Week 19

How far along? 19 weeks-- almost half way there!

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Maternity clothes? Haven't bought any more since last week-- though after packing much of my stuff I have found some more t-shirts that should fit for a while longer:)

Exercising: Yes, though definately been more limited than before

Stretch marks? bleh. mhm .

Sleep: Completely on my side-- It basically feels like something is pushing you down you if you are on your back and I have never been a stomach sleeper. 

Best moment this week: Got my Latasia Starter Kit (p.s. if you want anything let me know:) ) 

Have you told family and friends: Yep.

Miss Anything? I'm useless when it comes to lifting stuff.  I also played soccer with my soccer team (players vs. coaches) and found that I can't run as much as I would like. 

Movement: Yes!  Finally can feel it! It feels like a butterfly (though that's the common way to think of it) but also like your stomach is always rumbling (even if you aren't hungry)

Food cravings:  nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing out of the ordinary

Have you started to show yet: Yes-- Friends and family can defiantly notice though having really "popped" yet.

Gender prediction: I thought girl but honestly I'm not sure anymore.

Labor Signs: No where near that point yet

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On but I take them off every now and again so my fingers can breath.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy this week- Wes has caught on when I'm not the most pleasant I think

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender (a few more weeks:) ) 

Not loving: Back pain is still the worst of it all but really I've lucked out with the whole pregnancy thing I think. 

A Letter to Young Christian Women

I am writing this, as your sister in Christ to help keep you from making many of the same mistakes I have made throughout my teenage years.

I want you to know that you are beautiful.  You are made in the image of God, a natural beauty.  Please don't let media, men or anybody else convince you otherwise.  The world has distorted the true meaning of beautiful, and so often we fall into the trap of trying to make ourselves fit this new definition.  Keep your body as a holy temple to God.  Dress it in such a way so that it is not a hindrance to our fellow brothers in Christ, but most importantly so that it glorifies God.

Don't forget that your heart is to be guarded above all else.  Give God control of your heart as he is the only one who will- without a doubt- keep it safe.

Don't let the small worries of life bring you down.  No matter how hard you try, you will fail at times, you will have bad days and you won't be perfect.  Forgive and forget.  Don't let grudges hold you back from living life to the fullest.  Forgive others, but don't also forget to forgive yourself.

Please keep in mind that the influences you have in your life today will be the same influences that shape and mold you into the person you will be in the future.  Have a set of friends that you can lean on when times get rough.  Be there to support and love each other, rather than judge each other.  Most importantly, get involved in the Word of God.  Get to know your wonderful Saviour rather than just hearing about him on a weekly basis.

These years are hard, but if you lean on God rather than your own understanding- you will not be disappointed.  God has big plans for you-- let him reveal them to you rather than making your own-- his plans are always the best.  I pray that you will live life the way that God intended and never look back.  


Praying for you,
Bre

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This is Me

As many of you know, Testimony Tuesdays has come to a close for a while (but feel free to send me your testimony and I will save them up until the next time this series continues).  

Until then, I have decided to try to start up another guest post series.  

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My hopes for this series will to be allow the readers of Meet the Marshall's  to be able to share something that they enjoy doing, something that has brought them to the point they are in their lives today or just something that is on their mind lately.  

Again, these posts can be anonymous or not- it's up to you as the writers.  

For those readers out there who currently have a blog of their own, this would be a way to share your story with a set of different readers.  

Please contact me at breezy_218@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of this series or have any other questions about it.  

Maternity Modesty

This past weekend, I got looking at some ideas for some maternity pictures in the future. 

 

I couldn't believe some of the ideas that came up.

Many of the pictures I came across had woman who barely had any clothes on showing off her baby bump.

 

Now I am not trying to say that pregnancy pictures should be done in turtle necks and pants,

but I do think that we as ladies should remember that we are still to be modest

Even when we are pregnant. 

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

 

For Wes and I, we are thinking of doing maternity pictures for our children in the future.

I want to be an example for them then and now.

I do not want to show them pictures of myself that I would consider immodest.

 

 

What do you think? 

Do you agree that some maternity shots can sometimes be taken too far?

Adios Brother!

My little brother is off to Spain for a year tomorrow,

He will be living with a family down there and attending a high school.

 

It's crazy how things change in just a few short months.

 

This Fall will be strange

Josh will be in Spain,

I will be as big as a watermelon,

My sister will be working rather than in school,

and Cody will be the only Wardell child left at home.

