bliss

bliss (bls)  n. 1. Extreme happiness; ecstasy. 2. The ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy.

 This has been my feeling for the past month. Despite the hurricane, homelessness, and constant change of plans, I have been able to keep my joy! Eric gave me this quote years ago, while I was going through some tough times in college. "Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ". It's so true! I have felt satan constantly trying to steal my joy, and at times he may have gotten my happiness, but I've guarded my joy like it's my job (haven't used that phrase since the 6th grade).  :)

I wanted to give you all a semi brief update on the recent happenings in the Slon household. August 27, 2011, my dear friends Paul and Mariel got married! :) Unfortunately, with everything going on, only Eric was able to go to their wedding. I was so sad to miss their wedding and even proposed the idea of being present via iPad, but Mariel didn't seem to think she could carry the iPad and her bouquet at the same time. :)  So, Eric went home on the 25th and my mom flew in the 26th. On the 27th, the news was reporting Hurricane Irene coming straight at North Carolina and warned everyone to get supplies and hunker down (thank you Tanya Singh for this phrase). Unfortunately, my mom and I didn't take it serious enough, because by the time we got to the store, most necessary supplies were out of stock! So, for my flashlight, I had to buy one that straps to your head! :):)

The next few days were a blur. We were constantly being told different rules about the RMH being shut down and the hospital closing it's doors. Mom and I decided to pack everything up and basically live out of the car. We spent one night in the hospital and fully intended to spend a second, but were fortunate enough to land a couch in the downstairs of the RMH. On August 28th, RMH officially shut down at 8am. Once again, this gave mom and I the sense of being homeless and not knowing what to do or where to go. We didn't want to go back home and be 2 hours away from sweet, fragile Marlee, however this was the only option. My dad and sister were driving in, and would be there around 2am on the 30th. So we packed up once again and kissed little Marlee goodbye.

Dad, Mom, Christy, Max, and Ella all visited for several days. We stayed up WAY too late, laughed WAY too much, and still, didn't get enough time together! On the 31st, we kissed and hugged in the hospital hallway saying our goodbyes. I hate goodbyes, especially in a hospital. I think it's a mental thing, but being in the hospital just makes it seem much sadder.

Later that day, Eric and I finally got accepted back into the RMH and were thankful we didn't have to sleep in our car, like we had the night before(there were no hotel rooms in the area). :) :)

On September 4th, Renae, Chris, Amy and sweet Molly all made the journey down to meet little Marlee. We had a great time spending moments with Marlee during the day and staying up late at night playing Ticket to Ride. :)

On September 5th, Renae, Chris, Amy and Molly were on their way out when we got the great news that Marlee was being moved closer to home at 3:30pm!! We quickly said our goodbyes and I rushed up to the hospital to spend the last few moments with Marlee before she made her big journey closer to home. Luckily, Marlee had no clue what was going on, but mom and dad had stomachs full of fluttery butterflies. We were told that there was no room for either of us to ride in the ambulance with Marlee and we didn't have time to pack up and ride behind the ambulance. So, we had to trust that the ambulance was going to drive in the right direction for the next 2 hours and that they had Marlee's full name MEMORIZED. I think I asked them these questions at least 7 times!

Eric and I saw Marlee off, and of course I cried as I watched my baby girl drive away in what I hope to be her last and only ambulance ride! We rushed back over to the RMH and quickly cleaned and packed up and thanked the staff for providing such an amazing place for us to call home for the last 3 weeks!

That night, Eric and I got to the hospital and Marlee seemed to have made the ride okay. She was somewhat stressed because her vitals were slightly low and she needed oxygen because of the low vitals.

Today, Marlee is doing great! She's off oxygen, taking several bottles a day, follows you when you talk to her, smiles in response to your voice or sometimes having her head rubbed, loves being kangarooed, and is a day closer to coming home to her loving parents and puppy!

I can't think you all enough for your prayers, texts, cards, phone calls and just overall support! I never could have imagined how blessed Eric and I would feel at this very moment! 

Philippians1:3 "I thank my God every time I remember you."

