Ten months. Some months were easy. Some months were hard. Some months were busy. Some months were long. Lots of stress, crying, understanding, relief, joy, arguing, hopeful, judging, grateful, hopelessness, comfort, comparing, feeling free, learning, and sharing.
In which all lead up to...
I am happy to announce that my husband and I for (4 1/2) years will be expecting our first little blessing in February!
We surprised our families with the news in person. It was so hard to keep that secret from them every time I talked to them on the phone.
My family was surprised by a last minute thrown together birthday party for my husband (his birthday was the following weekend). My family didn't suspect anything since they knew I was surprising my husband with a little get away to Biloxi, MS for his actual birthday weekend. Our plan was to bring out a cookie cake with writing saying that "We are pregnant!" after lunch. Once everyone arrived and started filling their plates with yummy food, it felt like f-o-r-e-v-e-r until everyone was done eating. I could barely eat, I was so nervous. I wasted no time after I saw empty plates. I quickly cleaned the table and said, "Time for dessert!" A friend of ours (who was aware of our news) placed the cookie cake in front of my husband, and my husband tilted it so everyone could read it. Everyone's mouth literally dropped! Their reaction was priceless! Clapping and cheering and excitement exploded in the room.
His family was surprised by a late Father's Day present to my husband's dad. My husband managed to get the whole family on the couch as he opened his gift. The gift was a box with a picture of a tree with hearts and the saying "Our family grows with love," on the cover. Inside the box there were pictures of my husband and I holding the positive pregnancy tests with looks of horror and then very happy faces. I also included the phase, "The only thing that's better than having you as parents is having you as grandparents!" They were surprised and excited as well.
The wait was so hard, but worth it to witness their reactions in person.
Peace, Love, and a baby.
-Miche
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Looking Back on 2012
I wrote a blog about my Top Ten Resolutions for 2012, and today I want to reflect on those resolutions as my 2012 chapter comes to a close.
Here is the short list version:
1. Read the Bible in a year.
2. Pray throughout the day.
3. Write in a P-journal - 4 days a week.
4. Maintain a healthy body.
5. Get to know my neighbors.
6. Continue to work on loving people in my everyday ordinary life.
7. Continue to pray for my friends in Zambia, Africa.
8. Volunteer more often at our church's food bank.
9. Quit biting my nails.
10. Grow my hair long enough to donate to Locks of Love.
New Tradition: "Memory Jar" kept in the kitchen.
Here are the grades I've given myself:
1. F Once I fall off this horse, I feel like I can't get back on.
2. D I still struggle with praying throughout the day. Beginning of my day and end of my day, I got it. But there is SO much in between! I'm a work in progress on this one.
3. F So this one lasted 2 months...but I still really like the concept.
4. A- My husband and I joined a gym in February and decided to make some lifestyle changes in making exercise a priority, eating out less and eating healthier meals more often. We had blood tests done for our health insurance and our numbers came out awesome. To date, my husband has lost 45 pounds! I am SO proud of him. You can read about an experience I had at the gym HERE. Also, I ran my first 10k ever! It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed running it with a really good friend of mine. Why the minus? Because since Thanksgiving, I've been to the gym once. The holidays killed my routine...
5. D+ I know this one will take time, but I feel like I could have done a lot more. You can read about an opportunity I took HERE. Also, my husband and I did make Christmas goodies for some of ours neighbors, but when we had time to deliver them, no one was home. There's always 2013! Right???
6. D+ I'm probably being harsh on myself on this one, but it leaves a lot of room for improvement which I think I need. Lately, I feel like selfishness has crept back into my life big time...ugh.
7. C+ In 2011, I went on a mission trip to Zambia, and it impacted me in a way I never expected. You can read ALL about my trip HERE. I kept in touch with a couple of people through email and facebook. I do not message them as often as the beginning of the year, but I think about Zambia and the people often. And when I do think of them, I say a prayer for them. God Bless Zambia and the gracious passionate people I met.
