A Special Thank you to All Of You!

My beautiful Baby Girl- I am so glad she is finally getting better!

Today I am thankful and I feel full of happiness, to the brim and overflowing actually- despite the fact I have only gotten 13 hours of sleep since I laid my head down on my pillow Sunday night.  The past few days have come and gone in a flurry of emotion filled moments.  Each incidence might have been more than we could handle if it had not been for the assurance that there was a greater and most capable power in control- God was in control along with all of your faith-filled prayers and requests for supernatural healing.  We could feel each of your appeals in a way that allowed us to stay strong in front of our baby girl.  She needed us to be encouraged that everything was going to be alright, and amazingly we were able to convey the expressions of hope she needed to make it through.  We can honestly tell you that we witnessed with our hearts wide open a healing miracle at work.  It started with a confident doctor whose wisdom and discernment finally narrowed down a diagnosis and gave us some much needed answers.  We then watched Miss Lauren show us how to be extremely brave in the midst of unfamiliar scenery and foreign procedures.  Lauren was one tough cookie as she was inflicted with  painful experiences that I wish I could have stood in for her.  If I could have, I would have traded places with her in a heart beat to spare her all that throbbing pain in her little body.  Oh, but she was so strong, and fearless, and we felt so proud to be her Mama and Daddy.  

Driving up to the E.R. entrance was the grand finale of sorts to a confusing and dramatic past weekend.  It all just happened so fast, a reminder that everything can change in an instant and to never take anything for granted.  How was I to know it could all change so quickly as I watched Lauren and Riley leap out of my car Friday morning, each of them running with there back packs flailing close behind.   I never imagined I would return in the afternoon to pick them up, only to discover horrifying symptoms, indicators of disastrous results all over Lauren's little legs and arms.   The progression of this attack all happened so quickly that within an hour she could no longer walk without tear-filled eyes, and unfortunately our first visit to the doctor in this surprising development gave us little hope, and no real answers.  In fact the terrible case scenario explained to us, which was meant to at least prepare us for the worst, was almost more than we could bear- finally enough to send us to our knees and do the only thing we could do....  We gave it to God- we put every ounce of faith and trust in his competent hands and vowed to be the love and caring support system here on earth that she needed to get through this event. 

 Sending out a prayer request to all of you was an absolute no-brainer and the responses were the blessed answer to our heart's cries for a pardon of Lauren's pain.  Saying thank you to you all might not be the right words to convey how deeply thankful we really are.  When Lauren was allowed to go home Wednesday night from the hospital and her smile was restored, we experienced the beauty of answered prayers.  I want each of you who prayed for Lauren and our family to know that it was an incredible moment when she walked back into her own home on her own two almost pain free legs.  We are still not completely in the clear, but the prognosis is good, and we have a restored hope in our hearts that with all of the love and support for her that everything is going to be alright.  It has to be!

So I am full.  Full of optimism, happiness and love!  Did I mention that Lauren's Daddy is amazing too.  You see Lauren is a "Daddy's Girl" to no end and what I love is that her Daddy went above and beyond this time to make her feel special, to be his princess.  God is good, I know and believe this with all my heart and soul.  Just like I know that Lauren is on the mend and her health is being restored back to her perfect beautiful and happy form.  Again, thank you for all your thoughts and prayers, we know they are so much apart of the calm and peaceful road to recovery for Lauren and our family.

A Stellar gift of hope and peace was laid upon all of our hearts over the past few days as we petitioned for the merciful healing of lil' Miss Lauren.  We feel that the ability to stay strong through the toughest of moments was due to the fact that we could sense each of your loving thoughts and prayers for Lauren. We are eternally grateful to you all.

