Christmas Lights at CALM

Yesterday we went to see the lights at CALM. It was a lot of fun. Papa, Bana, my sister and her son went with us.
This year they had a carousel. It spun so fast you could feel the centripetal force push you out. It got me dizzy!
















Then we all rode the train. They had such a cool set up in the field. One of my favorites was the Santa Claus...NOT! I liked the Bakersfield sign:





After a warming cup of hot chocolate we walked through the rest of the wonderland of lights. Jeremiah's favorite was the pirate ship. It even fired the cannon and the cannon ball "splashed" into the water. Here's Jeremiah and his cousin, Daniel, in front of the pirate ship.











We stopped by the reptile room, mostly to warm up. My back was getting tired so I sat down for a moment. My sweetie sat next to me. We are SOOO cute: (I crocheted my beanie.)












We ended out the night by taking a family picture. Too bad Jeremiah was tired and moody because he ended up covering Papa's head.











So I took an extra picture. See, I told you Jeremiah was tired!







It was a another great family outing!

Family Pictures

So for the past 2 years Pascual, Jeremiah and I have gone somewhere to take our pictures together. The first year we went to Hart Park:


Last year we went across the street from Valley Baptist (you know, where the nice park-like setting is on the corner):


This year it was kind of cold outside so we did it inside. (I wish we would've went somewhere else.)

It was hard to get genuine smiles out of us when most of us didn't want to be there. Let's not worry about who those people were. Let it be sufficient to say that 2 out of us 3 wanted to do something else.

So these are our family pictures this year.







They came out ok. I think I would like them more if the background was more earthy and I had more time. Next year I will do a better job planning.. especially since there will be four of us then.

Apple picking and train watching

In October we took a drive to Tehachapi to pick apples. We went to two farms. The first one was...well rustic is a good adjective. We walked out to the trees and picked apples. There were only two kinds from which to choose.


Then we went to a more refined apple farm. They had all the apples picked for you. The bins of apples were labeled by variety with many varieties from which to choose. They even had samples of their wonderful apple cider. Yummy.
There was a pumpkin patch there. Jeremiah picked out his very own.



We left Tehachapi and headed for Keene to see the famous Tehachapi Loop... one of the wonders of the train world. Papa had his radio that he uses for his railroad job. Here's a picture of Banna "using" it to get info on when the next train was heading our way. (She didn't really use it.)




We waited about half an hour and the train came. You can see the train loop around itself in the following pictures.


We went a little closer and saw this train. Pretty cool pictures, huh!



Afterwards we stopped by the little Keene restaurant and had lunch. Then we went our seperate ways and went home...with lots of apples and great memories. What a fun day!

An update

So pregnancy is going good. I've only thrown up once, and that was after eating greasy fair food. I'm nautious like every day but it's really not that bad. I really can't complain. We're just really excited to be having another baby.

On another note: I remember a few years ago seeing kids with their parents and saying to myself, "My kid is never going to act like that." Well come to find out, training a child in the way he should go is harder than I thought. The other day Papa, Bana, Uncle Ruben, Dad, Jeremiah and I all went for a walk. Papa tied a rope around Jeremiah's new tricycle so he could pull him, since his feet won't reach the peddles yet. Jeremiah liked it for about 5 minutes...
...then he wanted out.

After about 10 minutes he wanted back in. Then out, then in. Oh my gosh kid, make up your mind! So we decided that he's going to be in and stay in...no matter what!
It was a battle but even when he didn't want to, he stayed on his tricycle. Yay! Victory! And Papa and Bana were great too. They let us do our thing with Jeremiah and helped enforce it. Have I mentioned what awesome in-laws I have!!!

October looks like it's going to be a busy month. I'm hosting a scrapbooking party Friday, MOPS is on Monday, then going to Dinner My Way (see link on sidebar; some of my favorite sites) on Tuesday. We're going up to the mountains the following Saturday with Papa & Bana to pick apples and to see the train loop. Papa works for the railroads so the train loop is an extra big deal! It should be a great Saturday.

