Transform

For those who have kept up with my blog over any length of time, you have probably noticed a "Word of the Year" David and I pick for our family each year.  Well, we picked one for this year back around Christmas, and honestly, I was too grumpy to go ahead and share it, because as with our "Faith" year, God is showing us through and through how He is trying to work in it... and sometimes, I don't like to deal with it.  As my husband often laments, "Why do we keep picking a word?"

TRANSFORM ~ For kicks and giggles, I decided to look up the definition... Here are just a few: "to change in condition, nature, or character; convert" or "to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character; become transformed."

Maybe you get why my hubby wasn't so excited suddenly...

Right out of the gate this year, I stepped out of Children's Ministry officially.  Since 2007, I was convinced this was my calling.  And I truly believe it WAS... but God changed that calling and at the time, I had NO idea where he was leading me.  I just knew our income was shrinking and I was clueless as to this area of my life for the first time in a very, very long time.  Only days, after I stopped working in Children's Ministry, we hit our first major bump with David's job.  After that, the hits kept coming.  I was angry.  And I know he was too.  I kept asking God "Why us again?  Haven't we been through enough yet?"  I finally came to the conclusion that while MY plan for transformation was one thing (getting fit, David advancing in his company, me working in Children's Ministry...), God had very different plans and he was working on transforming us in ways we didn't necessarily ask for.

Since then, I have taken it upon myself to work as hard as I can from home, doing whatever I think I need to do and praying it is enough to help us get back on track.  Unfortunately, it seems like when you think you finally have it figured out, when that changes, you can fall pretty hard.  To tell you the truth, I am a bit tired of bruising....

There is a verse in Romans that shed some light on this, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 (NIV)

It all comes back to God's Will and what He has in store or us.  And even though, it is a scary time in our lives, especially financially, I know He has a plan and is going to lead us through it as needed, and in His perfect timing.

In Isaiah 26:3 (NIV), it says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."

I don't know about you, but I am choosing to let him transform me this year.

As always,
     Melis

So What am I ACTUALLY up to?

One of the things I have always wanted to do is live more healthfully.  I will admit, growing up and even as a new adult, I did not care anywhere near as much as I probably should have.  But let me tell you, when you get pregnant and have kids of your own, the amount of concerns you have to think about start to add up.  And that is where I was.  I found myself asking my husband not to use the chemicals he knew so well to clean and begging for the "green" products.  Unfortunately, I was met with the cost talk and it was not really worth our time and he would be careful using them while I was pregnant.  And I knew I could always count on him to safely put things away, so I let it go... until recently.  

I will admit I was jealous of my friends who could afford products from the other "green" companies. I wanted the access even if I did not need it all of the time.  And in the past few years, it went from more than just wanting to clean with these products but I wanted to be able to find my vitamins, healthier snacks, supplements and occasional beauty supply.  And frankly, with three young kids, searching the internet and brick and mortar stores to find the best deals was getting so exhausting.  And we kept coming back to the same issue, cost... You see, when we had a little, I could get healthier, spending on a few specific products,  I even managed to get back down to a healthy weight in a few short months with exercise, a diet that made sense to me, and supplements that worked.  Yet, here I am almost 14 months after my youngest was born and I am the heaviest I have ever been and I am more determined than ever to find a healthier way of life all around.  

So I guess it was great timing that on the brink of losing it all, I came upon a company that sold all of these products and gave me a great discount, allowing me to start integrating them into my life and saving me time as well not worrying about going to the store (which as parents and non-parents alike we all can appreciate at times).  So what is this fabulous solution to my life I have found?  I invite you to a webcast anytime... and if you love it, let me know.  If you don't that's okay.  I would love to hear your feedback if you don't mind sharing.  And if you have questions, I am sure I can answer them or ask if I don't know the answer.  And if you aren't quite ready to view a webcast, and want a brief intro, that works as well.  Schedule either or both below and I cannot wait to meet you! I KNOW how valuable money and time are.  So go ahead, click below and set a time at your convenience.

Sign Up for a Webcast or a Phone Call!

As Always,
         Melis

The 12 Days After Christmas ~ Day 6 ~ New Year's Eve

I am not sure if it is just me but did today sneak up on you?  It didn't even sink in when hubby didn't get home until 2 hours after his initial off time.  In fact, I had moments today when I forgot simple things like hours of stores being affected by this "momentous occasion." I think at one point I tried to tell Joy what tomorrow was and she was more concerned about how much closer we were to her next field trip... nice, kid!  Just like your mama ;-) At least that meant I got to take it easier from lunch on today for the most part.  I sure felt like I have needed it.  And it also helped, that hubby made cookies and gave me yummy pizza.  But no, for the most part, today was just another day in this household.  Hubby went to work, stayed a little longer.  The kids and I ran a few errands.  They went to bed fairly close to their normal bedtime.  And tomorrow David s tarts 4 days of usual back-to-back shifts.  Oi!

