Oh Baby!

My life went a little haywire for a while, in a good way.  My computer crashed in September so I didn't even try to document anything till I got it back a few weeks ago.  My birthday came and I did the appropriate amount of crying in the bathroom, then got over it, got a pedicure and went out with my friends.  I had this depressing feeling the whole day about how I had reached none of my goals in life yet.  It was weird to be gripped by such a feeling again, at least one that was so strong it dragged me into the bathroom at work 6 times in one day to 'boo-hoo' about it.  I was exhausted.  I went to a friends wedding and cried.  I came home and was watching Hook (w/ Robin Williams), and cried.  Robin Williams movies do not make me cry (except maybe for Patch Adams).  And I was still tired all the time.  So I decided I should probably take a test.

Positive!! 

At first I was really relieved to find out that was what could have made my emotions go all over the place. Then I had a mini panic attack, but I was still excited.  Paul was really cute about it.  He didn't jump up or anything, he just smiled and said "Sweet!"  We did the appropriate stuff, went to the doctor, told our families, told our friends, etc.  We had an ultra sound at 8 weeks to determine an actual due date since my cycle had been so messed up after going off the pill in August.  June 16th 2011. Wow, it only took us 3 weeks to get pregnant.  What a blessing.  How humbling! 

Our little embryo at 8 weeks

I must admit, among all the wonderful emotions that come along with finding out you are about to become a parent, the one thing I was not prepared for was a nagging feeling of unworthiness.  I knew plenty of people - good people - that had lost a child or miscarried or struggled for years to get pregnant.  Yet here I was, checkered past and all, able to get pregnant almost right away.  And I never knew for sure if I even wanted kids until about  6 months ago.  But I also know that guilt and shame do not come from God, so I can stick that feeling right back where it belongs.  Not all feelings tell the truth.

The last few months I wanted to start doing one of the various things I had always been afraid of trying.  I thought I'd finally learn how to paint or create some kind of art.  Instead I tackled the bigger, more scarier activity.  I created a person instead.

Beautiful Painting

This made me stop and think....

We saw this yesterday at a church in Greensboro.  I have no idea who the artist is but I'd love to meet him / her.  Not only do I love this because it really makes you wonder what kind of impact you have on the world, but the other reason I love it is because it's done on sheet metal!

Do the Thing

I've become quite a quote-smith in the last several years.  These have been some of my favorite 'nuggets' of wisdom I've collected.

"Do the thing, and you will have the power.  Do not the thing, and you will have not the power."
"Action cures fear."
"If nothing changes, then NOTHING CHANGES."
"I would rather feel the pain of discipline than the pain of regret."

.  I love the simplicity and power of one little sentence.  I store up these little reminders in my head to reflect on, yet I continually forget - how powerful is one small action in the right direction?  All those seemingly small and meaningless things that can add up for success (in any endeavor) are so easy to do, but so easy not to do as well.  I think that's one reason why so many of us never realize our dreams. The excitement begins to fade away because it doesn't feel new anymore.

I had a seemingly insignificant victory today and several others this week that have reminded me of all this.  If all of my days were this good then I'll be much closer to my goals in much shorter of a time span.

Taking action has been something I have been working on for a while, but like many I fell short because it felt insignificant to do 'those small daily activities', therefore I slacked on 'those small daily activities'.  But after awhile it becomes too painful to stay in the same place all the time.  I would rather feel the pain of discipline or the pain of' "try, fail, adjust".

Apply that to your own life. To your own dreams.  What small step can you take every day to head in the right direction?  Try doing them everyday for a week and check how much better you feel about life.  Take a step back and appreciate how much closer you are to achieving your dreams.  Then keep going.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

~~D~~

Green Smoothie Madness

Green Smoothie (Before)

                                                              Green Smoothie (After)

Spinach, pineapple, banana, a little soy-protein powder, a b-12 energy shot and water to blend and Voila!!

I began making these at home about 4 months ago (but I had some blender trouble and have now been able to start making them again)  I got the inspiration here.  I really need to email her and let her know that some complete stranger loves her smoothies and is broadcasting it shouldn't I?? 

The best part about these is that they are fresh and green, therefore perfect for breakfast!  As much as I try to eat as many raw fruits and veggies as I can every day, fitting in the green ones can be difficult since I'm not all that in to salads. So having one of these first thing in the morning is a great start to my day.  You can't even taste the spinach, all you taste is the sweet citrusy goodness.  But I love the sci-fi coloring.  Sometimes I take them to work and watch the 'grown men' I work with squirm when I drink it.  Sissies =)

I love experimenting with my diet. It's been one of my projects for almost the last year. I've also been reading a lot on diet & nutrition. I'll talk about that later.

~~D~~

The Purpose

I'm turning 30 in less than a month.  Yikes. 
About a year ago I began to have what I can only describe as a 'mini midlife crisis'.  I started by dying my hair red.  I started being more proactive about losing weight (14 pounds down so far).  But that wasn't enough change for me.

I began reading blogs from several people who were really striving to get the most out of life and I became fanatical about doing the same thing.  My entire thought process was, "I'm about to turn 30, and what have I done with myself??"  As I reflected, the truth was that I was not living to my full potential.  I knew that this was not the life I believe God had planned for me.  It was time to take action.  And more importantly, it was time to document it so someone else could get inspired.  What's the purpose of accomplishment but to pass on the ability to others?? 

(Let me pause here and just say that there are several important things I have changed before this whole thing started.  The most important was in October 2005 I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.  Two months later I married my husband Paul.  I quit drinking alcohol in March of 2006 and quit smoking cigarettes in February 2007.  These were amazing victories for me, and I am grateful for them.  I just did not want these to be the only victories forever)

So here I sit in my favorite coffeehouse typing away and daydreaming about the future - which is really ironic considering I don't even drink coffee, but Greenberry's has the best Vanilla Tea in the world.

The right time to take action is NOW.

This should be interesting

I've been wanting to start this for some time.   I've been told success is in the journey, and I want to document every step along the way.  Especially if it can affect someone else for the better.  Hopefully someone will read it! =) 

Let the games begin!