All my love xoxo- Stephie

An Optimistic Point of View

So this is what it feels like when we really have to trust in the Lord.   I can confidently say that I know with all my heart His plan is perfect.  Each step we take reveals abundant blessings and answered prayers, but it also can bring unforeseen challenges too.  I am not afraid to press forward, and I can do so without fear because I know that it is all for a purpose.  It is this assurance I have that helps me retain my optimism and eliminate worry from my emotions.  I have lived, in my short life so far, through my different real life examples of how if it so much more efficient to lead a life to the best of my capabilities, with a healthy perspective, with compassion, and with thankfulness for basic needs that are being met daily for myself and my family.  I have learned that when we make requests in our prayers and daily conversations with God that we must not petition with expectation, but with trust in our heart and soul that God will respond and deliver all in accordance to his perfect will and plan for our life.  This means that when we pray for things like patience- instead of just receiving patience he may instead give us an opportunity to practice patience.  We may earn a life lesson that we will now carry usefully for the rest of our lives from this practice.  How good is God, that he knows our needs and has already put into action a perfect plan for us to display his power and love to the world.  That we may then experience beautiful joy and happiness if we are just willing to move forward in obedience, in trust, and have open hearts to receive his grace as a result!  Too many times in the recent months of this new year I have received unexpected news.  News that to many people could be a deal breaker in the ability to maintain a happy, healthy existence.  I have contemplated what I could have done better, or was there a choice that would have given me a more satisfactory result.  Sometimes the answers to these questions seemed extremely hard to pin down, leaving me to choose between only two variations of one important word: Hopefulness or Hopelessness.  I choose a Hope Full Life!

I pray for a full life, and the ability to see the opportunities to achieve and recognize the answer to my appeals.  I beleive Hopefulness in the only answer in every situation.  Do you search your day, with a hope filled heart?  Do you trust that He has a perfect plan for your days?  

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord-- Psalms 112:7

The verse above is the prayer in my heart today.  I will trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understandings and be thankful for the blessings abundant that he has already delivered to me and my family.

A stellar life begins when we remain faithful in our trust for greater outcomes beyond our imagination.  That there is a purpose being fulfilled with each step we take along the way.

Can I Have Seconds?

A Brand New Recipe was a Huge success tonight!!  No Name yet for it, but we will keep you posted on that one......

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There are certain complimentary things that can be said to a Chef- or the CEO (Chief Edibles Officer) of the home that are as good as golden.  Us chefs know who our harshest critics can be too, because they are no where near afraid to tell us exactly what they think.  They sit down into their chair, and survey the plate on the placemat in front of them.  Sometimes they interrogate us about the ingredients, insisting that we are not revealing everything that went into our dinnertime creations.  If they decide the arrangement of cuisine looks in any way foreign or unappealing, then you have lost the campaign before you even turned in your nomination.  These young, fresh little judges will give you an early verdict if you don't plan ahead, or fail to pay attention to the details.  Ah ha, but if they do partake of your innovative cookery and you receive the thumbs up, now you are on to something.  

As CEO of my own domain, my new creations are always subject to my family's taste buds first.  Lauren and Riley have cultivated quite a vocabulary for describing how they feel about the meal in front to of them even before they take a bite.  The surest sign of success actually originates when they yell out to me from their bedroom, "whatcha making Mama!  It smells gooooood!"  The supreme, the ultimate flattery is born from these four simple words though: "Can I have seconds?"  These words are the surest sign of a winning dish and they deliver the purest feeling of success in my kitchen.

A Stellar Life involves learning to accept constructive criticism as encouragement to further refine your practices and come up with even bigger and better creations.  It sure is nice when a real winner surfaces easily though!

Could you take the heat if it meant a positive change for your life?

I wore long baggy pants and an old polo t-shirt.  I certainly had no idea what I was getting myself into.  Why hadn’t anyone warned me?  Maybe they did actually warn me, and I just assumed that it couldn’t really be that hot.  I mean come on, 105 degrees, really?  Really.  We all can see what the first three letters of the word assume are, and boy did I feel like one about 10 minutes into the class.  I was already soaked with sweat and the armpit sweat stains were definitely unattractive, but I was determined to get through this.   I had really wished I had wore a different outfit, I thought a sweat band would have been nice for my now dripping with sweat hair and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing in front of me.  How long would it take to be able to twist my body like the lady in the row in front of me?  She was at least 20 years older than me too, and not necessarily skinny, but radiant and healthy looking nonetheless.  If she could do this, then I most certainly could tough it out and make it to the end, and I did!  At the end of class the whole room clapped for all the new students, and at that very moment I felt a sense of accomplishment I had not felt in quite a while.  I had just endured 90 minutes of what most would compare to pure hell and like a women who completely forgets the pain after her baby is born and placed into her arms, I was euphoric and felt empowered once again.  If I could do this, I could do anything! 