But as little of an occasion my family may see today (yay us), I am looking forward in hopes to a year of LIVing, of Life! I am looking forward to my new challenge group starting on Monday, the 5th (see my Facebook page).  I am looking forward to welcoming our baby girl into the family this spring!  I am looking forward to weddings, a graduation, a retreat and some other events.  I am looking forward to kicking off some great traditions with my own little family and reaching a comfortable level of stability and flexibility.  What are you looking for?  Perhaps that is all that is on my mind at the moment as a little girl does the wave in my tummy :-p  1 hour until midnight here...

God Bless you all.  See you in 2015!  
As always,
Melissa

12 Days After Christmas ~ Day 2... Time for a NEW Year!

Okay so it is December 27th today, not quite January 1st!  However, as many of you know each year David & I select a word for the year for our family.  (This will be #3!)  And... we have already selected one.  Well, I actually yelled it out over a week ago and further discussed it with David prior to Christmas and he agreed... I think ;-)  I thought about waiting to tell you all about it until December 31st or January 1st... but seeing as my level of patience is well, not the best... I have decided to share it with you all here on my blog, on the 2nd day AFTER Christmas!  Many of you may wonder what I am referring to.  A few years back, I heard someone on the radio saying that instead of a list of resolutions each year, they focused on ONE word to focus on the for their family.  In 2013, we focused on FAITH.  This was an especially hard one but necessary one as we lost 2 babies and I was hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism this year.  Some people say you get what you ask for.  I say you trust God and get what you get ;-)  God knew what our year would look like long before all of that went down.  As a result of the hardships, we found out more about my health and how to deal with it and how to approach future pregnancies.  I know we also learned a lot about our wonderfully FAITHful God!

In 2014, we hemmed back and forth and settled on CONTENTMENT for the year.  I do not think we were quite 100% at this point.  We were looking at where we had come from and knew we still had to wait for a clearance on my lungs and what that might mean for my health and our family down the road.  We were talking more about normal, everyday things and not just trying to survive.  We did not want to get complacent but we did not want to take anything for granted either. God had brought us through some truly hard, life-altering circumstances and we certainly could not and would not try to erase them.  I will admit this one has been quite the struggle in comparison.  Go figure, right?!  It seems when life circumstances are not so drastic, we often try to take things into our own hands more than we should.  God and I did a lot of talking this year about frustrations and my own struggles to trust Him and be content where He had us.  And frankly,  I do not know if I came out a better person for all of the arguing I actually did.  Yep, arguing.  As I said, this one was quite the struggle for me in the later months of the year...

This brings me to our word of 2015 which I think fits perfectly for where we are and where we WANT to be!  We are Striving.  We are Moving Forward.  We want to Succeed and see things Change for the Better...  We.. Want... To...

For us this means NO MORE Complaining about not being able to do things, about David's bosses not letting him off work to be with us, about not making enough money, or "feeling" happy enough.  It is not dependent on our neighbors to change their ways (whether we agree with them or not, which we most certainly do not).  It is not dependent on whether we make others happy all the time.  It is not our job to make everyone else in our lives happy all of the time either!  It is however about taking responsibility and seizing each opportunity that comes our way!  We have chances to change and be better for it and make a better life for our children.  And I pray we truly seek God in it all and choose to make those decisions that will help us LIVE!!!

So join with us and think about what it is that would make 201?5 the BEST YEAR no matter what is thrown your way.  What will YOU DO?  I have some ideas for you popping up on my Facebook page over the next week or two so stay tuned...

As always,

Melis

Merry Christmas Eve!

I am sitting here with a cute little girl in my belly and an almost 3 year old boy calmly playing near me.  My big girl is at church with her Nana, Poppy, aunt, 2 uncles and Great Grandma.  I sit here nursing my sore lower back just thankful to be near family.  David is still working but we'll see him tonight or tomorrow and this little girl of ours kicks enough to remind us of God's miracles in our lives, events we often overlook, because they don't seem so big to us.

Last year, I was feeling completely crummy, followed by a trip to the ER on Christmas Day and a very short yet exhausting trip to see family.  I just wasn't in the right place.  The year before, we had either just lost our first baby or were about to and were completely unaware to this fact.  Those Christmas experiences are not lost on me.  I am fortunate to be able to drive my children to see family, even if I am fatigued and sore.  I am blessed to not hit any traffic along the way and to have family who adores them as I do and give me some much needed relief.

