update...

Ok update on the scale... I'm down 2 POUNDS!!! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! =D

I started counting calories again... and watching fat in take. But since I'm vegan, I realized there isn't too much fat intake other than my almonds, ground flax seed, and oils. I also started jotting down everything that I eat which really helps me from grabbing something that I shouldn't eat. I also realized since writing my food down is that I had been SNACKING way tooooo much! And they aren't good snacks either. =(

With regards to working out, well... double boo for me! Yup, didn't stick to the plan. =( And I was hoping by the time February comes around, I'd be into the routine of working out every day because I start going to the gym again this month! Well, I just gotta keep making that commitment on a day to day basis.

I'm still on the WATER challenge coz I suck! lol. I don't hate water but I just need to remember to drink it. This is bad because I don't drink anything else so that would mean I'm not drinking anything! (a cup of Soymilk doesn't count!) So I have to consciously drink my H2O! =P

Anyway... don't know if I'll make it to my goal weight by May but I'm hoping to at least lose 10 to 15. My goal is important but it isn't the most important thing in this journey. =) Forming good habits is more important coz if I'm consistent with that then weight will automatically drop. =)

Well... here's another day... another chance to make good choices and develop my habit of drinking LOTS of water!

my perfect gloves

Over the holidays, we visited my family in Toronto. We had finished our Christmas shopping a month in advance so we didn't have to go shopping but my Mom hadn't started hers yet and it was the day before Christmas Eve. My son wanted to go shopping too because apparently, he didn't appreciate how we (his Dad and I) bought gifts and put his name on it when he didn't buy it! lol. I told him that it was from our family not just Dad and I. He insisted that he had $20 and he wants to go shopping with my Mom and I (and he hates shopping... like me! lol).

As we made our way from store to store, different malls and shopping places, he patiently waited for us after he finished browsing through the stuff in case he wanted to buy something. When we got to Walmart, he wanted to buy a remote-controlled car for his baby cousin but he didn't have enough money. He asked if I could help him out. I asked him what happened to his $20 because that would cover all of it. He said he had only $14. I suggested that he find something within his budget (we had been teaching him how to budget his money so he'll only spend what he has). He was really disappointed because there wasn't any cars that was remote-controlled that was less than $14. I couldn't take seeing him so sad and, in a moment of weakness, I agreed to help him out (didn't help my Mom was giving me looks to just give in!) but I reminded him that we (as a family) are putting into practice principles that are important and he needs to keep in mind when he goes shopping what he can afford.

Well, what I didn't know was that at one of the stores we visited earlier that day, he had bought me gloves! He knew that I didn't have gloves and so he wanted to buy me one. I was so surprised and touched on Christmas morning when I opened my gift from him. It's the best Christmas present I've ever received! I told him that I loved my gift and that it was extremely thoughtful of him. He told me that was why he didn't have $20 for his cousin's car. =)

!What a blessing it is to witness such kindness and generosity in spirit

Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City

During the past long weekend, we headed up to Traverse City for a mini-getaway at the Great Wolf Lodge. I would love to visit Traverse City during the Summer. It's beautiful!

After a four-hour or so drive, we just wanted to chill in the room. =) As you can tell Lil' Allen was checking out the whirlpool... he was itching to get it going. lol. But we wanted to check out the Lodge first.

Lil' Allen's favorite spots were the Arcade room and the ice cream shop! lol. He got his ice cream... but what he really wanted to do was get in the whirlpool! lol. So we headed back to our room just to chill. It was a nice evening of just relaxing in the whirlpool while watching a movie and playing a game.

The next day though, we hit the water park and had loads of fun. =) Lil' Allen posing in front of Fort McKenzie. This water blast/gun thing and Fort McKenzie were among his favorites.

His dad and him enjoyed this a lot. =) I enjoyed watching them (and so did others!). You can't see lil' Allen and I but we are somewhere in the Fort. We got our bucket filled with water and waiting for someone to walk underneath so we can dump it on them! lol. We were hoping Dad would come by. =D

Lil' Allen and Dad. =) At the top of Fort McKenzie is a large bucket that would fill up with water and top over. The kids of course LOVED this! lol. It's fun watching them!

The Lodge had this cool story time place in the lobby. It's really neat... they really made it look magical. They had this whole Magic Quest game on the 2nd floor which lil' Allen wasn't interested in participating but I WAS!!! lol. But I guess it would look weird if an adult was playing the game without any kids around to at least make it look like she was helping them. LOL.

Traverse City! What a beautiful place. =)

It was a short trip but we had a good time. It was nice getting away from the stresses of school and just chill together. With my hubby finishing up his Masters soon, I'm guessing we won't have much chill time with him when he's done. But we'll definitely plan our "family time" more deliberately from now on (getting into the habit and all). =P

Looking forward to visiting Traverse City again!

four months

Four months. That's it! That is all that is left of our time here in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Wow, how fast time flies. I can't believe it's been almost 3 years!