 

 

 

Although I am so excited to see what this year will bring forth,

it is a little sad to see us all moving on.

 

 

God really does have unique plans for each of us,

And I can't wait to see what else is in his plans for us this upcoming year!

 

 

Adios Joshua- Have a wonderful time in Spain!

 

 

 

Latasia

As some of you have already heard, I have recently made the decision to sell Latasia.  

What is Latasia? 

Basically, it's a company that sells jewelry and lingerie.  

Why Sell It? 

Beginning in Jan, I will no longer be going to school full-time but instead doing a few online courses and taking care of Baby Marshall.  I wanted to find something where I could still help bring in some income but would be flexible with my hours and something I would still like to do. 

Enter Latasia. 

This is a product I really am excited about- there is something for everyone, the hostess deals are actually good and for students like me the prices are actually affordable.  

How Can You Get Involved? 

There are three ways to get involved: Buy something, Host a Party, or become a Consultant.  

If you would like to check out more about this please check out my Facebook page  or email me at breezy_218@hotmail.com and I would love to get you more information.    

Week 18

How far along? 18 weeks



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Maternity clothes? Yes- only a pair of jeans and 3 shirts though-- still loving the summer dresses

Exercising: Yes, though definately been more limited than before

Stretch marks? bleh. mhm .

Sleep: Have to sleep on side if going for more than 5 minutes otherwise its way to uncomfortable.  Once I'm on my side though- i'm out. 

Best moment this week: Pigroast at the church on Saturday for the 50th anniversary. 

Have you told family and friends: Yep.

Miss Anything? Being able to lift- We are moving this week and next and I feel useless... I'm doing alot of the packing but can't help carry any of the big stuff.

Movement: Think so-- still waiting to see for sure though as it's not very strong.

Food cravings:  cream cheese (funny enough I hadn't tried any up until a few weeks ago)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing out of the ordinary

Have you started to show yet: Yes-- still dont think others can tell if they don't know me but defiantely rounding out

Gender prediction: I thought girl but honestly I'm not sure anymore.

Labor Signs: No where near that point yet

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Getting tighter and tighter- but still on:)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy this week- Wes has caught on when I'm not the most pleasant I think.

Looking forward to: Feeling Baby Marshall kick to the point I actually know that is what it is...

Not loving: Back pain.

Guest Blogs-Testimony Tuesdays

As many of you know, I have been so lucky to have a few women share their testimonies each tuesday for most of the summer.  Originally, my plan was to do these guest blogs only for the duration of the summer, but I have really enjoyed getting new stories out there and giving Christians the opportunity to share what God has taught them.  I believe that God really works in everybodies lives a little differently and it is such a blessing to hear all these stories. 

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With that being said, I would love any comments as to whether you would be interested in continuing to read (or perhaps be a part of) Testimony Tuesdays. 

Please leave your thoughts below as to whether I should keep these going throughout the fall as well or not. 

Footprints



[I'm sure many have read this poem but I just found the following comic so funny!]

Footprints

One night I had a dream-- I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord and across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints, one belonged to me and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life. This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way, but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. "I don't understand why in times when I needed you most, you should leave me." The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. "When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." ...Margaret Fishback Powers [p.s. don't forget to enter the giveaway!]

Photo Session Giveaway!

I am very excited to announce my first giveaway! 

Sam McBride is a good friend of mine from high school who is currently trying to start up a photography business.  Currently, Sam is located in Brantford Ontario.  She has graciously offered to provide one of the readers of Meet the Marshall's with a free (yes.. free) photography session of their choice (pets, family, maternity, friends, etc.). 

 Take a look at some of her previous work! 

After having your photosession, you will be given a CD with all the photos (fully edited) from Sam. 

 Unfortunately, this giveaway is not open to international readers, or those that are not within a reasonable driving distance to Brantford, Ontario. 

But for all those readers who are within reasonable distance, please take advantage of this offer! 

Want to know how to get your name into the draw? 

Here's how:

1. Comment on this blog for one entry.

2. Share this on your facebook/Twitter for another entry.

3. Subscribe to this blog for a third entry.

4.  Like Sam's Facebook Page for a fourth entry. 

Please make a seperate comment for each of these four items to be entered 4 seperate times:)

Winners will be choosen on September 14th. 

Good luck!