Love,
ESM

Home Away From Home

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update! Things have been kind of busy lately, with Eric going back to work and us trying to work out a schedule so that we can spend the most amount of time with Marlee. Living out of a hotel room and in a hospital is not an easy task. However, we have been so incredibly blessed by The RMH and all the staff there and the hospital staff. Yesterday afternoon the Doctor came by to see Marlee and said that she was doing so well, that she was ready to be moved TODAY! I was in a bit of shock, and obviously not in my right mind, because I told him that we may need to wait to move her until the hurricane is over (next week). Anyway, I am now eating those words and that's why I am up at 7:30am trying to chase down the doctor to tell him that I was not thinking correctly and we want to move NOW! . :)

Updates on Marlee: She got her oxygen out on Wednesday. She is now breathing completely on her own! Praise God! She is starting to suck on a pacifier, really loudly! The nurses can hear her down the hall. She is loving the time Eric and I spend with her everyday (Her vitals continue to improve the more we hold her).

Well, this morning was one of those days where I am just feeling so overwhelmingly blessed! Thinking, how much God must love me to have matched me with this sweet baby girl that I get to call my daughter! Takes my breath away! I'm such in awe of Him, my creator!

8/20/11

Marlee Joy is still doing great! Grammy is here this weekend visiting and Marlee loves it!! She smiled several times yesterday when we or the nurses would talk to her. She is just such a miracle! Grammy and I stayed up late last night making her headbands! Hopefully they will fit her sweet head! :)

Two huge blessing came through yesterday! First, we moved out of the hotel we were in and got accepted into the RMH early!! What a blessing! This place is AMAZING! Never again will I pass by those little containers at the cash registers in McDonalds and not drop money in them! They have such an awesome ministry!The second blessing, we got news from the Social Worker that the insurance approved Marlee to be transferred closer to home! This is huge!! That means we can sleep in our own beds and get Marlee's room ready while we're waiting for her to grow! :) Most of the nurses seemed to think this transfer won't happen for another couple of weeks. Marlee is doing great but she is only 28 weeks old now, and still so tiny.

Grammy is heading back today and taking Milo (our puppy) with her. Since the RMH doesn't accept pets, we couldn't keep her with us. Grammy is such a blessing to all of us..even little Milo!

Marlee had a good day yesterday. She had a few desatts but overall she was good. We got to do official kangaroo care and it was awesome! :) She is so sweet when she's all snuggled in on you! She looks like a little frog! :)

Some things I've noticed Marlee likes: having her hands and fingers by her face (she's trying to suck her thumb), stretching out (but sometimes being tucked in like a frog), and being held (she cries at times when we put her back).

8/18/11

Hey everyone!! I finally have a chance to sit and type more then 2 sentences. :) So Marlee is doing great! They are considering her a "grower and feeder", basically meaning that that she doesn't have any health concerns but she is literally just still feeding and growing :) Right now she is on a little oxygen just to remind her to breath(sometimes she forgets when shes sucking on her pacifier). She also has a feeding tube because she's not learned yet how to suck on a bottle. She is just so sweet!! The doctors keep telling us that all of her vitals have improved since Eric and I have been holding her!! She loves sucking on her fingers!!

Right now we have temporarily moved near the hospital. We are on a waiting list for the Ronald McDonald house and will get to stay there once they have a spot for us. The way their program works is, you get to stay there for 30 days at a time and then you have to take 3 days off and reapply. We asked the social worker yesterday if they could transfer her closer and they just told us today that it's a real possibility. She won't be able to do that though for at least a few more weeks because she needs to gain a little more weight. They actually told us that they have never seen a Medicaid transfer go through before... so this is a miracle!!! Please pray that we get to do this and soon!!

Marlees birth parents are comely out of the picture. They sounded like wonderful people that just couldn't afford to take care of a baby. We are so thankful that they choice to give their daughter life!! :)

We are doing really well and just feel so overjoyed!! I can't actually think about it to much because I'll start crying again!! Thank you to everyone who has prayed, cried, and walked through this journey with us!! Your prayers have been answered!!

Love you all,
E,S,&M

My hearts desire

As I sit and write this tears are streaming down my face! I am just so overjoyed and blessed! These past few weeks have been the hardest part of our adoption journey. The waiting was difficult! The unknown was worse. But God knew my hearts desire, and chose to bless us at our weakest point. He really is so faithful, merciful, powerful and loving toward his children.

It's also funny because my sister last week told me that I needed to let go of our adoption because I was holding on too tightly! I was trying to control everything and totally messing up God's plan. I find this ironic because it's completely opposite of my blog title (Learning to be Content). I realized that my faith and trust were lacking big time!

