Goodbye Coffee, for the next 9 months

I am so very happy and pleased to say that I am with child! It is the PERFECT time for us too, with Zach being potty trained and stability surrounds us, we are more than ready! As for me and coffee, we are on a 9 month break as coffee makes me sick when I am with child, very sad. :( 

I am asking each of you to say a special prayer over my pregnancy, as my last one was with great complications. I do believe this WILL be a full term pregnancy, but I do ask for constant prayers for me. 

I have been pretty sick and very exhausted, but I am so excited! YEAH!!!!! SO HAPPY! Oh yeah, and I am hoping for another boy! :)

Weight Loss Victory

I am filled with hope since I was finally able to come down from 189 pounds! For about a month now I have cut most all sweets out AND stopped eating after 8pm and I am glad to finally see it paying off! We all know that Christmas is filled with pictures and this year I am looking forward to not cringing when I see myself. :) 

For the month of November my sister, mom and me are playing a weight loss game that I made up called LBEN, ( Looking Better by the End of November) and it is really motivating me! It is an actual game board and my mom says that I should copy write them and sell them, LOL. Some of you may have noticed but I am beginning to accept alot of new friends to my face book page and most of them are students from our youth group and my drama kids, because of that I will not be posting weight loss stuff there any more, it is a bit too personal. My more personal things I will post here or on Alaska Joe's page on Face book.

Please keep me in prayer on this weight loss journey, I want to be as healthy as I can and be off of medications!

Crystal N.

Good things DO come to those that wait!

Last week I posted the title of this blog as my face book status and some inquired about it, so here is the story.

Several months ago, Bruce and I knew that we needed to get a small chest freezer and began the search. I first started on craigslist, but they went very quickly and a used one ran from $80 - $100. We looked online and priced them at Lowe's, Best Buy and Target and they all ran from $160- $190 brand new. During a usual run to Target Bruce and I noticed that they had placed the freezers on clearance for $135 - I was ecstatic! This was the Lord, we needed to get the freezer, there were only three of them! As I headed to the front to get a cart, I just felt a hesitation in my spirit and when I walked back to Bruce, he as well just didn't feel right about buying it, so we left, trusting God. Fast forward a few weeks and we watched the freezers at Target, at one point there were just 2 of them and NOW at $111.00, but NOW, we didn't have the extra money, grrr. Frustrated I resolved that it was just not meant to be and I moved on placing it in God's hands. A few more weeks passed and we continued to ask the Lord for a freezer. Last week, I met Bruce at Target for lunch and we just happened to walk past the freezer, just 1 left and now at $79! I couldn't believe it, BUT this time I just had the van and Bruce had to get back to work and Target does not hold clearance items, we would have to come back around 4 pm! All afternoon I prayed, please Lord, don't let anyone buy it! At 4pm we met at Target and there it was waiting on us! Now, the freezer was there, we had the money AND a 10% off coupon - wow just $68 for this  brand new freezer!!!!!!!

I was just overwhelmed at God's goodness and I know He was smiling, loving seeing our faces and relishing in our delight! But I thought, had I pushed it and bought it the first time, I would have missed out on this heavenly blessing altogether.

How often we don't wait on the Lord and meet our own needs with our own resources and I believe it grieves our Father, when HE wants to be our provider. I pray that this message rings loud and clear to all of my readers.  

Wait, wait, I say, on the Lord!!!!!!!!

My journey carries on

I started this weight loss journey in May, but really did not start taking it too seriously until September and since then down 8 pounds! I do tend to fluctuate around the time of the month, but I really feel like a I am grabbing this life style change forever! I now prefer not to eat after 8pm, but instead drink a cup of hot tea, it is soothing and I enjoy waking up in the morning on an empty stomach. :) Each day I just give it to the Lord asking for his help and making "clean" food choices. Clean as in pure, no chemicals or ingredients that I don't understand and I am not 100%, but I do try my best. :) This morning was a weigh in and no major loss, but I did not return to the 90's and I am happy with that! It has been incredible to have the support of my mom, sis and my hubby more than ever and I contribute part of my success to them! I am aware the holidays are right around the corner, but as my sis tells me, "everything in moderation". :)

GGRRRRRR!

