: : : Hear us Rhorer : : :

Sleep

2011-11-04T01:42:00.000-07:00

Its 4am and I can't sleep. Being a mommy is so hard at times. I often find myself worrying about what I'm doing is right. Lately its been his sleep.

Typically night sleeping is what most moms worry about. As for me, it's day time sleeping. I'm so frustrated and I find myself worrying about it a lot. He sleeps so randomly during the day. There for awhile he would not sleep from 9am-1 or 2pm. Now he sleeps from 9-12 and wont sleep in the afternoon. I find that when he has a morning and afternoon nap that he sleeps much better at night sleeping longer stretches. If not he is up every 3 hours which I don't mind at all.

I'm not a baby wise mom. Well, I haven't read the book and I find myself not wanting to read it either. Is that wrong. No offense to other moms out there who do it, but I don't have the desire/heart to let him cry it out at this point of his life. I want to nurture him. Maybe I should read it first before criticizing. :)

One problem we have is that Justin and I get antsy being at home so I like to go out a lot. Isaiah sleeps great when we are out and about but when we are home all day he does not nap well. Maybe I'm worrying about it too much. Maybe I need to take a week at home, not leaving the house specifically working on naps.

Any of you moms have any advice or reassurance?

I'm still PREGNANT!!!

2011-09-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I haven't done much blogging on here likely because we have been so busy working on the house, transition of jobs, church stuff, and just pure exhaustion from being pregnant. I wish I blogged more about my pregnancy, but every time I would sit to do it I wouldn't know what to say.

As for now, I don't really know what to say :)

Tomorrow I will be 41 weeks pregnant. Yes I'm still working. I'm patiently waiting for the babies arrival. Its so interesting to hear everyone's comments when they see me.

"Your still pregnant."

"When are they going to induce you."

"OMG, your still here? I thought you'd be off by now."

"What's your doctors plan?"

Its been fun hearing the comments and getting to say, "Yep, I'm still here, working, patiently waiting." Everyone has a remedy to induce labor. I've heard everything. Have lots of sex, take primrose, drink castor oil, walk, walk, walk, jump on a trampoline, eat spicy food, eat pineapple, go for a run, swallow semen (yes, someone gave me that advice), take the stairs, blah, blah, blah. Do you really think I'm sitting at home just laying on the couch?!?!? Well, some nights I am. :)

It's also been overwhelming to hear how many comments I get about needing to be induced. It is such a common practice that its expected. If your baby's not here by your due date then Pitocin it is. People look at me crazy when I say that I could wait until 42 weeks before induction. Some really do say I'm crazy. If you look at the statistics most 1st time moms can be ~8 days past their due date before the baby is born and can be pregnant 42 weeks safely.

Of course I have been emotional, tired, frustrated, and some days screaming for this baby to come out. Especially when I'm getting comments constantly about it. It's not easy waiting, but I care more about letting nature take its course than using medications. I'm not opposed to medications, I just want to make sure I tried to go as long as possible before initiating them.

I actually would love to have a home birth. I have watched so many videos of home birth and want to cry every time. The experience is so intimate, natural, and bonding. Who knows, maybe with baby #2.

So yes, I am still waiting for baby to come. I love him so much and can't wait to meet him. If anything, what I want to hear is encouragement to persevere, that I'm doing a good job by waiting, and affirm me that I'm not crazy. :)

Tomorrow I go for my 41 week appointment. They will do an ultrasound and check my fluid levels and hopefully give me the ok to wait one more week. Yes I also know about getting my membranes stripped, just saying.

Ben Keeling Photo Shoot

2011-08-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

As of Now....

2011-08-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

I am only 4 weeks away from delivery - 36 weeks preggo
Am I scared? Only curious of the unknown....
My lower back has been hurting - very painful
Do I plan to go all natural - I'm hoping too, but who knows what will happen
I have lots of charlie horses in my legs and other weird places (very weird)
My ankles are swelling daily
I get tired very easy
Im not sure what to think except what I have left to get done
The baby room is pretty much finished
I have things that need to be put away in storage
I need to organize my closets & cabinets - Who knows when that will happen
I'd like to get our cars interiors detailed clean
And install the car seats
One of our cars is broken down with a transmission leak
I need to pack a hospital bag
And print the Birth Plan
Isaiah likes to move the most when I'm sitting alone and its very quiet
I start my weekly appointments tomorrow
My brother gets married 9/10/11 & my due date is 9/14/11
My husband has been very gracious, caring, and loving

Psalm 121

2011-08-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forever more.

4D ultrasound & 34 weeks Pregnant

2011-08-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Life seems to be a bit busy lately. I guess you can say I have been nesting, trying to get things ready for our little man. I can't wait to meet him, hold him, and love him. Justin and I are excitedly waiting his arrival. Here's our little man.

Here I am at 34 weeks. I'm feeling great at this point.

Of course the bump gets in the way at times and can be a tad bit uncomfortable, and peeing can get old, but every time he moves around I am reminded how awesome pregnancy is. I love it!

My cravings or lets just say preferences.

2011-06-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

I can't say that during this pregnancy I have had strong cravings for anything specific. I have not asked Justin to make any midnight runs or even any spontaneous runs for food. My taste buds have changed and I have desired only certain foods: Protein, Carbs, and Sweets

Here have been some (very few) of my food cravings

Chili Cheese Dogs (preferably cincinnati chili)

Eggs (preferable hard boiled eggs, scrambled, and fried)

Potato wedges

Right now I having been eating a lot of this

So not many food cravings, but strong food preferences! :)

Protecting our home.

2011-06-26T05:42:00.000-07:00

Our house is a mess again. This is a good thing because it means our kitchen is being finished. We are finally finishing our countertops and backsplash thanks to a dear friend of ours. Owning a house has been such a new experience for both Justin and I. We have a sudden need to be more responsible and PROTECTIVE. Well there's a little baggage with the protective part. I'll explain a little.

One, we don't live on the best side of town. It's not a bad side of town, but just not where everyone wants to move too. With that being said the safety is at a higher level than other parts of town. When we first bought the house, the guy living here before (his parents owned the house and sold it to us) broke in the house and stole some things he left on the property. SCARY. If he had just called us and asked us to give it to him we would have, but why, oh, why would you do that. Then when we were moving in this guy, (supposedly he was living with a friend a few houses down), came up to Justin and asked to get his grill back. Justin had a few nice/firm words with him and noticed the ladders were at that house he was staying at. We didn't make a big deal about it, but did tell him that we knew it was him that broke into our house and we have a police report on it, so stay OFF our property or we WILL call the police. We haven't had any of the problems since. We put new locks on everything and locked things up that were not locked up (our garage, fences, etc)

Two, a family that lives a few houses down that has many children always has different people coming in and out of their house. They like to hang out on the front porch a lot and their kids like to play in the front yard. I met the mom and she was very nice. Well, a few weeks ago, we were grilling out on our back porch with some friends and this mom walked around to us and asked us for money. She gave us a story that her son was out of medicine and she didn't have any money to purchase it. I'm not saying she was lying because I do not know. We had to believe that this was a moment of ministry for us. This was the first time. However, we were still a little suspicious.

Three, last week Justin and I were at home just finishing up dinner when we noticed 5 cop cars pull up in front of our house. Another cop car was at the end of our street with his lights on. The cops hopped out with a drug dog and huddled around. Oh no! What was going on?!?! Here we were, being nosey, peeking out the windows. The cops entered into the house of the mom who asked us for money. Nothing really happened. Hours later we hear knocking at our door. It was our back door, which was even scarier, because NO one knocks there. It was two cops and the drug dog. The cops had jumped our fence and was looking in our shed for this missing person there. They wanted us to unlock our gate so they didn't have to jump it. Yeah, we were just a little FREAKED out.

Well, we still have no clue whats happening. The cops still drive down our street monitoring. No one has been around that house since that night. The children's toys are still in the same place. The grass hasn't been mowed, and it looks vacant. All I can think about is those poor children.

So, yes, we have been very PROTECTIVE of our house, or belongings, our safety. Owning a house comes with new challenges, but it is rather exciting at the same time. :)

2011-06-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

We are still working on the house! It is ALMOST together though and I'm super excited to be done with it for a little while. I think we pretty much have almost every room finished except for the babies room and a few things to hang here and there. As soon as it is together I will post pics! That may be a month from now, but maybe I'll post a picture of each room as we get it done.

I'm so excited to put Isaiah's room together. I'm going with a rocket theme. Here are a few items for the room.

Celebrating 5 years!

2011-06-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments! It is always nice to know what has worked for everyone else.

Justin and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary!! I can't believe it's been 5 years already. So much has happened. This year Justin and I celebrated by treating ourselves to a very nice dinner at The Dish and then continued on with great conversation at the Beer Trappe. I am blessed.

Justin took this picture of me while waiting for our food.

I can honestly say that I LOVE marriage. I love my husband and I love being with him every day. I remember when we were engaged and people would make their mean snide remarks about marriage. "oh honey, why would you do that for?"

It's crazy how our society views marriage these days. Many people have been hurt and then hurt others. People are afraid of marriage. Divorce numbers are higher than ever and many broken families exist. People have forgotten how to love.

Marriage is not easy. It can bring out the worst in you. There is no hiding. I have learned to use these moments as a point to change and transform. The worst can be turned to good if we allow it. I'm lucky my husband thinks the same way. We both have blossomed in our marriage and have used it to become better people. I have no doubt that our love will continue to grow. If I'm not more in love with Justin than I was a year ago, then something is wrong. I'm sure at 80 years old, Justin and I will look at each other in the eyes and be able to say we are more in love than we ever have been.

Cheers to the next 50 years ahead :)

2011-05-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Like the new blog design and new title?! I needed a change. I wish I was creative enough to come up with my own design. I don't have photoshop though and even if I did, I still wouldn't know how to use it.

I haven't blogged in awhile. One, I haven't had much to say. Two, we continue to work on the house. Three, this baby boy has taken all my energy. :)

Yep, we are having a BOY! We are super excited. I had a feeling from the beginning it would be a boy! Everyone around me was cheering for a girl only because we are surrounded by Rhorer boys and Ball boys (my family). As for girls, they run slim on both sides of the family. However, everyone is stoked that there will be another boy addition to the family.

I love being pregnant. I actually feel really blessed. I have not been sick or ill much during this pregnancy. For the first 3-4 weeks I was really nauseas and had food aversions, but most of the time I have been healthy and happy. The only complaint I have had is how sleepy I am all the time. I have slept more during this pregnancy than I have my entire life and I remain tired. Its expected. I know, I know....."This is your preparation for when the baby comes because you will get very little sleep." I honestly look forward to no sleep. Justin and have been waiting along time to start a family and we are soo ready.

Oh and the "pregnancy brain." Wow, that really is true! I have had that too which has been difficult for me. I like things in order and there has not been much order around here lately. :)

Yes we have a name.... Isaiah Paul

Is it a family name?.... Isaiah is one of our favorite books of the bible and it is a strong name. Paul is carried on from a few Rhorer generations. Justin's grandmother was saved reading Paul's writings in the New Testament and decided to name her first child Paul. Both Justin and his dad carry the Paul name.

I love feeling Isaiah move. I love getting bigger. I love wearing maternity clothes. I love shopping for him and creating a home for him. I tear up thinking about it.

To all you moms out there.....I have been working on my baby registry. I would like to hear from you what you really needed and what was worth having and not worth having. So if you have anything to share, I'd love to hear from you.

1. What did the baby sleep in the first few weeks of life before transitioning to the crib.

2. If you used cloth diapers, did you like Bum Genious the best?

3. Medulla pump in style or Medulla hands free pump? I will be working full time and need a good pump.

4. Advice on strollers?

Thanks!

Welcome to being a homeowner, ugh! :)

2011-03-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

Justin and I are making a little progress with the house. With the amount of time we have I think we have done pretty good. When we first moved into the house we had instant plumbing problems that needed to be fixed right away so we could take showers, our washer broke and had to buy a new one, and the previous owner was entering on our property without permission. So with that said, at first it was a bit stressful, but now we are able to hang at home and get some rest with ease. So yes, the saying, "Welcome to home ownership!" is getting old and we are tired of hearing it. We have a long to do list, but I have no doubt that it will be done before this baby is born :)

This is what we have done so far with the kitchen.

This is going to be the backsplash.

And we are planning on painting the cabinets white. Here's what to come in the near future.

1. Paint party

2. Trip to Ikea

3. Decorating

4. Cooking in my brand new kitchen

It is a New Year in the Rhorer Household

2011-02-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

With lots of NEW & GOOD changes!

I am pregnant!! I am about 10 wks so far. We had our first ultrasound on Valentines day and it was absolutely beautiful! What an amazing experience to be carrying a life inside of me. I have said this a lot. It was scary going to that first ultrasound because I was afraid nothing was going to show up. It didn't feel real until I saw our bambino bouncing around waving at us. Words can not express the emotion Justin and I both felt that day. Beauty!

We bought the house!!!!! I'm falling more and more in love with it everytime I am there. We will be moving in this week. However, we are currently remodeling the kitchen, so we will not be settled for awhile. We got lots of painting to do too. I am so glad spring is almost hear and winter is over. It makes moving so much better!

Moving forward.

2011-01-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

Justin and I are trying to buy a house. We put an offer on a house, it was accepted, and then the home inspection. Home inspections are scary. Exterior may look awesome or fixable, but you never know what you are going to find with heating/air, plumbing, or electricity until the home inspection. We offered on the house December 23. Merry Christmas to us! We had the home inspection on December 30th & found that there were many little/big things that were wrong with it. Here's the house.

We have continued to move forward. The owners offered to give us cash to fix the problems. So as of now we are having professionals come in a give us estimates of how much it will cost to fix the problems.

Today the professionals came. I learned today that the heating system installed in the house is a unit that could heat 4 houses. This had to of been installed by a previous homeowner because this is not legal to put in a house this size and the installation was not up to code. We were told the unit can be fixed to code, but eventually it would be wise to get a new system. I also learned that the air conditioning will not cool the upstairs very well and that it would be good to get a system put in upstairs also.

