SNOW DAY!!!

"There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind." - C.S. Lewis

Today is a snow day for me.  The snow is not deep, but the roads are incredibly dangerous; therefore, my man all but ordered me to call in to work.  He truly does love and protect me.  There have been at least three car accidents within two miles of my house this morning alone.  

I am safe and warm, though.  My morning coffee sits beside me in my adorable owl mug that was given to me for my birthday by my son and his sweet wife.  Buck, our chocolate lab is curled up on the sofa near me, snoozing.  Ellie Mae, my feisty mini Schnauzer, just abandoned her perch near the front window to snuggle in beside me for her morning nap.  It is a good day!

Today is the last day of 2014.  As I sit in the silence of my home, I reflect on all that the Lord has done over the past 365 days.  This has certainly been a blessed and amazing year! 

In February, Todd underwent surgery to clean out his sinuses and correct a severely deviated septum.  The details are pretty gross, so I will just say that the surgery not only helped him to breathe better than he ever had, but it ridded him of a horrific smell he referred to as "a dead bird" in his nose.  We all took bets on what type of bird the doctor would remove.  As it turned out, there was no bird, but it was definitely full of something "fowl."  Haha! I'm so punny!

Todd built the most adorable building in the spring to house "Fox & Hound Hair Studio." Our daughter, Emily, opened the doors to the salon in the Spring and has been super busy since.  She also moved into a sweet little two bedroom house in town, and has decided to finish her prerequisites for nursing school in the spring.  

Eric and Caitlin, our son and daughter-in-law, own the fitness center in town, as well as "Pork Choppers," a helicopter hog hunting business that outfits aerial hog and varmint hunts.  Feral hogs are a real problem to farmers and ranchers in most of the U.S.  This service is helpful in keeping their population under a little better control, and gives the client an unique hunting experience.  (Maybe Eric should hire me to write some of his ads.)  Todd and I are very proud of our young entrepreneurs and their success!

Not all blessings are pleasant or easy to receive, as we all experienced in May.  Todd and his siblings had to say "Farewell for now" to their sweet Momma on Mother's Day.  Her long, heartbreaking battle with Alzheimer's finally ended, and she was made whole again.  We all marveled at how her son, Bobby, was probably the first one to greet her as she entered Heaven, swooping her into his arms and giving her the best Mother's Day gift ever.

The circle of life continued as two precious babies made their ways into our lives and our hearts this past year.  Dylan Reece Shaver made her appearance on April 22 to my nephew, Zach, and his wife, Hanna.  Then on October 25, Reese Andrew Shaver was born to my other nephew, Andy, and his wife, Jessy.  It has been 16 years since we had babies in our family, so this has been a double blessing!  My sister, Michelle, is the happiest I have ever seen her with these littles in her life!

Each of us had birthdays this year.  We are thankful for that.  Caitlin and Emily turned 25. Eric just turned 28 yesterday. I celebrated the 19th anniversary of my 29th birthday, and Todd hit the BIG 5-0!!!  Todd's birthday gift was to drive a NASCAR race car, which he did in November!  He had his very own fan club in tow, with the kids and me, along with our friends, Randy and Brandy Huckabee.  It was a wonderful day!

Of course, there were also the HUGE blessings of my fabulous new job and the surgery that has forever changed my life.  I truly feel that God has blessed me WAY beyond what I deserve!  Then again, I'm so glad He doesn't give me what I really deserve.

That is 2014 in a very small nutshell.  Now, as I sit here reminiscing on the things we are leaving behind, excitement begins to well up within my spirit as I contemplate what is in store for us in 2015! If C.S. Lewis was right, I can't even imagine what awesomeness awaits us as we step into the New Year!

Thank you for sharing this past year with me!  May God richly bless you and yours in the year to come!

200 In My Rear-View Mirror

As I look back on my last post, I find it hard to believe that over one month has passed since I posted anything.  One month, a family Thanksgiving celebration, Todd's back going out, injections in various joints for both of us, and preparing for Christmas are behind us now, and the Christmas season is staring us in the face.  Where does the time go?  And how does a holiday that has been scheduled for the same date each and every year for centuries "sneak up on us?"  Those are million dollar questions that may never be answered.

