Losing Weight

I'm on the journey to lose weight again. UGH!!!! I realized that I had never shared the blog address of a new blog that I started with my friend. Take a look here.

I wanted to share because honestly I don't think I've been doing a good job at staying committed. About a year ago I was so close to a personal best with my weight and almost as soon as I reached my ideal weight the pounds slowly began to creep back on. My dear friend Joy and I share this struggle of discontentment in this area and decided we wanted to make some changes. I've teetered back and forth wondering if I could just live with a 155lbs on my frame and I've decided that NO I cannot. It seems like it's ok when I'm enjoying a hamburger or some fries but then I feel yuck and defeated and realize that I've let my love for food win again.

So this is definitely a journey that I'm pursing slowly. I've chosen not to "diet" but I am weighing and measuring myself each week. At this point I've done some research on healthier choices, met with women who seem to do this well and am back in the gym trying to make some changes. Above all of this, I'm also choosing to believe that my worth and value are not associated to a number (in my pants or on a scale). I do, however, believe that God wants what's best for us and for me that is a healthier lifestyle and way of living in general.

If you have any ideas to share or want to express your thoughts on weight loss and living well I'd love to hear them. If you are on this path as well I know how hard it is and I'm right there with you.

It's our Anniversary....How we met

Today is the day that I became Ian's wife 7 years ago! The time has really flown by. I found this blog and decided to join in since it's our anniversary too!!

Here's the story of how we first met.


Well honestly I first met Ian during his freshman year (my junior year) at Wofford. I saw him and said "You have got to be Seth Chadwick's younger brother." (Seth had just graduated from Wofford.) That was a stupid thing to say and I'm sure that he was like oh great another person who thinks I'm Seth. Thankfully he didn't remember it. Later on in that same year, he broke his nose playing basketball and a friend of mine wanted to take him a goody bag so I tagged along. He seemed nice but no sparks flying or anything like that.

Fast forward to that fall during his sophomore year, he and my same friend were having breakfast where Ian ranked me as one of the 3 most attractive girls at Wofford and my friend was very surprised. Beth she asked...so tell me more. That led to our very first date together on November 6, 1998. When he called to ask me out, I was really excited about it. Honestly I knew his brother Seth had strong convictions about his faith and I was very eager to have the chance to get to know Ian and possibly start a relationship with him. He was a breath of fresh air to the relationship rut that I had been in during my college years. He told me that we could do whatever I liked as we discussed what we'd do. That response along was so sweet to me. It was more of the way that he said it which I cannot describe in words. My choice was to go to dinner and a movie (still one of our favorite things to do).

Our first date was a home run for sure! I can remember being nervous about my first date with him. After that first night we spent nearly all of our spare time together. When we were together it was truly magical!

Since that first date and our first meeting we have continued to have those magical moments. Life is never dull with him...NEVER. He is anything but an ordinary man and I'm so blessed to be his wife and to have him as the father of my children.

Dry Run

This weekend we get the opportunity to keep a little girl who is in the foster care system. She is 6 months old and just entered her second foster home a month ago. We got a chance to meet her and her brother on Tuesday night. She gave me a big smile when I held her she didn't cry.

Her current foster mom needs to go out of state to New York and she only obtained court permission to take her brother (2 years old on Monday). DFACS called us and asked if we would be willing to take her for the weekend and we said yes.

So we have pulled out the toys for an infant and a friend just dropped off an infant carrier and an exersaucer. I'm excited and a little nervous to see how we handle having 3 kids this weekend.

Please pray for this sweet girl and her brother. I'm not sure what the story is on their mom but I do know that their foster mom is a practicing Buddhist and is a single woman just trying to learn the ropes on being a parent herself.

We're grateful to be able to be a part of her little life for this weekend. I'll keep you posted on how things turn out.

Mother's Day

I feel really blessed and celebrated today. Honestly the celebration started this week so I'll give you a rundown of the highlights. They aren't in any order just random events :-).

1. Ellison and I were talking this week about Mother's Day and she told me some things that she thought I'd like. On her list were pink nail polish, a movie to watch with Daddy, some exercise clothes and popcorn! It's amazing how much they notice things and pick up on!

2. My sweet husband gave me some money that he's saved from training to spend in any way I like...THAT was such a great gift and it was timed perfectly. Other than the occasional 10 dollar shirt at Target or Old Navy shopping for myself it is just not on the agenda these days.

3. Going to get my hair done on Saturday (ended up taking 5.5 hours) and coming home to Ian who had fed and bathed the kids! He then went out to grab us some dinner.

4. I had a yummy breakfast with the family this morning (prepared by Ian) and we got to ride to church together (I work on Sundays and normally I ride separately from the family).

