update

I have been really busy with Kirah's appointments, class, and other appointments.

For updates on Kirah, please read the postings I have written about her.

I am taking a Bible study class Tuesday nights at a local church. It lasts for 29 weeks and will be over in April. It is called The Healing Journey and, so far, has been interesting. It deals with difficult issues from our past. Next week, we are supposed to tell our story to our small group, so I have been working on that for weeks now. My memory verse is Proverbs 3:4-5--"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight."

Most recently, I went to the dr because I wasn't feeling well. She ended up putting me on a special diet, and in the process, found out I am very lactose intolerant. So much so that even a tiny bit of lactose will send me into a severe bout of pain and nausea. I really miss yogurt, but it is worth feeling better to not eat it. I have found a soy milk and a kind of tofu cheese that I really like, and I am getting back into drinking all kinds of different tea because other beverages make me feel sick. I have also found that taking high doses of magnesium every day like my doctor ordered also helps.

Because I was feeling really poorly, I wasn't able to exercise--I was barely able to function. SO, I stopped walking for awhile. Now that I am feeling better, I am hoping to start it up again.

David and I have found a church we like. It is called Mountain Springs Church. If you would like to read more about it, their website is www.mountainsprings.org. Their services are a lot like an APU chapel service, for those of you who know what those are like. For those of you who don't, they have a contemporary worship style. They are a word and spirit church, meaning that they focus on teaching in depth studies of the Bible, as well as developing disciples within the church and community. I love that they have a heart for kids, and their children's ministry is wonderful. They pray, sing, and read the Bible to all the kids that attend, even the little ones. I am getting used to the more contemporary worship style, but the speakers give great messages. We are going through the book of Luke right now. If you would like to listen to a message, they have those to listen to online on their website.

I recently attended the yearly women's conference, called the Advance, put on by the church we go to. I went away for the weekend and went up to Buena Vista, CO, which is about 2.5 hours from where we live. I find it very interesting that the sermons from church, the conference, and the class I am attending all speak similar themes to me. It affirms in my mind that I am where I am supposed to be. I met a couple great ladies there who really encouraged me in my journey at this point in my life.

Besides the ladies at the conference, I have made a couple great friends here, which I am so thankful for! They are all Christian ladies with varying ages of kids. One lady is attending the Healing Journey class with me--she was the one that convinced me to try it out with her. Her and I both love old movies. One attends the same church I do, that is how she found me, and has 2 of the cutest little girls. The third I met through my mother in law, and she has a little boy around Kirah's age. They are all so encouraging to me, and we have a lot in common.

Well, that's about it. Thank you all for your prayers, and I will try to do better at being more consistent with writing things here!

So far, so good

So far, so good. I haven't gone everyday, but I do it when i can, which is usually 3 or 4 times a week. I am still hopeful that the Denver half marathon is in my future, even though it won't be this year. I continue to enjoy the jogging stroller. Even though it does make moving faster easier, it still can be a challenge with pushing the extra weight (Kirah). I do like to go in the afternoon when it is a little cooler, but that is the time when we get thunderstorms, so that doesn't always work. I have decided that going up and down our big hill (and it is BIG) is not the way to go right now. Maybe one day, I will be able to do that.

The first week

I have now offically exercised for more than a week. This has been a feat in and of itself because of my breathing struggles. Since my diagnosis, respiratory arrest and near death in October 2006 after completing the Denver Half-Marathon, I have been petrified to start exercising and running again. There is no telling when I will stop breathing again, but I do know that it would be very possible if I did start running again. However, my speech therapist told me that other people have been successful at doing things like completing marathons with VCD, and said that I could be one of them. I just didn't know if I wanted to take the chance. I then made the decision to go for it, and to buy a jogging stroller so I could take Kirah along. I have to say that I am proud of myself for what I have accomplished so far. Since starting last Saturday, the 18th, I have decreased my time by 12 minutes. I ran 1.55 miles in 46 minutes. Granted, that isn't very fast I know, but for me, it is something.