Hills & Valleys: Our Faith Journey

I don't think it's any secret that the past four months, I've changed my eating habits and thereby have lost some weight. I've had a bunch of people ask me recently for more specifics on what I've been doing, so I figured I'd share here. First of all, I did NOT use any kind of subscription, pill, shake, etc. to lose weight. If that's your thing, go for it. I just don't like the idea of having to purchase something in order to lose weight and maintain a healthy size. I wanted something sustainable for life, that didn't cost me a lot of extra money (because let's face it, who has extra money laying around??). The Nutrition Side I absolutely love nutrition. I added a Nutrition minor to my college degree because of how much I enjoy it, and I honestly wish I'd had the time to take more classes. So, I've learned about a lot of different diets out there and why diets generally don't work. I also know that going to extremes (e.g. complet

Well, let's just call this the year of getting REALLY acquainted with the medical profession, shall we? Haha. In all honestly, I don't think I've been to the doctor as many times in my whole life as I've been this year. In some respects it feels like we just get one thing taken care of before something else crops up. In August, I started having a variety of symptoms that ultimately led to the diagnosis of several different issues, C-diff being one of them. (Since a bunch of people have asked--yes, I'm completely better from that.) One of the other things I was diagnosed with was an ovarian cyst. This cyst was so painful that it became difficult to do normal activities--walk, go up any stairs, get in the car, etc. Everything became so very painful. After dealing with it for about a week and a half, I finally got a diagnosis which was later confirmed by ultrasound. Last Monday, I had a followup ultrasound to check on the cyst. My pain had all but disappeared so I

1. Have you tried reducing stress in your life? Ya know, there is absolutely no medical basis for this kind of statement. Plenty of babies have been conceived in stressful times--let's think about war, tornadoes, major storm systems... Less stress does not necessarily equal an easier time getting pregnant. 2. Maybe you should look into adoption. Adoption is not a quick fix for people struggling to get pregnant. Speaking from my own situation, I want (and believe God will give us) the experience of carrying my babies in my belly, birthing them, etc. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE adoption. I want to adopt someday. But that doesn't change my desire for bio kids, too. Also, can we just stop for a minute and realize kids available for adoption aren't a commodity to fill a need?!? They are people too. They have needs, many of which are more complex because of the situations they are born into. They need parents who are ready to work through these needs with th