Testimony Tuesday- Brooke

[So here is one of our last Testimony Tuesday's for a while!  This girl is honestly the most honest, most reliable and most real person you will ever meet.  She has been my best friend since I can remember, and has been there through all my ups and downs (as I have her!).  It is so exciting to be able to have her share a part of her story- and really if you have time check out her blog- so Meet Brooke (a.k.a. Brookie)]

Hey, I’m Brooke. I usually blog over at Living as a Single Gal, but today I’m sharing a bit of my story on Meet the Marshall’s. I’ve known Bre pretty much since we were toddlers – so pretty much FOREVER. I don’t think I have a single childhood/ adolescent/ teenager/ young adult memory that Bre wasn’t a part of. I am very excited to share with you all a little bit about myself and what God is teaching me.

 

Little Brooke & little Breanna – weren’t we cute?

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I struggled all throughout my early school days (didn’t we all?!). Like many young people, I was bullied – not to the extent where I went home and cried about it every night, but enough for it to slowly eat away at my self worth. So often, I was deceived into thinking that I wasn’t good enough. I constantly believed what others labeled me as: too big, too tall, too ugly, the list goes on and on. The labels stuck inside my head for so long, that I began to believe them myself.

Flash ahead several years. For so long I thought of myself in terms of how other people saw me, so when I got to a place where negative labels ceased, I had trouble figuring out who I was. It wasn’t until I learned to discover myself through the eyes of Our Lord that I found (or started to find) who I was designed to be. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still don’t have it all together. Who am I? I’m still trying to figure that out. But I do know who’s I am, and that has made all the difference. As I dove into God’s word and learned more about our Creator, I found myself becoming more and more confident in who I was, because true self-esteem comes only through our Lord Jesus Christ.

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling, there is no flaw in you.”

Song of Solomon 4:7 (NIV)

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            Last year, I was honoured with the position of designing and leading a girl’s empowerment group at a local pregnancy centre. When the position was initially offered to me, I almost declined. How could I teach girls about self-worth and loving themselves, when it’s something I’ve been struggling with for the past 21 years? But I must have had a mini brain lapse, because I said yes. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was terrified. But, in spite of that fear, I took this project to the Lord. I wanted Him to optimize this experience, not only for the girls, but for me as well. And did He ever?! I had three lovely teens (no, you didn’t misread…..there were 3 girls in my group) that signed in to do this 10 week journey with me. We may have been small in numbers, but we were mighty in power. At first I was disappointed that God only sent 3 girls my way, but in the end, it turned into a total blessing.

The Lord made something beautiful come out of those 10 weeks. He took all of the pain and ugliness I endured as a young kid, and turned it into something empowering for those girls. This experience was probably one of the most challenging in my life, but from what I got out of it, and what I hope the girls got out of it, it was definitely well worth it. The Lord is so good, so, so good.

Feel free to stop by and see me at Living as a Single Gal - I’d love to hear from you!

Permissible Vs. Beneficial

Media is a big thing in today's world.

We are bombarded with ideas, images and songs that in no way glorify God.

In some cases, it is pretty evident whether a particular choice in movie, song or book is a good choice.

However, as with many choices we are faced with in life- not everthing is clearcut. 

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Some movies have a positive meaning behind them, but they are fogged with the language that is chosen to share this media.

Others take a not-so-positive idea and make it so humourous that it may be become unclear what it is you are watching a movie about. 

1 Corinthians 6:12

"Everything is permissible for me--but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me--but I will not be mastered by anything."

Rather than asking ourselves if we are allowed to listen to that new cd, or allowed to go out with friends to that movie that maybe isn't the best choice- why don't we ask ourselves the following questions:

• Is this a choice that is glorifying to God?
• Is this a constructive choice that will help my walk with God?
• Am I able to seperate the truth from the non-truth that is being depicted?

And if all else fails,

• Would I be comfortable letting my family, younger siblings, and children watch and listen to this?

One resource I have found helpful (though not always do I agree with everything they say- again you have to help judge what is being put into your mind) is Plugged In Online.  This website gives many reviews from a Christian perspective on popular cds/movies/shows at the time. 



Maternity Clothes Can be Cute

This past weekend, I have had to buy some maternity pants/shirts for work (I was getting to the point where I had a few dresses I had to switch between for work).  At a few stores, I have found that some maternity clothes just... aren't in any way something I would normally wear.  But some are really cute!   Here are some good finds I have found at Old Navy.

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$34.00

Holmes is 1!