Can I just say that if I had to choose, I would not revisit this day, at all! Feeling overall moody and down due to the lovely curse placed on women every month, not too mention that due to that, I also had lots of chocolate after lunch  because of this curse. I was planning to go for a long walk/run when Bruce got home, but TODAY of all days, he works over - GGRRRR!!!!

So frustrated!  How is a girl supposed to loose weight when my time of the month is never on time and always stays longer than it should!

Tired Already

I am so glad fall is finally here and I had the best day at the 2 festivals, although I was unable to obtain any hot apple cider, a crime! Anyway this week is going to be crazy and can I just say that I  already stressed about it? Family is in town until Sunday, Monday I have to finish tagging items for the consignment sale, memorize scenes 1 & 2 for my play, not to mention plan 2 drama lessons, be a mom and a wife! WHEW! Wednesday is always a packed day for me and then Thursday prep for being away ALL weekend at a youth fall retreat to be counselors, which I am very excited about, but I doubt that we I will get much sleep. Friday will be crazy getting Zach to where he needs to be, loading up the buses and doing paperwork......can I just say I am tired already??

Crystal

My God is AWESOME!

 Can I just say how awesome God is right now?

Tonight, I reached the end of my strength and patience with Zach and potty training #2!!  I reached for my i pod and started up my music, " No Matter What" and " The More I Seek You", best worship song EVER by the way! " I want to sit at your feet, drink from the cup of your hand lay back against breathe, feel your heartbeat this love is so deep it is more than I can stand, I melt in your peace it is overwhelming, the music enveloped my soul and God's spirit brought such peace and rest. We are so blessed and I often take for granite what a loving God I have that I so often reach out to others and food to medicate my frustration before I cry out to Him. For instance, I called my mom tonight, no answer and I was about to reach for the M & M's, but I just couldn't not after dropping 7 pounds, so shamefully, my last resort was to cry out to my heavenly Father who loves me so very much. Lord I am sorry, help me to always go to you first! "The more I seek You, the more I find You, the more I find You, the more I love You."

Crystal N.

Hope & Revelation

So, last night for the first time in my life, I chose NOT to eat after 8pm, truly incredible and I am so excited because I am NOT just dieting anymore, I am changing the way I live forever! It may sound funny to you but I always had this notion that once I lost all my weight, that I could go back to eating a pan of brownies, Ben and Jerry's and McDonald's. I was reading a magazine about how this girl my age had dropped 50+ pounds  and had dieted up and down her whole life and you know what she said? That you will always have a complaint about your weight, NO MATTER how much you loose, either, "It is so hard to loose the weight" or "it is so hard to keep it off", the battle doesn't end, this hit me like a ton of bricks and has totally changed my outlook on this weight loss journey of mine - wow. I am excited, energized, but I cannot do this without the support of all my friends, who will in turn I hope be praying for me. Bruce and I both want to have a few more children and for me to do that I HAVE to loose this weight, and I KNOW I CAN! I went through my closet this week removing clothes that I just didn't wear when I came across some clothes that were too small right now and I as I put them in a bag for next summer I said, I AM keeping this, because I WILL be thinner next year and will enjoy wearing it! I have never done that, so I am excited to continue to speak this over my life and can't wait for what lies ahead!

Hopeful in Spirit!

Crystal

Can you see my Blog?

Hey guys, just checking to see if you all can read this, can you let me know? Thanks!
Crystal

Life

Today I am sitting at Chick-fil-A, trying to tire my little guy out before my drama meeting this afternoon with my new intern, so that he will fall asleep very quickly this afternoon, I have my fingers crossed. :)

It amazes me what people will talk about on their cell phones in a public place. For instance this guy behind me is chatting about some prostate problem he is having, I could even tell you his white blood count, CRAZY! People are so cautious about some things, but I guess not their medical information and let me tell you I would rather NOT here about it! LOL It just cracks me up, oh AND he was talking to his mom about it and to get her off the phone, he told her that he had another call and then he didnt...too funny.

