Life is....Moving Right Along!

It's about time I updated this po' lil' blog! I'll break it down into categories so it's not so overwhelming!

Life in General
Life is going fairly well for the Tilleys right now! We're still getting settled into our new house. There are only a few boxes left in Jake's "Man Cave." Everything else is unpacked, but not everything has found a home yet. Pictures will be posted as soon as we can get things in a semi-straight order!
I am still continuing grad classes at Clemson 2 nights a week. On those nights, either Jake is home or my sweet mother-in-law comes over and takes care of Abby for me. It really helps to put my mind at ease knowing that someone who loves Abby almost as much as me is caring for her! Speaking of grad school, I should finish in the Spring of 2013. I know that seems like a long time away, but given that I have to do a semester of practicum and a full year of internship, it will be here before I know it!

Abby
Abby is now 6 months old!! I cannot believe how fast half of year has flown by! She has started eating solid foods as well. We are introducing a new one every week. So far she's had butternut squash and green peas. Tomorrow she gets to try acorn squash. I am making all of her food (with the exception of the oatmeal). This has been such a rewarding experience for me. It seems like everything I planned with Abby prior to her birth went crazy and didn't happen the way I wanted. BUT, the one thing I did plan to do was make her own baby food.

God has blessed our family with more than we deserve. I cannot begin to thank Him enough for creating such a wonderful man like Jake who I get to share the rest of my life with. I love the fact that God designed him just for me. I am completely blown away by my beautiful daughter. She amazes me every day at the new skills she has acquired and it seems like she is growing overnight. I love my life and am so very thankful for every minute I get to live it.

Life is....Crazy Busy!

Well, it's been quite a while since my last blog so let me update all of you on what is going on with this set of Tilleys!

In November, we got some bad news dealing with the paperwork of building a house. This issue was going to set us back at least 6 more months, but most likely longer. We were pretty upset, but then God kind of spoke to us to let us know that he had better plans in store. We instantly went back to our amazing realtor, Holly Gunnels, and she took us out to look at houses. One of them was a great house in a great area that we instantly fell in love with. Needless to say, within a week we were signing papers to put an offer in on this house. Ironically, it went on the market May 26 (mine and Jake's anniversary). A counter offer was made and by December 15, we were moving in! So far, this has been a wonderful house. We love it!

Abby is growing like a weed. We go back to the doctor for the 4 month check up on Dec. 29. I'm sure that Abby has put on weight and actually gotten longer! She can now roll over, "talk", imitate sounds and facial expressions, make consonant and vowel sounds, and smile in recognition! She loves colors and people talking to her! We are so blessed with a wonderful daughter. She even sleeps for about 10 hours every night!

The Tilleys are doing well and are so excited about celebrating family, friends, and most importantly, the birth of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!

Life is....LOVE

I started back to work a week ago and it was so hard! However, I only cried two out of the four days. I fell right back into routine and while I HATE leaving Abby, I do realize it's just one of those things I have to do.
I have a very dear friend, who I will name T, that works with me. She told me a story last week about how much she loves her son and how she always made sure that he knew that. She used to carpool with a girl who had a very close relationship with her parents. When asked by T if she was loved growing up, the girl replied, "Oh my gosh was I loved!" T knew from that point on that she wanted her son to be able to say the same thing if he was ever asked that question.
As she was telling me this story, I realized I wanted the same thing for Abby. However, the more I thought about it, I want her to be able to say a similar answer to two more questions: "Did your parents love Jesus?" and "Did your parents love each other?"
I firmly believe that without Jesus, nothing is possible. Jake and I have to LIVE out our faith in front of our little girl for her to truly believe us and what we say. If we live like we love Jesus, she'll see Him at work in us and He will be undeniable. I want her to know without a doubt that we love Jesus and that we love Him the most; above ANYTHING or ANYONE else.
In order for Abby to know what a GOOD and HEALTHY relationship looks like, she needs one modeled for her. I pray that Jake and I will do that for her. I don't want us to be disgusting in front of her, but we will show our love in front of her. To the point that it might embarrass her in front of her friends, and we might hear an "Oh Mom. Oh Dad." BUT, she will secretly want the very same thing in a husband of her own because she will see and know that we love each other.
Lastly, I want her to know that we love her like crazy! All the hugs, kisses, and gifts in the world can't take the place of truly learning her and what speaks love to her.

