Being Wong Has Never Felt So Right

Nathaniel Kee Wong

2014-10-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

And on March 7, 2014 at 5:39pm Nathaniel Kee Wong came into the world.
My mom, sister, and brother had come down Thursday afternoon so they could be here to meet Nathaniel (who at the time still did not have a name). It was planned for me to be at the hospital early Friday morning to be induced. But Nathaniel had other plans. :)
We went out to dinner that Thursday night at Cheddars with my family. While at dinner I started noticing my contractions were getting a bit closer but still not close enough to warrant heading to the hospital. I began to wonder if I could make it until Friday morning. We finished up dinner and headed back to the house. At around 11pm everyone crawled into bed for the night. And an hour later, I was waking everyone up! Nathaniel had decided it was time. We called the hospital and and my doctor called me as we were leaving, "I knew it. I knew you would come in before the morning." He had been saying that all week. Haha!
They got me into a room and hooked up to all the monitors. But contractions and pain were minimal so we monitored baby until later that morning when the doctor came in and broke my water. Then it was time for the epidural. I was worried it wouldn't take because of the scoliosis. The anesthesiologist got it in without any problems but the first medicine wasn't helping completely, so they injected another medicine into the epidural line and that one seemed to do the trick. But by the time Nathaniel was finally on his way, the meds were wearing off and baby was too close to get more meds! Yikes.
I ended up having to get an episiotomy because all my pushing just wasn't doing the trick.

This picture was taken just 5 days prior to his due date.

Nathaniel Kee Wong 6lbs 3oz, 18.5in long

Mom and dad holding our precious baby boy.

We're home!
We were at the hospital early Friday morning and returned home Sunday evening, on March 9, 2014.

Let me apologize on the lateness of this post. Here it is 7 months later and our little man is sitting up and saying "dada!"

Ta-da!! He is the best baby ever! He's eating pureed foods, he's tasted chicken, loves tortillas and breadsticks, he army crawls in circles, can roll from belly to back, and is just now sleeping in his own room! Hard to believe that in 5 short months he'll be 1 year old!

Now he's around 17lbs and 26in long! He's growing too fast!

Here's a comparison collage to catch everyone up:

I Don't Think you Understand...

2014-03-06T11:32:00.002-08:00

...nearly two years ago, we had a miscarriage. Tomorrow we get to meet our second child, our blessed baby boy. And we know our life is never going to be the same. We know we'll have sleepless nights, our social life will be non existent, our house will be messy... "and remember, you wanted this..." Yes. We've longed for this. What you don't understand is that we've been waiting for this for 2 years. We can't wait to hear the cries in the middle of the night, I can't wait to nurse my son in his rocking chair at 1:45am when the rest of the world is quiet, we can't wait to change diapers, to hold our baby in our arms and know he is safe and comfort him and hear him coo. We can't wait for our life to change. This "change" was taken from us two years ago and we've longed for it ever since.

So if I tell you, here in my third trimester, that I'm tired, that I'm so ready to feel normal again, don't tell me we'll never sleep again, don't tell me our life will never be the same; we are beyond blessed and so ready to start on a new path and welcome our baby boy. We know our lives are about to change and we've been looking forward to it, to our son in our arms for 2 years.

Miscarriage is a horrible thing and unless you've had one or even tried for years to conceive, you can't know just how anticipated those sleepless nights are. We are excited to welcome our first born into the world tomorrow and can't wait for you to meet him.

"Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

And he is our promise from God. Our good work that he created in me that will come to completion on his birthday, March 7, 2014 and live to glorify God. For we will praise God for he has done wonderful things, things planned long ago - and we can't wait to see that plan unfold. :)

Our Little Blessing

The sorrow may last through the night, but JOY comes in the morning!

2013-10-16T09:24:00.001-07:00

On October 15th we lit our candle for our precious Olive baby. We lost her at 8 weeks and 2 days on September 17th, 2012. Our first doctor told us on September 11th (my grandmother's birthday) that she was gone and refused to give us a second set of blood work so we could know ourselves for sure.
Our second and current doctor granted us the blood work we wanted and confirmed our worst nightmare on my birthday, Sept. 17th. Worst month of my life.
This September 2013, we mourned, but we also celebrated. On National Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Day, we lit Olive's candle. We prayed for Olive, we prayed for all the other babies and children taken too soon and their parents. We cried. But we also CELEBRATED.
Though the sorrow may last through the night, the JOY always comes in the morning. And might I also suggest that JOY comes in the MOURNING. We mourned the loss of our first child. We had great friends who helped us through that time and JOY came from the mourning. I find great JOY in my friendships that have formed as a result. I find great JOY in the bond that our loss formed in my husband and I. And though I would never wish to go through a miscarriage again or even relive Olive's pregnancy, we walked through something that made us stronger. We formed lasting friendships with other couples, we have a story... a testimony to tell of God's great LOVE. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have Olive in my arms right now, but I can't know GOD'S PLAN. I do trust that He has one and that He knows what is best for my husband and I.

Fast forward to the MORNING. Here we are at 1+ years later and 23 weeks pregnant with Olive's sibling. The sorrow may last through the night, the JOY always comes in the morning. We are thrilled but at the same time anxious. Though I've heard so many say that at least you know in your womb your child is safe, but I feel just the opposite. As much as I can try to eat well and do the right things, I feel I have no control over what goes on in my own body. I CAN'T WAIT to see my son and hold him in my arms and know without a doubt that he is safe and that when he cries, I can COMFORT him.

At this point in the pregnancy, I'm beginning to feel our baby move and kick and stretch... With every movement I fall more and more in LOVE. The days that he is very active, I'm head over heels. The days he spends napping, I'm most anxious and every kick is a reassuring SMILE. I love his movements, I love reading about each week and what that week means for my baby. This week he's the size of a pomegranate. I love pomegranates. Best fruit ever. I'll probably go to the grocery store and hold one to my belly this week. The brilliant red color and perfect shape of the pomegranate is beautiful to me. How much more BEAUTIFUL is the miracle of a child from week 1 to week 39? Through the rough 1st trimester, the blessed 2nd trimester, and the weary 3rd trimester, the JOY certainly comes in the MORNING.

