14 Pounds Lighter, Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually!

The Weight Watchers weekly meetings have been very helpful. It feels so good to be 14 pounds lighter. My clothes are fitting better, and I can picture myself much slimmer. The more pounds I loose, the more self-control I have. Accountability is the key for me from the weekly meetings as well as, from God. The daily time in His Word and prayer has made a huge difference. I am also planning on walking two 5Ks. One of them in June, while visiting N.C.

Angela is working hard as an orphan in the Orphan choir, of "Annie", a Christian Youth Theater production. She attends dress rehearsals daily. She will be in two shows a day starting on Thursday and lasting until Sunday, with a total of 8 shows. I have really admired her ability to stick to this and in some ways, reminds me of the Weight Loss mountain that I am climbing right now. Tough at times, beyond my comfort level at times, but incredibly worth it. Angela's rewards are lots of new friends, that she is getting to know, like family, and the confidence of working hard at something and seeing it through. Not to mention the ability to sit quietly for hours at a time, as she waits for her parts in the production.

I too am making friends at my Weight Watcher meetings, and deepening friendships while on walks with friends, instead of lunch dates. Loosing weight has also given me more energy to work on de-cluttering our home, and more time with friends and family.

Christina is finally finding her way, and is making new friends and spending time with old friends. Our relationship has improved so much. She is working hard at Cheer, and has just finished her track season at school. She spends a lot more time on her homework, and is happier all around. She attend Fellowship of Christian Athletes weekly and has been so inspired by the movie, "Soul Surfer". She is also reading her devotionals daily and applying what she has learned. Our family time is so much more peaceful.

Stan loves his job and is starting to travel overseas. We are thankful that the trips are short, and we get to see him, much more than when we lived in South Africa. He even has every other Friday off, which is such a blessing. He has installed new windows in most of the upstairs and has started refinishing our basement in his spare time.

We are so glad to reunite with our KC friends and family and to make new ones.

So, yes, I am feeling lighter, physically, emotionally and spiritually! How blessed I am and how thankful I am to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for without Him, I would be nothing.

Today is the Day!

Yesterday, April 26, 2011, I joined Weight Watchers. I had to ask myself, what is different now? Why would this attempt at losing weight and getting fit work for good this time? What must I do differently?

I knew that the missing element was prayer and time with God, and asking for His help. So I prayed about it and the Lord put a friend's name to my attention, Kim M., from N.C. So I obeyed Him and contacted her.

Kim is such a Godly Woman and a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. She also works for Weight Watchers as a leader. I told her my plan to join Weight Watchers and to also include God in this goal of getting fit and feeling better. She was very excited for me and encouraging, but also told me that she had just started a bible study using the book, "How People Change", by Paul Tripp.

Their goal was to be more aware of food and fitness. They also had a goal of doing a 5K together in June. Since our family was planning to visit in June, I asked if I could be part of it. She agreed to include me in the study via e-mails, Skype, etc. and also to try and coordinate the 5K with the group, at the same time I would be visiting.

Only God could have prompted me to call Kim, and knew the exact timing on this study and how much I needed it to succeed at lifetime weight loss and fitness.. How could I think that I could do anything without God's help? Why must I always be reminded of this fact?

So yesterday, April 26, 2011, marked the first day of a new beginning. Feel free to come along this journey with me. I need all the help and encouragement that I can get!

Shilling- 1 1/2 years in review-South Africa July 2010

I cannot believe that it has been almost a year and a half, since The Shilling Family arrived in South Africa. We have had some wonderful opportunities to go on many family vacations throughout South Africa and abroad. Although Stan works 10 hour plus days, he is always home on the weekends to spend time with our family.

Here is a summary of our trips/events:

Feb. 2009 Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa (family)

May 2009 Pilanesberg, 1st game drive, South Africa (family)

June 2009 Italy (family)

July 2009 Paulette & Stan's 20th wedding anniversary, South Africa

July 2009 Sugar Bay Camp, Durban, South Africa (Christina)

July 2009 Mauritius (family)

October 2009 St Lucia/Durban, South Africa (family w/Stan's sister, Lillian)

Sept. 2009 Daddy/Daughter Bush trip with Church, South Africa (Stan and Christina)

November 2009 Cape Town, South Africa (family)

November 2009 Cats' Broadway Show, South Africa (family)

December 2009 Pilanesberg game drives (family w/Paulette's Mom and Auntie Jean)

December 2009 Cinderella on Ice Show (family w/Paulette's Mom and Auntie Jean)

January 2010 Christina starts Private neighborhood South African school

February 2010 Underberg (Drakensberg Mountains), Lake House, South Africa (family)

March 2010 Daddy/Daughter, Madikwe, South Africa, Eco-Bush Camp, Game Drives, (Stan & Angela). No running water or electricity.