Last night was my Joy Joy's 2nd of 2 dance performances.  Her studio performed "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" & she was able to have some family in attendance last night, even Daddy and Micah!  She was beautiful and excited and has shown so much growth this year.  On our way out, one of her friends handed her a pink rose!  Boy, was she touched!  And again, I sit back amazed at God's goodness in our lives...

Just a week or so ago, we were blessed with some extra food and gift cards.  The kiddos and I found our way into Walmart and out without falling apart and came away with some much needed new shoes, school pants, diapers, a few Christmas supplies, as well as a few food items.  It wasn't expected and it definitely brought me to a place of humbling myself some but I realized God had brought these people and gifts into our lives for a reason and that getting angry, confused and frustrated would not get me anywhere.  For the people involved, they were showing God's love to us at a time when we really needed some things.

In 43 days, my little guy, my Micah Boo turns 3.  I cannot believe it some days.  We welcome his new sister around 2 months afterwards.  Joy turns 7 yet another month or so later and we have half a dozen weddings, graduations and family events spread throughout our spring and summer on the calendar... so far!  I am truly very excited to be able to share with you all our 2015 adventures just around the corner...

However, for now I just want to wish you all a wonderfully Merry Christmas!  There will be a blog series or so to follow in the "12 Days After Christmas" which will also be posted to my Facebook page.  I will be documenting adventures, goals & blessings all around as we head into our New Year, including our "Word of the Year" we have already chosen!  I am so excited to transition into a new chapter in our lives with adventures and blessings I am sure we have not yet discovered!  So come along with me and tell your friends too!  I am here and on Facebook and would love to chat with you as I share about family, health, fitness and adventure!  Maybe you can share with me too?

God Bless You All!
As always,
Melis

Sparkly,Fit, Beachy Mama!

Time for a change and some updates!  Remember that announcement I made back in August?  Well, here's me a few weeks ago...

 

I am now 21 weeks, 1 day pregnant according to my dates.  Baby Girl is due April 14th, 2015!  It's been a very trying pregnancy, physically and emotionally but I am seeing the hope, that light that is this beautiful girl inside of me due to come in to this world this coming spring.  I am so excited but also ready to start making some changes elsewhere.  

Due to the trying nature of this pregnancy, I really have struggled to keep a lot of things up as I processed it all and really tried to stay calm and focus.  Hoping to start reaching out and really showing you all a little more again.  So without further ado, I have renamed my page and am renaming my Facebook Coach page to reflect it so I may connect more with those of you out there interested in knowing and learning more...

Sparkly, Fit, Beachy Mama is here!  (Formerly Lions, Giraffes & Puppies) 

I hope to focus more on the details of life as they intersect.  In other words, you won't just hear about medical or pregnancy topics here and my Facebook will have more than just my fitness love!  Does that make sense? Hoping to get some new graphics, headers, etc up as well as some new Challenge Groups launched by the New Year so stay tuned! Have questions? Just ask!  And if you do have some suggestions, let me know!  I hope to make these outlets better all around with these changes! 

Have a fabulous day!

As always,

Melis

BIG News Alert... Taking a chance here...

In January 2013, we started a part of our journey we never thought would exist.  We ventured into a world that confused us, that hurt and that made us question just about everything...

I do not know if it is every possible to truly prepare yourself for losing a child... ever!  doubt it... but we did and we were told that it was unlikely we would go through it again.   They were wrong...

Fast forward to July 2013.  Again. Confused. Hurt.  Let's move on.  Or not?

July 28th, 2013 changed it all.  I was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, a clot in my lungs at 28.  I knew no one who had been through this just like when we first miscarried... no one.

In February of 2014, I was cleared. 

In April of 2014, I made some serious decisions about my health and fitness and the lifestyle I wanted.  I committed...

But the best was yet to come...

Coming in April of 2015, just in time for my 30th birthday...

I am not sharing this for kicks and giggles.  I am sharing this because we need all of your prayer and support in a major way.  I am giving myself Lovenox injections nightly because of the clotting disorder my hematologist discovered last year.  I will see both my hematologist and my OBGYN this pregnancy.  I will have my blood checked and no appointment will go underused or overlooked.  I will be discussing more with my OBGYN soon what he would like to do differently this time.  We are beyond thrilled at meeting our Rainbow this coming Spring but we have a long road ahead of us...