Well, as most of you know, Marlee Joy Slonecker was born August 4th at 12:56am weighing in at a whopping 2lbs1oz 14 inches. Seeing this little girl just gives me chills. One because it's so COLD in the hospital, but two because God created her so perfectly! She is PERFECT! Her tiny tiny body, toes, hair, smile, even her cry! She's a miracle!

I am going to try to keep this blog up and running, but I can't guarantee that I will be able to everyday. I want to say thanks to everyone who has prayer for us, over us and with us. God answered your prayers too!! I love you all, and I am TOTALLY blessed by your support!

Love,
Shelly

News

BIG NEWS COMING SOON!!

I'm feeling the sandpaper today!

Can I just be honest for a minute and say that most days I have to make a conscious effort to not allow myself to be bitter about our adoption. I have to check my attitude DAILY.. even multiple times a day. It's something I'm not proud of at all. I wish that I didn't let changes in plans disrupt my entire day, but I do. This is something that God and I are working on together. It seems like each day He has been slowly ripping a part each layer of pride, bitterness, anxiety, worry, fear and anger. The good thing is, when he rips away one layer he rebuilds that layer with something positive like humility, mercy, unconditional love, faith, blessings, and trust in the only one who won't disappoint!

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who feels like this, but often times I can fall into the poor me attitude and I am quickly slapped head on with someone who is WAY less fortunate than I am. I guess with being a social worker, this is part of the job. I often see people who literally have nothing and don't have ANY hope at all! What a blessing that I get to build a relationship with them and become a small pinch of hope.

I recently ran into a music artist through someone else's blog named Kari Jobe and have grown to LOVE her! I feel like she sings what my heart is dying to say. Here is one of her songs that I love!!

http://youtu.be/UbSMfL5LuSo

The first time I heard this song I just sat at my computer sobbing because I never really felt like God was for me. I guess when you face trials and temptations it's easy to forget that we face these challenges as a way to smooth us out and teach us something. I recently saw a movie that explained trials really well. This is the quote from the movie. I know this is specifically referring to people but I think it can still apply to just rough situation in life.

"When life makes you have to put up with mean and hateful people, just think of them as sandpaper. They may scratch you, rub you the wrong way, but eventually you end up smooth and polished and the sandpaper it's just going to be worn out and ugly."


On a totally different note, here is a great song that I heard in a movie recently. :) Make sure and watch the whole thing for a little bit of T-Bone!! :)
http://youtu.be/O_tRmVngrxM


Sorry for all the links!! I hope you all have a good Monday!

man of god

I've been meaning to write this now for several weeks and just haven't had the opportunity to.

June 3rd was like most of our other Friday nights - Out to eat, movie or movies than bedtime. I know, I know.. we are so predictable. :) That night we headed to bed around 12am and did our devotions together and prayed. A little back story - for the past several weeks Eric and I have been praying every night that God would speak to us or reveal something positive to us regarding our adoption. As you know waiting can be discouraging and we had both been a little discouraged lately from not getting any updates or really hearing anything at all from our agency. So that night we specifically prayed that God would give us something encouraging that day so that we would know that He was still working in our situation. Around 12:30am we both dosed off and were quickly awoken by Eric's phone ringing. Now, most of our friends or family don't call us at that time unless something is wrong or they are playing a prank on us. Eric quickly jumped out of bed (well at least somewhat quick.. i don't really think you can be quick at 1:30am) and someone was calling from a private number. This surprised both of us because he has never received a call from a private number. So he answered the phone and here is how the conversation went:

Eric: Hello?? (really confused)
Private Caller: God is good! (male voice -strong, deep, peaceful voice)
Eric: What??? (at this point Eric was half way laughing)
Private Caller: God is good!
Eric: What? Who is this?? (Eric really thought it was one of our friends/family pranking us)
Private Caller: I am a man of God. God is good!

As you can imagine after he hung up Eric and I pretty much just sat there with our jaw on the ground, neither one of us laughing or saying a word. We were both wide awake at this point TOTALLY confused. The private called never called back. Remember, just one hour before Eric and I had prayed that God would give us a clear message that He was still working on our adoption.

The next day Eric and I both checked with several of our friends and family to find out if they had called us and no one said they had. Another strange thing was that the man's voice on the phone was so calm, deep and strong. He spoke very matter-of-fact and there was no background noise at all. His voice was so loud and clear that I could hear every word from the other side of the room.

