Silence Interrupted

I have not forgotten about this blog; in fact it's been just the opposite- I have been thinking about it a lot the last few days and just today I opened it to see that, horror of horrors, it's been almost two weeks since I have posted something. Thanks for checking back for those of you who may have given up on me!

It's been an odd past two weeks- filled with the typical ups and downs that is life, but I have been having a harder time weathering the downs of life lately. In the last two weeks:

• We learned of a death in a family we love dearly and while we did not know the person who passed away, it has not stopped my heart from feeling the pang that comes with death's sting. Knowing how big of a loss this is for this family is hard to comprehend. But the Lord IS good and soverign- for in the midst of pain that came from a loss, He timed it so that the day this grandfather-to-be passed away, his first grandchild was born into the world and now bears the name of his grandpa he will never meet this side of heaven. It brings tears to my eyes each time I think about it.
• My guy has been working INSANE hours (in the office by 8am and not home until 11pm) and it is taking it's toll on the both of us. I hate seeing him so tired and deprived of doing things he enjoys. But he is a trooper and does a great job of making the best of it. Because he is not home very much during the week, I have been dealing with feelings of isolation and just the old fashioned "blahs." For a few days I could not shake it and it took everything for me just to make the bed and eat something. Those feelings have subsided, but we have a ways to go before normalcy resumes.
• I have not worked out in two weeks, except for my daily neighborhood walks, and I feel like a lazy loser. Fortunately, I have not been eating outside of my normal realm of foods, but I am tempted to eat sweets so much more when I am not exercising. Why the heck is it so hard to work out?
• My part-time position at the university has had some bumps and this has caused me some anxiety. I really, really dislike not feeling "in the know" when I am working on something and I dislike even more any feelings of inadequacy that can come when you are still trying to determine the scope of work before you. In the end, I'll be fine- I just need to get past this time of learning and taking things in.....and then I can dazzle them all with my skills!

In all of this, I am still processing and learning about:

• Consumerism- We live in a consumeristic society and inevitably we all make purchases and aspire for lifestyles that we really do not need because they are so beyond the basics of life. I am just as guilty as the next person in my consumerism, but I am beginning to think more about this and it is causing me to pass on purchasing my third lip gloss when the other two have yet to be used up- that being the smallest example of being a consumer.
• To Whom Much is Given- Like I stated, we live in a consumeristic society and we do so becase we can. We have more money than most people in the world and yet we buy so dang much that now we have law firms dedicated to helping people file for bankruptcy. I would venture to say that even the poorest in America have more than the richest in some third and fourth world countries. Those who are given much, have much expected of them. If we all stopped thinking about how we could use our money to build up our lives with things and instead used some of our money to help those in need (and by need I mean not having any of the basics like clothes, food, and shelter- I do NOT mean iPods, designer clothes, and spa visits) there would be less need. I could go on and on about this and talk about how I do not think government programs are the solution to ending people's need for the basics of life, but I think I'll save that for another post.
• Healthy Living: I am learning so much about food and what goes into our bodies when we eat food- things we cannot see or smell, but things that should not be in our bodies! We have switched over to organic meat and dairy to avoid eating things with growth hormones and antibiotics and other nasty things and I now have a list of fruits and veggies that I buy organic so we can avoid taking in pesticides and such. By the way, do not buy produce from Chile- they have no regulations on the amount of pesticides they use and it is a well-known fact that pesticide levels in their produce (strawberries and grapes being the ones that are available now) are much higher than what the States would allow. And I am so excited about our new cleaning products that I'll be using- you can find them here http://www.shaklee.com/homecare1.html Everything is non-toxic and that bodes well for the environment and us!

I think I'll end it here....my fingers are getting tired and now I must turn my attention to the kitchen, where I'll be attempting my first Busy Day Cake! I'll let you know how it turns out.

UPDATE: I just took the Busy Day Cake out of the oven and am now enjoying a slice of it with fresh straberries...YUMMY! It's a must-try recipe for sure!