So Abby, if one day several years down the road, you read this, please know that your Mommy and Daddy love three main things: Jesus, each other, and you (and yes, in that order). There will be times you will wish that order was different, but your Daddy and I made a commitment to each other that we would always keep this order because it's what works and it's what God commanded. We love you like crazy and know that one day you'll be able to say, "Oh my gosh did they love Jesus, each other and me!!"

Life is....all about adjusting

It's been a while since I have had time to write. Between caring for an infant and trying to live between two houses (neither of which are ours), it's been a little crazy.

To update you, Abby is now 8 weeks old. We went for her one month appointment last month and she was up to 8 lbs, 13.5 ozs, and 20 inches long. At birth, she was 7 lbs, 4 ozs and 19 3/8 inches long. When we left the hospital, she was 6 lbs, 8 ozs. So she is gaining weight very well! In fact, she's average for her age in weight. However, not in length. Abby is in the 10th percentile for length (she gets it honest). No worries though! Being short isn't all THAT bad! Abby goes back for her two month appointment on Friday, the 29th. I can't wait to see how she's grown in a month.

Maternity leave.....I took 8 weeks of maternity leave and can honestly say that I wasn't so sure about it at the beginning. I was so exhausted all of the time and felt a little stir-crazy on most days. About 2 weeks ago, I really started to enjoy all of the time that I was getting to spend with Abby. She started interacting more and awarding all of my crazy behavior (made up songs, facial expressions, and crazy voices when reading) with smiles, coos, and giggles. I started dreading going back to work then. Don't get me wrong, I have an AWESOME person to take care of her. BUT, I would much rather spend my days playing with her all day then to go to work.

I officially go back tomorrow, October 25. I am DREADING this day. I don't deal with change well and everything changes tomorrow. I am used to my typical schedule in the mornings and now, I have no idea how things are going to work because I have another little body to take care of. I'm planning on getting up earlier and leaving earlier than I'm accustomed to. Since having Abby around, I have been consistently late to everything! I haven't found the time frame it takes to care for her and me and get us to where we need to be on time! I also have to give up what has been life for me for the past 8 weeks. I had gotten into a routine with Abby - feed, burp, change diapers - and now I have to change all of that and adjust to a new routine. How that is going to play out is anyone's guess!

Long story short, I am asking for prayers for me and my family this week. It's going to be extremely hard on me. Jake will have to deal with me being upset and Abby's going to have to deal with me not wanting to let her go! So please pray for all of us.

Life is...Beautiful!

Well, a lot has occurred since my last posting and my life has changed dramatically! Abby Jade Tilley is now here and I couldn't be any happier. She was 5 weeks early, but still a very healthy weight. Here's how things went down...