I don't know who called that night, but I do know that Eric and I were blown away by God's love for us that He answered our prayer so quickly and so obviously (I'm starting to get a complex now because God has to be so obvious in the ways that He answers my prayers.. remember the billboard). :)

his word . . .

I've talked briefly about how adoption, at times can be heartbreaking. Adoption can sometimes be the result of not being able to have kids naturally or it may just be that you have an ache for the orphans in this world and you are choosing to act on this.

I have to be honest, adoption for me was the first one mentioned. It was my second choice. I hate to admit it, and when people say that I'm such a good person for adopting, I feel extremely guilty. If they only knew the "real" reason behind me adopting, they would think differently. These are still some of the thoughts and guilty feelings that I have not yet conquered, however I now understand that adoption for me, was God's FIRST choice. He saw an opportunity for a couple who desire to have children, and has decided to bless them with their hearts desire. Although we don't have children yet, I have been holding onto God's words and trusting and believing that He will bless us in His perfect time. Below, is a log of dates and verses that have held me up during some of the most difficult times in our adoption process.  I pray that God would use these verses to comfort others who may be going through the same process. Stay strong. Stay confident. Stay faithful.

10/27/10: “I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my   salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken, My salvation and my honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. Oh my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. From the greatest to the lowliest all are nothing in his sight. If you weigh them on the scales they are lighter than a puff of air. Don’t try to get rich by extortion or robbery. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life. God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times; Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you judge all people according to what they have done.”

Psalm 62:5-12

2/1/11: “He gives children to the woman who has none and makes her a happy mother.”

Psalm 113:9

2/2/11: “O LORD, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.”

Isaiah 25:1-2

4/16/11: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you... the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light... “Lift up your eyes and look about you... your sons come from afar, and your    daughters are carried on the hip."

            Isaiah 60:1-5  

5/9/11: “At the time for offering the (evening) sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached (the  altar) and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your work I have done all these things. Answer me, LORD! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.” Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell face down and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!”

            1 Kings 18:36-39

5/12/11: The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!

            1 Thessalonians 5:24

Somtimes God uses billboards

God uses the most bizarre ways to get my attention some times. I don't know if that's a good thing or if it just shows how clueless I can be. This particular incident that I am writing about occurred maybe a month or so ago. It was an unusual grey, cold day. The trees were starting to turn green but they weren't quite there yet. I had been inside all day and was dying to get out and just breath in the fresh, crisp air. I had been stuck inside all day and with little to do my mind couldn't help but wander to the thought that we were still waiting for that "change our life" phone call from our adoption agency.

By now, every time my cell phone rang I hoped, no I pleaded that it would be the call from our adoption agency telling us that we had a beautiful baby born and we could go ahead and pack our bags and pick him or her up. However, on this particular day my phone hadn't rang at all. I tried not to keep checking it. In fact, I even left it in the other room because I was so annoyed with how obsessive I  had become with making sure it was within eye sight, and then making sure the volume was up, oh and then checking it to make sure it was turned on.  I was sick of feeling like my child was so far away and all I could do to bring him/her closer to me was literally wait for a phone to ring. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to get a break.

So as I left our neighborhood and made my usual way past the post office and the little elementary school I turned left at the light and that's where I saw it. A new billboard, not even a mile away from my house. The billboard read, "You're closer to your child then you think". As I drove past I thought, now that's strange. I don't remember seeing that before. The billboard didn't even have a name or a phone number for an organization or advertisement company. It just had a picture of a lady holding a child with the simple phrase, "You're closer to your child then you think". That billboard has been up now for over a month and I thank God every time I pass it. I don't know why, but every time I read it, it gives me just enough push to continue on.

Thank you Jesus for not giving up on me. You defiantly have my attention, hopefully next time you won't have to use the billboard! 

"no shelly...get out of bed..."

This has happened a few times since we've started the adoption process, when I am completely exhausted and I fall asleep and start having happy dreams that are suddenly interrupted by this feeling that I need to get up and read my bible. It's so weird. Well, this happened to me this morning around 7:00am. I woke up  and just laid there for about 15 minutes trying to get back to sleep. I felt like God was saying, "no shelly... get out of bed and pick up my word. I have something to show you". So silly me, I thought I could hide from God trying to wake me up so I just shrugged it off as my lack of sleep, and didn't listen and instead laid in bed for another miserable 15 minutes staring at the ceiling. After laying there for a half hour total with no success of getting back to sleep, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my Bible. Right now I am studying John and that's what I was planning on reading. However, I opened my Bible and felt I needed to read Isaiah 60. I started reading and was amazed at how God's words just started jumping out of the page at me. I was amazed. Once again, God knew that I needed to hear that particular piece of His word more then I needed sleep. Silly me for not listening the first time. This is what I read:

Isaiah 60:1-5   "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you... the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light... “Lift up your eyes and look about you... your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip."

