Catching Up

Wow, it's been almost a year since I posted anything on my blog. I guess I am better at reading blogs than writing them :)

What has happened over the last year?

• I still have the same job - my old record is 3 years and this one is at 2 1/2 right now!
• I started college - I really had no idea how tough it would be to be a full time college student while working full time and raising kids. I know, I'm naive but I didn't think it would be this hard
• I've traveled for work to: Wisconsin, Chicago (a lot!), North Carolina, Reno NV, St Louis MO, Omaha NE, and Kansas
• I've traveled for fun to: Mesa, AZ (for a baby shower and wedding), LA for Dodgers games, Bozeman MT (and Yellowstone), and Rome Italy (that's another post all together)
• Had PRK surgery on my eyes and have been free of glasses since March 15, 2007!

Overall things are pretty good. We are all healthy and life is going well.

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I got it!

I finally got it! What is "it"? A realization that I don't want to be this way anymore. I don't want to be this heavy, unmotivated, tired and FAT!

I am doing something about it, because it is what I want to do. Not to impress anyone else, but because I have had enough. I am working out 3x per week at Curves and following the Curves Weight Management Program. Today is my first day and I have had 16 oz of Dr Pepper (I usually have 90-100 oz per day!) and 56oz of water (16 more to go!). The hardest part is eating so much food! I rarely eat, and when I do, it is junk. Soda, chocolate, crap... the usual. Now I am eating eggs and fruit and veggies and I am doing it! I am so excited! I will succeed!

The other thing I got back this weekend was my passion. I have been missing it so much! I found an organization that is doing amazing things in Henderson and I want to tell everyone I know about it so they can be part of this wonderful opportunity. (No, it's not Amway!) I found the Corps of Compassion. This organization is currently providing food to children at 4 Henderson schools who are on the free breakfast/lunch program and do not get food on the weekends. I had the privledge of handing out backpacks of food to kids at McCaw Elementary on Friday. It was the first day of this program at McCaw and the kids were so greatful! They were so excited to see this bag of food that was all for them! Afterwards, one of the teachers came up to us with tears in her eyes and thanked us for the bags of food.

We have to help this group! As a community, we cannot allow these children to go hungry just because it is the weekend! They need single service size of meals (pasta, vienna sausage, etc), single service size of fruit cups, pudding, breakfast bars, cereal... Do the math; 4 schools, 80 kids at each school; 4 times per month; That's 1280 bags of food each month at about $10 per bag is $12,800 every month. Do I expect you do donate $12k? If you can, fantastic! But no, I know you aren't going to donate $12k. But couldn't you pick up some extras when you go to the store? Or to Costco? How about toothbrushes? Could you ask your dentist to donate 320 toothbrushes? Some of these kids don't have their own.

This weekend I got it, I got purpose again, passion again and self respect again. To me, that sounds like a pretty productive weekend.
They will also need more bags as they add more schools

Venting is good for you...right?

Today I called my best friend to vent. I was soo angry and I had to get it out! Nothing life altering, just annoying.

1. the conveinence store I get my DP from every single morning, raised their prices, again! Now I am paying $1.07 for a soda. At what point will I give up this addiction?

2. said store is NOT enforcing the no smoking law in their store. It's a freaking law! Not an optional law... but a real law! When I asked the clerk why they don't ask people to not smoke in the store, she said the manager hadn't told them what to do when someone lights up, so they just ignore it. I am thrilled that you can 'ignore it' but it is illegal!

3. again at said store this morning, a guy pulls up next to me, gets out and goes into the store for about 8 minutes. He is wandering through, reading the labels on the energy drinks.. very slowly. Meanwhile, his 2 year old is asleep in the car! While it is running! I guess so it would be easier for someone to steal? Why do I keep finding these people?! Are there that many of them around, or am I really observant?

Anyway, after I vented these frustrations to her, I felt so much better. Nothing changed, but I wasn't holding the anger in any longer.
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For the last year, I have been wanting to try altered art. My friend Cheryl does some great stuff and I have enviously admired her work while wishing I could just jump in and do it. My favorite stamp store is having a day long class with some 'famous' teacher. But, it is $110! I can't do it! I can't spend that much on a class! Some day I will start.

