New Year's resolution

The most popular New Year's Resolution is to "Lose Weight and Get Fit." Ask yourself, do you honestly need to lose weight and exercise more regularly? Or do you need to work on accepting your body more?
Why it is so hard for us to accept our bodies?
If only we lost weight, we would be happy. Our pants do not fit like they used to. For some of us, it is harder now that we are older. Hormonal changes, thyroid issues and metabolisms are slowing down. If we have children, we blame motherhood for the changes in our body. Many of us do not like how we look, and more importantly we just do not feel good in our bodies.
Some people say it is the media's influence. Women strive to be thinner because of unrealistic standards we see with celebrities. Some say we have unrealistic expectations especially as we age.
Many nutrition experts say that 80% of how our body looks is related to our nutrition. 10% genetics. 10% exercise.
I know that I am happier when I exercise. A study by the Mayo Clinic found Physical Exercise 3 hours per week reduces stress, fatigue, self doubt, irritability and depression.
How do you feel about your body? Do you eat clean and healthy? Do you exercise? Are you making New Year's Resolutions? What works for you? We are in this together!

Special Friends

The Special Friends program serves to match youth in foster care with committed adults who can serve as role models, advocates, mentors, and friends. As a Special Friend, you have the opportunity to assist youth in learning important life skills such as decision-making, relationship building, and living successfully within a community.

There are two kinds of Special Friends. Mentors support the youth with whom they are matched by joining them in activities they enjoy, such as going for a hike, playing a sport, doing arts and crafts, watching a movie, baking cookies, or eating at a favorite restaurant. Community Advisors serve as guides for youth 17 years and older as they begin to take on the responsibilities of independent living.

As some of you may know already, about a year ago I started the process of volunteering as a mentor. It was a long process with an extensive background check, but oh so worth it. I have been matched with a young lady who is such a joy to hang out with. I was warned that it would take her a while to warm up to me because of her shyness, but when we first met back in June, we clicked right away. She's so much fun and such a good kid. I'm so glad I went through this process!

With the presence of a stable adult in their lives, 73% of youth are more optimistic about their futures. You can be the difference in a child's life simply by spending time with him or her doing things that you love. As a mentor, you can watch movies, go hiking, do arts and crafts, go to your favorite restaurant, or just sit around and chat. You can motivate a child to achieve his or her personal best by cheering them on and taking pride in their accomplishments.

By listening, supporting, and encouraging, you can make a huge difference!

I would STRONGLY suggest if you have a program like this in your state, that you look into it! It's such a rewarding feeling to be such a help to a child who really needs someone to lead them in the right direction!

Updates

I know, it's been a couple of months since I have posted anything. I will let you know, it has been a crazy couple of months. Now that Christmas is over, I have had time to sit and reflect.
Dave and I took a one day trip up north to Prescott, AZ. It was only about a 3 hour drive, but we got to play in the snow and build a little snow man. By the time the sun went down and it started getting really cold, I was soo totally ready to get home. We had a great time and it was a nice little get away that only cost us a half tank of gas and dinner.
My car broke down in October. I still haven't been able to get the money together to fix it. I'm hoping my tax return will cover it. I miss my little bug!!! With the new year, hopefully it will be a fresh start and money won't be so tight. Its been stressful lately!
The holidays are almost over..WHEW!! Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful time. Stayed home this year, spent a nice quiet day at my mom's house. The Bauern Omelettes were AMAZING!!! Next year I'm hoping to head up to Michigan to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and nephews. I miss them!
Might be getting a visit from my David and his girlfriend this summer. I'm so excited! If we can plan things right, might go see the Grand Canyon and Tombstone. Who knows.
I will try to keep up with this better. We will see!
Toodles!

When A Marriage Goes Bad

When a Marriage Goes Bad

Abraham Lincoln once said: “Marriage is neither heaven nor hell. It is simply purgatory.” Many people would agree with that statement, but an engaged couple might express an opposing viewpoint. No one enters into marriage with the expectation that their lives together will be mediocre. They aren’t expecting a tolerable coexistence. Rather, they enter matrimony with the anticipation that a lifetime of wedded “bliss” awaits them.

No marriage is ideal or easy. Perhaps Adam and Eve came the closest. (He didn’t have to hear about all the other men she could have married-and she didn’t have to hear about how his mother cooked better.) But even their blissful moment of marriage in the Garden of Eden were cut short by the intrusion of sin.

We live in a fallen world where the infection of sin affects all of us, individually and as married couples. The ideal marriage that was hoped for in the wedding day can’t be found after the honeymoon. Why? Because neither the husband nor the wife is ideal to begin with. Each one is flawed, with his or her own idiosyncrasies. Immature neurotic traits do not evaporate when the wedding ring is slipped on the finger; they are actually magnified by the immature neurotic behaviors of the other spouse.

When a marriage begins to disintegrate, there is friction between spouses. That dislocation of the relationship is always difficult to endure, but both individuals know that it will happen. The often unexpected and unarticulated pain of marriage difficulties comes from a sense of disillusionment. At some point, each spouse will come to the shocking realization that their romantic dreams of matrimonial bliss are totally unrealistic. The wife is dejected because she had envisioned a continued courtship with lasting, loving attention from the man she married; this is now just a dashed dream. The husband is disconsolate because he has not received the love and respect he had assumed would always be forthcoming from his bride; the stark reality of it all hurts.