8. F We didn't volunteer. Not once. I'm sadden about that. However, we did volunteer work with our church for other occasions throughout the year, which I am happy about. If I change this resolution to do more volunteer work with my church, I'd give it a C.
9. C- This one was hit or miss. I would quit, and then start up again about every month. I've been working really hard on this one lately, and I can honestly say that my nails are the longest they have ever been! Seriously, I don't know how to use them. For instance, I'm having trouble typing this blog right now because my nails are in the way. It's driving me crazy and making me tempted to bit them, but nail polish has been my friend lately.
10. A+ Almost 12 inches donated. Feel free to read about it HERE.
So I didn't completely keep my resolutions, but I'm happy that I made them. I think we should all have goals to strive for. An amazing man once told me, "If you don't have a target, you will hit it every time."
Cheers to a new year and new targets!
-Miche
P.S. 2013 resolution post to come soon...
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Neighborhood I Had Hoped For?!
This past week has been a whirl wind. Hurricane Isaac decided to completely change it's path and make it's debut to America by sitting on Louisiana for a couple of days. This was my first hurricane experience apart from my parents and in my own house. I'm very thankful to report that my house sustained no damage nor flooding. This was a great learning experience for my husband and I if we ever experience another hurricane and decide not to evacuate again.
I'd like to focus this blog on my neighbors. I've blogged about neighbors before Here. I'm sad to report that I hadn't really focused on getting to know my neighbors like I intended - see failed New Year's Resolutions Here. But....
As we began to board up our windows of our house - we decided to take no chances since there are plenty of trees around our neighborhood - we had a little chat with our neighbor about their experiences with hurricanes. It definitely calmed me down a bit of what to expect in our neighborhood. During the conversation, he had mentioned that they had a generator and wouldn't mind throwing an extension cord over the fence so we could plug in our refrigerator. Isn't that awesome?! How nice of them, since we had no generator or any way of saving our food if we were out of power for some time. Apparently, a neighbor at one time did a similar deed and they wanted to pay it forward. It was only a matter of time before we were out of power. After some time of no power and starting to worry about loosing some food, we decided to take up our neighbor's offer about borrowing some power. Once the weather died down a bit we exchanged some gas for some power. The funny thing is that after finally setting up our refrigerator not an hour later and we had received power again. In fact, we had to inform our neighbors that the generator was not needed anymore. Thank you, Rick, for this is the neighborhood I had hoped for...
After Isaac definitely out weighted it's welcome, it was time to start the clean up process. You know, rake up leaves that came from every tree in sight and clean up yards of tree branches and other debris. My husband and I have had very small conversations with our neighbor from our front doors in passing before, but this was the day when we were dirty, stinky, and sweaty when we finally introduced ourselves! How's that for first appearances?! We had a small convo and exchanged "if we can help at any time, let us know." Thank you Brittany, for this is the neighborhood I had hoped for....
As my husband and I began to take down our boards, a young man that lives next door didn't think twice to help my husband with the heavy wood. Thank you Nick, for this is the neighborhood I had hope for...
While my husband and I began dragging broken tree limbs from our back yard to our front, I noticed the same young man that helped us, help another neighbor. He was also dragging tree limbs to the front yard. Once we were finished with our yard, I thought, why not see if they need more help? I'm already dirty, stinky, and sweaty. We walked over and picked up rakes and didn't skip a beat. The owner of the house appeared with ice cold water and we introduced ourselves. She was a young woman who had surgery for skin cancer the day before Isaac made landfall and wasn't supposed to do any physical work. She had a huge tree in her back yard and the storm cause many limbs and leaves to cover her back yard. With five people helping, we had the back yard cleared in no time. We finished right before the sun went down and the mosquitoes could come out of their hiding. She was so thankful, and I was happy to discover that we had a lot in common. Thank you Debbie, for this is the neighborhood I had hoped for....
