a "Step" in the right direction

Thank you for tuning in as I continue in search of happiness in all aspects of my life. Today I want to talk about making a step in the right direction to be healthy. You will find in the next series of blogs some steps and tips that I have learned these past two years about shopping & planning for healthy meals. Please note that I am not a professional or a dietitian. What I will be sharing with you are things I have learned and things that have changed my life. Here is a picture of me just before I began this journey back in September 2014 and the one of the right is who I am today.

If you are reading this blog, you are ready for a change in your life. It may be something small and simple or it may be a complete transformation. I hope these steps will be encouraging, uplifting, and today you will make a commitment to be renewed. Recently, I had a chance to participate in a stress management training and these are the three steps that were presented to me. I definitely think they align with health management as well as other aspects of life. I trust you will find these helpful as you continue on your journey.

The 3 C's
1 - Challenge
2 - Commitment
3 - Control

Challenge - Many of us have identified what the challenge is in our life. It may be healthy eating, it may be smoking, it may be stress. Is it something we can overcome? Yes we can if we have commitment.

Commitment - Are you motivated? Are you ready to solve the problem? Are you invested? If yes lets take control.

Control - This can only happen within ourselves. We control our own destinies. As a child of God I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and can accomplish all things within myself because I have Christ within me. Take this moment, hold on tight, you got this.. God is in control.

Now for the tips.   

Tip 1: Importance of Planning

I remember my first week of shopping prior to Whole 30. I was clueless and unprepared. I know you don't believe me since I am OCD, Type A, and a list maker, but it is true. I just thought I could go to the store and throw everything in my buggy that I like. I like Strawberries, Squash, Shrimp, Pumpkin Seeds.. Yum right. Well I realized mid week although I had all healthy choices none of them went together to complete a meal. So I remember starving that week and wasting alot of fresh food. So please make sure you have a list and plan for your first week. I would recommend you write out each day and list breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and beverage by each day. Then you can compile a list of things to buy at the store that goes along with each day. I also check in my freezer, fridge, or cabinets to see if there is something I can pair with a meal to help save cost.

Tip 2: How can I save on Healthy Eating?

This is probably one of my most asked questions I receive. How can you afford to eat healthy? Well think about it. How much are you spending eating out? How much do you spend on multi-vitamins, Dr visits, or prescriptions? When I figured out the totals of these I am spending the same as before. We still do eat out from time to time but now I am eating less and can actually share a meal with Jesse so the costs has went down. Stay tuned to a future blog on how to eat healthy at restaurants... Dr visits and medicine for me was eliminated because I was taking vitamins or probiotics for unhealthy eating and being overweight. 

I shop at Publix. Every Wednesday a new store ad is posted and I do my shopping on the weekend. So after the ad is posted I go through the app on my phone and see what is on sale. This helps me build my grocery list for the week. If they are having a BOGO sale on Chicken I go ahead and buy it in bulk and freeze the extras for another week. I do this for pork, chicken, and fish. Lately they have had their whole chickens on sale for 0.99 per lb. I go ahead and buy about 5 or 6 of them and freeze them. For us we can cook a whole chicken on Sunday and use it for multiple meals throughout the week. We also have a grilling day planned where we cook several of those BOGO chicken breasts all at the same time but with different flavors. So we may have BBQ chicken, Hot Sauce chicken, Lemon Pepper Chicken on the grill together. We spread these out as lunches or dinners for the week. All you have to do is cook the sides. So if you are working mom or dad this is a great tip for you.  

Tip 3: How can eating healthy food be exciting?

If you asked me two years ago what I thought of Beets, Brussel Sprouts, Eggplant, Kale, Radish... I would have said YUCK. Who eats those things, Rabbits? And yes many of you have said that jokingly with me. But here is the deal now. I love them and I would have never known that if I didn't try them. Pinterest has been a life saver for us. There are tons and tons of recipes out there. Jesse and I made a pack that we would try a new meal at least once a week. So we would continue on with our staple healthy favorites but at least one meal on the list would have to be something new. This has really changed our palate and opened us to try foods that we would have never ever tried otherwise. If you follow me on Pinterest you will notice that I have a board called Clean Recipes we have tried and will try again and one called recipes we did not enjoy. This has helped us stay on top of some of our favorites and not favorites.

Tip 4: Why should I label read and how do it do it?

