Thursday, February 18, 2010

Lent


Hey everyone, I hope this beautiful Thursday finds you doing well. Anthony and I decided this year to observe Lent. We are not catholic and usually this is practiced by those who practice catholicism but since we are both really big Jesus followers we wanted to do this in rememberance of the 40 days before the crucifixition and give up something that was a sacrifice and use the time we would have eaten or done an activity to focus on our relationship with Jesus and having HIM search our hearts for things we could fix in our walks. It has already been powerful in just 24 hours.

Anthony decided to give up sleep. He is starting to get up at 5:30 am to spend his first hour of his day with Jesus in prayer or bible study. He said that his morning was powerful and God really showed him things that he could work on. I have a habit of eating at least one piece of dark chocolate a day and I love chocolate so much. I rarely go a day without having a piece of chocolate, chocolate cookies, chocolate flavor or something relating to chocolate. I count it as a piece of my mental health. Well, I guess you have concluded that I indeed gave up chocolate for 40 days! I am so excited to see how God uses this time for us to make us better. I am always looking to be a better Christ Follower.

I will keep the blog updated on our journey through Lent and what God does with it! Should be moving and enlightening!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Winter...even now in death...

Today is not just president's day in the Lewis house. It would have been Jamie's Due date. February 15th is a bittersweet day for Anthony and myself. It is bitter for obvious reasons but sweet because no matter what, we were parents. We valued every second of the weeks that Jamie was able to be alive. We realize that without me, he never was able to be alive but we are able to accept that now and know that although it was hard, we know that God still loves us and has our best interest at heart. Anthony and I are starting a tradition on this day of having a special dinner in honor of our little one. As I laid in bed, this song came to mind. I pray that I can continue to feel this way through my grief process and the movement to one day try again. Thank you all so much for your support through this and I would appreciate your prayers for continued healing over our hearts.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Just to make you aware


I know a lot of you are readers like myself so I thought I would use the blog to let you know that Paper Back Swap
is opening up a Market where you can buy books at a very reduced price. Also, I use Paper Back Swap on a regular basis to get rid of books that I have already read in exchange for points where I can get books I would like to read. They are allowing members to use not only cash to buy books at a very reduced price but also use a combonination of your points and cash to get books even cheaper. I love books on the cheap so I completely recommend you head on over and become a member of Paper Back Swap. It's free for membership and as you add books to your page, you get points to spend. If you have any questions, let me know. I would be glad to help you navigate their program. It has been a great asset to me.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

And the Winners are....

Hey everyone, sorry it has been a few days and I haven't posted the winners of the giveaway yet. We have had the flu bug in our house and dealing with a few family issues so this is my first chance to announce my three winners of the 500th post giveaway...and the winners are....

Princessica, Terra, and Courtney

I am so glad that you are enjoying the blog and look foward to more giveaways on the blog. Here is what I need from the winners, please email me personally at mrsericalewis@hotmail.com and give me your mailing address. Thanks everyone for entering and keep posted for more coming up on Ericaland!

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Down but not Out


Many of you who follow my blog have heard that today my husband lost his job. There has been a lot going on with his job lately and it seems like every day there is something else going on there that causes problems. Thirteen out of the sixteen techs that work at his yard are being disciplined regarding their new "standards" so there is clearly something wrong. Anthony has received tons of emails regarding the quality of his work and has a lot to stand on in fighting this termination. For now, he is NOT officially terminated as he chose to take his rights today and take some sick days and file for stress leave. We are trying to deal with this using the labor union but it is really stressful on us as he is the major bread winner in our home. I make money but not nearly enough to provide for us.


We are trying our best to trust God with what we need so we would really appreciate if you all could be in prayer for us if you are praying people! Thanks for all of your love and support through this. I will keep you posted as best I can.
**Make sure and enter our giveaway***

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Dreams.


**Small reminder, if you have not entered the blog giveaway for the 500th post...read the next post down and get to entering. You have several chances to win if you do all of the things that I have listed. There will be a few prizes so get cracking. They are well worth your entries! Deadline is Saturday February 6,2010**


I have been thinking a lot about dreams lately. I don't mean the kind where a half dressed Jamie Foxx comes to you and asks you to massage him with hot oil. (Wait, you don't dream that too?) I mean the kind of dreams that you have when you are a little girl to get married and have a family. The kinds of dreams you have as a college student to change the world through your career. The kinds of dreams you have as a writer to write the Great American Novel. Those kinds of dreams.


