14 + 5 Days & Christmas

Not too much to report, but I wanted to do a quick update before I started this very, very busy week! I'm feeling a bit better. I think the neasuea is finally beginning to wear off and we are finally getting into the happy "honeymoon" trimester! I have gotten back a bit of energy, which is also good because I have quite a bit of homework to finish up this semester and work is, as always, busy as ever!

Martin and I did our 12 days shopping last night and debated if we should keep the tradition going once there is a child in the picture. We've been doing 12 days gifts for seven years, and to me it seems a shame to not continue it on with our kid. When people find out we give each other 12 presents (plus a large gift on Christmas day) I think they think we are a bit extravagant when it comes to Christmas, but there are a few things about 12 days that I think makes it special:

1. It's the best time to buy Martin socks, underwear, and tees and wrap them up as presents! As a wife I don't pick these items up for my husband and he always forgets. So, at least during 12 days I can get him some practical items that aren't necessarily fun, but needed. I usually buy him these items every year (at least since we've been married).

2. We aren't allowed to spend over $20 on any present. Martin is great about sticking to this rule, me, not so much. I did pretty good this year and only went over my limit once, but it's fun to limit ourselves so we have to think outside the box when purchasing gifts.

3. It's something to look forward to every night. As a kid I used to talk my mom into letting us open one present on Christmas Eve, EVE! I love to open presents, even if it is a pair of socks, so by doing it daily up to Christmas makes it super fun. We usually open presents right at midnight which means I have to stay up late ... and sometimes that's a challenge but it's worth the fun. Now, when we start doing this with a kid we might have to change the rule on that ... but for now when midnight gets here we will be opening presents.

So, for me, it's become a very special tradition and I really think that we can incorporate a kid into the picture without them getting too spoiled. I think Martin and I will have to set some limits (not too many toys or candy) and focus on more of the practical side of things for the kid, but I think we should keep it going!

What about you? Do you have any special traditions you share with your children? Do you think we will be spoiling our kid by buying them 12 gifts? Are we spoiling ourselves? Thoughts anyone?

13 Weeks, 5 Days -- Optimus Prime Baby

So, I know I've not been the best on updating. I'm trying to at least update from each doctor's appointment to keep everyone updated, but to be honest I didn't want to update the last few weeks because I've just felt *ugh!*

The morning sickness has been overwhelming at times, but I have found the amazing medication Zofran. I know, I know, medication is bad and all that, but I figure that my doctor approves it and it helps me function, so I'm going for it. It makes me feel SO much better. Without it I had a hard time even going into work, going to church, or doing anything except hunching over the nearest john. At least now, it eases the queasiness to the point where I can function as a human being. Thankfully I have been feeling much better and have gotten down to just taking the medication every other day, so that's a relief. My doc (and everyone else) says that I should be getting to more good days than bad in the next few days, so I'm looking forward to that.

Other than the morning (all-day) sickness, I've felt pretty good. A few icky moments, but overall I've been okay. Last Wednesday marked the end of my first trimester and now we are four months into growing this little one. With that came another doctor's appointment and a new ultrasound.

Today's appointment was amazing. I wish that everyone could have been there to see how much Baby Downey likes to move and suck her thumb! When we first put the wand on my tummy Baby was chewing on her little hand and looking up, when we moved the wand around to get a better view she moved her hand so quickly that Martin said it looked like a karate chop! This made me start laughing and that just made her even more excited so she started squirming and moving around with my laughter! It was really great. For the past U/S the baby has really just been a little blob, just a little black dot, now she has features ... little eyes, a nose, hands, a big pot belly (well, she just fits in!). We could not tell the sex of the baby yet and it looks like it will be late January before we find that out! I really enjoyed my appointment today even though they took four vials of blood (yuck!). There are two photos for you this time. One without photoshopped arrows to tell you what's what and one with ... Martin thinks the baby looks like Optimus Prime from Transformers right now! : )

