Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Amazon Shopping

As my husband and I continue to build our store which is going quite well, we decided to see how else we could build our financial house to be as healthy as possible.  As new business owners, many of you may understand that a new business is constantly re-investing in itself in order to build the firm foundation to last for many years which means that the owners often supplement their income from their business in order to build the business properly.

We have a found a way that we can help to supplement our income.  Many of you already shop on Amazon.  If you take a few moments to click through the link below each time you go to shop on Amazon, then we receive a referral credit.  Those small credits add up.  It does not change your cost at all, only helps us by clicking through this specific link each time you go to shop on Amazon.  Would you mind bookmarking this post and clicking through our page to Amazon?






Or by clicking this link - http://amzn.to/1OxJhAL.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Book Review - The Fragment by Davis Bunn

When I picked up Davis Bunn's latest book, I was looking forward to it, but I wondered how in the world was he going to top my favorite series of his.  As I began the story of young Muriel Ross, an amateur American Photographer, I wondered what twists and turns lay ahead of me.  More people began to be introduced - the U.S. Senator Tom Bryan, Charles the private secretary to the Interior Minister, as well as many others.  Who has a genuine heart for the mission that begins to unfold?  And who has ulterior motives?

As Davis begins weaving the story of adventure, passion, and faith, you will be truly emmersed in this latest wonderful read from him.  I once again give it a 5 star review.  But then again, what do you expect from the Gentleman Adventurer!?!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Franciscan Media in exchange for my honest review.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Pregnacy and Loss

It is sometimes hard for a woman to break her silence.  Stastically, one in four women will miscarry; however, I have to wonder if that number is much higher.

Marc and I were thrilled to find out that we were expecting our first child within a couple of months of being married.  We had been married 5 weeks when I got pregnant.  As my body began to change and adapt to carrying our little one, I realized there is such a joy of being a Mommy.  Hearing my husband pray over our little one, seeing his connection to our unborn child, and his tenderness to me was amazing.  Beginning the process of finding maternity clothes, finding a midwife, and telling close friends and family.  Those special memories.  I will never forget that quiet morning when we found out I was pregnant either.

But a few short weeks later, I would go to bed with a headache after having a good day only upon waking to start spotting shortly after.  The spotting turned to cramping and bleeding and soon the loss of our first child.  Marc and my dad were working on our bulk food health food store, so they were an hour away as we had not yet moved to our new home near the store.  They rushed home as soon as things began to happen.

I will never forget the way I wanted to hold onto our child...to keep our baby safe inside.  The honest frustration of wondering "Why God?  We wanted our baby."  And knowing that so many families don't want their child, yet we did.  The physical pain of labor yet knowing there was no reward on the other end only loss.  So there were tears mixed with the pain of labor.

Our baby was born in the wee hours of the night on September 9th.  To see his amazing little body...only 13 weeks along.  At 13 weeks of age, you could see his little eyes, his nose, his mouth, his ears, his ribs, his toes, his fingers, his spine...what amazing detail of design of our Heavenly Father.  And, yes, we could tell it was a son.  We named him Chalmer Obed.  Our blessing born directly into our Heavenly Father's arms to serve and worship Him.  Hence his name which means son who serves God.

While the pain and emotions were great and personal, may I please encourage any ladies reading this to please do not forget this affects your husbands too.  They lost their child, they worried about your health, and they are concerned about you and your emotions.  So while they may come across as the strong one, they hurt too.

Many people hesitate to share of a pregnancy until further along, but I'm so glad we did.  We could pick up the phone and tell close friends and family, and they could be there to support us, cry with us, and hug us.  Almost every woman I told either had had a miscarriage herself or had a sister or mother who had one.  While I knew of miscarriages, I never realized how prevalent they are until we had one.

According to a Huffington Post Article, "Research consistently finds that women who have experienced a miscarriage feel that the responses of friends and family minimize the significance of the event and are dissatisfied with the support they receive."  Why is this?  I believe it is because we are taught that a miscarriage is shameful thing by our society.  It is kept hush hush, and that is not the truth!!!  God gave a life to you for a reason, a precious little one even if only to treasure for a few short weeks or days.  We need to as a people of faith stop and realize that each child is a life.