And yes, our baby is a bouncing baby boy! We found out at 19 weeks. And I had a gender reveal in my office.

The promises of God

2013-08-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

And we begin with Philippians 1:6: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

This verse came to me 2 days after God gave me a song. I was sitting on my bed watching Dr. Who (of all things) and decided to get up for a snack. That's when the song came.
Micky and I were patiently waiting to see if we had gotten pregnant. It had been 7 months of trying and on July 6th God gave me a song and I felt on that night and this was it. God touched my heart and I knew. I shared this with Micky and he felt it too. I wasn't even thinking of testing because I still had to wait another week before I could test and be sure. But the next night, as I walked through the bathroom, I felt God again...'Shellie, go test.' And so I did...

It was the next morning when I got to work and checked my work email. I get a daily Bible verse and that day's verse was Philippians 1:6. I claimed that verse for this baby, this pregnancy. I love how we can do that, claim a verse for a particular trial or time in our life. God's word is unchanging and forever. His word is truth and the good work that has begun in me, it will come to completion. We will have a baby and this baby has already been given to God. We give thanks every day for this wonderful, healthy life growing inside me. We've heard the heartbeat 4 times. It is a miraculous sound. A wonderful sound. A sound God knew we needed to hear that very first appointment at 7 weeks. A song to our ears. So strong and beautiful.

And now, here we are at 10 weeks and our baby is doing flip flops! I love this child so much. So very much.

I still find myself worrying every now and again, but I just have to hold on to Philippians. To hold on to my faith in our Creator who is doing a wonderful thing inside me.
We ask for your prayers as our baby continues to grow and develop. That he or she will be strong and healthy, and be a man or woman after God's own heart.
If you're pregnant or know of someone who is pregnant, I would recommend the book, Praying Through your Pregnancy. What a blessing it has been to read about baby's development but to also find prayers to pray over your baby as he/she grows.
God's miracles never cease to amaze me.

So Fresh and So Clean, Clean...

2013-06-13T14:56:00.001-07:00

...so this post is about a new product I'm using on my face. It's an all natural face wash/scrub and I thought it would be fun to post about any results I see. I hope you enjoy it!

Before I let you read about that, let me preface by saying Wednesday's angst has worn off... for now.
I'm always doing quite well the rest of the time and do quite enjoy my husband and our "practice" time, but it's always the day I realize we are, yet again, not pregnant that takes it's toll on me.. My hope is that this blog will reach others walking through the same journey.

And now without further ado.. EffOff. :)
So a few weeks ago a friend of mine posted a facebook profile pic and there were several comments about how great her skin looked. She replied by telling us about EffOff Body Care; all the products are made from completely natural ingredients and feel much better compared to using numerous chemicals for acne, dry skin, oily skin, or whatever else might be ailing your skin. I ordered a trial pack and received it on May 22nd and have used the stuff daily. I use it at night before going to bed and in the morning I use it before makeup. It can be used as a wash, a scrub, or a mask and to do this requires more or less water depending on what you want to do. The scrub and mask requires less water and the wash, a little more water.

I thought it would be fun to detail my experience and share with you the results. I'm excited to find out what differences will be noticeable after a month or two. I have already had one comment on how smooth my skin looks. I mean, I'm not getting any younger... yes, I know I still look like I'm in my 20's... I'm not.

Here are some pictures showing how I've used it and any results that may be visible in the 20 or so days that I have been using it.

After just a few days (with makeup): (had a major breakout)

Without makeup (is this brave or what?):

With EffOff:

Spot treatment: Looks like I'm diseased!

And here's me after 18 days:

(Oddly enough, I think my makeup looks better since I've been using EffOff!)

So far, I'm really enjoying using a more natural approach on my skin. It feels great to not be using so many chemicals, acne cream, oil control moisturizer, etc. I'm really hoping to see a difference in how smooth my skin looks and a reduction in break-outs. I have definitely seen an improvement as far as oil goes. I have the t-zone and have noticed a huge improvement in the amount of oil my skin produces. The oil is still there as a natural process, your skin needs oil, but it's not over producing trying to compensate for what I'm washing away with chemicals. The amount of oil that I'm seeing now is enough to give my skin a natural glow. And that's what everyone wants right? Anyway, I will keep y'all updated as to what improvements I'm seeing and if anyone else is noticing as well.

Thanks for following!

And finally... EffOff duck face! (I hate duck face! Seriously, you don't look good making duck face.)

To be continued...

Really?

2013-06-12T07:11:00.001-07:00

Can I just be utterly real for a minute? Completely real and raw and angry.

Infertility SUCKS.

And if I told you how I really felt, this blog would get an R rating.

I really just feel like throwing something right now. Like screaming and throwing something.

And I can NOT EVEN imagine how those of you feel whom doctors have told you'll never be pregnant.

My heart goes out to you. My prayers, my emotions, my very being reaches out to you. Know that I am thinking of you and praying for you every day.

Because this sucks.

Yet another period has come and I truly thought that this time would be it. I was even feeling nauseas. But I guess I can chalk that up to not taking my vitamins with food. UGH!!

I mean, come on! Though, I guess I can't really be mad.

My prayers as of late have been that God would make me strong, would keep me healthy, keep my womb healthy and for any baby that is made there he/she would be healthly and strong. So one of those things must not be where it needs to be. Or God's timing for our baby just isn't yet. But when? Why was Olive allowed to touch our lives, only to be taken away? When is that time? Why that time and not last time?

I'm angry. But not that Olive was taken away. I'm angry because we STILL aren't pregnant. We still aren't pregnant after being given our precious Olive for 8 weeks.

And yet, in my heart and my mind I know God has his plans and I know his plans are perfect but man, this is hard.