As for names I decided against the poll. We have made a decision and I don't think anyone can change our mind. Our names are: Lucy Delilah and Jude Wesley. Don't tell me if you hate them, don't even make a face. I'd appreciate if you would just lie to me ... Thanks! :)

Nursery theme is getting started. I know some of you have asked about my aversion to Noah's Ark. Well, it simply comes down to Theology for me. When I read about Noah, I don't excactly feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Noah was the ONLY good man on the whole Earth and God was tired of mankind ... so he decided to start over. Why would I want my child to sleep with the animals going onto the boat when the story represents God saying ... "Nope, this didn't work, let's start over." Now, I could go with the animals getting OFF the boat and the rainbow and the promise of a new covenant ... but that just seems too complicated for me. I know, I'm completely neurotic, but really I want my kid to be surrounded by all the goodness of God. So, we've decided on a theme around Van Gogh's Starry Night. The painting because it represents the creativity of God through the stars (and the talent he gave Van Gogh, no doubt!) and the creation of the universe. We are planning to put stars on the ceiling and decorate around the night sky. I'm super excited about this theme and look forward to getting it done. Martin has gotten started on the room by surprising me a few weeks back when I went home for a friend's wedding by painting a wall dark blue, and I love it!

Other than that we had a great time going home for Thanksgiving but it always feels like we don't have enough time. We look forward to getting the house ready for Christmas and having some more time to spend with family over the Christmas holiday. Personally, I'm looking forward to feeling little Lucy or Jude move around in my tummy ... I'll promise to try to be a good writer when that happens and explain it for you all!

Till next time!

10 + 3 Days ...

So, it's been five weeks since the last update. Sorry for that! Work and life have been pretty crazy! But, we had another ultrasound and everything is going great! The baby is growing leaps and bounds! Things were going pretty well for me with morning sickness until I flew home to Arkansas, then the worst happened. I got sick on the plane ... and basically haven't felt better since. I know it's a good sign that the baby is growing, but it's been a difficult 3-4 weeks. So, there's the health update. But, I have lots of other updates for you from last time:

1. Baby Names (maybe we'll have a poll?)
Okay, so a poll sounds good. So we are working on baby names that we like and will get those up here for you soon. I just haven't decided if I want to wait until we know the sex to have the poll or do it while it's still unknown. Weigh in if you like in the comments.

2. Baby Nursery Theology (Why Noah's Ark is a BAD idea)
This post is still coming ... so don't worry. I want to finish up the theme that we ARE doing before going into why I ruled out so many others.

3. Ultrasound photos! (Coming 10/12!!)
A little late, but there it is up there at 8 weeks. We have another scheduled in a few weeks, right after our second trip to Arkansas.

4. Mary's results from Race from the Taste 10k
Finally, photos from this event as well. Ironically, I did not have to walk this race alone. Whit's husband Graham was injured and he walked with me and we are proud to say that we MADE it! In fact I think we at least beat 50 people! :) Six miles was never easy for me, but I was really afraid to get my heart rate over 140, but I'm pretty sure I did. I did manage to run the first mile but then slowed down so slow that Graham caught up with me and we walked the last 5 together. I felt bad for Graham, who has done half-marathons in less time than we did six miles, but it was still a fun experience.

So, that's it for now, I know it's a quick post. But we have a lot going on.