Personally, I found that the women who took the time to say, "I'm so sorry."  "I've been there, and I remember the pain of the loss.  You will never forget nor stop loving your child; the pain just gets better over time."  "Take time for you and your husband to heal."  "I had 2 miscarriages (or 1 or 3...fill in the number blank) before I had my first child here on earth." were so helpful.  I appreciated the people who weren't afraid to talk about our little one with us and acknowledge his life.

Even the term, miscarriage sounds like you might have done something wrong.  Having to come to the point of realizing that you did nothing wrong...you did everything within your power to give life...but that somehow out of this Yahweh must have a plan is a point I had to come to.  Even though it has only been a few months, I have already had the opportunity to walk with a friend through their journey of loss...while my heart breaks for her, the ability to understand her pain was a blessing I believe to both of us.  Ecclesiates 4:9-10, 12 says "Two are better than one, in that their cooperative efforts yield this advantage: if one of them falls, the other will help his partner up - woe to him who is alone when he falls and has no one to help him up. Moreover, an attacker may defeat someone who is alone, but two can resist him; and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken."  That is the power of shared pain...we help strengthen each other.

So in closing, I will sumerize my point in writing this blog post...one, to share what has happened in our personal life and to rejoice in Chalmer's life; two, to recognize that each life begins at conception; three, to acknowledge the pain of loss in miscarriage yet to realize Yahweh has a plan for our lives; and four, to encourage someone else who is going through or has been through this journey that it is okay to talk about it...be open about that precious life and your loss.   

Do not forget Yahweh's promise in Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away."  We all look forward to that day especially those of us who have precious little ones waiting for us there with our Heavenly Father.

Friday, July 10, 2015

An Update - finally!



It has been a long time since I have blogged on my blog, and a lot has happened in my life.  A lot of good.  :)  To begin with, Marc and I got married on May 17th.  We had a beautiful wedding surrounded by many loving and supportive family and friends.  You can see our wedding video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtvU5EF70ms&feature=share.  We are so happy married!  After our wedding, Marc and I went on our honeymoon to Hillsboro, Ohio where we stayed a luxury couple’s getaway cabin.  We enjoyed a very relaxing time as well as time exploring the local area.

I have my degree as a Naturopathic Doctor and enjoy working with clients our small on the farm shop. Which brings me to our next very exciting news!  We just signed the closing paperwork and now own a 2,000 square foot retail store.  We are planning for a September opening of Whitaker’s Farm Market.  We have a Deli, Bakery, Snacks, Bulk Foods, Locally Raised Meat, Natural Supplements, Healthy Food Choices, Honey, Maple Syrup, And so much more!  We are located at 7427 State Route 13, Bellville, OH 44813.  Our website is www.whitakersfarmmarket.com.  I will keep the blog updated as to when our grand opening will be and the exact timing of it. 

Tomorrow is my hubby’s birthday, so I’m looking forward to celebrating the day with him.  He is a special treasure, and I’m so glad Yahweh brought us together. 
So it is good to be back blogging which I plan to keep up once a week, Yahweh willing, from here on out. 

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Back to Blogging

I'm back! I have not been good about blogging here on my blog for the last few months once Marc and I really got into the wedding plans and preparing for our life as a married couple.

Well, the exciting news is that I am now Mrs. Marc Whitaker. :) We were married on May 17th in a beautiful ceremony that my dad, Terry Boutet, and Mike Clayton preformed. After that, we went on a week long honeymoon in the Hillsboro, Ohio area at a lovely couples cabin.

After returning home, we have gotten busy with our business which I will be writing more about soon. I will also be posting wedding pictures link in my next post.

In the meantime, Shabbat Shalom! And it is good to be back!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Registries

This past Friday, Marc and I did our registry at Bed, Bath, and Beyond which means that we have all three of our registries done!  You can check them out on our registry page.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Wedding Website

I have been working on our wedding website which you can see at www.marcandjocelin.com.  I have a lot of pictures up, our story of how we met, and about the proposal...and so much more!  Please be sure to check it out.  I will also be posting wedding blog updates there, so be sure to keep a check on that blog as well.