March 2010 Elephant Sanctuary, South Africa (family with our visitors, Dwain and Cindy Camp)

April 2010 Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, South Africa (family)

June/July 2010 Kansas, U.S.A.

July 2010 Angela starts private neighborhood South African school

July 2010 Daddy/Daughter weekend Bush trip, South Africa, with Church (Stan & Christina)

Additional Planned trips/events for 2010

August 2010 Kruger area, South Africa with more game drives (family)

October 2010 Garden Route, Western Cape, South Africa (family)

October 2010 Mama Mia Broadway Show, South Africa (family)

December 2010 Return to the U.S. to live. Goodbye South Africa, we will miss you!

Since we live in a rented house here in South Africa , Stan is no longer busy doing home maintenance and improvements. No ponds to dig, no leaves to clear, etc. Our house rental includes a weekly gardener and for a nominal fee, a 5 day a week, domestic worker.

Every day observations from a friend

An American friend of mine works here in South Africa and wrote about what she sees as she drives to work and back every day. I thought this was excellent and worth the read to get a glimpse of what life is like here in South Africa from a different perspective.

Top Things I see going to work and coming home everyday.
Sept. 11, 2009 from a friend

10. I see the same little African boy walking with his Mom to work, trying to keep up everyday. He is maybe only 3 at the most and his Mama keeps moving to get to work on time. So he runs, runs and then he has to walk a bit. But he never stops and he never cries, he just keeps going until he catches up with her.

9. I see little girls at the traffic lights with their moms. They have paper cups to fill with coins. Braids in their little heads and dirty mismatched clothes. The bad part is the exhaust pipes on the trucks are just the height of their little faces so they get blown in the face with exhaust all day long.

8. I see women walking to work in their high heel shoes, you know they were hand me downs from someone that had 1/2 size bigger or smaller than the right fit for her. The shoes are dusty as they walk in the dirt on the side of the road. The poor blisters that will be there by the time she gets to work and then has to turn and walk the same way home.

7. The guy with the pink and purple jacket. I have to chuckle when I see this guys, but he loves that jacket because it is the only one he has.

6. The babies on the back, and the bags on the head. It is amazing to me how much a African mom can carry. They wrap the babies probably up to 18 months with bath towels around their bodies. they carry bags in their hands and then will balance another on their heads. Now that is one strong woman!

5. The guys in the back of the trucks. The construction companies or any manual labor seeking workers and will pick up guys and let them in the back of a truck, They will sit on the edges, they will squeeze in tight so their friends don't to have to walk. And maybe they will end up someplace they can make a little money. I have seen Africans that looked as tall as my husband all jammed up sitting in traffic and know they are not even close to their destination.

4.. The guys that pass out the fliers (advertisements) on the side of the road. Well I can't say I always take a flier because I am just not sure it is always smart to roll down my window, but I do always smile, wave and say no thank you. But I see the disgusted looks on their faces of the people who are rude and ignore them or say something rude to them. They always smile when I smile.

3. My fruit salesman that sells fruit outside our complex. This guy makes me laugh every time I see him. He is a really hard worker. I always pay him a little extra and he always tries to give it back. When you can buy 7 beautiful fresh Papayas for the equivalent of $2 bucks, I feel like I can at least can give the guy .50 for his trouble! What a nice guy and he always responds with Thank you Mommy! Even though I am not his momma!

2. And on my way out I see our gardener, swiping his card to come and tend to the garden. I think that our domestic worker, makes him some tea and bread before he starts his work. But every morning I try to wave, but our gardener, is what I would call a little skew. Don't know if he is looking at me or not. But even though he never waves, I still wave every morning I see him just in case one of those eyes is looking my way.

1. And every morning as I am pulling out of the drive I see our domestic worker, running out the door yelling Mommy, Mommy, you forgot your cell phone or you forgot your coffee, or you forgot your laptop. I would forget my brain if it were not for her! One morning I tried to walk outside with my fluffy lamb slippers, lucky she did not let me get in the car that day. I never have been much of a morning person.

