Proud Parent Moment

This morning I had to take a phone call that I knew would last a while and that was going to be frustrating. Jarrell wasn't home, so I knew I needed something to keep the kids entertained for a while, so I went to my surprise drawer and grabbed some stickers. I also grabbed crayons & paper and got everyone situated at the table. They were so excited about their stickers and I told them to use as many as they wanted.

I went into my room for the phone call. After the call was over, I was indeed frustrated and came back to the table to see what the kids had created. Moses had about twenty sheets of paper and they were all the same design. {Pictured Below}

I asked Moses to tell me about his picture. He looked up at me and said, "That is the cross, like the one Jesus died on. I made these for all of my friends and family because I want them to know about Jesus and that He loves them." He started naming people and asked me if we could mail a picture to them. I was seriously blown away and started crying. 

Parenting can be so hard at times, but moments like this make it SO worth it. I am so thankful for my little guy and the love that he has for all the people in his life. 

286.7 Miles

There are some people in this world that you would travel 286.7 miles to see for a few hours. Some of you may be thinking that isn't very far, which it isn't, under some circumstances. However, my miles were spent traveling roughly 7 hours, through LA traffic (enough said) , accompanied by my 4, 3, & 1 year old. 

A few miles made the rest of the miles worth it. Those were the miles that we spent with a dear friend, adventuring through the hills of Malibu on the windiest, craziest road. The road that provided the most breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean from the top of one of those hills. The road that led us onto the Pacific Coast Highway and through a portion of "Malibu - 27 miles of Scenic Beauty" in which we rolled all the windows down and took in the fresh air that was fragrant with Eucalyptus. The road that led us to the place where we surprised another dear friend for a long overdue visit. 

Some more precious miles were spent catching up on each others' lives and hearing about stories of hope and redemption. Stories of healing and restoration. Stories of growth and encouragement. Miles spent listening and miles spent feeling understood. Miles of silence, the good kind. 

I am so thankful for this day. It has left my heart feeling full and rejuvenated. It has drawn me closer to God and impressed important truths on my heart. It has reminded me to spend my miles wisely, making each one count. To surround myself around those who love me, for me, and encourage me.

Making a Dream a Reality

As many of you may know, I recently opened an online clothing store called Truly You {Clothing}.  It has been a dream of mine for many years to own my own clothing store & this was the first step in that process. If you didn't know or haven't had a chance to check it out, you can here. I have also included some pictures of some new product below* I was fortunate enough for someone to fund this endeavor for me and even though I had the resources I needed, I was hesitant to make my dream a reality. I would not classify myself as a risk taker and I have an extreme fear of failure. At times the fear of failing can overshadow my deepest dreams and desires. Thankfully I have the most supportive {and talented} husband and he helped me push through. 

I can't even begin to explain the range of emotions that I have felt throughout this process: excitement, fear, joy, accomplishment, defeat, doubt, and fulfillment {just to name a few}. Despite all the emotions, I can say that this process has been worth it. 

I have been incredibly thankful for the people who have supported me in this process through modeling  doing make up, building my website, promoting me, purchasing from me, and giving me words of encouragement when I felt like giving up.  There is no way that this could have happened without all of you. 

One of the greatest challenges I face is getting my name out there and I can't do it alone. This is where I am humbly asking for your help. 

* One of the best forms of advertisement is word of mouth, so if you believe in what I am doing, I ask that you share with people that may also be interested. 

*Obviously I would never want you to purchase something that you don't love, so please don't feel pressure but if you are looking at something similar somewhere else, please consider supporting me.

*I am looking to launch a incentive program that would provide discounts and free product for those interested in having a clothing party. This could be done in person or online. If this is something that interests you, please contact me at trulyyouclothing@gmail.com for more details. 

Once again, thank you all for your support, words of encouragement, and love. 

A Journey to Accept Myself

Through various different outlets, a struggle of my has so clearly been illuminated to me. 

Recently, a friend of mine started a blog called Redeemed Beautiful. It is a ministry dedicated to sharing the Truth about body image, self-worth, and confidence. A Truth that's anchored in Jesus Christ. {taken from the about me section of their FB page). Some of the posts made me realize some lies that I had been believing. 

