anything after a month of no cheese, eggs, sour cream, or even michigan cottage cheese (a loud gasp is appropriate).  Although I am already mostly a vegetarian, I do occasionally partake in some chicken or fish.   This goal will, of course, eliminate any of those rare moments from my meal choices.  Since I hadn't decided until this evening that I was going to pick this particular goal for February, I'm forced to officially start my vegan journey tomorrow, as earlier this evening I enjoyed a plate of my homemade macaroni and cheese.  Considering this goal, I'd say it was the perfect "last supper".

Let the resolution begin.

Did you miss me?

It's been over 6 weeks since I last posted an update.  Time flies when you're having fun, I guess!

We had a wonderful Christmas with Mike's parents coming into town and we enjoyed seeing the boys unwrap their presents and get excited about the festivities.  New Year's we celebrated at Mark and Stephanie's with Zeb and Nicole (who also have a 1-year-old) and we partied until the way-late hour of 10pm.  I think we may have celebrated ringing in the New Year with Nova Scotia.  We were happy to officially welcome 2011 much later in the morning.

Since then, we've been trying to get back into the normal routine.  We've all had bad colds that have lasted since just after Christmas, it seems, but we're finally on the mend (finger's crossed).  A new employee has finally begun working in Human Resources at the hospital so I am finishing out two more days of this week and then I'm home with the boys full-time again.  As much as I enjoy working, it's hard to give myself to home and work so I'm glad to be truly "home" again.

Just before Christmas we sold our Pathfinder.  Having an SUV was fun, convenient, and...expensive.  I'm happy to say that just over a week ago, we bought a minivan.  We had been making payments on our Pathfinder, but it's wonderful to owe nothing on both of your cars and we were blessed to be able to buy a new (to us) vehicle with cash.  I'm still inspired by my hero Dave Ramsey, who convinced me it was not smart to make payments on a car.  Thank you, Dave.  It feels amazing!  After driving my Honda Odyssey for one whole week I can say, I am completely in love!  I much prefer the way it drives to a larger SUV like we had, and it's only about, oh, 50 times more convenient, let alone the fact that it costs less to both insure and to drive.  I'm now a firm believer in the minivan.

Now it's time for the hard truth before I sign off for the night.  Let's not sugar-coat it.  I didn't make my weight-loss goal.  I didn't even make my adjusted weight-loss goal.  In fact, I didn't even step on a scale until about a week ago.  Seeing what my weight is now, wasn't what I wanted to see, but it is what it is and that's okay.  It's nice to be done with my year of "resolution" even though I still want to lose more weight.  Now I can do it on my own and tell you in my own time when I feel like it.  Ha!

I have been thinking since November, about what I wanted to do with my blog this year.  I've decided that I need a bit of a break (hence my very quiet January), but that my new "blog resolution" will start in February.  What I intend to do is mini-monthly resolutions, rather than one that lasts for a year.  I'll give you more details later, but it's already planned out and I'm really excited about it.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that you've started 2011 with as much joy as possible!  Happy New Year!  It's great to be back!

A Goal Revisited

Now that it's December, I'm faced with the harsh reality of the Resolution I made in January.  My goal was to lose over 30 pounds this year taking me from 182.4 lbs, 6 weeks after giving birth to Max, down to 150 pounds, the weight I was over 3 years ago before I was pregnant with Mason.

It's been harder in some ways than I thought it would be.  Taking care of two little ones leaves much less time and energy to exercise and think about my eating habits than I expected.  On the other hand, it was too easy for me to procrastinate since I had a whole year to lose the weight.  As it turns out, I don't expect to reach my goal of 150 lbs. by December 31.  However, there is still some success I'll be able to celebrate and I'm looking forward to seeing what the final result will be!

As a final push at the end of this year, I'm going back to using the "MyPlate" feature on livestrong.com to track my food intake and my activities.  Also, I'm using Stephanie as my accountability partner.  I will have to tell her at least weekly what I weigh, with no excuses.  Although I post it in my blog regularly, it makes a difference to say it out loud to a real person!

I have 31 days to reach a new goal.  I weighed in this morning at a surprising 163.6 pounds.  It was lower than I expected after indulging in delicious Thanksgiving meals with our family in Kansas City (which, by the way, we had an amazing time seeing our grandparents and hanging out with Mom and Dad Murrill - it always goes by too fast).  I am setting a new goal of losing 5 pounds by December 31.  That means my new, adjusted goal is 158.6 pounds.  Here we go!

