Merry Christmas!!

So long 2012, it’s a new start 2013!!

Another year come and gone, a whirlwind of a year it has been!  Strange to think this is the first year in three years that we haven’t had a baby!!  Yikes!  And we aren’t announcing another one either!  =)

Travis has completed his second-to-last semester!  I can hardly contain myself!!  He will take three more classes again next semester (ugh!) and a class in the summer and then be done with his bachelors in Computer Science!!  We hope to have a BIG party!  He has been in school almost our whole marriage.  He is still at Mayo, working hard, and hopes to get into programming upon graduation.  This will be a much anticipated change!

I can’t believe Ashley will be five in February!  Where does the time go?  We have officially decided to homeschool the kids and we have been doing preschool at home with her.  She is a great, caring sister and looks after her little brothers well.  She continues to be a great helper for me and I am sure that will continue to get even better!

Tanner will be three in March.  I was just wondering the other day why he wasn’t fitting into his 2T clothes.  Well, because he’s almost three!!  Wow!!  Tanner is “all boy”!  He is a joy and keeps me on my toes!  His little brother is finally growing on him a bit. =)

My baby boy, TJ, is one already!  He is a ham and loves spending time with his brother and sister!  He is crawling all over the place and uses his walker and furniture to walk around.  He hasn’t decided to walk on his own yet but seems to be getting very close!

This year I have wanted so much to “simplify”!  I have been trying to get rid of extra things so we can focus more on each other rather than “stuff” and organizing.  Focus more on each other- Just one of the reasons for homeschooling, spending more time together as a family.

It has been a tough year for many reasons.  I have battled depression and finally feel as though I have finally come through on the bright side.  It’s amazing what taking care of yourself can do along with “letting go and letting God”!!  Travis and I did a whole foods cleanse in September and began Crossfit (high intensity health and fitness training) in October.  We are both enjoying it and I even heard the words “I sort of miss it” come out of my husband’s mouth regarding both of these activities!!  In November, my parent’s divorce was final after a long road and Dennis, Travis’s mom’s husband, was diagnosed with very aggressive, high grade bladder cancer. 

I was part of a running group this summer and ran my first two 5Ks this year.  I never thought I would be a runner but the Moms on the Run program made it happen!  I became an independent Norwex consultant in November and will be working to help families to improve their health and quality of life by greatly reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning.  I am really excited about this new opportunity as I can determine my own schedule and still spend a majority of my time with my family.  http://allisonvail.norwex.biz/  I truly don’t know what I would have done this year without Jesus and the support of my amazing husband and friends!  Jesus gives me peace in a time of chaos and fills me up when I feel so empty sometimes.

We look forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth next week when we will thank Him for humbling Himself and coming to earth to die for us!!

Bless you in the New Year and may you feel Christ’s love in a deep, meaningful way!                  

Love, Travis & Allison, Ashley(4), Tanner(2) and TJ(1)                                                                                   

opvail@hotmail.com and vail.allison@yahoo.com

Day 21- Sept 29, 2012

Today is the day, we have arrived!! We made it our complete 21 days and started our journey to eating healthy (whole foods = non-processed foods). I’m really hopeful about continuing, with the exception of sugary sweets. This is SO my downfall and I still totally want them after three weeks of not having any.


Tomorrow we will reintroduce grains.  My intent is to continue with a minimal amount of processed foods.

I am down 13 pounds and I believe hubby is down about 15. In that sense, I feel great. As for more energy or any other benefits that may have come from this, we shall see!! =)  The energy has not come through this 21 days that I can tell, other than maybe a little bit.

So.... here's to the rest of our journey!!  =)

Day 17

The hardest part is over and now we are just thoroughly enjoying our chicken! Only four days left!  The other night I made an amazing whole chicken. Who knows if it was because we haven’t had chicken for a while or if it was THAT good, but I thought it was truly home-cookin’ good!! I said the salmon the other day was amazing but that salmon had nothing on this chicken!! LOL

Last night I made chicken zucchini burgers. They were pretty good. I will make them again!

Come to find out I made a mistake in having eggs. We weren’t supposed to have eggs yet, just chicken and fish. Hubby and I both thought we read somewhere that we could have eggs.

