Whew. I can barely believe how quickly time has flown by this pregnancy. My due date is in 4 days!! I wasn't nearly as faithful with keeping up on pregnancy updates as I intended...but it turns out there aren't exactly that many things to update about on a weekly basis! {Or maybe I was just lazy...}
There are a few things I can tell you...
My weekly doctor's visits has been fine. Apparently my doctor doesn't measure dilation or effacement at the weekly visits. He said he doesn't think I will make it to next week's appointment (yay!!), but if I do, he will measure me then. It is so different than in the states when I was measured often. But it kind of keeps me from thinking about it too much. When I knew I was dilating a little more each week, I got anxious. This time, I am relaxed and just taking each day as it comes.
I guess I did OK gaining a little extra weight as the doctor ordered-- he never said anything else about it. I'm proud to say I only gained about 21 pounds with this pregnancy! I am *really* hoping this means it will be easy to drop the baby weight {and then some...} once Titus is born. My double jogger is all ready to go! ;-)
Wednesday morning I started feeling (what I believe were) contractions for almost 2 hours, about 5 minutes apart. But I tried laying back down and they slowed to 10 minutes and then went away completely. Boo! I can tell he is getting into position though. I have felt movement much lower than he has been this entire pregnancy.
My legs and feet finally started swelling. Again, this is SO MUCH later than when I was pregnant with Emilia and I'm so thankful! Jason and I just started noticing the swelling this week. My nurse said to keep my feet up as much as possible. I have found that pretty hard with such an active 3-yr-old, but I'm trying. Jason does a good job of playing with her when he gets off work too.
I'm not sure how this happened, but I completely forgot to register at the hospital! Thankfully, my doctor mentioned it at my appointment yesterday. So Emilia and I went up there and took care of it. I also asked to see the Labor & Delivery department...I wasn't so sure I really wanted to know ahead of time because we have heard the conditions aren't that great. But, my fears were laid to rest. Yes, everything is old and there are none of the comforts one would expect {like aircon...}. But from what I can tell, everything will be fine. I didn't get to see the nursery or recovery sections, but that's OK. (Nurse staff is low, so I couldn't find anyone to help me...) All in all, I know God is in complete control. This is HIS timing and HE will see us through. I still get scared thinking about doing this with no medication, but I know I can do it with HIS strength.
One funny thing I don't think I've mentioned yet-- I can actually SEE the end of my belly button!! Some of you know this is quite the feat. I have a crazy deep belly button when I'm not pregnant and with Emilia my stomach grew out differently so it stayed pretty deep still. This time around, I am ALL belly. I started noticing it several weeks ago and it keeps getting more shallow! It will never "pop" like some preggo mommas, but I'm impressed! Haha!
Emilia seems ready for her baby brother to get here too. It's hard to tell how she will really react. But she loves talking about him and I know she will be a great helper. I have already started mentioning to our friends that I really want them to still say "hi" to Emilia first when coming to visit, to hopefully help with jealousy. I also intend to let Emilia introduce Titus to new visitors. Before leaving the mainland, we let Emilia pick out a little blankie to give her brother. Last week, I purchased a gift "From Titus, to Emilia"- a pink ukelele! I have read about several parents doing something similar and I think she will love it. Jason and I both know we will have to make a conscious effort to give Emilia one-on-one time once he comes.
On a similar note, we have a fun afternoon planned for Emilia! I wanted to do "one last thing" as a family of three. So I found out about the "local discount" at a local water park. The rates during the week are pretty good so we are taking her today after Jason is done at school! This water park is part of a hotel called PIC. They also have great dinner deals during Happy Hour (5-7), where all the menu items are 1/2 off. So we have been there a couple times for dinner. We always have to walk past the water park to get to dinner and Emilia ALWAYS asks if she can go swimming there. So we knew this would be the perfect way to spend our afternoon. We haven't told her yet. I am SO excited to see her face when we tell her! (O:
I have been Pinning some newborn and sibling photo shoot ideas. I really *hope* I have the energy to capture these precious memories! I plan to do a monthly photo like I did with Emilia. I feel more confident in my photography skills this time around, so I also plan to do several more newborn photos of Titus and Emilia with Titus. I have a friend on island who is also a photographer and she is going to do a mini family session for us too. So don't you worry, there will be PLENTY of photos very soon!!
I think that pretty sums it up. Lots going on, but I always forget when it comes time to post! Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement throughout this pregnancy!!
Showing posts with label God's Blessings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Blessings. Show all posts
Friday, October 19, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
My Newest Nemesis
You know how in the states, if you see a few ants in your house, you're a little grossed out but you just clean or spray them and go on with life. Life in Saipan has taken the gross-factor out for me. They. Are. Everywhere.
But our ants aren't big, fat and noticeable...they are sneaky little guys, small and hard to detect. That is, until you find the line of them across a wall, in the trash can, in your sink, the list goes on.
No longer can we leave a few dishes in the sink over night. (This lesson we learned yesterday...the invasion was crazy.)
No longer can I skip wiping down the dining room table or sweeping after a meal.
They even infiltrate our dirty laundry basket. (Super gross, yes).
When we find a couple walking around in the bottom of the box of cereal, rice, whatever, we seriously evaluate the situation before throwing the food item away. One, because food is so stinking costly here. And Two, there are always a few ants in everything-- the number of ants determines whether we pitch it or continue to eat it.
Recently, I asked Jason's mom to ship some of the storage containers we had left with her. She went above and beyond- sending us all sorts of airtight containers, in all shapes and sizes. They have helped dramatically- storing our rice, cereal, sugar, flour, snacks, etc. Basically, everything we haven't already stuck in the fridge or freezer for safe keeping.
I'm not really complaining; we are used to it by now and just go on with life. But I think it puts into perspective that not everything about island living is "sunshine and oceans". We are blessed with many great things about Saipan, and we give thanks to God for each and every one of those blessings. I just wanted to share a quick story about something that's less-than-ideal. Like I said, we aren't complaining, just sharing a bit of our experience.
But our ants aren't big, fat and noticeable...they are sneaky little guys, small and hard to detect. That is, until you find the line of them across a wall, in the trash can, in your sink, the list goes on.
No longer can we leave a few dishes in the sink over night. (This lesson we learned yesterday...the invasion was crazy.)
No longer can I skip wiping down the dining room table or sweeping after a meal.
They even infiltrate our dirty laundry basket. (Super gross, yes).
When we find a couple walking around in the bottom of the box of cereal, rice, whatever, we seriously evaluate the situation before throwing the food item away. One, because food is so stinking costly here. And Two, there are always a few ants in everything-- the number of ants determines whether we pitch it or continue to eat it.
Recently, I asked Jason's mom to ship some of the storage containers we had left with her. She went above and beyond- sending us all sorts of airtight containers, in all shapes and sizes. They have helped dramatically- storing our rice, cereal, sugar, flour, snacks, etc. Basically, everything we haven't already stuck in the fridge or freezer for safe keeping.
I'm not really complaining; we are used to it by now and just go on with life. But I think it puts into perspective that not everything about island living is "sunshine and oceans". We are blessed with many great things about Saipan, and we give thanks to God for each and every one of those blessings. I just wanted to share a quick story about something that's less-than-ideal. Like I said, we aren't complaining, just sharing a bit of our experience.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Life on This Island :: Laundry
This is the first time in my life that I haven't had a washer and dryer in my home.
(Spoiled American, I know.)
Thankfully, our little apartment building has an itsy bitsy laundry facility, with 2 washers and 2 dryers at $0.50 a pop. The washers are older than dirt and have only the most basic settings. (I am already worried about how cloth diapering will work with this set up...)
We have decided to primarily hand dry our laundry here. It helps save cost and, for the most part, does well. Jason has two lines rigged in our spare bedroom (Remember, Emilia's bed is in our room to cut a/c costs. So the extra bedroom is basically one huge closet!)
*I think I remembered the leave the undies out of this shot...* ;-)
We also have a small line outside:
*The tricky part about the clothes on this line is if/when it rains each day, they get damp again. So they take much longer to dry out here. It's nice to have for overflow though.
This is our neighbor's set up. They are probably moving off campus into their own house fairly soon...at which time I sincerely hope to inherit their rain-free zone. ;-)
Why all this talk about laundry, you ask? Two thoughts hit me as I was doing today's loads:
1. What a blessing a small laundry facility and hang drying is. This means I can only do two small loads every day or two, depending on drying time. I will never be caught up on laundry and that is A-OK!
2. It doesn't matter if I go to retrieve me freshly cleaned clothes while it is raining outside. They are just going to hang dry upstairs anyway!
Now, how is THAT for optimism?! Maybe I am adopting more of the "island mentality" than I realized. ;-)
(Spoiled American, I know.)
Thankfully, our little apartment building has an itsy bitsy laundry facility, with 2 washers and 2 dryers at $0.50 a pop. The washers are older than dirt and have only the most basic settings. (I am already worried about how cloth diapering will work with this set up...)
We have decided to primarily hand dry our laundry here. It helps save cost and, for the most part, does well. Jason has two lines rigged in our spare bedroom (Remember, Emilia's bed is in our room to cut a/c costs. So the extra bedroom is basically one huge closet!)
We also have a small line outside:
This is our neighbor's set up. They are probably moving off campus into their own house fairly soon...at which time I sincerely hope to inherit their rain-free zone. ;-)
Why all this talk about laundry, you ask? Two thoughts hit me as I was doing today's loads:
1. What a blessing a small laundry facility and hang drying is. This means I can only do two small loads every day or two, depending on drying time. I will never be caught up on laundry and that is A-OK!
2. It doesn't matter if I go to retrieve me freshly cleaned clothes while it is raining outside. They are just going to hang dry upstairs anyway!
Now, how is THAT for optimism?! Maybe I am adopting more of the "island mentality" than I realized. ;-)
Monday, July 30, 2012
We are finally here!
We arrived on Saipan Tuesday evening (Tuesday morning for any IL folks)! We arrived around 10:00 p.m. Tuesday, dropped our luggage off at the apartment and were taken to a LATE dinner. By that point, Jason, Emilia and I were all pretty well brain-dead, but we were glad to not eat airplane food.
The first nights were pretty rough for Emilia. No matter how tired she was from the day, she would wake up around 3:30 ready for the day. A couple of those days, I was able to convince her to stay in her room quietly, and she made it until about 5:00 before coming back in to get me. I know it's mostly due to jet lag, but I think she is also still adjusting to the warmer climate.
Because electricity is so expensive, we do not use AC during the day. We only run it for about an hour before we go to bed, in the bedrooms, just to take the humidity out of the air a little. We are SOSO thankful that we were able to purchase two fans from the previous apartment occupants (Grant and Kara)...they are definitely a necessity for keeping relatively cool, at night and especially during the day. I have been told by a 2nd year teacher that they pretty much move their fan to whatever room of the apartment they are in.
Emilia and I try to spend as much time outside, in the shade, as we can. During the day, it is usually a little cooler outside than in our apartment- even with our front and back doors open. It has been challenging to keep her occupied and entertained when I have to rest so frequently, but we are working on it.