Have a good day, and be thankful for where you are and who you are. Best Wishes

September Reflections

Angela feeding one of the Lipizzaners after the show. These horses originated in Austria and were transported years ago to South Africa, near where we live in the Kyalami area.




The Lipizzaners Show & Welsh Male Voice Choir. I loved the horses and Stan loved the choir.




Angela during her first horseback riding lesson. This stable is actually close to where the Lipizzaners train and show.






Angela at a cooking birthday party. She loved it.

Reflections from Paulette


I cannot believe that it is already September. We have been here in South Africa almost 7 months now. I never thought I would feel so comfortable driving around town on the, "other side of the road". When making a turn, instead of right on right, it's left on left..... You have to re-train your brain. I will need to re-train my brain again when I return to the U.S. or I will be having some near misses.....

It's springtime here (remember the seasons are opposite from the U.S.) and it will be close to 90 degrees today. Spring does not last very long.

Picnics are a huge deal here. It is not difficult to find a reason to gather people together outside with food. Just last night we met our church small group at the park overlooking one of our beautiful ponds in our community. We were the only Americans there and sometimes, the South Africans would start speaking "African" to each other and realize that we did not understand a word they were saying. It sounds a lot like Dutch, but still very foreign to us.

The slow down of the economy is felt all the way over here in South Africa. People are struggling everywhere, it does not matter where you live. On a happy note, we are excited about our up and coming visitors. Stan's sister Lillian and husband Alan will be here at the end of this month for 2 weeks, and my Mom and Auntie Jean will be here in December for 2 1/2 weeks to spend Christmas with us. Lillian will be celebrating her birthday here as well as My Mom. Lots of special memories.

Christina's 12th Birthday Memories with her family

Christina blows out her B-day candles after we returned home from dinner. Her favorite Black Forest cake. Angela is in the background.


Christina tried on the family birthday hat. This hat must be worn at some point during your birthday.


Christina eats homemade gnocchi with red sauce at Boscos, an Italian Restaurant. For those that do not know what Gnocchi is, small pastas with potatoes in it. Major carb loading....:)


Christina goes to the spa after school on her birthday. She has one lady doing her pedicure and one lady giving her a facial. She also got a manicure. After that, Stan met us for dinner.


This is Christina on her way to school on her birthday. She wore a tiara at school. She got a lot of attention. Some high School boys said, "Hey Princess", when they passed her in the hall (her middle school is on the same campus as the high school). After that she took the tiara off.

Mom's reflection: Where did the time go? It seemed like only yesterday that I had an emergency C-section in a hospital in Dhahran, Saudi Arabic. Christina was born in 1997, the same time that Princess Di died. I remember the nurses all standing around the TV in my hospital room watching the news. She was the only non-Arab baby in the baby viewing room. I should of known then, that she would always stand out. She was also born 2 days before my birthday. I continue to say that she was the best birthday present I ever rec'd.

I remember friends visiting me in my hospital room for my birthday bringing gifts, balloons, etc. and all I could think about was, how much pain I was in from the surgery and wondering when my next dose of pain medicine was coming (I had some complications, after the delivery).

The end of August records many worldly happenings such as Princess Di's death, Hurricane Katrina (on my exact birthday), and Michael Jackson's birth (the same day and year, I was born). But the most important (to my memory) was the day I had our first child, Christiana Grace Shilling. A heritage from the Lord!

Stan and I waited 7 years for Christina to come into this world. Before then, we were both focused more on ourselves then others. God brought us to Saudi Arabia, to change our hearts, and grow us in Christ. He was preparing Stan and I to be parents (thank goodness for that).

Many of our friends had children already and their children were even in elementary school by the time we had our first child. Our friends, told us that, "children would change our lives (which scared us at the time)." Little did we know that having a child would be one of the biggest blessings in our lives (the other blessing was having our second child, Angela which is another story).

Christina is 12 now and becoming more and more independent every day and depending on Stan and I less and less. We are now her life coaches, guiding her as she makes many of her own decisions. My helicopter Mom tactics have had to cease and I have landed my helicopter. I now stand on the landing pad and praying for Christina and her heart. I pray that she will grow closer to the Lord, and seek Him as she goes through her day. I pray that she will have a servant's heart and focus on Jesus rather then herself. Stan and I learned that later in life, but we hope and pray that Christina will always have her best friend Jesus by her side and will turn to him during the storms of life.