Next, I was reading a post titled Rainy Day + Flaws by one of my favorite style bloggers, Victoria, at Fashion Flirtation. I loved that she was so open about here flaws and her transparency was so beautiful to me. 

The last place was a flip calendar titled, " God's Heart For You" that my dear friend gave me for

Christmas. It shares spiritual truths & verses for each day.

All of these things together made me quite a mess this morning so I began to pray & something clicked. This was my major realization:

While I do not have to love the weight that I am at, I do need to love MYSELF regardless. It is not my weight that defines me, it is God's amazing love for me. In the same hand, I may not be happy with the weight that I am, but I can't let my weight define whether or not I am happy.

These may be simple truths and may be no brainers for some of you, but this is something that I have struggled with the past five years{since I became pregnant for the first time}.

I can not even begin to tell you how many times I have let my weight insecurities get in the way of living my life. I have very few pictures, I could probably count them on my fingers, of me and my children. When my children are older and look back at their baby pictures, they won't see me.  That is sad. I have stood at the foot of the ocean and watched my kids have the time of their lives running in & out of the water, but refused to join them, because I didn't want to be in a bathing suit. I can go on and on, but I am sure that you get the picture. 

I don't want to let me insecurities hold me back anymore & rob my joy. This will be a journey but I am excited to learn to love myself again, where I am at & where I am heading. 

Tusen Takk {Week of 5.11}

As some of you may know, I am currently reading One Thousand Gifts and keeping a "gift journal" for a year that will record 1,000 gifts, which equates to about 20 a week. You may wonder, what are these "gifts"? They are ordinary and everyday things. They are moments that may mean nothing to anyone else other than you. I am only one week in and am amazed at how many things I have to be thankful for and how this has shifted my attitude. Today I was spending time with a friend and she had Tussen Takk written on her arm. I found out that it means one thousand thanks in Norwegian. I thought this was so fitting for the journey that I am on right now, so I am going to share some of my gifts with you each week in a series titled Tusen Takk. Some of the things that I am thankful for are deeply personal and some implicate the amazing people in my life, whose lives' I don't want to put on blast, so I will just be sharing a few out of the twenty with you. I encourage you to share with me in this journey...

#1- Earlier this week I was sitting on the couch drinking a cup of coffee. Moses was kicking a soccer ball around the living room and stopped all of a sudden. He looked up at me and said, "Mama, do you love me?" I responded, "Of course I love you, do you love me?" He smiled and said, "The MOST" At times parenting can be so hard, but it is moments like these that make it all worth it.

#2- Inspired by a conversation with a friend, I had a very honest, rough conversation with God this week about something from my past. It has been a really long time since I have hashed something out like this and it kind of reminded me of when Jacob wrestled the angel. I felt so free after it.

#3- I was in Target and my kids were on full meltdown mode. They were screaming and crying in line and I was in a hurry to get back to our car because I was so embarrassed. I turned around and saw an elderly lady behind me in an electric cart struggling to get her groceries on the checkout stand. Even though I wanted to get to the cart, I stopped and assisted this elderly lady and she was so thankful. I am usually in a massive rush and I was so thankful for slowing down and being able to help someone in need.

#4-Moses wrote his name by himself for the first time in my Mother's Day card.

#5-I read this article earlier this week about allowing your kids to get bored. It was talking about how boredom leads to creativity. I decided to give it a try and it worked! The kids excitedly called for me to come into their room. They made me take a seat and performed a circus for me. It started by Mimi saying "Ladies and Gentlemen" and Moses saying "Boys and Girls" It was so cute. 

|Virtual| Coffee Date

If we were having coffee this morning, you would probably sense that I am way more relaxed than I have been in a while. We would also be sharing an amazing Black & White that I found at a local Deli, thanks to a friend. {BTW- I am not sure what it is about these cookies but I have been New York Dreaming lately...I must make a trip, but have no idea when or how}

I would tell you how I went away last weekend with a couple of girlfriends and it was exactly what I needed. We stayed at a beautiful beach resort at Mission Bay in San Diego. We didn't have a schedule and that was the most amazing feeling in the world. The night that we got there we unpacked our stuff and laid out by the pool. It was so peaceful and relaxing, and I was even able to read a magazine without interruption! After we laid out, we went back to the room and got ready for the evening. We all packed at separate locations and even picked out our outfits separately, but we ended up wearing the same color scheme...I wish that we would have got a picture. We went out a fantastic fondue restaurant called Forever Fondue in La Jolla. I haven' t ate that much in a long time but everything was so good. After getting lost, thanks to bad I-phone directions, we made it back to our resort in time to go on a moonlight boat cruise that is sponsored by the hotel. We went around Mission Bay and had a lot of great conversation. It was so special to me to be able to spend the time with two ladies that mean the world to me and know me so well. We were able to reflect on the past year, talk about the future, and the ups and downs of life. 