The electrician informed us that there were only minor things that are easily fixable in the house. Shew, that was good news. Now we are waiting on the plumber to give us more news.

I'm not sure what we are going to do. Praying for God's wisdom and direction. Please pray for us too!

Heres a picture of the kitchen & dining room.

Officially a RD

2010-11-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

This describes me lately.

I am officially a Registered Dietitian (RD). I passed the exam on Oct. 19th & received my certificate in the mail yesterday. I'm super excited, happy, & relieved!!

The whole process of becoming a dietitian has been a very long road. I remember specifically when I declared this major & why I did. There were many people in my major that graduated & never became a RD. The LORD told me I would complete this degree & become Registered. I just didn't know it would be this long after college (I graduated college Dec 2006). God led many in different directions and all things have happened within his timing. I even tried to move in other directions, like becoming a teacher, however he kept bringing me back to nutrition.

The acceptance of my Internship was a glorious day in the Rhorer household. I was on my way to completing the task of becoming RD. However, I didn't know that one whole year of my life would be consumed by this program. It was a very tough, hard year, but I persevered and finished the race strong.

Then came the finale, the registration exam. Ugh, this was the last task to being finished. After graduating from the Internship in June, I signed up to take the exam in August. I studied for 3-4 hours a day during the month of July. I was set to take the exam in August. At that time, I thought I was ready & was extremely confident in myself. I was forgetting one thing. God. I thought I could do ths test without him. That I could conquer this with all the time I studied. For goodness sakes, it was just a stupid test. Guess what, I FAILED. I was humiliated, mad, bitter, & just furious that I failed. I couldn't believe it. I had studied so much & felt there was not much more I could study to pass.

I took a month off. Then I scheduled again to take the exam in October. BAM back to the grind, studying. This time though I realized that I had to submit myself to GOD and just pray. That's exactly what I did. I have to be honest though. I was very discouraged during this time, hurt, & broken. I spent many nights crying and sobbing to GOD. I didn't want to study. The past year of my life had been such Hell & I was just mad that I was not finished. Studying again was rough. I felt that I was not understanding what I was studying, & I was so afraid of failing again. I emotionally could not do this anymore. Also, the fact that I had a job that depended on the passing of this exam hanging over my head. & that every other intern in my class had passed the exam on the 1st try.

Oct 19th came. I slept two hours that night. I was so scared, so afraid of failing. I had faith, but seriously my faith was literally that of a mustard seed.

Matthew 17:20 (NIV) ²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

I'm not kidding. This verse was my song during this rough time. I don't remember much of the test except the fact that I was shaking tremendously & that I was purely exhausted. I remember that many of the test questions resembled a lot of my study questions & my math questions were also very similar. I remember seeing You Passed & all I could think was THANK YOU LORD. Seriously, it was not me taking this exam. I was very out of character that day.

Finally I have completed the task of becoming a Registered Dietitian. I am officially Erica Rhorer, RD. Praise the LORD from whom all blessings flow.

Since the passing of the test, I feel like I have not come out of this, what I would call, depression. I'm in recovery. :) My current job is going well. It is a bit overwhelming, but I am encouraged daily by the other RD's that confidence will come with time & soon my days will be less stressful. Work has been extremely busy because we are short many dietitians. Plus, I have had to work two weekends, pretty much in a roll, & that was exhausting.

On another note, my mother was diagnosed with renal cell adenocarcinoma (kidney cancer) back in March. It has been a long past few months with treatment, planning surgery, & so forth. Last week she had major surgery in which they removed a 4.5 pound tumor from her abdomen. She was a trooper & came out of surgery like a champ. I am so proud of her. She is doing very well since the surgery & is healing well. I have been traveling home much more than usual to be of help & just to visit. Justin has not been able to travel with me much, which has made it harder & more tiring, but it has been very good to be with my family. I love them. We recently received the BEST news, Mom's cancer is now in remission. Praise the LORD.

I'm not sure when this season will pass, but I'm hoping it is soon. I'm ready to be refreshed and renewed.

Here I am

2010-09-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

I have officially been in my job for a month now. It has been super exciting to move forward as an official Dietitian. However, I still have the registration exam hanging over my head. I'm not sure when I am going to schedule the test again, but it will be soon. I'm not the best test taker and it scares the bonkers out of me.

It's crazy how you think when you have accomplished a goal in life that things will slow down. It doesn't. I am an achiever I have learned. I'm constantly needing to accomplish something which is a good and bad thing. I have so many tasks that I'm hoping to accomplish in the next year. Being an adult is full of so much responsibility, but it is fun.

Somethings we are hoping to accomplish in the near future.

Expand our family
Buy a house
Host lots of friends and family
Give more
Love more
and just be more

I am hosting a small group in my little apartment with some close girlfriends of mine. I'm super excited to share life with them more intimately and find Christ as our sole provider. We will be diving into Beth Moore's Breaking Free Bible Study.

Great News!

2010-07-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

I got a job!!! I am officially employed for University of Kentucky Hospital. I am sure you are surprised as much as I am. A lot has been happening since my last job update post.

Well, to make a long story short, the position I applied for originally at UK (my first professional interview post) re-opened because the new hire left. Therefore, the position was posted again, and I re-applied.

I got a phone call yesterday with the great news!! I am very excited to have a full-time job and nervous all at the same time. The next few months will be new beginnings in the Rhorer household!

2010-07-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

A few other things I would like to purchase one day soon

A Nikon D40

These TOMS shoes

MEND bags

2010-07-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

At Ichthus, Justin and I were cruising around the missions tent while waiting for Lecrae to play. We came upon the Invisible Children booth ,and I became fascinated with these new bags they were selling.

Justin and I love the mission and vision of Invisible Children. These bags were created by women of Uganda. From their website, MEND is designed to seam a personal connection between products and their makers, while repairing the lives of women in distressed regions of the world.

"Our handbags are story-driven. Each piece carries the name of the seamstress who made it. Each individual name unlocks online profiles of each seamstress employed in our program. Through video bios and photos she will share how she is “on the MEND” because of a simple purchase.The women employed in our program are formerly abducted child soldiers, often used in captivity as sex slaves. Those lucky enough to escape, often with children of their own, are ostracized due to their affiliation with the rebels. They lack education, and are taught sewing as a part of their brief rehabilitation. With demand for seamstresses already sparse due to the war, many are left without the means to support themselves and their children." ~Invisible Children

Ooooo, I love these bags. I can think of many great uses for it! The most important part is that I would be helping someone through this purchase. For now, we do not have the financial means to purchase this bag, but I do hope it will be possible in the near future! Maybe this may spark an interest in you to support these women if you have the financial means.

Right now, we are not able to travel across the world, but there are so many projects, programs, missions, etc that we can be a part of financially and prayerfully. Invisible Children is one of many.....

Where did June Go?!?!

2010-07-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

I got a haircut. June 3, 2010 and celebrated our 4 year anniversary. Oh my goodness, I did not get a pic of us together again this year. I need to remember to do that. Geez.....

I graduated!!!! June 4, 2010

After graduation, I took some time to visit my family, work LexReach, jam at ICHTHUS, participate in wedding festivities, and catch up with great friends. Below is my new sister-n-law, Mrs. Sheena Rhorer. I love her!

Most of all I have got to spend an incredible amount of time with my hubs. This has been a major blessing for us both. I was able to travel to a Vineyard Worship Conference along side of him in Columbus, Oh. which was awesome. This time has been refreshing, encouraging, and fun. We are currently reading a book together called Radical by David Platt. It is very challenging and awakening. A must read.

June has been a busy month and has seemed to zoom by. I'm hoping for a slower July.

Morehead Living

2010-06-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

Morehead is a quaint little town. I have had a great community dietetics experience here. Anyone from Kentucky knows that most areas are labeled as counties. We are currently in Rowan County and have also visited the surrounding counties (Estill, Menifee, Carter, & Bath Counties). The mountains of Kentucky are beautiful and the people here are very nice. Many people have asked where I have been staying. I have stayed in this adorable, cozy home.

Ashley (my roommate & intern friend) have planted herbs for the summer -- cilantro & basil. We are so excited to see the little sprouts. I can't wait to make pesto with the basil and quacamole using the cilantro.

Today, Ashley and I walked downtown and visited the local drugstore Holbrook's. We had ourselves a delicious milkshake & I purchased some delicious rocky road & peanut butter fudge. Yummmmm!

Peanut Butter Milkshake to-go, Please!

Tomorrow is our last day is this town. I am so excited to get home to the hubs. This week is winding down with one super happy girl. Tomorrow, the hubs and I will celebrate our four year anniversary!!! & Friday I will graduate. What a wonderful, hard, challenging, beautiful last 10 months have been. I'm super stoked I will soon be finished and be Mrs. Erica Rhorer, RD, LD (once I pass the exam)!

Our Memorial Weekend

2010-05-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend included.......

Sharing life with our good friends Matt & Kris by cooking together along with great conversation & a morning/afternoon trip to the local farmers market & flea market. Our wonderful friends were generous in giving me a cute apron as a graduation gift. I absolutely adore it!

We also went to the Drive-In in Winchester, KY & watched Prince of Persia. Justin and I were accompanied by the In-Laws, Nick & Limin, and Brooke (Intern friend). My mother-in-law makes the best popcorn. Of course we each had a bag of our own & snacks as well. I love summer!

Justin and I hiked the Pinnacles in Berea, KY. Being outdoors and in the sun refreshes me. I'd much rather be out walking, running, or being physically active outdoors than being inside watching TV. I am relaxed when I am outdoors in the sun. The view at the top of the west pinnacle was absolutely beautiful.

Now we are finishing it off with a Rhorer family cookout minus Andrew & Sheena plus Ben, Cristin, & Asher.

Hairstyles

2010-05-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well, let me just say, I have not had the best hair during my lifetime. I am that girl that does not know how to fix her hair. I have tried my best, but every time I look at a picture I think to myself, "Wow, not the best hair." I only like my hair when I have to fix it all pretty for weddings or dances. Hair products may help my hair look a little better, but I don't want to spend the money on them right now. Sooooooo, my mission is to find a new hair style that I can keep up with that looks GOOD. I have no idea what to do. Here are a few of my hair pics over several years. Ugghhh....I hate looking at them. I'm brave to even share them.

Here are a few hairstyle I like, but they seem kind of similar to what I already have.

2010-05-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Starting the day off right.

Job Update

2010-05-24T16:56:00.001-07:00

I heard last week that a friend of mine that works at Saint Joseph was hired for the UK position I interviewed for. I am very happy for this friend of mine, however, this does mean that I did not get the job, so onto more job hunting. For those who do not know, I have worked for Saint Joe for almost 4 years now. I was hired there as a diet tech and when I moved on to work for the health department I stayed on at St Joe in a casual status(working once every 3 months). Even during the Internship I continued to work there every so often. I really love working for St. Joe. The employees there are great to work with. Everyone is so friendly and like family. That's why I stayed there because one day I wanted to be a dietitian working there. So now is the time to apply for the position my friend is leaving. The position will be a casual position which means no benefits or holidays will come along with the job. This is not my ideal situation, but it is a place where I would love to work, and there is hope that there will one day be an opportunity to move into a full time position. Job hunting is so hard and kind of daunting. It is so nerve racking to interview and the waiting can be frustrating. My life is not my life, and plans are not my plans. It is the LORDS plan that prevails. I desire his will and not my own. Theres always lots to think about.

On another note here is a great music video Justin posted on my facebook wall.

A life of prayer and gratitude

2010-05-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

Colossians 1

Thanksgiving and Prayer
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.

Reading this passage is a challenge for me. I have wonderful friends around me and I think about them often, but how often do I just sit in gratitude and in prayer for these dear friends of mine. In reality, it is not very often that I thank God or even pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Oh, how I cringe to say that. It is amazing to share life with those who are living to glorify God. Their faith produces fruit and they grow into lovely people. God puts specific people in our lives to spur us on as believers and also, to encourage us to live a live worthy of the gospel. I am thankful for those friends in my life. I am thankful to see them live out a life that is not the American dream, that is not normal, and a life that is so risky. This life produces faith and perseverance. Paul is so good at remembering those around him that are living a life of faith in Jesus Christ. I want daily to not only remember my friends but also remember everyone who has said yes to follow Jesus (missionaries, pastors, youth ministers, friends, daily employers). Everyone that I know that has a life that has been transformed I want to remember, ponder on, and indeed pray for with thanksgiving.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a lifeworthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Today I will spend some time in prayer specifically for those who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Will you do the same?

My First Professional Interview

2010-05-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

A little lipstick may have completed the outfit. Oh well. Today was my first interview for a registered dietitian position. I look a little nervous in this picture. Yep, I was nervous. This is the beginning of a new journey for me. I'm not sure what doors will open or what doors will be closed, but I am following a God that has a plan for my life that is more than I could ever want. Daily I pray the Lord will lead me where he desires. I will go.

2010-04-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

6 weeks to go!!!!!

I really can't believe it. I am finished with homework. Shew, what a relief. I am working independently as a dietitian for 2 weeks and then moving to Morehead for 4 weeks for my community rotation. The past 5 months I have been working at UK Hospital and have loved it. I have regained a bit of my confidence and I really enjoy the acuity level. It is a challenge and I am growing so much in knowledge. I'm glad I started my course at VA hospital and finished at UK. I would not want it any other way.

"What are your plans after this Internship?" is the question I have been asked multiple times. Honestly, all I want to say is REST. I'm exhausted, worn out, and want some break time of doing absolutely nothing work related. However, dietitian jobs are not often open in the Lexington area so I am currently, somewhat, job hunting. There are a few exciting positions open right now. I am going to apply with confidence, but if I do not get an offer, I can look on the positive side that I will have more time to rest. =)

Free Chipotle weekend with my sweet friends

I even got to go to my future sister-in-laws bridal shower in Indiana. =)

I'm still alive

2010-03-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

I'm now riding down hill on this internship. I do not have much longer to go. I have about 3-4 weeks left of intense homework and a month away from my hubs. Thankfully, I will be in Morehead during that time which is not far away, and a dear friend of mine lives there so I will not be alone.

