I am truly a blogging failure. Call it a lack of motivation or an adjustment period maybe. It's been awhile to say the least. So many things have changed. Last June we packed up a Uhaul (something I've never done for myself) and headed east, bound for Colorado. Currently we are living in Castle Rock while we anxiously wait on a house. Dan is working for his step father who works in real estate, more specifically he flips houses. It's like living HGTV, pretty awesome! We are excited for our chance to find a dilapidated house and bring it back to life. I'm so excited to share a blog about that portion of the process, this part is less exciting and far more frustrating. It takes a long time to find the right deal, that is for sure! The market is changing, more investors are trying to get into foreclosed homes making the prices rise. A year ago, we would have been able to find an amazing home much more quickly. I don't believe in blind chance however, there is a sense of divine providence and I know God has his eyes on us, we are willingly being molded and our new home will be exactly what we need. We just have to be patient. Easier said than done! This transition has been difficult. Saying goodbye to my family, friends, and job that I love, was the hardest thing I think I've ever done. It's still hard. Distance changes relationships drastically. It's still hard for me to come to terms with the fact that we aren't going back and this isn't just an extended vacation. I can't believe it's been 6 months already! Change really throws me for a loop. I enjoy the security of steady routine so big changes tend to be problematic for me. Change is a good thing, I know, I can sense my own growth. I am still grieving for Saint George, It was such a a huge and life changing point in my life. We had so much joy there. But joy is not found in a place. It is found in relationships and we are making new and beautiful relationships here. Our church is amazing. These are such motivated and spiritual people. They let God do such amazing things through them. I feel so grateful to be part of such an active church. A few weeks ago I was privileged to get to deliver gifts for families on behalf of an incarcerated parent. The challenges these families face are daunting. It was so amazing to be part of a solution to some of their problems. In the process of helping with the Angel Tree Ministry I was introduced to Restoration Outreach Programs of Denver. Wow. What an awesome organization! The best part is, I had just finished reading "When Helping Hurts". This organization is modeled by principles outlined in that book. By the way, it's a great book and I encourage anyone with a heart to serve the poor to read it. I hope to become more involved with ROP once we move closer to them. Currently I am serving as a nanny for a cute little family in Denver. It's a great job. I get to bring Oliver and play with him as well as sweet baby girl named Chloe. I love it!  
We have been greatly blessed and I look forward to sharing our home buying/fix up soon. Until then, Merry Christmas!

IQS

It has been a very long time since I have updated my blog. To be honest I haven't had any desire to get on here. I've been tired and stressed and feeling very, for lack of a better word, trapped. Let me sum up for you all the last few months. Dan and I are ready for a better life, more specifically, Dan hates his job and he makes very little money doing it. We keep our heads above water and have enough money to put some away every month but neither of us feel like we are doing with our lives all that we have the potential of doing. Trying to figure out what our potential is has been very stressful and to be frank, we don't see eye to eye on this issue. We are working on it though. To make matters worse, I feel exhausted, and because of my pelvis I have been unable to work out for a majority of the last 6 months. I could go for walks, and I did, but that really hasn't done much for me. All of this created a perfect storm and I have been turning to what I always turn to for comfort, Food; Sugary, Caffeine loaded, delicious food. Anything that tasted good enough that it could distract me from all of the unpleasant feelings swirling about inside of me. So much food that even while breast feeding full time and walking for an hour everyday I was able to gain 20lbs in a matter of months. I don't want to dwell to much on weight or on how my clothes fit because my vanity has very little to do with my feelings of worth. Of course I would love for my clothes to fit better and turning a few heads every now and then might feel good but that's not whats important. The part of all this that has me feeling the most motivated to change is simply that I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I have NO energy, NO motivation, and my thoughts don't ever seem clear. My house is a mess, my son isn't getting my full attention, and my husband has been almost completely neglected. I wake up at 4:30am, shower, go to work, crack open a soda to give me some oomph. A few hours later, I eat a doughnut or two for a little more oomph. A few hours pass by and again I need another oomph because the earlier two oomph's have left me feeling worse than before I even started oomph-ing!  By the time I get home from work I am completely exhausted and I feel like I'm starving even though I have already consumed all the calories I would need for 2 days. Is this not completely insane?? I know the sodas don't work, the doughnuts don't work, the bowls of sugary cereal and ice cream don't work but still I keep turning to them. It's like a battered women returning to her abusive spouse over and over again, and just like a battered women, This behavior is going to kill me if I don't stop! So I started to do some research and after reading a post on facebook from Sarah Wilson's blog I became convinced. I am a sugar addict. Sugar is toxic, addictive, and it has complete control over me. I refuse to continue on this way so I have committed to 8 weeks without sugar. I bought the "I Quit Sugar" Ebook and I am ready to make this happen.
My family deserves a better wife and mother, and I deserve a better me. I am so ready to feel better! I plan to post on here at least once a week for the full 8 weeks and update you all on my progress and let you know how I am feeling. I will also try and post links about sugar and it's negative effects on our bodies. Like I said earlier, weight is not the main issue here so I plan to focus on feeling better. Wish me luck, say some prayers, and if you feel up to it, join me!

Here are some links to the articles that were my catalyst:
http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2012/02/sugar-as-toxic-as-booze-and-fags-my-thoughts/
 and
http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2011/11/we-quit-sugar-and-this-is-what-has-happened/