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Abigail "Abby" Grace Schaefer

Born: September 22, 2008
Died: January 24, 2016

 

 

Abigail Grace Schaefer
“Abby”
Auburn, Michigan
Our loving daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend was given her angel wings on Sunday January 24, 2016 at Covenant Health Care-Harrison in Saginaw, Michigan. Her final days were spent surrounded by her family that Abby had touched in some way throughout her short, yet very memorable life. Age 7 years. The daughter of Benjamin W. and Jessica M. (Miller) Schaefer was born September 22, 2008 in Saginaw, Michigan and had resided in Bay County all of her life. She was a member of Fraser Road Church of God and was a student in the second grade at Trinity Lutheran School of Monitor. She was an avid soccer and basketball player, enjoyed cheerleading and had a love for animals. Abby also enjoyed some quiet time where she enjoyed reading stories and especially joke books. With Abby’s passing we remind others that her life is one to be celebrated. Although we will miss her every day, especially her winning smile and her funny jokes. She will forever remain in our hearts.
Left behind to cherish Abby’s memories are her parents; Ben and Jessica, two brothers; Matthew and Josh Schaefer, her grandparents; Dan and Diane Schaefer of Rhodes and Karen and George Miller of Bay City, great grandparents; Camille Marek of Saginaw, Wayne Gurden of Owasso and Joan Epkey of Fowler, MI, several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
The family would like to extend a special thank you the staff at Covenant Health Care-Harrison for the kind and compassionate care they extended to Abby and her family during the time they cared for her.
A Celebration of Life Service will take place Friday, January 29, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. at Fraser Road Church of God (2755 Fraser Road, Kawkawlin, Michigan 48631). Officiating will be Rev. Rick Webb. The family will be present at the church on Friday to receive visitors from 2:00 p.m. until the time of service. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider a memorial to “The Wishes of the Family” for a memorial to be established in her memory at a later time.

 

 

 

Friday I went to the most difficult funeral in my life.

 

***

 

The month of January has a special place in me. Not just because it is the beginning of a new year. But it marks the anniversary of my salvation. January 2006 I was an insecure teenage girl who's spirit communed with her Heavenly Father for the first time. It has been ten years. Ten of the best years of my life.

 

This morning's message seemed very fitting to me. Joshua 4:1-9 talks about how God commanded Joshua to select twelve men from each of the twelve tribes to take a rock from the Jordan River and make a monument as a memorial of what God has done. A memorial for them and for future generations.

 

In these ten years have been amazing to say the least...trying to think of a way to illustrate it I find I am inadequate!

 

I can look back on those "memorials" in my life, my faith is deeper, and I am a stronger person.

 

He is faithful, merciful, patient.

 

He has been with me. He will never leave me.

 

I want to be a vessel. That's how I want to live. That's how I want to be remembered.

 

I'm Lauren and I'm His Daughter.   

 

With Our Heavenly Father

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2016/01/bay_county_girl_7_dies_days_af.html#incart_2box_news_bay-city

Please Pray

Please pray for sweet Abby Schaefer

I have had the pleasure of seeing this sweet little girl and her family Wednesday nights at Fraser Road Church of God's Children's Program "The Great Adventure", where I work in the craft room. I helped her and her younger brother do monkey bars at a birthday party and played ball with her.  Abby giggled all the while when the wind blew the ball in the wrong direction.

Friday night she hit by a vehicle while crossing a busy road after leaving a school basketball game. She has multiple serious injuries and has had surgery to relieve swelling on her brain and is currently in a fight for her life.

Father, you are a God of miracles and I believe that you can heal Abby and restore her to complete health.

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/115wj0/ab/85SLb3
https://www.facebook.com/Community-for-Abby-Schaefer-882470248537618/timeline

 

My Week, Workout Routine, and Why I Lift!

This has been a pretty good week. I stayed home more than I have been lately. We had Aaron's family over not once but twice this week. It  was really nice!

One of my dreams in high school was to have a huge house so I could have a lot of people over. This was one of those dreams that you have that is just stashed into the back of your head, more like a fantasy than something that you can actually plan to make come true. God knows my dreams and He decided that this one could come true!