Drama class starts next Wednesday and I am so glad, I sometimes loose my identity and who I am as a mom and when I teach drama there is nothing like it! I love it so much and could do it five days a week! Last semester was pretty intense with the major production I put on, so I am happy to have an intern to help me this year. (OKAY, this guy needs to get off his phone, he is driving me crazy! Back on the phone with his mom again, I can tell you how much pain he is in! Ahhhhh! He keeps saying, "mom I have gotta go, I love ya." I wish HE WOULD! lol

Well, life is great, so blessed I can hardly believe it, it is so nice to have a calm day and the calm days turn into weeks, I just love it! We signed on another year at our home and I am hoping we do that for the next couple years. :)

Still have one dilemma going on in my life and praying what to do. just not too sure and I don't have much confidence in myself, so just pray for me, please.

Signing out - Crystal :):):):)

Home Sweet Home

 It has been quite crazy since returning from Rehoboth Beach, which by the way I finally learned how to spell correctly, RehobOth, not RehobEth - lol, although spell checker still refusing to recognize the word, what is up with that?

As went each time we tried to get somewhere in Delaware, we got lost, but finally made it to the very jammed packed beach around 11 am and to our dismay, had to park a mile away from the beach and it was all metered parking on top of that for $1.50 an hour! My sis enjoyed laying out and I enjoyed the waves, they were so calming and intoxicating, I would love my mansion in heaven to be right along the beach. :) We enjoyed a great day together, great seafood that night although we were surrounded by homosexuals and it made me so sad and uncomfortable. Rehoboth is a beautiful beach, but we will not return. 

Sunday we slowly drove home and did some shopping along the way. We stopped by the outlet stores and I drooled over Michael Kors and Kate spade handbags for $300 - $400. ;)  Home was in sight around 7 pm and we had a great memorable time!!!!  

I am so blessed to have a fantastic sister, I can't imagine life without her!

Sister Weekend Get Away Day 1

 A little later than we wanted, my sis and I headed out at 8am towards Rehobeth beach, we planned to spend the day there. As we were chatting away, we drove right past our exit and 30 miles too far! We didn't even arrive close to the beach until almost 1pm and with the cloudy weather, we just decided to go to our hotel instead. The place was great and we headed to the pool to chill, relax and then the rain came. Sis decided to take a nap and I thought it was a great idea as well, but sleep was not on my side and a bit later I found myself unable to relax, worked up and headed for an afternoon cup of coffee. The coffee was weak and journal-ling didn't seem to settle my spirit either, I felt worked up and stressed out - still! Around 4 we headed out to find a place to eat, we were on the hunt for seafood and a place that was not a chain, possibly a hidden treasure that no one had ever heard of and that we did! It was actually located right in front of Dover Downs and it was called Shrucker's seafood. It was fantastic, we ate slowly, swapped cards and enjoyed great conversation and I don't want to forget to mention this awesome carrot cake/cheesecake - simply divine! Thankfully I finally felt calm and relaxed and enjoyed window shopping the rest of the evening. I don't know what kept me unsettled and stressed, possibly a surprising, unkind email I had received or some not so great news about my drama class in the fall. Either way, I am better, had a nice day, but I am SO looking forward to tomorrow, with high hopes!

The Ride

PMS should stand for, painful, mental, suffering. 

For those of you that are unaware, pms symptoms hit me like a hurricane, I want to cry, scream and stuff my mouth with burgers, fries and cheesecake all at the same time! Tonight, the hurricane visited with it's usual force and with a weigh in tomorrow morning, it did not look good. 