After surviving my "great and terrible fall" on November 20, 2014, I thought it would be a good idea to join the health club at work.  Some of the gals I work with are members and go work out during their lunch break, so I could join them.  I had a little trouble with my knee swelling about a week after the great and terrible fall, though, which slowed me down a little and led to a visit to the orthopedist's office. There, 1/4 of a cup of fluid was drained off my knee, and a steroid was injected.  The details that followed are really boring and irrelevant, but suffice it to say there has since been a MRI, a lovely hinged knee brace that matches all my outfits (NOT), and physical therapy that began today.

When I joined the health club, I decided that a few sessions with a personal trainer would benefit me. I dodged his phone calls for a couple of weeks, partially because I knew it wouldn't do me any good to go with my bum knee...and partially out of sheer fear!  There are a couple of things this gal does not enjoy.  One is sweating. The other is pain.  On top of that, my extreme lack of athleticism is a tiny source of an often crippling lack of confidence.  But, by golly, I paid for those sessions, so I decided it was time to suck it up, buttercup! Finally, I answered his phone call.

I met with my trainer, Richard, for the first time last week.  Really nice young man who wasn't at all the intimidating drill sergeant I had imagined.  During the first session, I think he was just trying to figure out what he had to work with.  I'm sure I impressed him as I demonstrated my brute strength.  I was able to perform the three sets of ten in each of the upper body exercises he prescribed at a whopping 7 POUNDS!  Heck! I almost impressed myself!

Before the workout, he measured and weighed me, establishing a baseline.  As the scales stopped at 201 pounds, I gasped.  He attempted to comfort me, reminding me the number would change.  I said, "You don't understand.  On October 29, I weighed 231 pounds.  I've lost 30 pounds!"  It was so exciting!!!  In addition to the pounds lost, I lost an inch in my upper arm, 4 inches in my waist, and 5.5 inches in my hips!!!  Whoot! Whoot!

I had a more intense training session today.  My heart was pumping! I broke a sweat (and didn't die!) I could feel the burn...and LIKED it!  He had me slamming a medicine ball into the floor, swinging a giant rope, trying to walk with my feet in a giant rubber band, and doing some more upper body stuff, this time against my own body weight (slightly more than 7 pounds).  It was invigorating!!!  I can't wait to go back!  After we were done, it was time to weigh...

When I was recovering from the surgery, my first landmark mini goal was to be below 200 pounds before Christmas.  Knowing how my weight tends to fluctuate with water retention, etc., I truly never expected what I saw when the scale stopped calculating.  It read "199." 199 POUNDS!!! Not only did I achieve that landmark goal, I am now on the other side of 200 for the first time in FOREVER!!!  I keep pinching myself to see if this is all a dream, but THIS IS REAL LIFE!!!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, our little family's traditional evening of celebrating together with a meal and the opening of gifts.  It is also a time to reflect on the blessings and trials of the past year and begin to look forward to the new year.  As you observe this holiday season, may your home overflow with joy.  May you have at least one good belly laugh.  May your heart be filled with gladness and thanksgiving as you realize the blessings you have received.  And most importantly, may you remember that precious, perfect baby King that was born in a lowly stable to save all mankind.  Merry Christmas and God Bless You!

No More Traipsing - Just Straight Up Trippin'!

Oh, how lovely it was - my time of traipsing through lush meadows!  I have moved on to the level of tripping over hard sidewalks.  Now, granted, God's favor still shines upon me!  I am still and always will be His precious daughter, Child of the King.  I am not, however, his most graceful child.  This is a fact I have never disputed, and have, in fact, embraced.

One of my coworkers had a wonderful idea this afternoon!  "Let's go for a walk outside," she said.  "I'm in," I replied, slipping on my sneakers I had stashed in my closet for just this moment. Another colleague of ours joined us, and off we went - to walk the "Hendrick Trail."  It was a lovely afternoon - sun shining, birds chirping, women chatting.  I even noticed that I wasn't as out of breath as usual and could carry on a conversation while we walked! Progress!

Now, it just so happened that I was wearing a maxi skirt (which looked smashing with my hot pink tennies).  About halfway around the trail, I took note of the thousands of freshly fallen acorns on the sidewalk, which reminded me of a hilarious time when I twisted my ankle on one of those pesky little rascals outside the mall, ripping Todd's belt loop as I fell (I had my finger looped in it while we walked), and did a complete 180 as I fell, only to land in a King Tut position on the ground.  Seriously - straight as a board, arms crossed across my chest in an "X."  It struck me as funny today because I was wearing that very same skirt on the day of the acorn attack.  I giggled as I told my friends about the incident, pointing out the skirt and telling them how notorious I am for falling.

