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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter {& prayer chain linkup!}

Happy Easter, everyone! 

So thankful for the sacrifice Jesus made for me! And for YOU. He is so good!

This morning I sang a song at church. My first time to sing a solo since I have been going there (other than leading 2 songs in worship one evening). I love this song. Nichole Nordeman is a brilliant writer! If you have never heard this song, listen to it... it's beautiful! (This is her singing it...not me...haha!)



Anyway. I am linking up with Amy & Melissa for the prayer chain linkup! If you want to join, you can write up a post with any praises from last week & any prayer requests you have. Then add the link to your post to Amy or Melissa's post! They have committed to praying for each & every request...and you do your part by praying for one of the other requests.  I think this is such an awesome idea!

{PRAISE}
I just posted this on Facebook: Last Easter, Brad & I visited Covenant Church with my parents, just to be with them for Easter Sunday. We were not at all expecting to leave with the crystal clear understanding that this was the church for us! Ironic because Brad grew up there, and my parents had been attending for over 15 years! We surprised my parents the next Sunday by showing up again...& we didn't look back! We are so thankful for such a wonderful pastor, sweet church family & the lifelong friendships we have made so far! We ♥ y'all!

And that is my praise. We had been looking for a church home for AWHILE, finally settling in a church i grew up in. It didn't feel like home, but it was a good church, some of my closest friends go there & frankly, we were tired of looking.  I love how God knew all along that He had a place for us at Covenant, and that he would show us that when we visited with my parents for Easter. We have LOVED being a part of Covenant since then. Such down to earth people, such sweet & real people, and some lifelong friendships we have made! Very thankful! 

{PRAYER}
Tomorrow I start Ideal Protein. This is also something that i just KNOW God is leading me to do. I have been struggling with my weight since high school, but in 2009, I got to my highest weight ever & decided something had to be done. I lost 20 pounds but it took me forever to do it, and then i gained more than half of it back. I was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance, which explained the difficulty in losing weight, but i have still struggled to lose. And believe me when i say i have done EVERYTHING you need to do to lose weight! 

The metabolic clinic suggested Ideal Protein to me back when i was first diagnosed with Insulin Resistance, but i balked at the cost. Now, though? Now i feel like desperate times call for desperate measures. Brad is totally supportive & has made room in the budget for me to be able to do this! Tomorrow is my first appointment at 8:00 am. I AM READY! 

The prayer request is that i stick to this diet 100%, no matter how difficult! That i have a clear understanding of exactly what i can & can not eat & that i do not give in to temptation. Pray that God gives me the strength to follow through, that the weight comes off - FINALLY! And that as a result of the weight coming off, I reverse my Insulin Resistance...and have no problem getting pregnant! (My weight/IR is what has kept me from pregnancy so far. And yes, i know some overweight people & some people with IR get pregnant easily. But not all. And not me!!)

That is the plan. And the hope. :) Thank you for praying for me! 
 

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Last Weekend.

This was supposed to be a "This Weekend, I" post with Sar & Syndal! And then i forgot to actually post it. So... a few edits here & there and it's posted a bit late! OOPS! 

* * * * * * *

Last weekend, I had breakfast at my in-laws & got to visit them for awhile. Love my in-laws!

Last weekend, I laughed at Fani all curled up in my sister-in-law's LAP! I swear, she thinks she is a lap dog! 

Last weekend, I (& my husband) went with mom & dad to have dinner with my sister and brother-in-law. They were only expecting my parents, so it was tons of fun to surprise them!
Last weekend, I was asked by our pastor to lead Happy Birthday to our worship pastor. HA! It was awesome. Billy is one of our good friends. The singers usually sit down when announcements start, but the band usually stays because they play during the offering (after announcements). Well, i recruited the singers to sing Happy Birthday with me! I know Billy was wondering why we were all still standing there when Pastor Jeff started the announcements. I wouldn't even look at Billy! Then Pastor Jeff looks at Billy and says, "So, Billy, do you have that special song ready for me?" And Billy says, "No, i do not!" looking at him like, "what the heck are you talking about?!" Pastor Jeff says, "Are you sure? That song? You don't have that song ready for me?" And Billy is like, "No, sir!" & i interrupted & said, "I got it, Pastor Jeff!" He said, "Oh, Melissa's gonna do it, great, thanks, Melissa!" LOL!!!! So i started singing happy birthday with the other singers! And my hubby chimed in on the organ which was awesome because Billy LOVES Brad's style on the organ! Ha! It was pretty funny. 