Then Pascual and my birthday is coming up after that. We'll be 32 this year. (Yep, we were born on the exact same day, just 14 hours apart. I know, what are the odds?!) The women's retreat is coming up later in the month. I can't wait for that! Just me and my girlfriends. It's always a fun time! Plus our speakers this year are going to be awesome. It looks like a busy and fabulous month. I hope to share pics with you once the activities have happened. (We'll see, don't hold me to that, though. :-)

I earned my 10% key chain!

Woohoo! Today at Weight Watchers I earned my 10% key chain. I've lost 10% of my starting weight. I am sooo excited.

Although now I'm not trying to lose weight because I'm pregnant, the weight seems to keep falling off; even after I've added 300 calories to my diet each day.

Next week will be my last day attending my Weight Watcher meetings for about 9 months; they won't let me keep going knowing I'm pregnant. So I'm so glad I got the key chain. It's something to look at reminding me of the 20+ pound loss goal I reached in under 3 months. It will be a great motivator once this baby is born to get back and reach my ultimate goal of getting to goal weight (165 lbs) and keeping off the weight.

I was tagged.

Thanks Lynette! I hope you find out all the info you ever wanted to know about me from these questions. :-)

1. What is the name of your school and why??
What kind of a question is this? You want me to come up with a fictional school and name it? Ok, how about School of Rock. I love that movie!

2. How is your weather today?
It was nice. But I wish my air conditioner would quit turning on! My home just has a hard time cooling off. Sometimes it's hotter inside than outside. Ahhh.

3. What steals your joy?
Clutter... and sleepless nights. Thankfully, I haven't had too many nights like that in a looong time. But I see them coming back in my future.

4. Name five blessings you received this week.

1) I found out I am pregnant (please refer back to question number 3). And, please, no silly questions asking me how far along I am. Just look to the side bar at the right!

2) My insurance pays 100% of my lab work!

3) I have re-noticed that I have the best husband. He's perfect for me!

4) My patio finally looks nice. I hung 6 plants and planted a few crawling fig vines so maybe in a year or two I'll have green everywhere on my patio! I really like hanging out there when the weather is nice...like today (refer to question #2).

5) I have 3, yes 3 best friends and many, yes many really good ones. I don't think many people can honestly say that.

5. Where's the question for #5? You want me to make one up??? Ok, based on Lynette's answers I think it should read, "What is your favorite Bible verse"?

Habakkuk 3:17-18 "Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, YET I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation."

and

1 Samuel 17:45a "Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts..."

6. Who in the Bible do you think that you are most like??
Hmm, that's a tough one. I think I'd need more time to come up with a good answer. So for now let's just say Jael. (I actually named one of my cacti that.) A prize awaits the first person to leave a comment telling me who this Biblical woman was. Small print: Offer expires 9-18-07.

7. The passage of scripture you last read?
Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd [to feed, guide and shield me]; I shall not lack." -Amplified Bible This bible is opened to this passage in my bathroom...I know: too much information.

8. Have you ever praised God for something weird?
How about my cold that I'm having a hard time kicking. The Bible says to praise Him for everything, right?

9. If you were making a greeting card for God what would it say?
Thanks for not giving up on me, even when I blow it...daily!

10. What is the best miracle God has performed in your life or your best answer to prayer?
When my mom was alive she was having a lot of medical problems. For about a week she just wasn't all there mentally. Someone had to be home with her to make sure she wasn't trying to cook for fear of setting the house ablaze. It got to the point that someone suggested we hire a in-home nurse. Well, one night I couldn't take it anymore. I cried out to God and asked Him to heal her. It was an anointed prayer! (You had to be there!) The next day my mom was completely healed as far as her degrading mental state went. It was like her mind returned to her and she never went back to that loopy state again! Praise God!!!

