the start

Today is the beginning of Stan's intense language stuff.  For the next five weeks he will be putting in 5-6 hours a day of language study.  Ouch, right?  This will require a little more discipline for us as a family.  I am also doing 3 days a week--not 5-6 hours but at least 3--and that means both of us getting out the door to the study office.  Which in turn means having the boys set up for playing and such for the mornings we are both gone.  And we are NOT resorting to the TV being the primary form of entertainment each day.  Can. Not. Happen. 

And because I need a good kick in the pants, and my foot is doing better, I am getting back into my workout routine.  I am hoping to walk a couple of days a week and do videos at home the others.  And this always encourages me to get back on target with my eating each day.  No sneaks and treats like I have been allowing lately.  We go on vacation in exactly 8 weeks and there is absolutely no reason I shouldn't be able to lose 10 pounds minimum before that.  15 would be great, but I don't want to set my sights too high and get discouraged...again.

So please pray for us.  I am not disciplined by nature.  It is something I struggle with and have to work at.  We will make it through the next two months.  But I really don't just want to make it, I want to get through that time and look back and just marvel at all the Lord has taught me.  Here's to the start!

sunday psalms

I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,

And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord my God,

I cried to You for help, and You healed me.

O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;

You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.

You have turned for me my mournig into dancing;

You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Psalms 30:1-3, 11-12

a long awaited trip

No this isn't about our vacation--although our plane tickets are now booked and paid for so it's for real!!!--this is about an overnight trip I got to take with M and W.  As you may know Stan travels out quite a bit to areas that are a little more concentrated with the group we work with.  I have never gotten to take such a trip.  There are two close cities, DC and WS, that are pretty much the center of this area, as far as cities go.  Well maybe DC isn't so much a city as it is a market town but all the same, an important location for us.  And we have even talked that in a few years down the road, we may want to move to WS.  So this week gave opportunity for me to travel with these two ladies to see these places.  Pray over these places.  And meet new people and see friends that have already been made. 

I knew a one night trip was going to be enough for my first time out, especially since we couldn't really do much hiking due to my previously mentioned foot issues.  We decided to leave Thursday just after lunch, head to DC and walk around a little and then go on to WS for dinner and to spend the night.  DC was pretty much like I expected.  Just a basic town where people living in villages can go to for supplies.  It also has a large market twice a month for this purpose, unfortunately not while we were there.  We left there and headed to WS.  We stayed in a pretty decent hotel.  I've stayed in much worse here in country (Kitty it waqs WAY better than the 'like water for chocolate' place) and even some worse places in the States.  We walked around for a little while and then headed to a restaurant that is owned by one of there local friends, who is a new 'Sister'.  She made us an excellent dinner and then we chatted for a while.  Since this was our first time meeting she wanted to talk to me a lot.  I seriously think I talked to her, without either of the ladies being able to get much of a word in edge wise, for an hour and a half straight.  All in Chinese.  To the point of my brain melting into a puddle of soup.  But it was great.  And even with some points of not understanding and having to work to get our point across it was was a smooth conversation.  I made a new friend and created a bond.

The next morning, after talking my head off the night before and still getting over a slight cold, I woke up with little to no voice.  And it's still pretty shady.  But it doesn't matter.  That morning we were just going to walk and pray and then head home.  We got home right around 1:30, just in time to hug and kiss the boys before naptime.  So I was able to take a nice steamy shower, and relax a bit myself. 

It was a perfect trip! :)

foot woes

In order to prove that I am rapidly aging now that I have turned 30, I feel the need to tell you about my foot issues.  It started when I was pregnant with Judah.  I did great until I was put on bed rest and then the pounds started to come on.  In addition we have hard floors, I mean very little padding.  Concrete topped with tile.  Some rooms have carpeting but the padding underneath is minimal.  So with the addition of several (times 10) pounds and walking on hard floors my foot started to hurt.  Near my heel it would ache when I woke up and first tried to walk (like getting out of bed while 8 months pregnant isn't hard enough).  I dismissed it as a pregnancy thing so I didn't get it checked out--or even mention it to my Dr.--while we were in BKK last summer.  Well it ended up not being just a pregnancy thing.  And over the past few months it has gotten worse.  Throbbing at night worse.  So I gave in and emailed our medical team.  From what they could gather from my symptoms and the main causes of aggravation they seem to think I have Plantar Fasciitis.  I'm sure this is my very first old person ailment and so, I must complain about it like an old person.  Although if my Granny read this she would be mad cause she doesn't complain, she doesn't see the point in it.

Anyway, so as this issue got left untreated it got worse.  I had to do something.  I haven't been able to really exercise (it brings on the throbbing) and that is prohibiting the weight loss I am looking for.  My mom sent me some insoles for my shoes, which I am very patiently waiting on as they make their little way through the China Post maze.  Also, I was told that 'regular' house shoes wouldn't cut it.  I needed support and I needed it all day.  An 18 hour bra for my foot, if you would.  So I ended up with these bad boys... 

Let me just tell you that  I can already tell a difference.  It's pretty hard to find shoes here in my size, which is a 9.  Even the capital city didn't carry them, and the people at the store actually laughed at me when I asked them about it.  So my only choice was to get men's.  But everything can be hit or miss here, so these are actually a 8.5 in men's.  Plenty of room for my toes to wiggle, that's for sure, but very supportive all the same.  Like an underwire for your foot I tell ya!  So my foot and I are becoming friends again.  It's a good thing.

Really all this is to find out if I am the only 30 year old that is already starting to fall apart.  Please someone else tell me that they have something going on that is making you feel old.  Not that I don't like being 30.  It's just that I'm planning on a good 50 or so more years and I want things to be working they way they should.

So, what ails you?

all my own

Way back in November I posted this dream room.  Since I knew this would never actually happen, at least not in the next 17 years while we have children living with us, I decided I needed to carve out just a small space for myself.  To be honest this area does get used for more purposes than just my enjoyment/work but the thing is that I can make it all just for me. And I've added in as much femininity in this testosteron filled house as I wanted.  It's a work in progress but I decided to go ahead and share it's current state.

 

just a few lovely things

most importantly there is coffee

  

a little hide away for my Bible and other books I'm reading

    

it all tucks away nicely

   

and then resumes it's normal function.