I had another Dr appt yesterday and as I was sharing some details with a friend this morning, I realized that while so much of life has become normal that there are still a lot of things that most people would find unusual or at least different from what you experience in the states. So anyway... I decided that I would share what my appointments are like in the public health system of HK.
1st thing is that the clinics only do appointments for certain things on certain days. The clinic I attend only accepts Antenatal re-visits on Tuesday afternoons from 2-5pm. Secondly, I don't actually have a time appointment, I'm given a date that I need to come back (for ex. June 10) and I have to come on that specific date or earlier (like the Tues before.) This means that unless I want to wait hours and yes, I mean hours, I need to be at the clinic about 1:20ish to line up. Thankfully, I have managed to get there early and I've always been in the top 15 patients. :) And the final thing in regards to the appointment arrangements is that you only go every 6wks, then 4 wks, then 2wks and weekly. You don't even get in to see a Dr until you are pretty much into your 2nd trimester and because of how my visits fell, I've only had 3 appointments in 7 months of pregnancy.
As far as the actual appointment... there is a room for everything and you feel like you're a part of an assembly line. We start with our urine test where I have to bring my own (saved from the morning) and stick two little pieces of paper in it. Then I make my way to get weighed. I take my little slip of paper and have my blood pressure taken. Then I move into another line for my turn to hear the baby's heartbeat with my own tissue (that I had to bring with me) to wipe the cream off. Next I wait for them to call me into another room where I meet with a nurse to go over my weight gain and any other details. She stamps my card for the next appointment date and I leave. Unless I absolutely need to see a Dr (which they will do anything they can to prevent you from seeing or at least it sure seems that way) in which I go back out to the waiting room and wait again to be called into yet another room.
It is very impersonal and because I don't speak Cantonese... I feel like an inconvenience to them. Like at my 1st appt when I didn't know exactly what I was to be doing and they just lectured me like I was a moron instead of just explaining the process. Or when I was trying to convince the Dr that i needed something to help the vomiting and all she would say was 'its just a part of pregnancy,' or when I was concerned about my fainting issues and they said, 'Stay away from cloudy areas,' or yesterday when I was lectured over and over about my weight gain and was told that 'imagine how much you would weigh if you weren't having your vomiting issues.' Yeah... can you tell that I'm having a bit of a hard time with the impersonalness (yes my own word) of the care but for no cost... I can deal with it.
It does make me a bit nervous about what the birthing experience will be like but I'm thankful that I know 3 Dr's at the hospital that will help me if need be.
So alas... I've reached the 'every 2 weeks' stage now and I was told that they would be looking closely at my weight gain because it's just not good and most women gain what I have during their entire pregnancy. Please let me note that while I have gained... I'm on target to gain less than I did with Isabella and within the recommended 25-35lbs that all my books say. But alas... I'm glad it's getting close to the end. I'm anxious to meet this little one and feel better.
And I told Mike that I'm not going to have any sweets or sweet drinks... anything that could add to my weight gain for the next two weeks and see how much I gain. That way at least I don't have to listen to how fat I am. :)
So I'm 28wks... still measuring 2 weeks ahead (which I still know means nothing but I have hope that maybe it will...lol) still not not knowing the sex. Next appt they'll check to see what position the baby is in. Not sure how they'll do that but I'm praying maybe it'll mean an ultrasound.
So that's life in the public hospital system. My appointments last about 1 to 1.5hrs by the time I get through everything.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Out of the mouth of babes...
Izzy stories:
'Once upon a time, a big, giant Jesus.'
(After looking at the cover of her Bible which has Moses holding up the Ten Commandments...) 'That's a bad man, he's throwing rocks.'
She's also able to read us the story 'Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear' perfectly by what she has memorized and by looking at the pictures. It's so adorable because she's so proud that she can read.
'Once upon a time, a big, giant Jesus.'
(After looking at the cover of her Bible which has Moses holding up the Ten Commandments...) 'That's a bad man, he's throwing rocks.'
She's also able to read us the story 'Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear' perfectly by what she has memorized and by looking at the pictures. It's so adorable because she's so proud that she can read.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Sweet Prayers Cont.
A sweet little conversation between Izzy and Mike the other night...
Izzy: "Daddy I prayed, by myself."
Mike: "Did you talk to Jesus?"
Izzy: "yes"
Mike: "What did you talk to Jesus about?"
Izzy: "I talked to Him, just me 'to feel better, for mommy, and daddy, and ouffie (her beloved stuffed dog).'
Mike: "Do you want to ask Jesus to help you use the potty?"
Izzy: "The big potty?"
Mike: "No the princess potty."
Izzy: "okay"
Mike: "Do you want me to pray?"
Izzy: "No I'll pray. Help jesus princess potty."
Izzy: "Daddy I prayed, by myself."
Mike: "Did you talk to Jesus?"
Izzy: "yes"
Mike: "What did you talk to Jesus about?"
Izzy: "I talked to Him, just me 'to feel better, for mommy, and daddy, and ouffie (her beloved stuffed dog).'
Mike: "Do you want to ask Jesus to help you use the potty?"
Izzy: "The big potty?"
Mike: "No the princess potty."
Izzy: "okay"
Mike: "Do you want me to pray?"
Izzy: "No I'll pray. Help jesus princess potty."
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Swelling and Heartburn
Ah the joys of pregnancy... and today my calves feel like dead weight. It literally hurts to walk, especially up stairs. So many weird and unusual pregnancy issues this time around but alas.....
here are the latest pictures... they're not the most flattering but the bump is visible.
Today I went swimming and it felt SO nice. I'm looking forward to doing that more often and it will be a great way to spend time with Izzy too. A little easier than getting down on the floor for a tea party. LOL
here are the latest pictures... they're not the most flattering but the bump is visible.
Today I went swimming and it felt SO nice. I'm looking forward to doing that more often and it will be a great way to spend time with Izzy too. A little easier than getting down on the floor for a tea party. LOL
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Happy 3rd Birthday Isabella!!!
Well my baby is 3! I can hardly believe how fast time has gone and how quickly she is growing up. What a delight she is to have and I feel so blessed that God has placed her in my care. She has such a loving and tender heart. She's smart and curious, adventurous and outgoing. She makes friends with anyone and loves people. She's creative and lively and while she tires me out... I love that she loves to keep moving. I love that she loves being outside and being with people.
Each day I'm amazed at something new she has learned... whether it's something in Tagalog from Joan (she's been teaching her body parts), to a new song, or learning what the words 'Hong Kong Disneyland' look like. (haha) She can count to ten in both English and Cantonese and even higher in English with a bit of prompting. She knows her ABC's. She can usually tell me what she's learned at church and I'm constantly blessed by the songs she sings. Her conversation skills astound me on a regular basis... the words and sentences that come out of her mouth always make me smile. I love to listen to her stories and I absolutely love how she responds to my growing belly.
She starts school at the end of August and we just paid for her books, bags, uniform, etc and it brings tears to my eyes that it is time for that. I remember moving to HK and learning that even at just a few months, I needed to be researching schools and putting her on waiting lists, etc.. and I just refused. I always said, "I have plenty of time for that.' And here it is... 3yrs later already.
I wanted this year to be special for her. She understands what a 'birthday' is and I don't know what life will be like with 2 little ones so I wanted to celebrate big this year. We had a little birthday party with her friends on Sat morning and on Sunday we took her to Disney for two days. It pretty much rained the whole time at Disney but we made the most out of it and she got a lot of attention since there weren't as many people. She got to swim with Goofy, Mickey got her some special goodies at dinner, she met Prince 'Charlie' for the 1st time. Sleeping Beauty remembered her and her grandparents spoiled her with princess goodies. She loved every minute and had this expression of joy on her face all weekend.
It's exciting to me to think about the year ahead for her. She'll have so many new experiences that I'm anxious how it will change her, the things she will learn, how she will be as a big sister, etc. But I certainly do not wish for her to grow up too much too fast.
With Mickey at Dinner
With Cinderella and Prince 'Charlie' (her favorite princess)
Her Castle Cake
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Rubbish
The other day we were at PCC (a coffee shop) and Izzy was throwing things away when she looked down and saw some garbage that she couldn't reach. So she looked at Uncle David and said, 'Please give me the rubbish.' Rubbish???? What country is this girl from? :) I about died, I couldn't believe it but she does say quite a few words with more of a British accent but I guess that's what to be expected when the majority of westerners she's around are from the UK. I know this is totally random but I do not want to forget this... it was just priceless to me and it just makes me smile every time I think about.
It really excites me to know that she'll have such an amazing worldview if we continue to live overseas. And I constantly have to remind myself that all she knows is Hong Kong life... she has no understanding what it's like to live anywhere else and what differences in her childhood that will bring in comparison to mine. There are some things that I have a hard time dealing with (in regards to living overseas/in HK in particular) and her growing up but then there are so many amazing things that she'll get to experience/learn/etc... that I wouldn't change either.
I just pray that I will be sensitive to her in regards to what it's like growing up in HK and not expect her to be totally Americanized in her ways. That I will help her to see the amazing opportunities she has by living in a place like HK and help her to pursue those. That I will help her to understand why we are living in HK and that she would see the joy of following God wherever He leads and that she would follow Him in the same way.
So I guess for the next few years, I'll just enjoy watching what she picks up from others... what words she tends to use and how she says them, what foods she prefers, watching the relationships with friends develop and who she loves to spend time with, etc... and delight in how blessed she is to grow up in such a diverse city.
It really excites me to know that she'll have such an amazing worldview if we continue to live overseas. And I constantly have to remind myself that all she knows is Hong Kong life... she has no understanding what it's like to live anywhere else and what differences in her childhood that will bring in comparison to mine. There are some things that I have a hard time dealing with (in regards to living overseas/in HK in particular) and her growing up but then there are so many amazing things that she'll get to experience/learn/etc... that I wouldn't change either.
I just pray that I will be sensitive to her in regards to what it's like growing up in HK and not expect her to be totally Americanized in her ways. That I will help her to see the amazing opportunities she has by living in a place like HK and help her to pursue those. That I will help her to understand why we are living in HK and that she would see the joy of following God wherever He leads and that she would follow Him in the same way.