I will still be super busy the next three weeks, but I can at least smile knowing that its almost to an end. I am so HAPPY.

2010-01-19T05:45:00.000-08:00

Its the start of a New Year for everyone, and all I can think about is my New Year starting June 4. That is the last day of my Internship. I'm counting down the days. I will be in an office starting this week with two other Interns and we have decided to make a count down list. It will not be much longer before the end of this misery. Woot woot!

Justin and I moved into a new apartment down the road from our other to save money. Well not to save money, but to be able to live without going into more debt. We love the new place. We live in an old house on the top floor. It is nice, warm, and cozy. It feels much more like home compared to our last apt. I love it!

Whats new?!?! Um, not much. My life is homework and will continue to be until this Internship ends. I hate it and so does every other Intern, but I am thankful to be in the program. Soon I will be a Registered Dietitian, and I will no longer have to do schooling unless I plan to proceed with a masters. However, that is far,far away from my thoughts at this time.

toodle loo!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

I have a week off! It has been absolutely wonderful not having to work on homework. I get depressed thinking about going back. I give myself little pep talks throughout the day. It has been the most challenging thing I have ever done. I can't wait for June to be here. It will be one of the best days of my life. I look forward to being a wife again, a daughter, and a friend. I look forward to keeping my house clean, cooking again, and going on dates with my hubs. I look forward to small group and having a home. I look forward to having babies and being a family. Oh those are nice thoughts!

It is Christmas. Tonight we are traveling to my mom and dad's. It will be nice to see everyone! Especially my nieces and nephews. On Christmas day we will be with the Rhorer's. Lots to look forward too!

Justin and I will also be packing this weekend. We are moving into a new apartment the first week of January. We move so much, but we do like change.

Theres a small update. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas celebrating Jesus!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T18:20:00.001-08:00

There is so much to be Thankful for! Here are a few things.....

Justin - He's a wonderful husband who is nothing, but encouraging, loving, honest, and risky. I love him!

Family - I am thankful my parents love me dearly. They have shown me a committed relationship and I can not help, but say Thanks! They have shown me how to love and care for others. My bros and sisters are awesome too! I have the greatest in-laws. They are the best! My brother/sister in laws are also amazing! I have been truly blessed with a great family.

Friends - I could say so much about my friends! They are dear to me! I have supportive, encouraging, honest, and true friends!

Vineyard Community Church - VCC is a wonderful family. It is a comfortable, loving place. Everyday I am moved and driven to follow my LORD.

The Internship - Even though I hate it everyday - its going to be worth it at the end!

he loves me.

2009-10-21T20:49:00.001-07:00

Psalm 56 (TNIV)
Be merciful to me, my God
for my enemies are in hot pursuit
all day long the press their attack
My adversaries pursue me all day long
in their pride many are attacking me

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you
In God, whose word I praise
In God I trust and am not afraid
What can mere mortals do to me?

I like the message version too

Take my side, God—I'm getting kicked around, stomped on every day.
Not a day goes by
but somebody beats me up;
They make it their duty
to beat me up.
When I get really afraid
I come to you in trust.
I'm proud to praise God;
fearless now, I trust in God.
What can mere mortals do?

With everything that has been going on I have really been encouraged lately. I'm not on top of the mountain, but I am slowing climbing back up. I asked the Lord to give me a specific word through the scripture and tonight when I turned to this it was exactly what I have been going through. Then I am reminded that I trust God, and when I am afraid I should trust God even more. To praise him because he removes fear and brings peace. I love my God! I love when he speaks to me in quiet whispers.

Through the rough patches God always seems to bring the nasty out for cleansing and thats exactly what he is doing for me. I have lots of nasty negativity. My mind is consumed with negativity. It is easy for me to look on the bad side before the good. Its easy for me to find fault in everything. I link it to sin, generational sin, the enemy. I believe in freedom and the power of healing. He is cleansing me and healing me. I know soon I will have a new mind full of postive thoughts and a new outlook on life. I want to embrace this hurt, this cleansing and accept it for good! Thanks LORD for cleansing me.

Thanks friends for praying for me.

My prayer for Justin and I

2009-10-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

Mighty to save

2009-10-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs compassion
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The hope of nations

Saviour
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen King

Hello Dear Friends,

2009-10-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am writing you today because it has been such a long time. I miss you. I celebrated my 26th birthday this past Tuesday. Let me just say that it wasn’t what I was hoping for. This internship has gotten the best of me, and I fell apart on my birthday. Justin was so very kind and surprised me with some shoes I have been wanting, flowers, and a beautifully written card. It was a nice surprise, but in the midst of this internship I emotionally could not walk one more step ahead. Something happened the morning of my birthday that was the breaking point for me where tears flowed and flowed. I got a lecture from my preceptor and my boss. Let me just say that my bosses words are never to build you up, but to make you aware of all your flaws and failures. A past intern told me that their goal is to tear you down and beat you up until you break into a million pieces. And that’s what I did. Honestly though I am so glad I finally cried. I feel much better and have much more peace. I have been dragging lately, depressed, and tired. The cry rejuvenated me. All in all, the birthday ended with a nice night out with my lady friends. They were very encouraging and supportive! Justin was not around on my birthday because for his birthday I got him a U2 ticket in which there show was playing on my birthday. I missed him and it would have been much better if he was around, but I am thankful that I do have the bestest friends ever to love on me, support me, and encourage me.
So, um, Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-09-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

I have completed one month of my internship! 9 more to go! I am hanging in there, but at times I feel weak. Doing homework is not so bad at the beginning because of the adrenaline, but I am concerned about a month from now and what I will think then. I'm already tired of being on the computer. I love learning. I love every bit of it. Its easy though to get tired of the gruelsome work.

Right now I am on the Renal (kidney) rotation. I have empathy for those who have dialysis treatments and their restricted diet. If I could donate my kidney, I would. Our kidneys are so important in body function and to loose it = decreased quality of life. Why am I not an organ donor? I dont know. I need to get that changed soon!

Life is good. I cant wait to finally be officially an RD. Makes me happy thinking about it.

Pulse was amazing this past sunday. I've been thinking a lot about how thankful I am. I dont say thanks enough. Really, I look back at my life and see each detail in my life and where the LORD has led me to today.

FOOD, INC.

2009-09-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

A must see. Watch Trailer here. Visit their BLOG.

2009-09-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am still alive and breathing. I am really enjoying my internship and all the hard work. I am learning so much. I keep thinking back to when I was in school and how everything goes by smooth and then all of a sudden a big project hits and you get behind. I am overwhelmed thinking that is going to happen again. Do you know what I am talking about? I am trying really hard to keep on track with everything and even get ahead in some areas. It is not so easy, but I am focused. I have had some time to hang out with some friends which is nice. I do believe in taking a sabbath and the importance of it.

Justin has been helping with Worship at the Richmond Vineyard. We went there saturday to help with their PULSE known as BREATHE. I got to catch up with my dear friends Cristin and Christy. This was a busy weekend for Justin, so he didnt get to rest with me as much as I would have liked, but I am hoping for more restful weekends with him. Let me just say, Worship rocked on sunday! I loved the three part harmony! Those of you who were there know what I am talking about. The series we are going through now have been one of my favorites. Check it out at here. I get really frustrated when people say they are believers, but they have not made the heart and head connection. I feel like I have been frustrated with that lately for some reason. I cant pinpoint why. I also check myself often to make sure that my heart and head are in tune, following the LORD passionately and obediently. Sometimes I wish everyone felt the LORD in the ways I have. I guess God's work would be done if everyone made the connection. ha. There are people dear to me that I want them to really know GOD and it breaks my heart thinking about it. In the mean time I will pray.

I love you people. Thanks for always encouraging me and loving me. You help me along in this journey.

Its all beginning.

2009-08-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since I have posted. I have officially started the Internship. I was so excited and nervous all at the same time. There are five other girls along side of me. They came from Montana, Boston, Ohio, and Lexington to do this internship. Everyone is so nice, fun, and friendly. Now our directors are very intense, not sarcastic at all, and to the point. I guess though that is part of their job as our leader. Let me just say, that the next 10 months are going to be hell. LOL. well not really hell, but seriously busy. I'm not kidding either. I have asked numerous post interns and they have all said I will be working on homework from after work until bedtime each night. I started this weekend and it has seriously been that busy. I have so much to do and so much information to look up. I'm learning so much which is exciting to me. I feel like I am going to be more than prepared when I get done. Justin has been super awesome! He has been so encouraging and supporting. He has cooked some and helped keep the apt clean. I really do hope that the next 10 months bring us close together. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I may not be on here often to post, but I do plan to write here and there. I'm sure it will be to talk about the internship. Friends have also been encouraging! I'm really sad I am not going to get to spend as much time with everyone. Really sad.

Unemployed...Whoa!

2009-08-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

So I am officially unemployed. My last day with the health department was on Friday August 7th. I have this week off and then on Monday I start my Internship! Wow! Time flies. It really felt like yesterday that I wrote my post on getting in. I am nervous, scared, excited, and overwhelmed all at the same time. I know at the end I will be more than prepared to start my career as a Registered Dietitian. I have had great mentors along the way who have encouraged me and given me great advice in the world of dietetics. I am thankful God put them in my path.

On another note, Justin is going to India this fall. We are both so excited. He will be teaching pastors. Please Check out his blog and comment.

Engaged!

2009-07-31T07:25:00.001-07:00

It has been a special week in the Rhorer household. My brother in law proposed to his lady on Wednesday, and I got to place a special part in it. It was her birthday too, so he had the day planned out. His plan actually makes me laugh because of the many unintentional connections. He planned for her birthday surprise per her requests. He took her to see the Proposal, to get her nails done, shopping, and to Joe B’s downtown for dinner. While at dinner, the mother in law and I, were at his lady’s apt creating candle art of Will You Marry Me. We lit the candles on his way there. So, because we have not mastered the skills of lighting tea light candles, we lit them too early. It all worked out, but when he arrived the smoke detector started going off. HILARIOUS! We were moving around trying to make everything PERFECT and I was so nervous and shaking, but we conquered, ran out of the house, and all else follows.

Woo Hoo! I’m so excited for Andrew and his lovely Bride to Be, Sheena. She’s a perfect fit for the family, and we are all so very happy to have her! It is now complete besides grandbabies. Those can wait for a little while longer though. No hurries.

R & R

2009-07-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am finding myself regaining focus this week. Justin and I spent a week stay-cationing. That’s what we called it anyways. Instead of going somewhere on a vacation we stayed home. It was actually very relaxing and fun. We did go camping one night and kayaking. I loved kayaking. It was incredible. I am looking forward to floating the river a lot more in my lifetime.

I know before I took this week off I was beginning to get the itch of pulling my hair out. Work was mundane and boring. Life was becoming too redundant, and I was starting to loose focus. I know many of us get to a point like this. Life continues to move forward, but everything seems to become chaotic, meaningless, and forgetful. That is when a break becomes a need. It is so important to get out of our day-to-day rituals and do something for us.

That’s what we did. I mean we didn’t get to go away to the beach or the mountains (much more preferred), but we did get time doing things we love. I got a chance to sleep in a lot, watch movies I have wanted to see, visit friends that were waiting to be visited, and I even got to sew some. The most exciting was getting to spend every waking hour with the love of my life.

Now I am back to work, happy to be here (sorta), and energized. I Loved my stay-cation!

Cackle

2009-07-28T15:44:00.001-07:00

Open 24 Hours

Gilmore Girls.

2009-07-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! Last night we had dinner with friends of ours and she had every season of the Gilmore Girls. I have watched every season, but 6 and 7. I have tried to find someone to let me borrow them, but I could not seem to find anyone with season 6. Last night I walked home with the two seasons in hand. Now I know what I’ll be doing with my time the next three weeks! I’m pumped. Justin acts like he’s not excited, but I know deep down inside he is thrilled to finish these up. Well, considering the fact he already went online to find out the ending, he still will enjoy sitting down with me teasing me about what’s going to happen next. If you have never seen them, well you will get addicted if you start. Love, Love, Love them.

I hope you have been reading my posts about Breastfeeding. There is some helpful information in there. I’m going to take a break for a little bit and pick up so more at a later time.

It is Thursday and I am looking forward to tomorrow. Vacation will start promptly at 1pm tomorrow. I am in desperate need for a break.

Is my baby getting enough?

2009-07-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Whenever a breastfed baby is fussy, we all wonder if the baby is getting enough to eat. Remember there can be many reasons for a baby to be unhappy. Hunger is only ONE reason.

Here is how to know if your baby is getting enough to eat
Baby breastfeeds 8-12 times in a 24 hour period.
Baby has about 10 – 20 minutes of active sucking and swallowing on the first breast during a feed
Baby is content after feedings.
Baby has 6-8 wet diapers and 2-5 dirty diapers a day. Wet diapers may not feel heavy and urine should be very light yellow
Baby gains about 4-7 ounces per week or about 1 pound per month

Some reasons a healthy baby might want to breastfeed more
Growth spurt: This time of fast growth happens around 7-14 days, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, and 5 -6 months. The baby will want to breastfeed more during these times because they are hungrier. This higher demand lasts a couple of days. Your milk supply will increase to meet your baby’s need.
Teething - Breastmilk is soothing to the baby’s mouth
Snacking - Some babies like to have many short meals lumped together. So, a baby may have a 4-5 short breastfeeding sessions and then go for several hours without wanting to eat again. This is common in the late afternoon when your milk supply may be lower but very high in fat.