The weight loss continued and I am now down twelve and hubby is down fourteen. I am down a couple inches in the waist and it feels so great. My tummy is my struggle area and it’s so nice that I can actually see that it has gone down!

I still really want sugar and bread and the things I can’t have but it’s not as difficult to not have it. When we are done we have decided we want to reintroduce bread first. Hoping to make some homemade bread to kick us off!! I’m sure it won’t be long before we have pizza as we love our pizza!!

Looking forward to see how the reintroduction of food goes and hope to keep losing weight when we do so!

Day 11

Dinner tonight was amazing if I do say so myself!! I didn’t go with the chicken I was thinking, I went with salmon instead for my hubby. Unfortunately at 7pm he still isn’t home to eat it (stuck at school). =( So I broiled the salmon with dill and Italian seasonings, then made veggies also. I caramelized the onions and then added mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, and…. I don’t remember, maybe that was it. I put the same seasonings on those and it was scrumptious!! Not sure if it’s because I haven’t been very creative up until now and we couldn’t have meat, but boy it was good. Mind you, even just a few years ago I NEVER would have ate this meal- let alone made it!!

I did end up getting up this morning and surprising my hubby with eggs for breakfast. He didn’t seem to excited but I was excited for my eggs!! I can’t wait for tomorrow’s meal now!

I’ve also determined that the best Christmas present for me this year would be a chef to come to my house and teach me how to cook (is there such a thing?) and an organizer to come help me organize my house (off topic of this context but that’s okay).

So, a great day for food I think!

Hopefully the kids will catch on to this food soon!! =)

Day 10!!

I did it! I did it! I made it to day 10 with only a few tiny, tiny little cheats!! I cannot wait until breakfast in the morning and dinner tomorrow night!! Eggs for breakfast and chicken for dinner!!! I may even get up really early and serve my hubby eggs for breakfast before he heads off to work and school for enduring this with me!!!

The last couple days have been better than day seven, but dinner for day eight and nine were not for me. I’m still not a spicy girl (or somethin’) and I made lentil chili on day eight and vegan chili with no beans (essentially just veggies & chili seasonings) on day nine. At least last night we made rice to go with it, so I ate more than I otherwise would have.

After day seven, my weight loss has come to a screeching halt. I haven’t been exercising much during this time so I’m sure when I kick that in they will come off again. I hope so! Hoping to go running tonight but that hasn’t proved to happen the last week or two.

One of the difficult things with this for me is getting in more vegetables than fruit. I think the last couple days have been best for that, now that I am just eating the veggies whether I like them or not and hope that I acquire a taste for them. =)

This morning I changed it up a bit in my smoothie and added more veggies too and it was actually quite tasty… which I can’t always say about all the smoothies! =)

We made it through the tough part… now on to the rest!

Day 7

Uffda! Today was a hard day!! I want bread! I want cheese! I want pasta! I want ice cream! I want pretty much anything I am not supposed to have! =) Can’t wait until Thursday when we can at least have chicken and eggs!! Yesterday was a little hard simply because hubby said “I don’t want to do this anymore. I want…” But we are still truckin’ along and I had a big victory with him and his dinner of vegan tacos!!! Never in a million would I think I would hear my husband say, “these are REALLY good!!” about vegan tacos!! =)

I think the hard part for today was meal planning for the next week (doesn’t help that I want to spend time with my kiddos and the house is a disaster). I feel like there is nothing I want to eat, except what I can’t have. I am tired of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower for snacks. I need to eat more peppers for snacks I guess and get use to those.

I remember day four was a gross day because the smoothies weren’t very cold. They taste worse when they aren’t cold. I ran out of frozen bananas so I was using non-frozen bananas and not using ice. They were nasty! Once I figured out why the smoothies all of a sudden tasted even worse, day five was much better.

Day five I remember I woke up feeling energized and really good, but by afternoon, I had to take a nap. Day six I woke up feeling pretty good too, but not as good as day five. Hubby has had a “sick feeling” last night and tonight but otherwise has felt pretty “normal” all week.

Wish I would have updated each day but this week has been pretty overwhelming. I have barely even gone anywhere and it’s been crazy!! As of day five I had lost six pounds and hubby had lost seven. As of today I have lost eight and he has lost ten!! That’s the good news of the day! =) But, all in all, I’m still happy that we are doing this. I think it will be worth it.