11. What is the most fun thing you have done lately?
Zerberted my son. Then he zerberted me back. Now that was fun!

12. How did you choose your screen name?
Hello, it's only my name! I know, not very creative. Hey, in my defense, I had to come up with a screen name really fast for this computer class I took a few years ago (I had to take the class to get my teaching credential).

So anyways, thanks for tagging me, Lynette.

Fabulous Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe

This is for 1 pound of dough which makes 9 rolls. Weight Watchers alert: each cinnamon roll is 6 points!

Dough:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp yeast

Glaze:
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

Filling:
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Make dough.

Pour the melted butter for the glaze into one 9-inch round or square cake pan; sprinkle with brown sugar. With a rolling pin, roll dough into a 8x14-inch rectangle.

For the filling, brush the melted butter on the dough. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon and raisins; sprinkle over dough. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal. With a knife, lightly mark roll into 1 1/2 inch sections. Slice a 12-inch piece of dental floss or heavy thread underneath. By bringing the ends of the floss up and crisscrossing them at the top of each mark, you can cut through the roll by pulling the strings in opposite directions. Place rolls cut side up in prepared pan(s), flattening them slightly.**

Cover and let rise in a warm oven 30-45 minutes until doubled.
(Hint: to warm oven slightly, turn oven to Warm setting for 2 minutes, then turn it off, and place covered dough in oven to rise. Remove pan(s) from oven to preheat.)

Preheat oven to 350. Bake 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately invert rolls onto a large platter or serving dish. Serve warm.

**The rolls can be covered with foil at this point and refrigerated overnight or frozen for 1 month. Before baking, allow rolls to thaw completely and rise in a warm oven 30 minutes. (Hint: on a moment's notice you can have a fabulous gift on hand by placing uncooked rolls in disposable cake pans, covering them with foil, and attaching a label with thawing and baking directions to the top, and then freezing them. New mommies will appreciate this bonus when you bring them dinner!)

Impacting

I saw this video on another blog. Before I watched it I thought it was going to be another cheesy Christian interpretive dance video. Boy, was I wrong.

Chocolate-Buttermilk Sheet Cake Recipe

WW: this cakes serves 18 and each piece is 6 points.

On the mommies stroller walk this morning a couple of the ladies asked for this recipe. It's so good and I don't really like chocolate.

I'm sure a few of you just did a double take...yep, it's true. I can live without chocolate.

Anyways...this recipe is from my new, ok it's a hand-me-down, better homes and gardens cookbook. Thanks, Kurly, for giving it to me. (Like I was really going to give it back) :-)

"Known to some as Texas Sheet cake, this rich dessert often is served as brownies." - Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk (see tip below)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 recipe chocolate-buttermilk frosting (below)

Note: I use sour milk mainly because my hubby is lactose intolerant. So I've used goats milk to make the sour milk. I've also used soy milk and it works fine too.


1. Grease a 15x10x1-inch or 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder, and 1 cup of WATER. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa mixture to flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes for the 15x10x1-inch pan, 35 minutes for the 13x9x2-inch pan, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
4. Pour warm chocolate-buttermilk frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly. Place cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE-BUTTERMILK FROSTING RECIPE:
In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 TBSP buttermilk (or sour milk). Bring to boiling. Remove from heat. Add 2 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat until smooth. If desired, stir in 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans.

MAKING SOUR MILK: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, or just want to cut down on calories and fat, substitute sour milk in the same amount. For each cup of sour milk needed, place 1 TBSP lemon juice in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid; stir. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.

Are you being an ambassador?

An ambassador is defined as a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another. As Christians we are ambassadors representing Heaven here on Earth.

Don't forget that the culture that surrounds us is not our own. We are called to be different and our accent should give us away.

Some kids of Christian parents go astray when they fail to see meaningful differences in the lives of their parents verses the world. They don't see mom & dad as ambassadors but rather as natives. In turn, the children take on the foreign culture as their own.