I know I am truly blessed to be able to stay home with her every day, but I agonize over what to do with her each day. I'm not sure if it's more difficult this time because she is older or because I have to try and make sure we stay cool whatever we are doing...but I already feel like I'm failing her somehow. I am hopefully going to look into a part-time preschool option that will give her some social interaction. That has been a little tricky so far too...none of the other teachers in the apartments have any kids so we spend most of our time just the two of us. So far it has been fun, but I know she needs (and WANTS) to be around other kids. She asks almost every day if she gets to play with any new friends today. That makes my heart hurt a little. But I know it's only a matter of time before she gets to make new friends and have someone other than me to play with. ;-)
We attended church services for the first time yesterday and they were really great. The English speaking service is at 10:30 a.m. and everyone was very friendly. There were several familiar faces, even more so for Jason since he has been here before. Emilia fell asleep in my lap and totally missed Children's Church. She was pretty bummed about that. We went to lunch with a group of the teachers and then took E to the park in the afternoon. The Filipino service is at 5:00 p.m. and it was also very welcoming. They invited us to dinner afterwards at a local, authentic Japanese restaurant. Our group was very large, so it took well over an hour to get our food. But it was really fun getting to know some of the congregation and there was a little 9-yr-old girl who played with Emilia the whole time (yay!!). We got home pretty late, but that helped Emilia sleep in until 7:30 so I'm good with that!!
The other thing we've done so far is move E's bed into our bedroom so we are only running 1 AC unit at night. We were given this suggestion by another family who used to live in the apartments. While it is not ideal to have Emilia sleeping in the same room as us, it will really help keep our electricity costs down, which is totally worth it.
I apologize for the randomness of this post...I still haven't quite figured things out but I wanted to give a little update. I am also sorry if any of this sounds like complaining; it isn't meant to. I am just logging some thoughts from the beginning of this journey. I know God is moving in our lives and hearts and it will be good to look back and see how far we've come.
The first nights were pretty rough for Emilia. No matter how tired she was from the day, she would wake up around 3:30 ready for the day. A couple of those days, I was able to convince her to stay in her room quietly, and she made it until about 5:00 before coming back in to get me. I know it's mostly due to jet lag, but I think she is also still adjusting to the warmer climate.
Because electricity is so expensive, we do not use AC during the day. We only run it for about an hour before we go to bed, in the bedrooms, just to take the humidity out of the air a little. We are SOSO thankful that we were able to purchase two fans from the previous apartment occupants (Grant and Kara)...they are definitely a necessity for keeping relatively cool, at night and especially during the day. I have been told by a 2nd year teacher that they pretty much move their fan to whatever room of the apartment they are in.
Emilia and I try to spend as much time outside, in the shade, as we can. During the day, it is usually a little cooler outside than in our apartment- even with our front and back doors open. It has been challenging to keep her occupied and entertained when I have to rest so frequently, but we are working on it.
I know I am truly blessed to be able to stay home with her every day, but I agonize over what to do with her each day. I'm not sure if it's more difficult this time because she is older or because I have to try and make sure we stay cool whatever we are doing...but I already feel like I'm failing her somehow. I am hopefully going to look into a part-time preschool option that will give her some social interaction. That has been a little tricky so far too...none of the other teachers in the apartments have any kids so we spend most of our time just the two of us. So far it has been fun, but I know she needs (and WANTS) to be around other kids. She asks almost every day if she gets to play with any new friends today. That makes my heart hurt a little. But I know it's only a matter of time before she gets to make new friends and have someone other than me to play with. ;-)
We attended church services for the first time yesterday and they were really great. The English speaking service is at 10:30 a.m. and everyone was very friendly. There were several familiar faces, even more so for Jason since he has been here before. Emilia fell asleep in my lap and totally missed Children's Church. She was pretty bummed about that. We went to lunch with a group of the teachers and then took E to the park in the afternoon. The Filipino service is at 5:00 p.m. and it was also very welcoming. They invited us to dinner afterwards at a local, authentic Japanese restaurant. Our group was very large, so it took well over an hour to get our food. But it was really fun getting to know some of the congregation and there was a little 9-yr-old girl who played with Emilia the whole time (yay!!). We got home pretty late, but that helped Emilia sleep in until 7:30 so I'm good with that!!
The other thing we've done so far is move E's bed into our bedroom so we are only running 1 AC unit at night. We were given this suggestion by another family who used to live in the apartments. While it is not ideal to have Emilia sleeping in the same room as us, it will really help keep our electricity costs down, which is totally worth it.
I apologize for the randomness of this post...I still haven't quite figured things out but I wanted to give a little update. I am also sorry if any of this sounds like complaining; it isn't meant to. I am just logging some thoughts from the beginning of this journey. I know God is moving in our lives and hearts and it will be good to look back and see how far we've come.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Update :: 18 Weeks
Seeing as I completely forgot to do last week's update, I guess we can add forgetfulness to the list...(O:
I don't really feel like there is much to report, but I will try.
*Weight: gained 3ish pounds, still doing OK.
*Exercise: I try to attend Zumba at least once a week and add in walking the park on other days as I can.
*Clothes: I am surprised and happy to report that most of my pre-maternity clothes still fit! There are 2 pairs of jeans/jean shorts that I have had to do the old "hair tie around the button" trick, but otherwise they are holding steady. I have started adding maternity tanks and tops to the rotation for a little variety.
*Food: No new cravings. I have noticed that I think all milk smells slightly spoiled (when it is not)...which is weird. I don't have a complete aversion to milk (yet), but I have been drinking less of it- especially plain white milk. I guess this is a good thing, since I'm "off milk" once on Saipan anyway...but still a bummer.
*Preparations: Thanks to my wonderful friend, Elise, I am now almost fully stocked on cloth diapers!!! She was able to attend the Cotton Babies $1 Diaper Sale this past weekend and was kind enough to take my "Wish List". She was even able to snag several in my favorite colors- kelly green and orange. Yay! Thanks friend!! (O: I still have a gift certificate from my coworkers to use at CB, and I am researching diaper inserts, etc. Feel free to throw any suggestions/opinions/advice my way! ;-)
I received TWO gift packages yesterday in the mail, speaking of cloth diapers. One was from an old high school friend- she sent me a package of the cloth diaper kit she purchased and never used. I am glad to help put it to good use! Also, my Aunt Emilia sent a whole cloth diaper making kit!! It is the cutest set I have ever seen. My mom had asked about a pattern for them because she wanted to try to make some and so I was excited to tell her I have Everything she needs to make 3! Thanks Tracey and Aunt Emilia for your love and encouragement!! (O:
*Other Prepartaions: I was finally able to confirm with United Airlines that each Jason and I can check either a stroller or car seat, free of charge. Jason can check the stroller and I can check Emilia's car seat, both for free! Whew! Now the debate about whether to purchase a double jogger here or wait to see if someone has one on Saipan continues...I can honestly say this is my only packing/planning Saipan worry at the moment. I honestly do not know which option is the right one. We are still considering the Baby Jogger Double City Mini...and it's hefty price tag. I have found a few online for cheaper than retail, but it is still a big investment. And a hard one. I believe my friends who tell me it is a worthy investment, but I cannot help but feel guilty for spending that much on a stroller. Each time I think about what to do, I get anxious and decide to leave that decision for another day. (haha, good ol' avoidance...)
*Emilia: We ask her often if she wants a brother or a sister. Sister has been winning over the past couple weeks...in fact, Emilia says she now has a "Sister Baby in her belly too". Our discussions to the contrary are not changing her mind. She also thinks she can see the "Sister Baby" by looking down my throat. ;-) We find out the gender in two weeks...I'm praying she will be excited either way!
*Belly: It is officially out there and *finally starting to round a little. Thankfully!! I think my belly is a little lopsided and definitely LOW. My SIL has also joined the races and is betting on a Boy. This pregnancy has been different from Emilia in so many ways, she might just be right! Only time will tell! (O:
*Pictures: I haven't decided yet how often I will take updated "Baby Bump" photos...but the first one may come in the next few weeks. I can't remember how early friends started posting pics of their bellies....but I wanted to make sure it was at least noticeably preggo before posting. ;-)
That's all for today. It turns out I did have some updates to share! Have a lovely day! (O:
I don't really feel like there is much to report, but I will try.
*Weight: gained 3ish pounds, still doing OK.
*Exercise: I try to attend Zumba at least once a week and add in walking the park on other days as I can.
*Clothes: I am surprised and happy to report that most of my pre-maternity clothes still fit! There are 2 pairs of jeans/jean shorts that I have had to do the old "hair tie around the button" trick, but otherwise they are holding steady. I have started adding maternity tanks and tops to the rotation for a little variety.
*Food: No new cravings. I have noticed that I think all milk smells slightly spoiled (when it is not)...which is weird. I don't have a complete aversion to milk (yet), but I have been drinking less of it- especially plain white milk. I guess this is a good thing, since I'm "off milk" once on Saipan anyway...but still a bummer.
*Preparations: Thanks to my wonderful friend, Elise, I am now almost fully stocked on cloth diapers!!! She was able to attend the Cotton Babies $1 Diaper Sale this past weekend and was kind enough to take my "Wish List". She was even able to snag several in my favorite colors- kelly green and orange. Yay! Thanks friend!! (O: I still have a gift certificate from my coworkers to use at CB, and I am researching diaper inserts, etc. Feel free to throw any suggestions/opinions/advice my way! ;-)
I received TWO gift packages yesterday in the mail, speaking of cloth diapers. One was from an old high school friend- she sent me a package of the cloth diaper kit she purchased and never used. I am glad to help put it to good use! Also, my Aunt Emilia sent a whole cloth diaper making kit!! It is the cutest set I have ever seen. My mom had asked about a pattern for them because she wanted to try to make some and so I was excited to tell her I have Everything she needs to make 3! Thanks Tracey and Aunt Emilia for your love and encouragement!! (O:
*Other Prepartaions: I was finally able to confirm with United Airlines that each Jason and I can check either a stroller or car seat, free of charge. Jason can check the stroller and I can check Emilia's car seat, both for free! Whew! Now the debate about whether to purchase a double jogger here or wait to see if someone has one on Saipan continues...I can honestly say this is my only packing/planning Saipan worry at the moment. I honestly do not know which option is the right one. We are still considering the Baby Jogger Double City Mini...and it's hefty price tag. I have found a few online for cheaper than retail, but it is still a big investment. And a hard one. I believe my friends who tell me it is a worthy investment, but I cannot help but feel guilty for spending that much on a stroller. Each time I think about what to do, I get anxious and decide to leave that decision for another day. (haha, good ol' avoidance...)
*Emilia: We ask her often if she wants a brother or a sister. Sister has been winning over the past couple weeks...in fact, Emilia says she now has a "Sister Baby in her belly too". Our discussions to the contrary are not changing her mind. She also thinks she can see the "Sister Baby" by looking down my throat. ;-) We find out the gender in two weeks...I'm praying she will be excited either way!
*Belly: It is officially out there and *finally starting to round a little. Thankfully!! I think my belly is a little lopsided and definitely LOW. My SIL has also joined the races and is betting on a Boy. This pregnancy has been different from Emilia in so many ways, she might just be right! Only time will tell! (O:
*Pictures: I haven't decided yet how often I will take updated "Baby Bump" photos...but the first one may come in the next few weeks. I can't remember how early friends started posting pics of their bellies....but I wanted to make sure it was at least noticeably preggo before posting. ;-)
That's all for today. It turns out I did have some updates to share! Have a lovely day! (O:
Friday, May 18, 2012
Midnight Kisses
My daughter has always had trouble with sleeping at night. There are very few nights when she makes it until morning without waking and calling out for someone.
This fact became even more evident once we moved in with Jason's parents during our transition to Saipan. We have been living with them since December 2011, and she still wakes up at least once, most nights twice-3 times each night. Sometimes needing to go potty, wanting more milk (which I don't give in to), having a bad dream, being scared, the list goes on.
It makes me tired.
As the sole bread winner for our little family at the moment, all I want is to sleep a whole night through, sans midnight wake up calls. Waking up at 5:00 a.m. to get ready for work every day makes me tired enough. But, I also know that Emilia is going through a lot of changes right now and really has no idea exactly what is happening.