I left the house, wiping tears from my eyes, telling Bruce that I was off to get a double quarter pounder with fries and a  full size cheesecake and then once I started to drive, I knew I had to make a weight watchers 911 call to my mom. She gave words of understanding, empathy but most of all reminding me how it felt when I was heavier and how miserable I was. The conversation was short, and at the end I was still heading out to McDonald's, BUT before I was going to stop, I went to Pet Smart to look for kitties. I have been wanting a cat and I found the perfect one he was so sweet and laid contently in my lap purring, as I was about to adopt him, I remembered my trip to Rehobeth Beach next week and knew that I couldn't today. Then I headed to a favorite store and loaded the cart with  home decorating goodies, it was then my phone rang and my mom was calling again to check on me, seeing where I was in the middle of this emotional hurricane. She stated that she was proud of me and how I was working so hard at being a good steward with my money, I looked at my full cart and knew what I had to do. As I walked out of the store, empty handed, I was just feeling the strength to overcome my desire for McDonald's when my phone rang again, this time it was Bruce saying he really wanted a burger - OH NO, I thought, I don't think I can resist this temptation driving through McDonalds and not giving in to this longing. I was in the drive through and ordered Bruce his Angus, bacon burger and my stomach started to feel full and very bloaty, so I didn't order me anything but a small fry and headed home avoiding any store that sold cheesecake. On the way home I opened the bag and started to nosh on some fries and they didn't even taste good, I actually found myself thing of my fresh fruit that I had at home - crazy, huh????  I would say some divine intervention hit my hurricane and although I still feel yucky to the max, I am proud of myself and so thankful that the God I serve even cares about things like this AND for giving me the BEST MOM EVER!!!!!!

OHIO

The day has arrived! To most people a trip to Ohio is not the biggest vacation to talk about or fill up my face book stat page with, but this will be our very first family vacation! 

I just love a good road trip, there's nothing like it! I guess it first started back when my parents took me on road trips - they were the best, full of adventure! As I got older my sister and I took road trips ourselves to Myrtle Beach and Chicago, we made the best memories! Today, we take Zach on his very first road trip and I hope it is one of many!

The trip will take about 7 hours without stopping and we will be around the Akron Ohio area visiting Bruce's Aunt and Uncle. There is a birthday planned on Saturday for one of the cousins who is turning 3 and I know Zach will have a blast! We return on Sunday, late. 

Keep us in your prayers and I will return with lots of great times to share - I am sure. :)

Crystal

 

Pleased

I am so pleased  to blog and it be filled with happy emotions and a state of true joy! This past month has brought some changes and I am surprised to say, life is great! It is through the strength of my Father alone. I am a firm believer of the different seasons in our Christian walk, I believe at times we stay in a season longer than we should, because we are comfortable or it would be harder to allow the Lord to move us into another one, but I have let go and moved in to a different season and things are drastically different, but great!

As some of you know I have had a calling on my life to work with teens since I was 13 and Bruce and I are now very active in our church's youth group, The Source and it is so fulfilling, words just cannot describe! I am just 1 month away from starting to teach my drama class again, Zach starts pre-school and Bruce and I will have been married for 7 years come November. I have missed running so badly, but in this heat I just can't, so I am dying for September to come! No, life isn't perfect, but it won't be until we reach heaven, so I choose joy, which is NOT an emotion or something you FEEL, but a choice!  

Most importantly I am so thankful for the UNMOVABLE people in my life, no matter what happens they bring the best out of me and that is what I hold so dear to me! 

Love you all!!!

Can you see me?

Hi Guys,

Some of you said you couldn't find my blog, so would you mind commenting and letting me know if you were able to or not? Thanks so much!

The Struggle Within

   The past few days have been pretty blah for me. I am at the library now still trying to improve this foul mood that I have been in for 2 days now. I guess it is because I am tired of not having "girl money", you know, shopping money, a known stress reliever to all of us women. It is coming up on a year now since we have been managing our finances God's way through Crown financial and now it is getting so hard when my bi-weekly allowance is nothing to speak of really. This is not to put my husband down at all for how he provides, he does.

A year ago, I was shopping, but our finances a mess, now I am the exact opposite and although there is a deep inner peace and a knowing that I am honoring the Lord with my money, I am still human and it is hard! It is hard to be so limited, it is hard when there are no extra funds to do some of the activities that I would love to do. I feel so alone in this place right now and although my life is abundantly blessed with great health, home, a wonderful son and an out of this world husband, I still struggle within.