The next morning we woke up late (8am is late for a mama of 3 little kids). We slowly got ready and made our way to a yummy breakfast that we scored for free thanks to my friends charm. After that we laid out for a couple hours, went shopping, and hit up Sonic's Happy Hour. So many of my favorite things, with some of my favorite people, wrapped up into a wonderful couple of days. When I got home, I felt recharged.

This is where we stayed. Isn't it beautiful?

I would tell you how there are some really exciting things happening in our life and would ask you to be praying with me and my family as we navigate them. It never ceases to amaze me how God works and how exciting it can be to follow Him, even if means trusting beyond what you can see.

I would tell you how I am reading a new book called One Thousand Gifts, that was recommended to me by a friend. One challenge of the book is A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. I am keeping a journal for a year of 1,000 gifts in my life, which is roughly twenty a week. It is incredible how many things I have been missing or taking for granted because my eyes weren't open to them. A friend of mine did this a year ago, and I saw it transformed parts of her life, so I am excited to begin the journey. 

I would tell you how much I have learned to value community over the past three years. How this was something that used to be incredibly hard for me, but that has grown me significantly. 

I Cry

I cry...

Tears for the childhood that was taken from me

Tears for the scars that will never go away

Tears for the debris that still affect me today
Tears for the misplaced shame I feel

Tears for distortion of love

Tears for the destruction of life

Tears for lost hope and doubt of goodness

Tears for those who understand my pain as well as tears for those who misunderstand 

Tears for cleansing and healing 

Tears for restoration and true love

Thankful for God's Word and comfort that comes from His promises.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. (Revelation 21:4-7 NASB)

Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me. My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life. Because of wickedness, cast them forth, In anger put down the peoples, O God! You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living. (Psalms 56:1-13 NASB)

For all who read this, please know I am okay. I struggle at times but find comfort in God. I desire to me honest and transparent about my life because I know that God can use if in the lives of others. Writing can be an outlet and therapeutic for me at times and this happened to be one of them. 

Monday {Weigh Day}

In light of this wonderful quote, I got rid of one pound this week. That puts me at 182, which is a total of 33 pounds lost and puts me 7 pounds away from my second goal. 

I had a break through moment this week when I put a shirt on that use to fit me pretty snuggly. I was literally swimming in it. It reminded me how far I have come, even though I still have a long way to go.  I won't be posting any pictures until I am at my second goal weight, but I will be sure to show you this shirt.

In order to keep motivated, I look for small victories that show I am changing. This week I was so proud of myself while grocery shopping. I love Ben and Jerry's and I love coffee. Ben and Jerry are conspiring against my plan to become more healthy because they just released  this:

The ice cream is coffee flavored with chunks of espresso fudge! I knew if I bought it, I would eat the whole thing, so I walked away. Small victory. 

What are some of the hardest things for you to resist? What helps you to not give in?

|Virtual| Coffee Date

If we had a coffee date this morning, it would have been in my living room. I would have been excited to share all the different K-Cups that I received in the mail with you. I landed on the Donut Shop's Sweet and Creamy Nutty Hazelnut iced coffee.

I would excitedly tell you that my 28th birthday is right around the corner. I am planning a trip to the Bahia Hotel with my two closest friends and I couldn't be more excited. We are all busy ladies, but I think we landed on a date and it is soon! I will make sure to fill you in on all the details after we get back.

We would talk about the crazy bear that broke into my car and how we are still trying to decided what we should do with our insurance company. I usually get stressed out about stuff like this, but for some reason this event just makes me laugh.

I would tell you about the sickness that took a toll on our family this week. Meems got it the worst because she had the flu, tonsillitis, and an ear infection. She will more than likely be getting her tonsils out after she recovers. The doctor said that they were extremely large. The sickness lead to a lot of relaxing and movie watching for the kids, so I read the 2nd and 3rd books of The Hunger Games. I loved them.