Stan and I have started praying together every day again and most of our prayers these days are focused on Christina and her heart for others. It is so easy for pre-teens to focus on their outer beauty with all the media messages that present themselves as well the modeling from some of their peers. We pray for Christina's inner beauty and that others can see that as well. We pray that Christina's faith would be her own and not her parent's. A lasting faith that stays with her throughout her life.

We thank God for Christina and her life. God has big plans for Christina. Stan and I continue to stand at the helicopter pad and pray, offering guidance, whenever we can, with hopes that it will be accepted more times then it is ignored.

Mauritius Memories and other Shilling Updates

We just returned from a relaxing week in Mauritius, an Island country close to Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. We were the only Americans there at the resort. Most of the guests were either from India or Europe. The employees at the resort spoke mostly French and some English. We arrived Saturday early evening, and settled in.

On Sunday morning, I ventured out onto the volcanic reef and walked out quite far. I was taking in the beauty and lost my footing and fell. I ended up scraping up my leg. My leg was bleeding quite a bit, so I decided to walk back through the sea which was about knee deep. I was still enjoying the beauty of it all and noticed some beautiful blue sea urchins on the coral beds in the waters. I must of taken my eyes off of, where I was walking for a minute and stepped on a sea urchin. Two of the spines went right through my pool shoe and into my bottom of my foot. At first I did not realize what I had done, but soon figured it out. I managed to walk on my foot all that day and by the evening, it was really hurting (I found out later that the spines go deeper into the bottom of your foot, the longer they are in there).

I limped to the hotel infirmary (first aid room) and the attendant there said that the two spines had to come out and that if they stayed in, it would become infected. By that time it was too painful to pull them out without a local injection in my foot. The doctor was called and arrived at my hotel room about 9:45pm that night. He had to inject two very painful injections into the bottom of my foot to numb it so he could pull the two spines out.

What a relief to get the spines out of my foot. I had to stay out of the water for 24 hours and once I could go back in, I stayed by the pool and enjoyed the sea from a distance. The last day I went hunting for shells with the girls in the sea after I got my nerve back.

A few days later Stan got stung by a yellow wasp after telling Angela that if you do not bother them, they will not bother you. I mean seconds after he said that a wasp landed right on Stan's neck and stung him. He ran to the infirmary and had it treated. You should of seen the welt on his neck. I think we were on a first name basis at the hotel infirmary. They were probably mumbling under their breaths, "those crazy Americans"... :)

In spite of my foot and Stan's neck, we still had a lovely relaxing time. We never left the hotel grounds. Stan did his daily jogs and I worked out in the pool with my Aqua Jogger belt doing my deep water exercises. I read 3 books while I was there and Stan read a book as well. It was good to see him relaxing. The kids had a blast. They went snorkeling off of a glass bottom boat, went for a ride in an inflatable boat pulled by a power boat, canoeing, and they spent a lot of time in the tide pools formed by all of the volcanic rocks finding lots of treasures. Angela did some solo dancing on the dance floor that overlooked the pool and both girls did a lot of pool swimming. The food was all inclusive, so all we needed to do was remember what time was breakfast, lunch and dinner. 7 days of this. :)

The girls start school in a few days. I think we are all ready to get back to our routines. It is almost Spring in South Africa and everything is staring to bloom. I love to watch the bright yellow weaver birds weave their nests in a tree outside our kitchen window. They are busy birds.

Christina will be in her first ice skating competition here in South Africa at the end of Sept. Stan and I went on a wonderful date last night to a live theater and also a wonderful restaurant before the show. We received complementary tickets from the U.S. Consulate. I am now the American Society liaison for the American International School. It is my job to make sure that American families that are new to the American International School are aware of the American Society and have the necessary information to join. They have many American activities throughout the year for families, like Thanksgiving, 4Th of July, etc. I will also be volunteering at the Middle School with the school counselor helping her with many of the programs to encourage virtues, etc.

I cannot believe that we have been here for 6 months now. Time has gone by fast. I feel like I have lived here a lot longer then 6 months.

We are now settled into a church where the girls are happy in their Sunday school programs. Christina attends a Friday night youth group at our church and Stan and I are taking a Wed. night marriage enhancement class. that includes dinner. We are looking forward to getting to know the 15 other couples that will be there.