Last weekend, I finally got to meet some beautiful twins!! My hubby's cousin, Blake, was at church with his wife & twins, Lawson & Blakeleigh! I held Lawson FOREVER. He was so sweet!
Last weekend, I had a lazy day on Sunday. Watched three movies! I watched Friends with Kids, which i actually really liked, although some may not (The f-bomb is the reason for the R rating. Otherwise, i liked it.). Then I watched "One for the Money" which i kind of half-watched while playing on my phone. Which means it didn't really hold my attention. Which is sad because i LOVE the book, and love that actress, Katherine Heigl. It was cute. Just not GREAT! As for the other movie...
Last weekend, I watched October Baby. Y'ALL. WATCH IT! It is a must-see! It was SO INCREDIBLY good. It's a movie about grace & forgiveness, abortion/adoption, and so much more. I cried buckets, but loved it! Beautiful writing, great acting!
 (source)

Last weekend, I did a lot of laughing & being silly with my husband! Love that guy! :)

Friday, March 22, 2013

Currently...

It's Friday evening. Possibly my favorite time of the week! No, second favorite. My FAVORITE-favorite would be Saturday around 10 am. I'm usually showered & dressed by then but just chillin'. So it's basically the same as Friday night except freshly showered & feeling clean! Haha! 

Tonight i came home, threw stuff in a pot, and called it taco soup! It's almost done simmering & will be ready! Smells good up in here!

I saw this little goodie on Sarah's blog & thought I would do it, too. :)

{CURRENTLY...}

Watching Law & Order SVU's current season. And ER. Caught up on SVU last night, and will catch up on ER tonight! I just watch them online after they've aired. I'm only one episode behind...not too bad! LOVE these shows this season! 

{EDITED TO ADD: Wow. ER?! I haven't seen that in YEARS, maybe decades! Haha. I meant, Grey's Anatomy.} :)

Thinking about Ideal Protein, the diet I am starting April 1st. I have heard nothing but good about this program, and am ECSTATIC that I am going to do it! I 100% believe it is the plan for me & am READY! I have to wait til April 1st, because it's not cheap & hubby wants to wait til i have my first full check from my new job & he gets the budget straight so we can pay for it! But i know it works...and after nearly 4 years of trying to lose this weight, I AM READY.

Listening to the Bethel Music station on Pandora. Has a lot of songs we sing at church, which i love. Good stuff! 

Excited about starting Move Over, Mrs Markham, the play I am stage managing starting Monday! We have a great cast, and the script is hilarious! Plus, my friend Jennifer is going to co-SM with me so that (a) i can show her the ropes of SM'ing, and (b) i can miss opening night to go to my good friend's wedding! 

Loving that the corporate office of Aveda (my last job) called me to do an exit interview, and i was able to honestly but respectfully tell her the problems there!! It needed to be said! And she was so nice about it! :)

Drinking coffee & water these days...and that's about it! 

Eating nothing but veggies and meat these days. For the most part! ;)

Missing my good friend, Mandy!! Haven't spent time with her in awhile, my life is consumed with auditions lately! Haha. Also missing a few favorite coworkers at Aveda and certain friends in Pennsylvania! ;) (Break a leg tonight, Rainey!)

Making me happy that I have a free weekend... nothing planned but church on Sunday! Woot!

Happy weekend, y'all!
 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Deep Thoughts, by Mel P. V.

I have not blogged since March 14th. Which is terrible, horrible, no good & very very bad! 

Sorry. :)

(I feel I should explain the title of this post. At the theatre, my nickname became Mel P. Not just Mel, no, but Mel P. It just fit. Had a nice ring to it. So everyone would greet me with, "MEL P!!!!!!" And not just, "Mel" or "Melissa". 

