Saturday, March 17, 2012

Finding My Blessings

The weather here in Albuquerque has been amazing the last week or so. And since it's Friday, a friend decided to have a cookout.

She's in culinary school, so anything she makes is delicious. She and her husband are slight health-nuts, so what she makes is mostly good for you. Can't go wrong.

Cookout completed, her husband pulled out the fire pit. Can we say s'mores?

Another neighbor and her daughters were over as well. After the kids got over the initial "hooray" of the fire and settled, the adults got to talk.

And I had a thought. THIS is military life.

We've all been here different amounts of time. We all come from different states. We all have different pasts, different current situations, but here we are. Sitting together because Uncle Sam (and our Heavenly Father) has deemed it so.

And I LIKE it.

I can get so depressed sometimes. I miss my mom and my family. I miss the friends I used to have in high school or college. I miss the life I think I could have had. But then these little gems pop up in the sand I'm walking through.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The Voice

No, not Christina and Cee-Lo...

Eric. Oh man, I seriously just got tingles in my spine TYPING his name.

He's gone for work. And he can't call or text. It's driving me crazy!!!! We've never done this before. But he's military, so yeah, this comes up. I've never gone this long without hearing his voice, or getting at least a text!

I feel like a teenager. The boy you like in class...will he call?? Maybe he'll write me a note tomorrow and leave it in my locker! Oh the anticipation!!!!!

I suppose this takes care of any questions I may have had (which I didn't) about my love for him. I married the right guy for me, that I'm sure of. He's a wonderful dad, a great provider, and the thought of him still sends my heart a-flutter.

I'm so proud of him. Even when he's not here.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Weight Watching...

Struggle of most women, right? I want to lose weight.

I'm gonna lay it on the line here. At my heaviest pregnancy weight, I was about 186. That was with Ian. After he was born I got into the 160s. And I never worked it out. Which was bad.

On January 1, 2012, I weighed in at 176. Not pregnant. I'm 5'3" so a normal weight for me would be 125-135. Ouch.

If you've ever seen me, my body type does not allow me to be in the 120's. I have boobs and butt, with some to spare. My goal is 145 lbs. And I'm going to do it.

I started with Atkins, and lost a few. But I love carbs. A lot. So I switched to a calorie counting app (MyFitnessPal.com) and threw myself into my Jazzercise training (which I was going to do anyway).

I got down to 164.8 (loss of almost 12 lbs! yay!). And then the Girl Scout Cookies came in. They're my crack. I eat a box a day. *smh*

Today I sit at about 167. Not too shabby for 2 months into the year, but I still have 20 lbs to lose. I'd like to do it by summer. Maybe full on teaching Jazzercise will help (and the consumption of the final box of cookies).

Keep me honest. 145 lbs. I'm going to make it.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Demon Dream

I had the SCARIEST dream of my life a few nights ago...

I was in a classroom, a Bible study more specifically. The room was odd shaped, the desks in two long rows facing the whiteboard. I knew no one (thankfully, because I'm sure I couldn't speak to anyone after what happened).

I don't know what the facilitator was discussing, but one of my classmates suddenly stood up. His eyes turned black -- the whites, the iris, everything pitch black. His arms were outstretched and his head flung back, as if he were looking up at the ceiling. I don't remember sounds of any sort, but I do remember this pull. Think of lead shavings and a magnet. This student was the magnet, and the rest of us were shavings. We were pulled, hard, against our will, maliciously. It felt so wrong. I didn't understand it.

It stopped suddenly, and all were sitting down, listening to our facilitator calmly. The man to my left and the man in front of me stood up. They turned to me, eyes black just like the other student. They began to speak -- I don't know what they said, but I can only describe it as demonic. They reached for me. Out of instinct, I raised my arms in front of me, making a cross. I screamed "I love Jesus!" over and over. And I felt it. A bubble. Protection. Something surrounded me. Thank goodness, too...my possessed classmates were clawing at me, attacking me.

Again, all was quiet and normal. The facilitator kept right on talking. The only words I caught were Nehemiah 9:8.

"You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous."

And I woke up.

Freaked me out. How does one even start to interpret that!!

First, total affirmation to myself that I believe in Jesus and what He did for us. I'm totally sure of that now. Second, I believe in demons. They work in our lives in more ways than we'll know until we move on to our final destination. Third, I need to trust the Lord. I've studied Joshua. I've learned what happens when you do and when you don't. But I'm big on having control. And I need to relinquish that need. Last, I'm on the right path. I don't know if the dream was sent from above or below. If from above, He showed me I DO believe. If from below, Satan showed me he WANTS me. But I proved he CAN'T HAVE ME.

I'm doing more thanking, more praying, more observing, more reflecting...I'm just doing more with my faith, personally. I'm looking forward to what the Lord will do with me.

Catch-Up

There's so much going on!

Jazzercise -- I'm training (again) to be a Jazzercise instructor (again!)! I used to instruct when we lived in Iowa. I've regretted giving it up (both physically and socially) but now I'm back. The training isn't HARD per se, but in my current physical state it's more taxing than it needs to be. My mentor is amazing. Workshop is just a few weeks away.

Scentsy -- My business is BOOMING! My team grew a ton (ok, just 8) in February. I have a few theories as to why that is, which I'll touch on later. Scentsy in general is growing. New products and all that jazz...it's very exciting. I'm so glad I joined.

Logan -- 4 years old and full of vim and vigor (that's the nice way of saying he has an attitude, right?). He's going to the CDC's part-day enrichment class twice a week. He's making friends. And growing up right before my eyes. He'll be in school in less than 18 months. Seems impossible.

Ian -- No real success on the potty training front. Every other day or so he'll actually pee in the potty. One day he pooped -- twice. But I certainly wouldn't let him go without a pull-up on. His speech is getting incredible -- full sentences and using words like "is" and knowing yours, mine, etc. Kinda feels like he just woke up and he could talk one day. The only concern we have is that little thing that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth...probably gonna have to have his clipped. He's got some extra skin, according to the dentist.

Eric -- Thankfully Eric's schedule has calmed down quite a bit. Work is ever-changing, as always, but he's home a lot more now. The kids and I appreciate it.

Faith -- This is the big one for me. I'm saved! I'm a baby born-again. HA! I never thought that was possible. But giving my life to God has given me some peace about a TON of stuff. I still worry about a lot, but not as hard as I used to. God will provide. God will take care of me. God will give, if only I ask. How cool is that? He is an awesome God, and I'm so thankful I am his beloved child.

So....faith and Scentsy. Combined. FOR REAL!!!! My church offered a 90-day tithing challenge. Tithe for 90 days. If God doesn't bless you, we'll give you your money back! Great deal huh? I took it. THAT'S when my Scentsy business took off. February 1 there were 3 on my team. I think the tithing challenge started the 5th. From the 6th through the 24th, 8 more people joined my team. THE LORD IS AMAZING!!!!

My faith is growing. And I love it!

May God bless you as He has me :-)