On August 24, I took my blood pressure at home using my grandfather's blood pressure cuff. It came back pretty high (150/100) and I got a little concerned. However, I took it later on and it was back down to my normal range (which since I started back working had progressively gotten a little higher, but not unsafe). On August 25, I took my blood pressure again that evening and it was back up in that dangerous range. It never came back down to a safe place, but Jake and I chalked it up to (hopefully) a problem with the blood pressure cuff. On August 26, my grandfather replaced the batteries and I retook my blood pressure. Still dangerously high. I left out for work with the intentions of having the school nurse take it and hopefully tell me it was high but not as high as I thought. Not the case. She took it and gave me the verdict...160/98. I immediately placed a call to the doctor to let him know what was going on with me. I had to wait for a little while to get a call back, but when I did, he sent me for a non-stress test at the hospital. I left work with all intentions of going back, maybe with a bed rest order, but still, going back to get my stuff.
I went for my test. By the time I got to the hospital, my blood pressure was up to 168/111. I laid in a bed on my left side for about an hour hooked up to monitors (blood pressure and fetal monitor). I also had a little button to push every time Abby moved. After laying there and watching my blood pressure go up and not down too terribly much, the doctor came in with an ultrasound machine. He reported to me that they had found protein in my urine sample and that given all of the information (mine and what they had collected), I had pre-eclampsia. He said it could be mild or severe and mine was severe. Since my heart rate and the baby's heart rate were fine, he said he wanted to make sure both of us stayed healthy. He immediately admitted me and told me he would induce labor at about 1:30 that afternoon.
Now, you need to understand where Jake was during all of this. Thursday was his day off and he NEVER does anything on his day off (except my honey-do list). On this day, he had made plans to go to Georgia to ride dirt bikes with a friend and had left at about 7:00 am. I had been in contact with him - he knew about the blood pressure, phone call to the doctor and the non-stress test. Everything happened so fast that I only had a few minutes to text him and tell him that they were inducing me and for him to get on the road home. However, the doctor and nurses came right in and started telling me all sorts of instructions and wheeling me to a room. He was calling me like crazy (he thought I was kidding), but I couldn't answer!
Well, Jake made it back to the hospital before they induced and I couldn't have been happier. We were both scared to death and not ready for all of this to happen. We didn't have the car seat installed or the hospital bag packed (we still thought we had at least another month). What we did know is that we were going to meet Abby soon! They put me on magnesium (just in case my blood pressure caused a seizure) and sodium chloride. After 5 pills to try to induce labor, the doctor decided that I wasn't ever going to be ready to go into full blown labor. On August 27, the doctors came in and told me that at this point, the only option that made sense was to do a C-section. This was not in the plan!! I wanted to do an all-natural birth and a C-section was the farthest thing from this! We discussed the options and decided that a C-section, although unwanted, was necessary to make my blood pressure come down to a safe place and to make sure that Abby didn't go into distress.
I was scheduled for late morning, but was bumped due to an emergency. I ended up going in around noon and at 12:24 pm on August 27, my little Abby Jade made her entrance into this world. It wasn't at all the way I planned, but I was so happy to have her here. She was absolutely beautiful.
We ended up staying in the hospital for 6 days (moving from labor/delivery to mom/baby to a transition room). I was discharged a day before Abby was. She had a few complications due to being early (jaundice and weight loss), but those were corrected and we were finally allowed to go home on Wednesday, September 1.
Having my beautiful baby girl by induction and then C-section was not the way I planned, but she made it here safely, and I did too, so it was all worth it. Now I can't imagine my life without her.

Life is....going quicker than I imagined!

Sorry it has been so long since my last entry. Life has been crazy busy and moving so quickly that I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and collect my thoughts. I had a few minutes so I thought that I would try to update.

First of all, we sold our house! YAY!!! We closed on our house July 30. You have to understand the craziness that was created by this. We were told we would close August 6. However, the buyers came back to us after this and requested August 2. However, in the end, the buyers wanted the 30th as the closing date since one of them needed to get out of a rental in time. We didn't know until the day before EXACTLY when our closing date would be so you can imagine the struggles we had with packing. It could not and would not have happened if it had not been for our AMAZING families who worked on getting boxes, packing, storing, and helping us move.

Secondly, we moved in with my grandfather and I have to say I was a little nervous. However, after living there since the 30th, I can honestly say that I LOVE it! There has not been one morning where I have not had breakfast cooked for me and on the table waiting for me to eat. Jake loves that he has someone who he can talk baseball with. We are a little tight on space, but I think we'll be able to make everything work. Now I just need some time to get things put in their proper place (i.e. nesting)!

The last huge thing (besides my ever growing belly) that has happened since my last posting is that Jake and I went to Vision of Life and got to see our beautiful baby girl! She looks JUST like her daddy. We are super excited and cannot wait for Abby to join our family fully. We are so ready for her!

Please continue to pray for us that God would mold us into the parents we need to be. Also, please pray for Abby that she would continue to grow, develop, and be born exactly the way that she should be!

Life is...MOVING!