When I got married, people were sad, because I was suddenly Mel V, which sounds like Melvee, which apparently doesn't have as nice a ring? Actually, it was that people would FORGET I had a new last name, so it would come out like this, "Mel P!!! V!!!!!!" with the V as an, "oops! I forgot!". 

So then it became, "Mel P V". 

Got all that? It's a term of endearment when someone calls me "Mel P" or "Mel P V". And I'll answer to either. :)

ALL THAT BEING SAID! MUCH HAS BEEN GOING ON & I SHALL FILL YOU IN! 

(Sorry to yell!)

Here is what's been going on. In bullet-point fashion (I always blog this way when it's been awhile!). 

#1 - Les Mis Auditions
Our theatre is one of the first community theatres to get the rights to perform this beautiful story. I am NOT SM'ing or even auditioning, so i agreed to help work auditions. We expected a lot of people to come out for this one, which would mean they would need some help! I was happy to oblige; I love working auditions! It is fun! 

(For those I told I was going to audition, I changed my mind when i got my new job. Just didn't know how that would work out & didn't want to hinder my new job or a show. After overhearing all initial auditions and sitting in the room to hear all callback auditions (about 230 people, many i heard 2 or 3 times (initial audition + callbacks)), I was GLAD i decided not to audition! People say, "don't say that - believe in yourself!". Y'all. I do. I know I sing well, I know i am a good actor, and i know i am a terrible dancer (which I think will change as i lose weight; i do have rhythm, y'all!). I also know that i am NOT GOOD ENOUGH to beat out at least 100 of those who auditioned! Most of whom are vocally trained! I mean, come on! Let's be real here.) (Man, i love parenthesis.)(For real, though.)

Did i mention that only 13 men & 9 women will be cast? Out of 230 people? EXACTLY. I did really enjoy being a part of the audition process. It's FUN being on that side of the table. And I didn't have to deal with the things i hate most at auditions: NERVES!

(If my mom is reading this, she will not like that last paragraph. Of course she thinks i am better than all of them!)(Thanks, mom!)

Now that that's out of the way. The auditions consisted of FIVE ROUNDS. 
#1-Saturday - vocal auditions by appointment. 1 auditionee, 1 accompanist, 1 director, 1 music director, 1 stage manager.  ALL DAY.

#2-Sunday - 1:00-children auditions. 3:00-10:00pm - more adult vocal auditions

#3 - Tuesday - 6:00-10:00pm - MORE adult vocal auditions!

#4 - the next Saturday - Adult female callbacks - 9am-2pm - i sat in on these!

#5 - that Sunday - Children callbacks, then Adult male callbacks, & second round of adult female callbacks. GEEZ!!! I sat in on these too!

So that was it. And by the end of Sunday did we have a final cast? NO! They had narrowed it down pretty well, but still haven't made final decisions. The cast list will be posted Monday. Yet another reason i am glad i didn't audition because i would not be able to stand this kind of torture!! 

#2 - Move Over, Mrs. Markham
Are you tired of hearing about theatre yet??? :) If so... you might want to come back later! ;) After the Audition Marathon that was Les Miserables, I came BACK to the theatre two MORE nights for Move Over, Mrs. Markham auditions! I am SUPER excited about this show! I decided to stage manage it. This is another one i had backed out of because of my new job, but by the time auditions got close, i decided i could do it IF i had a co-stage manager... someone who could be at rehearsals if i had to work late or something. Plus, one of my favorite people is getting married May 3, which is opening night of Markham, so i am going to her wedding. (Plays like this one are a much shorter time commitment than musicals like Les Miserables.)

So they agreed, a co-SM would be great. And my friend Jennifer is gonna do it! WAHOO! I am so excited, because Jenn hasn't been a part of our theatre long & has only worked crew. But so many people have said, "She would make a great stage manager" (including myself). So she is going to do it, and I'll be training her as we go! She is excited & i am too! 

#3 -IDEAL PROTEIN
Total topic change. If you read my weightloss blog, you know i have been struggling with my weight since 2009. 

Actually, for most of my LIFE, mainly since high school, but 2009 is when i started doing something about it. AND I'M STILL FAT. 

All of that is a long story, one that i won't go into (but you can go take a read around my weightloss blog, if you are so inclined). 