I try to be her constant. I try to always be comforting and supportive, instead of annoyed and irritated. She doesn't understand these changes and doesn't always know how to express her confusion and frustration.
So, last night when she started calling out for me at 1:45 a.m., I faithfully drug myself out of bed and made it to her room without tripping over the dog, or shoes, or anything (small victories, people). I peeked in her door and asked what she needed...
"Momma, I heed a kiss"
What sweet words from my little girl. This was one request I was happy to fulfill. I leaned over her bed, and gave her lots of little kisses. Once I stood back up, she rolled over and went back to sleep. That was that.
Do I still wish she could sleep all night? Yes. Am I looking forward to finally getting settled in Saipan and getting her back on a regular sleep schedule and retrain her sleep habits? Definitely. Would I trade her precious request for Momma's kisses at 1:45 a.m. for anything in the world? Not on your life.
This fact became even more evident once we moved in with Jason's parents during our transition to Saipan. We have been living with them since December 2011, and she still wakes up at least once, most nights twice-3 times each night. Sometimes needing to go potty, wanting more milk (which I don't give in to), having a bad dream, being scared, the list goes on.
It makes me tired.
As the sole bread winner for our little family at the moment, all I want is to sleep a whole night through, sans midnight wake up calls. Waking up at 5:00 a.m. to get ready for work every day makes me tired enough. But, I also know that Emilia is going through a lot of changes right now and really has no idea exactly what is happening.
I try to be her constant. I try to always be comforting and supportive, instead of annoyed and irritated. She doesn't understand these changes and doesn't always know how to express her confusion and frustration.
So, last night when she started calling out for me at 1:45 a.m., I faithfully drug myself out of bed and made it to her room without tripping over the dog, or shoes, or anything (small victories, people). I peeked in her door and asked what she needed...
"Momma, I heed a kiss"
What sweet words from my little girl. This was one request I was happy to fulfill. I leaned over her bed, and gave her lots of little kisses. Once I stood back up, she rolled over and went back to sleep. That was that.
Do I still wish she could sleep all night? Yes. Am I looking forward to finally getting settled in Saipan and getting her back on a regular sleep schedule and retrain her sleep habits? Definitely. Would I trade her precious request for Momma's kisses at 1:45 a.m. for anything in the world? Not on your life.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Just a matter of weeks
The closer we get to our Saipan launch date, the more I begin to count big milestones by number of weeks. This helps make these events more tangible, and also makes them a little scary! This is my life, in a matter of weeks:
3 Weeks left at my current job
4 Weeks left until we go on full mission support
4 Weeks until we *hopefully* find out Saipan Baby's gender (Make your guesses now!) ;0)
(Less than) 5 Weeks until we (Emilia included) leave for a month-long Cultural Training course in North Carolina
8 Weeks until our Commissioning Service at Skyline Church
9 Weeks until the General Baptist Missions & Ministry Summit in Springfield, MO
10 Weeks until we say Goodbye to everyone and everything we have ever known, board a plane (or three...) and say Hello to a whole new life God has planned for us!
24 Weeks to Saipan Baby's due date
Whew! Does that list make anyone besides me tired and a little anxious?? More tired than anxious. I Know God has this all under control, and I trust Him with everything.
It just doesn't seem possible that we are THIS CLOSE to leaving. Wasn't it just September when we were announcing the initial decision? How did so much time sneak by us? Crunch time is here and I feel under-prepared. It looks like it might be time to start making lists again...oh rats! ;-)
3 Weeks left at my current job
4 Weeks left until we go on full mission support
4 Weeks until we *hopefully* find out Saipan Baby's gender (Make your guesses now!) ;0)
(Less than) 5 Weeks until we (Emilia included) leave for a month-long Cultural Training course in North Carolina
8 Weeks until our Commissioning Service at Skyline Church
9 Weeks until the General Baptist Missions & Ministry Summit in Springfield, MO
10 Weeks until we say Goodbye to everyone and everything we have ever known, board a plane (or three...) and say Hello to a whole new life God has planned for us!
24 Weeks to Saipan Baby's due date
Whew! Does that list make anyone besides me tired and a little anxious?? More tired than anxious. I Know God has this all under control, and I trust Him with everything.
It just doesn't seem possible that we are THIS CLOSE to leaving. Wasn't it just September when we were announcing the initial decision? How did so much time sneak by us? Crunch time is here and I feel under-prepared. It looks like it might be time to start making lists again...oh rats! ;-)
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Our News (O:
It has actually been almost two weeks since we announced our newest "Big News" to friends and family (which means almost all of you already know about it). So this post isn't exactly earth-shattering, but I wanted to record this exciting time to look back on at some point in the future.
Stats:
14 weeks tomorrow
Lemon-sized baby ;-)
No morning sickness (yay!)
Minimal heartburn after meals
Very. T.I.R.E.D.
Craving Chinese, BBQ, fried fish and apple juice
Still Zumba-ing, but modifying certain moves
Still in non-maternity clothes
Starting weight maintaining so far
Memory worse than normal..haha.
Emilia is pretty excited about it. We don't think she completely understands, but she does like to talk about the baby. Some days we ask and she wants a baby sister, but more recently she has been saying she wants a baby brother. I told her they could dress up as the Princess and the Frog for Halloween if it's a brother. She liked that idea. ;-)
Were we trying? Yes and No. We have been "trying" for almost 2 years, unsuccessfully. Last October, I started going through testing to see if something was blocked or what was going on. We had zero trouble getting pregnant with Emilia, so everyone seemd baffled by the trouble this time around. The tricky part about this testing was that my insurance from my previous employer was going to expire on 12/31/11 and we were not yet sure what we were doing for insurance in the new year. So, I was pleading with every doctor to get all my tests done before the end of 2011. The last test I needed would have had to been scheduled for the week between Christmas and New Years...but they couldn't squeeze me in since they were short doctors and overbooked. I felt helpless. I got angry and gave up. I decided I was done trying, I was done testing, I was just done.
I absolutely believe in God's perfect timing and my heart was healed over the next few months. I came to terms with the fact that we may not have any more biological children, or it might be a long, long time before we do. Life was picking up as Saipan stuff started taking up more and more time (in a good way!), so I stopped thinking about it altogether. Until about mid-March, when I realized I hadn't had a montly visitor since at least January, maybe Decemeber...hmmm... I waited a several days before telling Jason, because I didn't want to jinx anything. But that home test changed so quickly, I knew I was pregnant!
We were both thrilled and I started set up appointments right away. Since I wasn't sure how far along I was, my doctor scheduled me for an ultrasound the same week as my first appointment. Things get a little hairy since we move to Saipan in July and I am not due until October 24th. My doctor wants to make sure we have precise, clear records to send to Saipan and determining the exact due date was a big one to clear up. It was super exciting to find out that I was already 12 weeks along! We don't like to share pregnancy news before 12 weeks, so there is less chance of having to share bad news if something goes wrong. Luckily we didn't have to wait ANY time!
The weekend before my appointment, we had taken Emilia to a park to snap the photos used for our announcement. This was Jason's idea and it turned out really cute. Everyone seemed to like it and we loved including Emilia in sharing the news. We also let her be the one to tell both sets of grandparents. One set by exclaiming "I'm going to be a big sister" (which she pronounced Stister) ;-) The other Grandma with a "Big Sister" shirt. All the grandparents are excited and sad.
This is just another reminder for them that we are moving far, far away and they won't get to see their newest grandbaby for several months after he/she is born, or possibly 2 years if the cannot come visit. I have days of struggle with this too. They were such a strong support system after Emilia was born- helping with laundry, preparing meals, holding E so I could sleep/shower/etc. I know we will not be alone on Saipan, but it is a little scary to think about not having our mommas close by. This is just another way God is teaching us to trust HIM. He knows exactly what He is doing and I have faith that everything will be OK. (It also helps to remember that I would SO NOT want to have a newborn during our 26 hours of travel to Saipan. Ugh, can you imagine!?)
Now I have a whole new layer to my packing lists, shipping lists, purchasing lists...oh the lists! Thankfully we have quite a bit of Emilia's old baby stuff still. But, we sold all our bigger items, so it's back to car seat and stroller shopping. I am running into some trouble with this because none of the major stores ship to Saipan. So we will have to purchase while in the States and ship it to Saiapn ourselves. I am looking for a good deal on a double jogging stroller, and hope to find one second-hand to save some money. The bigger items are all I can really spend time looking at for the moment, at least until we find out baby's gender--hopefully the beginning of June! (O:
We have also decided to "Go Green" and cloth diaper this time around. Honestly, it has much less to do with the environment (shame on me) and more to do with money. Jason learned on his visit last year that on Saipan, they take one large box of diapers, the kind with 2 plastic sealed sections of diapers inside, open in and sell each of the plastic sections for the price of the one box. So, say Pampers are $25 per box, they are selling each plastic section for $25! Yikes! That will *really* cut into our small budget... I have pretty much made my decision about which clother diapering systems to go with, now to pull our money together and start stocking up.
I think that about covers everything, for now. I am going to try and post weekly updated throughout the pregnancy. I always love reading other bloggers weekly preggo updates about cravings, thoughts, etc. and think it will be fun to look back on one day. Back to one of many product review sites to continue my searches. (O:
Friday, April 20, 2012
Small Style :: Belated Easter
Yes, I realize Easter was not one, but TWO weekends ago...I am very behind. Tardiness aside, I wanted to share a couple photos I snapped quickly before church on Easter Sunday.
I have been waiting almost a full year for her to wear this dress! I still laugh when I think about the day Jason called me from Kohl's and asked, "Is $3.80 a good price for a dress?" He went on to explain what it looked like and the brand. I told him $3.80 is ALWAYS a good price and especially for that brand. I was so proud of him that day. (O:
We were so glad to be able to attend our home church for Easter. It was a welcomed break from all our deputation traveling. Sadly, I forgot to have someone take a family photo of us, but here's my cutie little girl! ;-)
A few thoughts that crossed my mind as I uploaded these:
1. I have no idea why she started faking "laughter" and "surprise" while I was snapping photos. She has a mind of her own and I'm just glad they turned out cute!
2. I kept thinking the sash of her dress was cream and now after seeing these photos, it definitely was. Color matching fail.
3. I am so lucky to have this sweet little lady in my life. She challenges me every day, makes me laugh and is a true joy (most of the time).
As seen on Emilia:
Pink dress with *cream sash :: Chaps brand at Kohl's, major clearance
White cardigan :: Gap, eBay
Pink bow :: Handmade by me
White sandals :: Payless
Necklace :: I cannot remember, but it was super cheap and it is her absolute FAV to wear. ;-)
Linking up here:
I have been waiting almost a full year for her to wear this dress! I still laugh when I think about the day Jason called me from Kohl's and asked, "Is $3.80 a good price for a dress?" He went on to explain what it looked like and the brand. I told him $3.80 is ALWAYS a good price and especially for that brand. I was so proud of him that day. (O:
We were so glad to be able to attend our home church for Easter. It was a welcomed break from all our deputation traveling. Sadly, I forgot to have someone take a family photo of us, but here's my cutie little girl! ;-)
A few thoughts that crossed my mind as I uploaded these:
1. I have no idea why she started faking "laughter" and "surprise" while I was snapping photos. She has a mind of her own and I'm just glad they turned out cute!
2. I kept thinking the sash of her dress was cream and now after seeing these photos, it definitely was. Color matching fail.
3. I am so lucky to have this sweet little lady in my life. She challenges me every day, makes me laugh and is a true joy (most of the time).