This is something that I recommend you do your research on. There are so many different ways to read labels. You may be looking for an item that is low in sugar or calories. So I definitely want to encourage you to do your research for what fits best in your lifestyle. I personally focus on the list of ingredients when reading labels. You can see in this picture the list of ingredients. I know everything that is listed in this item so I know I can eat it. Now just because you know everything listed doesn't always mean it is healthy. This item does contain fruits and vegetables and even though they are all healthy and contain natural sugar it isn't an item that I eat every day. This is one that I eat in moderation due to the amount of sugar.

Below is a picture of another ingredient list. Do you know every item that is listed in this food? I don't. So at first glance this isn't an item that I want to put in my basket unless I do my research. Please don't be discouraged if you have these items in your cabinet. For many years Jesse and I kept holding on to things that we thought we loved. This item below is a common processed food that each of us have consumed. This item does have a healthy alternative you just have to read the labels to find the best option for your lifestyle.

Tip 5: Should I buy all organic foods?

Many times people ask if I only eat organic foods. No I don't just buy organically. There are alot of foods that you can buy that are natural but aren't in the organic section. I typically buy organic fruits and vegetables if I am going to eat its outside like apples, pears, squash, potatoes... There are also a few items that I love the flavor better so I may choose the organic version just for taste like bananas. When it comes to meat I try to buy organic but it can be pricey. So we have decided that we only eat organic beef and we only get it when it is on sale. That is just a preference we personally have based on flavor and shelf life in our fridge. This beef also freezes well. When it comes to chicken we make sure it read the labels because many times there are additives included in the packaging. Carrageenan is a common preservative used for thickening and stabilizing items. This can be found in many items and is not something that is digestible. This agent is even used in some organic foods. That is why I make sure I read my labels.

Many times people say I just can't do what you did and stop eating all of that at the same time and I can only do this or do that.. Well here is my advice, that is exactly what you need to do. I chose to give up all of these things cold turkey because that is what worked best for me. I want to encourage you today to start a plan on your own terms. You know the challenge... you know your commitment level.. You know who is in CONTROL..

Stay tuned for another blog with more tips as well as cooking with kids, how to go out to dinner, basic exercising... and diving into other aspects of becoming happy!

when the road gets tough, don't quit just change your "shoes"

My New Year's Resolution is to write more this year. To be honest, I do not feel equipped to be a writer and you know that is ok. I find it so easy to write once I sit down at my computer and allow God to use me to portray whatever He would want to me say. The focus of my blogs this year will reveal many parts of my life and I know many of you are tuning in to learn more about the healthy aspects but there is more to life than just eating. There is a spiritual aspect, mental…work life…learning…social… I could go on an on about the many aspects that make us balanced and whole. But ultimately I want to talk about Happiness. What does that mean? How can we gain it from all of these aspects? I hope you continue to follow me throughout this year as I seek to find complete and balanced happiness in all that I do.

I looked at my calendar this morning and realized today is January 16th. What does that mean? Today the first half of the month has already gone. Many of us started a New Year's Resolution 15 days ago. How are you holding up? Are you still continuing on this path? Have you quit? Well the Lord has revealed to me recently about those times I have Quit in my life. Are you a quitter? I am talking about those that have quit a job, those that have quit on a relationship, those that have quit a Church, those that have quit their New Year's Resolution. Have you ran away from something that you truly love because of an awkward comment, something small that you didn't like, or maybe it was just too hard? Yep, that is me. It is so easy to walk away and not look back just because I didn't like something. But is it really? At first it starts with freedom but then what do you feel? hurt, disconnected, lonely, ashamed, reckless, impulsive…the opposite of happiness. Why do we often quit too quickly? Why do we like to run away and hide and hope that people notice that we are gone? We are just setting ourselves up for hurt and more pain.

A few weeks ago I was determined to quit something huge in my life. Something that I love but something that has changed. I had everything planned out and I was ready to walk away. And then BAM the Lord prompted me and Jesse at the same time. What is funny is that we didn't have an opportunity to share it with each other right away! When we had a chance to share what the Lord revealed to each of us at the same time we were amazed and knew that the Holy Spirit had led us to not quit but changed something inside of us. You see sometimes a change isn't all that bad. Sometimes we just need to look at ourselves and see how we can be changed. Romans 12:2 tells us to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. A transformation from God is what I needed. I am so thankful that I sit before you transformed and I can say that I am not a quitter.

So what can you do? What if you already quit your New Year's Resolution? The best advice I can share is turn your eyes upon Jesus, grab ahold of God's Word, and allow Him to change you. If you already quit your resolution who cares?? Just start again. You can make changes in your life anytime not just on January 1st. On October 6th, 2014 I decided to eat healthy and I didn't look back. What a random day but what a MARVELOUS day because here I type healthy, transformed, and stronger than ever.

putting myself in my Mom's "shoes"

"I want to be the Mommy!," said one of our Pre-School students last Sunday morning. "No, I do," said another. And then I said over everyone "Well I want to be a Mommy too, so let's all be mommies." So we all agreed and went on with our playtime. 