5. I got some pictures of my mom and I in the mail from my dad this week. It was such a timely blessing to see images of us together when I wasn't quite 3! They've made me hug my girl tighter this week even through some difficult moments (more on that in another post).


I hope you had a great Mother's Day and that you felt celebrated too!

John Denver

Here is a book I found today for Ellison. Can you tell why I feel in love with it at first sight? If you know anybody with a child of mixed race please buy this book for them (actually all children would love it i think). As soon as she saw it and we read it together she said "it looks like me." My heart melted! It's not often that you find a book like this. In fact this is our first one and I've primarily bought books with animals to take the focus off of skin color.

In the back of the book John Denver is pictured holding his son, a bi-racial little boy! (Didn't know that). And... I got it at a used Children's store for 3 dollars! (I love a bargain). I'm thinking of buying another used copy to use the pics as wall art. They are so beautiful!

I love this song!

Not sure if this link will work or not, I've never tried this before but I haven't written in a while and the words of this song seem to sum things up so well. This morning I was getting the kids in to school and this song came on. I've heard it before but today it really struck home. Sometimes I feel a little like I'm walking and stumbling. As wonderful as parenting and marriage are, there are days that you grow weary and tired. I love the line "when the world has fallen out from under me I'll be found in you." I hope you can listen to it and you enjoy. I want to get her whole cd. Her voice is beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KiGN1j1No

Here are the lyrics.

Walking,stumbling on these shadowfeet
toward home,a land that i've never seen
I am changing: less and less asleep
made of different stuff than when i began
and i have sensed it all along
fast approaching is the day

[CHORUS]
when the world has fallen out from under me
I'll be found in you, still standing
when the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
when time and space are through
I'll be found in you

Theres distraction buzzing in my head
saying in the shadows it's easier to stay
but I've heard rumours of true reality
whispers of a well-lit way

[CHORUS]

You make all things new

[CHORUS]

[CHORUS 2]
When the world has fallen out from under me
I'll be found in you, still standing
Every fear and accusation under my feet
when time and space are through
I'll be found in you

This Day

Oh my goodness! I had to write about the day I've been having. I just can't seem to get it together. I hope you get a laugh out of this one.

1. Jude was up for about an hour in the night (felt like 5 hours) yelling mama, mama, mama. I went in and rocked him said night night and then he was quiet for a sec. He then started calling mama, mama, mama again and then....dada, dada, dada to which i went YES!!

2. Woke up late..never a good thing. This means no focused quiet time and no shower before the kids. I was not the mama to be around this morning. The morning after my mom's group (usualy means I'm an on it mom the next day, kinda like flying high)..... GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!!

3. Finally got it together and left the house at 10:30 to go to Costco. Got off the exit and discovered that I didn't have my wallet. ( I did the same thing on Monday which is why I had to go today!!!). Headed back home to get the wallet.

4. Get to Costco and decide to get some gas. Pumped the wrong grade of gas into my car which defeats the whole purpose of going to Cotsco for cheap gas.

5. Ellison is screaming she has to use the potty...really bad mind you while I'm pumping gas.

6. We rush into the store to use the potty and I discover that I left my coupons in the car!

7. Back to the car and into Cotsco again.

8. Finally leaving Costco after not using the coupon. Wasn't that great of a deal.

9. Hubbie calls "we're playing soccer nearby why don't you come over with the kids." Oh great I think. Beautiful day I wanted to do something fun with them the park it is.

10. To the bank to deposit checks...yep left them at home too.

11. Wait in the drive through at Chic-fil-a. Can't find my purse. In the line I jump out of the car to look in the trunk. It's not there. I'm panicking. Did I leave it in the buggy at Costco?? I ask Ellison to unbuckle her seat belt and help me look so that I can move up in line. I mean it's 12 peak time for CFA!! "Nope Mommy I don't see it."

11. Find my purse behind my seat just as it's my turn to order. After I place my order a random man runs up to me with a little boy's shoe. Yep Jude's shoe that he had kicked off fell out as I was franticly searching for my purse.....are you laughing yet!!!

12. Head over to Kohl's to get new deck chairs quick...HA...quick. Decide against that since the kids are starving and I can't pull them away from their lunch in the back seat.

13. Go to the soccer field. Jude cries because he can't be on the field with daddy. Try to engage the kids in a little game on the side lines but not as interested as the bleachers that Jude could potentially fall through onto hard cement!

14. Ok enough of that. We head back to Kohl's. Thankfully no drama there. They had the chairs (50% off!) Get the chairs and now we are at home....

I'm thinking I better get that quiet time that I missed. This afternoon has got to get a little less hectic.