Back from the Vacay!

Well, we had a most wonderful amazing few days of family time on our little vacation this past weekend! So blessed and so thankful! I worked til 5:30 a.m. on Friday, and we finished packing and cleaning house that morning before heading out on the road. I ended up sleeping only about a half hour, but really enjoyed the time on the ride even though I was sorta sleepy. We drove to San Antonio (well, actually, Boerne) and went to Bass Pro Shop (gotta complete the tour of as many locations as possible!) and then checked into our hotel. Then, we headed up the road about an hour to Mo Ranch, a beautiful camp property where we send our church kids to for conference. I had seen it, but not actually seen it-seen it, as I have only dropped kids off there. My kids had been wanting to see it ever since their daddy went last summer with our youth, so this was a great chance to visit. Let me say: I was super impressed! I knew it would be cool, but had no idea just how cool! Beautiful views, and just an amazing quality of stepping back in time--in a good way, not an outdated sort of way. It is the sort of place I want to and intend to take my family to, hopefully many times between now and when they are grown. I want my boys and my girl to be able to have some memories at this place. So cool! So, then, we went back to our hotel (after dinner with my husband's brother and nephew, more on that in a sec) and Saturday we went to Fiesta Texas...didn't intend to stay all day, but we did! It was GREAT! My kids had a ball, and it was so much fun watching them enjoy every second of what we did! We played at the waterpark and rode tons of rides, saw the laser and fireworks show at the end of the night, the whole bit. I think we made some sweet memories, and I am so thankful! Then, Sunday, we were intending to go to church somewhere locally, but were really tired, and the kids hadn't been able to swim at the hotel pool at all, so we decided to have church on our own that morning and let the kids swim a little while before we left. They really enjoyed it, and we had a devotion time and singalong in the van on the way to my parents house in Burnet. We had the most wonderful evening with my mom and dad.....so nice! And this morning we had to take off and head back home...but we took the scenic route..the very scenic route, as a matter of fact! We went to Inks Lake State Park to check out the campsites, and were very glad that we didn't camp this weekend like we had planned! The Lord had other plans for our weekend, and it turned out far better than we could have ever asked for. We drove around there, then headed back a different way than we usually go, to do some checking out of the Bulverde/Canyon Lake/New Braunfels area, where we hope to move in the next year or two, Lord willing. We also checked out Guadalupe River State Park, which is another on our list of possibilities for camping, and then we ate lunch at the Gristmill in Gruene. What a treat! To look out at the river while we ate yummy food!!! Speaking of which....how did I do on the eating while I was gone, you ask? (well, I guess I ask, since I am my only reader, that I know of!) I wasn't perfect, but I wasn't too bad either! Friday, I had a McDonald's salad for lunch...went with the fried chicken on it, which was a little of a stretch, but could have been much worse! That night, we ate at a place in Kerrville called Culver's, with Craig's brother and nephew (their pick). It was basicallly a burger joint, and I am pretty sure there wasn't much on the menu that was healthy. I did opt for a grilled chicken salad and got a side of sweet potato fries, which I am sure aren't as healthy as what I make, but I could have been WAY worse...then, they had this frozen custard ice creamy stuff and it was BAD tempting, so my husband and I got a kiddie size one and split it...so yea, I was proud of that effort! The next day at the hotel, breakfast options were a little dismal...waffles, breakfast "corndogs", fully sugared up instant oatmeal, muffins, you know, that sort of thing...unless you opted for the hard boiled eggs, which I did not--legal, but yuck! So, I did the best I could with a packet of oatmeal and an English muffin, knowing we had Fiesta Texas ahead of us. We got lunch to take at Subway, and I got a 6-inch Club...had some baked chips with it, which isn't great, but I could have gone for the footlong and regular chips, so relatively speaking, I didn't do too bad...Now, that night I was a little bad...but just a little. We went to Habaneros, which is a Freebird's-esque build-your-burrito-as-you-go type place. I got a burrito with some rice (a no-no) but I did have a wheat tortilla, beans, and steak, which were very yummy and okay! Of course, the chips for the salsa weren't so great, but I didn't have a ton of them. Sunday morning breakfast at the hotel was the same bleh offerings as the day before....but they did have what appeared to be a wheat bagel, so I opted for that. Probably way bigger than I should have had, but it was brown at least! Then at lunch we stopped in Blanco on the way to my parents and got gas and lunch at the Stripes station and store thingy. I was a good girl and opted for the grilled chicken salad they had in their cooler. Then was when I got a little bad later....tacos al carbon (3 on flour tortillas..oh, the shame!), refried beans (they had no charro option) and rice and more chips than I should have even thought about, out to eat Mexican food. Sure was good though! This morning, I didn't do a lot better, with 2 of these out-of-this-world biscuits my mom had, plus a donut hole, plus a little piece of the chocolate pie she made. But, I think had I not had any of that bad stuff, I'd have felt deprived. And I didn't go nutso or anything...just HAVE to get right back...which I sorta did at lunch..well, sorta. We ate at the Gristmill, an amazing place I havne't been to since I was a kid, in Gruene. I got the grilled tomatillo chicken breast with some pinto beans and it was AMAZING!!!! Then though, the bad part was the dessert...although we split it 5 ways, It was an awful lot of brownie, ice cream and deliciousness! But, we are back, and it's back to it..and I am good with that. I feel like my little cheats this weekend were minimal, and that they will help keep me on track. Moderation...Stacy REALLY needs to learn moderation!

