Week 6, I think..

I think it is week 6 of weight watchers....I've sort of lost track...Anyway... this week was pretty good. Especially having been on vacation last week, and off the program a bit. So, for two weeks I lost (drum roll please) 3.8 pounds for a total weight loss of 15.6 pounds. Not too shabby, I reckon. See you Tuesday! :)

Why?

Okay, so you all know that I have struggled with anxiety in the past. And a struggle that is in the past should STAY in the past. But, alas, here I am struggling with it again. There are some things going on at my work that is causing me to....well, I haven't had a full fledged freak out yet - but I'm close. Please be in prayer for me. Its too early to know what all is going to happen - but I really like this job and don't want to lose it!

Keep praying for Anna too (see next post)!! Thanks!

Prayer Request

Hey there everyone,

I know I've told you all about my church, and how much I love it. Also I've written about my bible study. Well, one of the ladies in my bible study has an 11 year old daughter, Anna, who is fighting cancer. They are in Houston right now going through treatment. I am asking you if you would pray for Anna's healing and for her mom Dawna while they are away from the rest of their family. I am not sure why, but Anna's story has touched my heart so deeply from the moment I heard that the cancer was back. See God already healed Anna from this cancer last year, and in January, I believe, the tumor came back. We have out church praying for her, and I know they would appreciate all the prayers they can get!

Here is her website that is detailing what the family is going through right now. Thanks everyone!!

http://www.caringbridge.com/visit/annawilkerson

What a freak I am....

Have you ever watched the Antiques Roadshow? When I lived in Detroit - for many months I didn't have cable - and so my favorite channel became PBS. Well the two shows I'd watch were History Detectives and Antiques Roadshow. Come to think of it - I didn't have cable in Colorado Springs, either...Dara and I used to watch Antiques Roadshow (we loved Leigh and Leslie Keno!). We loved it when someone who brought in something that I'd never even think to bring in...and the appraiser is like, "Well, the good thing about this piece is that even though it looks fake, I can tell its not..." You can see the owner going "cha-ching!" Or when the owner is all excited about some expensive piece that they bought and the appraiser goes, "Well, I see a few problems here in the dove tails...." or something like that. (okay, we didn't really enjoy watching peoples items turn out being fake or something...)

So, I'm at a garage sale a few weeks ago, and it was one of the last ones we were going to go to that morning, and I come across some paintings. I really liked them, the detail was incredible. I asked the lady how much she wanted for them - she wanted $50. I've never paid $50 for something that wasn't a gadget or something I could eat....but I really like these paintings. I talked her down to $40 for the paintings and I bought them! She had said they bought them in the 1970's in the Netherlands. Cool.

They are, I believe Oil on Board, and are signed by P.C. Steenhouwer. All I can find on the artist is that he was a Dutch painter that passed away in 1972. I thought I'd bring this all to your attention for one very important reason - they are filming Antiques Roadshow in Palm Springs in June and I have signed up for tickets. According to Google, Palm Springs is only 4 hours away. I'm such a freak. Mostly, I just want to go to see the Keno brothers....but it would be cool too learn more about these paintings. I won't know if I will get tickets until May. It does give me something to look forward to, at least. You too - I may be one of those people on the show where the appraiser says, "Well, unfortunately, there are some condition problems......"

Week 4

Hey all - I realized (thanks to Becca) that my update for this week hasn't been posted yet. There is a good reason for it - really, there is. The reason is.......I didn't go for my weigh in this week. Now before you comment on how big a loser I am - let me tell you why:

This past weekend I was in Colorado Springs. (I didn't get to see everyone I wanted, but I knew I'd be going back in a month or so anyway, and I would see those of you I didn't see this time, then...) It was sort of a whirlwind trip flying in on Friday evening, staying the weekend with my wonderful hosts Greg and Elaina Gipson and spending Monday at Compassion and flying home Monday evening.