Helping your healthy baby get more breast milk
Make sure that your baby is positioned at the breast and latched on deeply so baby is breastfeeding well
Use breast massage during breastfeeding to squeeze more milk into your baby’s mouth.
Finish the first breast first. Your baby needs to breastfeed long enough to get the higher-fat “hindmilk” later in the feeding. The hindmilk keeps the baby fuller longer. Offer the second breast if the baby is still hungry.
Feed at least every 1 ½ - 3 hours during the day and once during a longer stretch of 4-5 hours at night. If your new baby wants to sleep for longer periods you will need to awaken him for breastfeeding. To wake a sleep baby you can
Take off clothes down to diaper
Change the diaper
Gently rub baby’s back , stomach, hands or the soles of the feed
Hand express a little breast milk onto your nipple to interest your baby in nursing.

Use bottles with Caution!
Giving a bottle of expressed breast milk or formula to “top off” a baby who stiol seems fussy after a breastfeeding may cause some problems. Your body is not being given the signal to make more milk, so your milk supply will not grow to meet the baby’s needs. Babies move their mouths a different way when they feed from a bottle. In the first month, many babies have a hard time learning both breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Often babies will prefer bottle feeding.

Milk Supply III

2009-07-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you have a good latch and I gave you some general tips to follow when breastfeeding. Now we are on to producing milk and keeping up with your milk supply.

Making milk is all based on the supply and demand. Meaning you will make what ever is taken out of your breast. What happens is your milk comes in and it needs somewhere to go. If it does not go anywhere your body will not continue to produce milk. The more you let the milk out the more milk you will make. So if your baby is only feeding three times a day then you will make enough for your baby to eat only three times a day.

You can never use pumping as a measurement of how much your baby is getting. When you pump you are not able to get out of your breast everything that is in there. When the baby is at the breast and feeding our bodies produce hormones that stimulates the body to produce more milk. That is something a pump cannot do. Now moms can pump and feed their babies (That’s for another post at a later time).

To increase your milk supply you must make sure you empty your breast at each feeding. If your baby does not eat at the second breast, pump the milk out of the second side. Emptying your breast is VERY important. When the breast is empty this will also let you know that your baby is getting the best part of the milk – the hindmilk. Foremilk is the milk (typically lower in fat) available at the beginning of a feeding; hindmilk is milk at the end of a feeding, which has a higher fat content than the foremilk. So when the baby starts to feed, the beginning milk is like skim milk and gradually through the feeding the milk turns into whole milk. If you cut the baby short and do not let the baby feed until the breast is empty then the baby will only be getting the skim milk and not gain weight.

www.Kellymom.com has a great explanation of the foremilk and hindmilk

As the breast starts to empty, the fat globules begin to dislodge and move down the ducts (let-down facilitates this process). So the further into the feed, the higher the fat content of the milk, as more and more fat globules are forced out. The end result is that the milk gradually increases in fat as the feeding progresses.

Your breasts don't "flip a switch" at some arbitrary point and start producing hindmilk instead of foremilk. Instead, think of the beginning of a nursing session as being like turning on a hot water faucet.

The first water you get out of the tap isn't usually hot, but cold. As the water runs, it gradually gets warmer and warmer and warmer. This is what happens with the fat content in mom's milk - moms's milk gradually increases in fat content until the end of the feeding.

Since fat content is is directly related to the degree of emptiness of the breast, it is possible, depending upon nursing pattern, for fat content to be higher at the beginning of a particular feeding than it is at the end of some other feeding.

Now think about the hot water faucet again. If there is a long period of time before the faucet is used again, then you go through the "cold to hot" process once more, but if you turn the water on fairly soon after it was used then the water is either pretty warm or still hot, depending upon how long it's been since the faucet was last on.

This is how it works with mother's milk too - the longer the time between feedings, the lower the fat content at the beginning of the next feeding. If feedings are closer together, you're starting off with a higher fat content.

As a particular feeding progresses, fat content increases, milk volume and flow decrease, and milk synthesis speeds up. Because every baby varies in the amount of time it takes him to receive his fill of the higher-fat milk at the end of the feeding, it is important not to switch breasts while baby is actively nursing.

A good way to help your milk move along your breast is through massage. Start at the back of your breast close to your underarms and massage down towards your nipple. Do this before a feeding and during the feeding.

It is important to feed the baby or empty the breast frequently. So feeding 8-12x a day is very important the first months of life. This tells your body to make more milk. Try to let every meal for baby be at the breast. Giving expressed milk or formula tells your body that it doesn’t need to make more milk. I understand there are points when you are not near your baby during a feeding, so it is important to pump during that feeding. You have to keep your milk coming out as often as the baby is feeding to keep up the milk supply. Again, pumping is for another post some other time.

I hope I didnt confuse you.

Where does time go.

2009-07-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Days are going by so fast. I have almost a month left before I start my internship. Less than a month before I'm finished working at the Health Department. I have so much to do between now and then. I have to buy a new computer, defer our school loan payments, cut other bills down to lower monthly payments, find health insurance, and get some new work clothes. I mean, do I even have time to do all this? Sure I do. Its just a little overwhelming. I cant believe it is almost here.

Justin and I are taking a little vacation next week. I think we are going to try kayaking (I have never done this before), camping, hiking, and maybe visit IKEA. I'd also like to take a trip to Trader Joes (I haven never been there). We will see. It is hard for me to spend money right now knowing we will have so little in the next 11 months ahead.

I cant believe it is already midway through July. Time flies.

I'm also taking a week off before my internship starts. I'm hoping to get our closets organized in this tiny apartment of ours and rest because this may be the most I will get for a long time.

Thanks for letting me blog about breastfeeding. I hope my readers out there don't care to much. Its fun talking about it. Believe me I don't know everything and I have a lot more to learn.

Milk Supply II

2009-07-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Remember it IS possible to make enough milk. I went over the latch part hoping everyone learned the importance of it. Where I work, the latch part is not so much the issue.

First you have a good latch.

Now the first week of breastfeeding a newborn is the tricky part that all moms seem to be worried about (Is my baby getting enough). They cant see the milk and they freak out. The first fluid that your breast makes is called Colostrom. This is so important that the baby gets this. Moms think this is not enough for the baby which is one reason they start giving formula. Well, this is a lie and not truth. Colostrom is the BEST to give your baby during the first days of the babies life and this is all the baby needs. Babies DO NOT need formula. (Please keep in mind I am talking about Normal Healthy Babies with no medical conditions)

A newborns baby is very small and does not need a large amount to fill the baby. It is about the size of the marble and does not really stretch until the baby is about 7days old to the size of a ping pong and by then your milk has come in.

Colostrum is packed full of benefits for the baby. Such as Antibodies that protect baby's mucous membranes (throat, lungs, and intestines), which are the places most likely to come under attack from germs in the fragile newborn infant, White cells that can destroy disease-causing bacteria and viruses, Vitamin K to help protect baby against bleeding, Vitamin A is required for vision and is at it's highest the first week following birth, and protein that helps maintain baby's blood sugar, esp. for those who are at risk for low blood sugar.

Each baby is different and no experience is the same, but there are some general guidelines to follow to help establish a good milk supply

1. Nurse your baby at least eight times a day starting from day one and up to twelve times. This is the best way to stimulated milk production.
2. Make sure the baby feeds well on one side. This can take 15-30 minutes. Don’t stop a feeding. Let the baby decide he/she is finished. And always offer the second breast
3. It is better to feed more frequently than less often
4. At the beginning do not wait 3.5-4 hours to Breastfeed. Breastfeeding should be every 1.5-2 hours
5. In the first two to three days, a baby will “cluster” his nursing sessions by nursing very often for several hours in the day and then sleeping for a long time. This is normal. However, nurse at least eight times a day in order to stimulate milk production. By the third to fourth day after your milk has come in, nursing will fall into a pattern. Although all babies don’t follow the same pattern, a common one would be the baby who nurses eight to 12 times per day for about 30-40 minute sessions. Nurse your baby until he seems to be full and relaxed.

Milk is made by supply and demand. The more you empty your breast the more milk you produce. That is why it is important to breastfeed often and not wait so long between feedings. I will continue on tomorrow.

BF Myth #1

2009-07-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

MYTH #1

MILK SUPPLY - I can or could not produce enough milk.

I’m sure if you have talked to any moms about breastfeeding you have come in contact with plenty who said they just did not have enough milk.

Mom I am here to tell you that you CAN and WILL produce enough milk if you learn how. Many moms do not know enough about breastfeeding before they start. They have only heard stories of failure from other moms. Most of those mom’s were not educated about breastfeeding either before trying. Here we have uneducated moms telling other uneducated moms about breastfeeding. They just have their stories. Not any kind of knowledge to pass along. This creates a cycle of moms believing they do not produce enough milk. Does this make sense? Education is so important.

This is why I really push moms to LEARN about breastfeeding before they try to breastfeed. I know that if I try to do something without knowing anything about it, it would end in frustration and failure. Breastfeeding is an art and a learned skill.

The REAL FACTS about milk supply. (There will be more than one post on this)

Breastfeeding will work for you if you let it! Your body is amazing and will produce what the baby needs. As soon as the baby is born it is important that the baby feeds ASAP at the breast. Skin to Skin is the best way to start. This is also called Kangaroo Care. Make sure the baby is not given any formula, water, or even pacifiers. All of these can interfere with breastfeeding. Every day I hear story after story that mom has to supplement with formula at the beginning because the baby is not getting enough of breastmilk. I want to scream STOP!!!! DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY FORMULA! That is what causes your milk supply to not be enough. Didn't I say our bodies are amazing and CAN do exactly what it needs to do if you let it. Giving formula is not allowing your body to do the work. The process may seem slow at the beginning, but soon enough you will learn what to do.

FIRST
It is important to make sure the baby is latched on correctly. If you feel any pain the reason is usually because the baby is not latched on right. BREASTFEEDING SHOULD NOT BE PAINFUL. (that is for another post) Have a lactation consultant check your latch to make sure it is right. If it is not this will also affect your milk supply. It is a learning game so remember to be PATIENT. There is a huge difference in sucking a bottle and sucking at the breast. They are 2 different skills and both skills are learned.

*Baby's nose and moth need to be in front of your nipple
*Turn your baby's tummy so it touches your tummy
*When your baby opens wide bring him to your nipple and hug him onto your breast.
*When your baby is latched on correctly, you will see that his mouth is open wide around the darker area, not on your nipple. The baby takes on much of the areola as well as the nipple.
*You will feel gently pressure or tug when the baby sucks and you will also here your baby swallowing.

**The following information is from Stanford University of Medicine website**

Getting Started -- Position and Latch

When a baby uses a bottle, he uses his cheeks to create suction to remove the milk. (Try sucking on your thumb and notice how your lips become pursed and your cheeks cave in.) However, when a baby breastfeeds, his cheeks are relaxed and his mouth is wide open while his tongue and lower jaw massage the milk from the breast. (Try sucking on your forearm and notice how your jaw moves and your cheeks relax.)

As the baby nurses, a muscular wave starts at the tip of the baby’s tongue and moves backward. This rhythmical rolling action of the tongue and jaw massages the breast, squeezing the milk that lies in tiny pools beneath the areola into the nipple.

To be effective, the baby needs to take more than the nipple into his mouth. He needs to get far enough onto the breast so that his lower jaw and tongue can massage the pools of milk that lie in the lower part of the areola. If he is on well, less of the areola will be visible below the lower lip than above his top lip.
Poor Latch -- lips are <90° angle, lower lip is just below nipple.

Good latch -- lips are >120° angle, lower lip covers more areola.

If the baby sucks on the nipple only, he will suck on the nipple like a pacifier without drawing out milk. Sucking on the breast as on a bottle does not really work because the pools of milk are not being massaged into the nipple. Also, when the baby sucks on the nipple only, it may be painful for the mother because the tongue and jaw, instead of massaging the breast, are rubbing the nipple and making it sore. (photo of typical nipple trauma from poor latch). Remember that pain is really a sign that something is wrong. Nature would not design a system where it hurts to feed a baby.

THE FIRST FEW DAYS AFTER BIRTH: TWO REASONS TO NURSE RIGHT AWAY

There are two reasons to give a baby lots of practice during these first three days. The first reason is that it will be easier for him to learn how to latch on when the breasts are soft; secondly, because the breasts need to be stimulated by his nursing to produce enough milk for later.

The system nature has designed for learning breastfeeding makes a lot of sense. A baby is born with extra protective stores of water and nutrition, so that he will only need the small amount of colostrum (early milk) that his mother has available for him during the first few days. Since her milk production is not fully established, a mother’s breasts are still soft and the baby can easily learn to latch on correctly. A typical baby will need a little hands-on help at first.

PLEASE follow this website for the rest of the information on how to hold your breast and get the baby to latch on. It is very very very helpful to know this.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The new icon.

2009-07-06T17:05:00.001-07:00

If you have been reading my blog for awhile or you are my friend you will know that I love breastfeeding and that I like to talk about it. I really can't pinpoint where my love started from. I do love nutrition and I love learning about women and infancy nutrition. I think I became most curious when my coworkers were breastfeeding their babies and pumping in the office. I know some of them were having problems and I realized I knew nothing about it. Here I am so consumed with organic nutrition, but I don't even know anything about human milk. I desired to learn more so I started checking out books from the library and reading them. I was so happy learning about it that I pretty much read a book to my husband the whole way home from a Columbus trip. He is now educated with me! Anyways, I started looking into becoming a Certified Lactation Consultant. I took a class as my first step. All I can say about that class is WOW!!!! I sat in the class shocked at how much I did not know and how much there is to know about it. I was saddened and excited all at the same time. I was sad realizing that I will be a mom soon and if I had not sparked interest and read books and took this intensive class I would be so lost in the world of breastfeeding. My heart goes out to the moms who go into breastfeeding having no education whatsoever about it. That is scary. I soon started working for WIC at the health department and WIC is PRO BF all the way. Every day I have to educate moms about the benefits of breastfeeding and I also get to help them with problems they may be having. There is a great Lactation consultant who works with me that I have learned so much from. Even my friends who are breastfeeding I continue to learn more and more. Every situation is different. I just want to say I am so PROUD of the moms who are breastfeeding and who are pumping to give their babies the best nutrition available!!!!!