5 Weeks, 4 days or 6 Weeks

So, being pregnant is interesting to say the least. Here are the things that I have done since having an enormous amount of hormones running through my body:

1. Almost puked after taking communion at church
2. Almost passed out from the heat at church
3. Had to pee so bad that I stopped at a disgusting gas station, and still went there!
4. Spent an obscene amount of money on Maternity Clothes.
5. I go from feeling like I'm going to die from back-pain to super happy and excited
6. Being hungry all the time
7. Almost fallen asleep at work (sorry Cara!)
8. Forgotten stuff

So that's that. I wondered what kind of theological meaning there is in puking up The Lord's Supper. I'm sure I'm not the first one who has felt that way, but I swear after taking that bread I thought ... "Oh God, this is going to be it, this is what's going to make me puke?" Luckily, I didn't throw up the Holy Sacrament, but it was a close call. In fact, I have yet to throw up anything. And, I'm thankful. Usually this is how I feel: I have to pee, I go. Then I get really hot and start fanning myself. The heat takes over and I feel nauseous, then I think I'm going to puke. So, I keep fanning myself, and squirming in my seat until the feeling passes. I guess that can be including in "morning sickness" but there has no puking yet, and usually it happens in the afternoon, early evening.

Also, my back still has days when it hurts. I think some of this may be from gas. Apparently the baby slows down my digestive system quite a bit, and makes it harder for my insides to do what they are supposed to do. I've tried fixing this by eating better and sipping warm liquids. I have a cup of warm tea every night before bed and I have been eating Lipton Cup of Soup quite a bit too. These help a lot, but sometimes the backache is still there. That's why I think it's not all from the slow digestive tract. Some is just down-right pain. I've been doing yoga to eliminate the pain and to stretch out my body, it seems to be working.

I'm already gaining some weight. I think a lot of it is water (hence the urge to pee!), and the rest from just being hungry A LOT! Because of these two things, I couldn't find anything to wear in my current wardrobe, so I went to Motherhood Maternity. They CLAIM that the clothes will grow with me, so those who see me regularly be prepared for seeing me in the SAME thing for the next eight months!

I am also pretty tired all the time. I'm trying to take breaks and walk around the office so I don't get too tired sitting at my desk. Luckily, last week I was EVERYWHERE and hardly had time to sit still, but by Friday I was so ready to wind down and was so tired I didn't know if I would be able to drive home! I think the tiredness makes me forget stuff too, my friends warned me about "pregnancy brain" and I can't believe it's already taken hold! I also notice that I don't catch things as much (i.e. spelling/grammar mistakes in my blog posts, and papers!) I hope you guys don't mind that for now my brain is working much slower, and I hope you will overlook any mistakes!

So, overall things have been going ok. I'm liking being pregnant, I just need to get used to all these different feelings. The shortness of breath comes and goes but I'm finding it easier to adjust. According to all the sources, the baby is only the size of an apple seed right now. It's hard to imagine something so small can take so much of my energy all the time. I'm not complaining by any means, it's just weird to see (and feel) all these changes in my body!

Things to look forward to in the next few blogs:
1. Baby Names (maybe we'll have a poll?)
2. Baby Nursery Theology (Why Noah's Ark is a BAD idea)
3. Ultrasound photos! (Coming 10/12!!)
4. Mary's results from Race from the Taste 10k (Did she get picked up by the short bus?)

Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow!

*I want to just put something out there before I go into this blog. Martin and I tried for seven months to get pregnant. During that time I was pretty emotional and weepy when each time I would take a pregnancy test and it would come back negative. Each time I knew I wasn't pregnant AGAIN, I was upset and found it really hard to read/hear stories of other people's baby-making success. I was REALLY happy for them, it was just hard on me because I felt like I was being left out of the baby loop! So, I'm being honest with my readers. If you have been trying and things aren't working out, it's okay with me if you are a little annoyed with me right now. I do want to celebrate, but I don't want to upset anyone. So, I'm acknowledging the feelings that I had, in hopes that, if you are reading this and you feel the deep pit in your stomach sink in a bit more, I want you to know I understand. Also, I'm taking this blog to a new level and it may be too much information for some. I'm not modest (never have been) but I'm just warning folks who may be because I plan to go into the details of being pregnant in the next nine months! So be prepared! : )

I'm Pregnant! (Five Weeks, or 4 Weeks +3 Days)

Wooo Hooo! It's been seven long months of trying, and one dose of Femara (a breast Cancer drug that is also good for PCOS and jump-starting ovulation) and the test read yes! So, now we start the journey of pregnancy. And, I want to at least blog about it once a month so I can journal this important and exciting time. I had a couple of friends who blogged through their pregnancies and they were great, so I hope that my posts can live up to theirs.