So, after an awesome day at Compassion we left and headed for the airport. One of my many little quirks is that I like to be at the airport at least 2 hours before my flight leaves, so I was there pretty early. I've also been sick, and so before I went through security I went into the gift shop to buy some cough drops. I'm in the gift shop, looking around when I hear a message over the intercom. I couldn't quite make it out, but I did hear something about a flight being cancelled. Ha ha ha, I thought, suckers! I continue browsing through the store when I hear the announcement again, only this time more clearly: US Airways flight 2725 to Phoenix has been cancelled... I thought, weird, that flight number sounds familiar. Sure enough, when I pulled out my ticket I was on flight 2725. Panicked, I ran out of the gift store and toward the ticket counter. It wasn't until I was about halfway to the ticket counter that I realized that I still had the cough drops in my hand...and I hadn't paid for them. I raced back to the shop - paid for my stolen cough drops and got to the ticket counter, which by now had many people there trying to get other flights out. There were no other flights out. Colorado Springs is not a huge airport, and so I was stuck. While in the non-moving line, I decide to just call US Airways...get the lady on the phone and she's telling me they can't get me back to Phoenix until Wednesday. No, that wouldn't do. By then, I was next in line, and the ticket counter lady gave me my options...I could wait until Wednesday and get a flight out from the Springs, or I could wait until Tuesday the next day) and catch a flight from Denver. Mind you - she was not offering me a connecting flight to Denver...she was offering me a cab ride to Denver, and then my flight. Whatever...I took it. I took the cab. It was free (except for the $36 tip I gave the driver for driving me all that way...) I finally got back Tuesday evening.... and missed my weigh in. Which is probably a good thing. Its hard to stay on the Weight Watchers plan when you're on vacation...

My next weigh in will be this coming Tuesday, and I'll let you know how I'm doing then!

I'll take what I can get...

Thats what I said last week about my weight loss when I only lost 1.6 pounds. "I'll take what I can get." Well, this week I only lost 0.6 pounds...I want what I took last week! Ha ha ha - no, I slacked this week, I'll admit it. PLUS - they had a membership class at my church where they served an awesome lunch...I had to eat it - I didn't want to be RUDE! :) This weekend I'm on vacation - so who knows where I'll be next week, weight wise!!

Okay, well I better go, I'm a little under the weather and my mom hooked me up with some awesome cough syrup that I think is making me drowsy........................*snore*

Another week

So another week has passed, thought I'd give you an update on my weigh in last night...ready? Drum roll please: 1.6 pounds lost for a total of 11.2 pounds in 3 weeks. I'd like for it to be coming off faster, but I'll take what I can get!!

Also I have my bible study tomorrow night. We're going through 2 Peter 2, and I came across this verse that really made me think: "But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens exsisted and the earth was formed out of water and by water." (2 Pet 2:5) Perhaps not as striking a verse as others, but this one really got me thinking. It says that 'they deliberately forget' God's word and that He is the one who created the world. (Who are "They"? "They" are the scoffers and mockers who doubt God, and speak against his coming.) Anyway - someone who deliberately forgets something doesn't forget it on accident. They make a decision that they are no longer going to believe something, and they forget the things they used to believe. In this case, man had to come up with something to explain away God's account of the creation of the world. What did man come up with? Evolution. These people deliberately forgot what God's word said and how God said HE created the world in 7 days, and they came up with their own explanation of how things came to be...and now - evolution is being taught as fact. Oh, they say its a theory of evolution, but most people today believe that it is fact. That you and I evolved from monkeys and that the biblical story of creation is just that. A story.

There was a lot more in those few little verses...I'll share more that I got from them later! :)

Compassion International

Okay, well, many of you that read this are either current or former Compassion employees. But I know there are those of you out there who are not as familiar with the ministry of Compassion International...this post is for you.

This month a group of bloggers are heading to Uganda to see first hand Compassion's work in that country. I myself have experienced first (and second) hand Compassion's ministry. I worked for Compassion for 4.5 years before leaving in 2005. It was the best job I ever had. Not only that, I have sponsored three children through my years at Compassion: Cleiton from Brazil, Franci Valdo from Brazil and Lesvia from Guatemala. I have had the incredible opportunity to meet each of these young people in person in their own countries.

My last trip was to Guatemala in 2006. That was an incredible trip!! We got to visit several Compassion projects, and it just reminded me how much I take for granted everything I have. One home we visited was little more than one room that was divided by a partition with a 'crib' for the babies in the 'living room'. The crib was literally an old crate. The baby was playing with a strip of cloth. That was her toy. I was heart broken. But I also know that Compassion is doing a work in that family. The father used to be an alcoholic and with the church and Compassion's help, he is now working and making an income for this family.

I was also fortunate enough to meet Lesvia, my sponsor child and her father on this trip. We spent the day at the Guatemala Zoo. I think the part that broke my heart most was when she was telling me how nervous she was about meeting me, and how she wondered if I would like her. I told her I wondered the very same thing!!

If you are at all interested in sponsoring a child, please click the Compassion banner at the top of this page, or simply click here.

Like I said, I worked at Compassion for almost 5 years, and I know the 'inner workings.' Not only that, I've seen the ministry Compassion does overseas and it is Awesome. God has placed his hand upon Compassion, he really has. Besides I was this closed to being the Co-President of Compassion, so I mean, come on!! ;)

Here are some more pictures from the Guatemala trip in 2006. Enjoy! SPONSOR A CHILD!!