Every day I am saddened by how little moms know about breastfeeding which leads to shorter durations of breastfeeding. In the next few posts I plan to share some myths and knowledge about breastfeeding. I know there are so many stories moms can share about breastfeeding. Believe me I have heard tons. I am thankful for all the stories. I just want to share some things that may be able to help some moms out. I hope you stay positive with me as I share some tips on this blog. Until then I would like to share this great website with you. KELLYMOM

One day I do hope to become a Certified Lactation Consultant. I don't know if that is exactly God's plan for me, but I sure do think that it would be fun.

Independence Weekend

2009-07-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

The Holiday was a good one. I took off Thursday and had Friday off. Even though it was a long weekend it felt so short. Its Monday again and I’m tired. Oh well, I really need to learn to rest on the weekend. Justin and I went downtown to the Farmers Market and ran into all the Fourth of July festivities on Saturday. I really enjoyed walking the streets and being in the middle of a crowd of people. I don’t know about you, but I get excited about festivals because I get to get me some kettle korn. I love kettle korn! Justin got him some cinnamon roasted almonds and those were delicious! That was definitely a nice little treat. Our friend Heidi came in and stayed with us (Her husband is out of the country). Because of the rain we decided to stay in our cozy apartment and just grill out. It was so nice. Some other friends even came over last minute. I hate that we missed out on fireworks. Hopefully next year it doesn’t rain.

It was Mya’s 1 year old birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday Mya!!! We drove to Northern Ky to celebrate with their family.

Justin and I even went for a hike this past weekend at Raven Run. I don’t know why he has never taken us there before. It was a good little workout. They have a four mile trail that we want to conquer sometime. It is so beautiful out there and the best thing is we don’t have to travel very far. It was only 15 minutes away. We also walked upon some wild blackberries. I forgot how much I love picking them fresh. My neighbor growing up always let us pick from her blackberry bush. My mouth is watering as I type this. Yum Yum!

I'm having the Mondays

2009-06-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was kind of a blur. I had to work at the hospital. I’m working there once a month to keep my foot in the door and to help out during my internship. (I’m not able to work the first semester of my internship though). My thoughts always juggle whether or not to keep on with this job because it takes so much out of me the weekends I do work. It would be silly though and not wise for me to quit at this time, especially with all the economic hardship going around. I basically worked and slept this weekend. I’m thinking I got to much sleep, which stinks because now I feel more tired than rested.

I’m having the blues and wish I could get out of my funk. When I get down like this I start wishing things in life were different. Really though everything is panning out better than I could ask for. I got into a great internship program and we are moving forward. I’m having baby fever and wishing we lived in a little cottage house with a yard and back porch. I miss having people over and cook-outs. I miss being able to provide a comfortable and cozy place for people to stay over. I miss having a decent kitchen that motivated me to cook. I miss privacy and the quiet, being able to go to sleep with out hearing noises above our head. Most of all I miss our small group. I miss hosting and being hospitable to those who entered my home. I know this is only a season and soon it will be no more.

Believe me I understand there is much worse situations out there, and I don’t really have any reason to complain. I know everyone has the blues at times and the desire for things. I’m just sharing with you some of my desires.

a taste of Romans.

2009-06-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

a refresher for me this morning, reminding me where it all starts. I am free.

Romans 5

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6

Do not let sin control the way you live;[a] do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

Refreshed.

2009-06-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

My application was received this morning in the mail. Yay! I’m so glad it made it there. There was a lot of personal information in that envelope.

This weekend was a very refreshing weekend for me. Friday night we made a trip to Louisville to see the Sojourn Band play for their CD release party. It was held at Southeast Christian Church Youth Room (amazing! Room it was). If you have never listened to Brooks Ritter Well, it is time you should. He is amazing!! He only has like two songs on the new CD, which is sad, but the other musicians were good as well. We met our friends, Brittany and Matt, there along with some of their friends. Afterwards, we hit up Cold Stone and got some yummy ice cream. My favorite is coffee ice cream with Heath Bar for the mix-in. YUM!

Saturday, Cristin and Asher came to Lexington to spend the day with me. We went to the Farmers Market and bought some local KY produce and honey. So, while we were buying honey from this crazy guy he looks at Cristin and asks, “Is she your daughter?” Yes he thought I was Cristin’s daughter. We were both very offended. He was more shocked about my age than he was with Cristin’s age. I swear he thought I was like 10 or something. He slammed me with a bunch of questions. Are you in school? You are out! Do you have a job? I told him I worked for WIC and then he went OFF about how WIC should have honey added to the Farmer's Market vouchers and how ridiculous it was. Cristin and I were both floored. No wonder he had no customers. He was quite rude if you asked me. One day I will be thankful for the young comments, but for now it is kind of embarrassing. Should I start dressing older and wearing more make up. I don’t know. Sunday morning at Church, someone else also commented on my age. She was a little better at guessing though. She thought I was like 20 years old. That wasn’t so bad.

Ok, back to my weekend. Cristin, Asher, and I ate at a local restaurant downtown called MIA’s. It was delicious. I will definitely go back. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool and taking naps. Justin helped out by babysitting Asher for a little bit while we got to lay out. Look at these adorable pics of Asher. He was so fascinated with his swimming trunks that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of them. He loves bright colors.

Sunday, Justin and I grabbed a bite to eat then came home to take a two-hour nap. Grilled out and watched the Golf tournament. This was a much-needed restful weekend for the both of us.

We didn’t get to do much for Fathers day with our Dads. Justin’s dad was out of town and my dad was to far away. So we will celebrate when Walt gets home and we are planning a trip to Bardstown in the next couple of weeks. Should be fun!

It is beginning.

2009-06-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

I am starting to get my Internship stuff in the email. I’m getting really excited to pursue this dream of mine. I put in my letter of resignation today. How sad it is to be leaving a good program, but I am so much ready to move forward. So my first assignment was to send an application in the mail to my first placement. Of course, out of all people, mine did not make it there on time and is somewhere lost in the mail. I should have gone with my gut instinct from the beginning and just delivered the applications myself by hand. The shipment was to the local hospital in town. Why it has not arrived there in 3 days is ridiculous when it is only a few blocks from the post office. It is so frustrating. I hope that this is my first and last encounter with a late assignment. My first rotation starts at the VA hospital and I will be getting paid. That’s right. I’m loving that! Justin and I are preparing for what’s ahead. He is starting to book gigs outside of the church for a little extra money. We are confident and believing that this season will go by smoothly.

The week is over.

2009-06-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Justin did an awesome job at ICHTHUS. I am proud of his capabilities and what God has gifted him with. It was a cool experience to look in the crowd and see around 12000 people worshiping God together. The entire band did an incredible job. The sound was impeccable and the people were very responsive. There were a few rain showers, but people were prepared with ponchos and umbrellas in hand.

My parents traveled to see Justin play. This was their first gig they had ever been too. I was very happy to have them there.

It was really fun getting to participate in all the festivities. My friend Stephanie and her baby Reese came for the festival weekend and stayed with us. It was a lot of fun. We both realized that the ICHTHUS is not baby friendly. A future reminder – do not take your babies to the festival. It was way to loud and it can get pretty hot. Reese conquered through and we spent a lot of time just enjoying each other’s presence and not worrying so much about seeing all the bands.

My sister and her two boys also made an appearance on Friday to visit. It was her first time also coming to visit me. Yes a lot of firsts this past week. We did not go to the music festival, but just ate and went shopping. The boys were so good and I really loved having her here. I hope this happens more often.

Finally when everything was said and done Justin and I crashed. When we got home after church on Sunday we took a 3-hour nap and could not even focus the rest of the night due to complete exhaustion. Today is the first day I pretty much feel back to normal. Justin and I have been trying to catch up with the time we lost the past week. I’m pretty much inseparable from him. It is so hard to live in the same house but never see each other because of a busy schedule. This is something that will not become ritual. It’s a once a year thing.

VERB is the word.

2009-06-08T15:04:00.001-07:00

This is week is one of the busiest weeks we have had in a long time. Our Church is hosting a camp for ICHTHUS youth. It is called VERB09. There is about 70 youth at the church participating in Outreach projects in Lexington, awesome worship, and great teachings. So Justin is at the church from morning to night. Ive been there beside him through most of it. I had to work today so tonight I'm taking it easy. Justin is singing at ICHTHUS on Thursday night for the worship service before Justin Lookadoo speaks, so we are going to bounce right over to ICHTHUS after VERB and hang out there for a couple of days. Thank goodness we live close and we dont have to camp out. Its an eventful, but super fun week.

Hope to see some of you there....

Its been 3 years already!

2009-06-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe it already June. Time flies. That saying never gets old. Well, Justin and I celebrated our 3-year anniversary this past Wednesday. Woo Hoo! OMG…… Last year during this time I started this Blog! My first post was about our 2-year anniversary. Interesting! Sad to say…. we didn’t continue our tradition of going to the zoo. Maybe we will pick back up next year. I didn’t really feel like traveling so we stuck around Lexington. It was actually probably my favorite anniversary so far! It was very relaxing and we got to experience some of Lexington’s Best Restaurants that we have never experienced together. Our day went a little like this:

Slept in
Brunch at Alfalfa’s – I love their omelets!
Home for a nap
Shopping at Fayette Mall
Dinner at Murray’s – Best 14oz Ribeye I have ever experienced!
A visit to Tin Roof
Rented the movie Defiance, cuddled on the couch, cried (the movie was much for me)
Off to bed

Seriously, I loved every minute of my day. It was inexpensive and the most easy going day ever. The best part was spending it all with Justin.

I can definitely say every year of marriage gets better. I love married life and I love being married to Justin. I would never, ever, ever think to change him in for a new one. ha. We know each other more, we handle life situations better, and our conversations are far beyond what I could ask for. He's a dreamer and I am a planner and together we have so much fun! Spiritually God has taught me so much about myself in the past year which in return has made me a much better wife. I once read that Marriage is a continuous conversation. I can say that is deinitely true. Once conversation is cut off destruction is hanging around the corner.

Thanks Justin for putting up with me. Thanks for listening to me and allowing me to talk to you about everything. I'm sorry for all the times I have disappointed you or hurt you. I am thankful for your encouraging words, your loving heart, and your willingness to provide for our family. It has been the best three years of my life being married to you and I look forward to many, many, many more years together. Thanks for being open and honest with me. Thanks for allowing me to make mistakes, but also helping me learn from those mistakes. I know I would not be who I am or where I am without you beside me. You are a warrior, a gentlemen, courageous, handsome, Godly Man. I can trust that you are seeking God daily for wisdom and direction and that our plans are of the LORD's. I respect you greatly and I care more for you than words can describe. I love you, sweets!

anniversary #1

anniversary #2

anniversary #3

oops forgot to take pics....i'll take one of us tonight or something and post it on here....

Ordained.

2009-05-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was a special day. Justin was ordained. Actually we were both ordained. Wherever he goes I am with him. We are ONE. Let me fill you on some things that were going through my head about the week or so before. I didn’t grow up in the church so for me I really had no idea what ordination really was. I have never been to an ordination ceremony nor had I ever talked to anyone about it. I knew it was a BIG deal, but not really the meaning behind it. Justin didn’t ever talk about it, and I never really thought to ask. As the day came closer I found myself thinking more and more about it. What does being ordained mean? On my mind was, “Our taxes are going to change now.” I knew it was like a sending off and a time of being confirmed as a church minister following God’s calling. But my question was never really answered until Sunday.

Sunday, in our hearts and publicly, we were recognizing and confirming our call by God to ministry. We understood at this moment in time that we had gone through a period of discernment and training related to our call and then was authorized to take on the office of ministry.

Let me just say I was full of emotions that came out of nowhere. I thought I was just going to walk in with Justin, here the pastor preach, and he would give us a certificate. That was not the case at all. A few of our best friends were there in support and, of course, Justin’s family.

There were several pastors also being ordained, a few of them being our best friends. We were all called up front for laying of hands and prayer over us. It was at that moment the LORD broke me. It was so special being next to my husband and our best friends. I knew what they were going through, the calling God had on their hearts, on our hearts, and also the new places God was calling some of us to. I wept. I was overwhelmed with much emotion. I desired so much of our hearts to be consecrated and that the love for ministry would be renewed. I felt so empowered.

I was emerged into the ministry with Justin and we are both ready to take on the role as a disciple more than ever before. That is living out the life that we read, hear, and speak so much about.

Justin's Birthday Surprise

2009-05-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Justin turns __ today. We are getting so much closer to 30 each day, which kind of freaks me out. In Justin’s words, “Its time to grow up.” LoL! I thought that was funny to hear from him, but in reality we have been growing up this whole time. Who says we still can’t have fun while making important decisions and growing a family. I hope in the midst of all this growing up we have to do, that we are always reminded to act like a child too. God calls us to that. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-5

I celebrated Justin’s Birthday last night because the next 5 days are jam packed with stuff to do (All pertaining to him!) I decided to do a little trail of notes from his office to home that was a poem with U2 lyrics in them and to end with his BIG SURPRISE. It was fun creating it, but of course, the genius he is, figured it out on the first note he got. I wanted to take him on a picnic and then give him the surprise, but in our relationship things don’t always go as planned. (I’m so glad we are so flexible!). When he walked in the door he was already saying, “Did you get me U2 tickets? Did you get me U2 tickets?” He was going through the apt looking for them! HEHE! When we got in the car to go on our picnic he was still asking for those darn tickets. Can’t you wait buddy? That’s what I was thinking, but I couldn’t wait any longer. U2 tickets it IS!!!! I handed him the little envelope I had wrapped with his surprise. He was sooooo excited!! He really had no idea he was getting this for his birthday, since we are on such a restricted budget. Yay! I love surprises. The rest of the night was a picnic at the park, local coffee, and the movie Soloist at the Kentucky Theatre. The date was much needed and refreshing!

Now on to celebrate more of him….today, tomorrow, and forever!

Muff, Muff, Muffins!!!!!!