The Background Story

So, what's first? I guess the story. I had been charting and watching very closely my cycle for the last few months, and things were not adding up the way the should. So, I called my doctor and got an appointment on Aug. 12. He talked to me for a bit, and at first wanted me to keep trying for a year, but once I showed him my charts and had proof that things were not happening the way they should, he reconsidered. I am forever thankful to Cara for teaching me how to chart, it saved me six months of waiting! So, anyway, we discussed it and he decided that I needed a "jump-start." So, at the beginning of my next cycle I started the Femara. I have to tell you it was tough! I only had to take the pill for five days, but it did make me very emotional and moody. However, after the five days were over I was fine. So, the month progressed and we hoped and prayed that this would be it.

Taking the Test

I first starting testing on day 8 after ovulation, they tell you to wait until 10, but since my cycles had been short, I thought I might get lucky. I didn't. It was negative. Day 10 came and I tested again, and it was negative as well. So, I did what any other normal woman would do. I gave up! However, I didn't feel that great all day of Day 10, and people around me were noticing that I was very short of breath! I also spotted a bit, so I was convinced that I was just going to start soon, and that this round of Femara had not worked. So, Day 11 I woke up and decided, Why not?, I'll take the test again today (since I had stopped spotting) and if it's negative then I'll know I was about to start. Besides, I sort of think it's fun to pee on a stick. I know, I'm crazy, but I think it goes back to when I was in Chemistry and we could dip those little sticks in different liquids to see what color they were and how acidic they were ... I loved to watch them change colors, same principal, I guess it's just weirder because we never stuck those in pee. ANYWAY, so I took the test and then went about my morning. I'm not one for counting down the minutes on the clock. So, I took Sawyer out for his morning walk, I made a little breakfast, I lazed around for a few minutes, and I'm pretty sure at one point I said OUT LOUD, to myself, "There is no way that test is going to be positive." That was right before I walked into the bathroom and saw the word "pregnant" on the screen.

Telling Martin

I did a horrible job of telling Martin. I always had dreams of thinking of something creative and cute. Maybe I'd write some long love-letter about how we had made this precious thing together, or get him a T-shirt that said "World's Greatest Dad." What did I do instead? Run into the other bathroom where he was showering and yell, "I was wrong, I'm pregnant." Which I got in response, "HUH?" Then I proceed to repeat myself, pull yesterday's "Not Pregnant" stick out of the trash and show him the difference between the two (as if just seeing the "pregnant" was not enough, I know CRAZY), while the poor man is still trying to shower. Yeah, I could have done that better. The worst part too, was that he had no time to really digest it because he was getting ready for work and was working on a HUGE project, so in hindsight, I wish I had told him differently, but hey, at least he knows! And, now he is super excited and happy, so it worked out okay in the end. As for everyone else, I, of course, called my Mom and my sisters (Oddly enough, my little sister Becky found out she was pregnant the day before I did, so we have the same approximate due date). I called closest friends and told them the news and then decided later that night to just put it on Facebook so that we could share with everyone. I know it's still early, but I've never been one to live in fear so I'm not too worried about anything happening.

What's next?