So I guess for the next few years, I'll just enjoy watching what she picks up from others... what words she tends to use and how she says them, what foods she prefers, watching the relationships with friends develop and who she loves to spend time with, etc... and delight in how blessed she is to grow up in such a diverse city.
Friday, May 09, 2008
It's a small world
really... it's so crazy. This morning I met another teacher at our school and guess where he's from??? Pittsburgh! How crazy is that? He knows the high-school I went to and was even friends with a few students I went to school with. It was so interesting to hear his story and how he ended up in Hong Kong. A few months ago, I learned that a student I graduated with is also living in Hong Kong but he's in business and on the Island so chances of me ever running into him are slim to none. But anyway... it's just neat to know when most of the Westerners I meet are from UK or Canada.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
21 Weeks
I cannot believe how big I'm getting and how quickly. Makes me a bit nervous for the summer months and how big Baby Bob will be. :) I'm definitely feeling much better overall but I'm still having to take my medicine regularly... I tried to go off it this week and had two bad days so I took it today and feel great. So much so that I went for another run which I needed. I love running and listening to worship music and after the day I had at school... I needed a chance to let out some energy and refocus.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
reality settles in
Today was bittersweet for me. We spent all day with friends which is always a fun thing to do. Today had a different spin though... the first outing with friends was saying good-bye to one of our students. He heads out to the UK for Operation Mobilization and then to Bible College. It's very exciting to see him follow this path but it's still a bummer to say goodbye. This is our second goodbye to youth in just two months with several more ahead this summer. This will be a difficult year to say goodbye to students. I feel many of these are the ones we've connected with the most over the past few years, they're the leaders... and well they're all just awesome students.
Then we had Adelina/Nick over for dinner to celebrate Adelina's birthday tomorrow. It's always great fun to be with them but we talked a bit about them moving back this summer and after the saying good-bye to David this morning it was like reality just hit... Nick and Adelina are definitely leaving. They will definitely be missed. And it just made me sad. Our first year here we said goodbye to some great friends that we had made, last year wasn't too bad, and now this year is quite similar, if not worse (as we've known these people much longer) to the 1st summer. It's the way of Hong Kong but that doesn't make it easier. I'm just trying to remember that God brings all sorts of people into our lives and for all different reasons and that we need to take advantage of those relationships, build them as strong as you can, and be the best example of Christ that I can be.
I feel bad for Izzy too, though I don't really know how much she'll really understand but 2 of her best buds leave this summer. One is heading off to college and the other is Kayla. I'm really curious to see what will happen, if she'll realize what's going on, will she keep asking for her, etc... It breaks my heart sometimes that she'll grow up in a transient culture but I pray that she will do as I wrote above.... learn to love others and give her all no matter how long a person will be in her life.
And just because this post sounds a bit depressing... there's nothing like an Izzy smile to make my day. :)
Then we had Adelina/Nick over for dinner to celebrate Adelina's birthday tomorrow. It's always great fun to be with them but we talked a bit about them moving back this summer and after the saying good-bye to David this morning it was like reality just hit... Nick and Adelina are definitely leaving. They will definitely be missed. And it just made me sad. Our first year here we said goodbye to some great friends that we had made, last year wasn't too bad, and now this year is quite similar, if not worse (as we've known these people much longer) to the 1st summer. It's the way of Hong Kong but that doesn't make it easier. I'm just trying to remember that God brings all sorts of people into our lives and for all different reasons and that we need to take advantage of those relationships, build them as strong as you can, and be the best example of Christ that I can be.
I feel bad for Izzy too, though I don't really know how much she'll really understand but 2 of her best buds leave this summer. One is heading off to college and the other is Kayla. I'm really curious to see what will happen, if she'll realize what's going on, will she keep asking for her, etc... It breaks my heart sometimes that she'll grow up in a transient culture but I pray that she will do as I wrote above.... learn to love others and give her all no matter how long a person will be in her life.
And just because this post sounds a bit depressing... there's nothing like an Izzy smile to make my day. :)
Friday, April 11, 2008
Breakdown and recovery
Well Wednesday was just one of those days. I was telling a friend that I think it's because I've been in HK too much lately. LOL In the past years, I've been blessed with a trip to visit family about Jan/Feb and then a family holiday to Thailand at Easter. This year, I started working and have not had those breaks. Sound like a good excuse? LOL
Tuesday I had a discouraging Dr appt. Nothing wrong with the baby but I've gained quite a bit of weight and the nurse insisted on telling me how overweight I was and what I should do about that. I know that I've gained some weight as it's obvious in the bulging stomach and some other places :) but I don't feel/see the other added pounds... or maybe I'm just blind to it as I was with Izzy which is a scary thought in itself. But alas... Baby Bob is healthy and kicking away and I'm watching what I eat and making more of an effort to exercise.
But Wednesday... just went downhill. I was just down I guess and a conversation just made me lose it. I was feeling sorry for myself, frustrated at some things, etc... and so I called Mike and vented and cried. It honestly felt good and I think i just needed to get some things off my chest because almost immediately after hanging up the phone... sanity returned. I realized how selfish I had been, was convicted on something that God has asked me to do and eventually excited about life. I think sometimes I know that my feelings are selfish and I shouldn't be feeling that way so I never talk about it and then instead of being able to let go of everything, it just builds.
I also decided to get back into my running routine as that (or exercise in general) has always been good for my sanity. But since I've been unable to run for 3 months and for the sake of the baby's health, I decided to go back to the Couch to 5K running plan. I was quite surprised in my ability to run, the speed at which I could run, and the endurance that I had. I ran much longer than Couch to 5K suggested which I was really encouraged by. It felt SO GOOD to get back out there and get moving and I was all geared up for last night but...
my streak ended after a mini-bus ride home from meeting with a friend. I felt just horrible and had to ask Joan to put Izzy to sleep as I could barely move without running to the loo. But I'm feeling okay today and made it on the train without fainting so all is good. LOL
Speaking of my friend... we met yesterday to plan for our Mom's group and I can't tell you how excited I am for the weeks ahead. We planned out activities for the rest of April and May... things anywhere from doing the Walk Away the Lbs DVD, to making a small scrapbook album, to a trip to the park, a Mother's Day tea, a special speaker... oh I just can't wait. Now I just pray the other Moms will be just as excited. We counted about 5 more moms who are interested in joining us so that's very exciting too.
So lots going on but how boring life would be without it. Hope you have a blessed day!
Tuesday I had a discouraging Dr appt. Nothing wrong with the baby but I've gained quite a bit of weight and the nurse insisted on telling me how overweight I was and what I should do about that. I know that I've gained some weight as it's obvious in the bulging stomach and some other places :) but I don't feel/see the other added pounds... or maybe I'm just blind to it as I was with Izzy which is a scary thought in itself. But alas... Baby Bob is healthy and kicking away and I'm watching what I eat and making more of an effort to exercise.
But Wednesday... just went downhill. I was just down I guess and a conversation just made me lose it. I was feeling sorry for myself, frustrated at some things, etc... and so I called Mike and vented and cried. It honestly felt good and I think i just needed to get some things off my chest because almost immediately after hanging up the phone... sanity returned. I realized how selfish I had been, was convicted on something that God has asked me to do and eventually excited about life. I think sometimes I know that my feelings are selfish and I shouldn't be feeling that way so I never talk about it and then instead of being able to let go of everything, it just builds.
I also decided to get back into my running routine as that (or exercise in general) has always been good for my sanity. But since I've been unable to run for 3 months and for the sake of the baby's health, I decided to go back to the Couch to 5K running plan. I was quite surprised in my ability to run, the speed at which I could run, and the endurance that I had. I ran much longer than Couch to 5K suggested which I was really encouraged by. It felt SO GOOD to get back out there and get moving and I was all geared up for last night but...
my streak ended after a mini-bus ride home from meeting with a friend. I felt just horrible and had to ask Joan to put Izzy to sleep as I could barely move without running to the loo. But I'm feeling okay today and made it on the train without fainting so all is good. LOL
Speaking of my friend... we met yesterday to plan for our Mom's group and I can't tell you how excited I am for the weeks ahead. We planned out activities for the rest of April and May... things anywhere from doing the Walk Away the Lbs DVD, to making a small scrapbook album, to a trip to the park, a Mother's Day tea, a special speaker... oh I just can't wait. Now I just pray the other Moms will be just as excited. We counted about 5 more moms who are interested in joining us so that's very exciting too.
So lots going on but how boring life would be without it. Hope you have a blessed day!
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Guardian of the Keymaster
Morpheus Mike playing the Wii
Isn't this so cool!!! I LOVE it. David is a very talented artist and has been working hard to prepare banners for 'reload' our new youth ministry beginning May 2. It's theme comes from the Matrix trilogy and each adult has their own character. I'll have to download and post Mike's pic. It's awesome. So apparently I'm one of the Twins with my friend Jocelyn. I could not remember these guys from the movie so I had to google them. :)
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Back from Camp
We came back to our place for a BBQ this morning. It's SO nice to have a place big enough to host things like this. Here we are just relaxing.
Izzy and Hunter... so cute eh?
Our group on the hike
We had a great weekend at camp but it's nice to be home and sleeping in my own bed. There's much to share but I'm not feeling so well tonight but I wanted to share a few fun pics.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Happy ramblings...
Well after a scary day yesterday... today was amazing. At least as far as I was feeling. :) When I got home from work, Izzy and I took about 1 1/2 hr walk, then we painted, read and I even had the energy to exercise after I put her to bed. It felt wonderful!!!! My pregnancy workout video came and while it's not exactly what I was hoping for... I do like it and will enjoy using it. I did however order Tae Bo's Postnatal workout with Shellie because I know I'll love that too.
I forgot to mention that on Sunday, I finally started feeling Baby Bob. It happens so quick that I often don't realize that's what it was until afterwards but that's okay.... I know my days will come. I'm anxious for Izzy to be able to feel Bob though... I think she'll get a big kick out of that. :) One of my students told me today that she thinks I'm having a boy. They were so cute when they realized I was pregnant... they all came running up front and just stared at my tummy.. of course telling me how fat I was getting.