People actually come back for a second, third and fourth class, and let me tell you why.  Bikram Yoga was exactly what I had needed at that moment in my life, because a week before my first class my doctor had tried to tell me that I might be depressed.  Who me?  Was he actually serious?  Not only that he already wanted to put me on medication.  Seriously?  I mean are you kidding me?  I am the optimistic, happy go lucky girl.  Nothing ever would get me down, and I was always one who could find the bright side in ever situation.  I just couldn’t except that he was right, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make sure that I proved him wrong.  Also at the same doomsday doctor appointment, what he actually told me first (which is an important point as you will see in a minute) he diagnosed me with carpal tunnel syndrome.  The restless nights I was experiencing with my hands going completely numb, and also the numbness I experienced while snowmobiling was positive signs of a deterioration happening in my wrists. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome (a painful disorder caused by compression of a nerve in the carpal tunnel; characterized by discomfort and weakness in the hands and fingers and by sensations of tingling, burning or numbness)

 

Ok, so the doctor was at least right about that one.  We decided that it was most likely linked to my cleaning business and all the time I spent with my hands pressing against shower stall walls and floors while scrubbing and washing and cleaning.  Finding out that I would have to wear what I instantly thought were these ugly black braces all the time now in order to get any kind of rest at night, save having a surgery that would put me out of commission for weeks.  I can clearly discern now that may have been the instant depression that he tried to diagnose me with next.  I was completely crushed to find out for the first time in my life that my body was not indestructible.  I felt humbled, scared and completely confused all at the same time.  It was the worst doctor appointment of my life!  At this point I was only 25 years old, what was I going to do now?

The practice of Bikram yoga was a complete surprise to me and quickly offered a prescription for all of my recent troubles.  Was it fate that I found it during this low time in my life?  First it is chemical free, if you don’t count the natural release of all the symphonic biochemicals that seemingly begin to harmonize after the first breathing pose.  Every single class is taught in such a way that veteran and greenhorns alike can both feel challenged.  Within my first ten days for ten dollars (their special deal they offer for brand new students) I was able to go three times and after that point I had already stuffed those God awful wrist braces into the back of my closet.  My numbing wrist symptoms had completely vanished, and I was now a forever yogi, how could I ever not be?  As far as I was concerned I was healed!  The melancholy way of thinking that had so quickly set in a few weeks ago was easily swept away, and I felt like a brand new charged particle.  I felt like I could do anything and I loved the challenge of each new class.  I loved that it was a constant practice, there was always hope of going a little bit further.  Someday I would be able to do a full back bend, and the standing splits.  I had never experienced any type of yoga practice before I became a Bikram yoga student, so I had no biases, as far as I was concerned nothing could top this practice.  It had completely changed my life, and I was fascinated to see and feel how my body had the ability to heal itself. 

 

I also started to eat better too and my interests for food and nutrition once again returned.  It wasn’t long before I started to cook again, became a vegetarian and finally realized my dreams for working with people to help them find the same daily happiness I was experiencing.  I was like a sponge, my thinking so much clearer, and my desire to discover optimum health for myself and others continued to get stronger every day!  I could never get to class as much as I would have liked.  That’s the hard part about having more responsibilities than oneself.  Work, kids, house, and everything in between still existed and I could not attend class every day, but still enough to be receiving the healthful benefits I had grown to appreciate.  Pretty soon I was signing up for college again, feeling even more empowered and invincible than ever.  I could envision my future in a way that was undeniably full of real possibilities now, and my hope to help others realize their own truth and happiness was already beginning to happen.  My kids being the best example of this transition, their outlook on life continues to be so contented and joyful.