God knew that before I went to sleep last night I was fighting my own fears about adoption and the thought of how in the world a little white girl from NC was going to find her beautiful baby in this HUGE world. My mind was racing, trying to think of what I needed to do to make myself shine brighter then all the other thousands of adoptive parents out there. This verse touched me, telling me that my light is not cutting it. The light I need can only come from the Lord. God has shined His light on me (and Eric) allowing some brave mom to make her way through the thousands of options for her baby and choose the place where her child is meant to be.

Thank you Jesus for knowing me better then I know myself and for always being my light in the darkness! Please protect the birth mother of our future child as she slowly makes her way toward us. Protect her from Satan's deception and schemes and please, please keep that baby safe.

**So funny story. Another time God woke me up was when we lived in OH. I was in the process of finding a job and felt really down from not having any success so I was trying to hide the sadness with sleeping the day away. Well anyway around 12pm I woke up and tried for a long time to go back to sleep and I just couldn't. So I decided to get up and start my day.  I sat down to do my devotions and opened my Bible (no joke) to Proverbs 6:9-11 which read, "How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man."  OUCH.. is all I can say to that!! :)

6 months +3 weeks update

So we've hit our 6 month +3 weeks (who's counting.. hehe) waiting mark so I decided to email our agency and get an update. :) Here is what they said:

"Hi Shelly, We are currently working with 4 birth mothers. Two have been matched and two are not quite ready to be matched. I would say that there has been several birth mothers interested in your family. We have even had a few that narrowed it down to you and one other family but ultimately, they chose the other family. Most recently that has been because they wanted a family very close by. We do have more families now who are open to any race. We typically only show 3 to 4 portfolios to any birth mother at one time. If we have even more families who meet her criteria, then we choose only the families based on the length of time they have been waiting. That way, the families who have been waiting longer are given priority. I hope that makes sense. I know the wait is always hard. I hope to have some good news for you soon!"

I was encouraged by this. At least there's interest. :) Happy Friday everyone!

Our Adoption Journey

Wow! Have I really not blogged since September of 2008! Sorry. No wonder people lost hope. Well, I've decided to take a different turn for my blog and I'm wanting to focus more on adoption. I thought about changing the title, but honestly learning to be content is a *H*U*G*E* part of adoption.

My blogs purpose:
1. Timeline for adoption process
2. A way to get information for prospecitve adoptive parents, or people who are just curious how adoption works.
3. A place for you to see a raw, unedited view of how adoption can be an eye opening and heart breaking experience.
4. Update my family and friends who are wondering where we're at and how we're doing.

Stone Mountain State Park

I'm back! I know that everyone has probably lost faith with me now that I will continue updating my blog... but hang in there.. I can't write everyday but I will try to do better then updates every two weeks.

We finally found carpet that we like for our house and the installation guy is coming out tomorrow to get estimates and measurements. Seriously, I can't tell you how happy this makes me because I never knew how stressful picking out carpet could be. With this whole "home buying" thing I have been telling myself daily to kick back and relax and enjoy the decisions that have to be made.

This past weekend Eric and I went camping at Stone Mountain State Park. We had a great time and lots of laughs. The first night that we were there our stupid air matress finally died after three good years of life. Unfortunately, it was at 3am when we finally decided to pull the plug and sleep on the ground (gravel). This wasn't so bad that night, however the next morning we both woke up with our hip bones and ribs bruised from being crushed up against rock for 8 hours.