I'm so lucky that I only have 3 teaching days this week! Wohoo... another festival on friday! Our youthgroup retreat is this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. We'll finish with a BBQ and possibly swimming at our place on Sunday since the camp is just minutes away from our place.
But alas... I'm just rambling and should get to bed. Have a great day!
I forgot to mention that on Sunday, I finally started feeling Baby Bob. It happens so quick that I often don't realize that's what it was until afterwards but that's okay.... I know my days will come. I'm anxious for Izzy to be able to feel Bob though... I think she'll get a big kick out of that. :) One of my students told me today that she thinks I'm having a boy. They were so cute when they realized I was pregnant... they all came running up front and just stared at my tummy.. of course telling me how fat I was getting.
I'm so lucky that I only have 3 teaching days this week! Wohoo... another festival on friday! Our youthgroup retreat is this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. We'll finish with a BBQ and possibly swimming at our place on Sunday since the camp is just minutes away from our place.
But alas... I'm just rambling and should get to bed. Have a great day!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Dizzy spells
Well I had quite the start to my morning. Mike took me into Sai Kung to catch the bus because I thought I was running late and i was all excited because I would actually have some time to spare and wouldn't have to run to school after the mtr. I hopped on the bus about 5/6 minutes earlier than normal, someone felt pity on the pregnant lady and gave me their seat on the 1st train. The second train is only 2 stops so I don't even bother to try and find a seat... guess I should have today. I literally came seconds from passing out. When the train stopped, I was pretty much leaning on the guy in front of me (who by the way was not too happy), I had lost all hearing and was quickly losing sight. Thankfully I rushed off and was able to just sit on the floor. I'm sure I got funny looks as tons of people passed me but I survived and didn't pass out. I still must have looked awfully pale or something because a man at the top of the escalator was trying to tell me something (like maybe the bathroom is this way or help or I don't know) but he didn't speak any English and well I certainly don't speak any Cantonese so I just shrugged and kept walking. I've got a terrible headache now but other than that I'm doing fine. It sure did scare me though... especially since I wasn't at all expecting it. I wasn't hot or uncomfortable at all... no idea where it came from.
But anyway.... yesterday we finally got Izzy registered for school. It kills me to do this but I know she'll love being around kids and if we plan on staying in HK.. it's what we gotta do. It's a local Christian school which we thought was cool. She'll be taught in Cantonese only and her second year she'll begin learning Mandarin. Crazy but I'm so excited for her and a bit jealous. I wish we could have some formal language study. The Principal was very sweet and encouraging about having an English speaker in this setting and I think it made her happy that we wanted to put Izzy in this situation.
Tonight we have small group and I'm looking forward to that... and maybe a nap to get rid of this headache but we'll see. ;) I'm going to try a new way of getting home ad hoping it won't take me forever.
But anyway.... yesterday we finally got Izzy registered for school. It kills me to do this but I know she'll love being around kids and if we plan on staying in HK.. it's what we gotta do. It's a local Christian school which we thought was cool. She'll be taught in Cantonese only and her second year she'll begin learning Mandarin. Crazy but I'm so excited for her and a bit jealous. I wish we could have some formal language study. The Principal was very sweet and encouraging about having an English speaker in this setting and I think it made her happy that we wanted to put Izzy in this situation.
Tonight we have small group and I'm looking forward to that... and maybe a nap to get rid of this headache but we'll see. ;) I'm going to try a new way of getting home ad hoping it won't take me forever.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
for the love of exercise... haha
So I've been slightly depressed with the weight gain and body changes Baby Bob has brought on. I know this is normal but I've worked so hard to get into shape after having Izzy that knowing I'm going to have to do it all over again is no fun. I've even been slghtly depressed that because I was so sick at first, I was not able to run or exercise period and now it's hard to get back into the routine. And knowing that starting a running routine after weeks and weeks of not plus an enlarged stomach reminds me that it will not be easy and that I'll pretty much have to go back to scratch... that's really depressing when I an average run was at least 8 miles a day. :( But alas...
I've been looking into some pregnancy workout DVDs (yes... I know I'm weird but I really do enjoy working out to videos) and at first all I could find here were yoga/pilates videos... not exactly what I was looking for at this point. So I got on Amazon.com and found more of what I'm looking for and am patiently waiting it's arrival. I actually cannot even remember the name but it was reviewed well so I hope it's what it says. Which gives me a better attitude and hope that it's still not too late. LOL And then I got an email from Billy Blanks and when I checked out his website... lo and behold there is a post-natal DVD!!!! I can't tell you how excited I was... I LOVE tae bo. They also have a new series of videos out that I told Mike I'd like for my birthday. :) I just finished reading some reviews on the postnatal video and one lady said she was even able to use it during pregnancy so I'm thinking I may go ahead and purchase this one as well.
On top of finding all those videos, Mike and I were talking and since this will be my last baby (unless God has other plans) I asked him if I could hire a personal trainer (well of course depending on price) for even just one session. There's a fitness center in Sai Kung that promotes itself as personal training/etc so I'm going to look into that. I didn't have problems losing weight after Izzy but I still had those flabby arms and thighs that I thought maybe a few sessions with a trainer would give me some wisdom on how to build the muscle properly.
So it gets me excited because I love to exercise and I love being in shape... and it's nice to know I already have a plan rather than trying to figure something out when the time comes like I did after Izzy.
But anyway.... it's just something that I've been thinking about and getting excited about.
I've been looking into some pregnancy workout DVDs (yes... I know I'm weird but I really do enjoy working out to videos) and at first all I could find here were yoga/pilates videos... not exactly what I was looking for at this point. So I got on Amazon.com and found more of what I'm looking for and am patiently waiting it's arrival. I actually cannot even remember the name but it was reviewed well so I hope it's what it says. Which gives me a better attitude and hope that it's still not too late. LOL And then I got an email from Billy Blanks and when I checked out his website... lo and behold there is a post-natal DVD!!!! I can't tell you how excited I was... I LOVE tae bo. They also have a new series of videos out that I told Mike I'd like for my birthday. :) I just finished reading some reviews on the postnatal video and one lady said she was even able to use it during pregnancy so I'm thinking I may go ahead and purchase this one as well.
On top of finding all those videos, Mike and I were talking and since this will be my last baby (unless God has other plans) I asked him if I could hire a personal trainer (well of course depending on price) for even just one session. There's a fitness center in Sai Kung that promotes itself as personal training/etc so I'm going to look into that. I didn't have problems losing weight after Izzy but I still had those flabby arms and thighs that I thought maybe a few sessions with a trainer would give me some wisdom on how to build the muscle properly.
So it gets me excited because I love to exercise and I love being in shape... and it's nice to know I already have a plan rather than trying to figure something out when the time comes like I did after Izzy.
But anyway.... it's just something that I've been thinking about and getting excited about.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Praise the Lord, Hallelujah
Izzy learned a new song today and I think she likes it....
We had a wonderful day today... celebrating our risen King, having a nice lunch out, taking a short rest and then having friends over for a BBQ. (The only negative about today was that I forgot to take any pictures so tom we'll all get dressed up again and take a nice Easter photo. Haha) This is only the beginning to a great week. I'm still off until friday so Mike is taking the week off as well and we have plans for Disney and some hiking. We just pray the weather clears up a bit.
May your Easter be filled with the Hope that Jesus brings!
We had a wonderful day today... celebrating our risen King, having a nice lunch out, taking a short rest and then having friends over for a BBQ. (The only negative about today was that I forgot to take any pictures so tom we'll all get dressed up again and take a nice Easter photo. Haha) This is only the beginning to a great week. I'm still off until friday so Mike is taking the week off as well and we have plans for Disney and some hiking. We just pray the weather clears up a bit.
May your Easter be filled with the Hope that Jesus brings!
Friday, March 21, 2008
I want to ABIDE in YOU, Jesus
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5
I celebrated my birthday just before moving to HK and my MIL gave me this great book called, "Breath Prayers for Mothers." Inside she wrote, "Brief prayers are very important. They can help you keep a calm heart during hectic days. Motherhood is wonderful but can also be very tiring." I had only been a mom for 2 months so I was still living on excitement, adrenaline, and lack of sleep (LOL) but it didn't take long to realize how accurate her words were. I don't know how many times, sitting in the bathroom for a moment of sanity or just quickly in the midst of the day, I've reached for this book and found the perfect verse/prayer... to express my heart to God. Currently the one that is remaining with me is: 'I want to abide in YOU, Jesus.' There's been a lot of things going on where it's been easy for me to pity myself or get down or just want to give up but this verse/breath prayer just constantly reminds me that I need to continually die to self and put God first.
Especially during this Easter season. It's so easy to just say, "Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross to save me' and to get stagnant in your spiritual walk to where Easter is just another holiday (even though you know it should be special.) But I pray that we can make time to reflect on what really happened, why it happened, and how that affects our lives. Mike is doing a special youth service right now that I wish I could be at (it's a public holiday so Joan has the day off) but I've been praying that it makes an impact on our students to understand the amazingness (I know.. not a word) of our God and the sacrifice He made for us. I feel sometimes that now that I'm a parent, God's sacrifice of His son is more real to me and just hits me in a different way.
Okay... we have a fun day planned tomorrow so I need to clean up and I want to read a bit before heading to bed. Have a blessed Good friday.
I celebrated my birthday just before moving to HK and my MIL gave me this great book called, "Breath Prayers for Mothers." Inside she wrote, "Brief prayers are very important. They can help you keep a calm heart during hectic days. Motherhood is wonderful but can also be very tiring." I had only been a mom for 2 months so I was still living on excitement, adrenaline, and lack of sleep (LOL) but it didn't take long to realize how accurate her words were. I don't know how many times, sitting in the bathroom for a moment of sanity or just quickly in the midst of the day, I've reached for this book and found the perfect verse/prayer... to express my heart to God. Currently the one that is remaining with me is: 'I want to abide in YOU, Jesus.' There's been a lot of things going on where it's been easy for me to pity myself or get down or just want to give up but this verse/breath prayer just constantly reminds me that I need to continually die to self and put God first.