God, give me strength, help me to not be cynical and hardened. Father this next baby... this baby we are praying for and longing for, we know he/she is not ours, but yours. We pray for your timing and we give our baby to you, to be a follower of you, to be great in you, to do great things in you, to do your will and that means your time, in your way. Help us to hold on to that. To be strong and KNOW that you are near and that you have our best interests at heart... The waiting is hard, Lord. Help is to wait in you, to wait and know that you are God. Be still and know that you are God.

Motivation has returned...

2013-06-04T12:01:00.002-07:00

One year ago in May we first started trying to get pregnant. 10.5 months since we lost our first baby. And it's taken that long for me to get my motivation back.

Motivation to work in my garden, motivation to do normal household chores, to do anything I once enjoyed. Even the motivation to read is coming back, although, admittedly,that was lost when I graduated college.
I can't believe it's taken this long.
My garden is looking great, though I do still have some weeding to do and a flower needs relocating. Micky and I want to do so much to the yard and to the house, but it's time and money we don't have right now.
But I think it'll happen slowly and surely...

Mother's Day... and small victories.

2013-04-26T21:40:00.001-07:00

Who knew choosing a Mother's Day card could be so difficult...
Started out glancing through them, but with each one I picked up, trying to find the perfect one for my own mother, the tears just started coming.
It hurt. It physically hurt. I could feel the hole in my heart and... it..hurt.
So there I was, right by the front door of the store, tears in my eyes... I had to walk away. People just walking in and I'm sure the cashier probably thought I was crazy.
I went about my business and left as soon as I could.

When I got to my car the tears were still there, but the flood didn't start until I pulled into my own driveway. I felt an emptiness, I felt it all the way home... Hollow and alone. I sat in my car for a good 10 minutes and cried. Because I didn't know what else to do, I cried.
I asked God to hold me, I longed for my grandmother because I knew she would understand.

God, hold me. Keep me. Help me to know your plan. To accept your plan.
Because I'm lost. I don't know what to do, what to feel... Is what I am feeling, well founded?
Three people I know are pregnant and weren't even trying. Are my thoughts well founded when I ask, "why them, and not me?"

In the time since the miscarriage, I've learned of a lot of friends and family who have had miscarriages. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but I am realizing how common it actually is. Of my close circle of friends from college, 4 of the 5 whom have gotten married have had children. Each of them carried to term and had healthy pregnancies. So when I became pregnant, though I knew of the fears, I hadn't given thought to what might happen.

So WHEN it happens again, my husband corrects me constantly that it's "when" and not "if" we get pregnant again, there will be fears... many more than before, but I'm learning through all this that I must put it in God's hands. I must give this to God. I must give my fears, my anger, my sadness, my questions, my feelings, and especially my future to God. I must learn to (as cliche as it sounds) let go and let God.

I feel myself growing through this, I feel us growing through this and my hope is that sooner, rather than later we'll have good news. But of course, it's all in God's time.

I updated Olive's memorial shelf today and I thought I'd share the difference. Today, I threw away flowers that had been given to me after the miscarriage. I had dried them and carefully and lovingly put them back in the vase they had come in and placed them on the shelf with Olive's sonogram and memory box.
As small a gesture it may seem, it's a huge step for me. I'm letting go a little bit at a time and it feels good. I love that Olive is a part of our house. You can't come in and not see her. She's a part of us that I don't want to keep hidden. Which, I guess is another reason I'm writing this blog. Most of you who know me, know that I love to write. It's how I deal with life. So here it is; while I try to put my life back together and get our house in order, I'd like to share our story. Thank you for reading and following along but more than anything, thank you for the prayers.

I Could Not Ask for More

2013-04-22T15:51:00.001-07:00

Now, I've heard this song before, in fact it's one of the songs my husband and I shared with each other during our long distance dating stage.

But this evening when it came up in my iTunes playlist, I couldn't help but think of our next baby. I know that when we are blessed with a tiny bundle of joy my favorite past time will be lying with my baby, watching him/her sleep, watching for the smile I know will melt my heart...
My baby, my love you're all I'm waiting for, you're my prayer, you're my dream and I'll be right here waiting for you. Right where I'm meant to be, in God's time we'll see each other, we'll be right where we're meant to be.

Praying for you, baby, whenever you are.

#BiologicalClockIsTicking

I Could Not Ask for More
(Sara Evans)

Lying here with you
Listening to the rain
Smiling just to see the smile upon your face
These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I've found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

Looking in your eyes
Seeing all I need
Everything you are is everything in me
These are the moments
I know heaven must exist
These are the moments
I know all I need is this
I've found all I've waited for, yeah
And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
And every prayer has been answered
Every dream I've had's come true
Yeah, right here in this moment
Is right where I'm meant to be
Here with you here with me
Yeah

These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I've found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
And every prayer has been answered
Every dream I've had's come true
Yeah, right here in this moment
Is right where I'm meant to be
Oh, here with you here with me
No, I could not ask for more
Than this love you gave me
Cause it's all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more
No, yeah
No, I could not ask for more

This is The Story of Emersyn Olivia

2013-03-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

She was just a sparkle in her parent's eyes. She was joy, she was excitement, she would be their first child. They were on their way to starting a family, and though the reality had not quite set in, excitement grew as Olive grew inside her mother's belly. The morning sickness was tolerable, the many trips to the bathroom, even the occasional smell that turned her stomach; it would all be worth it. Though it would be gone soon, the 12 week mark was quickly approaching.
But Olivia's mom hadn't yet been to her first prenatal appointment; the first would be at 8 weeks. There were still so many questions and fears racing through her mind. Olive was their first child and she didn't know what was safe to eat or what activities she could participate in. She was constantly checking the internet for safe foods, what kind of cheese could she eat, what salad dressings have raw eggs... She worried like any first time mother would. And as her friend Amy would tell her, this would be only the beginning.
Olive was a nickname they had given her because at 8 weeks, she was the size of a green olive. Her mom was excited, yet nervous as the day had come for her first prenatal appointment. Going to the doctor always made her nervous but this time was different. This time it wasn't just about her. This time she would hear her baby's heartbeat.