I do not imagine I will post much on this because this process is very personal to me and I want to be very aware of what details we share since it is so sensitive for us but I hope you'll join with us in prayer as we move forward.  I believe in this medicine.  I trust my doctors.  I am trusting the process. GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!

Thank you in advance.  

As always,

Melis

 5 Weeks!

6 Weeks!

Blown away...

I'm trying to get my head around this...

I'm not used to this kind of putting myself out there. Sure, I shared my life with you all this last year but YOU chose to read this blog, stay informed and encourage me.  And for those who liked my recently set up fitness Facebook page, YOU again chose to follow it.  You all read because you want to.  What happened last night was something I could not have imagined.  It was beyond anything I could have predicted. 

You see I posted those transformation photos not because I wanted the praise but because I wanted to share with all of you a few things...

1) My love for fitness & health. I love it because I love me and I want to be a BETTER me. I want my family to feel it. I want them to love it or at least appreciate it like I do.

2) I want to inspire others.  It took me a LONG time to be in the place to lose weight, to start this transformation for real, to become consistent to the point where I pretty much HATE rest days.  That is right. I miss working out on those days.

3) Where is all came from... It is not an accident I started to change my habits.  It sure was not a magic pill either.  It comes from a raw place I am often reliving.  Last year, after losing 2 babies and on the brink of losing my own life, I immediately went into survival mode for myself, my kids, my hubby.  After getting off the Coumadin and on to aspirin as instructed by my hematologist, I did NOT bounce back. I struggled... horribly.  I hid. I did anything I could to avoid people.  But with time, grieving and some serious inspiration, I knew that for those very reasons, I HAD to do this.  This was NOT a choice for more anymore...

...LIFE is far too important to just sail through...

My transformation is far from over. I am excited to keep moving towards my goals and prayerfully continue to build our family as God allows and leads us.  I am very excited about this stage of our lives and that I get to share my <3 with ALL of YOU!!!

Thank you for continuing to read and delve in to my story, my life, my transformation... I hope to help inspire others on their own.  If you wanna chat, message me and/or check me out at Facebook.com/RunLissaRun

This is NOT ultimately just about me.  I hope we ALL make it, YES?

That's all for now,

Melis

This is the 1st day of the rest of my life...

Okay, so I know we've all had our moments, our transitions, our times when we realized how different things could be now, often good and often bad but as cliche as it may seem, today really is the 1st day of this next season, a day when everything starts to change & I get to find out what my body is made of, really made of.  One thing I learned on Coumadin is that my body needed help, help to function, help to heal.  However, Coumadin was very likely also the reason I was so worn, tired & fatigued regularly. Even as I recently ventured into working out & eating on the newer P90X3 plan, I would get a slight boost of energy, only to be worn a few hours later.  My body had changed and I knew somehow, that no matter what meds I was on, some things would never be the same.

However, taking that all into account, I no longer need to be on Coumadin.  My doctor emphatically and comfidently review my history & scan results and prescribed Aspirin for the rest of my life, just one a day.  Now, say what you want but when you have a large pulmonary embolism at 28, you don't question your doctor's orders, the doctor that got you safely through 6 months of he**! (At least I don't.) I hated being on Coumadin and after all of those blood draws, my poor arms had so much scar tissue.  The poor lab techs worked harder than ever and I am glad to be free of that frustration.

Today, I get to celebrate continuing through transition week (week 4) of my journey on P90X3.  I get to see as time goes by if being off Coumadin is really going to help my energy nd my general "feeling" of quality of life.  I am so very thankful for all of the doctors, nurses, clinical pharmacists, PAs and the rest for all of their hard work, kind words & friendly bedside manor. They made this experience less painful, more bearable.  I also feel so blessed as we enter this new season to have had so so many friends and family praying for us through 2013, especially these last 6 months.  That was very apparent on Facebook last night and I genuinely won't forget it.

It's been a long year, a long 6 months... This is the 1ST day of the REST of my LIFE!!!

<3Melis

Write, Write, Write

A little while back, I got some interesting advice,  My Dad had heard I'd been blogging through all the hard times.  He encouraged me, telling me some of the best advice he'd ever gotten was to write & write & write, to write something everyday, whether short, long, serious, funny, whatever.  Well I haven't done too well at that, even though thoughts swirl through my head ALL day long, as I am sure most women can attest to.  So this post is just to write, to share a little, to tell you what's been on my mind. No need to patronize me but if you're interested, go ahead and read because I think my Daddy's advice was good & I want to keep writing...