Especially during this Easter season. It's so easy to just say, "Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross to save me' and to get stagnant in your spiritual walk to where Easter is just another holiday (even though you know it should be special.) But I pray that we can make time to reflect on what really happened, why it happened, and how that affects our lives. Mike is doing a special youth service right now that I wish I could be at (it's a public holiday so Joan has the day off) but I've been praying that it makes an impact on our students to understand the amazingness (I know.. not a word) of our God and the sacrifice He made for us. I feel sometimes that now that I'm a parent, God's sacrifice of His son is more real to me and just hits me in a different way.
Okay... we have a fun day planned tomorrow so I need to clean up and I want to read a bit before heading to bed. Have a blessed Good friday.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
A day out with Mom
Izzy refused to let me take any pictures on our day out but I managed to get her to look at the camera once for one of those... take the pic with my arm stretched out. It's not the most flattering of pics, but I like it. :)
Here's Izzy checking out the monkeys.
We dyed our eggs on Wed. Izzy was more interested in putting the stickers on but that's okay. We still had fun.
These two pictures are Izzy and her flowers. We went to the nursery on Mon night and we all picked out some flowers to plant. Izzy from the moment we got there chose these. It was weird to see her stick with one plant each time we asked her what she wanted but I'm glad she likes them. She has carried them everywhere. They sit with her on the couch, she brings them to the dinner table, she even keeps them with her in bed. We keep telling her that we will plant them this weekend... I hope she's not too disappointed. :)
Well yesterday started out rough... I planned to buy some used DVD's off and ebay type site here in HK but I was just going to meet the lady at an mtr stop that's on the island (a good bit away from where we are). So I decided to make a day out of it... picking up the movies, meeting my mom group at the Botanical Gardens/Zoo, stopping at Bumps to Babes, and just enjoying the day. Well at 9:50, I got a text saying the lady couldn't meet me but it was too late, I was already in Hung Hom. Then I got a phone call from the only mom who decided to meet today saying she wasn't going to be able to come. Poor Izzy was bummed that Kiki wasn't coming but she was still focused on seeing gorillas so I couldn't let her down. We headed out and stopped at Bumps to Babes first in an attempt to find some reasonably priced maternity clothes. Izzy had fun riding around the store on a scooter while I unsuccessfully looked at clothes. (I cannot believe the prices here! Nothing is less than about forty dollars. But alas...) We did manage to find some swim diapers and of course that made Izzy's day. :) We used the last swim diaper on Wed and I told her that she was going to have to learn how to use the potty if she wanted to swim and well that just wasn't an option in her mind. No she is not potty trained but I'm not stressing over it either. She understands everything but is just not willing so when the day comes.. I'm just convinced (or just praying) that it will be super easy. Then we headed off to what HK calls a zoo... it's quite pathetic in my mind but at least it's got some animals to look at. Sadly though, all the animals were sleeping. Izzy was bummed and started screaming at the monkeys to 'wake up and come down here.' It was cute but our afternoon at the zoo only lasted about 30 minutes as Isabella just got bored. So I called Mike to share our disappointing zoo visit and he suggested heading to the Peak and having Burger King for lunch. I much prefer BK over McD's any day but the only ones in HK are at the Peak (too far away for a regular trip) and the other at the airport. So anyway... I thought it would be fun and thought Izzy would enjoy the tram ride. We got to the peak, saw some live bunnies, ate some BK and then just headed back down. The day was hazy, cloudy, rainy... just ugly so there was no view and there's not much but shops up at the peak. But anyway... we had a good time. We then took the tram back down and went to Toys r Us where I got some toys for the egg hunt and Izzy played on the outdoor toys.
At dinner that evening, Joan and I were talking about small groups (benefits/challenges, ect) and then somehow we got to talking about her time while she was in the Philippines waiting for her visa. She shared with me that while she was home she was able to continuously share her faith with her sister and neighbor and before returning to HK, they both accepted Christ! How awesome! But what's funny is that her visa took a long time to get approved and we all were wondering what was going on and getting a bit frustrated but it was so cool to say... 'well that's why you couldn't come any sooner. God was working and using you. He had to wait until they were ready to accept Christ.' So it was worth waiting for that visa!!!
I think that just totally made my day. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast having the day to spend with Izzy and doing some different things but hearing how God was/is at work is so very exciting!
Here's Izzy checking out the monkeys.
We dyed our eggs on Wed. Izzy was more interested in putting the stickers on but that's okay. We still had fun.
These two pictures are Izzy and her flowers. We went to the nursery on Mon night and we all picked out some flowers to plant. Izzy from the moment we got there chose these. It was weird to see her stick with one plant each time we asked her what she wanted but I'm glad she likes them. She has carried them everywhere. They sit with her on the couch, she brings them to the dinner table, she even keeps them with her in bed. We keep telling her that we will plant them this weekend... I hope she's not too disappointed. :)Well yesterday started out rough... I planned to buy some used DVD's off and ebay type site here in HK but I was just going to meet the lady at an mtr stop that's on the island (a good bit away from where we are). So I decided to make a day out of it... picking up the movies, meeting my mom group at the Botanical Gardens/Zoo, stopping at Bumps to Babes, and just enjoying the day. Well at 9:50, I got a text saying the lady couldn't meet me but it was too late, I was already in Hung Hom. Then I got a phone call from the only mom who decided to meet today saying she wasn't going to be able to come. Poor Izzy was bummed that Kiki wasn't coming but she was still focused on seeing gorillas so I couldn't let her down. We headed out and stopped at Bumps to Babes first in an attempt to find some reasonably priced maternity clothes. Izzy had fun riding around the store on a scooter while I unsuccessfully looked at clothes. (I cannot believe the prices here! Nothing is less than about forty dollars. But alas...) We did manage to find some swim diapers and of course that made Izzy's day. :) We used the last swim diaper on Wed and I told her that she was going to have to learn how to use the potty if she wanted to swim and well that just wasn't an option in her mind. No she is not potty trained but I'm not stressing over it either. She understands everything but is just not willing so when the day comes.. I'm just convinced (or just praying) that it will be super easy. Then we headed off to what HK calls a zoo... it's quite pathetic in my mind but at least it's got some animals to look at. Sadly though, all the animals were sleeping. Izzy was bummed and started screaming at the monkeys to 'wake up and come down here.' It was cute but our afternoon at the zoo only lasted about 30 minutes as Isabella just got bored. So I called Mike to share our disappointing zoo visit and he suggested heading to the Peak and having Burger King for lunch. I much prefer BK over McD's any day but the only ones in HK are at the Peak (too far away for a regular trip) and the other at the airport. So anyway... I thought it would be fun and thought Izzy would enjoy the tram ride. We got to the peak, saw some live bunnies, ate some BK and then just headed back down. The day was hazy, cloudy, rainy... just ugly so there was no view and there's not much but shops up at the peak. But anyway... we had a good time. We then took the tram back down and went to Toys r Us where I got some toys for the egg hunt and Izzy played on the outdoor toys.
At dinner that evening, Joan and I were talking about small groups (benefits/challenges, ect) and then somehow we got to talking about her time while she was in the Philippines waiting for her visa. She shared with me that while she was home she was able to continuously share her faith with her sister and neighbor and before returning to HK, they both accepted Christ! How awesome! But what's funny is that her visa took a long time to get approved and we all were wondering what was going on and getting a bit frustrated but it was so cool to say... 'well that's why you couldn't come any sooner. God was working and using you. He had to wait until they were ready to accept Christ.' So it was worth waiting for that visa!!!
I think that just totally made my day. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast having the day to spend with Izzy and doing some different things but hearing how God was/is at work is so very exciting!
Monday, March 17, 2008
It's Official....
I gave birth to a fish... not a little girl. :) Granted it is about 73 degrees outside... but it has just started to warm up in the past 2 weeks after a series of freezing forty/50ish temps (which is very cold for HK). There's no way most people would even think about swimming. Most people are still wearing pants and long sleeves and coats. But last friday a few girls were just getting their feet wet in the pool as we were headed into town and of course Izzy just begged to swim so I told her that next week we could put our feet in. Well today was pretty nice out and she asked again so we walked over to the pool, put our feet in and almost instantly she started begging for her swimsuit. I tried to get her to go in enough to get her belly wet (thinking that if she did that she would think twice) but no... it just made her want to swim more. So I gave in. She got her swimsuit on and had a blast for about an hour. Mike and I were just amazed that she was not cold at all. But I guess it doesn't matter what the temp is for a fish... as long as they're in water. And she just loved it. Mike and Joan on the other hand spent the day cleaning up our yard and it looks amazing. I'll have to see if I can find some before pictures to show you what they've been doing but it looks great and in about a half-hour we're going to the nursery to pick out some flowers to replace what has been taken down. I never imagined in a million years we'd be doing yard work in HK. Just one more thing to be thanking God for His blessings.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
1st BBQ
We had an awesome day today! Church was great... the youth led worship and did a fabulous job. I was really quite proud of how well they did and the group that led today was a totally new group (aside from a few singers.) We had Stuart Briscoe with us this morning and he spoke on what the 'church' is. He's a great speaker and I enjoyed him a lot. I felt like I had the chance to talk to some of the younger girls before Sunday school started which is something that doesn't happen very often so I was thankful for that too. After church Jill, ryan, and Hunter came over for pizza and just to relax. It was awesome to just sit on our rooftop and chat... it was a gorgeous day out too. Just as they left the college group came over after their hike to hang out and BBQ. It was really fun to have them over to. This is a new ministry and I was excited to meet some of new people. Plus, I just really enjoy having guests over and since they offered to do all the cooking and cleaning up... well who wouldn't pass that up. :)
Izzy enjoyed having all her 'friends' over. She was really awesome today considering an early morning and no nap. She warmed right up to all the college girls and enjoyed her first chance to BBQ. She loves these mini-hotdogs so we let her BBQ some at the end. She's always fun to pick up after the children's service or Sunday school because she'll tell me what song they sang, etc.. but today when I asked her what song they sang she said, " Jesus Loves Me" and then proceeded to sing it. i was quite impressed with her memory of all the words. Then she was telling me: "Jesus this and Jesus that." It was cute as always.