Except she didn't. Even after a second ultrasound. The doctor insisted her baby was gone, but she couldn't believe it. She had found friends on an April Baby's forum who hadn't heard heartbeats until 12 weeks. Baby Olive could be turned around, there could be so many simple things keeping the heartbeat from being heard. But the doctor persisted and recommended a d&c the next week. She wouldn't even give her the blood tests to confirm. But Olive's mom knew better. She wouldn't just take the doctor's word for it, she wanted the blood tests, she wanted to be sure.
A friend recommended another doctor, a Christian doctor. Olive's parents would see him in a week's time. They held out hope, they prayed, their friends prayed, everyone was praying that Olive would be okay. But before the appointment, blood tests had been taken to test her mom's HCG levels. The results weren't good. On the day of the appointment, there was still a small ray of hope but their worst fears had been confirmed by the blood test, her numbers had dropped considerably. The third ultrasound confirmed that baby Olive had stopped growing at 8 weeks 2 days. Emersyn Olivia was watching her parents from above, she would always be their little angel in Heaven.

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of emotions and activity.
On Sept 25th, Olivia's mom had to go to the Med Center to get blood work done for the d&c the next morning. Every nurse she encountered asked why she was there and she just wanted to scream. As her mom and dad left that day, some sort of cruel twist of fate played the baby lullaby as a baby had just been born upstairs. Her mother nearly fell to the floor but grabbed onto her daddy and they walked quietly out to their car, tears streaming from her mom's face.
Early the next morning was the d&c. Everything went smoothly and before she knew it, she was back home resting on the couch. Some friends had set with Olive's daddy as he waited for his wife's procedure to be over. These friends had been and would continue to be a great support for Olive's parents.

In the month of October I've fought back anger, jealousy, fear, sadness... Every pregnant woman I saw, every newborn; it was a struggle to make it through each day.
And yet, somehow I did. With a wonderful supporting husband and a Sunday School class that seemed God ordained and still does. We joined a new Sunday School class in August (before we knew we were pregnant) in which the teachers, a man and wife had suffered through 2 miscarriages and came out victorious. They now help others through a blog and ministry of their own. Without their wisdom and support, I'm not sure we would be doing as well as we are now, here in November and beginning to try for baby #2.
I work with one of the coordinators of that class and she has been a great support as well; there were many times when I had to leave work or just needed a shoulder to cry on in the office and she was always there. Her and her husband were at the Med Center the morning of my d&c also and I will never forget that or the sweet kiss to my forehead from her husband (he said it was a dad reaction). I didn't mind. Loved it, actually. Our Sunday School teacher was also there to sit with Micky in the waiting room as he waited for me to come out of my procedure. Everything went well and the doctor, Dr. Justin Gayle our new doctor (whose wife has also suffered through a miscarriage) has been great and was actually recommended by our Sunday School teachers.
It's been an incredibly hard 2.5 months. Something I would never wish on anyone. And yet despite my sadness, despite our sadness at losing our first child, I keep seeing and hearing stories of babies born with defects, born only to pass away a short time after, a couple who can't get pregnant... I'm not sure I could be as strong as these women whose stories I've heard in the last month. My heart and prayers go out to them. And at the same time, I have to know that maybe just maybe this is God's way of keeping our baby protected from something unforeseen. Or keeping us from something. God knows what we can handle right? He knows us better than we know ourselves and He's not going to allow us to go through something we can't handle.

I began writing this in late October, early November and now here I am in April. Facing the month of what would have been my daughter's birth. It's been 9 months and though I am not getting to meet my little girl face to face this month, I want you, my family and friends, to meet my Olive. Her birthday would have been today, April 16th. I had chosen not to remember this date, but unbeknownst to... myself, I had put it in my phone. Only to find it last week and realize what a great day to tell her story, to tell our story.

We are still trying for baby #2 and realizing just how difficult it is to find out each month that no, we are not pregnant yet. We will, prayerfully talk about this challenge and make a decision this month as to whether we will see the doctor to get help. I've been faced with the fact that it just may not be our time yet, but if that were the case, I have to ask why our Olive was given life. I know God has a plan, and I know this story is going to touch someone; there's a reason and a season for everything even though we may not understand it. God's ways are mysterious and confusing and great, and I put my trust in Him. We put our trust in Him. He's working in our life, we just have to step aside and let Him.

(As a side note; I don't know for sure if our baby was a girl. But I had a dream in which I was giving my daughter to my grandmother, introducing them for the first time. In the dream I called her Emersyn Olivia. I believe this dream was God's way of telling me my baby was with Him and my grandma. It gave me a peace. I had this dream shortly before the d&c.
And now a friend of mine tells me she's had a dream where she talked to my grandmother and my grandma told her we were expecitng... *fingers crossed*)

This is my story, a refining fire and a potter's pot.

2013-02-07T09:29:00.001-08:00

"This is my story, this is my song

Praising my savior all the day long"...

The words to this song could not better sum up my life.

Anything I've done with passion, I've done for the glory of God. Whether it was homework in college, my job in retail, my poetry, and now my current job as college ministry assistant, I want to strive to do the best that I can. If I'm doing the best that I can with what my God has given me, I'm praising his name; actively using and thanking him for what he's given me.

Now, granted I've been through some hard times but I never left God, never walked away from Him. Yes, I questioned, I asked why, but who doesn't do that?

Why God, why would you let this happen to me?

But I've learned that it wasn't something He just let happen. As a pot gets molded before the fire, my Potter has been molding me.

"So I went down to the Potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him." Jeremiah 18:3-4

As gold that gets thrown into the fire to melt the impurities away, so I have been thrown into the fire. Every thing I've been through has only helped make me who I am today.
"These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:7

And it may be silly, or ignorant but I wouldn't change a thing. I love who I am. I love what God has formed in me.

I am far from being finished, far from being molded into that perfect pot or becoming that shiny piece of gold but along the way I know God is there, watching me, taking care to make sure the fire isn't too hot. He's not going to give me something that I can't handle. He knows me.

