From death to Life

I went to a funeral today. My lovely sister in law, Roxy, lost her grandpa this week. They have a very sweet family and oh, how hard it is to say goodbye!

But, in a way, I love funerals. I love burials and cemetaries. I do not enjoy death, but I can appreciate it. And it's rewarding to hear how a person is honored after life is gone. 

Funerals are a promising reminder that we are sent to this earth, for just a short time. We are sent here by God to do his work, and when the time comes, he takes us to be with him forever. 

I hate that death is so hard and feels so permanent. I miss the people I once had the honor of knowing and speaking with but I love the promise of what they are experiencing now!

From Ephesians 2-

6 God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. 7 God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. 8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. 10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ to make us what we are.

Health and Happiness

One year ago, a weight loss challenge got presented to me at work. I knew I had some pounds to lose and I wasn't feeling to great about myself. I weighed 191 pounds. By watching my calories, I lost 6 pounds the first month. At the beginning of February, my sister-in-law convinced me to join Beachbody. By doing one of their workout videos and enjoying a Shakeology drink everyday, I quickly lost 6 more pounds.
Twelve pounds down in 12 weeks, and I didn't win the work challenge, but I continued my journey anyway...
Summertime came and my swimsuit was too big!! I had to buy new clothes. I started feeling so much better about myself- less depressed, more energy, more confidence. I was becoming a better person for my husband, my kids, and ultimately- myself. We did a lot of walking, biking and hiking over the summer.
Within 7-8 months, I had lost 30 pounds (16% of my body weight!).
I continue to workout a few times per week and drink Shakeology nearly everyday. I LOVE what Beachbody has to offer and have found my soul mate workout (TurboFire!) It's been a true lifestyle change for me. Greg and I enjoy healthy cooking. We avoid most processed junk. We definitely eat our veggies and lean meat. Now, don't get me wrong... sometimes I eat too many cookies and I love some fried onion rings every once in awhile, but ultimately we are teaching our kids how to live healthy lives: both through food and exercise. It's been a great journey.
I've gained 3-4 pounds back over the last few months (darn holidays) and now have a Carnival Caribbean Cruise to look forward to in February. My hope is to be under 160lb by then and perhaps break out an old bikini!!

The elf is still on the move!

Mark's got a hot date tonight! 

Last night he snuck into the cookie jar and snatched an oreo!

2013

I thought I should do a year-end Christmas-type letter...

Me... I am going on 4 years as an RN at Sanford Cardiovascular Institute. I work about 36 hours per week and love my patients! I have a lot of independence and like what I do. Some other highlights of the year include getting the braces off my teeth and losing weight. I joined the Beachbody company and through exercise and a protein shake, I've lost 30 pounds and kept it off :)  I also have been going to an on-line school pursuing my Bachelor's degree in nursing. I live a crazy life, and I'm always running behind, but it is what it is.
Greg... He has been with the flight team at Sanford for over two years now, working as a paramedic on both the helicopter and airplane. He's very humble, but I think he's pretty awesome and I am proud of him every day. With our crazy family life, he decided to take on all night shifts, so he can pick up Kyla from school every day. He works 3 twelve hour shifts per week. He has been able to pick up a lot of my slack since I've started school- housework and cooking. He's great! I also got him sucked into Beachbody and he's lost some weight through exercise and through us cooking more healthy as a family.
Kyla... She started Pre-K this year at Christian Center Elementary and she participates in their before-school daycare a couple days per week. She is really smart and has enjoyed the challenges. She went through a shy phase this year, but is starting to become more social lately. Either way, she has always made friends easily with kids her age and is a pretty well-behaved 4-year-old. At home, she enjoys doing crafts, playing outside, and going for bike rides to the park. I almost forgot!!-- she learned to ride bike without training wheels this summer- right before she turned 4.
Nolan... He's two. Need I say more? ;) I worried about his speech earlier this year, as he hardly spoke any words. But, this summer those worries came to an end. He is a chatter box speaking in full sentences now. I think he's a typical little boy... likes to play rough and doesn't like to sleep in his own bed... He goes to an in-home daycare three days per week and has started to participate in the preschool curriculum and projects (he's so proud of his projects!). He also loves the outdoors, even when it's freezing cold.
Mason... The Mason Dog turned 6 this year. His days consist of being tortured by Nolan and sleeping. He's such a good little dog. He misses going for walks since it has been so blasted cold lately. His nights consist of cuddling in Kyla's bed.

We enjoyed a few camping trips this summer in our little pop-up. We really enjoy going to Lake Pahoja and Newton Hills. Also, we took a family vacation to Des Moines, Pella and Omaha this summer. We went to the Iowa State Fair (which me and Greg have always enjoyed), we spent some time in Pella and then went to the Omaha Zoo too.
We made a couple more trips to Pella unexpectedly. We were able to say our "good-byes" to our dear friend Nick as he lay in the hospital, then we went back a few days later for his funeral. What a blessing it was that we were able to have dinner with him just a few weeks earlier during our vacation. And what a blessing to have great friends surrounding us!
For Christmas this year, we're excited to drive to Montana to spend a week with all of Greg's family. Hoping the kids behave for the long car ride, but it will be so great to spend time there.
Greg and I are also excited for our cruise coming up in late February. We're going with our good friends, Paul and Emily. With the frigid cold temps outside, it can't come soon enough!

That pretty much sums up our year. We are hoping everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Year!

Mark

Mark is enjoying some hot chocolate and marshmallows tonight. Ready to see the kids in the morning!

Press On

As my blogging mood has changed from being in a depressive state to bringing laughter and cheer from my kids, I thought about deleting some of my old posts.  I got a lot of ridicule for my past posts, with, perhaps some of the most memorable words being "delete your blog and buy a notebook."
But, I didn't.
If something told me to blog, I did.  It felt good at the time for some of my feelings to be out in the open, when I had no one to really listen.
Now I am being showed why I kept typing away through all my troubles and turmoil.  I have received private messages that say:
"just read your blog! I love it! you completely open your feelings and talk about your struggles...thank you for sharing...especially the 2010 picture one...makes me think about my faith, my family, and friends"
and "read part of your blog about misery... I feel that is exactly what I'm going through right now. Made me feel better knowing that other people have those feelings and are doing so great later. thank you for your honesty."

It brings tears to my eyes when I consider the struggles I had, and some that I still do have.  Obviously, my parent's divorce is one of the major factors, as well as the death of two good friends, and other tragic losses of nearby communities.
It also moves me that I might be helping others through their struggles, or at least showing them that it will be okay in the end.
The circumstance can vary, but, depression happens.  Sometimes acutely, sometimes chronically. All I have to say is: do whatcha gotta do to (healthily) get through it.

This brings me to one of my favorite bible verses:
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."   
Philippians 3:12-14

Good night Mark

Mark is ready for bed and so am I!