A Little Bit of Everything...and then some!

So I totally forgot to do a follow-up post once we completed the Special K challenge. (And honestly I am not one bit surprised that I forgot! lol) Well, we both made it through just fine and we did see results! Not as drastic as some may experience but when you are in your late 20s it is very exciting when your jeans fit just a little looser.

The downside is that I am pretty sure that over the next few weeks we gained back whatever we lost during those two weeks on the challenge. So, we decided to try something else and make it a little more challenging. We are currently doing a diet (I'd prefer to say we changed our eating routine; it's not so much that we are doing a diet as that we have changed our habits) that involves replacing breakfast and lunch with protein shakes.  Basically our days look like this: shake, snack, shake, snack, normal healthy dinner. Also, plenty of water! I've been told that you should drink half your weight in ounces per day. (Ex: If you weigh 150lbs, then you need to consume 75oz of H20 each day.)

So our new eating habit is going well; we are about one and a half weeks in and feeling good! We will do this for at least a month, re-evaluate and then go from there. We may continue this for a bit longer since we both have a few pounds to lose. Bottom line, it is about changing our habits and doing this shake routine is definitely helping!

I am going to jump right in to the next topic, which is Robert's surgery. (**WARNING, I will be going to in a little bit of detail so please continue reading at your own discretion.) As most of you may know, he has been going through an interesting season medically and it is culminating in shoulder surgery this coming Monday, April 1st. Yes, he really is having surgery; it is not a joke! ;) Basically, after 2 MRIs (one an arthrogram where they injected dye into the shoulder cavity), a few x-rays, and some pain meds later, it was confirmed that he has a tear in his right shoulder. It is called a Type II SLAP Tear and that is what the doctor will be repairing on Monday.  This means that he has a horizontal tear in his labrum, which is a cartilage that goes around the shoulder socket.  The cartilage makes the socket deeper to help keep your shoulder in place.

A regular SLAP Tear is a vertical tear in the labrum and can usually be fixed by shaving off/down the injured tissue.  With a Type II, the labrum is torn horizontally and is actually partially detached from the shoulder socket. Essentially the surgeon will be doing an arthroscopic surgery to reattach the labrum. From what we have learned, this is done by inserting anchors into the bone that have surgical thread attached and then using that thread to stitch the labrum back down onto the bone. The bone will grow over the anchors eventually and the thread will just be there...forever. Weird, huh? Anyway, I suppose we are grateful that medicine has come so far. I mean, even though this is a major surgery, they will only have to make two small incisions AND it's an out-patient procedure. 

This has been an interesting experience thus far and it is far from over. The hassle of trying to comprehend how the insurance works (and who will be billing for what) has been a challenge by itself, let alone going through the process of figuring out what was wrong and what the best course of action was/is.  Add that stress to the regular stresses of everyday life and it makes for an interesting experience. I know I already said that but it really is lol!

This morning I have been reflecting on the fact that stressful life events are quite eye-opening. What better way to be awakened to the fears you didn't realize you had, the lack of faith of which we are so often guilty, and our deep need to let go and truly, fully acknowledge that God is in control. Why do we worry? Why do we fear? Why don't we trust more? While I don't have the answers for everyone, I can speak for myself in saying that certain seasons in life are more humbling and convicting than others. It's as though God realizes my need to be reminded every so often of His Truth.

Instead of worrying this morning, I choose to be grateful for my blessings, no matter how seemingly small!

• food to eat
• cars to drive
• roof over our head
• Remi (she is a comfort to us both when we are tired and stressed)
• medical insurance (better than not having it at all even though it doesn't seem to be very helpful at times)
• weddings and babies that give us an opportunity to go visit family
• a church home here in FL where we feel loved and want to serve God
• my husband (I know, he should be higher on the list but this list is not in any specific order!)
• and so much more!

My last thought...joy is a choice, not always an emotion. I can choose to be joyful even though my emotions may not match.

Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzyckxqXoZ4  (Very simple version that reminds me of learning this when I was little!)