Those three words say so much. He. Knows. Me. A God that is above all, gave his Son to die on a tree, King above all Kings KNOWS... me. He KNOWS you. Don't ever forget that.

Holidays

2012-12-30T21:37:00.002-08:00

Maybe it's wrong of me, but I'm kind of glad the Christmas and New Year holidays are coming to an end. I'll be happy to get back to the ordinary. The time between holidays where nothing is really happening and nothing additional is expected out of you. You can carry on with all of your regular activities, get your house in order, start planning for the new year.
Bring on 2013 I say. I should be careful with what I say. 2012 was no picnic. But I'm really hopping 2013 brings good news and healthier resolutions. Micky and I had been walking every week night until December hit. The cold weather and the need to shop as soon as the office closed didn't help our walk schedule. I'm ready to get back into our workout schedule. I'm also hoping to get a treadmill soon. My mom has one thats not being used and hopefully we can find a way to get it up here.
Most importantly, I'm ready for the pain in my legs and lower back to be gone. I can barely remember a time before the pain started, a time when I was active daily, thank you retail. If you work retail, if nothing else thank your job that it keeps you up and walking. But there was a time when I didn't have any pain in my legs, other than the occasional leg cramp, and it was nice. To be able to go to bed and lay in one position all night or atleast 3o minutes without having to roll over to relieve the pain on the one side, or to be able to sit for longer than 30 minutes with no pain. Watching a tv show from beginning to end without getting up? Impossible. Sitting in a movie theater for 1.5 - 3 hours? I'm constantly moving, squirming, sitting on my legs, putting them down, squirming again. *sigh* Oh how I dream to be pain free. I'm pretty tolerant of pain, but this is crazy. When I'm more active the pain is a lot less; the more active the less the pain. But when you work a job where you sit all day, it's difficult. When life gets in the way, it's difficult. My prayer is to just get to the point where I can be active enough for the pain to completely disappear. If it doesn't get better this year, I'll be seeing a doctor. Then we'll go from there. Here's to a better 2013 for all of us! Happy trails to you! And God bless.

First things first...

2012-11-06T18:33:00.002-08:00

...we voted today! We've done our civic duty and are now watching the results unfold on tv. I won't go into who we voted for or why, but that we are in prayer for whomever it may be, Obama or Romney. We are also in prayer for those who are currently voting, those who are working those polls, and all those who will be up late tonight working on getting those results posted and counted.
I posted a comment on Facebook that I honestly expected more comments on but was glad to find that it did not turn into a war but more of an agreement and granted there were only 4-5 of us commenting, it was a good thread. Here is a screen shot of that:

I'll reiterate just by stating that I will continually post about my faith and I think it's sad that I can't post something about who I support for president without a large debate immediately following. Why can't we be just as passionate about our faith? Why can't I just post a political opinion and it just be that? An opinion. Not a debate. Regardless of tonight's outcome, I will continue to serve my God and my Savior, I will pray for our country's leaders along with my husband. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 tells us to pray and give thanks on behalf of all people, including kings and all who are in authority. And so that's what we shall do.

Secondly, I finally peeled that pomegranate I posted about below. Between the time that I bought that one and our trip to HEB on Saturday, I bought another one. So I have enough seeds that I now have a stash at work (assuming the cleanup crew doesn't clean the fridge, don't worry I dated it) and a stash at home.

I'm going to attempt to dip half of this stash in chocolate. I'll post results here. But can you imagine the foodgasm that will result? Om nom nom.

I'll leave you with this closing shot as we look out into the future and wonder what it holds.

Colors of the Fall

2012-10-22T21:17:00.002-07:00

I just love this time of year. The colors, the smells, and the food. Oh yes, the food.
We went to the grocery store tonight to grab the ingredients for homemade salsa and a few extra items. Well while over in the produce section, I found my favorite fruit ever.

Yes, Pomegranates. Absolutely love breaking these apart and finding the ruby red jewels inside. It's like breaking into a treasure chest.

Also found bags of fresh cranberries which I immediately stuck in the freezer. I'll make fresh cranberry sauce with these, probably this weekend actually. Mmmm, I can taste it now, with a little orange zest, cinnamon, and a touch of ginger. Yum.

And of course the pumpkin pies, the pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice creamer... OH, and candy corn! I'm taking M&M's, candy corn, and peanuts to the office so I can make my Fall trail mix. I bought cute little Halloween bowls to put the mix in; good stuff.

The Fall is responsible for so many beautiful colors, smells, tastes... I just love it. And right now, at this time in our lives, God is moving. We aren't sure how or why, but He is and we're curious to see what He has planned. I'll fill you in more about this in a later post. It's all part of a bigger story. Can't you just wait to see the big picture some day? I just know God is up there working on a giant puzzle and we can see some of the pieces as He places them but there are always those missing pieces that we just can't comprehend or even begin to think about. Oh I wonder what puzzle he is working on now...

Hello Fall, hello bright colors, hello wonderful smells and tastes. Welcome to our world. It's good to see you!

MINI accomplishments

2012-10-16T07:11:00.001-07:00

So we've had MINI Pearl for 7 months tomorrow, and she's already hit 10,000 miles! We take her on all out of town trips though. The MINI has so far been a great car that I feel completely safe in and love to drive! I've wanted one for quite some time so it's great to have actually accomplished that.
I just can't wait to get out and motor with some fellow MINIacs!

New car

2012-06-01T20:08:00.001-07:00

In the meantime, I also got a new car:
Everyone, meet MINI Pearl who likes to Jam to Dynamic Music while motoring down the highway! More later...

Along the Way

2012-06-01T19:57:00.001-07:00

So here I am 5-6 months later and though I'm not walking as much as I would have hoped, I did participate in a program called Walk Across Texas with my co-workers. As luck would have it, my team, Steppin On Up, won the walk against the Holy Walkamolies. Very clever name indeed. So they got points for the name, but we walked further, 1 mile further to be exact. So both teams walked pretty far actually and there was no prize to be won, just the feel of accomplishment and a fun little competition between workmates.