On Wednesday, we got to "celebrate" Holmes' first birthday.

For those who do not know, Holmes is our cat we got last Thanksgiving. 

It was a spur of the moment decision, but we have grown to love this little guy!

Marking Up Your Bible

I have a secret to tell you.

I used to hate the idea of marking up my Bible.

I heard so many people say how good it is to get involved- to highlight verses, to write little notes, to keep track of the important lessons you came across.

This was all fine and dandy, I just hated the idea of having a Bible that to me looked like a mess. 

I remember one day at Girl's Camp a few years ago they gave all the girls (and councellors) highlighters to go through and help with our Bible Studies. 

My campers were all on board with the idea.

But there I stood, holding this highlighter wondering how in the world I was going to get out of this one.

I tried taking sticky notes and writing on them and instead of highlighting, I would just write the verse and highlight the sticky note.

That didn't work.  I ended up with sticky notes that had fallen out after a little while, and really I couldn't tell you where I had originally placed them.

Finally I caved.

I started slowly highlighting just those verses that I thought were very near and dear to my heart.

Then I started highlighting words and writing the meaning for them so I could fully understand what God was trying to get at.

Then I started making little notes on the side to remember various lessons that I had learned about certain passages.

Soon enough, my Bible was as marked up as it could be.

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Not my Bible, though I hope I would be so involved in studying my Bible it will soon look like this

But I am so glad it is. 

I love looking back on verses and seeing the little lessons God taught me.

I love being able to easily cross-reference the various parts of the Bible.

I love not caring about whether my Bible is marked up or not, but only caring about whether I am using my Bible as it was intended. 

Week 17

How far along? 17 weeks



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Maternity clothes? Not yet... mostly dresses though as many pairs of pants do not fit anymore

Exercising: As much as I can

Stretch marks? No more than before.

Sleep: More than last week, though now at the point I almost have to sleep on my side

Best moment this week: Holmes had his 1st birthday so we bought him some toys and it was funny watching him play with them

Have you told family and friends: Yep.

Miss Anything? Not yet.

Movement: Still not 100% sure if it is movement

Food cravings:  not really

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing out of the ordinary

Have you started to show yet: I think so... again if you didn't know me probably not 

Gender prediction: Girl, though I'm happy with either!

Labor Signs: No where near that point yet

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On--much tighter though... please fingers stop swelling... 

Happy or Moody most of the time: More moody than usual... I'm pregnant... give me a break ;)

Looking forward to: Getting my baby bump-- no more of this awkward stage

Not loving: Sore gums.  Getting better but had a few days where they killed

The Story of Us - Pt 4

[If you haven't already, check out Part 1 , Part 2, and Part 3 of our story]

April 23, 2011

The wedding day was here!

It was a wonderful day.  

I remember walking down the isle, honestly I was not nervous at all until I found myself actually walking down the aisle.  

I could see Wes at the end of the aisle, with his wonderful smile across his whole face.

This is only the beginning of the story of us,
and we plan to continue to write more to this love story as time goes on. 

Why I Blog & 5 000 views

I can't believe it- the blog has hit 5 000 views!
For those who have read this blog so far- thank you!

I decided it was time to write a post about why I blog, and what I like about the whole thing.

Now I know, I'm not the most.. how to say it politely...gifted at writing. 
But I do enjoy it. 

I have always been a journaller.

I have journals from all of my mission trips and kept one throughout many years (to keep track of things God was teaching me along with my daily occurrences). 

It is really neat just going back through these years later and reading everything  that happened and just realising how much things have changed since that time. 

Even more so than journalling, I have always loved scrapbooking. 

If you ever visit my room or apartment you are sure to find many scrapbooks and if you catch me on a good day, perhaps you may see the mess of papers when I decide it's time to put some more pictures to paper.

That and gifts-- I love giving gifts that include anything picture-wise (just ask family and friends).

For me, blogging was a perfect mix of the two. 

I get to share pictures with others, and keep a journal of sorts. 

I can't wait to share this blog with my children and let them see that I too had times of difficulty and times of joy.

Along with that I want to be able to share stories of them growing up with them.

For me, blogging was the perfect way to do this.

 I still keep a prayer journal (such a cool way to see how God answers prayers if you sometimes think he is not listening to you).

I still scrapbook (nothing more calming to me than sitting down and scrapbooking- plus I love having that hands-on book when it is all done).

