Takin' the Plunge!

I am FINALLY doing it!! I AM QUITING MY CLEANING JOB!!!! This past week has been a whirlwind of decisions, emotions and business stuff. Let me back up a bit:) In my last post, I was telling you about my wonderful physical therapist and how she encourages me. Well, one thing she said to me last week that I didn't talk about was this "If you keep going like you are, you will eventually get to the point that you can't do anything!" At the time, I kind of shrugged it off, but it just kept coming back to me. I started thinking about why I just kept doing something that is obviously detrimental to my health. My number one reason was FEAR! I was SO afraid that if I quit, we would sink financially. Granted, I don't make that much, but it does help put food on the table. I decided it was high time that I trust God completely and take a huge leap of faith. After prayer and tears and talking with my mom and my best friend~I had made my decision. My mom was very helpful because she also has fibro. I talked with my husband that night and it was official!

Now what? I am actually taking two giant leaps of faith! Not only am I quiting cleaning, but I am also going to start teaching yoga~GASP! A yoga teacher near me sent me a link about this guy that teaches yoga from his wheelchair! What?! Okay, if he can do it, surely I can do it. My therapist has given me the go ahead and I have two places already lined up to teach. Man, things happen fast! I am supposed to start the first week of May. I still have two more weeks to finish out my cleaning.

I am excited to see how my body improves once the cleaning is over and, of course, I am very excited about finally being able to do something I love! There is potential to make MORE teaching yoga than I was able to make cleaning. I am still battling fear of the unknown, but I just have to keep taking it to God. He knows my situation~duh!

Pieces to the Puzzle

Source

                             I went to physical therapy today and can I just say I love my PT! Not only is she awesome at bodywork and improving my pain, she is also very knowledgeable about health and nutrition. She has suffered with Lyme's disease and she can totally relate to people like me. Every time I go, we talk a lot about the pieces of the puzzle that are going to bring me to a better place with my health. I don't do a very good job at putting the pieces together on my own and it is SO helpful to have someone reminding me why I'm doing certain things. The pieces to my puzzle are: diet, exercise, sleep/rest, changing careers~hopefully, supplements and working with several different Dr.s.

The one that seems to get me the most is diet! We talked a lot about that today and I realize that I am not serving myself or bettering my health when I get slack in my eating. When you have a chronic illness or even suffer emotionally, it is SO easy to think that food will make you feel better. For instance, I don't feel good so I think a piece of cake will make me feel better. What I don't take into consideration is what that piece of cake will make me feel like after the joy of eating it is all over. Don't get me wrong, I don't sit around eating cake all the time, but sometimes I just get so tired of caring what I eat. I think I just want something to bring me pleasure~even if it is only for 5 minutes! After talking with the PT today, I feel a little more encouraged to eat healthy for the right reasons. Sometimes the cravings for junk are more than I can bear, but I am only harming myself if I give in. I KNOW certain foods aggravate my health and I am praying for strength to stay away from those foods.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by all the different pieces to the puzzle. I have to remember that when you sit down to work a puzzle, the pieces don't just fall into place instantly. I recently started working on a 1,000 piece puzzle and it reminded me of the patience it takes to fit the pieces together. My health puzzle can be no different. I have been trying to figure things out for YEARS and I'm STILL not there, BUT I know more than I did a year ago:) My PT gives me hope because she has also traveled a long journey with her health and it has paid off for her. I just have to take it one piece at a time:)

Is there a puzzle in your life that you are having to be patient with? I would love to hear from more of my readers:)

Birthday Bash

Yesterday was my daughter's 15th birthday! Boy, do I feel old! She is the youngest of my three children and I can't even believe how fast the years have gone by! She TOTALLY got spoiled this weekend by her Aunt. They left early Friday morning to go to Pigeon Forge, Tn. Here are a few pictures of The Inn at Christmas Place where they stayed.