As seen on Emilia:
Pink dress with *cream sash :: Chaps brand at Kohl's, major clearance
White cardigan :: Gap, eBay
Pink bow :: Handmade by me
White sandals :: Payless
Necklace :: I cannot remember, but it was super cheap and it is her absolute FAV to wear. ;-)
Linking up here:
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Yummy Produce
My MIL is part of a bi-weekly produce co-op thing (how's that for specific...) and we are starting to really get into trying out new fruits/veggies. The organization has several drop locations set up around our area, one of which is at her church. You can either go early enough to help sort the foods, or just come between 7:00-8:00 to pick up your bag. She usually takes Emilia with her and E has a blast. She loves helping Grammy pick up our "produce". (Am I the only one who thinks it is adorable for a 3 year old to call it produce??)
The part we weren't completely sure about at first was the randomness and uncertainty of what we would receive. For the most part, it has been good stuff that we know we like and will use before it goes bad. This week had a couple odd items, including something we had never tried before. Enter, the mango.
Jason has been trying to inform me about what fruits, veggies, and foods in general are available on Saipan. It turns out, mangoes are Super abundant on Saipan, which means we need to learn to love them! Any food items we can purchase locally, as opposed to foods shipped from the mainland to the grocery store, will *hopefully save us some money.
We all braved our first mango experience and the results were surprising...it was very tasty! It reminded us of the consistency of a peach, but a little more tangy. I let Jason cut into that bad boy and the seed is stinkin' huge! He cut it into 4 sections, removing the seed, and we just cut or spooned the fruit out of the tough skin. Jason, Treasa and I liked it quite a bit. Emilia took one tinsy bite and said she didn't like it. This is pretty typical of my picky-eater. Her first response, more times than not, is not to like something. We will try it again another day and see if the response is the same.
It was fun to test something out together, including Jason's mom in a little bit of pre-Saipan experimenting. I am also glad to know I like them enough to eat them semi-regularly once on Saipan. I'm MOST excited about lots of watermelon (yum!!) on island, but am glad to have other options as well.
Even though this may seem totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things, for the moment, my heart was at ease. There are many, Many things I am still anxious about concerning our move to Saipan and I feel relieved to mark this thought/worry (no matter how small) off my mental list. It also made me feel a little more connected to Saipan, in some weird way. Each time I make a new connection with a person on Saipan, try something we will eat regularly while on Saipan, check the weather and humidity, I feel closer to my little island. Am I looking forward to the 84 degree day that feels like 92 due to humidity? Not exactly. But God is preparing my heart, little by little, for the biggest life change we have encountered thus far.
The part we weren't completely sure about at first was the randomness and uncertainty of what we would receive. For the most part, it has been good stuff that we know we like and will use before it goes bad. This week had a couple odd items, including something we had never tried before. Enter, the mango.
Jason has been trying to inform me about what fruits, veggies, and foods in general are available on Saipan. It turns out, mangoes are Super abundant on Saipan, which means we need to learn to love them! Any food items we can purchase locally, as opposed to foods shipped from the mainland to the grocery store, will *hopefully save us some money.
We all braved our first mango experience and the results were surprising...it was very tasty! It reminded us of the consistency of a peach, but a little more tangy. I let Jason cut into that bad boy and the seed is stinkin' huge! He cut it into 4 sections, removing the seed, and we just cut or spooned the fruit out of the tough skin. Jason, Treasa and I liked it quite a bit. Emilia took one tinsy bite and said she didn't like it. This is pretty typical of my picky-eater. Her first response, more times than not, is not to like something. We will try it again another day and see if the response is the same.
It was fun to test something out together, including Jason's mom in a little bit of pre-Saipan experimenting. I am also glad to know I like them enough to eat them semi-regularly once on Saipan. I'm MOST excited about lots of watermelon (yum!!) on island, but am glad to have other options as well.
Even though this may seem totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things, for the moment, my heart was at ease. There are many, Many things I am still anxious about concerning our move to Saipan and I feel relieved to mark this thought/worry (no matter how small) off my mental list. It also made me feel a little more connected to Saipan, in some weird way. Each time I make a new connection with a person on Saipan, try something we will eat regularly while on Saipan, check the weather and humidity, I feel closer to my little island. Am I looking forward to the 84 degree day that feels like 92 due to humidity? Not exactly. But God is preparing my heart, little by little, for the biggest life change we have encountered thus far.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Rely {Fully} on God
The last few weeks have been a little rough in the Warren household. I really feel like Satan has been attacking me with a few things and I haven't been doing very well with it. It wasn't until one day last week while praying on my way to work that God told me exactly what to do. {TRUST ME}.
As you may know, our main focus at present is raising support before leaving for Saipan in July. This involves seeking out Support Team Partners who will commit to donating as little as $10/month for the 2 years we will be gone. This money is what makes our mission work on Saipan possible. In addition to that, we also have one lump sum amount to raise to pay for travel to Saipan, shipping of goods, etc. A lot of numbers that are always on my mind. In the course of only a couple days the week before last (it may have been last week actually...?), we had a couple sets of bad news in this area. They really rocked my heart and I was honestly struggling with each sad response.
I do not want to go into great detail about this, because in the grand scheme of things it isn't overly important. But, I will say that we have been heart broken to realize some relationships aren't as strong as we believed them to be. Relationships that span over one or more decades. It hurts. It hurts hearing "no" from people of power within churches and not even being offered prayer or encouragement in its place. It hurts to find out a church's promised commitment has to be revoked due to grumblings of a few. It hurts being told "we can't help" from people we have known for years and considered close friends. While maybe I shouldn't take it to this extreme, it feels like we are being told that we are not worth a sacrifice on their part- like the work God is calling us to do on Saipan isn't worth their $0.34 a day.
Yes, I do understand that there truly are circumstances out there in which some of our loved ones will not be able to support us financially. The economy is rough and people have other obligations. I am not saying any of this as a judgement against anyone. The point I am trying to make is that even when a person (or group) says they cannot support us monetarily, it has rarely been followed up with an offering of prayer and encouragement. We are in desperate need of the prayers and encouragement of those around us. Prayer will be the fuel for everything we do Here and on Saipan. I understand if one cannot afford to sponsor us, but please keep us close in your prayers and share words of encouragement.
As I said, Satan has really been pushing these sad thoughts on my mind recently and it has worn me down. I started feeling defeated. I started talking to God about each specific situation and how it felt. Once I poured out my heart, I felt a sense of calm. That is when I heard Him- not audibly, but definitely from Him- saying {TRUST ME}. It was time to stop relying on my own efforts or the efforts of my husband, our missions director or other people. It is time to rely FULLY on God and to know that His timing is excellent and perfect. Yes, I am scared at the loss of shares we encountered last week and find myself wishing to reach our goal {soon}. But, these are not things within my control. God has the plan. I just need to keep working towards the goal and HE will make sure we get there.
I want to add- This journey has had way more joys than sorrows, for sure. God has used a number of people to bless us beyond our expectations. More than once, a Share Card has come in or a conversation has been had and we are blown away by the generousity of our friends and family. God's blessings are not coming from the places we had deemed most likely or the places/people we were "counting on". His blessings are being poured out by His servants- those willing to sacrifice for the mission on Saipan.
These people do not even know how much they have touched our lives, and they may never fully know. But it was the reminder I needed to refocus my energy and emotions. I only need to rely {fully} on God and His timing. July is coming and through God's provisions, we WILL be ready.
As you may know, our main focus at present is raising support before leaving for Saipan in July. This involves seeking out Support Team Partners who will commit to donating as little as $10/month for the 2 years we will be gone. This money is what makes our mission work on Saipan possible. In addition to that, we also have one lump sum amount to raise to pay for travel to Saipan, shipping of goods, etc. A lot of numbers that are always on my mind. In the course of only a couple days the week before last (it may have been last week actually...?), we had a couple sets of bad news in this area. They really rocked my heart and I was honestly struggling with each sad response.
I do not want to go into great detail about this, because in the grand scheme of things it isn't overly important. But, I will say that we have been heart broken to realize some relationships aren't as strong as we believed them to be. Relationships that span over one or more decades. It hurts. It hurts hearing "no" from people of power within churches and not even being offered prayer or encouragement in its place. It hurts to find out a church's promised commitment has to be revoked due to grumblings of a few. It hurts being told "we can't help" from people we have known for years and considered close friends. While maybe I shouldn't take it to this extreme, it feels like we are being told that we are not worth a sacrifice on their part- like the work God is calling us to do on Saipan isn't worth their $0.34 a day.
Yes, I do understand that there truly are circumstances out there in which some of our loved ones will not be able to support us financially. The economy is rough and people have other obligations. I am not saying any of this as a judgement against anyone. The point I am trying to make is that even when a person (or group) says they cannot support us monetarily, it has rarely been followed up with an offering of prayer and encouragement. We are in desperate need of the prayers and encouragement of those around us. Prayer will be the fuel for everything we do Here and on Saipan. I understand if one cannot afford to sponsor us, but please keep us close in your prayers and share words of encouragement.
As I said, Satan has really been pushing these sad thoughts on my mind recently and it has worn me down. I started feeling defeated. I started talking to God about each specific situation and how it felt. Once I poured out my heart, I felt a sense of calm. That is when I heard Him- not audibly, but definitely from Him- saying {TRUST ME}. It was time to stop relying on my own efforts or the efforts of my husband, our missions director or other people. It is time to rely FULLY on God and to know that His timing is excellent and perfect. Yes, I am scared at the loss of shares we encountered last week and find myself wishing to reach our goal {soon}. But, these are not things within my control. God has the plan. I just need to keep working towards the goal and HE will make sure we get there.
I want to add- This journey has had way more joys than sorrows, for sure. God has used a number of people to bless us beyond our expectations. More than once, a Share Card has come in or a conversation has been had and we are blown away by the generousity of our friends and family. God's blessings are not coming from the places we had deemed most likely or the places/people we were "counting on". His blessings are being poured out by His servants- those willing to sacrifice for the mission on Saipan.
These people do not even know how much they have touched our lives, and they may never fully know. But it was the reminder I needed to refocus my energy and emotions. I only need to rely {fully} on God and His timing. July is coming and through God's provisions, we WILL be ready.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Manic Monday
I have a friend (who blogs here) but who also had an old blog on which she usually posted a "Manic Monday" post. This post always seemed so fitting because no matter what the state of one's weekend was, by Monday it all seems to have been a blur. This past weekend was no exception for me.
After working 6-4 Tuesday thru Friday last week to make up for Monday's sick day, I was totally pooped. But, Jason asked to take Emilia and I out on a little family date and even agreed to stop at a fabric store for a few supplies I needed (wow!). We went to the mall food court for dinner because we love Chick-fil-A. It was a wonderful evening spent together laughing at E's newest quirks and funny statements, holding hands, chicken and fabric.
I had high hopes of sleeping in LATE on Saturday, but Emilia had other plans for me. She was in our bed by 7...but after waking at 4a.m. each day last week, that was still technically sleeping in. ;-) We bounced downstairs, arms full of all the supplies we needed to start working on her "Rosetta dress"- which is actually a tutu style skirt. I really had no idea how I was going to put this thing together, but I knew I wanted it to look similar to the skirt Rosetta wears in the Tinkerbell movies. So far, I *love* how it is turning out! Unfortunately, my borrowed sewing maching started acting up with only 2 layers of petals remaining to sew...bummer. But, I at least had it somewhat constructed and one layer of petals attached so Emilia could test it out after naptime. Success- she loves it! She says it is a beautiful Rosetta dress, so I think that is a win. I want to wait until it is finished (as well as a coordinating shirt) before I post photos, but be excited. Her fairy party is going to be SO fun!! (O:
Saturday afternoon we headed for Cape Girardeau for two church visits on Sunday. We were very fortunate to have a Warren relative (don't ask my what relation..) open her home to us so we didn't have to pay for a stay in a hotel. She was actually out of town for the weekend, but still let us stay. It was weird but great. Weird to be in a home we had never been to and felt odd searching for the right rooms to sleep in as well as tracking down the linen closet (luckily, it was IN the bathroom). ;-) But nice to have a quiet place to ourselves for the night as well as an all-family naptime between the morning and evening services on Sunday. Not to mention the amazing Barbie dream house she had in the play area of her basement (for her grandkids). This wasn't a cheap-o plastic house, someone constructed it out of wood, complete with working Elevator! Emilia (and I) were in awe!