Wake-up Call

It's 7am, and thanks to my personal little alarm clock, also known as "Max", I've already been up for at least 1.5 hours.  I can't say that I mind too much, but I am hoping I get a little nap later today.

We've been having a wonderful time with the Murrill family here in Kansas City.  Stephanie and I brought the littlest ones, Max and Monroe, with us on Monday.  Mike, Mark and Mason drove out on Tuesday evening.  We celebrated Stephanie's 30th Birthday with a surprise dinner with friends at California Pizza Kitchen and some shopping and fun to follow.  There were two "celebrity" sightings during the celebration, we saw Sasha Kahn of the 2008 Champion KU Jayhawks, and Michael Tait, of the Newsboys and formerly of D.C. Talk.  The birthday girl even got her picture with Mr. Tait!

This morning we'll head to church and we're looking forward to seeing old friends.  There's just something about Sabbath.  I'm so glad it's here.  I'm so glad to have the rest and time-out from everyday life!

Shabbat Shalom!

Happy Sabbath, Dear Friends!  I hope you are enjoying rest and taking time for the important things in life.  I am already getting into the Thanksgiving spirit, I suppose, because I've been thinking about things I'm thankful for.  Lately, I have been overwhelmingly thankful for my family, and today I'm going to tell you why.

My littlest boy, Max, is now a big one year-old and he has been dubbed by some, to be a "mini-me".  People say his eyes are just like mine and that he resembles me very much.  I'm so thankful for him, for how he has opened my heart up even more to learn how to love.  He makes me feel needed, wanted, and very important.  He also makes me feel like I'm doing a good job when he gives me his big toothy grin!

My oldest son, Mason, is a very busy 2 1/2 year-old who is looking more like his Daddy everyday, except for the little guy's amazing head of red hair.  I'm so thankful for Mason because he taught me how to be a mother and how to love like one.   Every time I hear his hearty little laugh I can't help but smile.  He is forgiving and loves me unconditionally.

My husband, Mike, has been in my life for 9 1/2 years, with 7 1/2 as my husband.  That's long enough for him to realize that I am terribly flawed.  He's been the receiver of my selfishness, my thoughtless remarks, my controlling habits, and the many negative effects of my insecurities.  Somehow he has loved me in spite of these things.  He is still the only person I ever want to spend my life with, my best friend, the only one who really "gets" me, and the one I still believe God planned for me.  He is an incredible man of God whom I aspire to be more like in many ways.

This thanksgiving, I'm more thankful than ever for the amazing blessing of my immediate and extended families.

So...I weighed in yesterday morning at 165.0 lbs.  I would like it to be much less.  But, it's not.  Enough said.

I wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Fasting

My media fast seemed to be so effective, that it even kept me away from my blog for quite a while!  Renee and I had quite an experience cutting media out of our lives for those two weeks.  We went through a range of emotions and phases including excitement, denial, frustration, anger, acceptance, and finally happiness.

We learned that movies, TV, magazines, books, the internet (yes, even facebook), and other media sources are not necessary to living a happy life and more often that not, (at least for us) were more detrimental.  We realized we needed to learn to create better boundaries if we choose to partake in anything media-related or it can easily overwhelm and overtake our minds, taking our focus away from both our families and from God, which are much more important to us than anything else.

Personally, I learned that I was living without true peace as I had not been taking any time for personal reflection or worship.  After my fast, I feel much more engaged in the lives of my boys and also with my marriage.  I haven't watched any TV (except a little sports with Mike), but I have watched one movie, read a few magazines, and have been online some, however it's been significantly less than my former ways.  I feel happier, more at peace, and generally less stressed.

I think two weeks was a crucial timeframe for this experiment.  One week would not have been long enough to change our habits.  After one week was over, we were annoyed and agitated as we felt the loss of our "media habits", but hadn't filled the hole with anything else.  It was the second week where the growth occurred.  In fact, I chose to fast from a couple of other things just to make sure that they too weren't more important in my life than they should be.

Now that it's over, I wish I could say I read my Bible everyday and spend lots of time in worship, but that wouldn't be true.  What I can say is, that I'm doing better with it now that I've created some space in my life for time with God to exist, but changing your lifestyle or habits isn't easy and it isn't immediate.  I know I have work ahead of me to put my relationship with God where it needs to be, but He is faithful and will guide me each step of the way.