Now... I'm ready to hit the hay. Tomorrow is supposed to be the last nice day for about a week so I have great plans. I'm just thankful that I didn't get called into work like my fellow teacher did. :)
Have a blessed Sunday!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
15wks 5days
Moms are not lying when they say that each pregnancy is different. Most of my pregnancy with Izzy was easy. I was blessed in that I didn't really suffer morning sickness, I didn't have much back/leg pain, ect... However, Baby Bob has not let me forget about him (no we don't know what it is but since we're using Bob it's just easier to say he). I've never felt so miserable on such a consistent basis. It has only been just over a week that I haven't spent a good bit of the day in the bathroom. At my last appt, I begged the Dr for some medicine, explained that I couldn't leave my classroom to puke, and that I was nervous about the health of the baby because I could not keep anything down and he gave in. He only gave me two weeks worth of meds, I've managed to stretch it and I figure that now I've been given it, it won't be hard to get more if I need it. Though I think I'm starting to get better on my own, the meds have really, really helped. In fact, I haven't puked since last Sunday and I've only had one day were I was really not feeling well. So let me just tell you how much my life has improved. I'm finally excited about this pregnancy, I'm starting to enjoy my job a bit more, I've got the energy to play outside with Izzy, etc... you get the idea. Life is good.
So I finally got around to take a picture of my growing belly. I cannot believe how big and how quickly I'm getting big. My clothes already do not fit and I'm begging for maternity clothes. And I'm blown away too because I've only really been eating well the past week. But alas... here I am in all my glory. Haha
I haven't felt the baby move yet, we don't have any names, we have no preference as to what gender we have and we really don't have any guesses. I honestly haven't thought much of anything about this baby because I've just been trying to survive each day. I feel a bit guilty about that but I'm sure as I continue to get healthy, I'll get more and more excited.
But I just want to thank everyone for their prayers because they have been felt. Thank you so much!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Spring Izzy
I just heard the sweetest words come out of Izzy's mouth without any prompting. She said, 'Let's pray for lunch. Dear Jesus, thank you for this lunch, thank you for this party, help momma feel better and daddy too. Thank you for lunch... be with momma. Amen.' I wanted so badly to get it on video but I also didn't want to miss a word she said.
Today started roughly (though simply because I was tired and didn't want to go to work) but ended up amazing. There's a pretty bad flu going around HK right now... several little children have died from it so it being HK and the whole SArS thing in the past... they're very careful about things so they cancelled school for all primary students and teachers until after Easter break!!! Wohoo! That means an extra week and 2 days off for me! Though I didn't know this until I trekked the 1.15minutes to school to turn around and do the same to go home. I thought about different things I could do but HK is not alive at 8am so I just came home. We've had a fun day playing outside. The weather is just gorgeous and if you know Izzy, she LOVES being outside. We had tea parties, golfed, read, she even mopped the stones and pretended to ride a horse. I'm constantly amazed at the creativity of this kid. :)
I tried desperately to find a trip for us since I have this extra time off but with Easter, Mike can't easily get off and all flights to the East Coast were totally booked. It was a bit disappointing but if the weather stays as is, we'll have lots of fun playing outside and doing some things that are more enjoyable when it's cooler out... like Botanical Gardens, Stanley, Disney of course, and some hiking. Mike will take a few days off after Easter to have some family time so we're looking forward to that.
We just pray that no one in our house catches even a smidge of this sickness going around.
But anyway... I just really wanted to show this picture of Izzy. Because of how sick I've been I haven't taken any pictures until last week and she's just grown and changed so much.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Looky here......
I can't tell you how exciting it was to actually see Baby Bob and to know thing are okay! We got to see the heartbeat which was awesome. Mike and I feel the technology was so much better as the picture was so clear and we could easily identify things but maybe it's also because this is baby #2 and we're a bit more familiar with what to look for. :) But anyway.... they said my due date is Aug 30th. Please continue to pray for my sickness. I had two non-vomiting days this weekend though I felt nauseous all day those two days but it returned today. I have a field trip tomorrow with 2 1hr bus rides so please think of me as I'm really nervous about those!
Izzy's calling my name so I gotta run just had to share with the Grandparents.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Prayer request
Well I've been wanting to share these two photos but I don't have the energy to write much today except to ask for your prayers. The vomiting (there's just no way to put it other than that... lol) has returned full force the past few days. It seems as though my balance issues are adding to the problem. After any mode of transportation, I have to run to the loo and today was the absolute worst when I got home from school. It just wouldn't stop. I've very discouraged and NOT looking forward to the next 6+ months as I'm afraid this isn't going to go away until I've had testing and physical therapy again. So if you wouldn't mind praying for me... I see the Dr next week and I'm hoping that maybe they can give me something more than what our family Dr did because that's not working.
Sorry to be such a downer.... hope you all have a great day!!!
Friday, February 15, 2008
More randomness
The roof top view.
Isabella is obsessed with Mulan these days so we were lying in bed watching it and she starts rubbing my belly. I ask her what she's doing and she says, 'I'm making baby Bob feel better.' She's just too cute.
So finally it warmed up a bit today so I decided to take Izzy out to go for a hike... she was so excited to wear Dee Dee and Laurel's hiking shoes but I don't think she knew what a hike was. I think she confused it with bike because she insisted on taking Snow White out for a ride. But that was okay. We rode over to our clubhouse and she wanted to go into the playroom because they have one of those big exercise balls and she likes to roll on it. That was her highlight for today. She can be so easy to please/entertain at times.
I had our Mom's group over yesterday for lunch and I attempted my 1st try at minestrone soup. I think I used to many noodles though as it was more just like pasta... not much broth but it was still really good. I had a nice dinner planned for Mike but I got sick after the moms left so I don't even think he ate dinner. He was awfully sweet and bought me roses, a magazine and a cake with real icing!
Tomorrow we are having our small group over for a BBQ and Sunday another family will join us for dinner. I can't tell you how much I've been praising God for this house. It's more of a blessing than I ever realized.
Well I had pictures of Izzy but blogger has stopped working so I'll have to try again later.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A little this... a little that... mostly about izzy
Every night Izzy asks me to stay with her for two minutes when we're done singing and praying and now that she has a nice big bed, I don't mind staying 2 min if that makes her feel better. So I started asking her some questions about her day, one of them being 'What was her favorite thing she did that day?' Well her answers have been simply adorable the past two nights. She usually remembers something fun that she did like go to the playroom or playing with Angela but last night she said, 'eating' and tonight she said, 'using the potty.' I just love this girl and only can pray that the new baby will have just as much personality that she does.
I have been absolutely LOVING our new home. It is such a blessing from God in so many ways. The best thing so far is the amount of people we've been able to have over. I love having guests and trying new recipes, etc but our other flats have limited us in number and I've just never wanted to cook because the kitchen wasn't user friendly but this place... the kitchen is bigger than ours in MN was and last friday we have 20+ people over and it did not feel as though there were that many. Mike and I were joking with some friends on Sunday night about how we're afraid what's coming next because God has blessed us in so many ways over the past few weeks but I believe this house will expand our ministry. i feel it will give us opportunity to build new relationships, new ministry opportunities, etc. I see Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinners, Mom's group lunches, youthgroup sleepovers, BBQ's, swim parties, etc... I'm just so excited at the doors this house will open up to us that it makes me sad to have to go back to work next week.
I think I've cooked more here in the past week and a half than I ever did at our other flats. I've even tried new recipes again! It feels wonderful.
Today Izzy and I explored a new area. They have these English bookfairs on occasion outside of the park n shop that we used to shop at and I got an email saying they were having a warehouse sale this week so we ventured out to see what they had. I was nervous about how many people would be there (I once went to a Toys r Us warehouse sale and I could barely move with all the people) but it turned out to be just Izzy and I which was awesome. I could look around and Izzy could read and play without harm. She was so excited to go and as soon as we walked in the door she spotted a Dora book, ran and picked it up an then proceeded to sit down and read. It was too cute... just like yesterday when we lied down to nap... we took 15 minutes to read quietly first and she sat down with her two books and just looked through them. I've never seen her sit so quietly.
She has said/done some very cute things lately but of course I cannot remember them all though tonight when I put her to bed, we kneeled down to pray and when we were done she said, 'Mommy we need to read our devotions.' We read the children's version of 'my utmost for His highest' and that's what she was asking for. Also today she picked up the phone and when I asked who it was she said, 'Mamma it's MY friends. They're coming over.'
Okay... I'm just rambling because I'm trying to remember all the things that have gone on and not making a whole lot of sense to the outside world but anyway...
I hope to find my camera tom so I can finally take some new pics of our home.
I have been absolutely LOVING our new home. It is such a blessing from God in so many ways. The best thing so far is the amount of people we've been able to have over. I love having guests and trying new recipes, etc but our other flats have limited us in number and I've just never wanted to cook because the kitchen wasn't user friendly but this place... the kitchen is bigger than ours in MN was and last friday we have 20+ people over and it did not feel as though there were that many. Mike and I were joking with some friends on Sunday night about how we're afraid what's coming next because God has blessed us in so many ways over the past few weeks but I believe this house will expand our ministry. i feel it will give us opportunity to build new relationships, new ministry opportunities, etc. I see Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinners, Mom's group lunches, youthgroup sleepovers, BBQ's, swim parties, etc... I'm just so excited at the doors this house will open up to us that it makes me sad to have to go back to work next week.
I think I've cooked more here in the past week and a half than I ever did at our other flats. I've even tried new recipes again! It feels wonderful.