We would talk about how an encouraging word at the right time can be such a blessing. I would share with you about how a friend did that this week and how it really brightened my day. I would tell you how I am working on being more of a blessing to the people in my life.

If you were having coffee with me this morning, which KCup would you have tried?

Sweet&Creamy Nutty Hazelnut-Iced Coffee

Donut Shop Original

Gloria Jeans Butter Toffee

Van Houtte's Chocolate Macaroon

Wolf Gang Puck's Creme Caramel

Weigh In Day

I want to apologize to everyone who is following my weight loss journey and looked for this post on Monday, which is when I weigh in and post the results. 

Last week I ate the WORST and exercised the LEAST. I didn't have any weight change this week, so I am still at 183. (32 pounds lost). This is the first week I haven't lost weight. I was relieved that I didn't gain weight given my diet and lack of exercise. This week made me realize that I need to work on the eating healthier portion of the equation. It is easier for me to push myself to exercise, but takes me a lot more to be disciplined in eating well. 

In the future, if I go more than one day past my weigh in day without posting results, someone please call me out. More than likely it means that I am not wanting to be real with you all. 

Thanks for all who are encouraging me on this journey. Sometimes I lose sight of the overarching goal, so my motto this week for my diet and exercise is:

|Virtual| Coffee Date

If we had a coffee date this morning, you would have been at the park with me and the kids. I would have a tall, non-fat misto. This is my new favorite type of coffee. I know this is a shocker to some, since I usually only drink iced drinks (even in the snow and rain). 

Amariah yelled uncontrollably if I tried to take away the coffee cup.

In between chasing my kids and saving them from the top of the monkey bar ladder, I would have told you:

Moses got stuck up here. Of course I took I picture before I helped him :)

I am so tired. Actually, I probably wouldn't have needed to tell you, I look really tired. Why didn't I get a bigger coffee?! The past couple of days I haven't got a whole lot of sleep. Moses had some sort of sickness that caused crazy problems with #2 and Amariah got her six month shots yesterday and has been running a fever. She is super fussy and tired, but can't sleep well. Everyone says that one day I will miss these days, and I am sure I will, it just doesn't feel like it right now.

I really appreciate my husband and all the ways that he helps me. He was gone a couple of days last week at the Catalyst Conference and it was a little crazy around the house. I am happy to have him home and it was a great reminder to be thankful for all the things that he does. 

I struggle with anger. A lot. This is something that I am working on and seeking the Lord to help me with. If you think of me, please pray for this. 

I am in love more like obsessed with ganado print items.... 

Speaking of clothes, I have been given the opportunity to start my own online clothing store. My hope is that it will do well enough one day, that I can own an actual store. I am really excited but I have a lot of work ahead of me. The goal is to provide quality, affordable, and unique pieces of clothing to people that don't have access to them. All items will come straight out of Los Angeles' Fashion District. There will be a lot more to come about this soon but I am REALLY EXCITED for the day when I get to share my website with you all. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful week! 

Monday {Weigh Day}

Well friends, I am happy to say that I lost two pounds this week. That puts me at 183, which is 8 pounds away from my second goal of 40 pounds lost.

This actually shocked me since I didn't work out much this week and I ate horrible. When I say horrible, let me paint a picture for you...

I ate an entire bag of Twizzlers in one sitting. Not the big bag, but the king size bag. That is still really bad though. I ate pizza three times this week! I am a stress eater and we had a crazy week, so it was a bad equation for me. 

I only exercised three times, but I made them count. I was really proud of myself for pushing harder than I thought that I could go. This quote makes me laugh but motivates me to workout and I do mostly wear black:

So I have focused a lot of the weight loss part of my journey, mainly because I am a data minded person, but I really want to focus on the part that is super important to me for a minute, being healthy.

I feel amazing and have so much energy. I have grown in confidence and am super happy.

|Virtual| Coffee Date

If we had coffee this morning we would have been sitting in the lounge chairs in my hotel room in Las Vegas. The blinds would have been open so we could look at the the strip while chatting.

I would tell you that this week has been busy but so fun. Earlier in the week I visited a friend in Orange County. We ate a wonderful lunch at a Japanese Restaurant. I left feeling refreshed and encouraged. It is always good to catch up with people you care about and this was no exception.