In the very beginning of my journey, the metabolic clinic i go to suggested Ideal Protein. It's a diet that produces fast results (which i have never been a fan of) and it's SUPER helpful for all but even more so for those with Insulin Resistance (like me) & that are obese (like me)

I said no back then because of the expense. It's not cheap, y'all. However, now that i am 35, childless, still fat, and just ready to DO THIS ALREADY, we have decided to make it work. Hubby is currently working on the budget so that we can do it without breaking the bank. I will start April 1st (to give him time to get the finances in order. Because that's the kinda man i married! Which is good since i am NOT like that at all! HA!). 

But, MAN, i wish i could start it NOW! SO BAD! It's like i finally found what i KNOW will work! 

I have several friends who have done or are doing this & they say it is amazing! And i can tell it! :) And they have kept their weight off. 

Side Note: Please DO NOT write negative things about Ideal Protein in the comments. It is not a fad diet. And i have heard nothing but good about it. Got nothing but support on my other blog, but i a just throwing this out here, just in case. Because this is the path God's leading me on & my mind is made up! Just need encouragement & support!)

I went to the Metabolic Clinic today & she was very supportive & excited! And i go back & see her in a month! Will let you know how it goes! :) 

So what else is new? Well, those are the 3 main things.
Oh, the job! 
The new job is going well. We have a new office that i love. So that's good! Nothing else new to report there. But i like it! :)

And this post is WAY TOO LONG. So i'll talk about some other stuff in another post!
Also, no pictures! I will make up for that sometime, okay?!

Adios! :)
 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Just a quick note...

Google Reader is CLOSING?! What? Whyyyy? 

This is what i soon discovered as i started reading through my favorite blogs this morning. Kinda bummed, because i use toe Google Reader's next button. It's so convenient! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it! It soon will be no more!)

Today i am setting up an account at Bloglovin. Feel free to follow me there by clicking this button:

Follow on Bloglovin

That is all, for now!

Happy Thursday!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Prayer Chain - linkup #2

Ready to link up with Amy & Melissa Jo again for praises & prayer requests! :) 



{PRAISES!}

1 - I managed to eat very well this week! To God be the glory! :) 

2 - Church this morning? Amazing! 

3 - Week 2 at work went very well! 

{PRAYERS!}

1 - I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday at 1:00 that i am worried about. Nervous. Please pray that it goes very well! 

2 - My boss is looking for office space outside of his home. Please pray that he finds the right spot for us this week! At the right price! 

3 - This is MOST IMPORTANT! A girl i went to elementary school, but reconnected with later on Facebook - her name is Karrie. Karrie's daughter, Lily, was in the hospital last week with fever & jaundice. After many tests, they found out on Thursday that Lily has Leukemia. My heart broke not only for Lily, but for her parents who dropped everything & headed straight for St Jude's in Memphis, TN. I know Lily is in good hands there, and am just praying that God brings complete healing so that she lives a long & healthy life! Lily starts chemotherapy on Monday. She is only 7. Please pray for this beautiful little girl & her sweet family! Her dad is Kyle, Mom is Karrie, and brother is Degan. 

Isn't she a doll? She's been through so much starting last week! Please pray for her! 

If you want to follow her progress on FB, her page is "Lots of Love for Lily Bug". 

Have a great week, y'all. :)

Friday, March 8, 2013

My week.

So, it's been a great week. Here are some random phone pics for you! 

-SUNDAY-
Me & my bestie, Mandy, after church. I LOVE HER SO MUCH!

-MONDAY-
Had lunch with my boss, Aaron, and my coworker, Katie, at Zoe's. I love these two! They are pretty hilarious. This is called: The Stare Down.

This picture was also taken on Monday. Love Aaron's dog, Lily. She's so sweet!

-TUESDAY-
On Tuesday, we had a work meeting at CC's coffee. For four hours! Ha! Great environment, though! And great coffee. ;)

-WEDNESDAY-
Not much happened, but this makes me laugh. I am singing a solo at church for Easter, and i was practicing. This is Fievel the whole time, watching me sing! What an audience! (Please excuse the obviously VERY MESSY house!)