I've been tagged

My friend Cheryl tagged me for this challenge and I thought it sounded fun.

The Rules: Each player of this game starts with "6 weird things about you". Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as clearly state this rule. After you state your 6 weird things, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you're tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog for information as to what it means.

6 Weird things about me:

1. I love scrambled eggs and cream cheese. I get the strangest looks when I order this in a restaurant. My Dad used to make me omelets with cream cheese and mushrooms and I carried it over to scrambled eggs.

2. I am afraid I won't ever hear what God it asking me to do because I keep insisting on being in charge.

3. I want a little dog that I can carry around in my purse. My husband thinks this is crazy! I grew up with multiple dogs and I miss having a lap dog. The black lab that 'thinks' he is a lap dog is not the same!

4. I am thankful for my Celiac disease because I know it could be so much worse.

5. Whenever I clean my house, something always has to be left messy, one closet, my car, something.

6. Everytime I go to the dentist, I wear my favorite orange Disney sweatshirt. The woman that works at the dental office jokes that she wouldn't recognize me in public without that sweatshirt. BTW, I'll be wearing that shirt Monday when I go for my crowns :)

I am tagging:
Cindy
Karina
Cheryl

Sorry, that's all the bloggers I know...

Tuesdays... feeling blah... reflecting on 14

Today is Tuesday. I keep thinking it Wednesday. I don't know why, I am not looking forward to Wednesday. I am not looking forward to much these days. I feel lost and discombublated (I love that word!) I want to feel healthier, lose weight, eat better, but I don't want to actually DO it. I just want it to happen. I hate being this lazy and I want to snap out of it, but I don't know how. Today I am going to work out, even if it kills me! And it might!

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Yesterday my DD turned 14. 14. That is hard for me to comprehend. In August she will start high school and my DS will start middle school. She is very different from me, but I love that about her. She is a vegetarian, I love my red meat! She is a musician, I hated band. She is shy, I am not. She is similar also. She is compassionate, caring, naggy, a perfectionist and has a great smile (I don't have a great smile, but I am hoping that I will by this time next year!)

Her life at 14 is so very different than my life at 14. When I was 14 my parents were getting divorced, my mother was drinking and partying and I was going hungry because she would blow her money on alchoal and gambling so we had no cash for food. I was doing all the housework because it wouldn't get done otherwise and I was keeping all of this a secret from my friends because I was too embarassed to tell anyone what was going on. I was contemplaing suicide and writing poems about killing myself in the hopes someone would notice.

Even though my DH and I are happily married and we don't have the problems that existed when I was 14, her life isn't as easy as I would like it to be. She works hard to keep her grades up, she plays or practices her music 5-6 days a week, she deals with other girls who have boyfriends and wonders if she will ever have one. Many kids have greater problems and she is blessed to have the ones she has, but she won't understand or appreciate this fact for many years.

New Year, New Life?

Why do we feel that we need to make major changes to our lives because the calendar says January? I could have started going to the gym and eating healthier at any time in the past year, but because of the month I feel obligated to make these improvements?

I want to make some resolutions that I can stick to that will make a difference in my life.
This is hard to do.

Exercise/better eating:
can I stick to this? No will it make a difference? Yes

Stop spending needlessly:
can I stick to this? Maybe will it make a difference? no, because I will find something else to spend the money on!

Do not accept volunteer positions without thinking about it for 24 hours:
can I stick to this? Yes will it make a difference? Yes

Do not start a crochet project until the last one is finished:
can I stick to this? Maybe will it make a difference? Yes

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I heard a statistic recently that said 60% of all worrying is about things that never happen. That is a lot of wasted time! But I wonder, what is the difference between worrying and planning?

Do I worry a lot? No, but I do plan for things that I don't know if they will happen or not. I wish I could turn off my brain sometimes... just for the quietness of it all. I wonder how people meditate. I have tried and tried and I can't get my brain to shut up!