Sunburn

I spent a little too long by the pool yesterday and got sunburned. Thanks to my French and Irish heritage, I have pretty pale skin that burns easily. To avoid getting burned, I try to build up a little bit of tan slowly so over the past few weeks I've been spending about 20 minutes a couple times a week getting some sun.

Yesterday I decided that I had built up enough melanin in my skin to be okay staying in the sun a bit longer. I decided to pull up Pandora on my phone and listen to some Kingston Trio radio (I love bluegrass/folk music but can't stand country haha). I listened to 10 songs while laying on my back, then 10 songs laying on my stomach. Turns out that was WAAAAAY too long.

This is my back.

This is my hip. You can see how pale my base color is.

I've been slathering on cocoa butter and it's actually looking a lot better today. It's already starting to turn from red to tan. I definitely won't be doing that again though!

The Cure for Worry

Something that's been on my mind a lot lately is worry and it's relationship to fear. I once heard a pastor assert that worry is one of the most pervasive sins in our culture today and I'm inclined to agree with him. It seems that almost everyone I'm close to is plagued by at least a few things they are worried about. Some people I know become paralyzed by worry, avoiding even healthy risks and always staying within their comfort zone. Others I know become controlling, believing that as long as they stay on top of the situation they can prevent their worries from coming true. At the first sign of losing control, they feel exposed and express their worry in the form of anger. Still others choose to become numb, trying to convince themselves that if they don't care about anyone or anything then they won't have to deal with worry at all.

If we're honest with ourselves, when we worry about something what we are really saying is, "I fear this happening." When we say that, what we're thinking on a deeper level (whether we realize it or not) is, "I distrust God because He might allow this happen." And if we're REALLY honest with ourselves, what we're ultimately believing is, "I know better than God what is good for me. He's holding out on me." If that concept sounds familiar, it's because it has been around since the Garden of Eden. Satan tempted Adam and Eve with the "worry" that God was holding out on them, that He was not sharing with them the knowledge and the good that they so deserved.

My friend and I have been doing the Esther study by Beth Moore and one of the most influential and empowering topics she discussed was fear. Beth explained that it's not enough for us to go through life with conditional faith, only trusting God as long as he keeps our worst fears from happening. Conditional faith leaves us in the tight fist of fear and turns us into beggars before our God, pleading for his protection, instead of us living in the restful knowledge that we are his dearly beloved children. Beth guided us through the process of facing our fears by filling in "if _______, then _______" statements.

Let me give an example. For a long time, I was plagued by the fear of being tortured for the name of Christ. My if/then statements would look like this:
          What if I was threatened with horrible torture for being a Christian?
          Then God would give me the strength I needed to endure it.
          What if I died while being tortured?
          Then God would bring me home to be with Him and would comfort my family. God could use my death to convict my torturers and they may choose to follow Jesus as well.

Some if/then statements have many more layers to work through:
          What if we get pregnant but I end up having a miscarriage?
          Then I would be really sad and I would cry a lot for our loss.
          Then what?
          I would need to find comforting Bible verses to meditate on.
          Then what?
           I would have to spend a lot of time praying with Robbie and working through our pain together.
          Then what?
          I would eventually begin to heal and would seek out other women who had miscarriages.
          Then what?
          God would be able to use me to help comfort those other women.

The point Beth Moore was trying to make is that if God allows what we fear to happen, then He has a reason and a purpose in it and He can turn around anything to be used for our good and for His glory.

So what's the cure for worry? It's knowing in the deepest part of who we are that the God who spoke the universe into being is also our Father who cares for us more deeply than we could possibly imagine. If the worst happens, then God will come through for us. Believing anything less leaves us as slaves.

"No one can be a slave to two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money. This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?" -Matthew 6:24-27

"Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

 "Do not fear for I am with you; do not be afraid for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold onto you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10

"Now this is what the LORD says--the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel--"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire and the flame will not burn you." -Isaiah 43:1-2

Arrival of Our New Niece

This past week has been especially exciting because my sister, Ariane, gave birth to the first grandchild in my family! Her name is Olive Rylee and she was 6 lbs 14 oz. They had a nice relaxing home birth with a midwife and they had such a great experience. Labor started around 5 in the morning, she was ready to push by 12:30, and baby was out by 12:45. Randy, Ariane's husband, kept saying that Ariane was "such a boss" because it only took her 2 or 3 pushes to get the baby out. I drove up a few hours later to meet my new niece. Here are some pictures from a few hours after she was born:

You can see that Ariane was a little tired.

I just love her little face!

I spent the night at my other sister's house and then went back to visit the next day before heading back to Denver.

Ariane looking a lot more rested.

You can't really tell from this picture but her eyes are actually a dark blue.

This is her holding my thumb. Her Auntie Mermaid (that's me) picked out this outfit for her to wear.

 Welcome to the world, Olive! You are one loved baby girl!

