Miscarriage- The Elephant in the Room

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to pray for a friend of hers. Her friend was experiencing her third miscarriage. She sees a specialist and really felt hopeful that this time the baby would live and her dream of being a mom would come true. In a matter of moments, that dream once again began to unravel. Holding back tears of my own, I immediately began to pray for her by name.

When Wes and I began dating and early in our marriage, we decided to wait and talk about children after we'd been married for five years. Why five?  Who knows... we just picked five. Before the five years was up, I felt a tug in my heart to be a mom. I knew I was already in love with this baby that God was placing on my heart.

August 2012 after taking 35 (who is counting.. you know you did it, too) pregnancy test, I saw a faint double line. A blood test confirmed the ruling and a range of emotions entered my marriage. So much was going on in marriage at that time that I was completely unaware of. September 2012, I just knew something wasn't right. The bleeding started and the unexpected and devastating night that followed stills tears me up. Riding the waves of all assurances of family, friends, and doctors, that all would be well, we decided to try again.

October 2012 brought another set of double lines. This time our baby grew, and we heard a strong 127bpm heart rate. It was magical and exciting and terrifying. Every "what if" was constantly on my mind. We celebrated a wonderful holiday sharing the news of "baby Morehead" with our families. January 2013 at a routine check up there was no heart beat. People were scheduling procedures and telling me to go here and there and do this and that. All I heard was that my baby was dead. My friends brought me dinner while I tried to accept that yesterday I was pregnant and today I wasn't; yet; there was no baby to hold. It takes a minute for a brain to process that. Many years later, long after Harper was born.. I was watching TV and a lady was having an ultra sound. The tech couldn't find a heartbeat, and much to Wes' and Harper's surprise I hung my head and sobbed loudly. Two seconds later they heard the heartbeat, but the fear and grief of understanding that moment had already consumed me.

Wes and I decided to take the classes to foster a child and give our minds and bodies time to rest. June 2013 on the exact date of our last foster class certifying us to care for someone else's child, the double blue lines appeared again. Every single appointment was a nightmare. I was so afraid that every single one would be my last one. That I would not hear that beloved heart beat. I am forever grateful that nine months later, 3 days after her due date, the world met Harper Morehead. She is so much more than I ever imagined. I love her more than I ever dreamed.

But believe me when I tell you that if you are out there and your heart is hurting, I hear you. I don't know what God's plan is for you, but I believe he has one. I remember every time I saw a women announcing her pregnancy, I was secretly angry with her because "why wasn't that me?" So, if you are reading this and you have not been able to bring a baby home. Be angry with me, it is okay. You are okay. Your body is perfect. God's eyes and ways are beyond our understanding. Find people who will support you and love you and bring you dinners. God uses broken people, and he is going to use you to do great things!!!

Isaiah 55:8-9 English Standard Version (ESV)

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The Beginning

In December 2006, nine months after our wedding date, I blogged the following post (below in italics). This post is dreamy and full of hope and love and laughter. It bleeds of the beginnings of a fairy tale. A fairy tale that I believed would lead me to happily ever after. Yes, I heard them say, "marriage is hard" and yes, I believed it was. Yes, I heard them say, "50% of marriages end in divorce." Yes, I heard them say, "the bills, sex, in-laws....." Yes, I believed it all.

Despite knowing that the devil would attack my marriage, I could never have expected how mighty the attack would be nor how the merciful grace of God would shine in all the dark places. I recently made a Facebook post about how suffering in my marriage has led me to a deep understanding of God's sovereignty. So many people responded with encouragement and understanding and an appreciation for the truth that I am inspired to share more of my story in hopes to shine God's light for others who may be walking in darkness. I have walked through the dark and in so many ways, I still am. Lets walk together and let's start at the beginning.

"For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light." Mark 4:22

"Westley Aaron Morehead was born in 1974 in south Mississippi. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and naturally tan skin. He was a good child who enjoyed pleasing others. He grew up with 4 siblings and learned to love music and play trombone. He dreamed of making $50, 000 being a teacher in the 80's and 90's when no teacher was making that kind of money. He moved to Indiana when he was in high school and marched Drum Corps. This eventually led him to New York where he performed on Broadway, played for the President of the United States, had his hair cut with Sinbad, tossed a few balls on the baseball field with the Fonz, and his cast and crew won a Tony. Eventually, he moved to Kosciusko, MS to teach band to children.