Today Izzy and I explored a new area. They have these English bookfairs on occasion outside of the park n shop that we used to shop at and I got an email saying they were having a warehouse sale this week so we ventured out to see what they had. I was nervous about how many people would be there (I once went to a Toys r Us warehouse sale and I could barely move with all the people) but it turned out to be just Izzy and I which was awesome. I could look around and Izzy could read and play without harm. She was so excited to go and as soon as we walked in the door she spotted a Dora book, ran and picked it up an then proceeded to sit down and read. It was too cute... just like yesterday when we lied down to nap... we took 15 minutes to read quietly first and she sat down with her two books and just looked through them. I've never seen her sit so quietly.
She has said/done some very cute things lately but of course I cannot remember them all though tonight when I put her to bed, we kneeled down to pray and when we were done she said, 'Mommy we need to read our devotions.' We read the children's version of 'my utmost for His highest' and that's what she was asking for. Also today she picked up the phone and when I asked who it was she said, 'Mamma it's MY friends. They're coming over.'
Okay... I'm just rambling because I'm trying to remember all the things that have gone on and not making a whole lot of sense to the outside world but anyway...
I hope to find my camera tom so I can finally take some new pics of our home.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Health Update
On Sunday, I was blessed to have a lady in the church ask to watch Izzy!!! What an answer to prayer as I had my hearing test and final ENT appointment today. She and her children eagerly took Izzy to their place to play pretty much all day which gave me a little time to myself. I enjoyed a nice hot lunch at Ikea and then picked up a few items for the new place. It was great to be able to look around a bit in areas outside the children section. :)
I was also pleasantly surprised by my waiting times for both my hearing test and ENT appointment. I was out of the clinic by 3:15 (test was at 2 and appt at 2:30) and then the waiting for my prescription took place. I waited longer for that than anything but anyway... it was nothing compared to Mike's wait when I first went to the ENT.
The test showed that my hearing was totally normal which I was actually quite surprised by as I still have some cloudiness. I feel that I'm probably at the lower end of normal hearing as I know I've got some hearing loss but at least it's still in the range of normal. I praise God for that as I was starting to be convinced that I was going to have to deal with the lack of hearing I was experiencing. When I met with the ENT, she said everything looked great and there was absolutely no need to come back. Yeah! What wonderful news to hear! And she was convinced that the cloudiness I still have is due to a cold/stuffy nose so she gave me some meds for that.
But I did take a minute to ask about my balance issues. Those of you that don't know... about 5yrs ago I went through a variety of testing to find out why I was experiencing motion sickness so badly. Within about 5 minutes of being in a car, I would be puking. But anyway.... turns out I have about a 20% loss of ability to balance on my own. I went through physical therapy and life was great. Then we moved to Hong Kong... where modes of transportation are ferry rides, crazy mini-buses, double decker buses around stop and go traffic (makes me nauseous to even think about it) and curvy roads. And after the 1st year, things started to go downhill again. Though it's not nearly as bad as it used to be... I still have to be careful where I sit on public transportation and other little things. She quickly said that she would just get me into the same type of PT but then stopped and said she couldn't do that because I don't have my old test results and they would want to know exactly where the problem lies. And she said she didn't want me to be tested until Baby Bob arrives because it's a lot of pushing, bouncing, etc... not good for the baby.
So all that to say.... my hearing is normal and there's not much more they can do for that. I will always be extra sensitive to ear infections so I will always have to watch the amount of water that gets in my ears, etc... And come next Nov/Dec I will be able to get my balance issues worked out yet again!!!! It was a good day and I'm thankful that God has healed and provided the things to be taken care of. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I've found hope... now if this baby sickness would go away on the 1st day of week 12... that'd be AWESOME! LOL
Thanks so much for all your prayers!!!
I was also pleasantly surprised by my waiting times for both my hearing test and ENT appointment. I was out of the clinic by 3:15 (test was at 2 and appt at 2:30) and then the waiting for my prescription took place. I waited longer for that than anything but anyway... it was nothing compared to Mike's wait when I first went to the ENT.
The test showed that my hearing was totally normal which I was actually quite surprised by as I still have some cloudiness. I feel that I'm probably at the lower end of normal hearing as I know I've got some hearing loss but at least it's still in the range of normal. I praise God for that as I was starting to be convinced that I was going to have to deal with the lack of hearing I was experiencing. When I met with the ENT, she said everything looked great and there was absolutely no need to come back. Yeah! What wonderful news to hear! And she was convinced that the cloudiness I still have is due to a cold/stuffy nose so she gave me some meds for that.
But I did take a minute to ask about my balance issues. Those of you that don't know... about 5yrs ago I went through a variety of testing to find out why I was experiencing motion sickness so badly. Within about 5 minutes of being in a car, I would be puking. But anyway.... turns out I have about a 20% loss of ability to balance on my own. I went through physical therapy and life was great. Then we moved to Hong Kong... where modes of transportation are ferry rides, crazy mini-buses, double decker buses around stop and go traffic (makes me nauseous to even think about it) and curvy roads. And after the 1st year, things started to go downhill again. Though it's not nearly as bad as it used to be... I still have to be careful where I sit on public transportation and other little things. She quickly said that she would just get me into the same type of PT but then stopped and said she couldn't do that because I don't have my old test results and they would want to know exactly where the problem lies. And she said she didn't want me to be tested until Baby Bob arrives because it's a lot of pushing, bouncing, etc... not good for the baby.
So all that to say.... my hearing is normal and there's not much more they can do for that. I will always be extra sensitive to ear infections so I will always have to watch the amount of water that gets in my ears, etc... And come next Nov/Dec I will be able to get my balance issues worked out yet again!!!! It was a good day and I'm thankful that God has healed and provided the things to be taken care of. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I've found hope... now if this baby sickness would go away on the 1st day of week 12... that'd be AWESOME! LOL
Thanks so much for all your prayers!!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I'm alive!
What a few weeks its been! I want to thank everyone for all the sweet emails and cards and I promise to get back to everyone but I'm having a hard time catching up.
What started as morning (why do they call it that when it happens all day? lol) sickness, quickly turned into the flu, bronchitis, and then an ear infection that perforated my ear drum. Thankfully I've recovered from the flu, bronchitis and ear infection (well almost)... but I'm still learning how to deal with the pregnancy issues. I still can't eat much and I never know what is going to hit me the wrong way but at least I can get out of bed! I'm a bit nervous about my hearing though as it's still very cloudy after almost 2 weeks but they keep saying it'll just take time. I'll go back next week for a hearing test and hopefully my final ENT appt.
Today I finally got to go to the Dr for the baby and I spent an hour and a half waiting to have them give me an appointment for feb 25 and tell me I need to go to another clinic to get some other paper. Ugh... all I want to know is that the baby is okay. I mean for half of the pregnancy so far, I have not been able to eat, I've had low sugar (why can't I think of the proper name?)... I've been on a variety of meds... etc. I just want to know that Baby Bob is healthy and now I have to wait another month. At least when I go I'll get to have an ultrasound.
So yes... I'm officially alive and moving, slowly... but moving. And speaking of moving, we move into our new place on friday! We are so excited but as many can understand... ready for this to be done. Poor Mike has had all the responsibility since I've not been able to move much but hopefully we'll have some help tom night to pack and the movers will be set to go on friday.
Thanks again for the well wishes!
What started as morning (why do they call it that when it happens all day? lol) sickness, quickly turned into the flu, bronchitis, and then an ear infection that perforated my ear drum. Thankfully I've recovered from the flu, bronchitis and ear infection (well almost)... but I'm still learning how to deal with the pregnancy issues. I still can't eat much and I never know what is going to hit me the wrong way but at least I can get out of bed! I'm a bit nervous about my hearing though as it's still very cloudy after almost 2 weeks but they keep saying it'll just take time. I'll go back next week for a hearing test and hopefully my final ENT appt.
Today I finally got to go to the Dr for the baby and I spent an hour and a half waiting to have them give me an appointment for feb 25 and tell me I need to go to another clinic to get some other paper. Ugh... all I want to know is that the baby is okay. I mean for half of the pregnancy so far, I have not been able to eat, I've had low sugar (why can't I think of the proper name?)... I've been on a variety of meds... etc. I just want to know that Baby Bob is healthy and now I have to wait another month. At least when I go I'll get to have an ultrasound.
So yes... I'm officially alive and moving, slowly... but moving. And speaking of moving, we move into our new place on friday! We are so excited but as many can understand... ready for this to be done. Poor Mike has had all the responsibility since I've not been able to move much but hopefully we'll have some help tom night to pack and the movers will be set to go on friday.
Thanks again for the well wishes!
Monday, December 31, 2007
I'm not...
one of those people that can hold a big secret for too long and I've been dying just to scream at the top of my lungs for a few days now about how the Lord blessed us this Christmas. So with great joy and excitement, I announce....
I can hardly believe it! There's a bit of a story that goes into all of this but it's hard to write out to where it would make sense to most people (believe me I tried...hehe) so I'm not going to go into it aside from saying that this was a total blessing from the Lord!!! So over the next few months, I would appreciate your prayers as this makes major adjustment number 4. :)
Hope your Christmas was amazing and that the New Year lying ahead brings great joy, growth, and love!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
It might be time to clean when....
Your child asks for a certain type of cracker based on the crumbs at the table.
My goodness yes this happened to me this evening. Izzy was eating cereal, picked up some crumbs off the table and said, 'Mamma I want dis cracker.' Maybe it's time I put all this Christmas stuff away and start cleaning. LOL
Another cute Izzy saying recently is... 'My arms broken.' Whenever she doesn't want to do something it's... 'Mamma my arms broken.' Where'd this come from? Just ask her daddy. Hehe
A huge praise... I think we have a home!!! Wohooooo! This is so exciting! I'll write more and hope to have some pics soon.
My goodness yes this happened to me this evening. Izzy was eating cereal, picked up some crumbs off the table and said, 'Mamma I want dis cracker.' Maybe it's time I put all this Christmas stuff away and start cleaning. LOL
Another cute Izzy saying recently is... 'My arms broken.' Whenever she doesn't want to do something it's... 'Mamma my arms broken.' Where'd this come from? Just ask her daddy. Hehe
A huge praise... I think we have a home!!! Wohooooo! This is so exciting! I'll write more and hope to have some pics soon.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!!!!!