Overall, this weekend was just the biggest blessing. I feel like it was a great ending to a great, but way too fast summer. Loved my time with my family, and I feel like we made some great memories and I cherish times like that. God IS good....ALL the time!!!

Testing 1.2.3.

So, this is just a little test of the mobile blogging system. If it were a real emergency, you would hear instructions blah blah blah....So, yea...just learning a few features of this whole blogger deal, so here is me, a few nights ago sittin in the lab. Exciting, yes, I know! Hopefully I will get better at this...

Weight loss good! Some other stuff...blah...

Well, I weighed in at 235 today. I was pretty jazzed about another pound down. I did get a Chick-Fil-A salad tonight, which was a bit of a cheat with the about 4 kernals of corn on it as well as the tortilla strips, but there really wasn't too much I was being bad with. We are pretty excited about going this weekend to San Antonio and then to see my parents later...so I hope I can behave, at least somewhat decently in the eating department while we are gone.

In other news...the blah part...I am just a little discouraged about my ministry job. I am almost done...less than a month, in fact. But, I just feel like I'm not doing a very good job, at least organization-wise, and I also feel a little frustrated with just not seeing my family nearly enough. That has to do with the lab job too, but just all of it together makes for a little bit of a blah evening. I am ready to not be stretched quite so thin. I am ready to be done with work when I clock out and go home. I am ready to be able to concentrate on my babies and be the momma they deserve. I do have to pay the bills, and I do have to get things done, but I really am ready for the season to change. And it will soon...but I am ready now.

You know, I have, for so long been so focused on vocational ministry. I want to serve the Lord. I have a gift here and there that surface that make it fun. There are even a couple of things I feel occasionally good at. But honestly...I am starting to lose that desire to minister for pay, and to be "inside" the church setting for ministry. I mean, I love my church..like crazy, in fact. And I love serving there, and I know the importance of worship and meeting together...don't intend to change a bit of that. However, I feel like my true ministry identity is changing somehow. I still am unsure some as to how, but I know it is. I have peace with moving on. I have peace with not being in "vocational ministry" again. Doesn't mean I won't be in ministry. Doesn't mean that I don't love Jesus with all my heart and want to serve. I just don't want to do it this way anymore. I feel like I need to be at church and serve as I can, but then go OUT for ministry...to be a fisher of man, rather than a keeper of the aquarium, as Howard Hendricks once said.

I do believe He is calling me to prayer, and to mommadom! So, I am gonna put on my big girl panties and dry up my tears of frustration. It doesn't take much to bring them on with me lately...I admit, I am struggling hard, with each and every thing I am obligated to for the next month. I admit that I am tired of my skin being so thin when it comes to ministry and church work. I am tired of the fact that thin skin has to be an issue.

So....guess I will keep on moving, however I can. Prayer and His Word, and loving people well. Prayer, His Word, and loving people well. Prayer, and His Word, and loving people well. This is what I am called to do.

Yay for bike rides and stealth mode around dogs!

Well, this morning, my friend Emily and I went on a bike ride when I got off of work, as we try to do as often as possible during the summer. Summer is good, because she is a teacher and has a little more time to play with, and since I am married to a teacher, it gives me a little more time to play with too. So, the last time we went out last week, I had NO energy because I had had hardly any carbs for like 2 weeks, and wouldn't you know it, a dog came out to chase us! It basically hit me, and it happened so fast, that I am not really sure what happened. I know there was a big thud-plunk-thud, and I kept right on going and a few yaps later and thuds after that, the dog was whimpering away on its way back to its yard. Not sure if I ripped its nose off in my spokes or what, but thankfully, it didn't cause a major catastrophe. So, this morning, I am a little squeemish about the whole dog possibility. Dogs would start running around and my heart would beat faster and then I'd pedal like crazy...only to realize that the dogs were in their FENCED yard, and couldn't get out, so then I'd relax and keep riding. Had this happen a few times, actually!

Emily and I had devised a plan though, for this dog that got me the last time and that was surely still around to come out after us again...although, I had no idea if it'd come out with a full nose or only a sliced up one from my spokes last week! We decided to cross the road, as it wasn't terribly busy early in the morning and ride against the traffic on the opposite side of the road from where the dog lived. A little scary to ride so illegally, but between the road noise and our distance, we made it past with no sign of the dog! Of course, it helped too, that if the dog WOULD have come after us, it would have had to cross the traffic and probably been hit...so, yea, score for us! We ARE smarter than than a junkyard dog!!

