Baby Showers, Blood Pressure and More (31 + 2 days)

Baby Shower
So in March I went home to Arkansas for a family/church shower at First United Methodist Church. Martin wasn't able to come because he is saving all his time for when Jude gets here but I still had a great time! We got so many great things. Homemade blankets from several family and friends, clothes galore, a homemade cradle from my Mom and Brad and the bedding set for the crib from Nick & Kay (Martin's Parents).

While I was away my mom got with Martin secretly and also bought us a crib, so Martin put it together over the weekend. It was a very quick trip, I flew out Saturday and back to Florida on Monday. But, it was well worth it! I can't even tell you how excited I was to see everyone and we are SO thankful for all the great gifts baby Jude received.

Blood Pressure
Maybe it was all the excitement of travel or maybe it was just being pregnant but we had a little blood pressure scare last week when it decided to go up quickly and cause me to feel like total crap. I went home from work and my boss recommended I stop by Publix and check my BP just to be safe. It was 151/96 ... scared the crap out of me! So I called my doc and she told me to come on into the triage department of the hospital to just check things out. So, I called Martin and he met me there. I was a little afraid that we were going to meet Jude a little too soon, but not that worried. I was more afraid of being put on bedrest for the next 8 weeks. But, I guess I just needed some rest because we stayed for about 45 minutes and it went back down to 116/73 so I was fine. Who knows what brought that on?

More Stuff
It's really crazy that I have just 8 weeks to go before Baby Jude gets here. There is still so much to sort out. We have two more showers planned for the first weekend in May. I think after that we can finally get the nursery ready to go! We have gotten a lot of great stuff already, but we still need a lot more! We have almost gotten the backyard finished, which will be so great to have done before Jude gets here so that I can let Sawyer the pup out during the day instead of having to walk him, he can play in his huge, fenced in, backyard. Sawyer already loves to lay in the grass out there, so I know he will love being off his leash and able to run and play! Martin and I are really getting excited to meet Baby Jude and we can't wait for him to get here. We did get some good news regarding our hospital stay. Because I'm in the ordination process and Florida Hospital is a religious organization, I get 50% off my deductible! This was a huge gift, and I am so relieved! It is saving us $500 and it means more money to use to get ready for Jude!

Well, that's about it for now. I'll try to update more, it's just by the time I get home from work I am so tired that I never feel much like writing. :)

Happy Easter everyone!

The Weekend is my Enemy

I've been on the wagon now for two weeks. That's right, I'm in a 12-step program ... for food. I'm back on Weight Watchers again after a short break from the "dieting" scene. Back in June, I decided that I wasn't going to worry too much about my weight. I figured, hey, I'm going to be pregnant soon, so no need to be watching my weight. I thought that I could just blame any weight gain on my baby bump, and not my eating habits.

Guess what happens when you take on this mindset and don't get pregnant? You gain 15 pounds. That's right, 15. I already weighed more than I would like, but I didn't figure I would gain that much, especially since I was going to be all fat and pregnant. Well, thanks to my overactive cycle and under-active metabolism I am neither pregnant nor skinny. I am now 45 pounds overweight.

So, once I realized that this baby thing wasn't going to go the way I wanted, I decided I better at least get these extra 15 pounds off before 200 starts staring at me from the scale. So, I've changed my habits yet again. I am dedicated to exercising at least 20 minutes a day for five days a week, eating within my weight watchers points, and taking care of myself by writing, reading, and relaxing in my down-time. All of this can tend to be a bit difficult with a busy work schedule, but I'm at the point where I'm over it. And that's usually the point where I become the most successful.

It's interesting that other things in my life seem to go so well for me. Career wise I'm right where I want to be (tomorrow marks one year at my AMAZING job, and it came with a new title and promotion, Deputy Director), I enjoy freelance writing for the Florida UMC conference, and ordination is moving at a steady pace. Marriage wise I couldn't be more blessed. My husband is caring, supportive, and loving, I'm lucky to have him. But, with all the good things, I just can't seem to get "healthy" with myself. I find that the weekends are my worst enemy. All week I count points and do really well, but when Friday night gets here, I loose the obsession and eat whatever I like. This attitude continues on Saturday and by Sunday I am disgusted with myself. Lucky for me I didn't give up last week when I fell in the weekend trap (I lost 3 lbs) and I was able to get back on track this week (weigh day is tomorrow). But, I would do so much better on my weight loss and exercise if I wouldn't let Friday and Saturday get in my way.

So, my goal this week is to be READY for Friday. I will write down everything I put into my body over the weekend, I know I can do this because I do it all week. I will continue my morning prayer and Bible time, I will continue exercising and I hope to do a practice 10k this weekend.

I'm back on the wagon ... let's hope I don't fall of. If I do, just go ahead and let it run over me please.

Inspired!

So, I haven't been in my "groove" for a while. You might have noticed since there have been fewer and fewer posts on our family blog (which, because Martin never gets on here, is really my blog) and the fact that poor Zoe and Sofya has gone to the wayside (though, feel free to blame Whitney on that one too, she hasn't blogged for months, that's right CALLING YOU OUT! :) However, be looking for a post on Zoe sometime today too! The song says, "Groove is in the Heart," and I really believe that's true. If your heart isn't in it, then it's not going to be as good without it!

