Advent Activities 2012

Last year was the first year we did an Advent Activity Calendar.  I had so much fun creating the calendar, and the kids had a blast doing all of the activities!  I knew that we'd do it again this year.  There were some activities we wanted to repeat and some things I wanted to change up just so it wasn't exactly the same as last year.  

This year some of our activities will have a bible verse referencing that point we are driving home while doing the activity.  Others will reference the book The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel.  (If you do not own this book, I highly recommend you click on the link and order it immediately!)  And lastly, some activities are simply just for plain ol' family fun!

I hope that you will enjoy our activity list.  Please feel free to use it and share it, and if you have questions about any of these activities or would like more details into what we are doing, just ask!  I hope that you will have as much fun celebrating Jesus this month as our family will!

Write a letter to Santa

Open your special ornament and hang it on the tree

("The ADVENTure of Christmas" pg. 12)

Make Paper Snowflakes

(Isaiah 1:18)

Snow Man Sundaes

Reindeer Evangelists for 5 Friends

("The ADVENTure of Christmas" pg. 14)

Neighborhood Prayer Walk

Grinch Movie Night

Attend Christmas Parade

Secret Santa

(Acts 20:35)

Visit Santa

Christmas Pizza

Santa Hat Photo Shoot

Dollar Tree Shopping

("The ADVENTure of Christmas" pg. 44)

North Pole Breakfast

Look at Christmas Lights in our pajamas

("The ADVENTure of Christmas" pg. 24)

Dress fancy for dinner

Christmas Carols

S'Mores in the fire place

Picnic in front of the Christmas Tree

Hot Chocolate by the fire

Decorate Gingerbread Houses

Christmas Music Dance Party

Make and decorate cookies for Santa

("The ADVENTure of Christmas" pg. 36)

Unwrap your Christmas pajamas and listen to Popo read "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

("The ADVENTure of Christmas" pg. 60)

Read the story about the Birth of Jesus

Christmas Specials

Hello Sweet Friends!  I have some wonderful holiday deals for you when you stop by my website.  Make sure you take a moment to check them out because these deals won't last long and some of these items are seasonal!  

Shift where you shop this holiday season, and make sure your gifts are Pure, Safe, and Beneficial!

Gift Ideas from the Arbonne Holiday Line:

Lexie's Pick
She LOVES this shampoo and looks forward to getting it in her stocking each year!

Hadlie's Pick
The Arbonne Lip Gloss leaves your lips feeling softer than anything we've ever tried before!
Hadlie loves putting on her "lips"!

Josh's Pick
The Sky for Men is amazing, and it smells oh so good!
Get more than one set so you have it all year long!

Teacher's Gift
This is my favorite gift set for our teachers!
Great price and great products!

My Gift Pick
Divide it up to use as stocking stuffers, use it as a teacher's gift, or keep it for yourself!
Such amazing hand cream!

You will find more great items that we have year round when you "Shop Online".  The same discounts apply for these as well!  This discount is a great time to "gift yourself" some great skin care or get ready for the New Year by getting your Arbonne Essentials!

30 for 30

Yesterday I turned 30!  It was bittersweet, and I did much better with it than I thought I would.  I keep hearing how great the 30's are so that gives me hope.  And in all reality, I have so much to be thankful for in my 30 years... especially my amazing husband and beautiful children.  

So here is my goal for 30... to lose 30 lbs.  This will be tough for me because I'm a girl who LOVES food and isn't totally crazy about exercising.  And to be honest, 30 lbs lighter is a weight I haven't seen since, well... before college.  So it will be a challenge, but one I am prepared for and excited to take on!

I lost quite a bit of weight last year in preparation for my wedding.  (Exciting to lose the weight, but wedding dress alterations sure are expensive.)  Once it got close I started getting way off track in all the stress of things.  The worst part is that I've stayed off track.  As of today's weigh in, I've gained like 8 lbs back.  Ack!

So here I go, getting back in the gym and back to eating better.  I'd love for you to follow me on My Fitness Pal (mrsmarick).  If you are on there, I'd love for you to "friend" me.  I could definitely use the support!

30 lbs for 30 years... Let's do it!

