A New Home

I just wanted to pop these three pictures on here real quick, and I'll come back later and write a little about my FL trip. After a steady downward progression with dementia, culminating in several falls within several days, the decision was made that Grandma needed around the clock care. So last week she made the transition to a nursing home that's only a few minutes away from us. Because of the dementia, she has moments of confusion about what she's doing there, but overall, the transition has been fairly smooth. Someone goes every day to spend time with her, and she's actually had quite a few extra visitors this past week. She and Pop did Sunday morning ministry at this same nursing home when I was a child, and so there are moments of confusion as her brain tells her that she's there visiting people, sharing the gospel, etc., but still, she's doing quite well. Quite often I win the prize of "Best Family Member," because her brain tells her that I came all the way from Ukraine. Of course, other times it tells her that I'm her sister, or niece, or sister-in-law, or she'll look at the pictures of the two of us and think that I am her. The brain of a dementia patient is a perplexing thing.Placing a family member in a nursing home is not an easy thing, or at least it wasn't for us. People make assumptions, and have opinions about what they think they would do, when the reality is that each situation is different for every family. Because of the circumstances in our family, after keeping her in her own home for as long as possible, it was decided that this was the option that would give her the best care. I'm thankful that we can continue to spend time with her, and cherish those moments when she still knows who I am.

A camera with a timer can be a confusing thing.

She managed a smile for this one, but when looking at it, thought that I was her. :-)

This is just a cute photo from Sunday, with one of my Varsity girls

Tri-Latta Triathlon

Today was my 2nd and bigger triathlon: 1/2 mile open water swim, 17 mile ride, 3 mile run. I had three specific goals: to complete the swim in 20 minutes(I'm slow), to run a 10 minute mile even after the swim and ride, and to have a finish time of right around 2 hrs. It's been rather rainy here the last few days, and I was rather disconcerted at all of the mud in the transition areas and on the trail run, and had no idea how that would effect my time goals.

The swim didn't feel so good to me, because I'd never done an open water swim before, where you can't see when you're swimming and people are kicking you and swimming over or super close to you. I intentionally stayed to the back of the group when they all took off, which was a bit of a mistake if you want to be competitive. I was safer there, but much slower. Happily, though my swim time was quite slow, it was 20:16, which was close enough to my goal for me. :-D Then I was out of the water, running up a muddy hill to jump on my bike for the 17 mile ride. That portion was just lovely. It was a nice course and I had a relaxed ride. I probably should've pushed a good bit more in that(but was trying to save for the run), because by the time it was over, I realized I still had plenty of energy left in my tank.I finished that section in 55 minutes, putting me at 2nd place in my category for the bike ride. Then off the bike and on to the muddy, hilly trail run. It wasn't my favorite run ever, but I kept going and finished in 30 minutes and a few seconds. And making it even better? I completed the entire thing in 1 hr. and 52 minutes, putting me in 7th place in the Novice category and meeting all three of my goals! I definitely enjoyed this one a lot more than my first one, even though it was longer. I've worked really hard on pacing and endurance from the triathlon in March until now, and it was so encouraging to see that work pay off. It was also encouraging to get to the end and realize I probably could've given a bit more. All in all, an excellent day!

5:30 am- getting ready for the race

5:45am- pre-race snack

With Jesse before his group started the swim at 6:30am(he's a recent GBC highschool grad.)

My group waiting for the air horn to start our swim

Coming in from the swim.

Finishing up the ride

Beginning the run

Triathlon #2- completed!!

HBD to me

Yesterday, 6/8, was my birthday. HBD to me!! My best present was getting back from my longest steady run yet on Saturday(8 miles) and realizing that I'd gotten down to 140, my 80 pound mark. Yay!

Birthday morning run

And here's my 80 pound pic!

One of my sweet highschoolers is a little, bitty thing who weighs exactly what I've lost at this point. I loved how she was game for this picture. It's hard to believe I used to carry all that weight around every day! I said something about how hard it was to carry her(granted, I was in heels), and she commented that no one had ever said she was heavy before. My reply was, "Of course you're not, but think about carrying you around all day every day!"