We would talk about how catching up and eating were the themes of my week. On Wednesday the kids and I headed to Las Vegas to visit my Aunt who was there on vacation. We caught up over an amazing meal at BURGR which is one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. I had an Asian Salad that was to die for. It was fun to catch up with my Aunt and have her meet the kids.

The last thing I would tell you is how much fun I had taking the kids to the M&MS store. They were so excited to see everything and I had the opportunity to spoil them a little. The looks in their faces were priceless and it will be an experience I will remember for a long time. I even bought myself a little treat: a yellow M&M coffee mug and my favorite sweet treat, gelato. This particular kind was hazelnut chocolate.

What are some of the things you would tell me if we were having a coffee date?

{Monday} Weigh Day-A Day Late

Hello Friends! Sorry I missed yesterday's weigh  in post. When I got on the scale this yesterday morning  it read 185.0 which means this week I lost 1 pound this week. That is a total weight loss of 30/75 pounds putting me at 40% of my goal. 

I just wanted to share a few thoughts that I had this week regarding my progress:

Once again, I was a little disappointed when I stepped on the scale. I exercised 6 days this week and ate healthy. I found this quote though, which really encouraged me:

|Virtual| Coffee Date

So this is something new for my blog but I thought was super fun. A friend of mine does this on her blog and I loved the idea. Weekly I will do a segment called Virtual Coffee Date. The idea is that if we were sitting down having a chat over a cup of coffee these would be the things that I would share with you. Since I LOVE coffee this seems to suit me well.

If we were sitting down having coffee this morning our conversation would be competing with the background noise of Cars 2 and a chiming princess castle. I would be drinking Vanilla Nut coffee out of my favorite coffee mug. (Pictured on the right)

I would tell you...

That life has been incredible and challenging all at the same time. I absolutely adore being at home with my family, but it has put up a constant mirror into my heart. There are a lot of things that I need to work through. I know that God is so much bigger and I am thankful for the light that has been shed into these areas and the grace that is so freely available to me.

That I have found a new passion for the Bible. I attend an amazing Bible Study with some incredibly wise women on Mondays and it has changed my life. I always leave feeling so encouraged and challenged.

I have fallen in love with running and hiking. I am able to process through things and clear my mind. It is carved out time in my schedule for me and I am so thankful that my husband is supportive of it.

Monday {Weigh Day}

Hello Friends! It is Monday which means it is weigh in day. When I got on the scale this morning it read 185.8, which means this week I lost 3.2 pounds. That is a total weight loss of 29/75 pounds putting me at 38.667% of my goal. 

I just wanted to share a few thoughts that I had this week regarding my progress:

When I stepped on the scale I was super disappointed to see that I only lost 3 pounds.  I worked really hard this week and ate very good, so it felt super defeating. I really began to think about it though and my attitude changed. I realized that it took a lot of small choices, over a long period of time, to lead me to the weight that I am today. With that being said, it is going to take a lot of small choices over a long period of time, to lose the weight that I want to. Three pounds is a small number in a much larger equation and a step towards my ultimate goal of becoming healthy. Also, I was reminded by an awesome friend that this journey doesn't define me and that my value should be found in Christ alone. Such a great reminder of truth. 

I am committing to not obsess over the scale and only weigh myself once a week. 

The other major factor in my journey right now, is that I am nursing my six month old daughter. I need to be careful not to lose too much weight, too quickly. I realized this week that I was not getting enough calories to nurse well and lose weight effectively. I ate more calories the week prior and lost 6 pounds. It seems a little backwards to eat more and lose more weight, but after doing a lot of research, I found this is common with people in my situation. 

The last thought was this amazing quote I read this week:

Thanks for those who have been encouraging in this process. I am not an expert, nor do I care to be. I am just a girl making positive lifestyle changes and sharing them with people as a source of encouragement. 

Family Hike

I absolutely love where we live, it is beautiful. It makes it really easy to get outside and be active. My husband has been very supportive of my weight loss journey journey and has included himself and our kids. The past two weeks we have done a hike together as a family, which has been really fun. Today we hiked to Inspiration Point, which is a really easy hike that is located at Forest Home, which is where Jarrell works. 

Here are some pictures:

Moses and Daddy coming up the trail 

Exploring

View of the canyon

Photographer in Training 

What are some of your favorite activities to do as a family? 