It's crazy to think that we will have two new members in our family before Christmas (my other sister is due in November)! I think it's really great that Ariane chose to do a home birth (if you ever want to watch a wonderful documentary about home birth, check out The Business of Being Born. It's streaming on Netflix!). Robbie and I would love to do a home birth, but we will probably still be living in this apartment when we get pregnant with our first and I think I would feel really uncomfortable. The tubs are pretty small and I would constantly be worried that the neighbors would hear me and think someone was being murdered (I've actually read stories about women whose neighbors called the cops while they were giving birth because they didn't realize she was just in labor! hahaha). The option we're leaning towards instead is going to the midwife clinic on campus and hiring a doula (so that we have a non-hospital-staff person there to advocate for us). Then when we have a house down the road, we could consider home birth again.

I think the main thing women should think about when they decide where they want to give birth is where they feel the most safe and comfortable because that is where the birth will go the most smoothly. If a woman feels fearful or anxious, it can slow down or even stop her labor. I just want to have a peaceful room with a big tub for me to relax in with a midwife whose not going to push interventions on me that I don't want or need. I have a lot of confidence in my body being able to give birth and I don't want my birthing process to be treated like a disease that needs to be cured. I am just so excited for when the time will be right for Robbie and I to have children! Until then, I will dote on my niece (and next niece/nephew that comes in November) to get my baby fix.

Robbie's Birthday

That is one happy man right there! Instead of getting a cake for Robbie's birthday, we decided to go to Gluten Escape to get a few cupcakes and some cookies. We ended up purchasing six cupcakes (a mint chocolate, two banana creme, a red velvet, and two vanilla chocolate chip) and four cookies (two Mexican wedding cookies, a ginger snap, and a sweet potato chocolate chip). They were all so delicious, especially the Mexican wedding cookies!

Yesterday, we went to see Man of Steel with two of Robbie's classmates and his classmate's wife. It was slightly disappointing overall, though I did appreciate the nerdy little references they sprinkled throughout the movie (such as the truck with Lexcorp on the side and his childhood friend named Lana). We both felt like the pacing was too quick in some parts of the movie and that the fighting scenes really seemed to drag on towards the end. Honestly, it had a lot of good ideas but just wasn't executed well.


As far as Dental School goes, Robbie had a test this past Monday in Pathology and two tests on Tuesday in Health/Data Collection and Operative Dentistry so last weekend was pretty jam packed with studying. I'm frustrated with the teacher for Health/Data Collections because he seems like one of those teachers who get off on messing with their students' heads and then ripping on them afterwards for not meeting his expectations. Apparently the test they were given had some answers marked down ahead of time ("by accident" of course...) but only some of them were correct so it was making all the students second guess themselves. The average for the test was a 78% but the highest score was only 92% and the lowest was 43%! The teacher recently sent out an email telling them all how he was so disappointed in them and how he had expected everyone to get 100%. I think this calls for the confused Jackie Chan meme.

I honestly would've emailed him back saying, "Maybe if you were a better teacher we wouldn't all have done so poorly," but that's why Robbie is in Dental School and I am not. I think I need to go look at my previous post about how I should respond to the Injustices of Dental School. Okay, I'm done ranting.

We just payed the $345 for Robbie to sign up for the Part I NBDE. I believe he is planning on taking them around July 20th. It seems like he's having mixed feelings on how well the first year prepared them for the material that's covered on the Boards (for some subjects he feels well prepared while others he feels will require quite a bit of study time). He has been using the NBDE app like crazy but he's also been pouring over old practice tests that were released a few years back. I know he is going to do just fine but we are both looking forward to them being over!

Gluten Intolerance

So I just called Gluten Escape (a gluten free bakery not too far from us) to find out how much a double layer 8-inch round cake would be... $35. Yeah, I think I will save $20 and just make it myself.

When Robbie and I first met and he told me he was gluten intolerant, I didn't even know what gluten was. Basically it's a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye that some people's bodies have a hard time processing. There are different types of gluten-related health issues, but the most well known is Celiac Disease where the consumption of gluten triggers an immune response in the body, especially in the lining of the small intestine. Some people with CD are so sensitive that if gluten even touches their skin they will break out in a rash! Here's a snippet from the Celiac Sprue Foundation's website about symptoms:

Common Complaints Include

Abdominal cramping/bloating Anemia Constipation Diarrhea Energy loss Fatigue Infertility

Irritable bowel Joint Pain Mouth sores or cracks in the corners Tooth enamel defects Weakness Weight loss

Common Nutrient Deficiencies in Celiacs

Minerals Calcium Copper Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Selenium Zinc

Vitamins Vitamin A, D, E, K Folic Acid Vitamin B 1,2, 3, 6, 9, 12 Vitamin C

I just thought it might be good to share this information because it is estimated that 1 in 133 people have Celiac Disease. Around 2 million people in the U.S. have it but don't even know because they've never been diagnosed!