Sorry that it has been so long since my last posting, but life has been SUPER busy! First of all, we've had a few doctor's appointments for dear, sweet Abby and the doctor has reported that she is doing just fine. The doctors have said that all of my numbers look great and that her heartbeat is perfect! Such a relief and I feel nothing short of blessed to have a healthy baby. I did have my glucose tolerance test done (really, it wasn't that bad) and that came back fine too. Abby moves like crazy daily. She has had several times where I think she was having a party! Feeling her move has been one of the major highlights of this pregnancy. It's so unexplainable to feel something inside of you move and KNOW that it is your own little baby.
Secondly, we put our house on the market in late April. Well, we have been showing it since then and this past week, we found a buyer!!! It's not officially sold yet, but it is under contract. I've got to give props to our awesome realtor, Holly Gunnels. She worked very hard on helping us to do things to get this house sold. Now, we have to go through the appraisal process, home inspection, termite inspection, and closing. Supposedly, all of this is going to be done by August 6 and we'll officially be homeless! I never thought I would be so excited!!
Please continue to pray that Abby would develop appropriately into the healthy (in mind and body) baby that I already know she is. Also pray for our house to pass all of the little "tests" and be able to be SOLD completely. That will be such a weight off!

Things coming up:
-July 10: Childbirth class and Maternity tour
-July 24: 3D/4D ultrasound at Vision of Life (I am the MOST excited about this one!!)
-July 29: Doctor's appointment

Life is Two Girls and a Boy!

We officially found out the gender of our little one on May 10, 2010. It's a girl! Jake is officially outnumbered! The whole appointment was very funny and this may be TMI, but it makes the story so here goes.

I had heard from a very reputable friend and my sister that I should have a full bladder when I went in to have the ultrasound done because it makes the contrast better. I took them at their words! I drank a cup of milk at 7:15ish that morning and then proceeded to drink about 24 more ounces of water. Needless to say I was about to bust by 11:00 when Jake came to get me for the appointment (the last time I had went to the bathroom was at about 6:15 that morning). The appointment wasn't until 11:30 and we THOUGHT if we got there early, we would possibly get to go back early. Not the case. In fact, we were taken back about 30 minutes later! So I went for about 6 hours with no potty breaks!

When the ultrasound tech got us back to the room, she started looking at the baby. She couldn't get the baby to stretch out and then she caught a glimpse of my bladder. She told me that she was so surprised that I wasn't whining! I guess she underestimated the power of a teacher bladder! She told me to go and empty completely and then come back because my little one had NO room to move!

I did as she said and came back. While I was gone, Jake and the tech (Susan) were talking about what he thought it was. If you know us, you know Jake was dead set that this baby was a boy. So much so, that we bought blue Mother's Day gifts for our moms. Well, I come back and get all geared up again. Immediately, our baby spread her legs and showed the world that she was a girl. Susan looks at Jake and says, "Daddy, you were wrong!" Jake's face went into sheer terror and said, "Are you sure?" This was probably one of the funniest moments of my life!

The ultrasound continued and she took all of her developmental shots. By the way, she gave our baby girl an A+!! A strong heartbeat, 2 arms, 10 fingers, 2 legs, and 10 toes! Abby (our baby girl) wasn't very cooperative and didn't want to move. She laid on her side the entire time, even when I moved. In one shot, we saw her covering her face with her hands as if she were saying, "Please leave me alone." In the ONE profile shot we did get, she moved her hand (which was so cool to watch and feel at the same time) and placed it on her head (diva-style, no less) as if she were saying, "Fine, but only one."

I can't believe that my unborn child has such an attitude already, but I am so glad that she does. I have prayed for her since the day I found out she was growing inside of me and I pray that she continues to grow and develop the way she has been going! She currently weighs about 15 ounces and they have moved my due date to September 19 from September 28.

Please continue to pray for Jake and me as parents and for Abby, that she would grow developmentally correct. Also pray for her spiritual health and her future husband. It's never too early to start!!

Life is Different...

At my last blog, I revealed the fact that I was pregnant and justly titled it...Life is Changing. At that point, I hadn't had a lot of changes in my life; only a picture of a little blob (my little blob), some "morning" sickness (so grossly misnamed), and a positive pregnancy test. I am currently 15 weeks (almost 16) pregnant.