So, I've been to the doctor twice. Once for blood work and once for a question and answer session. I really like my doctor and he's very open with me, which I appreciate. We have an ultrasound date for 10/12, which was the earliest possible date we could do one and see the baby. The doctor wants to watch me closely and make sure everything is going smoothly, but he seems to be very confidant that things will be fine. I can already tell a HUGH difference in my body. It's so weird! So far I've had shortness of breath, tender breasts, I need to pee quite a bit, sore back, and I'm hungry about every 4-5 hours. I haven't gotten sick yet, so I'm happy for that. One big thing I've noticed is how my body is already changing quite a bit. One big problem is that I can't "suck" in my gut anymore. It hurts to do so. So, I look like I'm six months pregnant when I'm really just one! I used to make fun of little skinny girls going out and buying maternity clothes so early, but now I understand. Nothing really does fit! I already can't wear my black work slacks because they button above the tummy, and it ain't happening! UGH! It's okay, I don't mind the weight gain (Doc says at least 30 lbs) but I just don't want to have to buy a lot of new clothes! The only other thing that I am worried about it doing a six mile run in a few weeks, well, make that walk. My doctor made me buy a heart monitor and HIGHLY suggested the I walk briskly and not run the race. I hope the short bus doesn't pick me up, this is the last year for 'The Race for the Taste' at Disney World and I REALLY want that medal!

So, that's about it. The best part is the day that we found out we realized was the same day that Martin started his job here in Florida and when we got the house ... so there is something special about September. I guess that why God blessed me with seeing a rainbow on the way home on the day we found out (photo above). It was like a special message just to me that said, "See, I was paying attention, all those rainbows before were a promise, and here is another promise to you!" I have been truly blessed, it was not an easy road to get here, but here's to an easy journey here on out full of fun and happiness for Martin, me, and the future baby Downey!

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.

Looking for Rainbows ... Part II

Today is my birthday. As of 7:45 p.m. (or so) I turned the ripe old age of 27.

When I was 21 I made a list of things I wanted to achieve by the time I was 30. I don't remember all of it (it's in a book that Whitney currently has custody of), but I know there were things in there like lose weight, start a magazine, have a baby and go to Europe.

I'm 27 and have yet to do any of those things, and I still want to. But, there are other things that have gotten in the way, new goals that I have been working on and seeing some good results. I would have never thought at 21 that I was going to be ordained or so passionate about helping those in need in the community. There are things in my life I am VERY proud of, and for that I am know I am blessed. But, with those great things there are disappointments.

I debated if I was going to blog about what I have been going through lately, because it is deeply personal. But, if what I have to say will help someone else feel better then it's worth putting myself out there. One of my goals before I was 30 was/is to have a baby, and it's one that is proving to be a little more difficult than I would have hoped. Martin and I decided back in April that we were ready to start a family, but our timing doesn't seem to be working with my body's timing. It's to the point now where I have made a doctor's appointment to see if everything is "all right." I have some ideas about what is going on, and honestly I blame 10 years of birth control for the problem. But, even when you do have a scapegoat, you still can't help but be upset with yourself, and disappointed. I have several friends who are pregnant right now (and congrats to all of them), and it's really hard trying to figure out why they have seemed to get pregnant so easy, and for me it seems to be more of a challenge. It's frustrating, and I know I am not alone in this. I know there are thousands of women who are going through what I am going through, and really, it's only been four months. It may be that there simply hasn't been enough time, but it's still REALLY hard.

Martin has been amazing in all of this. He loves me, and he has been supportive in everything. Even when I spent a whole day crying this week, even when I seem like I am going crazy. I'm very lucky to have such a loving and understanding husband.

Today I turned 27, and when I walked outside from dinner I saw the widest, brightest rainbow shinning over my world. I have to remember the promise of a few months ago, that God reminded me. God is with me, there is a plan, and I'm part of it. I just have to keep looking for rainbows.

Celebrate my Birthday!!

Donate in my honor!

Looking for Rainbows

I woke up a bit early this morning, which hardly ever happens for me. Usually by Sunday I am so tired that I can't even move, yet alone get up by 6 a.m., but this morning when Sawyer (who has since fallen back asleep) woke me up for his usually bathroom/morning meal routine, I didn't feel like going back to bed, so I'm enjoying a little time to myself this morning to relax and reflect.