Lately I have realized that a lot of my dreams have come true. It's hard to see that when you are in the middle of a loss of a dream or when you are going through challenging times. I have come to the conclusion that a ton of my dreams are now a reality. I thought it would be a good idea today to write a post about fulfilled dreams. Here is a list of dreams that I had that are now a reality and then a list of dreams that are still yet to be fulfilled but I have high hopes for:


Dreams that are fulfilled:



  1. I moved out of the state of Indiana and made a life for myself elsewhere.

  2. I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology.

  3. I married the man of my dreams.

  4. I graduated with my Masters in Clinical Psychology.

  5. I got a job in my field as a therapist in private practice.

  6. I am teaching in the field of psychology (college level)

  7. I live a happy life.

Dreams yet to be:



  1. I still dream of having at least one child.

  2. I dream of getting into shape and being at a healthy weight.

  3. I dream about being a college professor (full time)

  4. I dream about having a full caseload of clients in my practice.

  5. I dream about writing a book.

  6. I dream about getting that book published.

  7. I dream about going to all 50 states and seeing noteworthy sites.

  8. I dream about visiting Italy & France.

  9. I dream about learning how to ballroom dance with Anthony.

  10. I dream about having a succssful work and private blog.

  11. I dream about being able to own a house.

  12. I dream of owning a Mustang.

  13. I dream of being debt free.

  14. I dream of playing softball on a regular basis again.

  15. I dream of celebrating 20 years married by having a wedding ceremony since we did not when we got married.

I am sure I can come up with several more dreams and I think this will be an unending post as I journey through life. I am curious...what are your dreams????!!!



Tuesday, February 02, 2010

It's a bird, It's a plane, It's the 500th Post!

Ok so here we are at the 500th post of Ericaland. Today, I thought I would open up the blog for its first ever giveaway. So here is the deal...if you are a reader of Ericaland you have until February 6, 2010 to enter the giveaway. The first thing you need to do is Answer the giveaway question which is....

What do you enjoy about Ericaland?

There are ways to get yourself more entries into the contest and here is how...

  1. Sign on to follow my blog and let me know in the comments if you do or write me a comment and say "I already follow you" if you do.
  2. Sign on as a follower of my work blog at http://www.fullhappyhealthylife.blogspot.com/ and let me know you did in the comments section or comment and say "I already follow you" if you do.
  3. Refer one friend to each blog (Ericaland and the work blog) and receive an entry for each friend you refer who signs up. Let me know who you referred so I can give you your extra entries.

Remember the more entries you have the more likely you are to win the giveaway since each entry will equal one piece of paper with your name on it in the hat!!!! I will be choosing a few winners too so get to it...enter enter enter!

Have a lovely day and let the games begin!!!

Monday, February 01, 2010

Enjoying life regardless


Yes, it is post #499! I am so excited that the next post I write will be 500 posts. What a benchmark for having a blog for a LONG time. It feels good to be back writing on a consistent basis. Today I am writing about something I am learning to do...enjoy life regardless what is going on in it.


This morning I was reminded that this life is full of struggles, pain, and heartache but it really is about how we take it that makes all of the difference. My life over the past 29+ years has been full of tough stuff (losing those I love tragically, illness, family issues, etc...) and from what I can tell you...it makes so much difference in what you believe about life. Me, I believe life is to be enjoyed. Not only have I found that various places in scripture but it just doesn't seem worth all of the pain and suffering that we choose to put ourselves through.


Lately I have been taking opportunities to really enjoy life. I was doing a lot of worrying recently due to our financial status as well as Anthony's job seeming to always be in peril, my need to build a caseload, my diabetes being an issue, losing the baby, family having problems in various areas, etc.. and it was taking over my life. I would wake up just wishing to go back to sleep instead of having to face the day and it's issues. That my friends is called depression. I do NOT want to live my life is in this state of mind.


So here is the decision I made. I will not stop grieving what hurts. I will not act as if everything is peachy when it isn't but I will completely realize that everything that is bad is usually followed by a hundred things that are absolute blessings in life. Examples....


We never have enough money for everything we should have money for.....but I have a husband who works so hard and loves me every single day. I have all the love anyone could want.


I lost my first child in a very traumatic miscarriage ....but I have the ability to get pregnant and there is no permanent damage to me and I had the beautiful experience of being pregnant where as some do not have that ability.


I have diabetes and my whole life revolves around it...but I am alive and have lived through years of not taking care of myself properly. I have gotten 2nd, 3rd, and even 100th chances. :)


There are a million of these things I could do with every complaint I come up with. Again, I think it's so important to be honest about your feelings and truly grieve things but once you have done that...pick yourself up and realize that this life happens ONCE...so enjoy every second of it that you can.


Also, the main thing I am learning is not to let these seemingly huge issues really steal the joy of life and the things that mean the most....love, family, and passions/dreams. I am not going to let it steal mine. I hope you don't either.