Spinning Plates

Okay, here’s an introduction to me.

I am about 90 pounds overweight. Losing that much would not put me at the “official” ideal weight for my age and height – but I was wearing a size 8 and felt comfortable at that weight, so I would love to get back there. I have gained 35 pounds in just the last two and a half years. 

I have a grocery list of health problems: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), moderate to severe asthma, allergies, Fibromyalgia (Fibro), migraines, high cholesterol, recurrent kidney stones, eczema, severe insomnia, and a bleeding disorder.

Have you ever seen one of those acrobats that bends their bodies like a pretzel while balancing spinning plates? I feel like that sometimes. Everything seems to touch and interact with something else and cause more problems. My allergies might activate and cause my asthma to get out of control – which leads to bronchitis or pneumonia – which leads to antibiotics that make my IBS act up – which causes my Fibro to flare (because any stressor causes Fibro to flare – which may also lead to more migraines . . . . And so on.

It may not ring true because I’m writing about it, but I don’t like talking about my health problems. I feel like they control so much of my life and dictate so many of my decisions that I would love to not have them center stage in my relationships. It’s not like they add a lot of positives. I think I’m being a bit like an ostrich though – burying my head in the sand and the only one who isn’t seeing the situation for what it really is – is me. I need to face this head on and then maybe I can overcome.

So as much as I want to lose weight, this journey is more about health and lifestyle than weight loss.

How about you? Do you prefer to hide your struggles and pretend everything is okay or let it all out? Somewhere in the middle? Have you found your relationships were strengthened or hurt by your approach?

Fresh Start

Blogging basically started by people journaling about their thoughts, goals, and experiences. It has since changed to include much less personal and more professional information. There are some people who have several blogs to cover all the different facets of their life and personality. I don’t do a very good job keeping up with this one. I started it thinking that all I wanted to talk about was books and writing. Those are only aspects of my life though – not a total reflection of me. I still want to talk about them, but I think it’s right for this to reflect me as a whole person.

That’s why I am starting with a confession. I am overweight, not healthy, and very frustrated by the struggles I’ve had. I don’t have cancer or diabetes (yet), but I have quite a few less serious problems that have hindered my overall health and fitness and caused me to have to adapt my lifestyle. I want my life back. I don’t want or need to be model thin, but I would like to try and make sure I’m around to see my grandchildren one day. Boys – that doesn’t mean you need to hurry up and have children. {wink}

I’ve tried a lot of things in the past. This time I am combining efforts and I’m going to be willing to change strategies if things aren’t working. If I talk about something you’ve tried, please share your experiences with that tactic and how it worked (or didn’t) for you. If you have similar health challenges I would love to hear about that too. I am going to do this. I don’t think it will be pretty or easy, but I invite you along for my journey. It’s always more fun to do things with friends.

Review - Stealing the Preacher

Summary: On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he's forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he's haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind--a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.

For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the person is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna's outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher?

My Take:
Loved it!

First let's get the shallow stuff out of the way and talk about the cover. Karen Witemeyer's books always have such gorgeous dresses on them -- and it was so fun to recognize it as the dress Joanna made to catch Crockett's eye at the picnic.

This is part of a series and I think you will enjoy it even more if you read the other book, but it isn't necessary to follow the story or characters.

I love the quirky and unusual plot. Kidnapping a preacher for your daughter's birthday is a surprising and fun concept. All the buttons were pushed too - funny, touching, scary, tense, romantic . . .

I really enjoyed the way you saw the relationship blooming between Crockett and Silas. Silas started hostile and suspicious and moves to grudging respect and then trust and admiration.

This one makes my favorites list. I want to thank the publisher for my copy. It in no way influenced my review.

Pilgrimage of Promise - Review

Summary:

Broken promises, enduring love...

A dusty stack of unopened love letters forces Bo and Mona Beth Miller to revisit a part of their past they’d rather leave buried–especially in the face of death. Only as they retrace history will they learn the truth about the shattered promise that threatens to come between them. But can their relationship endure the deception and sabotage they unearth, or will the experience compel them to trust more fully in the promises that never fail?

My Take: 

This book is part of a series. I haven't read them all, but it isn't necessary to enjoy and follow this book. The more familiar you are with the characters the better - but reading the rest of the books would be like icing on a very good cake.

This was a bittersweet story. It seemed more true to life than some. We watch Bo and Mona Beth go through a series of bumps in the road on their way through life. We also watch them grow as people as they endure the trials. In the end there is a strength and beauty that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

I want to thank the author for my copy. Her generosity in no way influenced my review though.

Review - The Heiress of Winterwood

Summary: Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an ancestral estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s infant baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word—even to the point of proposing to the child’s father, Graham, a sea captain she’s never met.

Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child’s safety drives Amelia and Graham to test the boundaries of their love for this infant.

Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must face her one weakness: pride.

Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline.

Both must learn to accept God’s sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them.

My take:

First I have to confess some cover love. The dress is exquisite and I love the background too. 

I also must confess that this is one of my favorite time periods to read about. I may be a bit biased because of that.

I thought there was a lot to this book. You not only have the complications arising to . . . try to derail their romance, but there also was a bit of adventure and mystery with the kidnapping. The crisis seems to be yet another blockade to their plans in the beginning. In the end it bonds them and draws them closer together.

I thought the relationships and characters were interesting. I cared what would happen to them. This was a good read and I thank BookSneeze for providing my copy to review. Their generosity has in no way influenced my review.