I remember when I was young and was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. Well, I wanted to be a Mother. My mom had the best job ever and of course playing grown ups was so much fun. My mom made me who I am today, she took care of me, she made my boo boos go away, she helped me when I was sick. She cut my hair, sewed on my buttons, checked my hair for ticks (big deal when you lived in the country), and she showed me how to cook and clean. And I remember always wanting to be my mommy during playtime. I wanted to hold the baby like mom did, cook dinner, do the dishes, and vacuum. Pretending to be a mom was so much fun.

I like to think all of that playtime as a child has prepared me to be a full time mommy one day. Even in my adult years I just feel like I have been in play mode this entire time and especially these last two years. This wait hasn't been short but when you are in play mode it sure seems easy. 

We just came back from vacation and we had an opportunity to bring our niece and nephew along. The entire trip I was in play mode and was pretending to be their mommy. I set the rules, I made them take showers, and I had the responsibility of making sure they cleaned their plate and buckled up their car seat. I was able to celebrate with them as we saw new things and I was able to protect them and to love on them. I loved every minute of it. But it went by so quickly, I wanted it to last forever. I remember going back to work that next Monday and turning around to see if their car seats were still in the car. It was so quiet and so empty and made me realize that being in playmode isn't just enough. That I want to be the Mommy.

Well playtime is over and it is my time to teach my daughter the importance of being a Mother. Meet our daughter she is a miracle, she is perfect, and she is amazing. 

"My foot is slipping," your unfailing love, LORD, supported me

We are back!! No we didn't go anywhere we have been here all along. Sometimes during the midst of the silence God is working through something. No this isn't an announcement blog either. We do not have our baby yet. The Lord has been working on us these past few months and I can see he is working on you. Many of you are becoming impatient waiting on this baby to arrive. When I tell you that my wait hasn't seemed long and it just feels like yesterday that we walked out of our adoption agency as a waiting family, I immediately hear well it is just taking too long and that you are ready for this baby to come. Don't get me wrong I am getting there but I believe that God is keeping me sane and preparing me for that perfect date.

This past year has been a good one for me. We have had our book looked at numerous times. People are wanting to know more about the Aguirre's and that is super exciting. The part that isn't so great is that not one family have chosen us. That stinks and it hurts sometimes to feel unwanted and you begin to wonder do I need to change? And when the rejection hits 1, 5, 12, or 20 times you start thinking maybe this isn't the path the Lord has for us. But I can share that each and every time our book was looked at, I had 100% peace in that the baby wasn't mine. This child was someone else's blessing and my time would come. I even surprised myself because I really do want a baby, but my faith has kept me through it all. People around me were getting pregnant or adopting babies, I was attending shower after shower and I could say that I was truly celebrating with these friends. I have really grown up and it even amazes me! Thank you Lord for this strength, this sincerity, and for friends who still want me to be apart of their life during this time.

Well two months ago I was not the person described above. I hit rock bottom on this roller coaster ride called adoption. The adoption agency called which they never do by the way so I thought Oh My this is the call. Well it wasn't the call, they called to say that another family wanted to look at our book and that they had a problem. They had all of our books out. We purchased four books for them and when they are out that means a birthmom or a Bethany agency has them. So our four books were all over the US being looked at and here was another mom who wanted our book. They asked if we could buy another one well luckily we had another copy at our home. So we were able to drop that book off and we went ahead and purchased 3 more books. So Bethany now has 8 of our books that are being shown to families. Well the family with our 5th book was described to us as the PERFECT Family. Well that is what they said to me over the phone. Due to confidentiality I am not able to share details, but this was a perfect family for us. So for a week I sat patiently on the outside but impatiently on the inside waiting for an update. Of course during that time I was given for free the last two items for my nursery so again I thought this is the perfect child. So we waited and waited.. The agency called and we were the last two families and again super calm and cool on the outside but on the inside super excited, hopeful, giddy, I am going to be mom soon... I want my baby shower here, Lets go ahead and register....crazy. Yes that is what happens when you are OCD, a planner, and ready for a baby.  Oh yeah this mom was having twins I can share that. So yes we were going to have twins and this was a dream come true for both Jesse and I. So we waited and waited and we finally received word that the mom chose the other family. Well lets just say for the rest of that day I lost it. I asked people at work to give me a grace day and I spent the rest of the day in the Word and in Prayer. God didn't speak to me right away, I truly believe that he just held me in his arms and let me cry. He didn't let go, he held on tight and let me mourn. A few days later, God spoke to me. He reminded me that this adoption journey was His journey and not mine. He began us on this journey to tell our story to help encourage, love, and comfort those that deal with cancer or infertility. He reminded me of the opportunities just last year to share our story on TV and in the newspaper. Also the opportunities at our yard sale to share our faith and story with hundreds of people. He said your adoption book is still being looked at and needs to be shared with more families. See in our book we have the plan of salvation. Our letter to our birth mom says if you do not choose us please choose Jesus. If you do not have a relationship with Him this is all you need to do. So God said wait for me, be strong and take heart and wait for me. So here I am waiting.. standing strong... staying encouraged... staying in prayer.. staying in His Word. 