Amanda Brooke Ramage was born in 1981 in Kosciusko, MS. She had dark hair and dark eyes which eventually turned to auburn hair and hazel eyes. She was firecracker of a child. She loved getting her way and would go to certain lengths to get it. She really wanted someone to play with, but when her twin sisters were born, she wanted to send them back. She loved Carol Burnett, Strawberry Shortcake, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Rainbow Bright. She wanted to make it into the classroom history book by becoming the first women president. She tried playing the clarinet, but it interfered too much with her social life, so she quit. Thanks to a good friend, she got a part-time job at the public library during college. This job eventually turned into a department head position. She bought her first house in 2003 at the age of 22. In August 2004, Brooke was informed that a band director from the junior high school would be coming over to the library to introduce himself to her.

First and foremost, Brooke did not believe that anyone in their right mind was going to walk across the street and introduce them self to her. Second, she was not sure that she wanted a "band geek" to be the person who did just that. (Remember she dropped out of band for her social life). Well, through hear say of several junior high students (these people can always be trusted, right?), Brooke decided to do a little Internet search on this junior high band director named Wes Morehead. 

As Brooke had suspected, no one was going to prance over to the library and introduce themselves to a complete stranger. Wes did some investigating of his own on this Marion Librarian chick. His detailed investigation involved finding her composite photo on the walls of the KHS commons. This outdated photo proved useful enough.

On an unsuspecting day, Wes Morehead stopped by the library to meet Brooke Ramage. He was wearing a pink shirt and a huge smile. After what Brooke thought was an unusual hand shake of, "Wes Morehead, damn glad to meet to ya", the two exchanged numbers, and Wes promised to call the next week. Something about this encounter struck Brooke as funny, and she found herself chuckling as he walked out of her office.

TO BE CONTINUED......"

Peach and Blackberry Cobbler

Nothing oozes sweet, southern summer like a juicy, fruit cobbler. When Wes and I first married, I remember experimenting with lots of different recipes (back when I had all the time in the world, literally) every Sunday. Well, after 10 years and lots of excellent food experiences, I've learned that the best cobblers use the simplest recipes and the freshest ingredients! From our table to yours, we hope you enjoy this one!

Peach and Blackberry Cobbler

Filling
Fresh Blackberries (I don't really measure, I just use as many as I like)
Really ripe peaches sliced or chopped (The ones that are mushy and have juice running everywhere; about 3)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar (sub stevia)

Mix all together

Crust
3/4 cup all purpose flour (sub pastry flour)
1/2 cup sugar (sub stevia)
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup coconut oil

Melt coconut oil and combine all ingredients

Final Prep
Grease a cobbler dish, pour in crust, pour filling on top of crust (DO NOT STIR), bake at 350 about 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Until next time...

XOXOXOXOXOX

Blackberry Pie

Ok, so this pie is not exactly clean eating, but it is delicious!! It is ok to splurge a little. We are not robots and every now and then, we just need to eat a fantastic piece of pie!!!

You can find the pie recipe here http://allrecipes.com/recipe/12284/blackberry-pie-i/

For the pie crust, I use 1 box of Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts and follow the instructions on the box for Two Crust Pie. http://www.pillsbury.com/products/pie-crust/refrigerated-pie-crust

Until next time..

XOXOXOXOX

Memorial Day Menu

Entire BBQ Lunch Menu

Coleslaw

Serving size: 1 cup

21 Day Fix Portion: 1 Green, 1 Orange

Ingredients

• 1 bag of coleslaw salad mix
• 1/2 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup of Pure Maple Syrup
• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 2 TBS Dijon Mustard
• Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together the ACV, Maple Syrup, canola oil, Dijon mustard and pepper.
2. Add the coleslaw salad mix to the wet mixture and toss together
3. Let it set up in the fridge before serving.

21 Day Fix Pulled Pork

Servings size: 1 cup

21 Day Fix Portion: 1 Red

Ingredients

• 1 Pound of  Boston Butt (or Pork shoulder)
• 1 onion chopped
• 1/2 cup of organic low sodium chicken broth
• Seasonings such as pepper, ground mustard, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder

Directions

1. In a large crock pot, place chopped onions and chicken broth in the bottom of the pot.
2. Mix seasonings together in a small bowl. Rub them on the pork.
3. Place the pork, fat side down, into the crock pot on top of the onions.
4. Cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours.
5. Take the pork out of the crock pot and place on a plate. Pull the pork apart using a fork. It should shred nicely. You can keep it warm in the oven if you are not ready to serve it immediately. Just cover it with aluminum foil and place in an oven set to 250 degrees F.

BBQ Sauce

Serving size: 2 Tbsp.

21 Day Fix Portion: 1/4 Green, 1 Orange

Ingredients

• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Directions

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small sauce pan over low heat
2. Heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes until thick
3. Let cool before serving

Serve on whole wheat slider buns.

Fro-Yo

Serving size: 1 cup.