Sunday was a whirlwind of a day, but we definitely feel blessed to have had the opporunity for these visits. The morning church, Connection Point Church in Jackson, MO, was so welcoming and friendly. We added 17 new committed shares, 7 additional prayer partners, as well as a substantial amount in donations to the general fund (which covers our plane tickets, shipping, etc.) We were taken to lunch at a local BBQ place (yum!) and had just enough time for a quick nap before heading to the evening church in Scott City. 1st General Baptist Church was holding their Association's local meeting that night and had a youth-oriented service after dinner. It was so refreshing to see all the young people of these churches coming together and putting on skits and other dramas for God's glory. I love seeing passion in our youth! Jason was given 20 minutes to speak and he did a great job. We had a number of people come back and take Share Cards to look and pray over at home. We left Scott City around 8:20p.m. and after one dinner stop (me) and one potty stop (Emilia), we made it home close to 11.
I am dragging this morning, but feeling incredibly blessed. I am often asked if I am scared about moving so far away. But honestly, I just feel honored and very very blessed to have been called to Saipan. God is teaching me to trust His will and follow where He leads. I cannot imagine being scared of these wonderful things God has planned for us.
After working 6-4 Tuesday thru Friday last week to make up for Monday's sick day, I was totally pooped. But, Jason asked to take Emilia and I out on a little family date and even agreed to stop at a fabric store for a few supplies I needed (wow!). We went to the mall food court for dinner because we love Chick-fil-A. It was a wonderful evening spent together laughing at E's newest quirks and funny statements, holding hands, chicken and fabric.
I had high hopes of sleeping in LATE on Saturday, but Emilia had other plans for me. She was in our bed by 7...but after waking at 4a.m. each day last week, that was still technically sleeping in. ;-) We bounced downstairs, arms full of all the supplies we needed to start working on her "Rosetta dress"- which is actually a tutu style skirt. I really had no idea how I was going to put this thing together, but I knew I wanted it to look similar to the skirt Rosetta wears in the Tinkerbell movies. So far, I *love* how it is turning out! Unfortunately, my borrowed sewing maching started acting up with only 2 layers of petals remaining to sew...bummer. But, I at least had it somewhat constructed and one layer of petals attached so Emilia could test it out after naptime. Success- she loves it! She says it is a beautiful Rosetta dress, so I think that is a win. I want to wait until it is finished (as well as a coordinating shirt) before I post photos, but be excited. Her fairy party is going to be SO fun!! (O:
Saturday afternoon we headed for Cape Girardeau for two church visits on Sunday. We were very fortunate to have a Warren relative (don't ask my what relation..) open her home to us so we didn't have to pay for a stay in a hotel. She was actually out of town for the weekend, but still let us stay. It was weird but great. Weird to be in a home we had never been to and felt odd searching for the right rooms to sleep in as well as tracking down the linen closet (luckily, it was IN the bathroom). ;-) But nice to have a quiet place to ourselves for the night as well as an all-family naptime between the morning and evening services on Sunday. Not to mention the amazing Barbie dream house she had in the play area of her basement (for her grandkids). This wasn't a cheap-o plastic house, someone constructed it out of wood, complete with working Elevator! Emilia (and I) were in awe!
Sunday was a whirlwind of a day, but we definitely feel blessed to have had the opporunity for these visits. The morning church, Connection Point Church in Jackson, MO, was so welcoming and friendly. We added 17 new committed shares, 7 additional prayer partners, as well as a substantial amount in donations to the general fund (which covers our plane tickets, shipping, etc.) We were taken to lunch at a local BBQ place (yum!) and had just enough time for a quick nap before heading to the evening church in Scott City. 1st General Baptist Church was holding their Association's local meeting that night and had a youth-oriented service after dinner. It was so refreshing to see all the young people of these churches coming together and putting on skits and other dramas for God's glory. I love seeing passion in our youth! Jason was given 20 minutes to speak and he did a great job. We had a number of people come back and take Share Cards to look and pray over at home. We left Scott City around 8:20p.m. and after one dinner stop (me) and one potty stop (Emilia), we made it home close to 11.
I am dragging this morning, but feeling incredibly blessed. I am often asked if I am scared about moving so far away. But honestly, I just feel honored and very very blessed to have been called to Saipan. God is teaching me to trust His will and follow where He leads. I cannot imagine being scared of these wonderful things God has planned for us.
Friday, March 2, 2012
On the road again
After attending our home church for the past three weeks, we are headed back out on the road this weekend. Our director at General Baptist International Missions (GBIM), Sam has the next 5 Sundays scheduled all over IL and MO, and is working on the following weeks already. Most weeks we are presenting at one church in the AM and another in the PM. It is excited to see things line up and come together.
This weekend we are headed down around the Cape Girardeau area, about 2-2.5 hours from home. Luckily, we have a relative that lives in Cape and she is hosting us overnight on Saturday and between visits on Sunday. It will great to have a familiar face while away, and I'm super excited that we will have a decent place for Emilia to (hopefully) nap after morning church on Sunday.
The church we are visiting on Sunday morning has two services, which is a new first for us. Jason has been given only 5-6 minutes to speak at each service. This will be somewhat of a challenge- to show the passion we have, the need of the people on Saipan and move people to support- but luckily Jason is ready for it. The leadership training he was at recently spent a lot of time teaching how to compact stories and presentations for the most impact. J already knows exactly what he is going to say and knows he won't go over his alloted time. That afternoon, at 3:00, I think, we are attending the Southern Missouri Local Association Meeting. I think 3-6 is the business part of the meeting, which we will sit in on. Then at 6:30 a worship service begins and Jason has been given 15-20 minutes to speak. The awesome part about this meeting is that it will have members of all the local GB churches. So we can reach that many more people all at one place and time. Each visit will also include a Love Offering, from which we are raising the money we need in order to travel to Saipan, ship items over, etc. So far, everyone has been very generous in their support and I look forward to adding more members to our Support Team.
One other thing I am excited about regarding this trip is eating at LAMBERTS!! (O: I had never been to this restaurant before meeting Jason's family and now I'm hooked. Anytime I think we are close enough to stop, I beg. Haha. Yummy home-style cooking (we don't count calories on Lamberts visits...), rolls being thrown and a drink in one of those Huge 32oz travel mugs. Even though mine will not hold Sweet Tea as it has in the past, I love the big jugs. Ice water 32oz at a time will be lovely...right? ;-)
The part that makes me a little tired is thinking about the drive home after our Sunday evening church visit...and waking up for work on Monday morning. I am very blessed to have a job that allows me to work any hours I want as long as I hit 40 by the end of the week. I usually work 7-4, which means leaving my house by 6:20 and waking up by 5:30. Hopefully I can sleep on the drive home.
I know God's plan is perfect and that He will continue to bless these visits as He has so far. I am slowly letting go of my worry and sinful doubt. I like to see the big picture, and I am learning to be content with the parts God shows me as we go. We will get to Saipan, this I know. I trust Him and I do not need to see all the dots line up right now. God is in control and I am just happy to be doing His will!
Have a wonderful day! (O:
This weekend we are headed down around the Cape Girardeau area, about 2-2.5 hours from home. Luckily, we have a relative that lives in Cape and she is hosting us overnight on Saturday and between visits on Sunday. It will great to have a familiar face while away, and I'm super excited that we will have a decent place for Emilia to (hopefully) nap after morning church on Sunday.
The church we are visiting on Sunday morning has two services, which is a new first for us. Jason has been given only 5-6 minutes to speak at each service. This will be somewhat of a challenge- to show the passion we have, the need of the people on Saipan and move people to support- but luckily Jason is ready for it. The leadership training he was at recently spent a lot of time teaching how to compact stories and presentations for the most impact. J already knows exactly what he is going to say and knows he won't go over his alloted time. That afternoon, at 3:00, I think, we are attending the Southern Missouri Local Association Meeting. I think 3-6 is the business part of the meeting, which we will sit in on. Then at 6:30 a worship service begins and Jason has been given 15-20 minutes to speak. The awesome part about this meeting is that it will have members of all the local GB churches. So we can reach that many more people all at one place and time. Each visit will also include a Love Offering, from which we are raising the money we need in order to travel to Saipan, ship items over, etc. So far, everyone has been very generous in their support and I look forward to adding more members to our Support Team.
One other thing I am excited about regarding this trip is eating at LAMBERTS!! (O: I had never been to this restaurant before meeting Jason's family and now I'm hooked. Anytime I think we are close enough to stop, I beg. Haha. Yummy home-style cooking (we don't count calories on Lamberts visits...), rolls being thrown and a drink in one of those Huge 32oz travel mugs. Even though mine will not hold Sweet Tea as it has in the past, I love the big jugs. Ice water 32oz at a time will be lovely...right? ;-)
The part that makes me a little tired is thinking about the drive home after our Sunday evening church visit...and waking up for work on Monday morning. I am very blessed to have a job that allows me to work any hours I want as long as I hit 40 by the end of the week. I usually work 7-4, which means leaving my house by 6:20 and waking up by 5:30. Hopefully I can sleep on the drive home.
I know God's plan is perfect and that He will continue to bless these visits as He has so far. I am slowly letting go of my worry and sinful doubt. I like to see the big picture, and I am learning to be content with the parts God shows me as we go. We will get to Saipan, this I know. I trust Him and I do not need to see all the dots line up right now. God is in control and I am just happy to be doing His will!
Have a wonderful day! (O:
Thursday, February 16, 2012
FB Friends and Saipan Purchases
As I have mentioned before, I am completely addicted to a couple of people on Saipan who keeps blogs. If I had to pick, I would say Grant and Kara's (Saipan : Teaching, Living & Recreation) is my favorite. They are very thorough in their reviews and descriptions of life on the island. Jason "friended" Grant on Facebook at some point (I think a long time ago) and has been telling me I need to look through his photos to see more of the island and also get some more glimpses of the apartments.
I spent some time this morning doing just that. The apartments are a decent size- when you walk in the front door, you are in the kitchen then the dining room then the living room- all open to each other, sort of loft-style. One one side of the apartment (I think it differs from unit to unit), there are 2 bedrooms with the bathroom inbetween. We have been told our room will have a double bed and Emilia's room will have a twin bed. The bathrooms have a shower, but no tub. (I am not exactly looking forward to this with Emilia..the girl who HATES water in her face. Any suggestions in this area would be greatly appreciated!! Otherwise I am going to track down a big rubbermaid tub and use it as a makeshift tub for her. Haha!)
