Friday - turning the calendar

Made it to Friday!  A great day for a TON of reasons!  My top 3 (for this specific Friday) are as follows: 1 - I made it to 25 weeks!  2 - It’s the first day of Fall - so glad to say good bye to the hottest, most oppressive summer on record! 3 - It’s “Field Day” at my kids’ elementary school, so they get to spend a few hours competing in friendly competitions with their friends outside, while raising money for school projects.  They look forward to it every year, and this one is no exception!  We usually work really hard at getting pledges to add to the fund drive, but it just wasn't in the cards this year!  But, they are taking the little bit they did raise, and I know it will make a difference in their school!


I’m a little sad to be missing things at home.  I missed several things this week, and it’s been a bit harder than I thought it would be.  Everything was left in VERY capable hands, but it was still a lonely feeling to know all this fun/exciting/different stuff was going on without me.  I missed my 2 days of set up out at the Fairgrounds for the Adorable Affordables sale - AND the pre-sale shopping frenzy that I love so much.  I missed the parent meeting for the math tutoring program Emma and Lara are participating in.  I missed Lara’s eye doctor appointment where she got to pick out new frames for her new glasses (I hear they are pink and sparkly and I can’t wait to see them!).  I missed Vision Night with Pastor Craig Groeschel at LifeChurch.tv Stillwater.  But most of all, I missed BEING with my family.  Jake called me 2 nights in a row in tears lamenting the fact that he had not seen me in DAYS!  A friend posted on my Facebook wall that we should try Skype.  I have never used it, but I think that might be a good idea.  I downloaded the software, but now I need 2 cameras with integrated mics - one for my laptop here and one for the desktop at home.


I am blessed by visitors, however!  And that is SO NICE on so many levels.  It not only makes the days go faster (which I love), it also helps me feel connected.  Plus, they bring me things I didn’t know I needed!  Like my sweet friend who used to live in Stillwater who is now in the City who had brought her 5 week old son to me TWICE for cuddle time.  Now THAT is a good visit!  :)  But the Lysol wipes, notepads, Diet Cokes, crackers, peanut butter and all the HUGS mean so much.  Thank you to ALL of you for making this more bearable.


I am still bleeding a tiny bit.  No new “incidents,” and I am still stable.  I have the IV in my arm “just in case,” but have had no fluids or meds other than my water I drink diligently, my prenatal vitamin, and the ever present Colace!  I did have some pretty painful (and annoying) groin pain last evening and last night (that is gone now due to a good night’s sleep and a shower) that the nurse helped me figure out was from Finn being LOW in my pelvis with “a body part” (we don’t know which one) that was hitting a nerve.  it was so painful it was making me nauseous!  But, sleeping on my side helped him move away from the area, and I feel fine this morning.

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!  I am really looking forward to seeing my family  I miss them so much!  And maybe we can get Sykpe set up and Jake and I can pray by computer each night instead of over the phone! 

(PS - Finn has the hiccups right now for the ump-teenth time in the last few days!)

Lent (Sacrifice)

My favorite definition of sacrifice is “giving up something you love, for something you love MORE.” I think the first time I heard this was a couple of years ago in a sermon by Craig Groeschel, and since then I have heard the same sentiment said a few different ways. So, as we start this season of Lent, I am choosing to make a sacrifice. I am giving up Diet Coke (caffeine/dark cola), in order to feel better.

You see, I love (LOVE) Diet Coke, but I love NOT feeling like I have for the last 2 weeks even MORE. I’ve done it before. Given up the DC. For LONG periods of time, even. I gave it up for 5 years while trying to conceive, then conceiving and breastfeeding twins. Then again when I was pregnant and breastfeeding my son. And then for 21+ days at the First of this year when I participated in the Daniel fast. And I know I have done it for Lent in the past as well. So, I know it can be done, and I know I can do it. And to help me along my way, I have also started a new bible reading plan designed just for Lent at youversion.com. To keep me on track and to remind me WHY I am sacrificing this tiny thing when Jesus gave it ALL!

So, the blog has been neglected the last 2 weeks basically because I have failed at my commitments. My commitment to working out, my commitment to losing weight, and my commitment to this blog. Once again, LIFE got in the way. My parents (who are part of the VILLAGE that helps raise my 3 children) were out of town for a few days, so our schedule was wacky, then I started not feeling well, only to find out that I had strep throat! 2+ days of being totally miserable, then 2+ more days of just feeling bad, and things were REALLY behind. Add to that, I think I had a mild reaction to the antibiotics I am on (Can I give THAT up for Lent? Antibiotics?) which left me feeling foggy and groggy and with a headache, which turned into a migraine on Sunday, and yesterday, I finally started to feel almost normal again. I have ONE MORE pill to take this afternoon and I will have completed my 10 day course of antibiotics! I am WELL again! So, this season of sacrifice is a good day to start over, I believe!

On the upside, during ALL of that, I MAINTAINED my weight again! For that, I am grateful! It’s nice to start out in the same place I left off, instead of having to take 2 steps (or more) backwards! So, here’s to SACRIFICE! What are you going to sacrifice this season?

Day 3 – Fast

First off, I want to explain a little about our fast.  My husband and I are doing what is known as a Daniel fast.  Its basically a vegan diet – fruits, vegetables, water, nuts, juice, whole grains. (See www.daniel-fast.com/ for more info.)  The purpose of the fast is to have a spiritual experience where you deepen your relationship with Jesus and seek answers through prayer while growing in knowledge of the bible and God.  So, we are eating, just not like we used to, and definitely not as much.  I have never been a big meat eater, but I knew I would miss dairy and sugar.  And Diet Coke.  We rarely had it in the house, but I would drink it when we went out to eat, and I would stop at the convenience store and have one a few times a week.  I haven’t had any real “cravings” since we started, but I knew I would have withdrawals.

Everything was really going well with the whole process.  I haven’t strayed from the plan food wise, and I have definitely been seeking God more.  I haven’t struggled with hunger or thirst; haven’t questioned why I am doing this.  I have had a few people stop by my office or message me and ask how I was doing, and honestly, I could say I was doing well and actually enjoying what I am learning.

Until yesterday afternoon, that is.  While I can still say I am not struggling with food or hunger, I was definitely sick yesterday.  I started noticing a headache around noon.  I figured it was from caffeine withdrawal, and I wanted to just deal with it and not take any medication.  By 3pm, I was really hurting.  I left work at 4:30, picked my son up from day care, and came home to plant myself on the couch.  I dozed on and off until my husband got home about 5:20.  I told him my head was killing me and I felt nauseous – my typical migraine symptoms.  He told me his head was hurting earlier and he and taken some ibuprofen.  I asked if it helped and he said yes, so I asked him to bring me some.  I slept off and on until about 7.  My husband had made me a salad, and some celery with peanut butter, but every time I woke up and smelled it, I wanted to throw up.  I stayed awake until almost 9, when I thought I was dying, and my husband brought me acetaminophen.  Then, I was out for the night.  I woke up at 1:30 and felt amazingly better!  And for me, that’s about how a migraine goes!  This one was shorter than usual – and I attribute that to the praying I did while I was conscious.  And the prayers of everyone walking this journey with me.

So, here it is day 3.  I feel pretty good considering what I went through yesterday.  I am going to start today of right and keep moving forward.  I can’t wait to see what God reveals to me today!