Anyone else going to miss the Olympics because they don't have cable or satellite? When I finally gave in to ditching cable to save money, it didn't occur to me I would miss them. Seriously, swirling thoughts constantly going through my head & it somehow didn't occur to me until a week ago. It is not that I don't love saving the money (because we really need to) but I love the Olympics, winter & summer versions alike. I have always associated them with positive things.  Joy was born only a couple months before the Summer of 2008 ones. Micah was born about 6 months before the Summer 2012 ones.  And Squirt was due 7-8 months ago, Little One was due less than a month ago, so naturally I see a lot of happy things, as I sit nursing or thought I would be, as in the most recent cases.

Another thing that has been traveling though my mind is the fact that I am not the same person I was a year ago, or even 7 months ago... I mean, I know we can all say that to a point... but here's where I am going.  When I first found out about the baby loss community online, I remember reading how you are never the same when you lose a child.  I am sure most who have been down this round understand what I mean. We lost 2, both in the 2nd trimester. Again, I was hurt & I knew we could never go back and change the past, that emotionally, David & I were different people, apart & together & that we would need to learn how to BE us, having lost 2 precious babies.  But I am going beyond that.  When we discovered the night of our anniversary in the Emergency Room that I had a pulmonary embolism, all we were concerned with was getting me through that period of time, getting me out of the hospital for good, traversing the 6 months, hopefully going off the Coumadin & moving on, trying to find out how to continue to be a couple, a family & prayerfully grow it.  Only a week or two ago, I was reminded of my humanity once again.  I just had my 6 months scans. I have my results delivered Friday, my Daddy's birthday, in a hematology appt.  If the results are great, there are more steps, as in getting off of this medicine, on to a lesser one, and getting the full workup done to hopefully, confirm, deny or find out more about what happened, how I lost those babies and what can be done for me & for our (hopefully) growing family down the line... But as I have realized, closing this particular chapter doesn't mean going back to before the pulmonary embolism.  I will always need to be aware that I could develop a blood clot, or my kids could. When they hit, one often has a short amount amount of time to respond before it can cause serious harm (understatement alert).  Also, I started working out a few weeks ago.  When I used to workout, I would get huge bursts of energy, often getting me through almost the entire day.  Now, one workout gives me at most a few hours of energy.  Yes, I feel better. Yes, I tend to have more color in my face, a little more motivation in my day etc. But I am not the same energetic, bouncy person, at least not to the obvious point.  Last year was hard emotionally & physically.  And while I don't blame God for any of it, (I am not even angry) I am aware I am a different person to a degree.  There isn't anything wrong with that in and of itself.  David & I have become much closer & stronger together (although I know we still have our things to work on). These last 6 months have given me a lot to think about.  And, there is always the chance my scans will not come back clean enough to proceed forward.  Only God knows what happened during these 6 months. I haven't had a scan since a week after admittance in the ER.

I'm looking forward to sharing with you all more this year as there will be more challenges, transitions & the like this year. As most of you know by now, our word for the year is Contentment. Personally, I have decided to challenge myself by adding a word for myself each month to focus on.  Last month, I called "Kickstart Contentment." I needed to remind myself not to get complacent.  This is a new year & I need to not be lazy.  So, I  refreshed my zeal by committing to an online vendor faire & established my presence on FB with Pampered Chef (see link at bottom if you are interested).  I also convinced David to purchase P90X3, only 30 minutes a day but still a good focus on eating right.  I almost quite day 3 but I am still going strong 2.5 weeks in because of my best friend being the greatest support ever, my friend at church coaching me on & other good friends encouragement in the way I look & act.  So this year is going to be different. This month of February for me is going to be about Contented Focus. I need to stop letting my crazy brain keep me from starting & finishing things. I need to let other things go & not just be at church & Bible Study but BE there present & soaking it all in.

I know my wording is a little funny tonight. I ran out of pronouns & other choices for words.  To be honest, I just need to get my oldest in bed before it gets too late & she needs her sheets on her bed (which I didn't realize).  So, let me know how you like this idea. Some days I will have 5 words, other 5 pages (haha) but I am going to at least try to write 3-4 days a week again, Share with me any thoughts you have.   I have some more topics to explore but I need to have a few discussions & do some research.  I will keep you posted as long as you keep me updated, okay?

As always,
<3Melissa

And if you are at all interested in placing an order with Pampered Chef OR just supporting me by liking my new FB page, head on over to Pampered Chef: Melissa N. Voeltz. It's about time I start trying to make this business work so I can help my family out more! As I say frequently over there & to others regarding it ~ I bake. I cook. I love life. I’ll plan your show or help you host your own! This is the life...