He had also started asking Grant a few questions here and there about what we can expect, what is different than the mainland, what to bring/not bring, etc. Grant has been Super graciously to always answer his questions and gives great detail. Even his wife, Kara recently messaged Jason to tell him that I was welcome to message her with any additional questions. I just sent her a friend request this morning and once she confirms, I have a list of questions ready for her! (O:
In addition to all their kindness and willingness to help us prepare for this move, they are selling us many items that they did not want to ship back to the States! Grant put together a very detailed list of the items (as well as the tips and tricks for working the blender, toaster, etc. Love it!) with very reasonable prices. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to have these worries lifted. Things like 2 oscillating fans (now Jason will just have to find one, because I will probably hog BOTH of these, haha!), microwave, toaster, coffee maker (J will be glad!), beach chairs, cups, plates, bowls, silverware, baking dishes, blender, laundry basket and a cupcake pan (Emilia and I LOVE cupcakes and muffins--seriously, I'm super stoked about this one!!). The list has a bunch more on it, but I didn't want to go line by line. Do you really care that much?? ;-) Our budget for shipping items isn't huge and this will cut down on a LOT of those expenses for us. Yay yay yay!! I love God's provisions in this area! I think it works out well for Grant and Kara as well because they don't have to sell items off one at a time- we just told them we will take it ALL!
I have also been thinking through the few things I would like to ask Kara...I'm going to list them so I don't forget.
1. What types of meals do you eat regularly? Do you eat most meals at home, or do you go out? What items are better to purchase at the market vs the store? How do the prices on staple food items (milk, sugar, rice, noodles, bread, peanut butter, etc.) on Saipan compare to the mainland? (Would it be possible for Grant to do another great review based on this area of topics?? Haha!)
2. Are there any items (personal, home related, etc.) that you brought that you think you could have gone without. Any you wish you would have brought?
3. (This is a pretty superficial question, but I'm going to ask it all the same!) I noticed in Grant's photos that you started out with shorter hair and it looks like you've grown it out while you were there. I currently have pretty long hair and have been going back and forth about cutting it short before we move. Do you have any thoughts about that? It looks to me like most girls just wear a ponytail, with the exception of Rachel- how can she keep all that pretty hair down so much? She has to be hot! I am guessing the humidity is so high that even if I had short hair, it would never keep any styling...I am just curious what your experience with this was.
4. Are there any other Saipan bloggers out there?
Those are the ones I have come up with so far. If you were moving to Saipan, what would YOU want to ask?
I spent some time this morning doing just that. The apartments are a decent size- when you walk in the front door, you are in the kitchen then the dining room then the living room- all open to each other, sort of loft-style. One one side of the apartment (I think it differs from unit to unit), there are 2 bedrooms with the bathroom inbetween. We have been told our room will have a double bed and Emilia's room will have a twin bed. The bathrooms have a shower, but no tub. (I am not exactly looking forward to this with Emilia..the girl who HATES water in her face. Any suggestions in this area would be greatly appreciated!! Otherwise I am going to track down a big rubbermaid tub and use it as a makeshift tub for her. Haha!)
He had also started asking Grant a few questions here and there about what we can expect, what is different than the mainland, what to bring/not bring, etc. Grant has been Super graciously to always answer his questions and gives great detail. Even his wife, Kara recently messaged Jason to tell him that I was welcome to message her with any additional questions. I just sent her a friend request this morning and once she confirms, I have a list of questions ready for her! (O:
In addition to all their kindness and willingness to help us prepare for this move, they are selling us many items that they did not want to ship back to the States! Grant put together a very detailed list of the items (as well as the tips and tricks for working the blender, toaster, etc. Love it!) with very reasonable prices. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to have these worries lifted. Things like 2 oscillating fans (now Jason will just have to find one, because I will probably hog BOTH of these, haha!), microwave, toaster, coffee maker (J will be glad!), beach chairs, cups, plates, bowls, silverware, baking dishes, blender, laundry basket and a cupcake pan (Emilia and I LOVE cupcakes and muffins--seriously, I'm super stoked about this one!!). The list has a bunch more on it, but I didn't want to go line by line. Do you really care that much?? ;-) Our budget for shipping items isn't huge and this will cut down on a LOT of those expenses for us. Yay yay yay!! I love God's provisions in this area! I think it works out well for Grant and Kara as well because they don't have to sell items off one at a time- we just told them we will take it ALL!
I have also been thinking through the few things I would like to ask Kara...I'm going to list them so I don't forget.
1. What types of meals do you eat regularly? Do you eat most meals at home, or do you go out? What items are better to purchase at the market vs the store? How do the prices on staple food items (milk, sugar, rice, noodles, bread, peanut butter, etc.) on Saipan compare to the mainland? (Would it be possible for Grant to do another great review based on this area of topics?? Haha!)
2. Are there any items (personal, home related, etc.) that you brought that you think you could have gone without. Any you wish you would have brought?
3. (This is a pretty superficial question, but I'm going to ask it all the same!) I noticed in Grant's photos that you started out with shorter hair and it looks like you've grown it out while you were there. I currently have pretty long hair and have been going back and forth about cutting it short before we move. Do you have any thoughts about that? It looks to me like most girls just wear a ponytail, with the exception of Rachel- how can she keep all that pretty hair down so much? She has to be hot! I am guessing the humidity is so high that even if I had short hair, it would never keep any styling...I am just curious what your experience with this was.
4. Are there any other Saipan bloggers out there?
Those are the ones I have come up with so far. If you were moving to Saipan, what would YOU want to ask?
God Never Wastes a Wound
Last night I attended our new small group, by myself. It was really weird to go without Jason and I was pretty nervous about it. Jason is obviously the "talker" of our family- I think he would talk to a wall if he had something interesting to say! Now before you start saying how I am equally talkative (because you would be RIGHT!), remember that I am not usually that talkative on first encounters. For whatever reason, I get high levels of anxiety thinking about meeting new people, even though I LOVE making new friends. What is up with that??
Anyway, the evening was great, of course! Skyline (our new church) does a great job of welcoming any and everyone- we are all family. Their small groups are set up to dive deeper into each week's sermon and our group has a wide variety of ages, spiritual maturity, life stages, etc. Honestly, I think it is a *great* way to do it. We can all help each other grow and learn- we don't all have to be "20-somethings" to study together. Everyone was very friendly and even though I struggled with making small talk (probably my worst and lowest ability...), it went very well.
We are going through a Man vs. Wife series right now at church and this was the first week's topic: Divorce. Talk about going straight for the jugular. It was pretty refreshing to hear our pastor speak candidly and boldly about this topic, while still remaining sensitive and compassionate. While he made it very clear what the Bible says about divorce, he never pointed a finger of blame or made anyone feel judged. I really liked that. As a person who grew up in a broken home, I know first hand the pain divorce causes an entire family. I also know that many people in churches still have very strong feelings about divorce- and tend to take those feelings out on any divorced person. No, I am not saying that everyone is that way. But I do have personal experience with more than a few people who treated my mother differently because she was divorced.
I think it is important for us all to remember that our marriages are worth FIGHTING FOR. That divorce must be taken seriously- not trivialized as it is in almost any modern TV show or movie. But, divorce will happen. We may not know all the back story in a person's life that lead to their divorce- was their spouse unfaithful? Did their spouse just want out despite every effort on their part? Was their spouse abusive, verbally or physically? Did they just decide to stop trying? No matter what the reason may be, no one is outside the Grace of God.
It is also not our place to pass judgement on someone because their sin is in the public's eye. Yes, God Detests Divorce. But He also Hates Sin. Why does the fact that I am still married (but have other sins I struggle with daily) make me better than someone who is divorced? It doesn't. I can just more easily hide my struggles, while anyone going through a divorce is automatically going through it in front of everyone. You can't hide those wounds. One thing Pastor Lance said on Sunday that has stuck with me and was repeated again last night- God never wastes a wound.
He can use even our darkest hurts for His Glory- if we are willing to let Him.
Anyway, the evening was great, of course! Skyline (our new church) does a great job of welcoming any and everyone- we are all family. Their small groups are set up to dive deeper into each week's sermon and our group has a wide variety of ages, spiritual maturity, life stages, etc. Honestly, I think it is a *great* way to do it. We can all help each other grow and learn- we don't all have to be "20-somethings" to study together. Everyone was very friendly and even though I struggled with making small talk (probably my worst and lowest ability...), it went very well.
We are going through a Man vs. Wife series right now at church and this was the first week's topic: Divorce. Talk about going straight for the jugular. It was pretty refreshing to hear our pastor speak candidly and boldly about this topic, while still remaining sensitive and compassionate. While he made it very clear what the Bible says about divorce, he never pointed a finger of blame or made anyone feel judged. I really liked that. As a person who grew up in a broken home, I know first hand the pain divorce causes an entire family. I also know that many people in churches still have very strong feelings about divorce- and tend to take those feelings out on any divorced person. No, I am not saying that everyone is that way. But I do have personal experience with more than a few people who treated my mother differently because she was divorced.
I think it is important for us all to remember that our marriages are worth FIGHTING FOR. That divorce must be taken seriously- not trivialized as it is in almost any modern TV show or movie. But, divorce will happen. We may not know all the back story in a person's life that lead to their divorce- was their spouse unfaithful? Did their spouse just want out despite every effort on their part? Was their spouse abusive, verbally or physically? Did they just decide to stop trying? No matter what the reason may be, no one is outside the Grace of God.
It is also not our place to pass judgement on someone because their sin is in the public's eye. Yes, God Detests Divorce. But He also Hates Sin. Why does the fact that I am still married (but have other sins I struggle with daily) make me better than someone who is divorced? It doesn't. I can just more easily hide my struggles, while anyone going through a divorce is automatically going through it in front of everyone. You can't hide those wounds. One thing Pastor Lance said on Sunday that has stuck with me and was repeated again last night- God never wastes a wound.
He can use even our darkest hurts for His Glory- if we are willing to let Him.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
My Daniel Fast Experience
Last month, my family and I participated in something called the Daniel Fast. It was my father-in-law, Mark's idea and since he and Treasa (my mother-in-law) were going to do it, and we currently live with them and share all our meals with them, we participated by default. The two anchoring Scriptures where this fast comes from are
1: Daniel 1:12, which reads:
12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink..."
(At this time, Daniel was brought to train to be part of the King's service. His guard was ordered to feed him all the royal food, but Daniel would not defile himself in this way. He urged the guard to give he and his fellow Israelites nothing but vegetables (this would have included fruits) and water for 10 days, then compare their appearance with the other servants. After the 10 days, they were better nourished and healthier than the servants who ate the royal foods.)
From this Scripture the first two guidelines of the Daniel Fast were formed:
1. Only fruits and vegetables
2. Only water for a beverage
2: Daniel 10:2-3, which reads:
2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
From this Scripture, the third guidline was formed:
3. No sweeteners and no breads
Two additional guidelines were derived from Jewish fasting principals and the creators of this fast:
4. No leven- Yeast, Baking Powder, etc.
5. No artificial or processed foods nor any chemicals
I will admit that I was not entirely excited about this fast when Mark first mentioned it. I have had mirgraine trouble for years and generally use large amounts of caffiene daily to keep the migraines at bay. I was not looking forward to giving up Diet Pepsi and the headaches that would most certainly occur. But guess what? I did not have any withdrawal headaches. Not One. I took myself off Excedrin as well, so it wasn't like I was even masking the lack of Diet Pepsi with other caffienes. I drank strictly water (I did cheat and add flavor packets). I may not have followed the diet super strictly, but I made every effort to follow most of the basic guidelines.
As I mentioned, I was not overly excited to start this fast, but now that I have completed it, I am SO glad we did it! It has been over a month since we started the fast and we still try to center most of our meals around the Daniel Fast Guidelines. What types of foods do we eat? Here is a glance at what a day in the life of Annie's Daniel Fast would look like:
*Whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter, strawberries and bananas- rolled up. Yummy breakfast on the go!
*Clementines - these were a great snack to always have on hand. Easy to peel and so sweet!