But it's our job as parents to teach our kids that earth is not our home, that we have a home in Heaven, and that we are sojournors, ambassadors, while we are here. In order to teach them this, we must live it. We must fully live it; not in part but in whole. It must be a total surrender to Christ.

Remember that as ambassadors we must speak the language of where we live but our speech should be drenched with nuances of our native tongue. We should be different and it should be obvious.

Are you living as an ambassador?

My car passed smog

About a year ago my check engine light came on. I took it to Allen's Automotive and Norm told me it wasn't anything to worry about until it was time to get it smogged. And now it's time.

So for a year the check engine light would go off for a day or two but then come back on for a couple of weeks. A couple of days ago my check engine light went off. Last night God laid it on my heart to smog my car. So I prayed and decided if the light was still off once I got to the smog station I'd do it.

I had to wait two hours at the smog station. I would start to get nervous then I'd pray. I rebuked demons from messing with my car, the equipment, and the analyzer. I kept praying that the check engine light would stay off because if it comes on anytime during the test it's an automatic failure. Then I saw on the TV in the foyer a girl playing a harp on the Montel Williams show.

I was reminded about my devotions I did yesterday. Whenever King Saul was tormented by an evil spirit he would call for David to play his harp then Saul would be comforted. That was it. Once I saw and heard the harp I KNEW that my car would pass smog. And it did. And because I had to wait so long, I got $10 off my bill.

GOD IS SO GOOD

I'm getting ready for a yard sale

My mil is having a yard sale and I get to be a part of it. We're trying to sell some stuff so we can have more spending cash when the whole family goes to the beach in a couple of weeks.

So I started going through closets, the shed, and my pantry (which houses much more than food) looking for things that I can get rid of. Out in the shed I found my Grandma's Ronco Food Dehydrator. Wow, what a find; still in the box and everything.

"Are you going to sell that at the yard sale?", my husband asks?

"No!, I'm going to make you banana chips, apple rings, and beef jerky!!!", I proudly pronounce! And I have too. Currently, I'm working on pineapple. I love my "new" dehydrator.

Then I worked my way through the pantry and I found my mom's old bread machine.

"Are you going to sell that at the yard sale?", my husband asks?

"No!, I'm going to make you homemade bread!", I proudly pronounce! And I have done that too, two delicious loaves. I've had to use my weekly points allowance for that but it was sooo worth it.

I also found a "whirly popper" my grandma had. It's the coolest thing. It's a pot with a cool lid on it to pop popcorn on your stove. But instead of shaking the pan around to keep the kernels from burning it has the nob you turn and that spins the metal hands on the bottom of the pan. I seriously made popcorn in under four minutes using this pot!

"Are you going to sell that at the yard sale?", my husband asks?
"No!, I'm making spectacular popcorn with this bad boy!"

So needless to say, I haven't found much to sell at the yard sale. I'll keep looking but at the rate I'm going it doesn't look good.

Beach Vacation

This year for our family vacation we went to Morro Bay. It was an interesting vacation; different from all the rest we've had. Jeremiah is almost two years old and for some reason he went through the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde experience. One moment he was content (dare I say happy), the next he was throwing a MAJOR fit.
But all in all it was a nice break from the heat and hubbub.

It was extremely wonderful to get to wear a jacket in the middle of summer! It was kinda windy too! I love this weather!


Here, Jeremiah had his first taste of gelato, coconut macadamia. Was it gooooood! He liked it so much he stole my spoon and double fisted it!









Pascual & Jeremiah chillin' in Cayucus.





On Jeremiah's last day at the beach we went to Morro Bay beach and attempted a sand castle. I had high hopes: two castles inside of a moat shaped like infinity. Needless to say one castle was hard enough!










On Thursday my in-laws drove over and we all went to the San Luis farmer's market. That was fun. Pascual & Yvonne took Jeremiah and drove back home while my Pascual and I went back to the beach house for two more days. It was nice to be alone. We also celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary! Yeah for us!