21 Day Fix Portion: 1/2 red, 1/2 purple

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Cashewmilk (you can also use unsweetened vanilla coconut or almond milk)
• 1 scoop vanilla or strawberry shakeology  (whey protein powder, if you don't have shakeo)
• 1 heaping cup of frozen strawberries

Directions

1. Add the cashew milk and protein powder to your blender. Blend briefly on low. Next, add in the frozen strawberries slowly. Add strawberries until it reaches a thick, frozen yogurt consistency. I pretty much just add strawberries until my blender will barely keep going! 
2. This recipe will be very thick. If your blender isn't great you may need to add less strawberries or try it in your food processor. 
3. To make scoops, you will need to transfer this to a freezer-safe dish and freeze the entire recipe for about an hour.

Until next time...

XOXXOXOXOX

Quick Fixes

Life is busy, and we are all always on the go, especially this time of the year. It can be challenging to keep up with preparing meals and staying true to your goals when it is SOOOOO much easier to just stop by or even go in and have someone else serve you! Trust me, I know!!! Wes and I LOVE to dine out! We love to eat at home, too, but you don't have to do any work if you go out. So, I get it!! This week, we ate out way too many times.

My fabulous friend and fellow coach, Jen, gets it, too. She put together this awesome ONE DAY meal plan that is delicious, clean, fast, and great for families! And guess what??? You can eat ALL that food in one day and still get ALL the results you want!! That is truly the greatest thing about all of this is you get to EAT!! It is NOT a diet, it is a lifestyle change that fuels your one and only body with the good stuff it wants and needs to keep you rocking n rolling through all these hectic days!!

Check out her post here http://jenguthrie.com/blog/2016/5/21/quick-fixes.

And if you want or need help coming up with more ideas like this, e-mail me at abmorehead@gmail.com to find out more about my next challenge group and how you can join!!!

Until next time..

XOXOXOXXO

22 Minute Hard Corps Review

22 Minute Hard Corps is Beachbody's hot new program. I love a good yoga or piyo workout, but sometimes you really just want RESULTS and this program gets you there. Fast.

You know those stereotypical movies where people go away to military training and come back nearly unrecognizable because they lost weight, are strong, proud and confident? It’s a stereotype because IT’S TRUE. Your body and your mind are trained in time-tested ways — that’s 22 Minute Hard Corps is all about.

I can honestly say that this program ranks as one of my favorites if not my top choice. And…

It’s simple.

 22 Min a Day workouts
 Easy to follow clean foods meal plan
 Daily Superfoods
 Community support and accountability
 Commitment to see it through

= FEELING empowered, confident, and healthy.

What is 22 Minute Hard Corps?

Tony Horton’s new program, 22 Minute Hard Corps, gets you “boot camp fit” in only 22 minutes a day. Do you want to really change your body? Do you spend time in the gym every week without significant results?

Get in the best shape of your life with this program that pushes you to achieve what you didn’t think you could accomplish – getting in the best shape of your life in only 22 minutes a day for 8 weeks.

This simple workout program is basic, but it gets results. That’s the important thing, right?

Tony Horton created this program from his fifteen years of experience training U.S. Military troops on bases all over the world. He was inspired by the effectiveness of military-style workouts and wanted to bring the incredible results to everyone with 22 Minute Hard Corps.

What’s included in 22 Minute Hard Corps?

The basic program includes:

-3 Resistance Workouts

-3 Cardio Workouts

-2 Core Workouts

-Rations for Results Meal Plan and supporting documents

The workouts are all set up in a military-style boot camp format, even down to the cadence, which is the traditional call-and-response work song used in marching and training.

Even the people in the videos (with Tony Horton in the lead) are U.S. military veterans instead of fitness models.

The programs really push you in those 22 minutes. In a short amount of time, your whole body will be feeling the burn and you can expect the results Tony Horton is known for.

The Moves

Simple. BUT FIERCE. If you aren’t seeing results from your workouts, this is the program to try. Simple movements that don’t require you to learn a dance routine. Lots of muscle confusion and working out every part of your body at once. You get multiple-muscle group workouts balanced with Cardio and Resistance training.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The good. It is only 22 minutes from start to finish. So, if you are like me, you can now get 8 more minutes of sleep in the morning. It is fast. It is fun. It works. 

The bad. If you prefer a more thorough warm-up, you will need add 10 minutes to your routine. A cold start warm-up is included for those who want it. Your total time is 32 minutes, but still YOU HAVE 32 MINUTES a day!

The ugly. The modifications aren't really modifications. LOL!!! Every time Tony says, this guy is modifying, "I'm like what is he doing different?" LOL!!! You do things like water bugs, gorilla crawls, and frog burpees. The first few times with these moves, I was extremely awkward, but I have much better handle on them now. 

Email me at abmorehead@gmail.com to get more info on 22 Minute Hard Corps. 

After 2 weeks!

Before

Until next time..

OXOXOXOXO