November 2011 Weight
(Notice my fat face)

Wedding Day Weight

2012 Starting Weight
(The jacket helps hide my fat arms, but gotta shrink that tummy & booty) 

The Wedding

Pictures have been in for awhile now, and I have totally slacked on sharing them on here!  I wanted to post enough of them to sum up the day, so here goes!  

Photography:
Crystal DeAnda Photography
http://crystaldeanda.com/
Crystal is fabulously sweet and wonderful in every way!  She made us feel so beautiful, and we are thrilled with how well the pictures turned out!  I hope you enjoy them!

My wedding band.  Passed down to be from my Granddaddy.  It was his mother's wedding band.

Leaving the reception!

Special moments before the ceremony!

Praying with our sweet children and pastor.

So glad to be spending the rest of my life walking hand in hand with this amazing man of God.

Venue:
MD Resort
www.mdresort.com
MD Resort is the sweetest coziest little bed and breakfast.  We used them for the venue and catering.  They were so helpful and kind.  They were willing to go out of their way to make sure everything I wanted happened.  We enjoyed our stay there, and we look forward to going back on our first anniversary!  It was definitely the perfect venue for our rustic chic wedding!

Ceremony site - Pecan Orchard.
The reception was held in the Party Barn.

Decorations:
DIY
We did all of our decorating on our own!  Most of the crafty fabulous things that you see were done by my super talented Aunt Lisa.  A huge thanks to my mom, sister, and dad who also helped make everything we needed!  It was a little stressful going the DIY route, but it was oh so fun!

These are quilts that my Nanny has made for all of us.

Ceremony Music:

Jack Baldwin
Jack is a member of our church.  My desire was to have Canon in D played with only an acoustic guitar with the Bridal Chorus and Wedding March also with only the guitar.  He did a fantastic job making this dream come true!














Reception Music:
Melodies & Memories
http://melmemdj.com
Melody is super talented and is using her God given talents being a DJ!  She was the perfect fit for our crowd, as I imagine that she is for any group.  We loved every moment of having her with us.  I would recommend her for any wedding or event because she was just that fun and that great at what she does!  She truly completed the night!

Party Favors:
DIY
My Aunt Lisa & Nanny were oh so sweet to make little jars of jelly for all of my guests!  It was the perfect touch!




 
















Flowers:
Celebrations by Judy
www.celebrationsbyjudy.com
Us finding Judy was truly God's work.  She was so helpful and kind.  She was more than willing to work within our budget, never trying to sell us more than we needed.  She saw my vision and helped make it a reality.  

Cake:
Too Sweeties Bake Shoppe
www.toosweeties.com
My dear friend, Jennifer, runs Too Sweeties Bake Shoppe!  She makes the yummiest cakes and cupcakes.  She made me a beautiful lace wedding cake that tasted amazing!  Her cakes never disappoint!

Pies:
The Flour Shop Bakery
www.ilovetheflourshopbakery.com
This great little bakery is not far from us in Highland Village, TX.  This was our first time to get pies from there, and they were fantastic.  The price was great and the pies were even better!  

 

 And now we are living our happily ever after!

Just One Night

Josh and I had planned to go out of town this weekend to a benefit in Oklahoma.  Unfortunately, Josh could not find someone to work for him in time for us to be able to still attend.  At the last minute he was able to find someone to work for him so we planned to go camping.  Our back up plan seemed like a good one, and we were excited.  After all, we hadn't had a single minute alone since our wedding night.  

Anyone who has children probably already knows how this story goes.  Yep, our kids schedule changed, and that nixed our plans!  So here we are... married for two weeks... our first chance to get some time together... and wham, it's not going to happen!

Both of us had already taken the time off work so we agreed to just go ahead and keep the days off.  After all, we had a zillion in one things to do.  (Like get my name changed, a task I've been avoiding... but that's another story.)  We spent day one doing some house stuff and taking care of the kiddos (the reason for the change in plans to begin with), and tomorrow we will go forward with our plans to get everything else done.

