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Showing posts from 2012

What A Year

What a whirlwind year it has been. This time last year we had just moved from Georgia to Kansas and had spent three months without a job. We moved into our house ten days before Christmas, but due to an Army mix up, we had no furniture or any of our stuff. All we had was one bag of clothes, a few pots and some food - the few things we had brought with us to carry us over the couple of weeks we expected to be without a home and job. We didn't have any ornaments or lights, and we had no paper to wrap gifts. It was strange. We ended up going about 8 weeks without furniture (while I was 20+ weeks pregnant) and six months without a job/income. As much as I tried to rejoice in the true reason for the season, it wasn't easy. Maybe it was that I've become accustomed to certain things as I celebrate Christ's birth - lights, ornaments, beautiful gifts. In their absence, I had a really hard time feeling festive. Something was missing. Throughout this past year, I've had

Thirty Four Pounds

I think "ecstatic" could pretty much describe me right now. I started packing our closet and decided to try on some clothes I haven't worn in at least 3 years....and they FIT!! Only one dress was too tight to actually wear, and I haven't worn it in probably 5 years anyway. One of these days I'll wear it again. My goal during my pregnancy was to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by 3 months post-delivery, and if not by then, I definitely wanted to achieve that weight by 6 months after bub arrived. I was trying to eat healthy, and I had heard stories of people back into their pre-pregnancy clothes within a couple of weeks after delivery, so I was hopeful that the weight would just melt right off. I was also motivated to exercise regularly. After all, I hadn't gained that  much during pregnancy - only 35lbs, which my doctor said was fine. But, what I hadn't realized is that breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding, limits weight loss, especially

What I wish I could tell my pre-2007 self...

(This is a somewhat random post, kind of a mish-mash of thoughts I've been having today over the growth I've experienced as a person since I moved to the US.) What I wish I could tell my pre-2007 self... * There is grace. When you fall, ask for forgiveness. It's ok - you don't have to berate yourself over and over again because you made a mistake. * You don't have to be someone you're not, just to make other people happy. God doesn't need your pretenses, or your hair to be perfect, or you to look like the perfect little Christian. He needs you  - flaws and all. If he'd wanted perfection, He would never have chosen you. * You don't know everything. And that's okay. * Accept who you are. You spend far too much time trying to be like other people. * There will always be people who will hurt you. And while that's hard to take, remember that you hurt people sometimes too. Forgive, and those hurts will fade and heal, and you'll be l

Joy Amidst Chaos

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Some days it feels like my life is complete and utter chaos. At this very moment, on my couch there is a to-do list for the day, one coupon for something I'm not even going to buy, two remotes, my Bible, a devotional that is only half read for the day, more coupons I'm not going to use, a list for Thanksgiving, coupons I might use for Thanksgiving stuff, my glasses, a water bottle, and a discarded pacifier. (It sounds like a whole pile of  stuff,  but really, it's way better than it was before, I promise.) And then there's the things that are not physically on the couch, but are running through my mind - that calendar I need to contact Shutterfly account, moving truck to organize, things to pack, Bible study to read...and so the list could go on. It feels like there's one endless to do list that keeps spitting out of my printer and I can't keep up. But...there's beauty in the chaos. The coupons mean I will get to celebrate Thanksgiving this year...whic