We continued to walk until we rounded the third corner of the trail, and one of the girls had to step into a doctor's office to pick up a prescription.  She told the other two of us to go ahead, and she would meet up with us.  So, we continued to walk.  We made it about 15 feet before the earth rumbled, the sidewalk split, and I was thrown to my face!  Maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but I tripped over a raised piece of that sidewalk and down I went!  It was one of those really ugly falls, too!  The kind where there is no way you are gonna recover, you just have to try to minimize the damage.  I caught myself first with both palms, but then I did some weird version of that dance called "the worm," scrubbing the sidewalk with my left brow and left shoulder…and then it was finally over.

I'm sure it was a sight to behold!  My friend, Kara, told me it was like I was falling in slow motion.  I felt like it would never end!  I'm sure there was skirt flying everywhere, and I feel certain my butt showed at some point.  Thankfully, I was wearing thick tights.  After I finally collected myself, Kara began to help me to my feet, and this sweet little man hobbled from across the street at a doctor's office to try to help.  Miraculously, my glasses were fine, no clothing was torn, none of my jewelry was harmed, and I did not pee my pants!  (See! God's favor…)  I did, however, end up with a nice knot and little gash beside my left eyebrow, a bruised and swollen left shoulder, sore hands, swollen left knee, stiffness all over, and a slightly bruised ego.  My biggest fear was that something internally may have been damaged after my surgery, but I think I'm ok.  There is a reason my parents did not consider "Grace" as my middle name.  But thankfully, God is grace, and He extends it to me freely!

We all walked back to the hospital together, unanimously deciding that black skirt has to go!  We had a really good belly laugh over the incident, and the others were already devising safety plans for our next walk.  As my director and I were filling out the forms to report the accident, one of the questions on hers asked something like, "Has the employee received any training on how to perform this task safely?"  Obviously NOT!  Maybe I need to attend Walking 101.  Nah!  I'll just keep things interesting!

I'm still enjoying the lush meadows!  I'm just learning to watch where I'm traipsing!

TTFN!

Word of the day: Surgiversary (you're welcome!)

Tomorrow will mark my three-week surgiversary (anniversary of my surgery).  On Monday, November 12, I saw my surgeon for my post-op visit, and he was very encouraging!  I had lost 15.5 pounds in the 12 days since surgery, and everything is healing beautifully.  Another week has passed, and I have no idea how much more I have lost because I asked Todd to confiscate and hide my bathroom scales.  I was becoming a little obsessed.  I do, however, plan to weigh tomorrow.  I just don't want to be all about the numbers on the scale.  My dress slacks that were snug on me in mid-October are hanging all over me, making me look like I pooped my Depends!  HAHA!  For the record… I DO NOT wear Depends!  At least not yet!

Soft food has been introduced into my diet.  My chickens are laying eggs again, and thankfully their precious little treasures are one of the foods I have been craving.  Of course, since I can eat less than one egg at a meal, I'm not even making a dent in them!  It's interesting that the only things I have really craved are eggs, cheese, and most recently green beans.  My son, Eric, made a great point in saying that these cravings are my body telling me what macronutrients it needs.  He's so smart! Whatever you do, though, do not tell him I said that!  His head will get so big he won't be able to come through my door!

I did cheat a little tonight, I must confess.  I was told not to take a tub bath until 4 weeks postop, but I just HAD to take a bath tonight.  It is so hard to get a good shave on your legs in the shower, and nothing feels better at the end of the day than a long, hot, soaking bath!  I will return to the showers tomorrow for another week, though.  Rebellion over.

Things are getting a little easier, with the exception of getting enough protein in daily.  I thought adding food would make it easier, but it muddied the water a little.  When I was on liquids, my primary source of nourishment was the protein shakes.  Now that I can eat food, I get protein through it, but only in small portions.  We are taught not to drink immediately before, during, or for 30 minutes after a meal (which takes about 20 minutes to eat), and it takes me about 30-45 minutes to drink a protein shake.  PLUS, I still have to make sure to get my water in.  I'll just say, I don't think I've been 100% yet, but I'm working on it.