On one hand, it's a good thing that we didn't get to go anywhere because we did have stuff that needed to get done here.  Stuff that will lift a huge weight off my shoulders when it is finally done.  On the other hand, it is so frustrating that we haven't had any time together.  Is it really too much to ask that we get just one night alone together?!?  It makes me wish we would have just sucked it up and went on a honeymoon for a week right after the wedding.  But we didn't because we didn't want to leave the kids in the middle of all that's going on right now.  

I love my kids, and I'm grateful for every moment with them.  But right now I'd really like just one night with my husband (with no child in between us).  Maybe next year... for our anniversary... if our kids' schedules allow it.

Wedding Planning

I always imagined I'd be the girl who would blog about every step of planning my wedding.  I'd share the intricate details about choosing the right florist and the struggles of finding a dress.  I would capture these moments so they would stay close in my heart forever.  Then on bad days, I could look back and remember all the joy that went into planning my wedding and the blissful feelings I had as I prepared to marry Mr. Joshua Marick.

Then we started planning.  And it was hard.  And it was messy.  And in the end it was a beautifully perfect testimony of God's presence in our lives... my life to be more specific.  So here is my account of planning the wedding of my dreams to the man of my dreams.

Josh proposed on New Year's Eve.  Since our anniversary (dating) was on New Year's Day, it was the perfect way to finish off our 4th year together.  We started our 5th year engaged!  How super exciting!

Immediately the planning began.  I knew right away that I wanted rustic chic feel to the wedding, and thanks to an episode of David Tutera, I wanted the reception to be in a barn.  So I googled party barns, and found one I loved.  Upon doing research about the place, I found out it was actually the venue used in the episode of David Tutera that had become my wedding inspiration!  And that was my sign (because I'm big on signs), that this was meant to be.  MD Resort in Aurora, TX would be my wedding venue.

I called and scheduled a meeting for us to go visit.  It was a long drive and in the country.  I questioned my decision for a split second.  But then we arrived and we walked around and talked numbers, and well... it was all fitting together.  Then we got to view the rooms at MD Resort.  It is a Bed & Breakfast so each room has it's own little theme.  We got to the suites and walked into the Western Vista.  It was a two story suite that smelled like the Lake House my family had when I was growing up.  Another sign.  It was meant to be.  At that moment, I knew all I had to do was convince Josh that this was what he wanted also.  I mean, he couldn't really be set on the church wedding he'd always dreamed of, could he?!?

Because Josh is who he is, he had an opinion on things.  And he needed to feel like his opinion was heard and mattered.  So I listened and my heart started to slowly break.  I didn't want to take away his dream wedding just so mine could happen.  After all, I could make anything work.  But then in true Josh fashion he goes, "Is this what you really want?"  My hopeful eyes screamed "Yes!  Yes!  Yes!" at him, while I sheepishly said, "Yes.  It really is."  And he kissed me and agreed that MD Resort was the perfect place for our wedding!  I was ecstatic!

MD Resort has a full kitchen and does their own catering.  We could bring in all our own vendors except for food.  And I had already told them all I wanted to do was rent the venue.  I did not want any of their wedding packages because I had my own visions... I was a DIY bride!  DIY could easily be replaced with crazy, but we won't go there right now.  So back to the food, they were able to provide my rustic meal of brisket, loaded mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls.  We were set.  So I thought...

Enter first problem.  These people wanted money.  Crazy, I know!  Well, when you are planning a wedding and your family is on a huge budget (that's another story for another day) then you can't just write check after check without thinking and planning.  And these budget problems seemed to be the trend for the remainder of the wedding planning.

So wedding planning started to become more and more stressful.  There were wonderfully exciting moments, like finding my dress followed by more frustrating moments... the dress would have to wait.  This pattern continued throughout the entire wedding planning process.  Numerous nights I spent crying over the frustration I felt about it not coming easy, the way I always imagined.  Then I would cry out of the guilt I felt for being so materialistic and wanting so many things that truly didn't matter as long as I married Josh.  Then the road blocks began to feel more like signs.  Perhaps this was God telling me not to marry Josh.  Cue more tears.  More confusion.  And a lot more guilt.  

But every time I wanted to give up and run to the Justice of the Peace something would work out.  The pieces would start to fit together.  The signs I thought pointed in the direction of running away and leaving Josh far behind me began to point straight to God's goodness.  

