Illinois!!!

I'm sure you've heard me talk about my "Fab Four" before. I have 3 girlfriends (formerly four, before Cara passed away) that I've been best friends with for years. Jenny and I met at age 3, and have been inseperable ever since. Dana and Candi met as toddlers as well, and we met them during school. Cara came into the equation when Dana moved to a little town about 20 miles away from the rest of us. Together, we've been through it all. Boys, graduation, college, parties, boys again, long-distance friendships, more boys (we were a little boy crazy there for a while, haha), more parties, marriage, kids, tragedy, you name it. With all of having busy "grown-up" lives now, raising kids, jobs, marrying crazy Sailors and living halfway across the globe, etc., it's rare that we all get together. But two weeks ago, it happened! And it was AMAZING!

Dana, one of my Fab Four, got married, and I was blessed to get to be a part of their ceremony, etc. Before setting foot on the plane out of Seattle, I had decided in my mind that my first priority for this trip was to be as big of a blessing as possible to everyone I visited.  To help Dana with wedding stuff, run errands for her, help my parents wherever I could, and really just focus on serving others. I really had no idea how much I would get out of this trip. I also had no idea how badly I needed to see my girls until it happened.

Out of all the places I've ever lived, nothing has made me miss "home" quite the way Washington has. You all know (because I'm really not shy about it) that Washington is not my favorite place to live. The roads are horrible, the rain is annoying, but those things are really nothing compared to the people. (I know this sounds brash, and I certainly don't dislike everyone from Washington, bear with me for the explanation....) The people here are very different. Not seemingly unfriendly, but exactly that. This is not just my perspective, this is a REAL thing, you can read more about it here. They're very polite in passing, but behind that, there's a wall. It's really hard to make friends here, and that's something I've struggled with since the day we got here. It's never, ever, ever, not even when surrounded by people who don't speak the same language as me, EVER been hard for me to make friends. But it is here. And I hate that. I have friends from my church, and I love them dearly, but they all have family surrounding them here and other factors that make it difficult for us to really spend a ton of quality time together.  Being in a place like this really makes me miss "home". Not necessarily the corn and soybean fields, or the lameness that is Illinois. But the real "home". The Dana, Candi, and Jenny. The Applebee's where I worked for 5 years while going to college and dating the man that would one day become my husband. The Polar Pop. My sweet hearted parents.

This trip, I got to indulge in all of those things, and it was food for my soul. There were tons of memories made, and it was a really great time. I was so nervous to be away from my family for an entire week, and that part was every bit as hard as I thought it was going to be. But, thanks to Skype, Android phones, and a lot of prayer, I survived and took so much more away from the trip than I ever expected to.  

Here's a run down of the itinerary.....

My trip began with Jenny.....of course :)



Then on to the wedding....decorating and rehearsal dinner first....

"We clean up pretty nice" <-- the words of Candi Taylor :)

Bridesmaid shenanigans...

Dana was a beautiful, and I mean OH-MY-GOSH, jaw on the ground, stunning bride.

We did alot of things in memory of our dear friend Cara both during the wedding, and outside of it. Dana decorated a beautiful table to honor her, complete with a place setting, a flamingo, and a picture of her. Cara's parents attended the wedding, and when they saw the table her Mom cried happy tears and told us it was perfect, exactly what she would have wanted. I don't think she knows how much that meant to us, but it was wonderful to hear.  

We also went to her grave, and took some pictures and some of her favorite things out with us. We all sat in the grass around it, and told stories, reminisced, laughed, cried, prayed, and healed. None of us are "healed" completely, and I don't think we ever will be, but just facing the reality and grieving through it together did really peaceful things for me. I'm glad we were all able to do this.

My Mom's one (really of many, lol) request was that I play Bingo with her. I always love doing that anyway, because it's something I remember my mom doing with her Mom. My Grandma loved to play Bingo once or twice a week, and my Mom always went with her. As a kid I remember thinking "I can't wait until I'm old enough to do that to!". This was alot of fun for my Mom and I.

I realized (a day late and a dollar short!) that my parents and I were together for our "Gotcha Day!" this year for the first time in years! June 8th, 1984 was the official day that my parents' adoption was finalized, and I was legally, freely and clearly their daughter. I've always known what a blessing my parents were to me, but I realized it even more so during this trip. My parents love me more then anything in this world. (though I may be lower on the food chain since giving birth to their grandaughters) They always showed me affection and made sure I knew how much they cared. They were proud of me whether I nailed a 4.0 GPA, or simply sold the most margaritas at Applebee's that month. They loved me in a way that I thought everyone was loved by their parents. I was wrong, and I've seen the affects of someone who never had that. Praise God for these two wonderful people who truly gave me life.