 

A Stellar Life begins when we face our fears head on and make a decision to take control of our emotions, of our lives.  Maybe Bikram yoga isn’t for everyone, even though I would highly debate that one on the side of the yogis.  The experience of a Bikram class is not the same for everyone, because we are all individuals, each of us has our own needs and expectations to be met.  I challenge you to at least give it a try, especially if you are facing any type of difficulty in your life, physical or emotional.  Be prepared to push your edge, because isn’t that really what we have to do if we want results, if we want a change?  God created us with this extraordinary ability to heal both inside and out.   If only when we give ourselves the right conditions and stimuli.  We are truly products of our environments and intakes- I have discovered Bikram yoga practice is a place to stretch out and dispose of all the garbage in my life, if any, and leave it behind so that I can take on the rest of my day, and my life feeling happier, healthier and lighter for it.

Random Thoughts which always lead to Food Somehow

A Vibrant Display of My Version of  A Yummy Veggie Stew Inspired by a favorite local deli.

Yesterday I had an amazing day, but lets face it I can find amazing in all of my days.  I just choose to find it, no matter what I am faced with.  My morning started with three hours of cleaning at one of my client's office building at 3AM.  This is something I do every Monday morning, basic routine for me, so I am used to getting up that early.  I have decided it affords me the freedom in the weekend to spend more time with my family so I just do it.  Continuing in my routine I came home and snuggled in with my hubby for about 30 minutes before he had to get up and then I was busy again- making lunches, making breakfast, making sure everyone had the sustenance which would provide ample energy for their busy day ahead of them.   

Dropping the kids off at school, kisses goodbye, "have a good day" I say and now it is my time, time to just "be" for a little while.  I have the car radio all to myself now and turning up the volume on my favorite up tempo beat- I'm ready to sing my way into town as safely and quickly as possible because I am going to Bikram yoga!  The sooner I get there, the sooner I can let everything go and shut my mind off.  I always feel so peaceful when I have finished my 90 minutes of intense heat and stretching- such a feeling of accomplishment too and its all good.

Next I am on my way to the gym- no this is not the typical back to back thing that I do but the timing matched up and I would hate to miss my workout time with Tod.  It has been such a fun way for the two of us to bond.  I think he just enjoys kicking my butt during the weight lifting part, but its OK because I need it, and he doesn't let me cheat- not one little bit!

So can you just imagine my appetite after all this calorie burning.  Yes, I ate breakfast.  It was a beautifully yummy bowl of oatmeal with walnuts, cinnamon and bananas.  And I had a snack between workouts too, but I was definitely ready to eat driving away from that Gym so I decided to stop at Oryana/Lake Street Deli for a hearty bowl of soup or something.  It changes daily there so I wsn't exactly sure what I would get.  So the point of this whole story is that I did find exactly what I had hoped for and ordered a beautiful bowl of soup along with some yummy bread wedges to dip, and also some flame raisins and raw cashews as a side.  The soup was so delicious I could have walked out of there with the whole entire pot of it under my arm, but instead I decided to do what I always do and try to recreate it at home.  

Tonight my family will be enjoying a similar version of my yesterday's happy lunch, I even splurged on some Stone house bread to go with it and made a nice leafy green salad for the fresh side of the meal.  I just love when my little adventures turn out some wonderful creations and this one will definitely make it into my book someday.  I just hope I can recreate it since I am one to just throw everything in and not pay close attention to measurements- so my downfall.  Regardless tonight we will enjoy!

Enjoying A Stellar Life means giving thanks for your God given abilities.  The ability to interpret our own needs among all of life's responsibilities and the decision to find the brighter side with each new day, each new sunrise.

Save The Fishes!!!

