If you're a bird, I'm a bird

I am reading a book called Happy Women Live Better . Valarie Burton is a motivational speaker I heard on the Christian radio I listen to. I just read the chapter on Gratitude, being thankful. A way to activate your Happiness trigger is to keep a gratitude journal of things you are thankful for. Before you go to bed, you can write three things you were thankful for that day. Also, you can write a thank-you letter to someone. I am going to make an effort to recognize things and people I am thankful for. On another note, the next chapter is on fakebook or facebook , which leads into Connection (which was my weakest area) so I am taking a hiatus from facebook for 1 week. I have deleted the app off my phone. No comparisons, no connecting with people that aren't in the room with me, no wasting time on things that are not important, no bragging or sharing with people that do not need to know my business. I bought a new book Summer Rental so I am going to read that this week. R Upd...

Stay in a tree house for a vacation Get a couple's tattoo Go on a cruise Dread, wrap, or braid my whole head of hair Geocache Own my own business 3-month road trip in an RV to 50 US landmarks Visit an Amish or Mennonite community Host a Life Chain rally Learn to play a harmonica Take a pottery class/lesson Do a chemical peel on my face Live with less Get a Breast Lift  (I know that as I cross things off, I will be adding new ones.)

I've been going to my counselor since December. I was going weekly, then bi-weekly, every three weeks, and now once a month. I enjoy going. Something I look forward to. I don't "need" it because she said I am helping myself make improvements instead of just expecting medication and counseling to treat me. For example, I apply for jobs and go to interviews. Joe and I are working on communication, parenting, our marriage, and weight loss. Counselors do like to monitor individuals even when they are doing well because if depression came back, most individuals won't ask for help once they get to a suicidal stage. It is a way of being proactive and seeing it before it is too late. Not waiting as late as I did last time. Every visit she tells me to keep taking it. Even though I am feeling better and it is working, doesn't mean that I shouldn't take it anymore. Originally, I was told that a short term treatment is 6 months to a year. At my last appointment, sh...

I just love my zodiac sign and how it describes me. It just confirms that nothing is wrong with me and there are others with the same mentality. Here are some of my favorite quotes from my profile: "Some people might find them cold or emotionally detached because they live in their minds, not in their emotions and feelings." "It is best to keep your emotional distance from a Virgo friend unless they open up to you first." "Virgos are very intelligent, they have an excellent memory and a highly analytical mind. This makes them good investigators and researchers. They also have the ability to probe into a person's emotions and they can often see into people and detect what their motives are. This makes them great policemen or interrogators. Virgos are very good at problem solving, this is what they do best. They are confronted with a problem, they will pick apart the pieces and put it together in the proper order. They are rational thinkers and are go...

May 2015 (I'll do a full body shot soon.) When I first wrote my goals March 23, this is what I wrote:  These are my goals: 1) Be able to wear my engagemen t and wedding rings 2) Wear a size M top 3) Wear size 6 or 8 jeans 4) Weight wise, I'd like to be back at 155lbs (or less). This is where I am at now. I can wear my London Blue Topaz engagement ring. I bought some Medium tops at the consignment store yesterday and they fit! Weight wise, I am at 155 right now. I am going to shoot for 5 more pounds. My 10 jeans fit me comfortably and Joe says my black pants look too baggy. I agree. I haven't tried sizing down pants yet. Before, I think I squeezed into a 10  when I should have been in a 12 probably. Look how miserable I was... 10/17/15 Update: I have marked all of my goals off my list now! I wear a size 8 jeans, weight 151 pounds, medium and small tops, and both wedding rings!  November 2014 (181 lbs.) Four generations (I hated lookin...

My Testimony:  I was 135 when we started dating. I was 155 on our wedding day. That was 6 years ago. Since then I have been using food to celebrate and grieve during married life. My body grew two babies, suffered from depression and unemployment. Finally decided to take care of me again. Found a job, got help for depression, seeing a counselor a couple times a month. When I went to the OB/GYN in March, I was 181. I signed up for a nutritional system and practiced self-discipl ine by limiting my calories, increasing my protein, and removing toxins from my body. My goal when we started out 2m 11d ago was to get to 155 again. I weighed 154 this morning!!!! I feel great mentally, physically, and spiritually. I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn in a while and having to buy new ones. My arms and legs are getting firmer. Confidence is soaring. Let me know if you want to start your journey back to health too! 

Halong Bay, Vietnam I sent a letter to Vietnam today. Their 16-year old son will flying 20+ hours in August to live with us for 10-months. What do you say to the parents that have entrusted their care to you? I don't know what it feels like to be in their shoes. I know what I would want to know as a parent. One day, maybe our children will want to go away to see the world. I hope so. My parents know the feeling. When I was 21 years old, I took at teaching job in the People's Republic of China. I was gone a whole school year. I went to undergrad to be a missionary. I think I love this job of placing exchange students in host homes so much because I am using my degree. I get to prepare students for culture shock. Not only do I know about it, I have experienced it. Classes like Cultural Anthropology and the Religions of the World seem more relevant. I have enjoyed being the Academic Coordinator so much this past year, that I wanted to experience being a host parent too.  So ...