They shopped 'til they dropped on Friday and then Saturday went to Dollywood for a day of roller coaster riding.

Elizabeth loves owls~sign says "will work for worms":)

All that roller coaster riding worked up an appetite so they then headed to the Dixie Stampede for a show and dinner.

Elizabeth finally arrived home around 4pm Sunday from her weekend full of fun! That evening, she had some friends over for pizza, cake and ice cream~and lots of laughs:)


I'm pretty sure Elizabeth would say that this was the BEST birthday EVER!! Happy Birthday Lillybeth:)

Keepin' it Simple

It amazes me that I used to LOVE to cook and always wanted to try new recipes. I spent most weekends making homemade gluten free bread and all sorts of other goodies. Getting a new food magazine in the mail was like Christmas to me! Now, I have NO desire to cook~zero!!!! A lot has changed with my health since the days that I cooked all the time. I used to be really good about making a menu and sticking to it. In fact, I felt lost without it. Now, a menu stresses me out! I spend all this time making the menu and shopping for all the stuff and then when it comes time for me to cook what's on the menu, I have NO energy for it. I have also learned that buying fresh veggies is a waste of money for me~gasp! I know, why would I not want to buy fresh veggies? Simple~because I let them rot! I throw more veggies in the trash than I actually use. Obviously I don't do this just out of pure carelessness, I just don't have the energy to mess with them. I have zucchini and cabbage in my fridge right now that need to be used, but I have had a BAD last couple of days and I am not about to cut veggies!

So, to make sure I am getting some veggies and fairly healthy meals without having to slave in the kitchen, I am buying frozen veggies and keeping meals simple. For breakfast today, I had a PureFit bar. It was the first one I had ever had and I liked it well enough that I will buy more. Simple breakfast~check:)

For lunch I had this:

Chicken breast, steamed veggies and gluten free toast

All I had to do was steam the frozen veggies, toss the chicken in the skillet and the toast in the oven. I bought a box of all natural chicken breast that are individually wrapped so I can take one out when I want and not have to cook the whole bag at once. Totally yummy! Simple lunch~check:)

Then for dinner I had this:

Homemade beans and 'weanies'

I had some leftover beans that I cooked the other day. I cooked up an Applegate Organic sausage and added it to the beans for a very filling dinner. I also munched on some kettle corn (LOVE this stuff!) while the sausage was cooking. I have a full tummy and I didn't kill myself cooking. Now that's the kind of meals I like!:)

Do you like to fix complicated gourmet meals or keep things simple? Simple can be yummy and healthy!

Transition Time

I wrote in this post last week about my Dr. and my physical therapist both recommending a change in my 'career'. I have been thinking a LOT about that and praying a LOT about that! The thing is, I WANT TO TEACH YOGA!! I don't want to get a job doing anything else! I don't want to be a secretary or a banker or anything else. I feel like God gave me this desire to teach Holy Yoga for a reason and He provided in miraculous ways for me to do the training. I keep thinking to myself, "Why would God provide like He did if I were never going to be able to teach?". Well, I obviously do NOT have the answers, but I do feel like I am getting some direction. I am SO thankful that God cares about this kind of stuff in our lives!

I went to therapy again yesterday and talked to the therapist the whole time she was working on me about my desire to teach yoga and stop cleaning. My main question for her was if she thought my body could handle teaching. My myofascial pain is improving~not gone but improving:) I have been able to do yoga three times this week and it didn't kill me!! YAY!! I do have to be extra careful, but the therapist thinks I can do enough to teach. That was the most encouraging news I have had in months!! Seriously!! She also thinks having a job I LOVE would be more beneficial to my health than doing something I really do not like~that is a nice way to put it:)

One good point the therapist made, was that we have never had a chance to see how my body would respond if I were ONLY doing yoga and NOT cleaning. I had never really thought about that before, but it hasn't left my mind since. Where do I go from here? I can't really afford to stop cleaning cold turkey, so my only option really is to keep cleaning AND try to get my yoga up and running. I'm not sure if my body can handle both, but I'll never know if I don't take a leap of faith! God knows my situation and I am really crying out to Him for wisdom. Who knows, He could do a miracle and make a way for me to stop cleaning tomorrow! If not, I am praying He will give me the grace to clean while I start teaching. Praying for lots of students to come my way:)!