Saturday I sat at the end of our extended table completely surrounded by loved ones and conversations and laughter. I was caught up in the moment for a few seconds as I felt this huge smile come to my face and this feeling of love swell up inside of me. That was it. That was my dream fulfilled that night. God is so good to me for giving me blessings that I don't deserve.

I'm now able to do my 20 minutes with Jillian no problem. Including a full minute of bicycle crunches. I breeze through it. Unfortunately I damaged my wrist and can't go onto level 2 because they do a lot of plank positions. For the level 1 push-ups I do plyometric push-ups off if the wall. Until my wrist heals properly I increase and add more weight as possible. I gotta challenge myself somehow.

For anyone who wants a good well rounded workout I highly suggest the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels.

 

 

 

 

 

The last time I lost weight I just cut back on bad foods and walked and ran on the treadmill. I wasn't toned all that much. My focus was to be skinny. This time I am focusing on overall health, increasing my endurance. My focus really isn't skinny. I want to be healthy. 

 

Something I am doing differently than the last time is lifting weights. Wow! It is so empowering! A few months ago I put on Facebook that I was lifting weights and a friend from high school commented about it raising your BMR, your basal metabolic rate the amount of energy expended while at rest. The higher your muscle mass the more calories you burn. Your body is burning calories while repairing the micro-tears you make in your muscle when you lift as well.

 

And something is also strange to me I am staying the same weight but getting leaner. I concluded that my fat vs. muscle ratio is changing because muscle does weigh more than fat. Hopefully it will all sort itself out but in the mean time I just gotta keep on keeping.

 

I found a channel on YouTube called FitnessBlender. This husband and wife team provide several different routines and information. I posted a video that I often use below. I like them because if I can type in the search whatever kind of routine or method I want and chances are they have something that matches what I want. 



 

 

 

 

I used to think that ladies who lifted weight became those overly tanned models in ugly bikinis sporting their odd physique obviously the result of supplementing with artificial quackery. But I was wrong. When I did some research I found a website that gave me some very satisfying information.

From: Why Women Should Lift Weights  
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/why-women-should-lift-weights.html

Metabolism and muscles: First, and perhaps most cogent, is the effect that lifting weights has on fat loss. The more muscle a woman has, the more calories she will burn at rest. So, basically, muscles speed up your metabolism, resulting in more effective fat loss.
Bone health: Many studies have shown that lifting weights regularly can increase bone density. Those of us in our 20s and 30s don't think about this often, but someday you will. And won't you be so proud of yourself that you lifted weights and cared for your bone density before you even knew you needed to?
Hormones: Most women simply do not possess the level of testosterone necessary to support a bulky physique. Furthermore, any woman who does have a massively muscular physique is probably supplementing with hormones. While we all have different genetics, and some of us are prone to having more muscle density than others, as a general rule you have to train for bulk to get bulk.
Ask any bodybuilder and they will tell you that gaining muscle isn't easy. You won't turn into a she-hulk just because you perform squats with your body weight, but you will end up with a righteous backside.
Training model: Along those same lines as genetics, the way you train will play a significant role in determining how your body develops. Hypertrophy (increased bulk) is not as easy as you might think, and most bodybuilders work incredibly hard to make sure their training program supports maximum muscle growth in as short a time span as possible.

So, those are some of the reasons why I do what I do. Hope you have a good week y'all!

You know it when you find it.

Holiday Highlights

Holiday Highlights

• Being with family
• Helping Aaron pick out his gifts for his two sisters and our niece.
• Watching “A Christmas Story” with my family
• Getting another season of Hogan’s Heroes for Logan
• Spending time with the Pennsylvania Cooks
• Having not one but TWO “Monk dates” with Amy and Julie
• Getting stuck in their driveway, then with Julie driving Amy and I pushed my van out of a hole.
• Brian reading to Austin
• A trip to Chen’s Buffet and Hobby Lobby with Mom Cook, my sisters and nieces

2015 was the best year I have had. I have grown and learned. God has brought me through.