Day 3 Update

(Read with light-hearted, fun tone of voice, cause that’s where I’m at!)

Dinner was AWFUL! Do people really eat this stuff!!?? =) Seriously! LOL! Tomorrow we are eating something we KNOW we will like. But shhhh, don’t tell my hubby, he doesn’t know yet! =)

The best part of today is that my hubby and I are connecting over this experience. We have had a hard time connecting for some time (just little snips here and there) and I really hope that this experience will draw us closer. He was having a hard time tonight wanting any food but what we are allowed to have, I was a little bit too, but it helped us to relate to one another. He was a little irritable too and he’s usually pretty even keel and I’m the irritable one!! =)

He thinks he has lost six pounds already! Really, three days and six pounds!!?? Why do men have it so easy!? HAHA! I might be down three and that’s really exciting!! I’ll check in the morning. I didn’t actually want to weigh myself until day 7, but it gives a little motivation seeing the scale going in the right direction!

Wanting other foods, but loving it!! =)

Days 1-3

Day 1- Sept 10, 2012

Day one was the easiest. You are excited about a new thing so you don’t really care that you are eating NOTHING that tastes good!! =) The blended frozen banana that was the consistency of ice cream was the closest thing to anything tasting good. Essentially, banana ice cream but it was just banana and cinnamon. This is one of the goals though, to expand the palate. =)

Going grocery shopping on day one wasn’t bad. Kind of exciting picking out veggies I hadn’t had in a long time or never had in my life. It would be fun to see how it tastes and if I end up continuing to buy those veggies.

Started needing to “use the facilities” around 2-3pm and I’ll spare you those details. =) Overall, day one I did great and felt good too.


Day 2- Sept 11, 2012

Day two was still good. Since I had to go to the store it made it a little harder seeing things I wished I could have but thankfully the trip was quick- in and out.

I did have an accident when I was making the kids lunch. I licked my finger that had peanut butter on it that I had put on the kids celery! As soon as I licked it I was like, oops, I am not supposed to have that. =) Then I was tempted to eat their other foods but I refrained.

I was excited about our dinner but for some reason it turned spicy hot. Even hubby said it was spicy and he does fine with spicy. Not sure what did it because it was only basil, parsley, oregano and salt and pepper. I didn’t think any of those would make it spicy.

Still nothing tasted good (dinner would have been without the spicy) but I did it and am still feeling good about it.


Day 3- Sept 12, 2012

Today is a little harder, mainly with feeding the kiddos their lunch and wanting to eat it. Thankfully I have transitioned them to healthier things too but it is not on our menu this week. =( I admit, I did cheat and have a bite of a noodle. It was about the size of my pinky finger so I don’t think it will affect me!! =)

I tried to change my lunch and make it taste better with the supplements. I put the supplements separate and gagged. Then I only added a little to my smoothie and then my smoothie was pretty tasty.

Still have dinner to go tonight, but so far so good. I will do this!!

The Plan- September 2012

My plan is to get healthy. I don’t eat healthy, I don’t workout much (except running has been great), and I want to be healthy for my family. I want to be active with the kids, play sports and games with them, and not be too lazy to go to the park with them sometimes when they want to.

So, September 10 my hubby and I start a 21-day cleanse. I am excited and nervous about it at the same time. I am excited about losing weight, losing some of my sweet tooth, and eating healthy. And I am way excited about my hubby doing it with me, or I likely wouldn’t be doing it at all!! I am not excited about the unknown, losing my sweet tooth, and eating healthy!! =) HAHA

By eating healthy, I mean that I want to get rid of the high fructose corn syrup from my diet. I want to get rid of most, if not all, the additives in my foods that are known to cause hyperactivity, asthma, and cancer. This leaves us with mainly fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and grains. I am not eliminating food groups in the long term- just the items that don’t belong in our foods in the first place.

In the last few years I have seen friends and family members changing their lifestyles, which includes the foods they chose to eat. Being uneducated about food, I thought, I’m eating pretty well. I eat “home-cooked” meals quite a bit, eat out only some (not every day), but I do eat lots of sugar and I know that’s not good. My excuse for not changing is usually, “It doesn’t taste good.”