These last pictures are at Pismo. I miss the beach! But we'll be returning in a couple of weeks for the entire family (30 of us) beach trip!

A dinner with my family at...

Tonight was the night that I "paid" my dad for working on Pascual's truck. He wanted to go to Hometown Buffet. The last night I went there was when Nancy & Chuck Garcia had a "yay, we're pregnant!" dinner (Charlie's almost 2 now).

While at the salad bar, I noticed a fly landing on an array of food. Gross! Then almost everything that looked good was breaded and I didn't want to use a hundred weight watcher points eating those kinds of food. So I settled for spaghetti, fish, and a chicken leg...all of which I could make that tastes better than theirs. For dessert I had a small bowl of soft serve ice cream. That and the rib that my sister gave me were the highlights of the menu.

All of which totalled 40 points. I used all the rest of my weekly allowance points. SOOO sad!


Yep, my sister went too. My dad figured I should also pay for her since we used her garage to house the truck while it was getting worked on. Her garage that I had to clean to make space for the truck. But, no matter. It was fun having her there.

The absolute best part about taking the fam is that my dad, his girlfriend, and my sister all brought zip lock bags to use as "to go boxes". Oh yeah, it was great having to be a lookout for management as they stuffed their bags. SO OKIE! I couldn't believe it...well actually I can believe it. It sounds just like them.

So between the hungry fly, the "not much to write home about" food, and my ettiquette savy family members (yeah right) I highly doubt that I'll ever go back to Hometown Buffet.

We're finally here!

There was a time I thought I'd never see the day but it's finally here. Jeremiah's last set of molars are coming through. Yeah!!! I think that was what brought on his fever today. At least I hope so.

My mommy-in-law tells me that her kids' teeth were hard on them when they came in; I guess the same is true for my kid. I remember sleepless nights, mild fevers, and running nose when his other teeth came in. Well the symptoms are back, except for the sleepless nights. I hope I didn't just jinx myself. But I think it will be easier to deal with this time around, now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We're finally here. The last four! I'm elated!!

Dani, linner's ready!

While being on Weight Watchers I've noticed that I'd like a meal in between lunch and dinner. I want linner. For some reason I want to snack on everything around 3:30. Yep, it's linner time! I don't think I'm that hungry; it's not my stomach but my brain that wants food.
Maybe I should drink a big glass of water at that time, then have a snack. Ooh, that's a good idea. I'll try that. Geez, why didn't I think of that sooner???

My very first Weight Watchers Meeting

Yesterday my husband, Raquel and I went to Weight Watchers. Pascual went because he didn't want me to have to drive across town to pick him up so we could go to dinner on our date night. No, he didn't like it. He's starting tomorrow...online.

It was interesting. The weigh in was kind of cool; I haven't gained any weight since my last doctor's visit a couple of weeks ago. The woman who led the meeting reminded me of a teacher-friend I had from BHS.

Now that I'm writing down everything that goes in my mouth, I think my first hurttle will be tonight - Shafter's Independence Day party. Did I set myself up for heartache or what?!? My first day! I'm going to buy a giant veggie tray and make a few dishes that are low in points. I hope I do well!

And date night was good. We ate at Red Lobster then went to Costco. Yes, Raquel, we bought that Weight Watcher scale that was mentioned at the meeting. We've NEVER owned a scale before. And we need one if Pascual's going to do WW online. Anyways, does anyone have any suggestions as to what else we can do in this town for date night that isn't eating and doesn't cost too much? It seems like all we do is eat.

This morning I was doing my devotion. On the page in my journal it had the following verse printed out on it:
1 Timothy 4:8 "Training your body helps you in some ways, but serving God helps you in every way by bringing you blessings in this life and in the future life, too." Coincidence? I think not!

Pascual's truck is fixed!

Praise the Lord!!!

The $1500 in repairs ended up costing us $300 for the parts plus we're taking my Dad and four others out to Sizzler (Dad's choice) for dinner.