Where is God in all of this? Can He be found? Or are those who suffer from a broken marriage relegated to the position of second-class citizens in God’s eyes? It is bad enough that they must endure the whispers, gossip, and condescension of others; must they now bear God’s disdain as well? The answer is a resounding “No!”

Whether a marriage is irrevocably broken or still hanging together by a thread, it is important to realize that a person’s needs will never be completely fulfilled by a spouse. That is an unreasonable-and impossible-expectation. While a loving spouse can be supportive in many ways, only God can provide you with a sense of worth and wholeness. Don’t expect a spouse to provide what is available only from God. This means that all is not lost for the husband and wife after the marriage has terminated. God is still there, even if the spouse is not.

For those struggling marriages that still have a chance, the focus of each spouse needs to be outwardly directed. Instead of seeking personal fulfillment, the primary goal should be the fulfillment of the other spouse’s needs. Of course, this won’t be easy if the other spouse is uncooperative and not interested in reciprocating. But here again, God is the solution. He can provide the strength to show love to someone who is acting in an unloving manner.

It is often heard in a wedding ceremony that a successful marriage is not a union of two people but rather a union of three: a man, a woman, and God. That is true. But it is equally true that God needs to be viewed as an essential component in your life when the marriage is unsuccessful.

•God doesn’t love you less just because you’ve been unsuccessful in love

•God should be the love of your life

•A good marriage won’t happen unless you get a divorce from yourself. You can’t love God or your spouse if you love yourself more.

•Marriage is the most intimate and difficult of relationships. Although God intends it for a lifetime, life goes on after a marriage stops.

•Don’t be desperate to get married. Be desperate for God.

Going back to school...

I have decided to go back to school. I was going to try for a nursing degree, but I can't see myself doing some of the requirements for that degree such as dissecting cats *yuck*!
I am going to go for a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration. The Bachelor of Science in Health Administration (BSHA) major is designed to integrate a foundation of general education and applied sciences with the expertise that prepares the graduate for management positions in health care. The Bachelor of Science in Health Administration curriculum addresses the basic body of knowledge, understanding, and skills identified to be relevant to health care administration.
I was talking to our PA at work yesterday and she agrees. This is a good option for me as far as furthering my education.
The bonus... Dave just started a job at the University of Phoenix and one of the many perks is I as his "domestic partner" get an 80% discount on the classes! It's going to take me quite a long time to get my degree as I have to get an associates first.
Associate of Arts in Health Care Administration. The 60-credit curriculum provides a foundation and overview within the academic disciplines of communication arts, social sciences, mathematics, life sciences, and the humanities. Instruction focuses on the development of student skills in writing, critical thinking, and information utilization, as well as foundational competencies in the selected concentration. The completion of an Associate of Arts degree represents an important milestone for many students as they pursue their educational goals.

The Health Care Administration Concentration is the study of health care organizations, roles of health care workers, public policy, information technology, financial management, and regulatory and ethical issues of health care. The current strengths, weaknesses, and challenges of the U.S. health care system are discussed. Students also critically examine the current state of health and disease, health care’s laws and ethics, the psychology of health, and financial operations of the health care system.
Wish me luck!!!

I am the lucky one...

I have a wonderful man in my life that adores me
I have a job that I love
I have the world's greatest family
I am able to pay my bills
I have a car I have always wanted
I have the desire to always better myself
I am independent
I have friends that I can call on ANYTIME
I have my health
I have my memories

Here is my list of 10 reasons I am the lucky one!

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."
~Buddha

Happy 2009

We made it!!! 2008 is officially over!!! I have been doing a lot of thinking about what I should do to make the new year as good as I possibly can. Thinking about my life and what I truly wish for.

I want so much to have a baby. Since high school I have had "problems" with my female parts, pelvic pain, missed periods, extreme PMS. It wasn't until about 2006 that doctors could tell me more about what I had other than trying to have birth control keep me regular. I have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

PCOS is caused by an imbalance in the hormones (chemical messengers) in your brain and your ovaries. Many girls also have higher than normal levels of insulin from the pancreas. PCOS usually happens when the LH levels or the insulin levels are too high, which results in extra testosterone production by the ovary.

Having PCOS means that your ovaries are not getting the right hormonal signals from your pituitary gland. Without these signals you will not ovulate (make eggs). Your period may be irregular or you may not have a period at all.

Without ovulation, no babies... My biological clock is pounding in my ears.

I went to my yearly exam to which Dave went with me to understand more of what was going on. The doctor is FANTASTIC, didn't make me feel like all I was going through was fake or not worth his time as other doctors had made me feel. I really liked him. He was blunt and told me I needed to lose weight, get my insulin under control and quit smoking.

I have family history of diabetes on both sides of my family and I'm almost positive my grandmother on my dad's side had PCOS before they actually knew what it was.

I am working on the weight thing, although the holidays didn't help much with that!!! As for the smoking, well, I have cut down quite a lot, but it's so hard to quit for good.

I have been thinking a lot about Clomid. Clomid is the most well-known fertility drug, probably because it is the most commonly used. And with good reason. About 25% of female factor infertility involves a problem with ovulation, and clomiphene citrate, as a fertility drug, is easy to use (taken as a pill, not an injection), with not too many side effects, and is effective in stimulating ovulation 80% of the time.

I think that if nothing happens with lowering the weight and watching my insulin in 3 months this will be the route I take. 2009 will be the year Kelly seriously tries to have a baby. Wish me luck!