But as for blogging, I am very thankful for being able to be given an outlet for many of my thoughts and stories for the upcoming years.  

The Story of Us- Pt 3

[Make sure to check out Part 1 of our story and Part 2 ]

Wes now had the ring, and the permission to marry me. 

I knew it was coming (ask my friends), just not sure when. 

So, after waiting so long knowing Wes had a ring and the permission, it became a waiting game. 

On November 14 2009, Wes and I went on a trip to Niagra Falls (we had done this a few times beforehand so it wasn't anything out of the blue). 

We took me to a place overlooking the falls and I could see he was nervous but I just figured it was stress at work. 

It was really cold on this day, so I remember putting my hands in his sweater pocket and him acting very strange (apparently I had almost found the ring on him). 

As soon as I saw him get down on one knee (he had done so while I was turned away), I knew what was happening.  I was so excited I didn't really even let him finish his sentence. 

Afterwards, we went to the top of the Skylon Tower (basically it's like the CN tower but in Niagra), and had a beautiful candlelight dinner in the revolving restaurant while looking over the lit up falls. 

We were so excited that we were really at this next step (it had seemed like a very long time). 

We had a long engagement (a year and a half), but again, I was only 18 at the time he asked me to marry him so it was good that the engagement was long. 

Near the end of the engagement, we were busy planning the wedding and going to the wonderful showers our friends and family had planned for us (and of course- the bachelorette and bachelor parties).



If anybody has planned a wedding, you know it can be a bit stressful. 

Now write exams up until the day before your wedding... this was my life.

I rushed from my final exam straight to the wedding reception. 

We didn't have a firm place to stay until the day of our wedding (talk about stressful and having to let God take care of the details).

We didn't care though. 

We were finally going to get married.

The Story of Us- Pt 2

[For those of you who missed the first part to the story on how Wes and I met check it out here]

So now it was official- Wes and I were dating.

Now dating when you are 14 is different than dating when you are 20. 

But for me- this was a big step. 

As I said before, I wasn't much to date- Wes was my first real boyfriend- so when I started dating a boy who lived 40 minutes away (and nether of us could drive) it posed a bit of a problem.

Luckily for us, Wes had a sister.

Many times, I would "visit Em" but in all reality it wasn't Emily I was visiting (though it was still nice to see her as well!)

Our parents have a huge part in our story, as for years it was them who drove us back and forth every weekend. 

We would spend each weekend with each other, rarely missing a Saturday of seeing each other (except for the odd occasion).

One week, my parents got tired of driving us and told me that I would have to find my own way there this week or just not go (thinking that of course the only logical thing would be to skip the week). 

Instead, both Wes and I decided that we would bike to see each other. 

So there I was 6 am on a July morning, biking to Brantford (about 40 km for those who aren't familiar with the area).  Wes and I met up halfway and continued back to Brantford together.  It was fun and challenging all at the same time (we had a lazy day otherwise- watched alot of movies and tv). 

We councilled together at camp the following Summer (2007), making sure that we kept the whole "Febreeze and Flip Dating" thing on the downlow for the kids (our camp names).

Wes has always been somebody who can make me laugh, and who is able to cheer me up on bad days.

[Take this for instance: One day (in 2006) we were talking about how Wes should write me a poem to show me how much he loved me- This is what he came up with :

I was fiddling around with my flute

When I was stopped by someone so cute.

She said hey young man, wanna smoochie?

I said not from you , you friggin hoochie.

She had a cough and cleared her throat.

She said young man I ought to slit your throat.

She gave me a look I couldn't resist.

I said hey hoochie I want to kiss.

After one kiss it turned to more ,

they will love eachother forever more

Love you Bre

From Me ( Wes ) haha u r not a hoochie though

Like I said, we aren't the most romantic couple ;)]

Wes and I continued dating, we went to each other's proms and semiformals as well as sporting events, etc.

After a while we started to talk about our future's and whether or not we were in this whole thing seriously or not.  We were. 

Wes bought my engagement ring right before my high school graduation.  We had looked at rings a bit beforehand just to show him what I liked and didn't like. 

I had two big things I needed Wes to have done before I would agree to spending my life with him:

1. He had to have a good paying job (not just part-time but a career job)

2. He had to ask my Dad's permission beforehand (I knew my Dad would be honest as to whether or not he thought Wes was the guy for me- which I knew he was)

In summer 2009, Wes and my Dad went out for dinner and he asked my father's permission to marry me.