-THURSDAY-
Um, Thursday ROCKED. On Thursday, we had a Eye Wander Photo team photo shoot in the studio. Here's Aaron & Katie again. She is too cute! Can't wait to share the pro pics with you! ;) We had fun!

Same day: I got home to find my new 11-cup food processor (ELEVEN, y'all) came in! Woohoo! I have had the mini one for years...it was a wedding gift, and i didn't use it for the first year or so of marriage. One day i was in a hurry cooking so i got it out to help me chop veggies faster - UM... LIFESAVER! Why hadn't i used it before!? 

So lately I've wanted a larger one. I got 2 gift cards to Macy's for Christmas (A $75 + a $25 one), and another one on my birthday (for $25). I had discovered they were more than i thought! But this one was on sale for $90. So i got it basically FREE! The reviews are outstanding. So excited to use it! Although the amount of parts & blades & such it comes with is slightly overwhelming!

That evening, me & my love went to the theater to see City of Angels, which was SO GOOD! The entire cast did a superb job! This girl is one of my favorite people. She blew me away in the show (not surprising) & really needs to be in NYC on Broadway. True story. Love her!!
{excuse the weird lighting!}

-TODAY-
Today i finished this book. First thing this morning. Or maybe it was last night! Anyway, i LOVED IT. And am bummed that i don't have another one of her books! Will have to remedy that! But seriously...for those of you that like christian fiction, this is probably one of my favorites. It's chic lit with a real message...and characters so real you almost KNOW them! ;) Great writing here. Loved it. Actually couldn't put it down.


Also, today, had lunch with mom & dad. And failed to take a picture! Figures! 

Also today, my happy place (aka, Baton Rouge Little Theater) announced a name change for the theater! It's now called "Theatre Baton Rouge" - and that's pretty cool! Watch this video. Makes me proud of our theater, and you can even see snippets from City of Angels! :)

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports
 
So now you have met Keith & Jack, two of my favorite directors to work with! And Leonard & Ana, two of the best performers in town! And you have seen some of my friends backstage & on stage! ha! :) 
 
Tomorrow i am working at the theater ALL DAY to assist with Les Miserables auditions! I decided not to audition because of my new job... just didn't seem like a good idea right now. But i am excited to get to work auditions now! Love doing that! I like being the face to calm people's nerves as they arrive for their audition. :) 
 
HAPPY WEEKEND, y'all! 

Monday, March 4, 2013

Memorizing the Word, y'all.

Awhile back, I told y'all about how i was joining Beth Moore's scripture memorization team. You can read more about it here & you can feel free to join in! Basically, you pick a scripture & memorize it! You have two weeks! The next two weeks you memorize a new scripture. The idea is to get some scripture not just READ, but memorized! Down in your spirit! :) 

I started the 2nd go-round, on January 15th. And this was my verse... if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, I am sure you realize it is to help me in my quest to eating healthy. 

{Verse 1}
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out for you s that you can endure it." 
1 Corinthians 10:13

I stopped blogging my verses, but not because i stopped the memorization team!  Just kinda forgot to keep blogging about it! So here is my next verse:

{Verse 2}
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." 
Hebrews 4:15-16

Another one about temptation... showing that God sympathizes with our weaknesses! I love the second part of this! I  knew that verse before - the one about us approaching his throne with confidence! But i didn't realize that it was right after a verse on temptation! We can be free to ask our God to help us when we are tempted - and to be CONFIDENT that He WILL help us! 

{Verse 3}
"As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me."
Micah 7:7

This one i didn't memorize! The shortest one, too! So i am going to continue working on it over the next two weeks, while i am also memorizing my new verse. And that one is: 

{Verse 4}
"The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. Your love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not abandon the works of your hands." 
Psalm 138:8

Good stuff! :) Do you have a favorite scripture to lean on? What is it?

Friends, Family & a shopping spree!

So, my birthday was AMAZING this year. 

SIMPLY AMAZING. 

On Friday night, we had dinner with some of my bestest friends: Billy & Mandy, Mark & Sarah, Adam & Katie, Becca (hubby Mike had to work), & Gayle. Some others couldn't make it. But we had a great time. I have been seriously blessed in friendship, y'all! So thankful for it!