Throughout this entire process my family and I saw firsthand the work of our good Lord.  Sometimes it came in the form of our daily devotionals.  Other times it was friends or family members.  And for me, it was the constant reassurance from Josh.  Never giving up.  Never failing to hold me when I needed it.  Never belittling my wedding dreams and the importance they held in my mind.  

Eventually I began to see God's work for what it was, and I began to quit doubting His plan.  Because as silly as it may seem, my wedding was important to God.  Because I am important to God.  I finally came to the realization one day that God was going to provide all we needed.  But I had to stop doubting Him.  I had to trust.  And amazingly enough, once I did, the wedding planning became the blissful feeling I had hoped it would be from the beginning.  

I know God's hand in my wedding was shown through the countless people who love Josh and I.  It was shown more often than not through my parents selfless giving and sacrificing.  It was shown through my sister, my aunt, my grandparents.  All 120 people in attendance (and the others who weren't) had a hand in making it happen... they helped make the dreams of my wedding day come true in ways I never knew possible.

Needless to say, Josh and I are so very blessed.  There aren't enough "thank you's" in the world that could possibly express the way we feel about everyone who made our dreams come true.  Every single detail was just the way I wanted it.  There was nothing in the world that could have made our day more perfect.  Not even warmer weather... because that just added to our memory bank of the most spectacular day of our lives!

I am now that wife who thinks she has the most perfectly imperfect husband.  I'm more in love with him than I ever knew possible.  When I look back on planning our wedding it is not what I thought it would be.  I don't see flower arrangements or interviews with vendors.  I see love.  An overwhelming, out of this world kind of love.  And I see lessons... lessons in trusting God.  Much needed lessons in patience.  Lessons in sacrifice (thanks Mom & Dad).  

I will forever be grateful to my parents for all that they did and all the sacrifices they made.  The heartache they shared, the tears they wiped, and the absolute joys I was able to share with them.  I will always hold close to me the moments of trying on my dress with the people I love right there beside me, praying with my dad on a particularly rough day, endless dress shopping with my mom (for my mom), and cramming crafts and wraps into the most crazy wonderful wedding week a girl could imagine!  

This was my story of planning my wedding.  My story of love.  My story of dreams come true.  

I can't wait to share the wedding day details with you!

Here Comes the Bride

I can't believe it!  I'm getting married in 90 days!  It may seem a little obsessive to count the days, but we have been together for over 5 1/2 years.  And we've been discussing getting married for the majority of that time.  Now that the timing is right to finally take a moment for ourselves, I couldn't be more excited!

You would think that anticipating this day for (literally) years would mean we have everything in order and know just what we want.  Well, here we are... 90 days to go... and still so many decisions to be made!  It seems overwhelming at times and blissfully fun at other times.  I only hope that I can hang on to each and every moment as the process unfolds so that some day down the road as Josh and I sit in our front porch, watching our grandchildren play, we can look back and reminisce on the adventure that started it all!

Flower Girl Dress

We have started our premarital counseling.  (For lack of better words.)  We have a wonderful mentor couple, and I feel we are well on our journey to a marriage that includes God, Josh, and myself.  I am currently praying that I will be able to fulfill my role as an obedient and submissive wife, letting Josh lead our family.  These will be true tests for me and will require daily prayer and guidance from God.

We know where the wedding is going to be and what theme we are going with!  We have chosen my dress, invitations, flower girl dresses, and food!  We have spent countless hours debating cakes, pies, decorations, attire, photographers, etc.  Tonight we will tackle the final cake design (after baseball is over, of course).  Follow me on Pinterest to see my rather chaotic obsession with pinning wedding ideas.  You will also get an idea of the feel that we are taking with things!  (Or you can visit our wedding website!)


It's never ceases to amaze me that I can spend hours thinking about wedding details and ideas.  However, when I lay down at night all I can think about is how completely and utterly incredible it will be to finally be Mrs. Joshua Marick.  The thought of waking up everyday, sharing every moment, and loving each other into eternity brings peace to my soul.  And in those moments, I'm able to realize that it doesn't matter what shoes I wear or how I fix my hair... at the end of the day, I will be married to my best friend!

