Praying

My long time friend (she was my best one for the bigger part of my adult life) died from cancer a year ago yesterday. I'm praying for her family, especially her husband who is now a widow at my age'ish.

A friend of mine lost her grandmother recently and is heartbroken. I pray for her and her entire family who lost a matriarch. 

A relative of mine owns a small business in this economy and would like to eat a square meal.  I'm praying for financial relief.... in some form or another.

My cousin just found out she has an aggressive brain cancer.  I'm praying for her, her family (including 3 kids), and myself, selfishly.

Another relative of mine is under the pressure of owning three homes - living in one money pit and in and out of renting away the other two money pits. I pray for the economy, for this relative's wisdom to know when/how to make financial decisions that will impact the rest of their life (financially anyway), and for the renters/buyers in the area.

A very good friend of mine is under the pressure of paying two mortgages after having to re-gain possession of their (old) house due to a rent-to-own deal gone bad. I pray for the family financially and for the market to turn around quickly.

A long time friend of mine has been unemployed for almost a year. I pray for him to regain hope, to find his passion and to be offered a position quickly.

Another great friend of mine is dealing with the pressures and emotions of divorce and separation.  I pray for her to find peace.  

One of my sweet under-5-years-old friends is helping his/her mom feel respected, loved, appreciated, and important as a single mother... especially when life gets in the way.  I pray for the child and the mother.

One of the people in my life who I highly respect and admire is due for another CT scan soon - to find out if the cancer has returned.  Whether it has or not, cancer has taken the life out of this friend. I pray.  

One of my friends just had surgery today to remove a tumor.  It's benign, but still scary.  And because of this surgery, the possibility of having more children has been taken away.  I pray for the whole family and for my friend's broken heart.

One of my newest friends just lost her job on Friday.  I don't know why/how, but I do know that it brings tears to his/her eyes to talk about it.  I pray for the family and for a new job.

...

I'm sure there are others I specifically should be praying for.  There are abundant blessings to be thankful for and I'm praising God for those things as well... 

Poundage

Remember this?    That post was written in February of this year.  Five months later, I'm happy to say that I have lost something like 28lbs.  I gained 8 of those lbs back in the first four weeks of summer ("summer" as in, school is out - not "summer" as in summer equinox).   No worries though, I'm encouraged now more than ever.  Those evil 8 lbs came off faster than the first 8 of the whole journey did.

And, I'm excited to know that losing the rest of this excess weight is going to be a piece of...  carrot.

Yesterday, I joined the KC Slim Down Challenge with a team of six people.  Together, we're going to compete against other teams in the area to see who can lose the biggest percentage of body fat.  The winning team gets a luxury vacation to this spa.

Wish us luck! We're not going to need luck, though.  ... At least, not as much as we're going to need discipline, dedication, commitment and the desire to win!  :)

Learning

I feel the need to share with you some of the things I'm learning.  You know as well as I do that learning happens to all of us everyday, it's whether we decide to digest the new knowledge that makes the difference.
I'm digesting a lot lately.

Maybe that's because a lot of what I'm learning about has to do with my number one favoritest thing in the whole world to digest of all time: food!
I love food.

And really, that's no secret. (Just look at me!)

But, recently, I was introduced to Quinoa.  I love the way it's spelled, hate the way it's pronounced (because it's so deceiving!) (Keen-wah).  There's just not that many Q words in the English language, and Quin-no-wah just sounds like fun.
Anyway, quinoa is a ...well you can figure out what it is - I linked to wikipedia for you....  anyway, I found out about it from an article I received from Calorie Count.  (Yes! I'm still semi-successfully counting calories, yay!)  And, when I read about all the nutritional benefits quinoa offers, I asked around (mostly on Facebook) and found a few friends who eat it and insisted that I try it.  One of my friendly neighbors even gave us her HUGE bag of it, told us to try as much as we'd like then give the rest back.  We made two cups of it as directed on the package, and I was fairly impressed!  It has a pretty good taste to it.  And, knowing it's so healthy makes it fun to eat.  Yesterday, I ventured out to Whole Foods to find my own bag of quinoa, and was disappointed in (a) how far away Whole Foods is from my house and (b) How stinking expensive it is for such a tiny bag. Oh and (c) the 'tudes of many of the folks that shop at Whole Foods are less than welcoming.
Unfortunately, unless I find that they've made this "Wonder Food" more accessible to folks like me, I don't think we'll be eating it too much.

I've also learned that, in addition to counting calories, it's a good idea to get a little exercise in once in a while.  Okay - so I didn't really LEARN this recently, but I was reintroduced to my heart rate and my perspiration glands and we've been having fun reunions everyday.  I had forgotten how good I feel, how WHOLE I am after a workout. It's as if I've hit the "reset" button on my attitude after I've had a good sweat.  I'm liking it.