My husband and I walk about 2 days out of the week, if we're not walking, we're working in the yard. I love working in my garden, plucking old blooms from my flowers, trimming back the bushes; it's one of my favorite past times. Used to love reading as well, and still do but I find it harder and harder to get through a book, where I used to finish a book in 2-3 days.

Otherwise my days are filled with work, playing with my cats and dogs, being on Facebook probably more than a person should be, eating, & spending time with my husband. Oh, and watching tv when my show is on, Fringe.

So anyway, to put a nice little bow on this package, shaping up is a work in progress. Slowly I will begin to get in shape or get in better shape than I am now. I'd also like to go get back into the things that I used to be into, reading, writing (if it weren't for that gigantic wall in front of me), and crafting. (No, def not arithmetic.)

I'll begin to post more here, now that I know I have atleast a few followers.

This is Shellie, signing out. Goodnight!

Shaping Up

2011-11-15T11:34:00.003-08:00

So, working at a church is proving to be very good for me. Yes, it's demanding, stressful, and at times confusing, but it's forcing me to shape up. Both physically and spiritually, I'm out of shape.

I've been in a lot of physical pain in my legs, hips, and thighs. I'm blaming inactivity. Before I got the job at the church, I had actually just started work at Lowes, but even before then I had started to get depressed because I couldn't find a job. I began spending a lot of my time in front of the tv or computer screen, sometimes at the same time. Well, after awhile of this, about 4 months, I started feeling sore, but didn't really know why. I thought maybe it was from sitting too much so I started to get up and move around and found out, the more I moved around, the less the pain.
At the beginning of May, I got the job at Lowes. I was on my feet all day. It was great. But still, any prolonged period of sitting and the pain would reemerge.
My husband and I started walking around our neighborhood park, but even that was off and on.
Around that time, I had applied for a job at our church. Preschool ministry assistant. Not exactly my cup of tea, but it was a job in the church. I also gave thought to the fact that I'd be sitting most of the day and nearly passed on the opportunity.
The opportunity passed me. Because I had just started at Lowes, it made it difficult to be available, even for just a phone call when the preschool minister would call to set up a phone interview. We played phone tag, I even emailed, but at that point it was too late. The unavailability was a turn off and I knew that.
It was then that a friend noticed the position for College Ministry Assistant.
I called, turned in my application and resume, interviewed over the phone, and then finally met and interviewed with my boss, George. A couple days later, I got the call! I was hired, and it had all gone so smoothly, that it must have been God.
Now, here I am 5 1/2 - 6 months later and I'm loving my job, but the sitting for long periods at a time is killing me. I can't sleep at night because I'm stiff and the constant throb leaves no comfortable position.
Again, my husband and I have taken up walking here and there. But just this week, I got a couple of my coworkers interested in getting in shape. We're taking two days of the week, Tuesday and Thursday, and walking around the church sanctuary. I'm not sure how far we walked today, but 7 times around is one mile, and I'm pretty sure we atleast did that. My husband and I walked yesterday too, so slowly and surely, I will get in physical shape. With the accountability of both my coworkers and husband, I'm sure of this.

Spiritually... I'm just not where I need to be. I miss God's Spirit, the all consuming presence of who he is and how he makes me feel, the burning desire to shout his name on the highest mountain.
We have weekly meetings as the college staff talk about the week before and the weeks to come. The time after the meeting, from Tuesday - Friday is spent in preparation for the College class, Freedom, on Sunday mornings.
Anyway, the time spent in our meetings is always beneficial, sometimes adventurous (check my Facebook status from 11/29), and always prayerful. It's in these prayers and spiritual discussions that I'm feeling quite inadequate. Discussions and prayers that used to come so easy are a struggle to find. Grasping the right words and saying the right thing, even knowing the right verse or Biblical reference for the discussion is difficult. I may know what I want to say, but where it comes from or how to say it are lost to me.
Granted, a prayer to God doesn't have to be eloquent, but I feel as if I've become complacent and in that, the words, the actions don't matter. But now that I'm working amongst people that are always studying, always in the word, I'm realizing just how stagnant I've become. I've gotten comfortable and I'm no longer growing as a child of God. Be hot or cold, one or the other; I feel like its worse to be in the middle, unmoving. As the saying goes, "a rolling stone gathers no moss." I don't want to gather dust or moss, I want to be that rolling stone, constantly moving toward something more. I want to kneel to pray and feel like I've reached the highest mountain top. I want to continue to move and grow up in Christ.

So to sum it all up, my physical and spiritual needs have not been met. I've spent so long looking out for everyone else and now I think it's time to look out for me. Time to grow myself and make sure I'm in good physical and spiritual shape. My husband is growing as well and I think we can grow together, alongside each other and prepare ourselves for the road ahead. So that we can help prepare our future children for the road ahead of them. And perhaps by example, show those around us and our families what it means to live a Godly life. What it means to be in shape.

Lord, help us to get in shape. Help us to be physically fit for the road ahead, but also to be spiritually fit and ready to grow your kingdom. Help us grow in you and know you more.
You are our salvation and our spring of life. Thank you for the life you've given, we are blessed beyond measure.
Amen.

New Life

2011-03-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

And so new life begins. I always get so excited to see those first green sprouts poking their heads out into the sunshine. Their first little leaves reaching towards life giving sun. It's such a blessing to me to see these little sprouts begin their life. Soon they will be beautiful flowers, bringing joy and brightness in an otherwise gloomy spot. I've planted these flowers around our pitiful little tree in the front yard. I'm hoping the growth of the daisies, morning glory's, forget-me-nots, and wildflower assortment will bring a little life to the poor old tree. I'll start sprinkling plant food here soon, in hopes to get the biggest and prettiest blooms and hopefully a healthier looking tree. My favorite flowers, the daisies are around the base of the tree, with the morning glory's and forget-me-nots planted around them. So when they bloom, the tree will have a dress of white, purple, and blue stripes, with multi-colored spots throughout.

