Category: Finding Grace Weekly Recap

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, MARPE/Orthodontics, Miscellaneous, Parenting, Pivot, Prayer, Wisdom

Finding Grace #524

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was good overall. The only negative thing was that my left ear popped on both Tuesday and Thursday as a result of my MARPE journey. The bones in my face are slowly moving around, and I think the pressure changes forced air out of my ear. It was very painful, as if the bones collapsed. Thankfully, this is fairly common, and my ear was not damaged at all. It was just a little shocking since it came out of nowhere… once, I was driving! Later, I recognized the same thing happened to my nose a month ago… The jolt feels like someone punched me, but only lasts a few seconds. On Thursday, the pain radiated down my jaw and lasted for around 36 hours, and I called my orthodontist. I have been praying that God would prevent this from happening again because it is scary. Still, I know I don’t ‘have to’ be afraid.

On Monday afternoon, I got my taxes done and then had a chiropractor appointment. I am so grateful for all the ways God provides for Lydia and me! I am getting a small refund, and I really appreciate how He works things out in my favor. That’s grace.

Lydia and I talked about confidence this week. She was feeling down, and I listened to her concerns and offered encouragement. We all feel that way sometimes, and it is not good to compare ourselves with others. I coached her through some issues and pointed her back to Scripture and Jesus. I pray she is on the right track now. All glory to God who always helps me with my parenting; He is such a good Father.

Today, Lydia celebrated the beginning of Spring with a little shopping. We just had fun going around town and buying some clothes and trinkets. We also got some fancy drinks and some Chik-Fil-A. Tonight, we are relaxing while watching a movie!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, MARPE/Orthodontics, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #523

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a great week!  I started working full-time. To make up my hours, I am going in thirty minutes earlier and staying the whole day on Friday. It was a pretty smooth transition, and I am grateful for the opportunity and God’s grace!

On Monday night, Lydia and I both had dentist appointments. I was a little concerned I would have pain while my teeth were cleaned, but the dental hygienist was very gentle. It was a good experience!

On Tuesday, Lydia had an orchestra concert. The eighth graders were included with the high schoolers, so that was fun. I enjoyed the dance music theme.

Registered Dietitian Day was on Wednesday. We celebrated at work with Olive Garden soup, salad, and breadsticks. I mainly focused on the soup, since it was challenging to chew the salad and breadsticks. We also had fun with a game, trying to guess which fridge picture belonged to which RD!

My cold is about 95% better, and I am extremely happy to be feeling better. Praise God!

Today, Lydia has the day off from Speech tournaments. So, we are doing a few small chores and just spending time together! We might hang out with some friends later.

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, MARPE/Orthodontics, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #521

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was good!

I had another orthodontic appointment and can now turn my MARPE device every day to widen my palate. There’s no gap between my front teeth yet, but I am expecting one soon!

I had a full work schedule and had several interesting patients! I prayed specifically for two Veterans that I could show them God’s love and care. Many eating issues are not always about food, but rather fear and other factors. The conversations we had were especially good, and I am glad the Lord could use me!

Lydia and I had fun babysitting for two little boys last night! We played, fed them dinner, read lots of books, and put them to bed. Their mom was hosting a women’s event, and we enjoyed the opportunity to help out. It ended up being a late night, but I told Lydia we could see it as a sacrifice so God could use our friend to bless others.

Lydia and I both had an early morning today. She had another Speech tournament, and I was on-call and had to go to work! Lydia ended up placing seventh in extemperaneous speaking. I spent the afternoon doing house projects, making calls, listening to podcasts, and catching up on other Saturday things.

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Kindness, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #520

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was relatively slow and calm!

Lydia and I both had Monday night off for Presidents’ Day. I had an orthodontic appointment, which went well. Otherwise, we mostly relaxed and got caught up around the house.

Work was predictably busy, but that’s nothing new! We celebrated a coworker’s birthday, had a few meetings, and had lots of good patients. I was asked to work a full day on Friday to help provide coverage. I’m glad I did because I ended up seeing several patients!

The weather turned cold and snowy again this week! Of course, it is still only February, so what do we expect? I didn’t need to do much shoveling, since my snow service took care of the driveway, and my kind neighbors did the sidewalks!

Lydia was sick on Friday, so she stayed home from school. She also skipped her Speech tournament today. She has been working so hard, and I think her body just needed a break. Thankfully, she is feeling better now.

Today, I ran a few errands while Lydia rested. Otherwise, I did some Saturday things and then relaxed. We might watch a movie tonight!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, MARPE/Orthodontics, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #519

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was good and busy! We had our family Zoom on Monday night instead of Sunday night since that worked better for most everyone. It was kind of a fun twist!

Work was fast-paced as usual. I had a lot of extra phone calls and added patients, but it went well overall. I left early for an oral surgeon follow-up on Thursday and then stayed later on Friday to see a couple of patients and finish some charting from the day before.

My oral surgeon appointment went well. I am healing faster than expected and only have one small spot left to close up. We made a tentative gameplan to meet again in a few weeks. I think I see the slightest shift between my two front teeth. Not an official gap, but it is easier to floss in-between!

I am still playing around with what foods work best for me. I may just have to resolve to let foods get stuck, lol, and then clean out my MARPE device. I think it will be fine in the long-run, so I am not too worried.

I had a relaxing facial yesterday after work. It was a perk through a partnership with my orthodontist and a local spa. It felt great to be pampered!

I really enjoyed catching up with several friends and family this week. We all talked about various topics, including about my mom, my MARPE journey, parenting, barefoot/minimalist shoes, weather, birthdays, prayer, Jesus, and the Olympics!