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about our journey here as a family and me as an individual. Been thinking about what do I want to do for the remainder of my time here but I guess more importantly, I need to reflect on what I NEED to do as we finish off our time here at Andrews University.

I've been reflecting on our time here a lot lately and I find myself asking, "did I accomplish what I wanted to do?" Yes and no, I think. There were many things that I wanted to do but it wasn't what the Lord was calling me to do. This was hard and I fought Him for sometime. =( But ultimately, I wanted to do His will and so I had to learn to submit. Spiritually, I've grown and learned for myself what are the things I believed in. Not what my parents taught me to believe in or what my husband believed in but I had time to think and to talk to God about things I realized I wasn't so sure of. He's helped me so much in learning about Him and me and all the in betweens. But there are things or issues that I feel I haven't grown much in. I'm sure I have but may be not to the extent of where I wanted to be.

My husband's passion was serving God at church more specifically the youth. We've always know it was his calling. But when a husband is called to the Ministry, it really doesn't mean just HIM! The whole family is called. It's kinda unfair if you aren't willing. But you know what's so AWESOME about GOD, He delayed His plans for my husband so that He could prepare me and open my heart to Him and His calling! You know, that humbles me so much and makes me feel soooooo incredibly loved. And so when God came a-calling, we knew it was a yes for both of us but we had to see if it was a yes from our son too. This would definitely affect him too. He was only 9 then and of course he didn't want to move away from his family but he understood that if we went, we would be following God's will and so he said, "yes". =)

When God opened this door, I told Him that I'd do it in the condition that He'd have to do some major work in me. That I wouldn't be a Pastor's wife just coz my husband will be a Pastor. No, I would be a Pastor's wife because He called me to be in the Ministry along side my husband. I didn't want to be a stumbling block to the people He loves. And I just felt that I carried too much baggage, you know. But His mercy and love is so incredible, it does something to you. It doesn't make you perfect... no I'm completely NOT perfect but it makes you want to be like Jesus and He IS PERFECT! I don't know, in the almost 3 years we've been here, if I can say I'm really. Many times, I was stubborn with the things God asked me to let go and so I don't know if the work He had planned for me here was accomplished. I hope so. I cannot see what He sees. So I will have to trust Him that even if I'm not prepared, He will help me grow and learn to be what He's intended me to be in His ministry.

So I guess, the next few months I'll be spending it in reflection of what has happened in the last few years and spending time with God. Reflecting on the things I've learned and on issues that I've been convicted with and what that means to for me and how do I apply them in MY life.

So here are the things, with God's mighty help, I would like to work on in the next 4 months (and beyond) in no particular order:

* To continue to submit my will to His will

* To keep Him priority in my life

* To talk to God and listen more carefully

* To study His Word more

* To finish reading Ellen White's books

* To keep Him priority in our home

* To keep a family Yay God journal

* To be consistent in my prayer time

* To put my family's needs first before others

* To make sure there's always quality family time

* To listen more to my husband

* To have prayer time with my husband

* To keep positive words and thinking at a ready

* To be more compassionate and see what Jesus sees in each person = the great potentials

* To meet people at where they are at instead of thinking of where they should be at

* To be a better steward of what He gives us ~our health, family, finances, opportunities to witness, etc.

* To be patient that He will reveal His will and His blessings in HIS time

* To always be Thankful and keep my Yay God journal updated daily

* To be brave when God asks me to do or go somewhere that would totally be outside my comfort zone

* To be better organized

* To be on time for all appointments including getting to church on Sabbath mornings

* To be slow to anger and not do or say anything until the anger subsides and reason returns =p

* To unstress myself when feeling anxious or stressed

* To shrug off the small stuff and find something to Praise God for in bad situations

* To stay active

* To eat clean and fresh

* To remember the Health laws

Wow... that's a lot, isn't it?!!! Well, only through God and for God. I'll keep those goals there and ask God to continue to remold me.

I thank God for our time here. For it's peacefulness and for the lessons we've learned and those that we continue to learn.

YUCK!

Ok, soooooo life happened to Day 2 of my wk 1 of Slim in 6!!!! Been feeling very yucky the past few days! I've had massive migraines for two days. Today's better but my neck is still tense which is usually not a good sign.

But hey, it happens and it doesn't have to be this long dramatic thing where it totally pulls me down. I was craving for a good dessert last night though and I'm thankful that my husband was sooooo awesome at not wanting to go out and get us dessert. LOL.

Main objective right now is drinking lots of H2O, eating fresh, and get fresh air! =D

Oh and this morning, my son and I read his devotional before heading to school and it spoke about NOT worrying. It said that worrying is like telling God that I don't really trust Him to take care of me!!! Wow, right on target, isn't it though?! So today, I WILL NOT WORRY! God takes care of all of us! =)

I love it when my son says to me, "Don't worry Mom, it'll be ok"!!! It also shows that I have a lot of learning from my son! Praise God for him.