*Veggie soup - my MIL added spicy V8 to her regular old veggie soup recipe and swapped vegetable broth for the chicken broth, then added any veggies we wanted. I could eat this every day for lunch, it is SO good!
*Peanuts, cashews, almonds - take your pick, they are all on the Yes List! I found them to be great fillers to get me from lunch to dinner. Plus, they are crunchy and salty. Yumm (O:
*Whole wheat spaghetti with all-natural tomato sauce - See! You can eat "regular" dishes but make them so much better for you! Add garlic salt, pepper, etc. to taste and it is as delicious as ever!
*Water, Water, WATER! I currently drink at least 72 fl oz of water a day, most days even more. (Yes, I am the kind of girl who is always drinking something...it's so much better/cheaper now that it is water instead of soda!)
Another great thing about eating better is FEELING BETTER. Yes, the first few days were pretty rough. I was super tired and felt somewhat lethargic; I think this was my body dealing with caffiene withdrawal. By day 4 of our official 10 Day Fast, I felt great! I had lots of energy and felt great. I started enjoying and *Craving* fruit for snacks and the thought of soda lost all appeal. I started going to Zumba classes twice a week with Treasa and my sister-in-law, Amy- and Love it! There is something about the combo of eating well and working out that makes me feel so good about myself. (How dreadfully red my face gets and how beyond-nasty sweaty I get are a different story...refer to this post. haha!)
An additional bonus for my personal experience with this fast and subsequent change in lifestyle is weigth loss! I did not intend to really track this as part of the fast, since the fast is not about the physical but about the spiritual. But I did check in from time to time just for my own personal knowledge...and I'm happy to say I lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks and have kept it off! I still have a long way to go, but it feels so so good to be on the right track. I'm not doing some crazy fad diet that will take the pounds off temporarily and then pack them back on if I sniff ice cream for too long. As long as I continue to practice healthy decisions, the improvements will continue to progress. (And yes indeed, I have definitely added ice cream back into my diet- but much less often than before and using a much smaller bowl).
I keep thinking about how this fast came along at exactly the right time. I have only a few months left before we head for our island home, and I had a lot of bad habits that needed to be kicked. I'm thankful to say that caffiene and soda are behind me- they were my biggest hurdles. I am also on the road to reaching my goal weight. I have much left to do, but now that I do not feel "deprived" from food, I know I can get there. I am thankful for the tools this fast has given me as well as the encouraging words of friends and family.
If you have never head of the Daniel Fast before, I encourage you to follow the link I listed above and look into it for yourself. I also encourage you to seriously consider participating- either in the 10-day or 21-day fast. The severed ties to processed foods and chemicals is exactly what I needed to jumpstart my journey to a healthier lifestyle of living. If you have any questions about something I didn't cover, please let me know! I am by no means an expert, but I would love to help you if I can! (O:
1: Daniel 1:12, which reads:
12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink..."
(At this time, Daniel was brought to train to be part of the King's service. His guard was ordered to feed him all the royal food, but Daniel would not defile himself in this way. He urged the guard to give he and his fellow Israelites nothing but vegetables (this would have included fruits) and water for 10 days, then compare their appearance with the other servants. After the 10 days, they were better nourished and healthier than the servants who ate the royal foods.)
From this Scripture the first two guidelines of the Daniel Fast were formed:
1. Only fruits and vegetables
2. Only water for a beverage
2: Daniel 10:2-3, which reads:
2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
From this Scripture, the third guidline was formed:
3. No sweeteners and no breads
Two additional guidelines were derived from Jewish fasting principals and the creators of this fast:
4. No leven- Yeast, Baking Powder, etc.
5. No artificial or processed foods nor any chemicals
I will admit that I was not entirely excited about this fast when Mark first mentioned it. I have had mirgraine trouble for years and generally use large amounts of caffiene daily to keep the migraines at bay. I was not looking forward to giving up Diet Pepsi and the headaches that would most certainly occur. But guess what? I did not have any withdrawal headaches. Not One. I took myself off Excedrin as well, so it wasn't like I was even masking the lack of Diet Pepsi with other caffienes. I drank strictly water (I did cheat and add flavor packets). I may not have followed the diet super strictly, but I made every effort to follow most of the basic guidelines.
As I mentioned, I was not overly excited to start this fast, but now that I have completed it, I am SO glad we did it! It has been over a month since we started the fast and we still try to center most of our meals around the Daniel Fast Guidelines. What types of foods do we eat? Here is a glance at what a day in the life of Annie's Daniel Fast would look like:
*Whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter, strawberries and bananas- rolled up. Yummy breakfast on the go!
*Clementines - these were a great snack to always have on hand. Easy to peel and so sweet!
*Veggie soup - my MIL added spicy V8 to her regular old veggie soup recipe and swapped vegetable broth for the chicken broth, then added any veggies we wanted. I could eat this every day for lunch, it is SO good!
*Peanuts, cashews, almonds - take your pick, they are all on the Yes List! I found them to be great fillers to get me from lunch to dinner. Plus, they are crunchy and salty. Yumm (O:
*Whole wheat spaghetti with all-natural tomato sauce - See! You can eat "regular" dishes but make them so much better for you! Add garlic salt, pepper, etc. to taste and it is as delicious as ever!
*Water, Water, WATER! I currently drink at least 72 fl oz of water a day, most days even more. (Yes, I am the kind of girl who is always drinking something...it's so much better/cheaper now that it is water instead of soda!)
Another great thing about eating better is FEELING BETTER. Yes, the first few days were pretty rough. I was super tired and felt somewhat lethargic; I think this was my body dealing with caffiene withdrawal. By day 4 of our official 10 Day Fast, I felt great! I had lots of energy and felt great. I started enjoying and *Craving* fruit for snacks and the thought of soda lost all appeal. I started going to Zumba classes twice a week with Treasa and my sister-in-law, Amy- and Love it! There is something about the combo of eating well and working out that makes me feel so good about myself. (How dreadfully red my face gets and how beyond-nasty sweaty I get are a different story...refer to this post. haha!)
An additional bonus for my personal experience with this fast and subsequent change in lifestyle is weigth loss! I did not intend to really track this as part of the fast, since the fast is not about the physical but about the spiritual. But I did check in from time to time just for my own personal knowledge...and I'm happy to say I lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks and have kept it off! I still have a long way to go, but it feels so so good to be on the right track. I'm not doing some crazy fad diet that will take the pounds off temporarily and then pack them back on if I sniff ice cream for too long. As long as I continue to practice healthy decisions, the improvements will continue to progress. (And yes indeed, I have definitely added ice cream back into my diet- but much less often than before and using a much smaller bowl).
I keep thinking about how this fast came along at exactly the right time. I have only a few months left before we head for our island home, and I had a lot of bad habits that needed to be kicked. I'm thankful to say that caffiene and soda are behind me- they were my biggest hurdles. I am also on the road to reaching my goal weight. I have much left to do, but now that I do not feel "deprived" from food, I know I can get there. I am thankful for the tools this fast has given me as well as the encouraging words of friends and family.
If you have never head of the Daniel Fast before, I encourage you to follow the link I listed above and look into it for yourself. I also encourage you to seriously consider participating- either in the 10-day or 21-day fast. The severed ties to processed foods and chemicals is exactly what I needed to jumpstart my journey to a healthier lifestyle of living. If you have any questions about something I didn't cover, please let me know! I am by no means an expert, but I would love to help you if I can! (O:
Thursday, February 9, 2012
A Little Surprise
Tomorrow morning, my husband will board a plane headed far, far away. He is going to Adu Dhabi for a 2-Week Leadership Seminar. (Yes, that's right- he's going all Sex and the City 2 on me! I told him to try and ride a camel if he can...) If you take a little look at your day planner, you can count the days and see he will be gone on a big RED day. Valentine's Day. We are not huge celebrators of this holiday as it is, but it also happens to be a special day for us- something Jason refers to as our "Valeversary". (He would totally kill me if he knew I just gave that secret away...please don't tell!) So, even though our wedding anniversary is in April, we still always make mention of this day because it is the day we officially started dating, back in 2006. *awww*
I have been working through some ideas of how to send a little love to him/with him for his trip- especially because I know he is not looking forward to being away from Emilia and I for that long. I have been pinning an idea here and there, but nothing I was overly excited about. Then it hit me! This morning I remembered that Picnik.com is shutting down in April (isn't that horribly sad!?) and that even their premium stuff was free until then. Soo, I searched through my hard drive(s) for a handful of my favorite photos- some of just Emilia, some of Jason and Emilia, I think I even snuck into one or two. So, I took these photos and added text to them in picnik. I went with an "I love you because.." theme. It seemed fitting for a Vday gift. Don't you agree? (O: I would love to share them all with you, but there are about 20 total...so here are a couple of my favorites:
Are you doing anything fun/surprise/corny for a loved one this season?
I have been working through some ideas of how to send a little love to him/with him for his trip- especially because I know he is not looking forward to being away from Emilia and I for that long. I have been pinning an idea here and there, but nothing I was overly excited about. Then it hit me! This morning I remembered that Picnik.com is shutting down in April (isn't that horribly sad!?) and that even their premium stuff was free until then. Soo, I searched through my hard drive(s) for a handful of my favorite photos- some of just Emilia, some of Jason and Emilia, I think I even snuck into one or two. So, I took these photos and added text to them in picnik. I went with an "I love you because.." theme. It seemed fitting for a Vday gift. Don't you agree? (O: I would love to share them all with you, but there are about 20 total...so here are a couple of my favorites:
They aren't anything uber fancy and some of you (*ahem, Jaime) might even call me corny. But I tried to think of something he would be glad to open so far away with a lot of time away left. I knew seeing our little girl's happy smile would be about the best I could give him. I am going to slide these into a little photo album and wrap it up with a note directing him to open on 2/14. Whether he makes it until then is a gamble! I'm also taking a risk posting this before he leaves, but I'm fairly certain he has never even seen my blog...so I *hope* he doesn't decide to check it out between now and then!! (O:
Are you doing anything fun/surprise/corny for a loved one this season?
Friday, February 3, 2012
This morning I spent a little time catching up on the most consistent Saipan blogger and found a link to an older blog of someone else who was on Saipan. This girl is now back in Texas, but I was excited to read every post, hoping for some other tidbits of information about this tiny island. What did she love? What should I prepare for? And so on...the more I read, the more discouraged I became. This girl and her husband were both in the public school systems on Saipan, so not directly affiliated with the school Jason will be working at, nor did she ever really mention attending the church we'll be part of. My struggle with this blog was the underlying negativity I felt radiating from each new post. Even after their first month of teaching, she was already counting down the days until they would be back stateside. (1/8 of the way done, and so on). She also had her fair share to say about the heat and humidity on the island. Don't get me wrong, I *know* it's going to be hot, really hot, and humid, yucky humid. But the tone of her posts was never really very uplifting. I felt my eyebrows creasing as the discouragement set in. I caught myself thinking, "Man, if this girl hated it that bad and she's from TEXAS, how on earth will I survive?" That is the moment I knew I needed to shake these bad feelings!
Now, I obviously know nothing about this girl other than what she has posted. She may be super cheerful and optimistic in real life. Heck, she may LOVE sweating for all I know. I'm not trying to point a finger of shame, nor am I trying to act like I would be any better in the situation. But, I do know that after reading her whole blog (that's right, I read it all...are you really shocked?), I need to mentally prepare my mind and heart for this. I don't ever want anyone to come across my blog and think, "Gee, she must really hate it there...why did she even go?"