My actual birthday present. I was so, so excited for the arrival of my Garmin Triathlete's Watch that can time all three events, keep records, calories, heartrate, blah, blah, blah. And then I got it. It's Huge. Tiny hands. :-D But I'm still excited!

My first Open Water triathlon's coming up this Saturday- 1/2 mile swim, 17 mile ride, 3 mile run. Can't wait!

Foooood

Two years into this change and I'm still constantly asked, "What exactly do you eat??" Honestly, people just don't pay much attention when they think you're a weirdo, so I just get to answer the question over and over. Even my family members can't keep clear on what I do and don't eat. :-) I think it's rather simple, but it's so strange to the average person to cook everything from scratch and cut processed foods, sugars, dairy, and grains from your diet. And they're right- it is a wee bit strange. There are compelling reasons for it, though, particularly if you have allergies, or are sensitive to certain foods. So I continue to really embrace this "wacky" lifestyle(which isn't wacky at all, but rather, super healthy). Yes, I do make exceptions: I've added a bit of dairy back into my diet. I've found that I can handle small amounts of hard cheeses and whole milk yoghurt, so I eat a small amount daily now. I steer clear of grains still, with the exceptions of my two weekly treats(Mexican with my family after church, and a sweet of my choice on Friday). Your palate and tastebuds change considerably when you cut out processed foods and sugars. You don't crave the sweet and salty foods anymore, or rarely, anyway. Here's a visual idea of some of the things I've enjoyed this week:

This is a very common meal for me: 3 oz. of meat(in this case a curry chicken dish with apples, dates, carrots & broccoli), and a bunch of raw veggies with 1/2 c. yoghurt/avocado dip. I probably eat some version of that meal 10 times a wk).

Sun. morning I usually make Banana Pancakes(2 eggs, 1 mashed banana, cinnamon & vanilla, cooked in coconut oil). This week I went Mulberry picking, so I loaded my Banana Pancakes with these yummy, free berries.

Pre-workout snack. This is what I eat most mornings before heading to the Y to swim and run, or before cyling. These are homemade Larabars: dried fruit and nut bars. They're very simple and give great energy: You can make all kinds of varieties, but these were made with raw almonds, dried peaches, medjool dates, and vanilla

I eat far fewer eggs now than I used to, but still love eggs for their versatility. I made this today for lunch: carrot and spinach pancakes cooked in coconut oil: 2 eggs, 3 cups spinach, one grated carrot, 2 slices roast turkey,  1/4 bellpepper, cajun seasoning, and cumin. They were fantastic, quite filling, and came in at around 350 calories.

And then I try things I find online, just for the fun of it. :-) These are carrot and coconut "truffles." They're really not truffles, or truffle like, at all. But they're very tasty, and very good for you! They're about 25 calories each, and contain raw carrots, dates, unsweetened coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, and a splash of lemon juice. Yum! Like I said, your taste buds change, and it's not just that I've forced myself to like these things- I genuinely enjoy eating everything I eat! But I've also learned which things a non-"wacko" person will really like(like the Larabars), and which ones not to waste on them. :-)

**Next up: Tapley was in town! And, I'm working on summer trip planning. Oh boy.

Mother's Day

Today was Mother's Day, and my mother wasn't here. Mom is in CO right now, so she got to enjoy Mother's Day with Abby this year. This Mother's Day, I spent the day with Dad and Gram(his mom). And it was bittersweet. She's pretty far along the path of dementia, and most days, isn't entirely sure who I am. She knows that she recognizes and knows me, but can't always decide which one of her relatives I am. Her clear moments are very few and far between these days, and her brain is also shutting down its communication to the rest of her body.

And I'm sure there are people out there who get annoyed with my photo taking, commemorating all holidays and events. But you know what? We have no guarantee of when we'll see those people again. And so I take pictures of those who are dear to me. And today I especially wanted a photo of my sweet little grandmother, because I'm just not sure that she'll still be with us for Mother's Day next year. Isn't this one sweet?