On Saturday we decided to go on a hike and for some reason picked the longest and the most strenous hike that the park offered. Let me tell you from experience.. if the map says it streneous... it is speaking the truth!! We literally climbed up to the top of the mountain (which I believe was about 2,305 feet. This is a picture of us at the top of the mountain:




Since we had so much fun the first day of hiking we decided to climb the mountain again the second day.. except this time we went the opposite way. Well about 1 mile into the hike Eric and I decided to reenergize with an apple and a granola bar. DO NOT EAT FRUIT AROUND BUGS!! So as we were walking I felt something land on my finger.. then all of the sudden I felt a pain that I have never experienced in my life!! My finger was throbbing and burning all at the same time. I immediately pulled my finger up to look at it.. and sitting right above my knuckle was a hornet. I freaked out, started screaming and flicked it off my finger. It didn't like that.. before I knew it, it had jumped on my back and Eric saw it and gave it a good flick. This stupid hornet continued chasing us for a few more feet and then finally went away. At this point I was hysterical. I felt like my finger had been smashed beneath a tire and then injected with some type of fluid that was slowly eating away at my skin. I believe my words to Eric a few hours later were "I would rather have surgery then be stung by another hornet".

So at this point we continued on the hike and finally made it to the bathroom where I stuck my now swollen finger and hand under the faucet hoping to get a little relief from the pain. This helped.. but not much. The constant pain continued for about 6 hours and then finally we made it back home and I was able to take pain medication and Benodryl. As I sit here and write this, which is 2 days and a few hours after the incident my hand is still swollen but instead of having the constant pain I have a constant itchiness!! It stinks!! So stay away from hornets... they are trouble!!! Also, unless your throat starts to close, don't bother going to the ER because all they will tell you is to take some Benodryl and Tylenol... trust me this is what they told me at 4am when we went in. Here's a picture of my hand (notice I had to take my wedding ring off because my hand was so swollen):



Oh I also forgot to mention that little Milo made both hikes with us up and down the mountain. She really enjoyed seeing all the dogs and getting all the attention. Here is a picture of her at the top of the mountain:



I'm still waiting on the job at the United Methodist Children's Home. I'm trusting that God knows what's best and He will put me where I am supposed to be. Please pray with me that I will have the patience and the understanding to trust God during this time.


UPDATE: I found out tonight that biting a metal fork is never a good idea.. also not a good idea is eating chicken nuggets with a fork. I chipped my tooth! UGHH... this week is turning out to be a BAD WEEK!

DAY 7

Detox Day 7: Break a habit! Analyze the things you do regularly, and ask whether any of them are in control of you, rather than being things you choose. Even if it is only for a specific length of time, overcome the habit to demonstrate your freedom. And thank God too for the freedom to worship him.

The first negative habit that comes to mind is eating when I'm bored. I hate that I do this. Why can't I be like the people who run 10 miles when they're bored! I actually at one time printed out a picture of an extremely obese person that I found online and put it on my refrigerator so that every time I went to the fridge I would see that picture and then just maybe I would think before I just grabbed something out to eat or drink.

The second negative habit that I've noticed is that I don't necessarily eat bad.. I drink bad! I am totally addicted to pop (just ask Laura or Christy and they will totally agree). I have tried giving up pop about 786 times.. and failed every time! I finally got so tired of failing all of my New Years resolutions that this past year my resolution was to continue drinking pop, but MAYBE drink a little less. :) Haven't failed that yet! I remember when I went to Weight Watchers (for one day..hehe) they told us not to let our calories be in our drinks because our body needs to actually chew something in order to feel full (not sure that I totally agree with this). I know that when I drink less pop I feel 100 times better, but yet I keep returning to that chocolate colored, bubbling, mouth-watering, coke! Lord help me.. seriously!


Update: I had my second interview today and all seemed to go well. The only thing.. now they are doing third interviews. Hopefully I'll get a call! This job sounds too good to be true.. they actually come in and set up an office in your home. They provide: Computer, Cell phone, Printer, Copier, Fax, Tack Boards, Desk Chair, Desk Mat... and much more. :):) Also we had out termite inspection on our house today and we officially have no termites roaming around in the inside or outside of the house. Tomorrow is the regular inspection, please pray that things go well.

Day 6

Detox Day 6: Set aside an hour this week to go at a different pace. (A whole day would be better, but an hour is more realistic.) Go through it slowly and relish every moment. Eat some food and taste it properly. Take a bath and enjoy it to the full. Notice colors. Go at the speed of a three-toed sloth. If you meet anyone you know, smile serenely as if you're in the Brazilian rain forest, and hang around. Dwell on all that God has done. If there are troubles in your mind, stop and pray about them. Slowly get ready for eternity.