This was ALL I needed this morning! I received exactly what I was praying for (actually I got it earlier this month but with an extra surprise today), I think Mike was quite happy with his surprises and I know Izzy was thrilled with the gifts under the tree. She showed most joy with her
'twinkle-bell' underwear, her 'Mater' car, the Dora card games,
and of course her new Snow White bike. But she loved everything once we were able to open it up and show her what everything did. We took a walk outside after opening gifts so she could test out her bike
and now she and Mike are resting. Sadly, Mike is not feeling well today but we didn't plan on doing anything anyway... just relaxing and being together. We were blessed to have Christmas with Grandma/Papa/Aunt Nikki/Uncle Juan/Shay/Addison/Karly too! We skyped the whole time we opened gifts which was loads of fun!
and now she and Mike are resting. Sadly, Mike is not feeling well today but we didn't plan on doing anything anyway... just relaxing and being together. We were blessed to have Christmas with Grandma/Papa/Aunt Nikki/Uncle Juan/Shay/Addison/Karly too! We skyped the whole time we opened gifts which was loads of fun!
This evening I'll hopefully speak with my sister and then tomorrow morning I'll get to talk with everyone. So lots more fun lying ahead! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
2 minutes 'pa-lease'
Izzy's favorite sentence right now. :) I always give her a two minute warning when we're about to change what we are currently doing so I guess she has picked up on that and always says... '2 minutes pa-lease Mamma' when she doesn't want to do something.. like go to bed. :)
Well it's hard to believe that Christmas Eve is tomorrow. While it still doesn't feel like Christmas in Hong Kong.. I am excited. I think Izzy is going to be so excited with the gifts that her grandparents have gotten her. What a blessed girl she will be on Christmas morning and it will be so fun to watch her open them. She's already had a few practices and she thoroughly enjoyed it. My joy will come from just watching her and Mike. I enjoy receiving gifts but I find more joy in giving them and watching them be opened. I've got everything I could possible need... a great husband, a sweet daughter, a family that most would only dream about, and most importantly a relationship with the Lord. What else could I ask for?
Tomorrow Mike gets a special treat... he's been invited to play golf with a few men at church in the morning. So he'll do that while I run a few errands and then we'll head to church in the evening for a potluck and game night. Will be fun.. I'm sure.
I was blessed with a special treat last night... my friend Jocelyn took me to see the Nutcracker! It was AMAZING! I really, really enjoyed it. I knew I would like it but I was surprised how much I enjoyed myself. I loved Act 2 as probably most people do but the dancing and music was phenomenal. I especially loved the Arabian and russian dances. But seriously... I was just glued to the stage all night. it was so wonderful to do something like that again. I've pretty much decided I will use my Christmas money to buy tickets to a symphony or something... I had forgotten how much I enjoy being a part of the arts. At WVU, I was required to see so many concerts, etc each semester and while I at times complained about having to go to something... I was never disappointed. But alas...
It's been a filled month of activities but it has been great to be surrounded by people when this is the time I miss my family the most. I've been reminded over and over why we are here and it's been great to focus on that rather than feeling sorry for myself.
Well... I'm off to catch some zzzz's. I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas Eve Eve... :)
Well it's hard to believe that Christmas Eve is tomorrow. While it still doesn't feel like Christmas in Hong Kong.. I am excited. I think Izzy is going to be so excited with the gifts that her grandparents have gotten her. What a blessed girl she will be on Christmas morning and it will be so fun to watch her open them. She's already had a few practices and she thoroughly enjoyed it. My joy will come from just watching her and Mike. I enjoy receiving gifts but I find more joy in giving them and watching them be opened. I've got everything I could possible need... a great husband, a sweet daughter, a family that most would only dream about, and most importantly a relationship with the Lord. What else could I ask for?
Tomorrow Mike gets a special treat... he's been invited to play golf with a few men at church in the morning. So he'll do that while I run a few errands and then we'll head to church in the evening for a potluck and game night. Will be fun.. I'm sure.
I was blessed with a special treat last night... my friend Jocelyn took me to see the Nutcracker! It was AMAZING! I really, really enjoyed it. I knew I would like it but I was surprised how much I enjoyed myself. I loved Act 2 as probably most people do but the dancing and music was phenomenal. I especially loved the Arabian and russian dances. But seriously... I was just glued to the stage all night. it was so wonderful to do something like that again. I've pretty much decided I will use my Christmas money to buy tickets to a symphony or something... I had forgotten how much I enjoy being a part of the arts. At WVU, I was required to see so many concerts, etc each semester and while I at times complained about having to go to something... I was never disappointed. But alas...
It's been a filled month of activities but it has been great to be surrounded by people when this is the time I miss my family the most. I've been reminded over and over why we are here and it's been great to focus on that rather than feeling sorry for myself.
Well... I'm off to catch some zzzz's. I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas Eve Eve... :)
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Nothing too important
Wow has life been crazy the past few weeks but it seems (I should be careful about saying this... haha) that things are calming down... at least I hope some things are falling into place. At least I can say that my responsibilities for the holiday season are pretty much done so I can relax and enjoy making cookies, crafts, Christmas shopping, etc... with the fam.
This morning it was quite hazy/rainy out but it made me smile because it looked slightly like a snowstorm (ok so maybe I'm reaching a bit but a girl can dream). So Izzy hopped into bed with me and we snuggled for a bit. :) Then we got ready and went to Kowloon Tong (festival walk mall) and did some Christmas shopping. Actually I was looking for icing to use for our cookies but they didn't have any so we went to the record, book and toy store. So anyway... while we were there a school choir came in to sing and Izzy was so excited. She danced around and leaped for joy when they began singing Jingle Bells or 'Twinkle Bells' as she calls it.
Then we headed out to meet Grace (one of about 15 real estate agents that are looking for a home for us.) She actually showed us one that's shows a lot of potential. We are looking at another tomorrow and hopefully can make a decision soon. I just can't get over how there is so little available and how much rent has gone up. rent in HK is like 1000's US monthly. The flat that we live in right now is going for 2400US a month. Crazy!
But anyway....
This whole process of getting kicked out and flat hunting has been difficult but such a good reminder and test of faith and trust. I was about to lose it (mentally...hehe) the other night when I sat down to read Izzy's devotional to her and it was all about faith and trusting that God is in control. funny how many children's things hit adults hard and many things about Izzy teach me about God.
We got home and since it was late I didn't want Izzy to nap so I put on 'Cars' and made her sit on the couch to rest. I only planned on making her sit for about 20 minutes so I could get some cleaning done but about 10 minutes into sitting, I hear... 'Momma, more treat (aka Yakult... a yogurt type drink)' but by the time I got it from the fridge and went to hand it to her she was out cold. Sleeping sitting up. It was so cute.
So I worked on all these forms I have to fill out to teach so I can get them mailed off. Yep... I'm gonna be a teacher but that's a whole other story. :)
On a much less important note.. today I got my certificate from my race and I was excited to learn that I was #22 in my age group. I don't know how many runners there actually were but it made me smile.
But tomorrow's a busy day... my school is having a carnival that I'm taking Izzy to, then I have to hit the markets in Mongkok and then we'll be looking at a flat in the pm so I'm off to bed. Have a great day!
This morning it was quite hazy/rainy out but it made me smile because it looked slightly like a snowstorm (ok so maybe I'm reaching a bit but a girl can dream). So Izzy hopped into bed with me and we snuggled for a bit. :) Then we got ready and went to Kowloon Tong (festival walk mall) and did some Christmas shopping. Actually I was looking for icing to use for our cookies but they didn't have any so we went to the record, book and toy store. So anyway... while we were there a school choir came in to sing and Izzy was so excited. She danced around and leaped for joy when they began singing Jingle Bells or 'Twinkle Bells' as she calls it.
Then we headed out to meet Grace (one of about 15 real estate agents that are looking for a home for us.) She actually showed us one that's shows a lot of potential. We are looking at another tomorrow and hopefully can make a decision soon. I just can't get over how there is so little available and how much rent has gone up. rent in HK is like 1000's US monthly. The flat that we live in right now is going for 2400US a month. Crazy!
But anyway....
This whole process of getting kicked out and flat hunting has been difficult but such a good reminder and test of faith and trust. I was about to lose it (mentally...hehe) the other night when I sat down to read Izzy's devotional to her and it was all about faith and trusting that God is in control. funny how many children's things hit adults hard and many things about Izzy teach me about God.
We got home and since it was late I didn't want Izzy to nap so I put on 'Cars' and made her sit on the couch to rest. I only planned on making her sit for about 20 minutes so I could get some cleaning done but about 10 minutes into sitting, I hear... 'Momma, more treat (aka Yakult... a yogurt type drink)' but by the time I got it from the fridge and went to hand it to her she was out cold. Sleeping sitting up. It was so cute.
So I worked on all these forms I have to fill out to teach so I can get them mailed off. Yep... I'm gonna be a teacher but that's a whole other story. :)
On a much less important note.. today I got my certificate from my race and I was excited to learn that I was #22 in my age group. I don't know how many runners there actually were but it made me smile.
But tomorrow's a busy day... my school is having a carnival that I'm taking Izzy to, then I have to hit the markets in Mongkok and then we'll be looking at a flat in the pm so I'm off to bed. Have a great day!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
christmas reversal carnival
So we've been trying to figure out what a Christmas 'reversal' carnival and so far the only thing we have come up with is that it was outside. But anyway... it was quite nice. They had some blow up jumping things, some electronic cars, some games, etc... The lines were long so we didn't stay long but we waited so Izzy could jump. Here's one of the videos. She was so excited but I was convinced once it was her turn she wouldn't want anything to do with it. I was SO wrong. She had a blast as you can see.
Enjoy your day!
Enjoy your day!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
2 Corinthians 12:9
I love this picture of the tree at Disney.
'My grace is sufficient for you.'
I find it easy (at times) to think about what I feel I deserve, to compare myself to others, etc... and forget what God has done/and is doing in my life, to lose confidence in what I feel He has called me to or how He guided me, etc... Today was one of those days. In an instant, I felt like a failure in so many ways but the more I thought about things... God gently reminded me of how He had worked in my life, the beliefs that have come from a personal relationship with Him, the desires He has laid on my heart, etc... and then I read this...