New clothes always perk me up!

Remember, it's okay to be "Wong" every now and again!

Drunk Mailbox

2011-03-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

Last thursday our mailbox was, unfortunately, a victim of drunk driving. I regret that we did not get a picture of our slain mailbox but at the time we were so irritated that our mailbox had been knocked over we just didn't think about it.

We arrived home late thursday night to find one of our neighbors (a house full of college students), was having a party out on their driveway. They weren't being loud, so we didn't really care what they were doing. Though about an hour later we heard loud, thumping base for about 30 minutes then all was quiet again. The next morning, Micky left for work and called me telling me not to be alarmed but our mailbox had been knocked over. So of course I got up and immediately had to check out the state of our mailbox. I expected to see it in pieces all over the driveway and street, but it was just laying on its side, one corner crushed.

That weekend we were standing outside with our newest neighbors (a young couple with a 3 month old girl) discussing what had possibly happened to our mailbox. We knew that whomever did it, had been drunk due to the police reports that had been called in from around neighboring communities. Downed fences, busted electrical boxes, and our mailbox all victims of drunken driving.

The young college student's mother came out and apologized saying they were the ones at fault and would pay for our mailbox. She was terribly sorry and despite our anger at the whole situation, our minds were changed in an instant when we heard her side of the story. She had been called by the police at 5am to find out that her son's truck was found but her son was missing. I can only imagine what she went through at that moment. Her children had never had a brush with the law, never even had a traffic accident or ticket and for this to be the first incident would be crushing. She told all of this while trying not to cry. Our anger melted away and we were all just glad no one had been hurt. It could have been much worse. Her son, came out later to also apologize and say that he would indeed pay to have our mailbox fixed. We told him that would be nice but that we were also glad he was okay.

Today it is standing tall and we are so happy to have our mailbox back from the dead!

We've been having to go pick up our mail from the post office for the last week 1/2, which is no big deal but not quite as exciting as getting mail in your own personal box, sober box.

Don't be afraid to be "wong" every now and again!

New title, new look

2011-02-26T21:54:00.000-08:00

So I'm starting my blog over from being just me to being my new family with my husband. For the time being it is just he and I and our house full of pets, 3 dogs and 1 cat. We do plan on having kids, just not any time soon! Possibly within 2-3 years. We want to get settled, have time with each other, and get a good foundation for our kids when the time comes!

The last post was all about me getting engaged and its been quite a while since I've posted and am obviously married to my best friend and wonderful husband, Micky! I'll post a few wedding pics later to start our new journey here on Blogspot. In 2 months we will have been married for 1 year and are really excited about that, but hope to gather a few followers as we go.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Don't be afraid to be "wong" every now and again!

My weekend of "engaging" activities...

2009-05-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

So my weekend started Saturday morning. I got up and left my house at about 11am to go to Micky's place in College Station. I told him I would be there in time for lunch, but ended up getting a later start than I had planned. I actually got there around 2:30 or 3pm. It's about a 4 hour drive. No sooner do I get there, he says he has to go to the post office. I tell him thats fine, I'll just go with him. He insists that its only going to take about 5 minutes and he'll be back soon and I should just stay at his house. I persisted and asked why I couldn't tag along. It's just the post office, I'll be back in a few minutes. Ok, fine. I'll stay behind. His idea of 5 minutes was more like an hour! I couldn't believe that I had just gotten there only to be left by myself for an hour! For a trip to the post office! What?!? He finally comes back and he can tell I'm a little upset.

"Are you mad at me?"

'No, I'm not mad, I'm upset b/c you left me, I just got here and you left me! Doesn't matter what we do together (ie going to the post office) as long as we are together, right?!'

"Well, yeah, I'm sorry babe."

Then he says, "Oh, yeah, I also got us a bottle of wine."

What?! A little random but okay. So anyway, we leave his house and go eat. Then it's off to the theater to see the Wolverine movie! Which was pretty good. Its your basic saturday night date. Nothing too special. After the movie we get home and are watching tv and sitting on the couch together and decide we need some snacks to snack on. So he gets out a can of pineapple chunks, I decide on popcorn, and then he suggests the wine. Ok. Odd combo, I know. Pineapple, popcorn, and wine... Not your everyday menu. Sounds more like a pregnant woman's menu! LOL After a few hours of that, we call it a night.

Sunday morning comes and he wakes me up with an eskimo kiss, really sweet. I'm getting ready for church, have just gotten out of the shower and dressed when I decide to go see if he's getting ready as well.. Which, he's not. He's playing on his computer.

"Hey, babe. Are you ready for church?"

"Yeah.... Hey, babe... will you marry me?" (He's at this point still sitting on his chair in the office). "What? You can't ask me that now!"

"Why not?"

"Your not on your knee for one! And in your house?! Are you sure you want to ask in your house, in your office?"

He kind of laughs and says, "well, okay."

So we continue to get ready, but I'm feeling kinda bad about what I had said so I tell Micky,

'you know I will, right?"

And he says yes and we go to church. It's a really good service, we meet up with his friends Rob and Becca, and go to lunch afterwards. So we get back home and we are goofing around in his house, sliding around on the tile floor actually... I'm staying through til monday so we still have plenty of time to do whatever we want. Micky goes to the garage for a second and we soon find ourselves back on the couch watching Van Helsing, which if you've never seen it, is a movie about a guy who is employed by the roman catholic church to hunt down and bring any mythical creatures back to the church. Or if necessary kill them. One such necessary kill is Dracula. It's at this point of the movie when Van Helsing is hunting down Dracula and fighting with the wives of Dracula (he has three) that Micky proceeds to get down on one knee. I again, think he's joking and tell him to get up. Until he reaches into his pocket, pulls out a little pouch from which a little ring drops into his palm.... At this point, I'm just kinda stunned. Caught completely off guard!!! He asks me to marry him, I say yes! and hug him! And surprisingly there are no tears. The funny thing is, he goes back to watching the movie as if nothing ever happened! Great commercial break! I asked him why now and he said that it just felt right. He hadn't planned on doing it sunday, it just kinda happened. And it was still really sweet, despite being in the middle of Van Helsing! I love these kinds of movies though, so it's actually pretty appropriate! Guess I should buy the movie now!