So, a few updates on life and then some inspiring thoughts for a Sunday morning.

Updates:
Martin and I have officially changed churches. We had been thinking about this move for a while, it really isn't a reflection of our last church, just for me working through ordination, and Martin looking for a place that he really fit, we thought it would be better if we found a church that we could get behind and support, and one that was reaching outward instead of inward. So, we have started going to church at Community of Faith UMC. It's a drive for us, but we don't really mind that. They have a Saturday night service that we enjoy going to and then we take the rest of the night for "date night." We go to dinner or watch a movie after worship and it is the best feeling. The other great thing is that we get our Sundays to really be a a "Sabbath" time. This is really important to me because when I was working in the church Sunday was crazy busy and I never got a chance to really sit down and enjoy the world God has given us. COF is really servant driven, and they have been very supportive of HOME, so that's always a plus to have my workplace and my place of worship working together to serve all God's children. One thing I really like about them is that they are very "Wesleyan," they state that faith is a journey, not a destination, and I really believe that. We don't just stop once we proclaim our faith, we continue to grow, or as Wesley would have said, "continue on to perfection."

Inspiration:
Last night the sermon was about problems coming with growth. The sermon was more about growth in the church and the need for people to step in and help fill the needs of the congregation, but I saw it a little different. There has been a lot of growth happening in my life, and I have been just chugging along, not really focusing on anything. It's been forever since I have had regular devotional time (quiet time) and even longer since I sat down and wrote for myself (like this).

So, my new goal is to be more productive. If I can get back to starting my day focusing on myself, and who God wants me to be, and end my day in devotion and prayer time, then the "me" in the middle will be a more productive, peaceful being. I plan to write more, reflect more, and spend some time being still and knowing that God is real and powerful in my life. This is always an underlying thought for me, but I want to put it back front and center. I'd like to say that weight loss and taking care of my body will come with this, and I really hope it does, but I've made too many failed proclamations to say it again.

So, I woke up inspired this morning. Inspired to do all the work that's sitting on my To-Do list (personal, professional, and for friends). Inspired to remember that God is the time-keeper, and do things in his time and not mine. Inspired to go for more walks, and run a few more 5ks. Inspired to be more positive at work. Inspired to be a better wife to my husband (I cooked breakfast for him today, see already on a roll!) I want to inspire others, and get back to the place where Jesus shines on my face like the morning sun. So, pray for me, send positive energy my way, and get inspired too! If we are all inspired to be better people, then we will see a better world!

A World of HOPE!

The last six months of my life have not been the easiest. To be honest, there were some days that I was so fed up, so tired, so out of hope that I didn't even want to get out of bed in the mornings. I was overwhelmed in a job that put a lot of pressure on me to preform at a level that was beyond ANYONE'S ability. I was questioning God and my faith because ordination was going well, but as more and more things came to light, I knew I could not work in the local church. I was working through a long-overdue conversation with myself regarding forgiveness and truth when my Father passed away in March. And, I was house-hunting.

Late summer brought deliverance to my family and I want to offer praise to God for that deliverance. I gave my notice at First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee on July 31, 2008 with a heavy heart, but I was moving towards my call and my true passion. After a great trip home to Arkansas to visit my family, I began working at HOME on Aug. 8 as the Development Associate. I can honestly say that I adore my new job! We are a small non-profit working to break the cycle of homelessness in Osceola County. I am all public relations, all the time. I get to do all the things I love (designing newsletters, graphics, websites) and keep speaking in front of people about a topic that I am super passionate about, homelessness. What's amazing is that this job fits perfectly into my ordination track (as a Deacon, we are dedicated to serving God through working in the world). I have a great boss and I really admire the whole staff because they are all very talented and amazing women! It's honestly my dream job and I hope to be there for a really long time.

This fall has also brought deliverance. Deliverance from the world of hopelessness when searching for a home for Martin and I. Wouldn't it just glorify God that we would close on a house in less than two weeks, a house that someone in our Bible study told us about, on the day (September 30, 2008) after the market crashed 777 (yeah, anyone else notice the perfect number there)?

The new house is amazing, it is brand new, it's out in the "sticks" as someone put it at church and it's the perfect size to raise a (future) family. I can't wait to get moved in and settled!

It's been a hard six months, in fact, it's been a tough two years. I know that times will not always be easy. In fact, one of my friends suggested I delete my earlier, depressing blogs from Myspace. But, I don't want to do that. I want the reminder there. The knowledge that I have been tested and that at the end of the trial, God Provided.

I know that many people have problems with faith, and sometimes it's hard to understand why people are so faithful to a God that they can not see or understand. But, for me, faith comes easy. Because, I have been tested, and I've come out stronger. I know that my God provides in ways that I would have never imagined. It is not because of who I am that God has provided but because of who he makes me to be.

Isaiah 40:26-31

26Lift up your eyes on high and see the stars:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.

27Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God’?

28Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.

29He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;

31but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.