My dad used to be a mechanic. He worked on the truck and all he wanted for his services was a dinner at Sizzler. I, of course, bought the new radiator, water pump and accesories.
You can't beat a deal like that!

Thank you, Jesus!!!

Weight Watchers here I come!

I remember ten years ago when I was "thin". I was 21, going to SF State Univ., and working at the Hungry Hunter in Daly City. I was 150 pounds. I'm tall, ok, so that was slim to me. Although my boyfriend at the time said I still had baby fat...man, was he a jerk! No wonder we broke up! :-) I digress.

A lot has happened in ten years. Once I quit waiting tables I gained 10 pounds almost instantly. You'd be surprised how much walking your servers do in one night. When I moved back home more weight came on, 20 more pounds.

Then, a few years later, I got married. Even more weight came on...we're talking 35 pounds! I didn't know how to cook then so my husband and I went out to eat...a lot. We both got fat together (Awww).

Then the baby came and with him came 15 more pounds that never went away.

So in ten years I went from a slender beauty to an extra large charmer. Well I'm tired of this extra large crap! I'm tired of having to go to the plus-size side of the store. So Monday I'm starting Weight Watchers. I've never done WW before. But I am bound and determined to lose most of this excess mass.

My husband will begin Weight Watchers next week too. We got fat together so we're going to lose the fat together. I've got one of the best hubbies in the whole wide world!

So on my blog I've put the weight ticker. I need accountability so this will help in that area. My husband and my friends Raquel and Carrie will also help me too. By me knowing that they're doing WW too is accountability enough for me! That's enough to push me into following the guidelines, making better choices and getting my butt to the gym.

I know the journey back into size 12/14 will be hard and long. If it took me 10 years to gain 80 pounds, it will take a while to get 60-70 pounds to come off. But it's a road I want to take (I say that now, before the hard times begin!)

So this is the beginning. And I'm excited!

One of my servants is sick...

It's true. Actually I have many servants. I know it sounds snobbish of me. But I'm pretty sure you have a few yourself. All of my servants require electricity from an outlet. You know, my washing machine, dryer, mixer, toaster oven, microwave, etc. These are my servants.


The one who is sick at the moment is my dishwasher. She's leaking water. When she decides it's time to drain, the water pours out of the top of my sink and below the sink too. Oh yes, she's really sick.

Something I've learned from this is the following: You never REALLY know how hard someone (ok, or something) works until you do their job. Now that I am picking up her slack and washing dishes by hand I realize that she is one hard working servant. Man, does she save me time and energy...when she's up and running.

I'm not sure when I'll have the money to help her back to life. But until then I sure will miss her!

The Lab Results Are In

The nurse called my cell phone and left me a voice mail asking me to return her call last Friday.

It makes me kind of nervous when you get a phone call from the doctor's office. I mean, usually when the results are normal and there's nothing to worry about they just send you a letter in the mail. They usually don't even sign it. In fact, it's something they just printed off of their hard drive and hand checked the 'normal' box.

But when it's not normal they call. And when they call and get voice mail they won't tell you what's going on. They just tell you to call them back. They don't even hint at what's going on.

But when it's super bad they take it to the next step; they schedule you a follow-up appointment. I've never had one of those and I hope I never do.

So when I heard the cryptic message (This is Dr. So and So's office. Please give me a call back regarding your lab results.) I got a little nervous. Did I forget to mention that the nurse called first thing in the morning - yes, before 8am.

So my heart races, I breathe deep and I call. I eventually get the nurse and she has to look up my chart. What??? She forgot who I am; she forgot the results?!? Believe it or not that makes me feel better. If my hormone levels were so out of whack and I was doomed to infertility, well you think she'd remember that.

She finds the results...they...are...normal! Yeehaw (as my son would say)!

Then she says something that threw me for a loop. "Dr. So and So wants to know if you want her to give you a referal to an infertility specialist."

