Growing in God

Woah, long time no post! Clearly, by the title, a lot has happened in the last months. So let me jump right on in. Well, as the title says, I am pregnant! My due date is December 12, 2020. I found out I was pregnant by taking an at home pregnancy test on April 10th. Matt and I began trying to get pregnant in February, after I had my IUD removed on January 31. We made the decision to start trying, because I honestly thought I was going to have a hard time getting pregnant and that it was probably going to take us a long time and a lot of trying, and that we might even need help. And I was basing that all on the fact that my cycle had always been irregular my whole life. I was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 13, but was told it was most likely weight related and that if I lost my weight it would be fixed. Well, after using a birth control pill called Yaz gave me a blood clot in my right lung, my only option for birth control to help control my period became using the Mirena IUD. And ...

As you all know, right now is a crazy and scary and stressful time for pretty much everyone in the world. Everything going on with Coronavirus-COVID19 is nothing like any of us  have ever had to see or deal with in our lifetimes. We are all having to take things just one day, one moment at time and learn as we go. We are having to adjust into "new normal's" and new schedules and routines. Most of us are living under "Stay At Home Orders" meaning we can only leave the house for essential needs(groceries/medical needs) or if you are an essential worker. And aside from maybe going outside to do things in the yard or take a walk around your neighborhood, you are in your house all day. We are dealing with being out of work, laid off, under financial strain, or maybe even having to deal with home schooling your kids. And on top of that, you can't be with anyone other than the people in your own home. I will say, technology is a pretty big blessing. Because of te...

I know this post is very much over due, but I have been super busy and just have not had the time. But, I am finally getting around to it, writing all about my wedding day! Which was, by far, the single most best day of my entire life. So, without further ado, lets get into it. My wedding was on September 21, 2019 at 4:00pm. I woke up that morning very excited, anxious, and ready to go. I packed up the last of my things, had a quick breakfast, filled up my tervis cup with some crystal light and I was off to my church to begin getting ready. I picked up my 11-year-old niece, Sophia on my way over, and, together, we excitedly headed to church. We arrived, and I did a couple of small touches to some of the decor in front of the church, and then went into the nursery where all of us ladies would be getting ready. My cousin, Emily, did all of our hair. I got my hair done first. I had it done in a half up, half down hairstyle and had a really pretty sparkly headband in and also my veil. Al...

FOUR YEARS! Four years ago today, I went in for my Gastric Sleeve Weight Loss Surgery. It was the day I FINALLY made the choice to gain control of my health and my life. And boy, little did I know the crazy, wild, and difficult journey I would be getting into. But yet, each moment has been so worth it and I am so proud of each step of my journey. Anyone who says having a weight loss surgery is "taking the easy way out" has absolutely no idea what they are talking about and is insane. Because having this surgery is far from easy. All the surgery does is simply give you a tool to help you lose the weight. But if you don't use the tool the way it is suppose to be used, it isn't going to work. So, I have had to put in A LOT of work for my tool to work for me. I have made crazy changes in my eating habits and nutrition. I eat much smaller portion sizes, don't snack near as often and when I do I have snack it is much healthier than it use to be, and the quality of my ...

Ok, I am sure you are all taking one look at the title of this post and thinking to yourselves, "since when is Tori in to basketball?" or "what is this even about?". I promise I am not trying to click bait you, and I also am definitely not in to basketball. But really, I could come up with no better title for this post than that. Because the month of March, for me, has simply been madness. And it has gone by so fast and I am just like, where the heck did this last month even go? Let me get into explaining. I came back from Costa Rica, and March started right away, and I hit the ground running with getting myself back on track and back into routine, and also with more wedding stuff. My fiance and I made our wedding registries and we even went and got things figured out for our wedding bands. I also was able to go and pick up my wedding dress from the store, and I have purchased all of my accessories, such as a headband I am going to wear, my shoes, and a bra. And w...

I just got home from the trip of a lifetime! I just spent the last week in Costa Rica, along with 16 other people from my Church. And we were shown Costa Rica, by our pastor who was born and raised there! The best way for me to describe Costa Rica, is as a place filled with so much joy, happiness, wonder, and beauty. God's handiwork is just everywhere throughout the country. Through people who are so kind and joyful, to the amazing beauty of everything you see, everywhere you go. And I totally understand now why Pastor Tito raves about it so much! For me, this trip, was seriously a HUGE thing for me. And was simply, a dream come true! I seriously always dreamed of taking a big vacation and trip like this one. But, not only was cost a factor, but my weight was also a huge factor. Before I lost weight, I either needed a bigger seat, or would have to possibly buy more than one seat on the plane. And also my weight made it that I knew I never would be able to enjoy or even parti...