Updates

I've done really well this week on my being more positive plan. I've set aside time each night for devotional, and have actually stuck to it. Now, it's not more than 20-30 minutes worth of time, but it's amazing how just a few extra minutes each day spent in prayer and reflection seems to get me back centered and at peace. However, it was a pretty rough week for me and I think if I hadn't of planned to have that time, I would have been a lot more stressed. I am liking having a domain name for the blog, but for some reason if you go directly to the link the whole page doesn't load, I'm not sure why, and I'm hoping this will work itself out in the future.


Looking for Rainbows

This week brought a few hard memories for me when I found out that one of my niece's friends had been killed in a car accident. When I was about her age I had a dear friend pass on and the memory broke my heart, and just knowing what she was going through made it even harder to swallow. It's always funny how God speaks right when I need him to. I was driving to work after hearing the news, reflecting on death, life, resurrection, all the things that I believe to my core, and honestly I wasn't thinking, "God why?" but more along the lines of, "Is your promise really possible?," Boy, I've found when you ask a question like that you get an answer you will never believe. As I was thinking and praying about past circumstances and a few current circumstances (especially those involving work), I saw just a glimmer of a rainbow in the distance. Rainbows to me are a clear reminder of God's presence with his people. It was the sign of the covenant that he would always be with us in the OT, and it is a continued sign to me that God keeps all his promises. Honestly, that small sign was all I needed, I was already feeling connected and close, but God apparently thought I needed more reassurance. Immediately after I saw the small rainbow I noticed that I had an e-mail on my phone. A co-worker had taken a photograph at work and he thought I would like it:

As someone on my Facebook said, "What a promise!" What a promise indeed. With an full arched rainbow over the place where I spend most of my time, it was God reminding me of his ways, his plans, and ultimately his promises, for me and for mankind. "As colorful as a rainbow that appears after a storm. I realized I was seeing the brightness of the LORD's glory, " Ezekiel 1:28.

God's glory is constantly around us, and he has promised to never forget us or forsake us. The rainbow says to me, through the trails, through the pain, there can be peace, love, grace. The rainbow is, for me, God's ultimate sign of grace. I am so thankful for all the gifts that God has already poured out over my life, every sweet morning with my husband, every milestone that happens in my career, it is not me who deserves the credit, but God and his ultimate grace!

I look forward to more of God's promises in my future, and I know that by believing with faith like a child I will see the truth of God's promise TODAY.

Seven Tornadoes

So, the blog has gotten a little makeover, and it's going in a new direction. Martin has officially given me permission to use this blog as my own personal creative outlet. I'm sure there will still be plenty of family updates, but that will not be the sole purpose of the blog. I've also registered the domain for this blog, so soon you can visit www.seventornadoes.com, and will get right to my blog (and for you Google Readers out there, take a moment and stop by and see how pretty the page looks!)

But, why the name Seven Tornadoes? It goes back to my high school senior newspaper, and class predictions. I wish I had the actual copy (Whitney, you have it somewhere I'm sure) but the gist of it was that I wasn't going to amount to much of anything ... I think it was probably a joke, and I took it lightly, but as a good friend says, there is truth in every joke. However, I knew myself better than anyone else, and I feel like I have been successful, but life is crazy and there are times when I feel like tornadoes are ripping through! That's what this blog is for, to give you the blow-by-blow!

Seven Tornadoes:
Seven Tornadoes, the amount that my high school classmates predicted to sweep through the trailer park where I was supposedly going to end up with my seven children. What happened instead was I became a major overachiever, live in an actual house, and don't even have kids at the ripe old age of 26. It was all in fun and games, but there was always this underlying idea that I would just get married and settle down in Arkansas. However, I instead am a career woman, happily married to my soulmate and living in Florida. This blog is a collection of my journalist work, my personal musings, religious ramblings, and a little fun and games of my own in-between! My life is a whirlwind, I guess I couldn't keep all the tornadoes away!

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!