As Jesse and I talked this morning about the journey he said you know what you just said sounds like the Prayer of Serenity. Please read this prayer and if you haven't truly surrendered something over to the Lord do it today. Do not delay!  Love each of you and thank you for your prayers.

Tapping my Foot to the sound

Have you ever heard the audible voice of God? Do you know what He even sounds like?  I have been reminded lately that I need to recognize God's voice. Recently, a friend shared about those times when you answer your phone and the person on the other end talks and it is apparent that they know you, but you have no clue who they are. You probably pretend you know them because you don't want to hurt their feelings. Well when God speaks to you, do you have that same feeling? Do you pretend that you know who is on the other end and play along because you do not want to hurt His feelings or you don't want to be embarrassed? Well did I step on your toes a little, well it stepped on mine that day and I immediately knew that I needed to begin praying for wisdom and discernment and for God's voice. 

Last week I experienced the audible voice of God. I am amazed that only after a few weeks of praying this that the Lord decided to reveal Himself. As I was driving to work in silence the Lord spoke to me clearly and loudly and told me that what I had decided to do was not what He wanted. He wanted me to stay clear on the path that He already laid out for me. When I got to work I opened up my devotional and this is what it said, "Many voices vie for control of your mind, especially when you sit in silence. You must learn to discern what is My voice and what is not. John 10:4 tells us that when He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice." So after I read this I was reminded that what was said to me earlier was God's voice and it immediately brought me to tears. He spoke to me, He told me exactly what I needed to do, that was the voice of the Lord. So moments after I realized this I went to prayer and I said Lord if this is Your Will then Lord I will step aside and be obedient and let you take control. Instantly I felt God's peace and I fully surrendered it over to the Lord. 

Yesterday in Sunday School, we talked about shepherds and their sheep. I love our little preschoolers, they teach me so much. As we made our little sheep ear headbands we talked about little lambs, shepherds, and the Good Shepherd. I told them that we were going to play a game and three of them immediately said they wanted to be shepherds. I did not explain the rules of the game yet but they knew exactly what they wanted to be. I asked them, "Why do you want to be a shepherd and not a sheep?" They told me because, "they lead and guide and help the sheep and that they wanted to be like Jesus." Wow did this touch my heart! These preschoolers are lambs after God's own heart. How precious! Later during the game, they all wanted to be a shepherd and I found myself saying well you need to be a sheep first and watch the shepherd so you can learn how to be a shepherd. Well isn't that the truth. In order to be like Christ, the Good Shepherd, I need to be a sheep in this flock and watch and learn from Him. So here I am.... a little lamb, I recognize the voice of the Lord. He calls my name...He leads me out... and I will follow Him wherever He wants me to go.

I have Exposed my Feet and boy do I need a Pedicure

Yesterday I hit my first rough patch and I am not talking about falling on the ice. I am truly thankful that God is keeping me home bound during this time so I can heal and spend more time with Him as I go through this spiraling rollercoaster ride. Well I am broken and hurt and I told myself I would not write to you when I felt this way but the Lord has asked me to share this. I am a very strong person. I put my faith and trust in God for everything and because of that I have always been strong. I remember as a teenager as tragic things happened to my family, I was always the one who held our family together. I was the one who comforted them as they cried, encouraged them to have faith, and prayed for each of them as they went through it.

Well today I feel like I have went through a tragedy and I need people to gather round to comfort me as I cry, encourage me to have faith, and to pray for me. I haven't really ever experienced rejection. If I ever wanted something I got it, I have really never been told No, and I don't really know what is means to be in last place. Yes I am very competitive and I do not like to lose. I am so aware of this that I typically do not put myself in situations where I could lose. I would only enter myself in competitions of things I was good at, I would only apply for jobs that I would get, and I plan events around my talents and skills. Things have always went my way and were perfectly done. Yes I too am a perfectionist. I feel like my competitive and perfect nature go hand in hand. It is a blessing and a curse. If you want to win or if you want to have someone who can make sure all the details are perfect, then I am one of the best members on your team. On the other hand, if you are playing for fun and your motto is everyone is a winner, then please do not put me on your team. I am being honest here. I am not proud that I have a sore loser of an attitude, this is just how I am. God has used this gift in me for many things and I know he will still use this to glorify Him.