"the Truth is, whatever you are going through right now, whatever you will go through tomorrow, or next year or fifty years from now.... HIS grace is sufficient." ~Nancy Leigh DeMoss
I have a verse that I quote when my mind goes into fear mode but when dealing with the above mentioned issues... I've never found something that helps me to refocus quickly enough. "My grace is sufficient" that's exactly what I needed to hear and what I need to remember. These thoughts do nothing but bring me down and/or frustrate me and all I need to do is focus on my God. I just need to seek Him and have confidence in Him...
One thing I also was reminded is that I need to be in constant communication with the Lord... listening, talking, seeking Him. I need to know that I am seeking Him... that my heart is right with Him.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Peace
Well... after weeks of uncertainty I feel like God is finally bringing some things into place. I knew He would but when so many things come at once... I find it very overwhelming and at times I struggle with trying to do things on my own. The past several months have been very humbling for me. I've felt knocked down and put in my place on numerous occasions but it has reminded me that I need to be close to God and that I can't take even a step away from Him and even that my identity needs to be in Christ. You'd think that after years of following God, I'd have some of these things figured out and dealt with by now but it's amazing how satan creeps in and grabs ahold of some things and brings you down. But alas...
A few weeks ago, we watched Evan Almighty and there was one conversation that just grabbed my attention and I haven't been able to forget what was said. Evan's wife was talking to a man (who happened to be God.. she just didn't know it) and God said... 'When you pray for patience, does God automatically give you patience? Or does He give you the opportunity to be patient? When you pray for...etc and He went on.' And I began to think about some struggles that I was having and I thought... well this isn't going to go away overnight but God will give me opportunities to deal with it and grow. And wow... what a different attitude and perspective I've had on some things. I can honestly say that in one specific area... my heart has really changed because of this question and I'm so grateful!
In my last post, I mentioned how many things were weighing heavily on me to where my race was just one more thing on that list and now that it's over... I feel like a new woman. Not only that but my job situation has really perked up and I will know (well most likely) by the end of the week.. what my job will be and we are starting to have some success in finding a new flat. In fact, we found such an ideal place but we're ultimately leaving it in the hands of God because He knows where we'll be best used. So things are finally calming down and I feel excited about life again. I'm anxious (in a good way) for the next race in feb, I'm anxious (again in a good way) about our new home and new job. It's very difficult at times to wait upon the Lord but I've constantly been reminded that His time is absolutely perfect and this is once again... proving my point. While I have wanted to know some things months ago and wish they had been settled... I believe that I would have missed out on how God wanted to use me.
But anyway....
I have a second interview on Thursday morning for a possible teaching position at a local school. I'm very excited about it as I may have the opportunity to teach Music but I will patiently wait and see what happens. I have also been offered another position so after Thurs I have a big decision to make. This weekend begins our holiday parties and I'm excited about that. Helps to make the holidays more enjoyable when you don't have your immediate family around.
I've finished most of my Christmas shopping. I hated to do it but for everyone in the states... I shopped via Amazon.com It was just the money wise thing to do and while I hated not being able to wrap the gifts or walk the isles.. I still had fun trying to find some unique items.
Well... I better hit the hay. The pics below are of our most recent visit to Disney. Izzy was into riding this time so we didn't meet a single character. She was super excited to see 'The Lion King' and danced the whole way through it and of course the rocket ships. She couldn't get enough of those despite Mike and I begging to try something else so we wouldn't lose our lunch. We hope to go back one more time before the Christmas decorations are taken down but we'll see. We may be busy moving!
Daddy and Izzy... but she doesn't look at all like him.
She didn't want to ride Dumbo just sit and take pictures and give him a kiss.
The rocket ships... she just loves these!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
UNICEf Half
Well what can I say.... I'm DONE and SO glad it's over. Not the same attitude I had last year after completing my 1st 10K. There has been a lot going on for us over the past few months... a few quite stressful things that I attempted to just put behind me and trust that God was in control but it was clear to me this morning how heavily these things had been weighing on me... including this race.
I was neither excited, nor nervous... all I could find myself saying was 'let's get this over with' and '1 thing to cross off the list.' NOT a good mental state to begin a 13.1 mile run. I jumped into the middle of the pack and when the countdown finished... I let others pass me as I picked a slow pace to begin with. One of my biggest struggles is starting too fast and then after just a few miles I'm done. So I had my Nike+ with me to keep track of my pace. This was so supposed to be a flat and fast race and in comparison to the Standard Charter... it is... but it did have some slopes that caught me off guard and I began to panic about how many hills there were going to be due to my lack of training in that area. However, I was actually quite surprised in how I handled them and found them easier to run than other areas of the course.
I was doing well... (despite my mental weakness already) until I hit 11K and looked down at my iPod to check time and turn it on for awhile. And that's when I lost it and literally almost broke down in tears. I have used my Nike+ to train... it tells me the distance that I've run and the pace I'm going. I calibrated it against my treadmill and thought it was right. However, at 11K (approx 6.8miles) my Nike+ said 8. At first I was stoked.. I though wow.. I'm doing much better than I thought (I was thinking the 8 was Kilometers) and then I realized it was miles... 8 miles. A bit off? So all my hard work in timing things, pacing things... was wrong so at the point I knew I wasn't going to make my 2hr goal and I was just discouraged and disappointed.
It was at that point too that the sun starting beaming pretty good making it much warmer out than anticipated and well... my body just doesn't do well in the sun. I'm not trying to make excuses for my poor training but the sun really took a lot out of me... I just haven't trained under the sun and I paid for it. I seriously just wanted to cry and quit because I knew my goal had just gone out the window and I just wanted to get it over with. I tried a gel pack but it just made me sick to my stomach. I don't remember much until 15K and then I was just happy to be on the down stretch. At 19K, I felt my toenail going... and it became harder to push myself. When I saw the sign for 20K... I just started to book it... I just so wanted to be done. I finished at about 2:20:28. Ugh... what's even worse was that I looked at my Nike+ again and at this point it was 2.5 miles off! That's crazy!!!! So while my time wasn't even close to what I wanted... I feel somewhat okay as based on the terrible calibration of my Nike+ system... I've never run 13.1 miles before! Based on what it said... my longest run was probably about 10.5 miles and my average runs about 6/8 miles. Not good in preparing for a half.
So I learned many lessons today....
1. Don't depend on my Nike+
2. Don't use gel packs
3. Don't drink sports drink along the way... just water for this girl
5. Bring a hat
6. Train in the heat
7. Train on hills more often
8. and most importantly....Don't carry burdens... lay them at the feet of God.
I'm proud that I could finish sprinting as usually the last thing i want to do after a long run is to sprint and I'm proud that I had the energy to do that but aside from that... I'm just glad it's over. Now... on to the Standard Chartered half. I'm beginning to think I'm crazy for wanting to do this but once the heat comes back around I don't think I'll be doing any racing so this may be my last chance for awhile and plus Mike's running the full so it will be fun to share this race with him.
I was neither excited, nor nervous... all I could find myself saying was 'let's get this over with' and '1 thing to cross off the list.' NOT a good mental state to begin a 13.1 mile run. I jumped into the middle of the pack and when the countdown finished... I let others pass me as I picked a slow pace to begin with. One of my biggest struggles is starting too fast and then after just a few miles I'm done. So I had my Nike+ with me to keep track of my pace. This was so supposed to be a flat and fast race and in comparison to the Standard Charter... it is... but it did have some slopes that caught me off guard and I began to panic about how many hills there were going to be due to my lack of training in that area. However, I was actually quite surprised in how I handled them and found them easier to run than other areas of the course.
I was doing well... (despite my mental weakness already) until I hit 11K and looked down at my iPod to check time and turn it on for awhile. And that's when I lost it and literally almost broke down in tears. I have used my Nike+ to train... it tells me the distance that I've run and the pace I'm going. I calibrated it against my treadmill and thought it was right. However, at 11K (approx 6.8miles) my Nike+ said 8. At first I was stoked.. I though wow.. I'm doing much better than I thought (I was thinking the 8 was Kilometers) and then I realized it was miles... 8 miles. A bit off? So all my hard work in timing things, pacing things... was wrong so at the point I knew I wasn't going to make my 2hr goal and I was just discouraged and disappointed.
It was at that point too that the sun starting beaming pretty good making it much warmer out than anticipated and well... my body just doesn't do well in the sun. I'm not trying to make excuses for my poor training but the sun really took a lot out of me... I just haven't trained under the sun and I paid for it. I seriously just wanted to cry and quit because I knew my goal had just gone out the window and I just wanted to get it over with. I tried a gel pack but it just made me sick to my stomach. I don't remember much until 15K and then I was just happy to be on the down stretch. At 19K, I felt my toenail going... and it became harder to push myself. When I saw the sign for 20K... I just started to book it... I just so wanted to be done. I finished at about 2:20:28. Ugh... what's even worse was that I looked at my Nike+ again and at this point it was 2.5 miles off! That's crazy!!!! So while my time wasn't even close to what I wanted... I feel somewhat okay as based on the terrible calibration of my Nike+ system... I've never run 13.1 miles before! Based on what it said... my longest run was probably about 10.5 miles and my average runs about 6/8 miles. Not good in preparing for a half.
So I learned many lessons today....
1. Don't depend on my Nike+
2. Don't use gel packs
3. Don't drink sports drink along the way... just water for this girl
5. Bring a hat
6. Train in the heat
7. Train on hills more often
8. and most importantly....Don't carry burdens... lay them at the feet of God.
I'm proud that I could finish sprinting as usually the last thing i want to do after a long run is to sprint and I'm proud that I had the energy to do that but aside from that... I'm just glad it's over. Now... on to the Standard Chartered half. I'm beginning to think I'm crazy for wanting to do this but once the heat comes back around I don't think I'll be doing any racing so this may be my last chance for awhile and plus Mike's running the full so it will be fun to share this race with him.
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