It may have taken a hurricane, but I was able to discover that this is the neighborhood I had hoped for, a community, helping each other out in times of need.
Peace, love, and community
-Miche
And for your viewing pleasure, this was part of Day 2 of hurricane Isaac at our house:
I'd like to focus this blog on my neighbors. I've blogged about neighbors before Here. I'm sad to report that I hadn't really focused on getting to know my neighbors like I intended - see failed New Year's Resolutions Here. But....
As we began to board up our windows of our house - we decided to take no chances since there are plenty of trees around our neighborhood - we had a little chat with our neighbor about their experiences with hurricanes. It definitely calmed me down a bit of what to expect in our neighborhood. During the conversation, he had mentioned that they had a generator and wouldn't mind throwing an extension cord over the fence so we could plug in our refrigerator. Isn't that awesome?! How nice of them, since we had no generator or any way of saving our food if we were out of power for some time. Apparently, a neighbor at one time did a similar deed and they wanted to pay it forward. It was only a matter of time before we were out of power. After some time of no power and starting to worry about loosing some food, we decided to take up our neighbor's offer about borrowing some power. Once the weather died down a bit we exchanged some gas for some power. The funny thing is that after finally setting up our refrigerator not an hour later and we had received power again. In fact, we had to inform our neighbors that the generator was not needed anymore. Thank you, Rick, for this is the neighborhood I had hoped for...
After Isaac definitely out weighted it's welcome, it was time to start the clean up process. You know, rake up leaves that came from every tree in sight and clean up yards of tree branches and other debris. My husband and I have had very small conversations with our neighbor from our front doors in passing before, but this was the day when we were dirty, stinky, and sweaty when we finally introduced ourselves! How's that for first appearances?! We had a small convo and exchanged "if we can help at any time, let us know." Thank you Brittany, for this is the neighborhood I had hoped for....
As my husband and I began to take down our boards, a young man that lives next door didn't think twice to help my husband with the heavy wood. Thank you Nick, for this is the neighborhood I had hope for...
While my husband and I began dragging broken tree limbs from our back yard to our front, I noticed the same young man that helped us, help another neighbor. He was also dragging tree limbs to the front yard. Once we were finished with our yard, I thought, why not see if they need more help? I'm already dirty, stinky, and sweaty. We walked over and picked up rakes and didn't skip a beat. The owner of the house appeared with ice cold water and we introduced ourselves. She was a young woman who had surgery for skin cancer the day before Isaac made landfall and wasn't supposed to do any physical work. She had a huge tree in her back yard and the storm cause many limbs and leaves to cover her back yard. With five people helping, we had the back yard cleared in no time. We finished right before the sun went down and the mosquitoes could come out of their hiding. She was so thankful, and I was happy to discover that we had a lot in common. Thank you Debbie, for this is the neighborhood I had hoped for....
It may have taken a hurricane, but I was able to discover that this is the neighborhood I had hoped for, a community, helping each other out in times of need.
Peace, love, and community
-Miche
And for your viewing pleasure, this was part of Day 2 of hurricane Isaac at our house:
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Locks of Love
I'm so excited to report that I've met one of my New Year's resolutions. Unfortunately, I haven't kept all of them, but I still have a little less than half a year to work on them. I'm really happy that I made this list, because it has helped me want to attain the goals that I set for myself in 2012.
The resolution I've completely met is donating my hair to Locks of Love. This is something that I've always wanted to do. What a simple way to give back to the world. It's quite funny that I'm using these phrases - always and simple because I'm not a huge fan of change. All my life I've had two haircuts: long with bangs and long layered with no bangs. My hair was of various lengths, but always past my shoulders. Having long hair is something that has always made me feel feminine, and I've always feared how I would look with short hair. So when I discovered that locks of love required a minimum of 10 in to be donated, I knew that this was going to be an extreme change for me.