Today I realize that God is using what I call my gift but what He calls my fault to teach me a lesson. He is starting to humble me and to remind me that you cannot win at everything. And why must everything be a competition anyways. Mark 9:35 says "anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all." I have been reminded that Jesus reverses the rank. The person who is most important to him is not the person seeking the status or popular vote. The most important person is like Jesus himself: willing to give up their rank and status. For Jesus, last means first in service and first in the eyes of God. So here I am in last place,having a great life, and ready to serve. 

God please help me to be more like you and use my fault of competition and perfection to glorify you. Keep me in last place as long as you like. Because I know Your grace is sufficient even for Krista, and that Your power is made perfect in my weakness. Friends read that last sentence and insert your name. Because I know you may be hurting and broken too. But God is working on this puzzle and He has his hands on your broken puzzle piece and He in His time will put those broken pieces back together soon.

I have some awesome friends and I wanted to leave you with some of their encouraging words in hopes it may encourage you today! So just like Taylor Swift if you say or do something with me it may end up in a song or blog. Until next time grace and peace...."God is at work in your life. He knows your heart and I believe He is hurting with you." "Rest assured things are going on in the background that you can't see. Trust not in what your eyes see but in what is unseen." "I can't imagine the roller coaster of emotions, but God knows and I can't wait to hear the end of the story when He weaves it all back together." "It's hard to see it when you're in the midst of the storm'but the sun always comes out." "We are made in His image and He is strong." "Hey Lightening McQueen didn't win the race, and looked what he learned." 

Keep your eyes open and your Feet moving forward

How does a baby shower make someone infertile feel? Well to be honest I have had some good and some bad experiences. It seems like I am in the stage of my life where everyone is having babies. The conversation comes up once a week from those that are trying to conceive, those that are pregnant, or maybe it is parenting advice from a more seasoned parent. In the past, if you were to tell me you're pregnant or talk to a group of people about breast feeding it would kill me inside. You probably would not have known it from my reaction or my face or even my body language. I was really good at hiding all of my feelings in front of you. But Jesse can share that later it would hit me like a ton of bricks. I kept saying why not us? this isn't fair.. That person said they didn't really want to be pregnant but I guess they will give it a try.. Why can we not say these things? I never wanted to tell you that it hurt my feelings. 

Well I can honestly say that I have grown up these past few months. God has given me different eyes. I know you are saying what???? Well I see things totally different. Today I went to a baby shower and the usual conversations occurred. Well when I was in labor.... we chose to not breast feed because.... when my first child was born I felt this way but my second one made me feel this way... Typical conversations that I usually could not relate too, but I was 100% invested this time. Before I would have been filled with anger and jealousy, but today I was hopeful and trusting. So yes my eyes have changed. Today I learned that you can make your own Baby Wipes. I know isn't that crazy?? I also learned tips on cloth diapers, making your own food, and potty training techniques. Today was more of a parenting workshop and I have pages and pages of notes. Seriously!!

Whatever occupies your mind the most becomes your god. Worries, if indulged, developed into idols. Anxiety gains a life of its own, parasitically infesting your mind. Break free from this bondage by affirming your trust in Me and refreshing yourself in My Presence. What goes on in your mind is invisible, undetectable to other people. But I read your thoughts continually, searching for evidence of trust in Me. I rejoice when your mind turns toward Me. Guard your thoughts diligently; good thought-choices will keep you close to Me. -Jesus Calling

This was my devotional yesterday and over these last several months God has opened my eyes to several things. I have been reminded to fully surrender my anger, jealousy, pain, and whatever I am struggling with over to God. There is no way that I could go through this adoption journey by being angry and jealous at those they may have the life I thought I would have. God has another plan for their life and for mine. He has a wonderful plan that he has already mapped out and soon it will all unfold. I can only imagine what these plans will look like in front of these new and improved God fearing Eyes...

1. 
   
2. Open my eyes, that I may see
   Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
   Place in my hands the wonderful key
   That shall unclasp and set me free.
   • Refrain 1:
     Silently now I wait for Thee,
     Ready my God, Thy will to see,
     Open my eyes, illumine me,
     Spirit divine!