One second we were taking a selfie, and the next second she was taking a nap. :-)

A 73 mile day

This past Sunday, May 4th, was the 2 yr. mark of my adventure to being a healthier me. I wanted to do something big to celebrate, so I decided that on Sat. I was going to ride a mile for every pound that I'd lost over the last two years, which was 73 pounds as of last Friday. I decided to break the ride into two parts, a 40 miler in the morning by myself, and a 33 miler in the afternoon with a couple of friends joining in. The longest ride I've done has been 38 miles, so I wasn't entirely sure how I'd feel at the end of the day, but I was pretty sure that I was in good enough shape to do it. The 40 miler was pure loveliness: a perfect day, a great, hilly route out into the countryside and past horse farms. I had a fantastic time talking with God and just enjoying the pleasure of cycling. The ride later in the day was also fine physically, but at a slower pace due to those who accompanied. But I was super thankful for their desire to come out and encourage and support me, and enjoyed that time with them.

Since Sat., I've lost 3 more pounds and finally entered into the "Normal" weight category for my height. I'm super excited after all of this hard work to be in the healthy weight category. I'm not at my final goal, but am thoroughly enjoying the process of getting there. When I started this, I had no idea where I needed to end up. I didn't know what I looked like underneath the weight. I had been heavy almost my entire life and told that I was just a bigger, large-boned girl. So, I set my number at 150. But as I was approaching 150, I realized something: I'm not a bigger, large-boned girl. I'm a little person, and 150 couldn't be my final number. My final number, honestly, is going to be wherever my body settles, which I'm pretty sure will happen naturally as I continue to work hard and eat great. My final number will most likely be around 125 or 130. But let me say this: it's not actually about a number, regardless of where I end up. Right now, I weigh 144, and I'm super healthy and in fantastic shape. And that's what it's about for me. I believe that my body was created by God and is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I believe that it is my responsibility to take care of that temple and in so doing, be able to serve Him longer with a healthy body. So wherever I end up,  it's about being the healthiest me and the me that He has created me to be.

I'm super thankful for God's mercies and for His healing hand over my body. I'm thankful that I didn't do major damage to my body while carrying that extra weight. I'm so thankful for this redeemed body that loves to run, and swim, and cycle, and is preparing for another triathlon next month! I'm so thankful for this second chance and feel so blessed to be a child of the great Physician. Also, many thanks to all of you who've cheered me on in this journey!!

Before starting out on the 40 mile ride

April 2012 & April 2014

Staff Conference

Ah, I'm finally getting to it...a month later. Well, Staff Conference. What to say about Staff Conference?? For those who were there(or following via facebook my terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad adventures of getting there) you know that it took me five days to get to Staff Conference, and I missed most of it. And I was going to write about that awful series of events, but then I decided not to, because it's not about that. It's about this:

God's provision and protection, His mercy and presence, His patience and forgiveness(when I was questioning Him), and His incredible family that I'm so utterly blessed to be a part of. It's about smiles, and hugs, and excitement in seeing friends, and rejoicing with others, and praying together, and speaking words of encouragement. It's about sharing meals, and worshiping together; it's about speaking heart to heart. It's about coming alongside of those who are hurting, reaching out a hand, loving, and sharing in their lives. It's about playing games together, going on walks together, sitting together, eating together, staying up talking together, catching up on life and ministry and joys and struggles. It's about being a ministry family and so much more than that. It's about being a part of the family of God. So even though I only got a little over 24 hours with that family, I rejoice in the time that I was given, and in the innumerable ways that I've been blessed through them.

With Elizabeth, an intern in Romania

  

Kimberly is an intern in Odessa

Teniece and David are in their first year in Odessa

Monika and Amadeusz serve in Poland

I taught some of the MKs(and a couple of moms) how to play Blink. Lots of fun!

I had the pleasure of getting to host a bridal shower for Elizabeth. I was so thankful that everyone waited for me to get there so I could be a part of it!