Have you had to take a leap of faith recently? I would love to hear about it:) Thanks for reading my blog!

A Timely Devotion

I read this devotion today and couldn't believe how 'on the spot' it was for me so I thought I would share it with you:) This is from 'Streams In The Desert' by L.B Cowman.

                              " See how the lilies of the field grow" (Matthew     6:28)
      "Many years ago there was a monk who needed olive oil, so he planted an olive tree sapling. After he finished planting it, he prayed, 'Lord, my tree needs rain so its tender roots may drink and grow. Send gentle showers.' And the Lord sent gentle showers. Then the monk prayed, 'Lord, my tree needs sun. Please send it sun.' And the sun shone, gliding the once-dripping clouds. 'Now send frost, dear Lord, to strengthen its branches,' cried the monk. And soon the little tree was covered in sparkling frost, but by evening it had died.
       The monk sought out a brother monk in his cell and told him of his strange experience. After hearing the story, the other monk said,'I also planted a little tree. See how it is thriving! But I entrust my tree to it's God. He who made it knows better than a man like me what it needs. I gave God no constraints or conditions, except to pray, 'Lord, send what it needs--whether that be storm or sunshine, wind, rain, or frost. You made it, and you know best what it needs."


I read this and realized how many times I think I know what is best for my children or myself. I think I have it all figured out. I think I know better than God how to care for things and that is SO NOT TRUE!! I am always fretting and worrying and wanting things to go a certain way because I think that way is best, when really I am killing the tree!! I am trying to learn to STOP trying to control everything and realize that if God can cause the lilies in the field to flourish, or the olive tree to thrive, then surely He knows what is best for me and my family! I can trust Him with my children, my health, my finances, my marriage and anything else in my life, but I don't always live like I trust Him.

Are there areas in your life that you are trying to control or having a hard time trusting Him? I am a control freak and that really needs to change!!

A Taxing Day

Today has been a LONG day!! It started out with this:

SNOW!! Seriously?!

I thought it was supposed to be SRING! Does that look like spring to you? I didn't think so! It didn't stick around long though so all is good. I'm not a big fan of snow~especially at the end of March.

Today was TAX day~ugh! Before I could get started on taxes, I had to tidy up a bit. I can't concentrate when things are all in disarray. My cats have decided that finding any available paper and shredding it into 5 billion pieces is a fun hobby. I am NOT a fan of their new form of entertainment! I cleaned all that up and then decided I needed to dust and vacuum the computer room. Have you ever noticed that the more you clean, the more you find to clean? I HATE it when that happens!

I eventually was able to sit down and get to work on the dreaded taxes and I decided to get my daughter involved. We home school and I thought what better way for her to learn some 'real life' skills. She was actually very helpful:) We worked until well past lunch and didn't even realize it! The problem with taxes, or ours anyway, is that I have to spend HOURS making sure everything is right because I am self-employed. I have decided being self-employed is a royal pain in the neck! Not only does it make taxes harder, we have to pay self-employment taxes which eats up some of what little income I make. I finally finished up about 7 this evening and then proceeded to head straight for the pain meds.:) Sitting at the computer ALL day does a number on the back!!

All in all, it was a decent day. The snow didn't stick around, taxes are done and my daughter learned a thing or two. Now I am ready to go chill. I have been on this computer long enough:)

Did any of you get snow? Do you find it easier to concentrate when things are tidy?

In other news, I am now able to reply to your comments through email (if your email address is available). Look forward to 'chatting' with more of my readers:)