Dinner Calendar

Many people have inquired about our dinner calendar.  I used to do it as a word document and print it out.  Now I just type it in on Google Calendar (because I'm not fancy or computer savvy), and it seems to be working.  I also like that Google allows me to easily move dates or change them as needed.  You can search it under Jessica's Dinner Calendar (I believe) or here is the link.

Here is a little picture of it.  Enjoy!

Struggles of Being a Step Mom - It's a Fine Line

One of the hardest parts of being a step parent (or having a blended family) is when you disagree with choices that the "other parent" is making.  It is a constant struggle of stepping back and allowing them to parent how they see fit and protecting your child.  Often it is a fine line that can be easily crossed.  So we try to remind ourselves often that we are not perfect parents.  Our heavenly Father is the only perfect parent there is, and it is Him that we should let judge how we've handled the task that he's entrusted us with... the task of parenting.  

Lately, we've had many struggles with the "other parent" in our situation.  It started when my step son started telling us he wanted to live here.  I think deep down all of us knew that day would eventually come, but I will admit that we were all surprised that it came so soon.  

Let me get off track here by saying that we've always felt it would be in my step son's best interest to be with us.  While his mother has done better in parenting the last nine months, she is still way to preoccupied with things that don't involve being a parent.  Her improvements seem to be based entirely upon not wanting us to do something that she doesn't do.  While her mimicking our parenting style has been beneficial to my step son, it is obvious to all of us (including him) that she isn't doing it because it's what she feels called to do.  She is doing it because she is desperately trying to keep up with his life here.  And in all fairness, she can't possibly come close to doing that.  We live different lifestyles.  We make different choices.  We have entirely different situations.  When she learns to embrace those differences she will have the relationship with my step son that she's struggling to hold on to.  

That leads me back into him wanting to live here.  It made sense to us.  It made sense to him.  He wanted more time with his dad.  He would have it.  He wanted to have his dad coach his sports teams.  That would be possible.  (It isn't currently possible due to the 45 minute drive that lies between us.)  He is a smart kid who needs to be challenged.  Our home school performs very well academically and has great programs for kids like him.  He wants someone to be home when he gets home from school.  Someone is always here.  With every reason that he had for wanting to be with us we were able to say, "Okay.  We can do that."  Because those were just normal things in our every day lives.  So after much prayer, thought, consideration, and playing devil's advocate we sat down to talk to her.  And of course, she said no.  Understandable because that's her child.  Baffling because she is denying her child of something that he wants and that would be in his best interest.  She had no argument against it being the better place for him.  She simply didn't think he was old enough to make that decision.  While I disagree (because children understand far more than we think), she is old enough to make that decision.  She is old enough to look at all the factors and look at it objectively.  Willing?  Obviously not.  Capable?  Certainly.  

While her "no" to him living here was frustrating and disheartening, we moved forward.  After all, we could lay our heads down at night knowing we had done what was best for him.  She would lay down each night knowing her son wanted to be somewhere else.  Her cross to bear.  Our hearts were at peace other than feeling broken and helpless for my step son.  

My step son was quite bummed at his mother's decision.  Just yesterday I found him in his room sitting all alone.  When I inquired about what was on his mind he replied, "I just really wish I could live here."  So after a discussion on just really enjoying the time he had here and praying that God would touch his mom's heart to truly listen to his desires, we moved on.  However, since finding out about his mother saying no he has asked repeatedly to still play sports out here with his dad.  While this makes our lives quite complex, we could not possibly say no.  Not when his desires were so clear.  So we asked her about this.  Again, she said no.

In addition to her not wanting him to play sports out here she has gradually began taking away time that she had never before wanted or requested.  An odd thing to do when you know your child is wanting more time with the other parent.  We came to the conclusion that this wasn't about my step son.  It never really was.  It is about her having control, and her desperate attempt to hang on to what she has left of it.  It is about her realizing that the more time he spends here, the more he wants to be here permanently.  It appears that by taking away some of his time here she is attempting to create the opposite effect.  Less time with dad.  Less desire to live with dad.  

