The Reason for the Season

Life can get so hectic and it is so easy to get wrapped up in all that happens during the Christmas season. Trying to get the perfect present for everyone and making sure that you get your Christmas cards out on time. Decorating the house and throwing the parties.

This year we are tyring to stay focused on the reason that this season is here in the first place. Jesus is the reason and without Him, we would have nothing to celebrate! The Lord is our provider and He sacrificed His son, Jesus, so that we might have the opportunity to live with Him one day. Jesus the way, the truth, and the light. No one can enter the kingdom except through Him.

As many of you know, Jackie and I began the journey to start a family earlier this year. We recently found out that this last try was unsuccessful again and it broke both of our hearts. I have struggled with feelings that maybe I am not doing what I am supposed to or that I am not worthy to have children, but the Lord makes promises and He will not break His promises no matter what! A friend of mine shared a scripture with me yesterday that gives me hope and reminds me of the promises God makes to His children.

Psalm 113:9 (NIV)
"He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children."

Both Jackie and I will keep this promise close to our hearts as we continue to try to start our family. This journey has really made me look closely at my personal relationship with the Lord and to see that He loves me no matter what and He wants to give me the desires of my heart, it will just be in His time.

Alive & Well

Hello everyone! I know it has been FOREVER since I have posted anything to my blog and there is really has been quite a bit going on, so I have no good reason not to be posting. :( I was just sitting her at work thinking how badly I want to just go home and have this week over with, so I figured, why not......let's put a post up on my blog finally. It may make some people keel over from shock! :) I have a very strong desire to get caught up on all the major events that have taken place in our lives lately so that I can keep everyone up to date on all the new events that will be taking place in the near future! I will return soon, with more pictures and stories to share but until then just know I am alive and well! :)

This is a picture of Jackie, Cole and I last year at the San Diego zoo. Just figured some people would love to see how big Cole has gotten he is bigger now than in this picture! :)

Goal Update #2

So yesterday was weigh in day and it has been 9 weeks since I started the program and I lost another 3 pounds!!!! :) So in 9 weeks I have lost a total of 14 pounds! I am very proud of myself and what I have accomplished in these last 9 weeks.

Goal Update #1

It has now been a little over a month since I started my new goal, today was my fourth weigh in. As of today I have lost 10.2 pounds and am well on my way to the ultimate goal. I am feeling pretty good about my progress even though I think deep down inside I was hoping to have better results by this point, I have to be truly happy with what I have done so far! :)

My First Mission Trip

I am leaving on Monday for my very first mission trip! I am very excited and nervous and I go out to serve the Lord in an area I have never been before. About 10 people from our little church in Westminster are flying out to New Orleans, Louisiana to serve with Samaritan's Purse rebuilding homes in the 9th ward (one of the most severely affected area of Hurricane Katrina). Now I get a bit nervous when I have to speak verbally about the Lord as I don't know my scripture very well and I fear I might not have to right words to say, but I am truly excited that I can serve the Lord with my hands. This is something that I don't have any problems doing. Growing up I was always the one that had to go outside and help my dad with the hard work and so this is something that will also remind me of my father while I serve my Heavenly Father.

As the day of departure approaches I am getting more and more excited to have this experience and help those people that need the help and please my Father. We return on Saturday the 28th and I will be posting a follow up of my trip with hopefully a few pictures of my experience! :)

The New Goal...

Okay, so I wasn't going to say anything until I had some really good news to report, but I decided if I started documenting on my blog from the near beginning I might actually hold myself a little more accountable than if I waited until I had hit a big milestone. And Jackie has practically told everyone around here already anyway soooo...

I joined weight watchers last week and had my first weigh in today. Week 1 weight loss- 3.2 pounds! It is a start and from what I hear, a decent first week. My overall goal is 50 pounds, so I am on my way!

I have to tell you right now that I won't be posting any week 2 results because as of next Monday I will be in New Orleans on a mission trip with our church! We are going to serve through Samaritans Purse to help rebuild houses for 1 week. I am so excited this is my first mission trip ever and I can't wait to go and help people! I have heard so many neat stories about experiences people have had and I am just so excited! :)

We Said Goodbye to Jonah...

Some of you might already know this information, but I decided I was finally ready to put it down on paper. On December 15, 2008 we had to make a decision to put down Jonah. He developed a cold and was not fighting it off like the other kitties were, so we took him into the vet. They gave him medication, but he just seemed to be getting worse. Our vet suggested we take him into the critical care unit and so we did, only to find out that he had an enlarged heart, 1 non working kindney, and a small stone in his bladder that could cause a blockage if not taken out. This was all on top of the fact that he had a really bad cold. The vets suggested we get him through his cold and then have surgery to remove the bladder stone and dead kidney. Then we would start him on medication for his heart and see how things went. They didn't think that he would make it more than a couple years even after all this, so we were very saddened by the news. They gave him some fluids and told us to feed him baby food through a syringe so he could get the nutrients he needed since he refused to eat. A couple days later he would still not eat and seemed to be getting worse so we took him back in and they administered some more fluids and put him in an oxygen tank to try and clear out his sinuses. We took him home only to take him back the next day to have them put a feeding tube in since he was not eating anything. We left him there intending to be back in a few hours to pick him up, but the vet called us saying they redid his blood work and he was in full renal failure. At this point there was nothing they could do for him because they could not put him under with his vitals like this. He was in pain and uncomfortable and they explained that he would not make it much longer being in full renal failure. After many tears Jackie and I decided it would be best to let him go and take away the pain. I really believe this is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do and I have had a few hard things to go through in my life. Jonah was only 3 and a half years old.

His buddy, Hannah, has not been the same since then. Ever since we brought her and her sister home almost 2 years ago, Hannah has been inseperable from Jonah. She was lost without him and would cry for him all the time. Even though it has been a few months now, just writing this has brought it all to the surface again. I know he is in a better place, but we definitely miss him very much! Goodbye Jonah

Time Sure Passes Quickly

Well, I meant to take more pictures of the house and post them to the blog shortly after my last post, but as you can see that didn't happen. We are moved in and have just a few boxes to still put away before we can say we are completely moved it. From the time we received the keys (December 18, 2008) to the day we moved in (December 27, 2008), we decided to go full force and get as much done with the house as we could! :)

We painted the living room, dining room, hallway and are working on getting the kitchen redone (we picked a yellow that was too bright and didn't do the greatest job when we painted it). We had new laminate floors and carpet installed, the plumber came out and installed a water line for the fridge as well as fixed one of the toilets and replaced the washer valves, the heating and a/c guy came out and installed a new motor blowers and well as a new pilot assembly and cleaned the heater, installed wood blinds throughout the living room dining room and kitchen and had our kitchen appliances delivered.

Since we have moved in we have had the gardener remove all the shrubbery and plants on both sides of the house in order to plant some low maintenance small bushes and flowers. We still have quite a few things we want to do before we feel satisfied, but as most of you can guess, it takes money to do these things and that is quickly dwindling.

I will try to put up a few pictures of the house this weekend with the changes we have made so far and then you can all tell me if the upgrades were worth it! :)