This chapter really hit home. With all the craziness that is going on in our (Eric and I) lives this was a good reminder to just sit back and relax. The author said it best, "I am speeding through life like a jaguar, and God is working out his plan like an ai (slot). Just as the jaguar moves so fast that he doesn't even see the sloth edging onwards, so we operate at such a speed that we miss God's relentless progress towards an utter triumph. This is my prayer that I will slow down in all areas of my life.

GOOD NEWS: We have our inspections scheduled for our house this week!! YAY! :) Also, I had an interview today at the Methodist Home for Children and they called me back an hour later and asked me to come in Thursday for a second interview! :) Please pray... this job sounds great! I get to work from home. :)

Time for bed. Everyone have a great night! :):) Oh yeah, I totally held a sloth when we were in the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon. Mine was not nearly as cute as the one in the picture above.


Update: Eric just informed me that it was an anteater that I held not a sloth!! I can't believe I would have held one of those things.. Night.

DAY 5

Detox Day 5: Where are the places and when are the times that you are most likely to fail the standards that Jesus has set for you? Last thing at night? After a drink? In a particular shop? With certain people? As part of your detox, analyze whether there are areas of your life in which you need to be shaken awake, and take steps to make sure you do not let your guard down.

I came across this video that goes along great with the goal for today. God's Chisel


Update on life: Saturday Eric and I rode the motorcycle to Mount Airy, NC.. aka Mayberry! In case you don't know what Mayberry is, it's where the Andy Griffith show was filmed and supposedly where Andy Griffith grew up. It's a very quaint little town. We drove a little over 400 miles which means that I'm not even half way to being a part of the iron-butt club. HA! (A real club for motorcycle people who drive 1000 + miles in 1 day!!).

On our way back home from Mayberry we stopped at Pilot Mountain State Park and drove up to the top of the mountain. It was a beautiful view!! Maybe next weekend we'll hit the beach. ;) Oh also, we just found out today that our offer was accepted on our house. Looks like this is going to be an exciting and a busy week with inspections, interviews and other things going on. YIPPEE!:)

Day 4

Detox Day 4: For the next few days write down in your day planner the hours that you intent to sleep, as if your sleep is an appointment that you intend to prioritize. Fit in your other activities around it, and monitor whether you feel more refreshed as your body gets used to the discipline.

For those of you who have Facebook I'm sure you read what Eric posted about the bug that I found in our bedroom the other morning. TERRIFYING!! Pretty much since we have moved here, to North Carolina, I have found it more difficult to get good sleep. Bugs and Milo are the top 2 causes of my lack of sleep. Heres why:

Bugs - ever since Eric bolted out of bed a month ago and said that he got bit by a long centipede looking bug (which he didn't find!!) I have not been able to really sleep! All I can do is lay there and think about all of the bugs that are smiling because they can now have some fresh blood to eat. So usually what happens is I lay there for about 30 minutes with my eyes WIDE open and then I decide that I better get the flash light out for one last check around the room, just in case there are any bugs hiding in the corners. Which, PTL (haha) I did this the other night because I found a GIANT Silverfish... AKA carpet shark waving his tentacles at me and waiting for me to turn my flashlight off so he could come down and start munching on me! Thanks to my sister I found out that they only eat paper, glue, dandruff, hair and a few other things which don't include human flesh. :)



Milo: The second reason I don't get good sleep. Usually what happens is I put her in her cage and Eric and I read for a little while and the turn the lights off and somewhere between the time that we turn the lights off and the time that the lights come on because it's morning, sweet Milo is snoring away right beside me. I think what happens is, while I'm looking for bugs with my flashlight and scanning across the room making sure I've checked every square foot I scan my light over to Milo's cage and see her either shivering or scrunched up in such a tight ball that she looks about the size of an over stuffed hacky-sac. I can't stand seeing her like this so I sneak out of bed and stuff her under the covers. :) Like I said though, this is all hypothetical, because I'm still not convinced that Eric doesn't do the same thing, every night!




So between the bugs and the snoring Milo, who starts out at the bottom of the bed and slowly creeps her way up to my pillow, I have a really hard time sleeping. Maybe I am in need of some change...