Life is Different...I would totally agree with this statement. I went from spending the first 13 - 14 weeks throwing up at every movement and just feeling plain miserable. It makes it VERY hard to be the excited mommy I wanted to be when all I wanted to do was sleep and throw up. I had some type of virus March 28. I couldn't believe the toll this virus took on my body. I spent 2 full days in bed throwing up even more and running a dreadful fever. After this, I haven't thrown up since!

At the last doctor's appointment (13 weeks), we got to get another ultrasound. This is not normal, but my heartbeat and the baby's heartbeat were in the exact same place. So to be sure that my baby's heartbeat was okay, they hooked me up to the ultrasound machine. I didn't mind at all! We got to see that our baby actually has a head, 2 arms, and 2 little legs that were crossed! It was so much more exciting now that our baby looked like a baby! The doctor did a great job of walking us through what everything was - the beginnings of ribs, the heartbeat, the movements of the baby! I have to say, I left that appointment more in love with this baby than ever before.

It's still hard to believe that this is all real. I'm not showing a lot although I have started to wear some maternity clothes - they are just so much more comfortable. Overall, at 15 weeks, I have only gained 4.6 pounds. When you're as short as I am, there's not a lot of space for the weight to go. I was laying on the couch March 30 and felt this little flutter in my lower tummy. I had never felt anything like it before, but it happened again two more times in the same exact spot. According to everyone I have talked to and everything I have read, it was the baby moving!

Like I said before, this is still so surreal to me. I can't believe that there is life inside of me. It probably won't really start to sink in until I have a huge belly and know exactly what that little one is (girl or boy). Speaking of that, my next doctor's appointment is the 21st (17 weeks). They said we probably wouldn't try to see the gender then, but set up an appointment for the next week or next to find out what this little one is. So for now, we wait. Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we progress in this pregnancy. Pray that our baby is developing perfectly both physically and mentally. Please pray that Jake and I will continue to become the parents God wants us to be!

Life is Changing...

This week we released the news....I'm pregnant! We have known for a while and have kept it a secret until we went to the doctor. On Wednesday, Jake and I went to the doctor for the first time and got to hear and see our little one's heartbeat. We also left with 3 new pictures of our baby. It was so exciting! You can't really tell a lot from the pictures, but for me and Jake, it shows OUR baby! It's ours and it's healthy and that's really all that matters. I can't make out a lot, but I do know it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

As of today, Friday, February 26, I am 9 weeks and 5 days. Our baby is the size of a large grape and only 2.5 cm long. I have been struggling with extreme exhaustion (at least one nap a day and going to bed no later than 10:00) and nausea/vomiting (at least once a day if not more). I haven't officially gained any weight yet - I've actually lost, but I know it's coming.

Jake and I are so exetremely blessed and we thank God on a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis for the amazing gift of life that He has given us. We count it nothing short of a miracle and praise Him for it. Jake has done such a great job of taking care of me. From changing the way we go in and out of the house (the dog's smell really sets me off) to going to places where I want to eat, he has been AMAZING. I couldn't have asked for a better person to share this experience with.

So many of my friends are pregnant right now and that excites me because we will get to go through this together. In fact, one of the ladies that I work with is due just a week after me! Please pray for me and Jake as God develops us into the parents He wants us to be and please pray for our baby, that it will continue to develop healthy in mind and body. I go back to the doctor in 4 weeks so I will update again after that!

Update

I realize that I desperately need to update my blog, but honestly, I haven't had the time! An in-depth update will be coming soon! Promise!

Passion - What will it take to make me stop?

In preparation for my lovely Pampered Chef party at my home on Friday, I was cleaning my office last night when I noticed some VERY unwelcomed guests. Near my dog's crate and his food was a steady stream of ants. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that not only had they taken over the wall, but they were on the floor and in my dog's food storage bin. I was ticked off! If you know me at all, you know that I like my stuff clean (not necessarily neat and tidy, but clean - no dust, dirt, and especially no bugs).
I immediately started killing every little ant I could see. They started scrambling for cover, but I wasn't finished yet. I continued to pursue these little creatures. I got out the broom and swept up as much as I could. Then, I got out the hand vac and went to town! I vacuumed EVERYWHERE in that office and took great joy in ridding my house of these little bugs.

Main Point: I was passionate about getting rid of what I didn't want in my house.