Today, I watched Lydia perform her humorous duo at her Speech meet today. She came alive and was so funny playing four different characters. I am so proud of her.

Happy Valentine’s Day!! I had a great day watching Lydia, grocery shopping, making calls, and enjoying the “warm” and sunny 45-degree weather!! Feels like Spring… I didn’t even need my coat!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, MARPE/Orthodontics, Miscellaneous, Perseverance

Finding Grace #518

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a bit of a wildcard week! It was good all around, but I was definitely depending on God to get everything done!

Monday was the biggest day with potential issues. I had work with several patients, an appointment, and my church training – all required some talking and focus. But, it all turned out just fine, praise God! It helps to have a soft heart!

I had an ortho appointment on Monday and an oral surgeon appointment on Tuesday. I am making good progress with my mouth healing, day by day. I am looking forward to taking the next steps of cranking my device soon!

The rest of the work-week went pretty well. I had some really good conversations with patients. None of them seemed to mind that my voice was still a little garbled post-expander placement (it’s getting better and more back to normal!).

I tried expanding my diet beyond liquids, soups, pasta, jello, pudding, and ice cream this week. Many foods still get caught in my expander, so I just do the best I can. It takes a long time to eat and then clean my mouth/device. I had a small cheeseburger and it took me about half an hour! It probably was not the best idea, so I will probably stick to those easier items for now. Hopefully, things will improve over the next month!

I met a friend for coffee yesterday after work. We spent a couple of hours catching up. We live close by but don’t get to see each other often, so we will have to do better about that!

Lydia had a Speech meet today, and I happily hung out at home. I usually have a list of things to do, but today, I mostly relaxed!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, MARPE/Orthodontics, Miscellaneous, Perseverance

Finding Grace #517

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was pretty ‘chill’ since I was recovering from oral surgery! Lydia had her final orthodontic appointment on Monday, and I had my first! On Tuesday, I had my palate cut and the expander placed, and then I was home the rest of the week!

I’m glad I was able to clear my schedule, other than one appointment, and dropping off Lydia at school and picking her up a few times. Mostly, I was able to take some naps, read, and study (a little) for my training course at church. My coworkers have been great to check in, and they signed a card and gave me an adorable little plant.

It’s funny how long it takes to eat, brush my teeth, and take a variety of medications (separate due to timing). I think it will get better when I am done with the antibiotics. I am taking some kefir to help restore my gut bacteria. It’s helpful to be a dietitian, lol!

Overall, I am grateful for minimal pain and the flexibility I had this week. I still have a little pain and swelling, but I am figuring out what I can eat, and many of my other symptoms are resolving. It could have been much worse. I am determined to make the best of this and praise God for the opportunity to address these issues – staying home in the bitter cold was a bonus!

Lydia had a Speech meet today and placed third in her very first extemporaneous event! I hope to see her at one of her local meets soon!

While she was gone, I did some of my usual Saturday things at home. I enjoyed making some phone calls. I am feeling better day by day, and it was good to practice speaking with the MARPE device in my mouth!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Perseverance

Finding Grace #516

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was busy, but felt relaxed at the same time! The cold weather made everything more exciting – okay, at least it gave us something to talk about!

I hosted our Sunday Zoom call with family, like usual. Some of us also met on Wednesday night, too, because my niece wanted to say hi to us. 🙂 It is always a highlight of my week, so this was a double blessing!

Work was busy “on paper” with many patients, but it turned out to be fairly smooth. I had several cancellations and no-shows, perhaps due to the frigid weather (well below zero most days!). I was grateful because I was able to stay caught up on my notes!

We also celebrated a coworker’s retirement. We are going to miss her, but are really happy for her. We had a little party at work on Thursday, and then surprised her by going out to eat afterward. We have a great team, and it was fun to hang out after work!

The news has been pretty heavy the last couple of weeks. I am keeping our nation in prayer. I know God is still on His throne, and we are called to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). Lord, may we have the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to do it!

Lydia continues enjoying Speech and had her first meet today. She was gone most of the day but had fun and won a beginner’s award!

I did some cooking, a little organization, and the usual Saturday things at home. I also read a book and took a nap. 🙂 It was a great day, made better when Lydia arrived home to tell me about her day!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #515

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fairly quiet week!

Lydia had Speech practice most nights, and she is really enjoying it so far!

Work was busy as usual, but good! There are a lot of exciting things going on right now. We had our coworker return from maternity (still one lady down), and we got some updates about the open position after another coworker soon retires. We can backfill it, so we’ve been talking among ourselves about who may be interested (not me!). It will be fun to see how it pans out since we have such a talented team!

I had some good conversations with my sister and others this week. It is great to encourage one another, pray for each other, and hear all God is doing!

Today, I met a friend for coffee, and Lydia attended another friend’s birthday party! The weather has been cold and snowy, but that’s no surprise, LOL. I’m glad to have a three-day weekend!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Kindness, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #514

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

It was good to return to a relatively normal week after Lydia was sick for so long! Monday came and we were off to work and school, praise God! I also enjoyed my church training night, where we talked about the Holy Spirit!

Work was quiet for a few days and picked up later in the week. There’s never a dull moment, as they say! One highlight on Wednesday was that a coworker asked about Dave on what was our 18th wedding anniversary. It was so kind of her to let me talk about him; her family has been going through a medical journey, so I hope I encouraged her in her faith!

Lydia joined the Speech team this week. She is going to do a comedic duo with a friend. She’s excited to get started, and I am proud of her for pushing herself!

Today, I was on-call for work but did not have to go in! Instead, I caught up on some reading while I kept watch over my phone. Later, Lydia went to a birthday party, so I did some Saturday things and made some cookies.

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!