One of the most exciting things that happened this trip (or ever, really!) was this picture below. This is my biological brother Joe, who I'd never met before. He was so sweet to invite me over to his house, where I met him, his fiancee and her two adorable kids. We talked for hours, and really got to know each other. We talked about the possibility of us starting a sibling relationship as adults (which is crazy, but so cool!) and I'm really excited to have him and his family as a part of my life.

Throughout all this, Doc was running the Mommy-show back here on the homefront. He did amazing. He took Jordan to school on time every day (a feat even I have yet to conquer! lol), did a couple fun outings with the girls to the splash pad, etc., attended my yoga class (and enjoyed it?!? not sure what to think of that, haha), and said that he felt like it was a blessing to have been able to spend time with his girls. I came home to happy kids, a spotless house, and a goatee I hadn't seen in years. It was very well-received. I'd missed him and our girls so much.

It's great to be home, and back with my family, in our routines again. Thank you for the prayers for safe travels, etc. I'm sorry to anyone I missed during this trip, I had a pretty packed agenda. What's new in your worlds? Do you have any trips coming up this summer? I'm excited to heart about them!

Kindergarten Recap

I blinked, and all of a sudden, Jordan's first year of school is coming to a close! It's been a great year for her. The Lord has made it very obvious to us that putting Jordan into school was far and away the right decision, and we're thankful for His assurance. I was blessed to be able to volunteer in her classroom, and really see how she's doing, and how her dear teacher handles all (28!!!)  kids! She had a great teacher, and is already sad to be leaving her class for the summer.  Jordan's report cards for the year have been excellent. She was getting great scores on her first assessment in October, and has continued that way ever since. And, she's made some adorable new friends along the way (and so have I!). I'm one proud Mama :) And in just 3 more weeks, I get to enjoy her all summer long! :)

Cheers!!! To a great summer, filled with laughs, sprinklers, popsicles, library trips, splash pad fun, vacations, BBQ's, fairs, rodeos, and family!

High.

I haven't updated lately about my eating journey. Today I want to do that. The last time I wrote about this I was doing nothing really but counting calories to work on setting limits for myself. It was working out ok, but it really gave me a lot of binge freedom. For some people, this is good, because they can have their cheat items in total moderation and it's fine. I'm not that girl. I hope that one day I will be able to do that, but right now my fight is with self-discipline, and part of the fight (I'm learning....still a work in progress, remember?) is cutting off my hand. Jesus tells us "And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell" (Matthew 5:20 [NIV]).  Jesus is talking about sexual sin, and this principle easily applies to anything tempting. Jesus is not telling us to literally cut of our hand. What he's saying is that if everyday you go to Dunkin' Donuts, and everyday you get sucked in by the amazing smell of fresh glazed doughnuts and you end up eating 2 of them, stop going to Dunkin' Donuts!! You have a choice in whether or not you face that temptation, and Jesus' advice is to completely avoid it.


After an incredible weekend with my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and two Aunts, I came home feeling refreshed and ready to make some changes in my eating. I talked extensively with my sister-in-law, who is an absolute inspiration in my eyes when it comes to health and nutrition, about alot of things. I came home, ready to hit the pavement on this journey even harder.


So as with any journey, I have highs and lows. Right now I'm on an incredible HIGH! I've done a 30-40 minute run on the elliptical daily for that last 2 weeks straight (minus one day for rest), I've been really dedicated to my eating (protein, good carbs from fruits and veggies, and healthy fats), and I'm seeing amazing results. (I.E. feeling great, losing weight, etc.) So this is all well and good.


But this isn't my first rodeo. I know what's coming. It may not be tomorrow, or the next day, but it will happen. A whiff of garlic at the mall food court....a friend saying "Oh come on, you can have just a LITTLE piece!!" (<-- not with bad intentions, just clearly not knowing a thing about my addiction to food)...maybe something as simple as a fundraiser for my daughters school that just so happens to take place at the Golden Corral. (DANG you, chocolate fountain!!)

Will you all pray for me? The trial may not have come, but I know it's coming. Pray for wisdom to know God's plan for my life. Pray for strength to follow it. And if you think of it, pray that every time the devil is headed my way with a big platter of bacon cheese fries, pray that he trips and smashes his face in it! I am prayerfully convinced that changing my lifestyle is how I "sing a greater song". This is how I lose myself and let God's strength and truth flow through me. When anyone's heart is set on the Lord, the enemy has no greater threat, you can bet he'll attack. This is the hardest thing I've ever done. Ever.


Thank you for all the encouragement you give me on Facebook, or by email, text, whatever. You peeps rock! Anyone doing anything similar with your diets, or doing any workouts or anything? Let me know! I'll pray for you too!!