When I heard about this “whole food cleanse” and how it cleans your system out and in the end, I concluded, can change your palate and reduce your food/sweet cravings, I said “I’m in!!” What do I need to do? So, here is what we are doing. Days 1-10 we are eating ONLY fruits, vegetables, rice or lentils and whole food supplements. Days 11-21 we are adding chicken, fish, and eggs to that list. After day 21 we will gradually add back in the other whole foods and see how they make us feel (hoping for no allergies or food intolerances.

This brings us from Sept 10-Sept 30. Then, in October, once we have “fixed” our eating we plan to join Crossfit progression to get fit and even healthier!! Yikes!!

I want to document this to hold myself accountable and also to encourage others if they have similar goals.

Here goes! With God helping me, I can do this!!  So thankful to also have my hubby by my side in this!!

One of “those” days! June 19, 2012

Today was one of “those” days for me with my kids. The hubby was working and for some reason the kids were hitting every possible button in me and it drove me to be a not very happy/nice mommy.

It was one of those days that, in turn, made me feel like a bad mom… and the lies just keep coming. One of those days where you feel like you are the only mom who feels this way and has these yucky, tough days. At what felt like my breaking point, it was just after lunch and FINALLY naptime! I got the kids all down, talked to my hubby, and jumped into my Bible study.

I’ve been having a hard time getting into the habit of spending time with God lately and finally this week I have been going through Jennifer Rothschild’s “Me, Myself, and Lies” study and it was EXTRA helpful today. God is just so awesome that way! It is a bad day and then He just brings me back to Him and His truth. The lies go away, or at least get swept under the rug for now (until He helps me conquer them).

What two qualities characterized Jesus in John 1:14-17? Grace and truth. Have I been able to hear the grace and truth from Him in my thoughts over the last several months? Well, it’s getting better but still a challenge. As Jennifer talks about in this study, I need to focus on the “what is” instead of the “what ifs” and “God cares about what you say to yourself because He cares about you.” What a great reminder that he cares about me, beyond what I can even imagine.

These are the scriptures that she pointed me to today to get rid of the lies from my “thought closet” and focus on these truths:

“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.” Prov 3:3

“For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.” Prob 8:7

“A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.” Prov 12:17, NIV

After I spent time in the Word and this study, I was looking on the internet somewhere and came across this blog/article titled “Sometimes I want to run away”. I could have written this article from my own thoughts and feelings today, just a few variations to her details. =)

Again, thank you Jesus for speaking to me and letting me know you are here with me. Without a doubt I felt inadequate and overwhelmed today and thankfully I stepped away and spent time alone (besides a little girl who was “resting” and needed to come upstairs to go potty instead of staying downstairs) with Him.

I copied this from the blog. It must be a poem/writing. It is so spot-on in so many ways to what I feel sometimes.  Another great reminder of why I do what I do and Jesus speaking to my heart saying "This is what I have called you to do, I am your reward, focus on Me."

• Continue On

by Roy Lessin

A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life.

She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother.

She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference.

At times, she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated. “Is it worth it?” she often questioned. “Is there something better that I could be doing with my time?”

It was during one of these moments that she heard the still small voice of her heavenly Father speak to her heart.

“You are a wife and mother because that is what I've called you to be. Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye. But I notice. Most of what you give is done without payment. But I am your reward.

Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without your support. Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more powerful than you will ever know. I bless him through your service and honor him through your love.

Your children are precious to Me. Even more precious than they are to you.

I have entrusted them to your care to raise them for Me. What you invest in them is an offering to Me. You may never be in the public spotlight. But your obedience shines as a bright light before Me.

Remember you are My servant. Do all to please Me.”

Continue On.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

~Colossians 3:23,24 (NIV 1984)

Waiting for the tears and laughter to return April 21, 2012

As I said in the last post, the last few years have been the most difficult years of my life. Until the last few months, I hadn’t realized the impact that these past few years have had on me.

It wasn’t until someone else shared their story that I discovered my own.

Why am I not laughing as I normally would?
Why am I not enjoying life as I think I should be?
Why do the tears not flow when I think they normally would?
Why do I act the way that I do to certain people?
Why…?
Why…?
Why…?