Day 2 of Wk 1 Si6

Yeah... DAY 2 didn't happen!!! We were at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. I had all intension of doing it but then woke up kinda late... had to check out and hit the water park. But I did lots of swimming and climbing up steps to go down the tubes. Wasn't really a workout but it was physical activity. lol.

So today is my Day 2... will let you know how it goes.

Slim in 6 ~ Wk 1 ~ day 1

So I'm recommitting myself to this program. I actually never did finish the 1st stage before. lol. So I'm doing this for reals now! =P

Today's Day 1 of Wk 1 and I kinda took it easy... I haven't worked out for almost over 2 months. Been having some medical issues for the past few months and it's been difficult but I'm not willing to just sit by and let it take over. I realized too that I started comforting myself with food again! Uhhhhhgggggg... oh bad bad habit! So I'm taking steps to just stay active through all this.

Anyway, back to the workout. As always, she, Denise, killed my arms and I wasn't even going at it totally!!! My arms are big trouble spots and so I get tired easily when there's a lot of lifting them over my head and she does A LOT of these. =) It's good I guess coz you feel the BURN! lol. Oh, I'll take measurements tomorrow or Tuesday to keep track of the changes. Hmmmm but haven't decided if I'm comfortable enough to post it. lol. But my weight is (155.5 this morning but I think it was 157.5 a few days ago... so I'll go for the middle) 156.5 lbs.

Well, my hubby, son and I are about to leave for our mini-getaway (which was originally booked 2 years ago... we've rebooked it like 4 times!). We're going to stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City and enjoy some quality family time! =D

Oh by the way, this was an awesome testimony!

Cold outside...

Last Sabbath, I wasn't feeling good and it was cold outside so we decided to have a Bible game instead of hiking. We all decided to play Settlement of Canaan.

Allen making a face after I said "no house-rules!" lol.

Allen thinking hard how he's gonna beat his Dad... who almost always wins!

But in the end, Dad still won. lol.

We had a good time just being inside where it's warm. I love lazy Sabbaths when you're not rushing to go somewhere or to do something. I'm really cherishing these Sabbaths because we rarely have 'lazy' Sabbaths when hubby finishes his MDiv this May and he starts working. But we'll definitely book a Sabbath or two a year when we, as a family, just enjoys the day and have some quiet time with God and us. =)

Want some snow????

I've live in Canada for close to two decades and for those two decades, I've NEVER seen this much snow in Canada! It's CRAZY!!! It's been snowing all day and continues to snow here in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Apparently, it's going to keep snowing until the weekend! Ahhhhhhh... lol.

Snow by itself is nice... I actually like snow but COLD I don't like... coz it doesn't like my body... it hurts all over! Anyway... I'm really needing some sun right now! lol. My mood is needing that lift! =P

A day with siblings at Blue Mountain, Collingwood

*top left corner: Adrien and Sabien having a snow fight ~Sabe got his uncle good! lol~

*middle row far right: Ethan cheers on as 'Aj' and Sabe mess each other's hair

*small photo under the pic of the ski mountain: Beaver Tail.... YUMMY!!! =)

*bottom left corner: Ethan just chills while his bro and cousin continue their 'game'

*2nd to the right bottom corner: Ethan helping cousin 'Aj' walk after being injured in their snow fight

It was a very nice day spent with the people we most love!

Habit-A-Week-Challenge

A lady that I follow posted a blog called "Habit-A-Week-Challenge". Every week, she posts a challenge for the week and all you do is focus on that one habit. It's a 16-week challenge and so by the end of 16 weeks, you would have developed 16 healthy habits! Isn't that just an awesome idea! What a positive way to start the New Year!

This week's habit is WATER!!! It's so good for the body but also such a CHALLENGE for a lot of us!

Sooooo... will keep my new 1 L Sigg bottle that my sister gave me for Xmas beside my bed overnight and as soon as I wake up I'll be downing 1 L of room temperature water. =) So there's my habit challenge this week. =) Yay!

Thanks, Escape from Obesity, for coming up with the idea!

Wow... holidays overload!!!

I love the holidays mainly because I get to see family and very close friends!

This holidays was sweet because I got to spend so much time with those I love. I enjoyed my time with my nephews who are all growing up sooo fast! It was nice to spend time with siblings and parents. =)

I wanted to spend more time out and about but it was way TOOOOOOO COLD! lol.

However, there were way TOO MUCH food and unhealthy eating! Oh my body told me clearly that it wasn't happy with me!!!

As much as I enjoyed being with family and having yummy food... I am very much looking forward to some peace and get into routine again. And to eat some healthy fresh fruits and veggies! My body is STARVING!!! lol