At this point we became angry.  Her selfish decisions and attempts to hurt us have done nothing but hurt the child she should so desperately try to protect.  She is not thinking of her child, she is thinking of her own selfish desires.  And while we are extremely sympathetic to her wanting to hang on to every moment she can with him (knowing that as he continues to get older he will want to be with his dad more), she has never cited that as a reason for these decisions.  Because that we can understand.  So we are left with, "He's not old enough to make that decision," and, "We can show him how to be an adult better than you can."

And that leads me here... we recently found out some information about her husband.  Some very unsettling information.  Finding out that she moved a married man into her home and then married him three months after his divorce (rebound?!?) and finding out he has a criminal history so this married man she moved into her home also came with a past and probation.  All mere weeks after meeting him online with a small child in her home.  

So this is where that fine line of things really becomes hard not to cross.  We are not upset with this man for his past.  We all have one.  His past is not ours to judge.  We believe that people deserve second chances, and that after being properly rehabilitated (fulfilling your entire probation/parole/counseling/etc.) you should be given that chance.  Our issue is with that fact that one, she never mentioned this to us.  Granted, she wasn't required to give us notice of this by the courts or anything, but after we've been so forthcoming with her it is disappointing to see she hasn't done the same for us.  Secondly, she brought this man into her home... my step son's home.  This wasn't a decision that only affected her.  This was a decision that affected a child.  What if she was wrong about this man she'd met online and only known a matter of weeks?  Did that thought cross her mind?  What about the fact that he was married?  What kind of example did that set?  Is that how she is going to show him how to be an adult?  Moving someone else's husband into her home... Again, the fine line between protecting our child and allowing her to parent as she sees fit.  

We are not perfect parents.  I cannot possibly express that enough.  We make mistakes.  Probably more than most.  We do selfish things.  We lose our patience.  We definitely have a long way to go before we'll be winning any awards.  But we try hard.  And I think that's why this situation has been so unsettling for us.  We aren't sure what to do.  While they are free to live their life as they see fit, we have strong feelings about the type of man we want my step son to grow up to be, and they aren't providing that example.  

At this point our hands are somewhat tied.  We will continue to do our best to protect him from the life that's been chosen for him at his mother's house.  And we will continue to be the best parents we can be.  All while walking this fine line.  Sometimes crossing it.  Sometimes rocking the boat more than we should.  Sometimes pouring out the raw truth and causing hurt feelings.  But all the time doing what we feel is in the best interest of the precious boy that we love so much.  

Father's Day

Father's Day is today.  A day to celebrate the men, the fathers, in my life (and my children's lives) who make such a difference.


My dad.  Byron Gilbert Dunn.  A man with integrity and dignity.  A man with pride, but the ability to put it aside when necessary.  A man with a gracious and loving heart.  A man who forgives.  A man who loves unconditionally.  A man who accepts everyone for who they are.  A man who makes you laugh until you cry.  A man who is always there to dry your tears.  A man, who undoubtedly, has faith in God and is patient with His plans.  A man to admire.  A man to honor.  The only man I'll ever need in my earthly life.


Josh.  My love.  My heart and soul.  My best friend.  For 3 years Father's Day was always bittersweet.  It was a reminder of all the men in my daughter's life who loved her and supported her, but still lingering were thoughts of the man who was supposed to love her and be there for her that wasn't.  And there is no pain quite like knowing your child is not loved in the way she should be by her father.  Then came Josh.  He loved my daughter.  He treated her as his own.  Her became her Daddy.  And with that comes feelings that words cannot express.  Just thinking about what Josh has done for her makes my throat tight and my heart full.  Because of him, my sweet girl, has a Daddy.  Her very own Daddy.  A Daddy that will never leave her.  A Daddy that will always love her.  A Daddy that is teaching her what type of man she should allow to steal her heart one day.  I can without a doubt say that the greatest gift God has given my daughter was bringing Josh into our lives.  I have found immeasurable pleasure in seeing the father Josh has become to our three children over the last 5 1/2 years.  He continues to grow in this journey of parenting, and there are three beautiful children who have reaped the rewards of his selfless efforts.  I could not be more grateful for the front row seat God has given me to witness the relationship between my children and their Daddy.