I keep hearing and reading over and over again about being real and being vulnerable.

http://www.proverbs31.org/she-seeks/get-real-6-2012-04/

Why are we so afraid of being who we are? I am tired of being scared of being me. I want to live my life for Christ and not for everyone else… therefore, I want to share some of my story.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

After Tanner (2) was born I struggled with depression. In addition to Tanner being born, there were other things on my plate that I was trying to deal with. After a few months or so, I came out of it… or so I thought. Then, in preparing for TJ’s birth, I was proactive regarding my mental health as I didn’t want to go to that place again. I began counseling through a wonderful ministry in town. I went through one counselor and didn’t feel as though I was getting anywhere. I wasn’t getting to the depth I wanted/needed to go. Then, another counselor came along. And someone shared their family’s story at MOPS. Is that me? Are they talking about some things I struggle with? Really, am I depressed and don’t even know it? Really? Is that possible?

So after MOPS I came home and read all the signs of depression (that I had likely read many, many times before). Yep, that was sounding like me. I talked to my husband about it when he got home. I went to counseling that night and talked it through with my counselor. Depressed…. For a few years? What? Really? Me?

I have struggled in my marriage due to my past and always needing more recognition than he could ever give me. I can’t expect everyone else to lift me up, I need to find it within my own heart. I need to be able to love myself and be okay with who I am. I need to find it through Christ… in my heart. Christ is the only one who can love me and fill the hole in my heart to its capacity. Yes, I can get “topped off” by my husband or family or friends, but God needs to be the source. I can’t do it without Him. He needs to be my all in all!

As one of the Women of Faith speakers said, “Counseling reveals, God heals!!” I truly believe that God has used counseling to bring me to where I am at. Our emotions can send us in the wrong direction, but God’s Word stands firm and is unchanging. He will not give us more than we can handle. His Word is truth!

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

I have struggled in my relationship with the Lord, to make Him a constant in my life. But He has never left me. He has always been there for me even when I haven’t felt near to Him.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

It’s strange to say I am waiting for my tears to return, but I truly am. I cry at some things, but not at even more things I normally would cry about. Tears are okay; tears are normal; and I want to be able to feel them again and not be numb. I want the laughter to return and I want my joy to come from the Lord, not on the fleeting things of this world!!

“But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.” Psalm 68:3

Insecurity with vulnerability

Written March 24, 2012 and just getting the "guts" to post:
The last few years have been the most difficult years of my life. The challenges I have faced are helping me to learn more about myself and who I want to be. The most important part for me of these last couple years has been the way that Jesus is using this time to speak to me and help me to be broken and have no choice but to rely on Him instead of those around me. Everyone around me could leave me or hurt me, HE is the constant. My husband or my children could die tomorrow but He will be there, He will take care of me. He will always be there for me, holding my hand, and loving me unconditionally like no person can. If I don’t have Him, what do I have?


“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

When I am feeling insecure and not valuable, God speaks to me. He tells me, “Trust me. Be confident in Me. I love you. I will take care of you. I want you.” I want to feel secure in Him regardless of how someone may be treating me, regardless of who has left me, regardless of my circumstances. He loves me and believes that I am beautiful- flaws, mistakes, and all. If I make a mistake, as I often do, he takes my hand and leads me in the right direction- the best direction- His direction. I want to follow His will, His Word. I don’t want to make up my own plan and follow my own ideas, I want to follow HIM.

So the other day, thinking about all this, I sat down to try to have some quiet time with Him. I sat down to read my “Jesus Calling” devotional along with its Bible verses and the first line says, “This is a time in your life when you must learn to let go: of loved ones, of possessions, of control…” Wow, thank you Jesus for speaking to me so clearly, so directly. Thank you for helping to direct me… towards you. Thank you for telling me to let go and know that YOU are in control. It is much more difficult to live life when I think that I am in control. If I am in control, I’m in trouble!!

I have been insecure for many years but I hope to draw closer to Christ and know, to the core of my being, that He loves me for who I am. I want to get beyond the doubts of this world and believe without a doubt that He loves me where I am at. He helps me to become the woman that HE wants me to become… for His glory.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139: 13-14