Progress is being made!  Things are moving forward!  Now I'm off to bed!
Blessings!

Traipsing Through Lush Meadows

This post is, quite frankly, exactly one week late.  When I began writing it a week ago, I developed a bad case of writer's block.  I wasn't crazy about the way the post started, couldn't find a way to salvage it, so I deleted it.  Every time I tried to revive it, I hit a brick wall.  I refuse to let this particular post remain silent, though, because it is one of praise, thanksgiving, and glory to God!

I've always thought of myself as an optimist, seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.  I'm the girl with the half-full glass, the one who tries to find the bright side of everything, and is sometimes fooled by people who don't live up to my Pollyanna opinion of them.  It seems that I can always give a person the benefit of the doubt…except when that person is me.

At the risk of sounding falsely humble or, God forbid, a self-pitying martyr, something many people do not know about me is that I do not often see myself in a positive light.  I am my own worst critic and often, enemy.  While I realize a negative self-image is unhealthy, I also recognize it as the enemy's greatest weapon against me.  If he can make me believe that I am worthless, I am of little or no use to the Kingdom of God, right? Right!

This brings me to the amazing way in which my Poppa God spoke to me last week.  He blessed me with the most amazing new job which I started in October, just a couple of weeks before my surgery.  My family, church family, and friends all prayed over this fervently for weeks, asking God to ONLY allow me to have it if it was completely within His will.  Just about the time I was ready to just give up because the answer was still not being revealed, I prayed a simple prayer in my car as I was ready to drive off from my shift on the hospice unit.  I held both hands out in front of me, cupped together like a child waiting to be given a gift by her daddy, and prayed, "I'm coming to You, Lord, with my hands open, palms up, waiting on the wonderful gifts You desire to give me." I cried.  I repeated the prayer. Over. And. Over.  Tears streaming down my face.  I wasn't begging.  I was just declaring to the Lord that I know He longs to bless His children, yet we are too often so busy trying to live life according to our own wills and under our own power that we miss the amazing blessings He had for us.

The very next day, after weeks of uncertainty, I received a phone call offering me the position for which I had earnestly and ceaselessly prayed.  Which brings us to the reason for this particular post.  I was sitting in my office (which feels just like home, btw), thinking about all the fabulous things that have happened in my life over the past couple of months; GREAT things!  Among the top ten are, of course, my surgery and my job as Nurse Recruitment and Retention Officer (sounds pretty darn official, huh?)  I am still in such awe over all this amazing stuff happening to ME!  This sort of thing just doesn't happen to someone like me!  That stinkin' thinkin' just crept back in. Did you see it?

I have a devotional on my phone that sends me a message each morning to remind me that it's time for my devotional.  It's a really great devo, and it even has the Scripture to go along with the readings.  Jesus really was showing off the next morning because my devotional answered to those negative thoughts of being undeserving in a very LOUD voice.  He told me through the beautiful writings of Jesus Calling by Sarah Young that I am living in a time of abundance.  The November 12 entry says I am "traipsing through lush meadows" after a season of trudging through difficult times.  Providing times of blessing for His children is God's delight!  It goes on to say that we often have feelings of false guilt because we don't believe we deserve such rich blessings. BINGO!  It is amazing how God speaks so clearly to us in times like this!  How could I think that the God who sacrificed His only Son to save a sinner like me would not delight in giving me gifts like a fantastic new position and a fresh start on my health?  Those gifts pale in comparison to that ultimate gift of salvation!

As I traipse through these lush meadows, I am learning to receive and enjoy the wonderful blessings God is pouring out on me.  I really don't deserve any of this, but I can tell you one thing - I'm certainly glad He doesn't give me what I do deserve.

Blessings!

Romans 8:32 "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

John 3:16  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Almost HuUuuuuUmP Day!

Day 10 postop…
WHAT!?!  I've almost made it over the hump!  My days of strictly drinking my meals are almost behind me!  I'm not gonna lie, though, I haven't even really cared.  There is always a rumbly in my tumbly (Pooh-ism), and I'm never sure if it's hunger, thirst, or just plain old gas.  I can tell, however, when it's time for a protein shake because I feel like a battery-operated toy running out of juice.  Of course, the hour it takes me to drink a protein drink is a little annoying, BUT I have been able to get almost all of my protein in over the past two days, plus all my recommended water and my vitamins and minerals!  Yay!!!  I'll take a victory, no matter the size!