I'm really happy that this was the year that I decided to donate my hair, because I feel that this year I have been more open to change and trying to be less controlling. What a great way to represent this change in my personal life by changing my outward appearance. Besides, if I don't like it, it's just hair right? It will eventually grow back....well, I faced my fear of short hair, and I love my new hair cut! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that it now takes me no time to wash and dry my hair, and it's a lot more pleasant to deal with in this record breaking summer heat.
Before....
During....
After!
Peace, love, and change,
-Miche
The resolution I've completely met is donating my hair to Locks of Love. This is something that I've always wanted to do. What a simple way to give back to the world. It's quite funny that I'm using these phrases - always and simple because I'm not a huge fan of change. All my life I've had two haircuts: long with bangs and long layered with no bangs. My hair was of various lengths, but always past my shoulders. Having long hair is something that has always made me feel feminine, and I've always feared how I would look with short hair. So when I discovered that locks of love required a minimum of 10 in to be donated, I knew that this was going to be an extreme change for me.
I'm really happy that this was the year that I decided to donate my hair, because I feel that this year I have been more open to change and trying to be less controlling. What a great way to represent this change in my personal life by changing my outward appearance. Besides, if I don't like it, it's just hair right? It will eventually grow back....well, I faced my fear of short hair, and I love my new hair cut! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that it now takes me no time to wash and dry my hair, and it's a lot more pleasant to deal with in this record breaking summer heat.
Before....
During....
After!
Peace, love, and change,
-Miche
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Up-rooting Weeds
Today, on a beautiful spring Sunday, my husband and I decided to attack our much neglected flower beds. If you know me then you know that I'm not a fan of yard work. It really is hard work, and I would much rather scrub a toilet than do yard work. (You can read about my experience raking leaves Here.) Today, we focused on the weeds. As a new homeowner, I've learned today that you don't want to neglect your weeds for too long, since you may end up with unwanted trees in your yard. That's right, trees.
As my husband cut the grass in the front yard, I decided to walk around our back yard and pull up some of these mini plants that were growing sporadically in our yard. To my surprise, it was the beginnings of an oak tree. The tiny oak trees were about 4-5 inches tall and once I pulled out the tree it's roots were coming out of an acorn. Our backyard neighbors have an oak tree that not only shades our back yard but also drops it's acorns. I was shocked that we also found a few oak trees in our front flower bed growing amongst our bushes - these were hidden very well.
After yanking out unwanted weeds and trees for three hours, I'm very pleased at the look of our yards. Despite the back pain, it was well worth it. We even got a compliment from a neighbor on their way out. :) I'm happy that the plants that we want will now have the soil all to themselves! At least for now... Maybe our tomato and bell pepper plants might start to flower. *fingers crossed*
During this time, I couldn't help but reflect on my life. Wikipedia defines a weed as, "a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance...Generally, a weed is a plant in an undesired place." What "weeds" have I neglected in my life and let it start to take root? Bad attitude, negativity, gossip, selfishness, language, etc. Maybe it's time to start uprooting these characteristics so that I can make room for characteristics that are pleasant and desired.
Peace, Love, Weedless,
-Miche
As my husband cut the grass in the front yard, I decided to walk around our back yard and pull up some of these mini plants that were growing sporadically in our yard. To my surprise, it was the beginnings of an oak tree. The tiny oak trees were about 4-5 inches tall and once I pulled out the tree it's roots were coming out of an acorn. Our backyard neighbors have an oak tree that not only shades our back yard but also drops it's acorns. I was shocked that we also found a few oak trees in our front flower bed growing amongst our bushes - these were hidden very well.
After yanking out unwanted weeds and trees for three hours, I'm very pleased at the look of our yards. Despite the back pain, it was well worth it. We even got a compliment from a neighbor on their way out. :) I'm happy that the plants that we want will now have the soil all to themselves! At least for now... Maybe our tomato and bell pepper plants might start to flower. *fingers crossed*
During this time, I couldn't help but reflect on my life. Wikipedia defines a weed as, "a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance...Generally, a weed is a plant in an undesired place." What "weeds" have I neglected in my life and let it start to take root? Bad attitude, negativity, gossip, selfishness, language, etc. Maybe it's time to start uprooting these characteristics so that I can make room for characteristics that are pleasant and desired.