On Saturday, I had lunch with family. My parents, my hubby's parents & his sister. I love that our families have known each other since we were kids, and get along so well. Love it! We had a GREAT TIME!

This series of pictures CRACKS ME UP. That's my... waiting patiently face (not so patiently, really) for hubby to finish chewing so we could take a picture. Ha!

 Take your time, my love!

 He really is taking his time!
 Still waiting! 

There we go... ;) 

Here's the whole gang!
Gotta love cell phone pics! That's my mother-in-law on the far left, then my sis-in-law, my mom, my dad (behind my mom), my father-in-law, and my hubby! LOVE THEM ALL! 

My sister couldn't make it... she & her hubby are studying hard for midterms in grad school & they live over an hour away. Sad-face! But i understood, of course! 

I got some goodies at lunch! I got gift cards from my in-laws, and i got AN AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL CAMERA BAG from my parents!!! I was SO surprised! See, my current camera bag didn't fit all my lenses. It said it did but my new lens was bumping up against my other ones. I LOVE my friend Mandy's camera bag & she had it at church one day & i said to mom in passing, "I really want a camera bag like mandy's, but not in pink!" Then i forgot about it! When mom asked what i wanted for my birthday, i told her Brooks shoes from Amazon, but forgot to say what size. And i also mentioned some gift cards i wouldn't mind having! That's all i could think of! So when i got this HUGE box from them... had NO CLUE! When i saw it said AMAZON, i was confused because I didn't think they'd buy me the shoes, especially because i didn't say what size or anything! Inside was the camera bag! In my FAVORITE color! I almost died. 


I mean, Y'ALL! 

 I was SO excited! Plenty of room to spare! Could get another lens, even! :)

Other fun goodies!! 
memo pad, coupon organizer set, COFFEE stationery & journal, oreo candle, dunkin donuts gift card (i am not eating donuts but they do have a CUTE coffee mug i want! I love coffee mugs haha!), Macy's gift card & La Madeleine's gift card. WOOT! 

I feel like i was SPOILED ROTTEN. At 35 years old. I mean... WOW! :)
 
And that wasn't all!

Hubby had told me he would give me a $100 shopping spree for my birthday! WEEEEE! I think he likes doing this because he's worried he'll get the wrong thing... so he thinks it's making his life easier but i actually LOVE IT! He comes with me... so it's like a date... and then he pays for my stuff... and it's fun! Haha! We went to Charming Charlie! And i REALLY desperately needed a new purse. Mine is AWFUL! I also could use a new wallet. So i found those items. Took me FOREVER to choose a wallet... and hubby never complained. (He usually would in Charming Charlie - after about 5 minutes! Haha!) 

So i got a purse & wallet... 

And some cute earrings!







Then we went to Barnes & Noble, and i got some chic lit & a pencil case (because i am a dork).



Then we stopped at Fresh Market for a few groceries, and i got some flowers. :)


We finally made it home! And i had $75 of gift cards to Macy's. Add in this new $25 one from my sister & brother-in-law, and i could get this food processor i really have been wanting! SO I ordered that when i got home. Can't wait til it comes in! :)

Did i mention i got 2 starbucks gift cards from friends on Friday night?!

SPOILED. And blessed. ;)



We came home & hung out... just a quiet night with my man. LOVE HIM!

GREAT BIRTHDAY! :)

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Prayer Chain - linkup #1

I am really excited about the prayer chain linkup that Amy & Melissa Jo have started. 

Amy & Melissa Jo are both recent blog faves of mine ... both girls are beautiful (inside & out), and obviously love the Lord. They are passionate in talking about Him & they make the blogger world  a better place. That's the truth! :) 

They decided to have a prayer chain linkup.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.
Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises. 
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them 
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 

James 5: 13-14

You can post a praise report, a prayer request, or both.  They only ask that you agree to pray for one other person in the linkup. They personally will pray for EACH & EVERY prayer request. God laid it on their hearts to do this. How awesome is that?! I think this is one of the best linkups EVER, and i am thrilled to join them! 

{PRAISE REPORT}

 -I started my new job last week, and it's going really well. i have fallen in love with the coworkers, and it is TRULY an answer to prayer! 