It has been so inspirational to hear from some of you who read and appreciate my ramblings!  Just yesterday, a sweet friend stopped by my office and offered me such encouragement!  Her first words were, "You're already getting thinner!"  This journey, like so many of its kind, is so much nicer with friends to encourage and lift you up!  Thanks, Brianna Sam!  And then there was the phone call from our precious pastor's wife, and the daily words of encouragement from Todd and my kids, friends, and family…you just cannot put a value on having a great support system. I am blessed way beyond what I deserve in that area!

On a different note, we (being Todd, me, and our kiddos) all went to have our photos taken for our church directory.  It was pretty fun, and the guy did a great job.  He was very friendly, professional, and the photos were ok.  It's just so funny how portraiture has evolved so much over the past few decades.  There was a time when folks didn't feel they had a good family photo unless it had the name of a studio scrawled across the bottom right-hand corner.  You know, standard backdrops, unnatural poses, weird lighting.

When I first began taking photos for the public, my goal was to capture the actual personality of the subject.  Of course, it took me a bit to get away from the "studio" setting and out into the world around us, but those photos allow the subjects to truly relax and be more natural.  "Lifestyle photography" is the term used.  I haven't done this in such a long time because I felt I didn't have ample time for it, but I really had a knack for it, and I miss it.  I'm thinking I will ease back into it.  Maybe not so much commercially, but a dream of mine has always been to capture the inner beauty of people in my life.  I love natural lighting and heavily contrasted black and white photos.

Both of my kids have inherited their momma's love for the camera.  Eric loves to shoot outdoors shots in RAW, and his photos have a grunge, rugged feel.  Of course, he has the helicopter hog hunting business, Pork Choppers, and takes great shots for his clients as memorabilia.  Emily, like me, is more of a lifestyle photographer, capturing her subjects at special events such as weddings, births, etc.  Both of them are extremely talented, self-taught, and make their momma very proud.

Anyway, the name of my blog is "Missylaneous Me" for a reason.  I am very sporadic and have MANY interests!  I just felt I should write a little about that.  I am still relatively new to this blogging world, but plan to continuously tweak the blog to include tabs for my missylaneous interests.  Thanks for reading and giving me a place to share! Be prepared for my next post because Todd is going to drive a race car at Texas Motor Speedway tomorrow!  I'm sure there will be a LOT to write about!

Blessings!

Trial and Error

Day 7 postop…
It's so hard to believe that it's been a whole week since my surgery!  I enthusiastically returned to work today, and was very glad to be back.  I left the house feeling pretty darn good, and looking pretty good, too. LOL!  I made one major wardrobe mistake, though!  Those pants that I mentioned in my last post, Out With the New& In With the Old… Yup.  I wore 'em.  They felt okay until, oh, about 8:30…a.m. I finally had to close my office door and unbutton those suckers.  My tummy is still pretty tender as I mentioned, and that was way too much pressure on it!  So I tried it, saw the error, and will wait until this belly has healed a little more!

There have been three major challenges nutritionally with this new stomach of mine: getting 84 grams of protein per day, drinking 64 ounces of water daily, and taking approximately 16 vitamin and mineral supplements per day. PLUS, you cannot take your calcium within 2 hours of the multivitamin because of the iron in them.  It's a juggling act.  I was so excited this morning, though, because I had consumed 26 Gm of protein in my breakfast shake in the 50 minute commute to work.  I had packed a pre-made protein drink by Naked® that had 30 grams for lunch, believing I was actually going to get my protein in today.  Unfortunately, about halfway through it, I started feeling pretty yucky.  I slowed down thinking I was drinking it too fast, but didn't get any relief.  Then, a light bulb came on!  Even though that drink was all natural with no added sugar, it was FULL of fruit juices, which contain natural sugar, which is a No-No.  Oops!  Gotta learn to read those labels!

Anyway, as with anything new, my banana-shaped stomach will require some getting used to.  I know it will get easier as it heals, and as I relearn how to eat.  Each day gets better, though, and brings me one day closer to being allowed to eat soft foods.  I've been craving eggs and cheese, which is a good thing since my chickens are finally laying again!  I'd better hush.  My mouth is watering!

So, stretchy pants tomorrow and NO fruit juice!
Blessings!