Robbie has a different kind of gluten intolerance which was diagnosed back when he was in high school. His is neuropathic meaning that it affects his nervous system. When he has gluten (which is rare because we are so careful to check ingredients on EVERYTHING), it makes him feel lethargic, foggy headed, irritable, unable to focus, and impatient (all things that are not his personality at all!). When he was having gluten regularly before he was diagnosed, it made him feel depressed. After getting off gluten he felt hundreds of times better and his grades improved.

We know that there is a genetic component to it because his sister and her two sons are gluten intolerant (and we suspect his dad is too but he's too ornery to be diagnosed or change his eating habits haha). It's possible that our children will be gluten intolerant as well and sometimes I wonder how we will handle situations when our children will be exposed to gluten (ie. birthday parties, eating dinner at a friend's house, school lunches, etc). Understanding about gluten intolerance is on the rise and more and more stores/restaurants are offering gluten free alternatives of everyday foods.

One good thing that has come from Robbie's gluten intolerance is that it helps us to eat better. I hardly ever have junky snack foods around the house because so many of them have gluten in them. We eat a lot of brown rice, beans, veggies, fruits, etc. When we are wanting a sweet treat, the main flours I bake with are brown rice flour and almond meal.

Here's a link to my gluten free blog. I haven't added much to it but there are a few of my favorite recipes on there for you to check out!

Fun Summer Happenings

Apparently the gorgeous summer weather as well as the changes in Robbie's school schedule have completely thrown off my consistency in blogging! Once fall semester starts, I promise I will be back on a normal routine but until then my posts might be a little more sporadic.

This past week my friend Jeanette graduated. She is one of those crazy people who love to be in school so it was a little bittersweet for her. I, on the other hand, am totally stoked for her to be done (at least for now) so that I won't have to schedule time with her three weeks in advance!

In other news, I think it's safe to share with the world now (because she has had a chance to tell our relatives) that my oldest sister, Altair, is pregnant and due in November! We don't know what she's having yet, but it's exciting to think about having yet another niece/nephew before Christmas this year. My other sister who is pregnant, Ariane, could seriously pop any day now!

Left to right: Altair (sister), Darcy (Ariane's friend), and Ariane (sister). So much pregnancy in one photo!

Robbie and I have had a good amount of time to spend together lately which has been really nice. While he is definitely working hard in his summer classes and studying for boards, we've still been able to hang out at the pool, go to the movies, and have some nice dinners together at home. His birthday is only a few days away and all that I've gotten out of him is that he wants a gluten free cake. Honestly, Robbie's love language is acts of service so if I made him a yummy dinner and gave him a foot rub, he would be completely satisfied.

Hope you're all having a fun summer!

Where Did the Week Go?!

It's June 3rd already? Seriously?! This past week feels like a whirlwind. Robbie had a little time off from school so everything else got moved to the back burner while I was spending time with him, including writing blog posts. He's back in school now so here's a catch up on my week!

Last Monday I got to have breakfast with my bestie, Jeanette. We were next door neighbors growing up so I have basically known her since she was born. Now we both live in Denver, but we live on completely opposite sides and she is really busy finishing up her Masters degree so we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like. I went to her house and we went for a long walk and caught up on our life sagas then we ate at Jelly Cafe (which makes this the 4th time in the last month and a half I have eaten there... It's my new favorite breakfast place and they offer gluten free donuts for Robbie!).

Jeanette is the type of friend with whom, even when you haven't seen each other in a long time, you can immediately pick up where you left off like you never spent time apart. I was the youngest of four girls and she is almost two years younger than me, so she's like the little sister I never had.

This is a pic of Jeanette and me when we went to see the Nutcracker Ballet this past December. Apparently we don't take enough pictures of the two of us because this is the most recent one I have! haha

On Monday afternoon, Robbie and I went to a BBQ at a fellow Dental Student's house. The next day, we babysat their two girls again and had a blast!

Making playdough flower gardens

Feeding bread to the geese at the park

Playing "Tea Party" on the playground. Robbie barely fit at the table.

I really don't remember what we did on Wednesday or Thursday. It probably involved Robbie studying and me playing Tomb Raider II. We also watched the movie Django Unchained which I enjoyed though it does have quite a bit of blood and cussing (viewer discretion is advised).

Friday afternoon we drove to Fort Collins so I could take some maternity photos at a sculpture park for my sister, Ariane. Here are a few of my favorites:

Friday night and all day Saturday were pretty awful because I caught a stomach bug. I'm still feeling a little sick, but I've been taking probiotics and I drank some Rooibos tea which both seemed to help a lot. Of course since I mentioned being sick on Facebook, everyone and their mom is like, "Are you pregnant?!" No, thanks for asking though. haha

Yesterday, Robbie and I went to see the movie Mud at the theater. It was a little slow at parts but was really well acted and had an intriguing plot. I really liked the way it ended, too. Robbie is back in school today and had a test first thing this morning in Periodontics. His birthday is coming up really soon so I'm trying to think of something fun we could do together. I'll let you know what I come up with!