"A picture I found online that I thought I was beautiful"

It always amazes me when small hints of influence surface within my children and husband.  It may have had something to do with wanting to avoid any preparation that neither Tod nor myself would want to do or it is my hope that it was a pure act of compassion.  While I was at my Tomaki/Homaki Roll Preparation class this past Saturday, Tod took Lauren and Riley to a Hunting and Fishing show at the local civic center.  While they were there the kids participated in a fishing pond and proceeded to pull out two rather large trout from what I understand.  As the story goes the fish were put alive into plastic bags with ice and sent along their way with their captors.  As the three of them left the show and made their way to the truck they all noticed that the fish's gills were still moving and they all decided that they should save them instead of take them home to die.  They quickly added water to the bags and made a plan.  Tod took them to Kids Creek which is located near our local hospital and they reintroduced these two lucky fish to their watery habitat.  Aha, but this was most likely a much different habitat then from where they originally came from.  Most likely these two came from a trout farm where they were probably fed pellet type food and forced to live in a body of water much too small for the amount of fish that were within it.  I hope that is not the case and I can't know for sure but I am thinking the creek was a relief in any case from the original place they started out the day within.  Anyhow, they carefully put the two fish into the creek which they had now named Finny and Freddy.  Both fish acted a little stunned and stayed in a small cove for a long time, probably reaclimating to the new surroundings.  To and the kids actually went to the grocery store and came back a short time later to the creek check and see if their two friends were still ok.  They were still in the same spot and seemed to be getting even better after an hour.  The Emancipators even went back the next day to check, but this time the two fishies were now gone.  Hopefully they are swimming around making new friends and will have the ability to enjoy a nice summer in their new home thanks to Tod, Lauren and Riley.

**A Stellar Life sometimes involves thinking outside the box, taking a step back to survey your options and then choosing the one that provides the maximum amount of happiness for everyone involved.

Minding our own Beeswax Sometimes

This pic doesn't necessarily fit to the entire post but shows fun love and care between two sisters who would do anything for one another- especially being honest and true!

Proverbs 18:2  A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

I do not want to ever be a fool!  This verse hit me like  ton of bricks today and really called me out on something that I have always struggled with in myself and other people.  We are all so quick  to share our opinions and sometimes this can be a helpful, but other times it can be destructive and unfair, especially when it comes to gossip.  I am in no way perfect, because I have certainly done my fair share of talking out my opinions on people and things, but I try very hard to stay conscious about what I say out loud.  If I have a problem with someone or something I try to go to them first before I air out my thoughts, concerns or frustrations to the people who are uninvolved.  I truly believe that sometimes people can be genuine and caring in sharing their opinions (even though it might come across differently) for possible concern for a friend or family member.  It probably has even more to do with not understanding them or what happened.  We just need to talk out what we are thinking before we decide to either let it go or confront the concern we have with or for the person or situation that is upon us.  But when we simply want to share the newest, juiciest piece of info just because we know it, whether it is personal, something judgmental or just plain gossip- then I think their is a major problem.  I know if someone was talking about me behind my back, innocently, concerned or not, it would break my heart to find out.  I also know that we need to be respectful when sharing our opinions and realize that people might not always agree with what we have to stay and that is OK.  Its a free country we live in and thank goodness we are allowed to have an opinion on whatever we want.  I guess I just want to remember that just because we have an opinion, we don't necessarily have to share it all the time.  In the case of gossip of any kind- for goodness sakes just quit it- don't do it please if you can help it!

I am not writing this for any particular reason other than I am going to make sure to do my best to keep myself out of the gossip loop.  If it has nothing to do with me, then a good rule of thumb should be- it is non of my beeswax and zip it please!  Again, I in no way claim to be perfect and I am sure that I will catch myself from time to time in a situation where I am spouting out what I think of things that are non of my business, but I am just going to try my best to apply understanding instead for why things happen how they do.  Instead I'll try to give people a break when I am confused about why they would do something a certain way that I might not do it.  I am always grateful for how Bible scriptures communicate life lessons and I am thankful for a way to apply them to my life.  This one was a great reminder and I am glad for it.

**A Stellar life starts when we take a look outside of ourselves and have compassion and understanding for the people around us.  We should be promoting agendas that include love and care, and should guard ourselves from self-indulgent conversations that do nothing but add to the despair of and individual or situation that is not within our control.