So do I give up Milo or the bug searching?? :)


Funny story: A few months ago I got a tattoo on my foot that says Forgiven. Well, unfortunately the "n" sort of looks like an "r" and therefore MANY people have said, "Oh cool your tattoo says forgiver"! Well, a couple weeks ago while Eric and I were traveling we stopped at McDonalds for a bathroom break. I decided to get in line for something to drink and while I was waiting I noticed someone looking at me. While feeling slightly awkward I turned toward the direction of the guy starring at my foot and he looked up at me and started cracking up. Feeling even more awkward and a little self-conscious I smiled but didn't get a chance to look away before he said, "Sorry I was just laughing because I read your tattoo and thought it said F**K*D". At this point I was so shocked that I neither laughed nor smiled, I just kind of stood there with disbelief that someone seriously thought I had the F word on my foot!! Only a few seconds went by and the guys friend said, "Seriously man you need to apologize, you don't say the F word in front of a lady". So ... my favorite part of the whole story... He gave his friend a little head bob and nod and said, "No need to apologize my man, she has already forgiven me because her tattoo says she's a forgiver". UGHH.... I want to be mad.. but I can't help but laugh. :) :):)

Day 3

Detox Day 3: Look in your day planner at your plans for the next two weeks ahead. When will the highly-charged days be? And within those days, which will be the most stressful hours? Reserve time after those events in which to recover with nourishing food, rest and the kind of company you enjoy. Plan your recovery and write it in your day planner now.

With moving to a new city I would not consider my days, weeks, and months to be "highly charged". HA! It's actually been quite relaxing. However, just recently we have been scoping out houses with our Realtor and last Saturday, Eric and I put an offer in on a house that we love. It seems to be the perfect house for us but we will have to see. The weird thing is, you would think this would be a stressful process.. and at times it has been, but it's been so amazing to see how God has given us both a peace about things. I told Eric the other day that I am so excited to have neighbors that are more permanent then the ever so changing apartment neighbors that we have been through... don't get me wrong I love my apartment neighbors! I just can't wait to settle down and build relationships with people and not have the looming feeling that I'm soon going to move and have to start all over again. I guess this is what my blog title is all about.. Learning to be content...day by day. It's a process and I don't think we ever arrive, at least I don't think I ever will, at least not on earth. But in the meantime I will wait with a purpose and continue to enjoy the journey!

Side note: when it says to enjoy nourishing food... do you think that includes a large Iced Carmel Mocha from It's A Grind (my new favorite place)?? :)

Day 2

I didn't explain in my last entry from yesterday that I am doing a 40 day spiritual detox. I am reading a book entitled, Detox your spiritual life in 40 days by Peter Greystone.


Detox Day 2: Bring to mind things that have been nagging you about your physical health, and set a target of doing something about them by the end of the forty day detox. Make an appointment to see a doctor if necessary. Organize some exercise and stretching. Relax and breathe deeply. Book a neck and shoulder massage at a reputable health center. If you drink caffeine or alcohol, substitute some or all of it with water. Get some fresh air, particularly if work or parenting require you to be in an office or at home for long periods.

Interesting that this chapter points out caffeine because I am sitting here having racing thoughts because of the 6 cups of coffee that I have just consumed. Seriously, I can't even type one word because my fingers want to type about 100!!!! I guess my New Years resolution of starting to drink coffee and continuing drinking pop wasn't a good one...?? :) I feel about how this guy looks. ---->

One thing mentioned in the book was several different ways that you could tell if you were in need of a physical detox and the author said, "minor irritable instances may simply be symptoms of treating your body like prison, not a temple. WHOA! When I read this I instantly thought of someone who is in a dark cell who trembles every-time he hears someone coming close because his form of torture is to be stuffed with food so much that his belly aches, he can't breathe, and he feels just miserable and there is nothing he can do about it because his master keeps filling him up with all this crap. He tries to tell his master to stop by complaining about these terrible feelings but his master doesn't listen and instead continues to fill him up so full that he has no energy to leave his cell and instead just lays there moaning and groaning with pain. I know, I know I'm such a dramatic person... but this is what I picture my stomach saying.

So food for thought.. don't allow your desires to imprison you and weigh you down.. :)

A little humor for today: So the maintenance man came in to fix some things in our apartment and we started the classic small talk about how's the weather, how women are terrible at fixing things (although he made sure that I knew he was NOT a sexist.. haha). Then, he said it.... so you're about as old as my daughter.. I paused and waited for him to say something about his super cute, fun, loving daughter... no.. instead he said yeah she is bogged down with several kids now and next week she'll be 33!!!! WHAT!!! No maintenance man I am not 33... try 26!! :):)