Peace, Love, Weedless,
-Miche
Thursday, March 15, 2012
imPOSSIBLE
A lesson I've learned the past couple of months...
God can make anything possible. The outcome may not always be as we had hoped.
He is God. He makes things possible. He is good, even when outcomes are not as we had hoped.
It's not always easy to accept, but something we must cling onto.
Peace, love, possibilities,
-Miche
God can make anything possible. The outcome may not always be as we had hoped.
He is God. He makes things possible. He is good, even when outcomes are not as we had hoped.
It's not always easy to accept, but something we must cling onto.
Peace, love, possibilities,
-Miche
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Running with Encouragement
This week was the first time I've ever attended a marathon. No, I wasn't a participant, but after attending I'd like to put it on my bucket list. My reasons for attending were to support friends who decided to take on the challenge of 26.2 miles. That's the same distance I drive to work and almost back home. Mind blowing, but after this weekend I witnessed that it's possible.
Upon my arrival, I decided to stake out a spot on the 25th mile marker. As I watched the participants pass by, all of my stereotypes of a marathon runner were blown away. Observing at the 25th mile was interesting because I could see the exhaustion in the runners but at the same time feel their excitement as they realized that only 1 mile remained of their final destination - the finish line. The sparsely spectators of friends, family, and strangers cheered on the runners encouraging them not to give up that the finish line was right around the corner.
After some time, I went to the finish line to cheer on my friend. As I anxiously awaited for her arrival, I had a blast cheering on strangers as they approached the finish line. It was so neat to see the runners encouraged by the crowd's cheering. Some runners smiled or had an extra pep in their step. One man decided to sprint towards the finish line at one point. Yes, I believe site of the finish line can motivate you, but I also believe that the crowd also encouraged the participants. What a great experience to witness people achieve their goal!
I find my experience comparable to the Christian life. God has set in front of all of us a journey - some people its a half marathon and others it's the whole marathon - either way, we could all use some encouragement along the way. The encouragement that you show to people can be in many forms. Compliment or thank the teenager that bagged your groceries for you at the grocery store. Tell someone how much you appreciate them. Be more positive in your work environment.
Are you showing encouragement in your daily life? If not, give it try! You never know when someone will return the favor. The feeling is great!
Peace, Love, and Encouragement,
-Miche
Upon my arrival, I decided to stake out a spot on the 25th mile marker. As I watched the participants pass by, all of my stereotypes of a marathon runner were blown away. Observing at the 25th mile was interesting because I could see the exhaustion in the runners but at the same time feel their excitement as they realized that only 1 mile remained of their final destination - the finish line. The sparsely spectators of friends, family, and strangers cheered on the runners encouraging them not to give up that the finish line was right around the corner.
After some time, I went to the finish line to cheer on my friend. As I anxiously awaited for her arrival, I had a blast cheering on strangers as they approached the finish line. It was so neat to see the runners encouraged by the crowd's cheering. Some runners smiled or had an extra pep in their step. One man decided to sprint towards the finish line at one point. Yes, I believe site of the finish line can motivate you, but I also believe that the crowd also encouraged the participants. What a great experience to witness people achieve their goal!
I find my experience comparable to the Christian life. God has set in front of all of us a journey - some people its a half marathon and others it's the whole marathon - either way, we could all use some encouragement along the way. The encouragement that you show to people can be in many forms. Compliment or thank the teenager that bagged your groceries for you at the grocery store. Tell someone how much you appreciate them. Be more positive in your work environment.
Are you showing encouragement in your daily life? If not, give it try! You never know when someone will return the favor. The feeling is great!
Peace, Love, and Encouragement,
-Miche
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