Memories

 I love a great memory and even not the best memories are okay too. I spoke with a friend of mine who I had not spoken with in many years, I finally located on her via face book and talking with her was like water to my soul. It reminded me to be thankful for who I am and not to worry so much about what others think of me, I am who I am. She has seen me at my best, my worst and still loves me just for who I am and being around her I am never put in a place to second guess myself, I love that the most! I am so blessed, blessed beyond measure to have such great friends, some closer than others, but blessed all the same. So a note to me, never apologize for who you are or what you are, because if they are your true friends, they will not try to change the person you are, but will embrace every aspect of you, not matter how dramatic it gets! :)

Crystal

Summer is Here

   Drama is over until the fall, my favorite month is coming to a close and the awful heat of the summer is here - yik! It has been a nice, quiet and easy week, for that I am glad. Things have been so crazy with drama and it bums me to say that I just cant handle nearly what I would like to and the fact of that daily reality makes me feel weak. Although I am supported, my limits are discouraging at times, so as I sit and think in silence, I try my best to accept my limits without criticism of myself.

I am so glad to be finally losing weight and the thought of success puts a smile all over my face! :) I continue to make the best choices one day at a time and knowing it will lead me to a healthier place.

Life is sweet and I am so thankful for the daily refreshing waters of peace and rest that my heavenly Father lsta me sip from - YOU are my true peace and joy!

FINALLY!

So, last night finally came true for me after years and years of waiting!

Last night I was an official youth leader at a youth service, working with and praying for teen girls!!!!!!!!!! It was GREAT, no, that doesn't even describe my emotion, but it was so fulfilling! I can't wait until next Wednesday! God is so good, it took me years, but I finally have stepped through the door to my calling!

A Rewarding Moment

  I went to the gym tonight and it was just a reminder to how much I love to lift weights, one machine I was up to 50 pounds!

After the gym, I saw a lady walking through the shopping center, holding her son, bundled up as best as she could.  In that instant, I rolled down my window and offered her a ride, she accepted and I found out her name was Marrissa.....:). I enjoyed very much helping out and it reminded me of all the time I spent in Dallas during college taking the bus all the time, just wishing some nice lady would stop and offer me a ride. :)

Proud of me

Can I just tell you that all week I have been getting up & 5:30 am and then exercising! I am outside walking/ running in the dark and I say to myself, "WHO ARE YOU?" This is the girl who has ALWAYS been a night owl and hated mornings, but what can I say, I want to change who I am. I want to be healthier, stronger and taking care of my temple like never before!

I am also having a BLAST selling Avon!!!!  It is SO MUCH FUN to do! It's just a bit frustrationg when certain local friends are not supporting my business as I did theres when they started, sad.

Oh well, it has been a great week & for that I am thankful!

Alive | Pocket Full of Rocks

Alive | Pocket Full of Rocks

I am Quite impressed!

So, you know, I have never been the great chef, that's my sis. But ever since I have been trying to eat better and a wave of Pampered Chef parties went through my friends, I am trying. Tonight I made Stir fry from scratch! I minced fresh garlic AND ginger, which I had never done and it tasted so clean so good with no preservatives in it, I even toasted almonds, okay, Bruce helped a bit. :) I am just so proud of me!

Today I became my own boss!

I was young when I have memories of sitting in the car with my sister watching my mom walk up to the front door of someone's home and deliver their Avon order and she was such a great Avon rep, that she won several awards! Now, I am a stay at home like my mom and I am following in her footsteps. Will I win awards? Only the Lord knows, but I am excited about the journey ahead!http://avon.com/

New to this

        I  heard of this blogging thing and never really thought much of it except caution for the fact that I was typing things out on the internet, but then I learned I could control exactly who saw it and it made me feel better, although I am aware that I am probably not totally secure.


So why have I decided to blog. Because as you know I have been hurt on face book with the lack of response to certain posts. Posts that are journal worthy, but words that would make me feel better if I typed it out. I am being VERY protective of this place and who I let in, because this is to be a safe place for me, one of encouragement from others and when I am done, I will feel better.:) So, if you are reading this now, know that I trust you and I thank you for sharing your time with me.