During my rantful cleaning, God spoke to me. What if I was that passionate about getting things out of my life that didn't belong? The message this past Sunday at church was about submitting completely to God and giving Him everything. What if all of us as Christians did that? Imagine how blessed and open our lives would be!

So as I continue to work on getting rid of my ants (which is going very well), I will be examining my life and hope you will examine yours to look for a passion to get rid of what doesn't belong or even just to find a passion for what God wants you to do.

KidSpring

AMAZED! That's the only word that I can come up with to describe how I feel right now. A few weeks ago, I got to walk through the new KidSpring building at our church, NewSpring. It blew me away and it wasn't even halfway done yet. I went home and God spoke to me so clearly about having this amazing passion. On Tuesday night, we had volunteer training and got to see a pretty much completed building. However, still no kids yet. My anticipation grew stronger. Tonight, Friday night, we had our first look at KidSpring with actual kids. WOW!! God is so much bigger than any plan I have ever thought or any idea of what I could have imagined. All of these kids were running around and SOOO excited about their new building. Imagine...God is going to give us the amazing opportunity to take all of the excitement about the building and turn it into lives being changed for Him. It blows my mind that He would allow me to be part of something this huge. God is at work and I am so humbled by His grace. I don't deserve any of this, but He has chosen to bless me and my church. THANK YOU GOD!!

So, if you haven't checked out KidSpring yet, do it! Opening this Sunday!

One Year - A Tribute to an Amazing Grandmother

Tomorrow, or Feb. 12th, is the anniversary of my grandmother's death. I know that all of my blog rollers love me and understand me, so please bear with me as I use this as a way of writing down my feelings, regrets, and most importantly memories of a truly amazing woman.

My grandmother passed away a year ago. As the pastor said at her funeral, the biggest lie that was ever written about her was that she died. She is so alive right now and I believe that with all of my heart. She lived an incredible life. Everything she did was a testimony to her belief in an amazing God that she loved dearly. I believe that she is with that amazing God now. I wish that everyone could have known how precious she was. She lived through a LOT of rough stuff. Her mother died when she was young, she had a lot of siblings, she had her first baby while her husband was in another country and raised that baby for a year without him there. Can you imagine??

She was also one of the best grandmothers you could ask for. She took care of us when we were sick. She kept up with all of our toys that we left at her house. She fed us (and good too)! She prayed for us. She taught us Bible verses. She played with us and even went along with our jokes and pranks.

I regret so much not taking the time to talk to her and thank her when I had the chance. I know that I can't change that now and I know that she knew that I loved her, but it still bothers me that I didn't cherish EVERY moment, even when she bothered me (or so I thought).

So the top things that I miss about my grandmother....

1) I miss her smile.

2) I miss watching her fall asleep when she just meant to "sit down and rest a minute."

3) I miss her cards and letters.

4) I miss smelling her cooking.

5) I miss talking to her on the phone.

6) I miss her advice.

7) I miss her sewing and hemming....you have to understand that NOTHING fits on me the way it should.

8) I miss hearing her talk to the answering machine (Hey Kristy. It's Granny. How are you? I'm doing good today. Just wanted to call and tell you....Kristy, are you there? It's Granny.). LOVED that.

9) I miss calling her about cooking advice and her thinking it was the greatest thing in the world.

10) But most importantly, I just miss her. I miss EVERYTHING about her.

Don't get me wrong. I watched her suffer through a painful battle with cancer. I wouldn't DARE wish her back here for anything. She is in the most wonderful place that I can ever imagine and praising her Creator. I am exetremely happy for her. I just miss her. So please, take some time today and call up your family members, even the ones that annoy you. Don't take them for granted. And if you don't mind, please keep my family in your prayers today especially.

I love you all!

A New Year

Wow, I can't believe how awesome 2008 has been to me. While I did go through some "storms," God has blessed me in amazing ways that I couldn't have even imagined. What is the main thing that I have learned this year? NEVER sell God short! He has AMAZING plans for us and all He wants us to do is submit to Him completely. God has done amazing things in my personal life, but also in the life of my church. I pray for Him to do so much more this upcoming year!