"Uhh, umm, uhh", I respond. (Deep, I know.) I never thought of seeing a specialist. I mean, sure it's been 14 whole months of trying to get pregnant. But, on the other hand it's only been 14 months.

When you think of it, it's only 14 unsuccessful attempts. Fourteen times no one on the swim team has found the coveted egg at the finish line. I think we'll continue to give the team a chance.

"No, thanks. But if I ever change my mind I'll call you back." At least I know I have a bridge that hasn't been burned.

Here comes another trial

Trials. Part of me wishes I didn't have to go through them. But a bigger part of me knows better. Trials are meant to do so much: to build character, to keep us close and relying on God, to show other people just how big my God is...this list goes on.

So here's the scoop:

My husband's truck needs $1,500 worth of repairs. Keep in mind he only paid $6,000 for it and it is now 11 years old. It seems hardly worth the money. Do we fix it? (To fix it we'd have to use our vacation money which, as you can imagine, we do NOT want to do). Do we buy a newer one? Keep in mind that we have had 3 years without any car payments and let me tell you, it's been really nice. Or do we do something else? I don't know what that would be but I do know better than to put God in a box.

So what to do? Well, we prayed. And we're not moving until God gives us part A of His plan. It's that simple. Afterall, "because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail", Lamenations 3:22.

This morning I read in 1 Samuel 11 about a trial that came upon some Israelites and God used it and turned it into a major triumph for His people. That trial was exactly what was needed for Israel to see Saul as their king. And it was what was needed for Saul to step up and act like a king. That trial needed to come and it came at the perfect time!

Well maybe, just perhaps, this trial is something that my family needs to go through. I don't know why yet...I may never know why. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that God is totally in control of this situation, we are totally relying on God to meet our needs, and our hearts are fully set on Him. I'll put myself out there and say that God will come through for us. Keep in mind that I don't know what that is going to look like when this trial is over. But when He does, you can rejoice with us!

To be continued...

Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfill

I love this song!

My doctor visit

Today I went to the doctor. My mother-in-law suggested it was time to go. Come to think of it, I hadn't been to see my doctor in over a year and my mother-in-law does have a lot of wisdom... plus she's the only mommy I've got. After all, you've got to listen to your mother. Besides, I love her a lot! So I went.

I mentioned to my doctor that Pascual and I (aren't we so cute -->) have been trying to conceive for over a year and I wondered if she had any medical advice. She thought I should get my hormone levels checked out. A good idea.

She knows I'm a SAHM and we only bring in one income. So as she was filling out the lab paperwork she asked me if I had been tired lately (as she was shaking her head yes). I was kinda puzzled and asked if there was a correct answer to her question. She said yes, so I told her that I had been feeling a little tired lately. I mean, come on. Which mom doesn't feel tired, right? She responded with, "I thought so. Besides, now your insurance will pay for the lab work. That, and the fact that you've been having irregular periods" (which was news to me). She called it a "creative diagnosis". I called it free lab work. Besides, she checked a billion boxes on that lab work sheet so I knew it was going to be an expensive lab bill.

So off I went, from her office to PAL. They took a gazillion viles of blood. Ok, probably only 5 but it looked like I was at Houchin. Nevertheless, I was in and out in no time. A pleasant (and free for me) experience.

My doctor, who for insurance fraud reasons shall remain nameless :-), will let me know the results when she knows.

Have I mentioned how much I love my doctor?!?

Be a living sacrifice

Hello all! I took my friend Raquel's advice; I'm starting my own blog. Thanks for that, Raquel.

I read this morning in Romans 12 about how my body is to be a living sacrifice to God. The thing with me is that I tend to forget what I read and in return forget to practice what I read.
So I've been thinking about what it means to be a living sacrifice. Sacrifice implies giving something up or doing something that you don't want to do, in this case, for the sake of pleasing God. So, with that in mind, this week I'm going to try to put this into practice. I'll try to keep you updated....we'll see.