-Eating right is always a struggle for me. But i am trying very hard to eliminate bad foods from my diet. I've had no soda since November 15th, since then i've cut out a lot of junk from my diet & eat pretty healthy. But i still STRUGGLE! This weekend was my BIRTHDAY weekend, and i did not cheat! We ate with friends at the Cheesecake Bistro on Friday night, and with family at Coyote Blues (mexican) on Saturday, and i didn't cheat! WHAT!?!?! :) So thankful God gave me the strength to do this, and that i didn't use "it's my birthday" as an excuse!

{PRAYER REQUEST}

 -I need to catch on quickly at work... so that i know what to do and when to do it! I know I've only been there one week, but busy season is about to hit, and there's not really time for anyone to teach me stuff. But i can't read minds... so pray that God will give me the ability to catch on quickly, to do a great job, to not mess anything up & make it WORSE! Haha. (I"m laughing but i'm serious!) Also, I seem to be getting sick... which just cannot happen!

-I need prayer that i will CONTINUE to eat healthy! That i will continue eating veggies, fruits, meats, nuts, etc... and will stay away from sweets, sugar, bread, etc. :) I really do need prayer for this. This isn't about me looking great. This is about me reversing Insulin Resistance & being able to conceive in the very near future (because IR is what is keeping this from happening at the moment. And it sucks. But IR is reversible! So there's hope!) :)

(I don't talk about that much on the blog. I do a little more on my weightloss blog. And you can see my last post for a little more insight.)

Thanks so much for your prayers. How can i pray for YOU?

P.S. I gave you TWO prayer requests... oops! I hope this is allowed! ;) 

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Happy Birthday to ME! (& why i was dreading this one.)

Today is my birthday!




 {Birthday 2012}

I have always loved birthdays. My birthday, your birthday, it doesn't really matter. Birthdays are FUN! :) 

I share a birthday with Dr. Seuss! I mean...how great is that!? 

I also share a birthday with Jon Bon Jovi, ha! And Bryce Dallas Howard (the snot from The Help). And Karen Carpenter. RIP Karen. Love her voice. 

I actually thought I would be sad for my birthday today. I have never ever in my life been sad about reaching a certain age. And I have never understood why people don't want to tell their age, even when they turn 60 or 70 or 80! Who cares?! Getting older is a good thing. There is only one alternative, and it's not a good one! However, this year i turn 35! As a woman, what do you think of when you hear 35? Most women know that 35 is that magical age when your fertility chances decrease! We have been trying to conceive for too long now. And to reach 35 with no children? Well... it's not that fun. I could see this age coming, just getting closer & closer. And I began to dread this age. 35. 

I have had rude comments. All well-meaning but stupid. One saying, "Y'all better hurry up!" Seriously? Really? Thanks for telling me, I HAD NO IDEA!

But this post isn't meant to be bitter. And I'm not bitter. Just explaining why I was not looking forward to 35! God allowed Sarah to conceive at about 90 years old. I've always hated when people told me that (as a way to encourage) because honestly - i don't wanna wait til I'm 90! HAHA! But i think i was missing the point. The point is, that God is awesome. His timing is perfect! He will fulfill my God-given desires. And if he can allow Sarah to conceive at 90ish, surely he can allow me to conceive after 35! (But preferably closer to 35 and farther from 40!?)

All that to say... I had been dreading 35...and thought it'd be the first year I was depressed on my birthday. But i am not sad today. Not in the least. I woke up with joy. I am full of joy today! Maybe i won't feel the same way next week or next year. But right now? JOY. God is a God of life! He's granted me 35 awesome years on this earth, and hopefully will bring NEW LIFE someday soon. So today I am happy. And I'm thankful for that! 

Today will be fun! We're going to have lunch with my family & my in-laws at Coyote Blues! Then my sweet hubby is taking me on a shopping spree! There is this purse i REALLY want in Charming Charlie... so we'll get that! But he said i can spend $100, and it's not close to that much! So...yippee! Haha! (I am not a big shopper but it's different when it's for your BIRTHDAY & someone else is paying!) I also have a gift card to Macy's & Best Buy that i might use today! Ha! 

Hope you have a happy weekend!