2009-05-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

Monday, blah. I cant get over this croupy cough and my nose is plugged. I'm dying for this to just vanish. I had to work a late night, and it was the longest day ever. I had to zone for an hour when I got home to recollect myself. After that I gained a little bit of energy and decided to bake a little. I made some delicious muffins. Since we are on a tight budget I cant buy Starbucks blueberry muffins anymore or coffee. I am still craving those darn muffins, probably because I cant have them! As a solution I found a recipe in the good ole Betty Crocker cookbook that was so simple. Why havent I always been doing this??? I have no idea. I, like everyone else, assume it is going to take so much longer than those packaged mixes. WRONG! Now I have one for every morning this week!! I'm so excited!

a little decor

2009-05-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Friday I got the urge to decorate a little before Justin got home. I had a bare wall in the kitchen that was driving me nuts. I thought of a cheap and easy idea that a friend of mine did in her house. Here's the outcome of just a little bit of fabric and some wooden rings.

the hubs is home!!

2009-05-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

yay! Justin is home. I am feeling much better, but I still have a cough and stuffy nose :( It is sooooo great to have the hubs home!! its not the same without him. Christy and Mya came by for a visit on Saturday. Here is a few pics from our sat.

blah blah blah

2009-05-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling under the weather today. I went to bed last night with a scratchy throat and then woke up with it very sore. As the day went by it worsened. I had no cold symptoms but just a sore throat, so I went to the doc to get tested for strep. It was negative. Kind of disappointed because I had to spend money on a doc visit who could do nothing for me. Now the cold symptoms are coming on. I'm losing my voice, sneezing and I'm feeling achy. I hope I'm feeling much better by Friday.

I have had the urge to sew something up lately. Maybe I will, I just dont know what. I was thinking trying a skirt. Ive never done that before. Luckily, Megan's around to help me.

The biggest loser has inspired me to train for a marathon. I know I dont have time to train for one now since I am starting an Internship. I have never had the desire to run one. I thought a half marathon was enough for me. Not now. I'll make that on my goal list of one of the things to do in my lifetime.

Now back to LOST......I'm LOST. ha, of course.

Its only Tuesday....

2009-05-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

Justin has been out of town this week. He is at the National Vineyard Conference in Texas with the Vineyard Staff. Life seems to go by so slow when he is away. When he is home I never find it hard to fall asleep, and now I'm experiencing the complete opposite. I cant sleep. We like to make jokes that I could fall asleep anywhere. Thats hard to believe when he's not around. I stay up way later than I would ever stay up if he was home. I have to sleep with a light on too. I guess I'm afraid of the dark. On the bright side, I do get to catch up with my friends that I have not seen in awhile. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. I do cherish the times away, because it is a time of reflection. When reunited we both have so much to share. I cant wait to see his face on Friday!!

Vineyard Women's Ministry

2009-04-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

On Sunday a dear friend of mine Megan launched a new ministry at church. I am so proud of her hard work and dedication to Vineyard Community Church. She has been working intensely and eagerly to put this together and it has all come together so beautifully.

Here is the website where you can check it out.

I am excited about having such a broad women’s ministry. There are wonderful leaders on the team and great new happenings. Women of Vineyard now have the opportunity to get connected with other women while also growing in their own relationship with God. There are many places to get plugged into such as bible studies, mentoring, hospitality, missions, events, prayer, and the mom's ministry. I look forward to seeing Vineyard Women grow deeper in their relationship with God and also see them live in community with other women.

Thanks Megan and all Vineyard Women Leaders!

Exciting News!!!

2009-04-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was accepted into the UK Hospital Dietetic Internship. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. I know all things are from HIM and it is to him I give this glory. This is an answered prayer. I am hopeful, so EXCITED, and ready to start this next step of life.

For those of you who do not know, this is the one and only internship I desired to be accepted into. I applied to 4 and this one only mattered to me. It is a 10 month program beginning in August and ending close to June.

A lot of decisions have to be made now due to me not bringng income in. I believe all things work together for the good for those whole love him and live according to his will.

more to come later!!!

2009-04-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

So Monday is the big day. Our life will change dramatically on this day. I really do believe I am gaining peace about the whole situation. No matter what happens, I hope Justin and I are seeking out the face of our Heavenly Father. I know that this internship does not define who I am or what is ahead. God is peace and as long as peace dwells in my soul I know that I am being obedient to his plan for my life.

I am reading this book right now called Crazy Love. Francis Chan writes in one part this;

Many of us believe we have as much of God as we want right now, a reasonable portion of God among all the other things in our lives. Most of our thoughts are centered on the money we want to make, the school we want to attend, the body we aspire to have, the spouse we want to marry, the kind of person we want to become….but the fact is that nothing should concern us more than our relationship with God; it’s about eternity, and nothing compares with that. God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives.

Chan goes on to question, Are you willing to say to God that he can have whatever he wants? Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in you life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter , unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?

That is the life I am called to live; dying to myself so that I may gain. I want to live my life completely sold out to God. It is so easy for life such as my internship to get in the way of my relationship. Yes I do want this internship, and I do believe I can serve better in the kingdom having this complete. Ultimately though I know He knows best and what I think sounds good may not sound good to Him! He is the one guiding and leading me in this life. I want my life to exist only to be completely in Love with my Heavenly Father and also Loving other people. He can have this internship and whatever he wants of my life.

Ask yourself those questions……it is quite challenging but so worth it.

PULSE

2009-04-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

Did any of you make it to PULSE on Sunday night? It was an awesome night, but All PULSE’s are quite an experience. PULSE is a worship and prayer gathering we have quarterly at our church. It is a night where we get to check our own pulse and see if it is in beat with GOD. One constant theme is that of a sail. Is our life allowing God to blow the wind and sail us along life or are we getting in the way? Sunday night was a night of repentance for me and taking communion was a new meaning.

I was committed to staying with Justin all day to be near him. Of course he had to be at the church setting up for PULSE after the morning worship experiences. Bless his heart and others too that never left the building that day until everything was over at like 9pm. Usually on a day like this it is hectic and stressful, but this time it was not. People gathered together and helped. It was very peaceful and I actually enjoyed being there. Its funny how people set the mood. This time everyone there was glad to be there and willing to take part in helping however with no boundaries in the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_J71UY3S0c

april fools joke two years ago.

2009-04-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you about a funny april fools joke that Justin and I pulled about two years ago. I get home from work and decide to go over to my friends (Ben and Cristin) house because they were having people over. Justin decided to go straight to ben and cristin’s from work. When he walks in the door he pulls me in the bathroom and says,

“I have pulled a joke on mom and she thinks you are pregnant, so I want you to call her and act like you are freaking out because you just took a test and it was positive.”

At first I was like, no way! that’s not something to joke about and you are crazy. Of course Justin can talk me in to most things so I decided to play along. Here we are sitting in the bathroom of our friend’s house when we call Mom and put her on speakerphone. She picks of the phone and starts asking me tons of questions. I start breathing hard and sniffing as if I were crying. She’s on the other end trying to calm me down telling me everything was going to be ok. I acted like I was so upset because it was not the right timing at all. She was like “I’m coming over right now”. Justin and I both start cracking up, APRIL FOOLS. She hung up on us. She was furious and would not talk to us for days.

It was probably the best acting I have ever done. I am not very good at lying. It was fun and silly. Probably not the best idea to joke about, but we still get a kick out of it today.

2009-03-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

On April 20th I find out if I get accepted into a Dietetics Internship. Basically since I graduated in 2002 I have planned to do one, but it was never the right timing to apply. This year felt right. Now if you don’t know dietetic internships are ridiculous to get in to. There are only 4 places in Ky that accept interns and only like 4 interns get accepted. Any who, I don’t know what is going to happen. I applied to 4 (2 through Ky and 2 distance learning programs). It really does make me sick to my stomach thinking about it. I have always thought when I started this program in college that I wanted to complete it through to become a Register Dietitian. I didn’t know it would take me this long to complete it, but that’s ok. I have been totally cool with where God has had me. I’m just really, really, really ready to finish it now. It has been especially hard because Justin and I are both ready to start having children. This kind of puts that on hold for at least another year, which really isn’t that far away.

I’m anxious. Anxious I will not get in and anxious that I will not get into the one I most want to get into. I feel that I am overqualified for the internships, but it seems like that doesn’t really matter. They will accept whoever they want to.

a pic of the bedroom

2009-03-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

i never posted a picture of our bedroom. heres a few. still in the works though....

Dress in Blue Day!!!

2009-03-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

March is the month for Colon Cancer Awareness. So save lives by promoting colon cancer awareness and by wearing Blue on March 6th!

I have been reading some on Colon Cancer and I wanted to share some information with you to aid in Colon Cancer awareness. According to the American Cancer Society, 1/3 of all cancer deaths this year will be related to lifestyle, including poor eating habits, inactivity, and obesity. We all want to live cancer-free, so what steps can you take to help yourself and your community?

First things first, so the most important thing to do is to be screened for colorectal cancer. You may be at risk if:
Risk factors include the following:
· Age 50 or older.
· A family history of cancer of the colon or rectum.
· A personal history of cancer of the colon, rectum, ovary, endometrium,breast.
· A history of polyps in the colon
· Certain hereditary conditions, such as familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC; Lynch Syndrome).

Diet and Exercise is the best defense against colon cancer. By modifying your diet and exercise may help decrease your risk of forming colon polyps and/or colon cancer. A diet rich in vegetables, fruit and fiber, and low in fat, may reduce the risk of developing colon cancer. Some suggest that getting an adequate supply of calcium (more than 1,250 mg a day) and folic acid (a B complex vitamin) decreases the risk of colon cancer. In addition to supplements, folic acid can be found in fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, dried beans and peas, folic acid-fortified enriched cereal grain products and breakfast cereals. Calcium can be found in dairy products, calcium-fortified products such as orange juice, soy and dark green vegetables

Regular exercise is important in preventing colon cancer. Experts say that vigorous exercise is not necessary. Instead, just incorporate more activity into your daily routine, such as taking the steps instead of the elevator or parking your car further from the building you're entering. Overall, the American Cancer Society recommends 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days per week and says that 45 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity five or more days a week may further reduce the risk of both breast and colon cancers.

Eat More Fruits & Vegetables
Eat five to nine servings every day. Although five sounds like a lot, the serving sizes are small, making this easy!
·One serving of fruit equals 1cup fresh fruit, 1 tennis ball sized fruit, ¼ cup dried fruit, ½ cup canned fruit or 4 ounces of 100% juice.
·One serving of vegetables equals ½ cup cooked, 1 cup raw or 6 ounces of 100% vegetable juice.
·Fruits and vegetables contain fiber along with many anti-cancer nutrients, so fill up!

Limit Fast Food
·If you can’t avoid fast food, make healthy choices when you go.
·Order a baked potato and salad, or vegetable soup with salad.
·Sub shops offer vegetarian sandwiches, so load up on the veggie toppings and low-fat condiments and enjoy!
·Pack your own lunch using one fruit, one vegetable, a whole grain and a low-fat protein to avoid grabbing something quick and unhealthy.
·Review online nutrition information for fast food chains, so you can make healthier choices. Aim to create a meal with no more than 500-600 calories, including your drink.

Use Meat Substitutes
·Replace meat at meals three or more times per week with another protein, such as dried, cooked beans or a soy food, such as tofu. Eat less beef, pork, and smoked, cured and processed meats such as luncheon/deli meats, jerky, sausage, bacon, ham, canned meat, Spamâ, pepperoni, and hot dogs.

Limit Alcohol
·Women should limit alcohol to one drink per day.
·Men should limit intake to no more than two drinks per day.
·One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 ounces of liquor or 5 ounces of wine.

Choose Healthy Fats
·Eat more foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout, tuna, swordfish, flaxseed, canola and soybean oils, walnuts, and wheat germ.
·Limit shortening, margarine and “partially hydrogenated oils” in many processed foods.
·Read the ingredients on food labels to look for these bad fats. Bake, steam, broil or grill foods instead of frying.

Monitor Your Food Supply
·Choose whole, natural foods over processed food. Grow your own garden, when possible.
·Wash and scrub all produce under running water. Peel produce and discard outer leaves of leafy vegetables.
·Use home pesticides safely.
·Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. If you eat a particular food most days of the week, consider buying organic.

Much of the information is from http://www.coloncancerfoundation.org and http://www.prevention.com/cda/vendorarticle/colon-cancer/NW149/health/conditions.treatments/

My heart is saddened

2009-03-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

Friday I received terrible news that a good friend's husband passed away. My heart stopped for a minute, I gasped and suddenly came back to reality. NO WAY!!! no way!! this could not have happened. He was SO young. To die at 33 with no warning signs seems out there. I am at a loss for words. really. All I know is he went to bed and never woke back up. Kate is now a widow and a single mom of a nine month old. Here is a perfect situation to ask WHY, why God?? Even though I know the question will not be answered.

I have not stopped praying for Kate and Will since I heard the news. There are so many things captivating my mind. I have been more clingy to Justin in the past few days then I have since our first days of dating. I am more aware of the words I say to people and the love I have for them. This reminds me to speak love into people as much as possible so they know my heart towards them. The words life is short and never take it for granted is often forgotten. We are never guaranteed tomorrow. As scripture says, "Rejoice! for this is the day the LORD has made, rejoice and be glad in it! Life is so Precious!

Also, I can not help but think of FAITH. In times of trouble where do I turn, what do I believe, and what will get me through this. The LORD is my Strength and my salvation whom then shall i fear? I question, LORD am I walking with you? Do I trust you? Are you who you say you are? I hope Kate is leaning on our LORD and finds strength in and through HIM during this hard heartbreaking time. I hope she knows she is not alone and WILL make it through this. I carry with you this burden, Kate and will pray for you continuously as life moves along hoping you find JOY in the midst of life.

May Peace Find you.....

2009-02-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

These are the rules:
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on the computer
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same
5. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

This picture is of Justin on Christmas day at his parents. He is playing on the Wii Fit that was a present for his mom. He was doing Yoga and working on his balance! it was so cute and fun watching him do it! Jessica you would be proud.