It's hard for me to think that my life can get much better, but I know that God has plans for me that I haven't even considered yet. In light of the new year, I am going to post some resolutions and I expect for all my blogger friends to help me uphold them! (These are in not in order of importance!)

Resolution #1: Lose at least 25 pounds this year.
Resolution #2: Love my husband more passionately than ever before.
Resolution #3: Take a walk with Justice, my dog, daily.
Resolution #4: Train for a 5K (or possibly a 10K) and compete in one!
Resolution #5: MOST IMPORTANT!! Fall deeper in love with Jesus and become more of the person that He wants me to be.

I love all of my friends and family very much! Thanks for making 2008 a GREAT year!

My Weight Loss Journey

This is me prior to Weight Watchers (around November 07).
This is me after (November 08).

So, I celebrated my one year anniversary with Weight Watchers on October 13. I did some major reflecting over the weekend and realized a lot of things.

1. I am officially down 27.2 pounds from October 13, 2007. WOOT!

2. I didn't lose as much as I wanted to in one year. I had dreams that I would lose at least 50 pounds in one year, but I didn't. However, I did still lose in the healthy weight loss range, so I was happy. My new goal for the next year - to lose 33.8 pounds. That will put me at my ideal weight. I would actually be happy with losing only another 21.8 pounds, but we'll see how that goes.

3. I have dropped two pants sizes this past year and one top size.

4. I have changed my body in ways that I didn't think was possible.

5. It took me getting to the point where I was so frustrated with my inability to do things (paint my toenails, go up and down my stairs, etc.) that I decided to make a change.

6. I NEVER want to go back to where I was again. My goal is to be able to get down low enough that even when I get pregnant, that I will not be the weight I was when I started this journey.

Lastly, the three most important:
7. I couldn't have done this without the support, help, and love of my dear hubby. He has supported me in so many ways it's unbelievable.

8. I couldn't have done this without my family. My mom especially. She made it possible for me to do this. And my dad....WOW! He has lost about 48 pounds now and has actually obtained a job with Weight Watchers! Go Pops!

9. My Jesus. Can I say enough? I couldn't have lost this weight without Him answering my prayers and helping me with self-discipline. Love Him with all my heart!

10. I learned that even losing 27.2 pounds wouldn't make me happy if I didn't have Jesus in my heart. I could be the largest person alive, but as long as I have Jesus, I have everything I need. Also, I was beautiful before I lost my weight. Jesus said so! However, losing the weight just made my outside feel like my inside!

I would encourage anyone who feels discouraged about or controlled by their weight to join Weight Watchers. It is a great program that works! However, don't expect it to make a world of difference in your happiness level if you don't KNOW Jesus.

Wish me luck in my next year!

HELP!

Someone please help me! I have no idea how to work this blog. I want to put in a slideshow and do all the fun things that everyone else has, but I have no idea how to work this! Please help me! I need blog resource!!

Blessed!

Blessed! That's the best word to describe my entire life. On December 2, 1983, I was born to the most amazing and loving parents in the entire world. Throughout my childhood and growing up, I was blessed with amazing teachers, friends, and family. On January 22, 2005, I was blessed by being allowed to meet the most amazing man in the world. Little did I know that he would become my soulmate, best friend, and husband. On February 10, 2005, I was blessed when he asked me to be his girlfriend (actually, he told me, but that's another story for another blog). On February 1, 2006, I was blessed when he asked me to be his forever. On May 26, 2007, I was blessed when it was official and I was his forever! On February 12, 2008, I was blessed when God didn't allow my grandmother to suffer through cancer anymore and He took her on home to be with those she loves.
Everyday I am amazed by how much God blesses me. He has given me an amazing family, awesome friends, a job, His love, grace, mercy, and most importantly salvation, means to have fun with my husband and remodel our house, EVERYTHING. I owe God so much and the only thing He asks from me is that I worship him and label Him as number 1 in my life. So, all the blessings that you've read about are a direct result of God's love for me. Praise to Him!!!

First Timer!

So, all my sweet and lovely friends have these cool blogs that I'm reading on a weekly basis, so I thought it was time I did it too. Let me know if you have any suggestions or advice for me as I begin this!