They Fit #3

Many of you may have read my They Fit or They Fit #2 Post.

Up until a week ago, I hadn't made any progress since my first goal, which was to lose  the weight that I gained with Amariah. 

To be honest, I didn't make any effort after I lost the weight because I was waiting for x, y, and z. The short end, I was making excuses to continue on in my bad habits.

I am ecstatic to announce, that I am ready to make the changes necessary to lose weight and get down to my goal weight. There were several things that led me to this point, some good reasons, others vain.  At this point my two main reasons are for health purposes and because I love cute clothes!

I have a low tolerance to glucose which pretty much means eventually I will get type 2 Diabetes. If at all possible, I want to prevent that by eating healthy and exercising regularly. The second reason that I mentioned is a little more vain. I love clothes and always have. Lately, I have only been putting on clothes to cover up. This makes me really sad, because I love dressing in ways that help me express myself, but feel super uncomfortable with my weight.

I have made a decision to lose the weight and this time I am determined. What am I doing differently? I am eating as clean as possible w/a small cheat everyday. I know that if I don't have a little something that I love everyday, I will end up overindulging or quitting. The second this is exercise. Everyday I run, hike, do pilates or a combination. 

So if you are just joining me in this journey here is a quick recap of my goals and progress.

#1- To lose all the weight that I gained with Amariah 

#2- To lose my weight gain following the birth of my 2nd child

#3- My Goal Weight

Before I was embarrassed to disclose my starting weight and end goal weight. I have come to terms with these numbers, knowing they don't define me. I want to be as specific as possible, so that I can encourage myself and others. So the updated goals look as follows:

#1- To lose all the weight that I gained with Amariah- 215 pounds to 195 pounds (20 pounds)

#2- To lose my weight gain following the birth of my 2nd child- 195 pounds to 175 pounds (20 pounds)

#3- My Goal Weight- 175 pounds to 140 pounds (35 pounds)

So for those of you who don't like math, that is a goal of 75 total pounds. This number intimidates me, but I know that it is possible. So far I have met my first goal of 20 pounds. In the past week, I lost 6 pounds! That puts me at a loss of 26 pounds total and 14 pounds away from my second goal. I am 35% of the way there. When I reach my second goal, I will post before and after pictures. 

Sand Beneath My Toes

Jarrell's youth group takes a yearly trip, during Spring Break, to San Elijo State Beach. When I found this out, I was so excited to be a part of the trip and to bring the kids. I am not able to help with the youth as often as I would like, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to get to know some of the kids. This trip was one of the best times that I have had in a really long time. It is always the best feeling in the world to see your kids having fun and experiencing new things.

There really are no words to describe this trip, so I thought I'd share a lot of pictures.

San Elijo State Beach

Riah's first Ocean Trip

Moses hanging out in Jacob's hammock

This is where babies nap while camping

Making a sand turtle

Moses loves Curious George and always gets ideas of things to do from him. We have gone bowling and miniature golfing because of George. During this trip, we accomplished two more things that Moses wanted to do: flying a kite and camping. 

Life after Work

So I have been asked the same questions a couple times this week.

#1- How do you like staying at home?

#2- What have you been doing with all your time?

The answer to #1 is pretty easy. I love being home with my kids. I enjoy providing them with fun, consistency, and my love.

The answer to #2 is a little bit more complex. I have done so much in a week! I thought that I would share a recap with you all.

With the kids:

*We played at the park which included: swinging, playing house and vacuuming with a set up of toy golf clubs (love kids' imaginations), hung out at the farm with Mimi's pet horse Mickey, and played in the dirt.

*Went to the beach and built sand castles, chased ducks, skipped rocks, and soaked up the beautiful day.

*Made chocolate covered strawberries

*We went on a hike to the river. This was a little intense. I pushed the kids in the stroller, which is 70 pounds of kid, while backpacking Amariah (15 pounds) for 1.5 miles. A majority of this trip was uphill.  It was a great workout and we had a blast at the river.

*We watched a movie while eating popcorn in a fort.

On a Personal Level:

* I started getting small items for the kids' Spring Baskets

* I caught up with several people I love over the phone

* I went to the auto shop, twice--> NOT FUN!