I am tagging
1. Tara
2. Mindi
3. Courtney
4. Megan

Curtains

2009-02-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

So now we have curtains hung in our living room. I like them. They really add color to the room. I decided to take the rug back and start looking for a new one. I still need to hang curtains over the sliding door (to the right in the pic). My mother n law said not to, but I kind of want to. What do you think? Do you think it would look nicer to hang curtains over this too? Please!! I will take any suggestions.

Do you see the space heater in front of the couch? Yeah so we live in a 700sqft apt and our electric bill was over two hundred dollars. Yes I said that correctly. We were very disturbed and upset! So we have set our temperature very, very low and we are walking around with sweatpants, sweatshirts, socks, and blankets wrapped around us. No it is not fun, but whatever it takes right. I called KU and they said we were just using to much energy. Bahhahahahahaha!!!!! In a 700sqft apt……………..that’s RIDICULOUS!!! The insulation is terrible and we were just screwed. Next time I guess we will think long and hard about insulated houses and apartments. (I thought I already made that a priority, but the apartment looked so updated I didn’t even think about the insulation) Looks can be deceiving!!!!!

And Jessica I plan to do the picture blogpost, but I want to do it on the computer at home and right now I am at work!

our living room in the works

2009-02-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

Here are the final products of our record holders. I really like them. I'm glad Justin suggested these. I like knowing we have an artistic ambiance in the home with music and lots of books. I swear we have books, books, and more books! It stinks living in an apt and not getting to paint the walls. I just don't quite feel like our apt is very homie. Here's a pic of our living room. We are trying to find a rug right now and we still need to hang our curtains. I hope we can get it to be awesome! awesome for us anyways. Dont laugh at our tv. we are so outdated but we dont care. Less is our motto right now.

Heres when we got our couch and set up our living room.

Then we bought a rug and tried different pillows.

I dont think i am a big fan of the rug. still considering......

2009-02-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

Awhile back before we moved to Lexington I had posted about taking a GRE class. I finally decided to take the test. I really wish I had took the test right after the class, but we had hit some big life changes. I got a new job, we moved to Lexington, and Christmas hit. Today was the day, I worked until 11am then off to take the test. Now let me inform you that I am not always on top of things. I went to check into the test and they would not let me pass through because my license was expired. yeah i know shame on me. My license has been expired for three months. I was waiting on the move. However, they did let me leave to get a new license so I could come back and take the test. Thank Goodness!!! The whole time I was very calm and chilled. It took me about an hour to get my license updated and the rest followed through. The GRE is freaking ridiculous. I did better than I thought I would do and not as well as I really wanted to do. Oh well, I am convinced that my life is not defined by tests I take or what job I have in life. I'm just glad it is over.

2009-02-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

Don't Forget to Wear Red on Friday, February 6, 2009 in support of the American Heart Association and

Go Red for Women!

There are many types of cardiovascular diseases. Over 79 million Americans have one or more of them. Each year about 870,000 people die from them - about 36 percent of all deaths in the United States!

HEART ATTACKS

Every 36 seconds, someone dies from heart and blood vessel diseases, America's No. 1 killer. Since most of those deaths are from coronary heart disease - about 452,000 each year - it's important to learn all you can about heart attack. Don't ignore heart problems. It's a matter of life and death!

Here are some signs of a heart attack:

Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more han a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

If you have any of these signs, don't wait more than 5 minutes before calling for help.
Call 9-1-1....Get to a hospital right away.

2009-02-05T06:30:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I finally decided to get online and purchase a new camera USB cable. I am so excited to start taking pictures again. I’m not good at taking pictures. I just like capturing moments. I do hope for a better camera one day soon. Does anyone have suggestions on what camera I should look into buying?

I also purchased some Album Frames for our Living Room. Justin asked if we could hang his albums up, and I thought it was a grand idea! I found these online at Wal-Mart for really cheap. When I get them in I’ll let you know if they were worth the price. They had good reviews!

25 Random Things posted Again!

2009-02-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

25 random things are going around on facebook so I thought I would post it on here too. Sorry if you have already read this. I enjoyed it!

1. I drink about 16 oz of coffee a day. That is ridiculous. I used to say I would never drink coffee.
2. I am a planner. I would rather plan my days/ nights out then be spontaneous! It really does make me happier to know whats going on!!! Which is hard on Justin most of the time...sorry babe.
3. I really really want a baby right now, but I really really want to do an internship too. So the internship is on the planned charts for now.
4. I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters for those of you who did not know that. I am the sixth. I will never have that many children, but thanks mom and dad for having us because I would not be here then.
5. I LOVE Chocolate and sweets! Sometimes I will only eat those for my dinner and regret doing it. I hate keeping it around the house.
6. I am obsessed with Breastfeeding even though I dont have any children of my own. i like nutrition and i like babies so it goes hand in hand. I hope when I have children I can breastfeed. knock on wood.
7. I love having people over my house and cooking for them. I find joy in providing hospitality to peeps.
8. I enjoy being in the kitchen especially with other women. It is fun to have girls over cooking/baking and chatting away!
9. I love my Husband so much.....He is more than I could ask for. We are polar opposites so We balance each other out. He makes me laugh all the time and he is a big part of who I am today. I love when he sings to me.
10. I love having an organized clean house, but organizing is NOT natural for me and it exhausts me trying to keep everything organized and clean. I envy those that are natural freaks at being organized and clean and not be obnoxious about it............Daniel Freeman.
11. I am always Cold. I wear layers all the time or always have a jacket on. Cold = Pain to me. Justin argues with me and says Cold cannot = pain but i disagree.
12. I hate cold hands/feet on my body
13. I was a competitive gymnast for 6 years. I made it to Level 8 and quit. It was my childhood growing up. Where was I when all the kids were playing and being kids..... I was at the gym four nights a week practicing my little tale off.
14. I played fastpitch softball and soccer in high school
15. I really like to sew. I'm not great at it but I can figure out how to sew most things. If someone shows me how I promise I can do it. I have never tried a pattern. I want to though.
16. I want to learn to knit.
17. It feels good to me to complete everything I start.
18. I have a scar on my right arm from chicken and dumplings
19. I Love the Vineyard Church Movement.
20. I spent one christmas break in China. It was one of the best travels of my life.
21. Justin and I like to box with each other for fun.
22. I like to get along with everyone and if you dont like me i want you to like me.
23. I'm afraid of the dark.
24. I hate sleeping by myself. Even when I was a kid with my own bed I would sleep with my sisters.
25. and I saved the best for last. I love Jesus and carry a relationship with him. Christ is the foundation of both mine and Justin's life. We are who we are because of GOD and we hope to continue pursuing him and growing in who we are. I wish everyone knew what life was like to know Christ. They would never go back.

Winter here has begun.

2009-01-30T06:37:00.001-08:00

Oh the winter storm; it has stunned every one and has put our cities in an uproar. I have been very impressed with the promptness of everyone working together to get the power back on and keeping the roads clean. Justin and I have been lucky to not loose power, but our friends were not so lucky. This week has been different in which we have been staying with our friend Cristin. She is about to pop out a baby anytime and her husband Ben has been out of town for the whole week. I was not about to let her stay home, expecting a child any moment, alone. She’s crazy for thinking so. So Justin and I packed our bags for the week in Richmond. Cristin’s electricity went out on Wednesday and so did our friends Daniel and Heidi. I gathered all of us together and we made our way to Justin’s parents house and stayed the night. It was quite interesting. Walt and Vicki have a very small house. There were eight of us there hanging out, cramped, but very much enjoying ourselves together. We cooked dinner, played Wii, chatted, played a few board games, watched season 3 of the Office, and had a LOST party. I really wish I had pictures of all us cramped in this tiny house. (note to self….always carry a camera with you and take pics) Thursday was very fun for all of us. We got out of the house, ate lunch, and spent some time shopping. It felt so good to get out of the house and do something. It is not fun when you are stuck in one place for days. I understand the word cabin fever now.

Oh the joy of working for the government. Work can actually be called off or be delayed. That is never the case when working at the hospital. I was at work on Wednesday morning and the power went off. It was absolute chaos because no one knew what to do and we had clients in the waiting room. Luckily they sent us home and closed down the health dept.

2009-01-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

Psalm 73 (The Message)
An Asaph Psalm

1-5 No doubt about it! God is good— good to good people, good to the good-hearted.
But I nearly missed it,
missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way,
looking up to the people
At the top,
envying the wicked who have it made,
Who have nothing to worry about,
not a care in the whole wide world.

6-10 Pretentious with arrogance,
they wear the latest fashions in violence,
Pampered and overfed,
decked out in silk bows of silliness.
They jeer, using words to kill;
they bully their way with words.
They're full of hot air,
loudmouths disturbing the peace.
People actually listen to them—can you believe it?
Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.

11-14 What's going on here? Is God out to lunch?
Nobody's tending the store.
The wicked get by with everything;
they have it made, piling up riches.
I've been stupid to play by the rules;
what has it gotten me?
A long run of bad luck, that's what—
a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.

15-20 If I'd have given in and talked like this,
I would have betrayed your dear children.
Still, when I tried to figure it out,
all I got was a splitting headache . . .
Until I entered the sanctuary of God.
Then I saw the whole picture:
The slippery road you've put them on,
with a final crash in a ditch of delusions.
In the blink of an eye, disaster!
A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare!
We wake up and rub our eyes....Nothing.
There's nothing to them. And there never was.

21-24 When I was beleaguered and bitter,
totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox
in your very presence.
I'm still in your presence,
but you've taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me,
and then you bless me.

25-28 You're all I want in heaven!
You're all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they'll never be heard from again.
But I'm in the very presence of God—
oh, how refreshing it is!
I've made Lord God my home.
God, I'm telling the world what you do!

Today GOD has moved me. I read this Psalm today and could not go any further. I kept reading it over and over again, thinking "This is where I am in life right now" Dealing with a little bit of bitterness and also begging for guidance I am stopped and moved by the writer of this Psalm.

In the midst of my ignorance I am still in the presence of GOD. He has my hand, tenderly and wisely leading me. HE is all I want on earth, in life. I know without him I am nothing and with him I am everything. He is continuously blessing me! Everyone who is following Christ understands the meaning of his presence and goodness. It is security in life, hope in the brokenness, a place to belong. He sets us apart from this world. Unbelievers may question the journey and decisions God is leading us to. There is nothing or anyone else in this world I would follow. Those of you following would also agree. I choose to loose everything to Gain.

2009-01-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

Does anyone out there besides me, have people in their lives that absolutely make life miserable? I can name quite a few, but lately it has been a few specific people. No names will be mentioned. I have been fighting bitterness and anger in my heart with these people. No matter what you do, it is wrong. No matter what you say, it is not right. I cannot do anything without feeling I am patrolled over. It has been quite daunting I tell you. It is in a few different places these situations have occurred. As you all know, one of my goals is to be more positive and uplifting. These people soon affect my mood, which challenges my goal. I do believe it is our enemy prowling around fighting to make yours and mine life miserable.

How do you fight the bitterness and the anger? There are many areas of my life that provoke this mood/feeling. I believe there is a deeply rooted generational sin that has been around since Day 1 of my life. I want to break this bondage and find freedom in my weaknesses. I am beginning to pray for these struggles of mine hoping there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I have hit the end of complete exhaustion from my bitterness and anger that eventually lead to sadness. It can be quite easy to find bitterness in situations. If Naomi can be freed from the name Mara, I can too!

Cheers!

2009-01-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

Cheers to the New Year. Justin and I have always (except last year) sat down and created a list of goals for the New Year. This began when we were dating and I hope it will continue as we grow very, very, very old together. Here are 15 goals I have created for 2009.

Goals:
1. Get into UK Hospital Internship
2. Pay off some debt
3. Save **** dollars
4. Become a mentor
5. Find Joy in everything,
6. Remove the Negative
7. Run another Half -Marathon
8. Read more – Justin would love this.
9. Start Journaling again
10. Eat More Fruits and Veggies and less meat
11. Try a Juice Detox.
12. Spend a lot more quality time with my Husband.
13. Go on more dates
14. Create Surprises
15. Laugh MORE Often

I look forward to the New Year. I hope I cherish each day.

RUTH

2008-12-30T11:32:00.001-08:00

I just finished reading this book by Francine Rivers. It is just one book out of 5 in the series called Lineage of Grace. The series consists of five women chosen by God who were destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ. This one is about Ruth. Francine Rivers does a wonderful job at recreating the stories. I was blessed by this book in finding hope in the midst of life.
I love the story of Ruth. I desire so much to identify with Ruth; to become a servant and love my in-laws and family as much as she does. Ruth displays much Loyalty in her character.

16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:16

Also, I was very much reminded of God’s love for his people. He promises to provide for our every need. He is our only need. There are so many times when I get down in the dumps and forget how much he loves us. I need to trust him more often and know he loves me so. The story of Ruth has many examples of God's love for us and what he can do for us in any circumstance through prayer and petition. I need to hear more stories like this where God is faithful and good. Its just another uplifting part of this spiritual journey.

2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6

If you have any recent stories how God has surprised you, answered a prayer, or how he has shown you love, please share.

Two Christmas pics

2008-12-29T08:13:00.001-08:00

The Hat is Andrew's Christmas gift. Justin wore that thing all night!

Me and Babbi (Justin's Great-Grandmother)

IKEA

2008-12-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

Ok I’m at work today and it is soosososososo boring! Yesterday Justin and I spent the whole day at IKEA with a bunch of our friends. Remember when I said we were trying to simplify when we moved. Well we did for sure because the only furniture we brought with us was our kitchen table and bed. No chairs, couches, dressers, etc. So we decided to save all of our Christmas money and buy us a few things. IKEA was great for getting the things we need at a LOW price. I’m not going to say everything is the BEST you can get but you can’t beat spending little money for lots of stuff. I’m so pleased with my purchases. I’m sure I’ll be even more pleased when we have all the parts together and in use. Our couch is our next purchase to make. Hopefully we will do that soon. If you have never been to IKEA you are missing out. It is a great experience just to go and walk around. There’s babysitting for your kids too! You can hang out, shop, eat lunch, and shop some more. You need to plan to spend most of your afternoon or evening there. It takes awhile to get through the whole store.