Of course, a little later, we got chased by a pretty dog, who thankfully stayed on the grass and just ran along beside us. This of course pushed me into interval training mode the likes of which I haven't seen in a while....I was pedaling like mad!!! And then a miniature weenie dog got after us too, but he was easily outrun...after all, his legs were like, an inch long at best!

Anyhow...slept like a baby after all that. We only covered 15 miles, but with the extra adrenaline of the dog issues, it was a great workout! Weighed in at wake up today at 236. Slowly but surely...slowly but surely!

Going well..

Well, so far so good this week on phase 2. I am much happier and more able to keep with this eating plan on phase 2....and my husband, who is also doing this, is happier too. I'd say much happier, but really, he's just happier with no superlative. He is still not enjoying this whole thing, but we need so much to get with it, so he has been doing well too. I weighed in at 236 this morning, so the loss isn't fast, but it is steady, which is a good thing I suppose. Tomorrow morning I am going on a bike ride with my friend, so that'll hopefully help too! I made some yummy sweet potato fries (in the oven) to go with our dinner tonight, and they were a treat! Can also eat some fat free, sugar free pudding, which helps too! I am hoping to get back with the running and biking thing too, so it all should work together to make less of me, which is a great thing!

As for trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up..well, I am still working on that one. I have been trying to spend more prayer time and Bible time, sometimes successfully, sometimes not--to try and figure some of this out, and where the Lord is leading me. Yesterday, I really felt Him just impressing on me how important my prayers are...to me, to draw me near to Him, but also the fact that He does hear them, and He does answer them. God Almighty, maker of everything wants to use the prayers of short, fat, often-useless Stacy to effect change. Okay...I'm in! I'm still not sure what all He wants to do with me, and what all He wants me to be pursuing, because I DO feel like there is more in the plans for how He may want to use me; but I DO KNOW that He wants me to pursue Him like crazy, on my own behalf and also on the behalves (is that a word?) of others as a prayer warrior. So, ok, Lord! Here I am....from my reading just a bit ago:
"I will praise You as long as I live, lifting my hands to You in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise You with songs of joy! --Psalm 63:4-5
So....there! :-)

Goodbye, Phase 1...Hello Phase 2!

Well, it is officially day 15 of South Beach, and though I had a few cheats over the weekend (all fessed up to already in the previous entry), the first 14 days went well and I believe have me well on my way. I am doing pretty good in the moderation area, and I was good all day Sunday, so I feel like I am back on track. Now, to keep on keepin on and to stay that way! I hope to get my exercise on regularly again soon too...usually that is what kicks in easily, but with summer and all we are doing, it's been inconsistent at best...that's okay...I am eating up every minute of the time I have wiht my babies, because I know I will miss them all terribly when they are back at school. There should be (I hope) plenty of exercise time this fall...I am hoping to ride my trainer in the mornings when I get home from work before the kids wake up (did I talk about this already a few days ago?) and on Mondays when I am awake to do either a long run or long ride...and would love to start doing more running on the weekends...like with the kids alongside on their bikes. I am sure it will happen in it's time...so thankful....until next time, imaginary readers!

So....

So I haven't exactly behaved myself in the eating department this weekend...I mean, I wasn't out and out awful, but I wasn't exactly South Beach Phase 1 good either. Yesterday, day 12, I caved due to the fact I really just wanted to go out to eat and also due to the fact that I was working on about 3 hours of sleep total, that had been broken up into two different segments and I was stinkin tired! So, we went to Lupe's, which happens to be my kids' favorite, and I ate Mexican food. Not like drippin with cheese (I don't like cheese anyhow) enchiladas or a deep fried chimichanga or anything, but I did eat. I probably had about 25 chips, which is actually a huge improvement from my nearer to 25 basket of chips habit that used to be the norm. I also ate the 2 tortillas wrapped around my tacos al carbon too...another no-no. Oh yea...and I ate almost half of my rice too. Oooohhhhh....Dr. Agatson, I really blew it! BUT....I still feel like I did better than I used to. And I did get right back under control today...well, most of the day I did! Woke up and weighed in at 236.5, which is another pound down, thankfully, and proceeded to behave the rest of the day..until dinner. At dinner I wasn't awful. We went to Baytown Seafood, which initially I wasn't excited about, but it ended up being pretty good! I got grilled chicken and it came with a salad, vegetables, and some dirty rice. I ate about 4 bites of the dirty rice (a no no) but everything else I had was within reason I think, and then I brought home half my chicken. Oh...and I almost forgot the sweet potato fries! Not great, but still a better choice than regular fries would have been. So, like the country song says....I aint as good as I once was, but I'm as good as I ever was--or somethin along those lines anyway. I feel like I am learning how to live this in real life...the whole concept of "moderation" that seems to have escaped me somewhere along the way my whole life. I hope I am learning it anyway. I guess time will tell! So....hopefully tomorrow I can be good....I know I will try! Until then, imaginary readers....tata!!