Above all, I will always strive to follow God's will for our lives, but I never want to do it begrudgingly. Yes, it will be hot. And yes, I may on occasion lament about the humidity and my sweat levels (gross, I know). But, I want this blog and I want MYSELF to be more about the good things God is doing through us on this tiny island. I want to sing shouts of praise as lives are changed and know that because of Him, we got to be a part of it. I want to find ways to enjoy life on a tropical island, even when the heat index is 105. I want to be excited about making new friendships and stepping out of my comfort zone, trusting in God to see my through. I want to lead by example, and teach Emilia how to always look for the GOOD in life, even when it gets really hard.
Life on Saipan will be different than anything I have ever known and that is scary. It is scary to leave everything you know and love, pack a few suitcases and head to a place you know nothing about. I worry about how my family will eat. Yes, I know that is a weird one. But, with a family as finicky about food as we are, I worry about it. Add to that the prices of anything not-local and my worries increase. When I feel my heart getting heavy with such worries, I remind myself that God will be with me, Every. Day. I may not get to eat the foods I love here in the States. But I will not go hungry. I may not have the same level of air conditioned comfort I am used to during STL summer months, but He will comfort me. I may miss my family and friends on the mainland, but God WILL bring new friends into my life. I recently heard a definition that I intend to cling to. SACRIFICE: To give up something you love, for something you love more. As hard as it will be to leave our lives in Illinois, we know this is the right step for our family. There are so many people on Saipan that need to hear about Christ and God has called us to this task. When I think about the lives He will change, including our own, I cannot help but get super excited. The triumphs through Christ will definitely outweight our trials.
Sadly, the girl, whose blog I stalked today, did not return to Saipan. From what I can gather, she and her husband did not return after their first year. I cannot help but wonder if part of the reason is because she never got past the "uncomforts" and always longed for her "home" in Texas. This has taught me that there must be a certain level of disconnect from "home". I do not want to sit around thinking about how I miss Target, Old Navy and AC. I cannot allow myself to be bowled over with misery of the things I no longer have access to. I must always keep my mind positive. There are so many wonderful things about Saipan and it would be a disservice to myself to overlook them. I have no idea how long God intends for us to stay on Saipan, but I never want the reason we leave to be because I just couldn't get over missing "home". Saipan will BE my home for as long as God wills. I want to embrace it whole-heartedly and if the day comes that we must leave Saipan, I hope to ache for leaving my new "home".
Now, I obviously know nothing about this girl other than what she has posted. She may be super cheerful and optimistic in real life. Heck, she may LOVE sweating for all I know. I'm not trying to point a finger of shame, nor am I trying to act like I would be any better in the situation. But, I do know that after reading her whole blog (that's right, I read it all...are you really shocked?), I need to mentally prepare my mind and heart for this. I don't ever want anyone to come across my blog and think, "Gee, she must really hate it there...why did she even go?"
Above all, I will always strive to follow God's will for our lives, but I never want to do it begrudgingly. Yes, it will be hot. And yes, I may on occasion lament about the humidity and my sweat levels (gross, I know). But, I want this blog and I want MYSELF to be more about the good things God is doing through us on this tiny island. I want to sing shouts of praise as lives are changed and know that because of Him, we got to be a part of it. I want to find ways to enjoy life on a tropical island, even when the heat index is 105. I want to be excited about making new friendships and stepping out of my comfort zone, trusting in God to see my through. I want to lead by example, and teach Emilia how to always look for the GOOD in life, even when it gets really hard.
Life on Saipan will be different than anything I have ever known and that is scary. It is scary to leave everything you know and love, pack a few suitcases and head to a place you know nothing about. I worry about how my family will eat. Yes, I know that is a weird one. But, with a family as finicky about food as we are, I worry about it. Add to that the prices of anything not-local and my worries increase. When I feel my heart getting heavy with such worries, I remind myself that God will be with me, Every. Day. I may not get to eat the foods I love here in the States. But I will not go hungry. I may not have the same level of air conditioned comfort I am used to during STL summer months, but He will comfort me. I may miss my family and friends on the mainland, but God WILL bring new friends into my life. I recently heard a definition that I intend to cling to. SACRIFICE: To give up something you love, for something you love more. As hard as it will be to leave our lives in Illinois, we know this is the right step for our family. There are so many people on Saipan that need to hear about Christ and God has called us to this task. When I think about the lives He will change, including our own, I cannot help but get super excited. The triumphs through Christ will definitely outweight our trials.
Sadly, the girl, whose blog I stalked today, did not return to Saipan. From what I can gather, she and her husband did not return after their first year. I cannot help but wonder if part of the reason is because she never got past the "uncomforts" and always longed for her "home" in Texas. This has taught me that there must be a certain level of disconnect from "home". I do not want to sit around thinking about how I miss Target, Old Navy and AC. I cannot allow myself to be bowled over with misery of the things I no longer have access to. I must always keep my mind positive. There are so many wonderful things about Saipan and it would be a disservice to myself to overlook them. I have no idea how long God intends for us to stay on Saipan, but I never want the reason we leave to be because I just couldn't get over missing "home". Saipan will BE my home for as long as God wills. I want to embrace it whole-heartedly and if the day comes that we must leave Saipan, I hope to ache for leaving my new "home".
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Spring is in the Air!
Man is this weather lovely! The high again today (3rd day in a row) is around 60. In fact, according to my smart phone, it is 60 degrees outside Right. Now. This has really been a weird "winter", as we have had more warm days than cold days. It has only snowed ONCE and also one (maybe two) ice storm(s). That is So NOT typical for STL. Usually the cold blasts us every day starting around Thanksgiving and lasting until as late as March. I know it only Feb. 1, and the winter weather could rear its ugly head at any moment...but for now, today, I am enjoying the sunny, Spring day!
Spring is definitely my favorite season- full of new life, cool breezes, jeans and tees, rainboots, and good energy. Is it just me, or do people seem to perk up when the weather is nice? Maybe it's just really obvious after the winter lull. No winter lull this year! We have had some wacky weather and I am LOVING every second of it! This will be my last "spring" for a few years and intend to make the most of it. I want to take lots of walks to the park, play with Emilia, jump in puddles if/when it rains, pick flowers(weeds) with her, and lots of fun photos.
Even though I know I'm not the only person on God's list, I sometimes daydream that these wonderful springtime days are little blessings just for me. Like He knows I need them before the heat wave STL is known for shows up. Not to mention our big move to a permanent heat wave in July. Usually Spring lasts about 1-2 weeks in STL, and then Summer smacks everyone in the face. So far, I'm enjoying this wonderful (albeit early) Spring weather and I really *really* hope it continues until at least May. Wouldn't that be fantastic?! Aside from the obvious wonderful-ness of an extended Spring, I can think of many events that would be better with this lovely weather: Emilia's Fairy Birthday Party, Easter, Girls Weekend and Rainboot Photo Shoot...just to name a few.
I am bracing myself for the eventual return to real winter because I don't want to get my hopes up. But like I said, I am loving this weather while I have it!
Spring is definitely my favorite season- full of new life, cool breezes, jeans and tees, rainboots, and good energy. Is it just me, or do people seem to perk up when the weather is nice? Maybe it's just really obvious after the winter lull. No winter lull this year! We have had some wacky weather and I am LOVING every second of it! This will be my last "spring" for a few years and intend to make the most of it. I want to take lots of walks to the park, play with Emilia, jump in puddles if/when it rains, pick flowers(weeds) with her, and lots of fun photos.
Even though I know I'm not the only person on God's list, I sometimes daydream that these wonderful springtime days are little blessings just for me. Like He knows I need them before the heat wave STL is known for shows up. Not to mention our big move to a permanent heat wave in July. Usually Spring lasts about 1-2 weeks in STL, and then Summer smacks everyone in the face. So far, I'm enjoying this wonderful (albeit early) Spring weather and I really *really* hope it continues until at least May. Wouldn't that be fantastic?! Aside from the obvious wonderful-ness of an extended Spring, I can think of many events that would be better with this lovely weather: Emilia's Fairy Birthday Party, Easter, Girls Weekend and Rainboot Photo Shoot...just to name a few.
I am bracing myself for the eventual return to real winter because I don't want to get my hopes up. But like I said, I am loving this weather while I have it!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Saipan Support Team Letter
Hi friends!
(If you are coming to this link from the Facebook event: I posted this letter on my blog so you could each have a chance to look it over before Saturday. This is a support team letter we are in the process of sending out, inviting others to join us in this mission. Since we are meeting with you face-to-face, you will not be part of the mailing group receiving this letter. If you want a hard copy, please let me know before Saturday and I will print one out for you!) (O:
(If you stumbled across this from another venue: Hello! This is our support team letter inviting anyone interested to join us in our mission on Saipan. There is lots of good information, so please read! Feel free to ask any questions you may have or request further information. Thanks for stopping by!)
(If you are coming to this link from the Facebook event: I posted this letter on my blog so you could each have a chance to look it over before Saturday. This is a support team letter we are in the process of sending out, inviting others to join us in this mission. Since we are meeting with you face-to-face, you will not be part of the mailing group receiving this letter. If you want a hard copy, please let me know before Saturday and I will print one out for you!) (O:
(If you stumbled across this from another venue: Hello! This is our support team letter inviting anyone interested to join us in our mission on Saipan. There is lots of good information, so please read! Feel free to ask any questions you may have or request further information. Thanks for stopping by!)
Greetings! We pray this letter finds you well. The Lord has been faithful to our family during the past year. He is doing many wonderful things, and we know He will continue to be faithful in 2012.
We are so excited to share with you a challenging and incredible ministry opportunity God has presented to us. After prayer and consideration, we have answered God’s calling and are moving to the Island of Saipan Saipan while encouraging local Christians. Jason will be working with the other ministers of Saipan Community Church as well as teaching at Saipan Community School Japan , Korea , China , the Philippines , Russia , Indonesia , Malaysia , Palau , and the Island of Truk Island for work which means we get a two to four year window to show them who Christ is and by His Grace send them back as missionaries in their own countries. We are initially signing on to serve for two years and are scheduled to leave in July 2012.
We are also excited to invite you to share in this ministry opportunity and be a part of our Support Team. First and foremost, we ask you to cover us and this life-changing decision in your prayers. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God’s leading in ministry. Please pray that God will prepare us for this venture and bless our efforts as we minister to the people of Saipan , and that their hearts will be open to our message.
We also need prayers that the financial needs for our missionary support will be met. We would like to ask you to help this important ministry through a monetary donation. We are striving to obtain 200 commitments of shares in only a few, short months. One share is $10 per month which will equal $120 per year ($240 for the 2 year commitment). In addition to the monthly donations, we also need to raise an additional $20,000 to cover travel, shipping and other expenses related to this move of faith. Our departure date for Saipan is July 24, 2012.
To make it as easy as possible, we have included a Share Card to be completed and mailed in to start your partnership with us; a prepaid return envelope has also been included for your convenience. Please mark the box to correspond with your committed number of shares, or use the empty space to write in another commitment amount. We ask you to please consider committing to a minimum of 2 shares, and whenever possible, more shares as you feel led. You can send a check for the first month, annual support amount, or one-time donation with the completed Share Card. There are also options for online payments and monthly automatic withdrawals direct, if you prefer. A copy of the authorization form to be completed for automatic withdrawals is included, for those who are interested. Visit www.gbimissions.org under the Giving tab for more information. We are putting our trust in God to move in people’s hearts, leading them to donate to this life-changing mission. For as little as $20-50+ a month, you can be a part of this exciting ministry and help us spread the message of Christ on Saipan as well as into many parts of Asia !
We thank you in advance for your prayers and donations. May God bless you richly!
In Him,
Jason, Annie and Emilia Warren
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