Merry Christmas Everyone! (I know I am a day late, oops)

2008-12-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

Our holidays were good this year. I definitely was not in a cheery mood this year nor did I feel like being in the Holiday spirit. It has been a tough month and Christmas kind of sneaked up on us. I did however enjoy spending time with both my family and Justin’s. It was actually very peaceful this year between both of the fam’s which is very unusual especially with my family. I promise you, for a few years there was some kind of fight going on amongst my siblings. Two years ago there was an actual down on the ground fistfight. Yeah. Crazy. This year though everyone got along and enjoyed themselves. I was pleased. It was fun seeing my nieces and nephews get SO excited about their gifts. Children can make anyone smile!

heres a pic of my parents and siblings from the wedding (its a little dark) and a summer pic of the nieces and nephews. I dont have any pics on hand of Justin's fam. Sorry there are no updated photos. I think I am gonna have to buy a new cord.

Justin and I have not set any kind of traditions for christmas. I hope in the future with our own children we can come up with some of our own. Justin's family reads the bible story every year. His grandfather is wonderful about getting everyone together in the living room and have the oldest and youngest generation read from the bible. Our great-grandmother - Babbi - 86 years old (i think) reads from Isaiah and cousin Jordyn who is 16 reads from Luke. Then we have the opportunity to share our thoughts with each other. At some point of the night hymns pour out. If you dont already know the Rhorer boys can sing. It is such a blessing to be a part of the Rhorer Family.

MOVED

2008-12-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Justin and I are moved officially. We have spent the past three nights in the new place. It has been wonderful being able to get home quickly and not in 30-45 minutes. We have been out looking for a couch. No success so far. We are thrilled to be simplifying. Justin and I still are processing the move emotionally. It does take a toll on you when you have built so much together in one place. Richmond was our home for 7 years. Justin and I started our life together there. We built a community of friends and even have our own roots in some of the local places. We plan to still travel there often to visit great friends of ours. Even with the Richmond Vineyard starting we will be traveling there more frequently. I know it’s going to take time for us to adjust. Tears do flow every once in awhile when I think about it. We 100% believe we made the right move and have no doubts with our new place. We are going to have to find new ways to use our giftings in Lexington and find ways to make this place home!

We are selling an antique desk and antique twin bed. If anyone is interested let me know. I will post some pics eventually. Still haven’t found the camera cord…………..

Packing....Blah

2008-12-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

So Justin and I have been packing like crazy the past few days. Our dear friends, Ben and Cristin, came over last night to help us do the last bit of packing. They are so great! Don’t you hate when you move you find all the stuff you don’t use. It’s hard for me to get rid of it because there might be that ONE day when I will use it. Justin and I are committed though to simplifying so we are actually getting rid of as much stuff as possible. I still feel like we have a ton of boxes after getting rid of so much. I know that when we start putting away things we are gonna have to get rid of more. That’s going to be the hardest to do because those are the things I am trying not to let go. We will see how that goes when we get there. Here are some pics of our apt from the website. *Note* this is not our furniture/décor.

When its all together and I find my camera cord I will post pics of our actual place with our added touch!

Christmas Time is Here

2008-12-11T11:40:00.001-08:00

I can’t believe Christmas will be here in two weeks. I have not even really started Christmas shopping or making the presents I intend to make. It’s going to be interesting to see how I can manage to craft, shop, pack, clean, move, and work in those two weeks. I love Christmas. I am one of those people who LOVES Christmas music. I could almost listen to 94.5 all day on the radio. Justin is so great. Every year he downloads new Christmas music for me. We like to play it while decorating for Christmas and when we are just lounging around. I wouldn’t say Justin LOVES Christmas music, but he tolerates it. Besides, he picks out Christmas music he enjoys too. I also LOVE giving. I don’t get to get gifts for as many people as I like because of our short flow of cash, but I do try to be creative with some gifts. It makes me happy to see others happy!

In December 2003 I spent three weeks in China. It was my first Christmas away from family and friends. It was such a special time for me. It was a time to reflect on why we really celebrate Christmas. I was away from all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and surrounded by people who knew very little or even nothing as to why we celebrated Christmas. I mean you would see a few Chinese men dressed as Santa’s on the streets and some Christmas trees here and there, but it was nothing like in America. I was also with a group of friends who loved God. I remember Christmas night (which was a day earlier there) my friends and I sat around in the hotel room singing worship songs, praising god, reading from the bible, and fellowshipping with each other. Wow, I have never, in all the years I have been alive, celebrated Jesus during Christmas as much as I did that night and weeks in China. It was beautiful! Coming back to America was hard. Anyone who has traveled overseas can understand what you go through when coming home. It is easy to get mad at America and become heartbroken. I did. For weeks. Now I am back to spending Christmas in the hustle and bustle, numb to things. I LOVE this season because it is joyful and cheery. While I am enjoying my Christmas music and shopping for gifts I hope I never forget though those three weeks in China. I hope I spend every Christmas in our Rhorer family truly worshiping Jesus. Most of all I hope every day of our lives is worshiping our creator.

I also LOVE a Charlie Brown Christmas! Take some time out and watch it this season!

Lexington, Here we come!!!!!

2008-12-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

So it’s official. Justin and I are moving to Lexington. I have been waiting for this day for a while. Not that I am rushing to move away from our friends. I am just ready to embark on a new journey. You see, I love change! I love new things in my life. Plus, I don’t like to drive far distances everyday. We are moving right off Richmond Rd. to Patchen Oaks apartment. We are taking a huge cut in our house and downsizing to pea size place. Justin and I are both excited about it because it forces us to simplify our lives, to remove junk, and to be organized! The only thing though is we love to have people over. At times we range from 20-30 people in our house. Our pea size place may not fit that many people. This is not going to stop our home of invitation. We may not be able to fit 30 people there, but we will still have an open door policy for whoever wants to come over and for those who want to sleep on our couch! December 17th we can officially move in. J

On a sad note, Justin’s car broke down again this week. It’s a Camry. They are not suppose to break down J It is old though, so it is inevitable. Then our computer crashed this week and it needed repairing. You know I do believe the saying when it rains sometimes it pours and right now it is pouring on us J God is Trustworthy. Our life is not supposed to be a bubble of complete happiness all the time, but rather Joyful, and I am very joyful where he has us!

I am starting to work on Internship applications. I have been in a state of prayer for this since marriage, and I still have no idea what I am to do. They just cost so much money and we are already paying on a lot of school loans. I will also be out of work for 6-9 months. Not good for us. On the other hand, I will be able to be a Registered Dietitian to where I would have more job flexibility and maybe better pay. There is one Internship that is free of charge and that is UK hospital and it also pays a little bit of money. If God allowed me this opportunity it would be the best for our family financially. I am not God though and I don’t always understand what he is doing and why. If anyone has any words of wisdom, hope, or direction I would appreciate them. I think about this way too often and it really does get me down in the dumps. How do you know what to do?

2008-11-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

Last night Justin and I went to the UK Basketball game. It was brutal. The game was ridiculous. We left upset and very disappointed. Not a good start for the CATS.

Here We Go Again......

2008-11-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

So things have been on the flip side. All In a matter of days we found out our moving plans fell through and Justin's car may be officially done. It was not fun hearing all the news in a short period of time. I really allowed myself to not get upset about the whole situation. I know God is good and he is for us not against us. Running on the Faith I had I believed it would all work out in HIS timing. This all happened last week. We have been running around using one vehicle. It actually hasn't been too bad. It is definitely harder on Justin than me. With his job he has a lot more flexibility than I do. He had to get up earlier and work his job around me. It would definitely be easier to live on one vehicle if we lived in Lexington. The distance makes it hard to travel using one car. We have not let it get to us though. The good news came today when we were told the car was fixed and should last us longer than expected! YAY! I told you God is Good!

Our Living situation is still not settled. We haven't had a chance to sit down and talk about our next move. Matt and Kris are currently living with us. They were suppose to live on the other side of the duplex with us. Matt and Kris are easy to live with so it hasn't been bad at all. quite fun actually. We still plan to move to Lexington we just don't know exactly when or where. It has been kind of stressful for Kris because she currently does not have a job, and she has been working so hard filling out applications and calling around. So if you know of any opportunities for her, pass it along!

We are all hoping for better weeks to come.............

A Passion of Mine

2008-11-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Todays weather has been cold and rainy. It makes me want to just go home, wrap up in a blanket, and read or watch a good sappy movie. I think I will as soon as I am done posting. I am starting to get settled in with my job finally. I really have enjoyed working for the Health Dept. It is so nice to know you don't have to work weekends and holidays. This is my FIRST job since I was 16 that I dont have to work weekends and holidays. I even get off early on Friday's like around 1 or 2. It is so nice. Most of the people I work with are super friendly and enjoyable to work with. There is one location I dislike working at. At times this location is chaotic and very stressful, but everywhere else is much better. If you dont remember I am a Nutrition Specialist for WIC. I am the lady you sit with and get a nutrition education before receiving your vouchers. I have to do heights, weights, and prick fingers on Mom's and children. THeres a list of questions that I have to ask the mom's to see if they or their child is at nutritional risk. I am also a huge advocate for breastfeeding. I don't get to help much with it, but I do try to convince moms to breastfeed and give them any material to encourage them to breastfeed.

For some reason I am so passionate about breastfeeding. I dont have any children so I have never breastfed. I care much about nutrition and women though so maybe that is why. I dont know but whatever the case I do enjoy talking about it and helping moms with it. I think there are so many moms that really dont know the great benefit of Breastfeeding. The norm is to formula feed and to even talk about breastfeeding in some places it seems like a sin. ha. people snicker and back away like it is so dirty to do it. Seriously though, isnt Breastfeeding what we are originally suppose to do. God created us. He knew what he was doing. God gave us everything we needed to survive. It is natural for a woman's body to produce milk and to feed her child. Culturally though formula is more prestige. I just dont get it. Breastfeeding is original, natural, and beautiful. Formula has just been given so much attention that it has taken over our society. WOmen dont know how to breastfeed anymore because society tells them not to and it just doesnt seem right. Therefore everyone thinks formula is the best. Whatever. I'm hoping there will be a 360 in the future and breastfeeding is 1st choice, not last. I want women to be educated on WHY they should breastfeed and HOW to breastfeed. It used to be that moms could teach their daughters, but thats not the case anymore. Breastfeeding is easy once learned and it can be done. Some moms think they dont produce enough milk, but that is a myth for most moms. I'm not saying that all MOM's can breastfeed but I would say 95% of mom's can breastfeed if EDUCATED with everything they need to know about it. I dont want anyone to think that I am condemning those who do formula feed. It is a mom's choice to do what she wants and babies do fine on formula. I was formula fed for goodness sake. I'm just tired of how breastfeeding is viewed and the lack of knowledge. Have you really ever thought about breastfeeding? If not, why? Do you know what the benefits are for the baby and for you? Does it bother you to see another woman breastfeeding? I'm tired of those who do snicker at the sight of someone breastfeeding or someone who is thinking about breastfeeding their child. We dont snicker at those formula feeding. My advice is that if you are SERIOUSLY considering breastfeeding pick up a book and read about it, go to a breastfeeding class, have a Lactation consultant's number on hand, and look forward to it with a positive attitude. If you see someone breastfeeding, praise them and be glad in her decision.

Well i'm done ranting and raving. I hope you dont mind me.

Lately......

2008-10-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

OMG! It has been so long since I have posted. Almost a month now. WOW. My GRE class is over. woo hoo! Seriously, the GRE is ridiculous. I am so glad I took the class. There are so many freakin formulas for math to remember and words to know that I have never heard of before in my life. I really did not remember any of the formulas. I would have been screwed if I took the test before this class. Who knows I may still be screwed. ha! Now I need to study like crazy and take the test. I still need to sign up to take the test. golly. I'm super nervous.

SO as for living arrangements Justin and I have finally found a place. We are moving in a duplex and our good friends will be living next door to us, Matt and Kris Fields. The duplex is off of Alexandria Drive in Lexington. We will be moving hopefully the first of December. I'm super excited and cant wait! When we move I will post pics of the place.

So this past week has been so CRAZY! good crazy! Our friends Matt and Kris got married on Saturday. I volunteered to make the cake (YES i was crazy). This was my first wedding cake ever! Wednesday and Thursday my friend Cristin and I helped Kris with Decorations at the Church and Organizing the wedding. We were there from 4-9 both nights and then on Friday I worked on the cake from 3-11 pm. I do have to say I am very pleased with the turn out. Even though I seemed a little stressed and overwhelmed before the wedding is was so worth it! I was also a bridesmaid. It was super fun being a part of their wedding. Kris looked absolutely stunning and the whole wedding was flawless except my little fiasco. I spilled red nail polish down the front of my black dress. ahhh... i was so sad. I swear something always happens to me. At least it was me and not Kris :) I had some nail polish remover and removed some of it but it was still noticeable to me. oh well, no one pointed it out until I showed them. Anywho, i'm recovering from the long week and hoping for some rest to come. Please comment and let me know you are reading.

2008-09-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard lately. I have started a new GRE prep class. Saturday was my first day and it was INTENSE. It is a four hour class of hard words and figuring out math. I am not a great test taker. I am a visual learner, and I need people to show me how to do something before I can learn it. I'm not the one who can pick up a book, read it, and then know how to do it. So that is why I am taking this class; for someone to teach me. I have also started Internship stuff. I met with UK Hospital Internship Director on Monday. It was a good meeting, and I am excited about applying to their program. I have been contacting professors and employers for references, and I have been trying to gather information together to write my Letter of Intent. WOO HOO! Yeah right. Also, in the mean time, besides work and internship stuff, Justin and I have been looking for a place to live in LEX. We have some options available, but no decisions made yet. I hope we find a wonderful place that we will LOVE. I start my new job on Sept 29th. I'm getting excited!

2008-09-07T06:46:00.000-07:00