*We took a family trip to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. This was one of my favorite memories of the week. The kids loved the environment. The food isn't wonderful and is overpriced, but it is totally worth the dining experience. There were monkeys, elephants, butterflies, rain, etc. We sat right next to a fish tank and under the stars.

*I started a fundraising effort to help a friend. This was definitely my biggest accomplishment of the week. One of the main reasons that I wanted to stay home was that I could spend more time with my kids and being more available for the people that I love, so this was perfect timing. In short, I am selling tutus at a minimum donation and all the proceeds will go to helping the family with post-surgery care for my friend's three year old daughter. To find out more information you can visit the website my amazing husband created --> here.

Proud Wife and Mom

{Disclaimer: I am about to brag on my husband. Please know that I realize that all the good in Jarrell comes from God}.

Some of you who have spent a decent amount of time around Jarrell probably already know this, but he is kind of a big deal. I know that I am a little biased but it is true. I have seen God use him in so many peoples' lives and he is one of the most consistent people that I have ever met. He has taught Moses two major lessons this week and neither of them had to do with words. Moses learned both through Jarrell's actions.

Earlier in the week we stopped at the gas station to get gas. Jarrell ran into someone that he knew and began talking to him while he pumped gas. The next thing I knew, Jarrell had his arm around him and was praying for him. Moses asked me what daddy was doing. I explained that some people go through difficult things in life and they need to be lifted up and encouraged through prayer. That small situation really expanded Moses' idea of prayer. He knows that we pray in church, before meals, at night to thank God for all the good things we have, etc. but he never realized that people pray to God about their troubles. Now every time Jarrell starts talking to someone, Moses asks if daddy is going to pray with them.

The next thing he taught him seriously brings tears to my eyes whenever I think about it. Earlier today we met a father and son who had been handed a rough set of circumstances. The little boy looked like he was about the same age as Moses. Jarrell talked with the dad and met some needs that he had. As Moses watched the situation from the car, he started rummaging through some things in the car. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was looking through his toys. He handed me a power ranger that he had and told me that he wanted to give it to the little boy. Talk about a proud parent moment. When Jarrell got back into the car, I explained to him what Moses wanted to do, so we drove back to the father and son. I will never forget the look on the little boy's face as we handed him the toy. His face lit up and he smiled so big. The kid was so blessed and I know that he will remember that moment for a long time.

I am so thankful that our kids have such a great role model to look up too. On the other hand, it breaks my heart for the kids that don't and God has reminded me to pray for them.

The Ending of a Chapter

In life, some choices aren't easy. You all probably know the ones that I am talking about, right? The ones the play over and over again in your mind and consume every thought. I had to make one of those decisions recently and it was one of the toughest decisions I have made in a really long time.

Picture of Forest Home

I absolutely love Forest Home and my role there. My role encompasses so many different areas of my passions such as coffee, apparel purchasing, and people. In so many ways, this job almost feels like it was written for me. With that being said, my job is huge. There are so many details and aspects that go into it, and it is a lot of work. I have never minded the pace of it until recently. So what changed?

First and foremost, Jarrell accepted a part-time youth pastor position at our church. He is really excited about it, as am I. I know that God is going to use him in incredible ways and has already given him so many different ideas. You can check out what he is doing here, it is super cool. With that being said, I felt like I was on the outside looking in and desired to support him more and be more apart of what he is doing.

The next thing, is my kids. While I was on maternity leave my heart broke. I love my kids so much and they are growing so fast. I started talking with different people and a lot of them expressed regret over working too much when their kids were young. I didn't want that to be me. Financially we were never in a place where I could stay home, but with Jarrell working at the church, that became an option for me. I will eventually need to find something part time, but that is very manageable.

I knew that I was supposed to resign from my position, but it was so hard. God continued to work on my heart and confirmed it time and time again. On Tuesday of this week, I turned in my resignation with tears streaming down my face. I will finish out our Winter Camp season, which ends in March and then I will be done.

I can't even begin to express how much the people at Forest Home mean to me. I have met such amazing people there, co-workers and people that have worked for me, and I feel truly blessed. If you are one of those people, thank you. The great thing is, Jarrell still works there, so I will still be surrounded by such an amazing community. While I am sad this season of my life is ending, I am really excited for the new season that I will be entering. I am sure I will keep you all updated as this new season unfolds.