My Granddaddy.  Those who are lucky enough to know my grandfather know the great man that he is.  A man of God who has been father, grandfather, mentor, and friend to many.  As his favorite granddaughter, I have numerous memories and countless things to say about this great man.  But what I want the world to know, is that my Granddaddy is the type of man that you meet and you are forever changed.  After knowing him, you carry a piece of him in your heart that is with you always.  Two daughters by birth, one who grew in his heart, seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren... and I'm still his favorite.  That's enough for me to know he's a darn good man!  :)


The other men in my life and my children's lives.  There are many men who make a difference in the life of my family.  My Pa Bob.  He is my dad's step-father, but we've never seen him as a "step" anything.  He is our grandfather.  He has loved us and our children unconditionally.  Our childhood is filled of memories learning to play blackjack and laughing at our Pa Bob.  He is a blessing.

Our neighbor who is not only a wonderful father to his boys, but a father figure to any who may need it.  He's always ready to help when needed, celebrate our children's accomplishments, or throw a ball to an eager child.  He is a blessing.


My step-son's maternal grandfather.  While I have no direct connection with this man, I am forever grateful for his presence in my son's life.  He has given Jacob a father figure when he is not with us.  He has been involved in his life.  And he has always been so kind to our family.  There are two men that my son speaks about with true admiration, and this man is one of them.  He is a blessing.


Day in and day out we are blessed by wonderful father's.  Both in our home and in our community.  Some of them coach our kids teams, others teach Sunday School, and some a friends who are ready with smiles and high fives whenever we greet them.  Each of them is a blessing in our life.  

I read an article the other day that stated, "A father's love contributes as much -- and sometimes more -- to a child's development as does a mother's love."  Something we so often overlook.  So today, I am so thankful to celebrate all of these wonderful men who have made myself and my children the people we are today.  And my heart is filled with joy to celebrate the Father who gave us all of these blessings here are earth.  Because without a doubt, His love is more than a contribution to our development... it is an absolute necessity.

Taking It Off

I'm getting married in five months.  Less to be exact.  And knowing this has really given me the kick in the butt I've been needing the past... um... few (or 10) years.  I'm back on track with losing weight, and it's starting to feel good!


I decided that I would get consistent with using My Fitness Pal.  It really is so instrumental in making me aware and accountable for all that I am putting in my body.  It's amazing what I was actually consuming each day.  Mostly useless empty liquid calories.  (Hi.  My name is Jessica, and I'm addicted to Coke.  The soft-drink kind, that is.)  So the first thing I did was put an end to my daily Sonic trips.  I allow myself one can of Coke in the morning.  Other than that, I've just tried to be really aware of the portions I'm eating.  I try to make sure I'm choosing foods that will fuel my body, and not just taste good.  A tough thing for someone who loves cookies as much as I love my husband-to-be.


I've also started working out.  *gasp*  Yep, I'm back on the P90X kick.  I chose that because I can do it at home and fit it in around my crazy schedule.  I don't have to leave my children to do it.  In fact, they enjoy doing it with me.  I would like to add in some walking, but I am not sure where to fit that in my day without getting up at 5 AM.  And well, there is just nothing about me that screams "morning person"!


So with all of this going so well, I started to see the weight come off.  I decided I would reward myself by trying the It Works! body wrap.  Friday I used my first wrap.  Immediately after doing it I noticed an inch of difference in all places.  I will measure again tonight to see what further improvement there was.  I'm definitely thinking about becoming a distributor for these awesome wraps.  After all, I just did my stomach this time.  I would still like to do my arms, my back fat, and my thighs.  I might as well sell them for all I'll be using!


I'm really pleased with how things are going.  My first goal to weigh less than Josh was reached fairly easily.  My next goal is to lose another 20 lbs. before the wedding.  The important thing for me is to do it in a way that I will be able to keep it off.  Which is why I refuse to give up my daily Coke or deprive myself of sweets every now and then!  


I'm always looking for others who are walking this same path... others who struggle with weight loss... others who need motivation and encouragement like I do.  I encourage you to hop on My Fitness Pal and look me up.  My username is queenjessd.  I'd love for you to share in this journey with me!


In 3 John 1:2, John writes to his friend, "Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit."  And that, my friends, is what I hope for myself and those in my life.  I'm on my way there!