"Kids, this is the part of the movie where your dad asked me to marry him!"

It wasn't until after I was driving home that the tears came. My hands on the steering wheel, all I have to look at are the road and the ring,

"Oh my gosh, I'm engaged!"

Delayed reaction or maybe it was just sinking in, I dont know.

He was nervous, but he had to laugh at me, b/c my hands were shaking so bad after he put the ring on! I thought he must have gotten up Sunday morning with the idea in his head, but he said he hadn't. Said the time was just right, that he felt in his heart that it was the right time.

I'm extremely happy and I love him so much! God has definately blessed us! Everyone I tell says that I deserve it and I'm getting a really great guy. I like to think so...

I love you, Micky! Proud to say that your my fiance!

God is great!

2009-04-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I last posted anything, but I have to admit, I'm not the best at keeping up with this. A lot of stuff has happened since I last posted. Stuff that has changed people and opened doors for others.

Micky and I are still together and loving the time we share. He is still in College Station and I am still here in K-Town, working at James Avery with the possibility of stepping up into a higher position. One of our Sales Team Leaders is leaving to spend more time being a grandmother, which leaves her spot wide open when she leaves in May. I'm not sure who has put in a job interest form, but I plan on talking to the manger about the position and finding out what my possibilities might be. I have been working at Amy's Hallmark as well, but that came to an end today. My younger brother is marrying my manager there so my position at Hallmark has become a conflict of interest.

It's a corporate store with lots of rules. Which is fine, b/c this leaves me with the time to devote to Averys if I apply for the open STL position. I have also been offered a job at the UPS store, which is 2 doors down from the Hallmark store. The position there would be full time, 5 -6 days a week, with 9-5 hours. And the man and his wife that own the store are great people! He, Mr. Bill, always come into Hallmark in the mornings to check on us girls and sing us a morning song, "Good morning, good morning, good morning to you!!" He's such a goofball! To sum up, I have two open doors in front of me, which only occured after I submitted to God and put everything in His hands. I was so stressed out about looking for a new job and didn't know where to go or what to do. I've also had some financial stressors this past month as well, which made everything else worse than it actually was. I was a few months late on a credit card payment so they sold the debt to a collections agency. A man at the agency called me and completely scared me! He told me the credit card company was going to sue me if I didn't send them, the collections agency, a payment before an allotted amount of time. I ended up giving him my account info to take out a sum of money. I made sure that the amount was the only thing I had in my account so they could get no more than I had stated they could have. Which turns out, they can take as much as they want whether you have it or not (not that they did this). Thing is, they had lied to me and told me they were a law firm, which is actually against the law. They are not allowed to claim to be anyone they are not. Anyway, all is well that ends well. I called up the credit card company (I should mention that I prayed before hand) and told them why I had missed the payments. I pointed out that I had made a payment three months prior, I told them of the collections agency and how they had talked to me and lied to me, and I told them that I had helped my grandmother pay for some of her pills and medications. When she can't afford them, she just doesn't get them until she can afford them again. Which is very unhealthy and unwise. Her health comes first. The manager at the credit card co. was sympathetic b/c her husband was also having some health problems. Another lady also told me she was having health problems and understood the cost of medicines was high. I told her I would pray for her and she was very thankful. Well, as I said, all is well that ends well. They lowered my amount due by more than half! An amount I can afford, and can pay off by the end of May. God answers prayer and He is an awesome God.

Now, I know I am not smart about money. I am not the best steward of what I have. So this has opened my eyes to keeping better track of what I spend my money on. I've once again learned how to use Microsoft Excel. Yay for technology!

On other news, Justin and Julie's wedding is this sunday, April 26th at 3pm. Julie is excited to finally be a Weaver. And now I have an older sister! Micky is coming down on saturday for the wedding and all the pre-wedding stuff, like the rehearsal dinner. I'm excited about seeing him again, though I did just see him this past weekend. It's been such a stressful month that it's been so nice to see him everytime. I don't have much more to add so I'll leave you with a goodnight kiss...

And the funny face my dog made earlier this month. It just made me laugh, despite it all!

Randomness...

2009-01-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

4 Things I did yesterday:
1. Watched TV with Micky
2. Made lunch and dinner for Micky
3. Watched part of a movie with Micky
4. Helped Micky load his car to go back home...

4 Things on my Wish List:
1. A new job.
2. Growth for my church.
3. Spending time with Micky
4. A book of my poems published.

4 Restaurants I like:
1. Rosa's Cafe
2. Chipotle
3. Olive Garden
4. Acapolcos

4 TV shows I like:
1. Heroes!
2. Fringe
3. House
4. CSI

4 People I tag:
1. Amy
2. Kelli
3. thats really all I got....

Christmas and thereafter...

2009-01-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, so for Christmas Micky also got me some perfume and body lotion from Victoria Secret and a digital picture frame, which he added some pictures to himself. He also put a picture, or somehow loaded one my poems into the frame, which is pretty cool!
He was just here this past weekend and I got to keep him for one more day, yesterday being MLK Day, he had the day off and left late last night and got home at 2am! But I had made some super strong coffee and he was wide awake! Ooops. ;)
So the next holiday to spend with my Micky is Valentine's Day. And I can't wait! I have never looked forward to Valentine's Day so much as I am looking forward to this one! First one in a while, when I don't have to celebrate Single's Awareness Day (S.A.D) with a night out with the girls! I already know what I am going to get him! I am excited because its just so darn cheesey!
I have been going through a couple things from my closet and have found some old letters from an ex-boyfriend from high school. For whatever reason I kept them before, it no longer matters. I re-read the letters, rehashed the memory and have decided that its all I really need, a memory. Micky has decided the same. A new chapter has started in our lives and we are excited to see what the future holds! Til next time...