I'm also learning that no amount of sweat, sore muscles, even good foods like Quinoa and Hummus (YUM!) will cure my insatiable appetite for Five Guys or Pizza Hut.  And really? I'm really okay with that. I hope we never part ways, actually.

While we're on the topic of food (I really have no intention of changing topics, to be honest), I must say that I am loving my new ice cream maker that I got for Christmas, and now I'm trying to find a healthy recipe to use it with. Do you have any ideas?

I'm also learning about cooking with a crockpot again....   while we're talking about food. I made a delicious roast last week, but was disappointed to find that it was laden with FAT.  We picked it apart and ate the yummies, but ended up throwing a huge portion of the beast away.  What cut of meat is the best for having roast?

Oh and I'm also learning about the extended vocabulary of a six year old (sorry, not to get off topic).  My sweet, charming, perfect, rule-following Julia has taken to the word HATE quite a bit lately. She's only been on this green Earth for six short years, and I'm already considering a swear-jar for the family.  I'm holding out, though.  Surely this habit is just the result of her having learned a new word.  ...Right?   I mean, she's just testing it out to see how we react to it.  I hope, anyway.   The biggest pain with the swear jar is that I have to dole out cash to get the cash for collection.  I'll come up with something creative to use besides cash, I'm sure.  Do your kids have a problem word?


I'm also learning a whole lot about myself lately.  I've reminded myself that I am forgiven and redeemed. All the guilt I have about my crazy mother or about how I mother crazy is going away as I continue to read my bible and take tips from authors like Mark Batterson, Matthew West and Robert McGee. 

This year, I've been thinking about the cycle of life a LOT too. I can't say I've "learned" a whole lot, but I think I'm about to be schooled.  Last year, my best friend passed away. Cancer claimed her life, and although we weren't exactly "best friends" when she died, she was always the closest thing I ever had to a "BFF" and she knew more about me than anybody else in the world, except for maybe Rich.  I've been reflecting on her death a lot, especially since her birthday is coming up in early Feb.  I've also been thinking about my good friend Brent (of whom the BBF is named after). He is still here, thank God, but I think of him often when I consider the cycles of life.  He's a fighter, much like Abbey was.   Both of them are quite young, quite passionate about the things in life that make them who they are (for one it's baseball and sports, the other it's children and crafts...)   Bah, I don't know where I was going with this. That's just how it happens - I get to thinking about it and then find myself way off track on one tangent or another....

Ok, so what else have I been learning?
 I've finally caught on to the truth that the very best time to go shopping for my groceries is during a big football game.  Yes, it's taken me this long to catch on to this great trick. I kind of secretly wish football season would last a little longer now.

I'm learning that I can teach my dog to give me the ball after she goes and fetches it - that it doesn't have to be a game of tug of war every single time, resulting in my arms getting scratched up while wrestling the ball away from her.  We have been seeing a private dog trainer. It's been wonderful. Molly's We are learning so much.

I'm also learning about the benefits of showing empathy to kids (okay and to adults, too).  I've always known this to be important, but until I started practicing it, I didn't realize what a powerful tool empathy is. I no longer get frustrated when the kiddos whine and cry and cry and whine and cry and cry and cry over a hangnail. Instead, I show them empathy and move on. No biggie. I can spare some "Aww, I'm sorry! That's such a bummer!"s.  Can't we all? That's really the only thing anybody wants when they complain about just about anything in the world: just a little empathy!  It's powerful, even more so when it's authentic :) heh...  hehe... When I'm unable to console a child with a stubbed toe, or a friend with a family issue, I can let them know that I'm truly sorry for them. ... and it helps.  Really, I'm admitting that this is something new that I've just learned.  What a crappy friend I must have been (until now, heh).

I'm learning about the moon. Quite literally.  Because, for my job, I get to teach kids things they might not otherwise learn about. And that's fun for me - because their little ears perk up and they listen to what I have to say and they pay attention and then ask questions and then pretend to be a part of whatever we just learned about and then they want to make stuff related to what we're learning ...and the time just flies!  And lately, it's all been about the moon.  I'm learning waxing vs waning and that  it's not called a "half moon" but it's a "quarter moon" which makes sense. (Actually, I remember learning that before - but I have forgotten it in my old age...)   It's exciting teaching kids about stuff like this. They're teaching me just as much as I'm teaching them... We've watched videos on You Tube of astronauts on the moon, we watched a shuttle launch, we've seen the moon's phases, we've explored the moon sand that is otherwise forbidden in my house (that stuffs a PAIN to clean up!).  Good times.

So there you have it - my latest lessons in a nutshell.  What have you learned about recently?

The best Christmas present

I was really surprised this Christmas. Twice! My sweet husband got me what I really really wanted, even though he wasn't supposed to buy me anything (ahem!). I fully intended to save my money through my birthday to get it myself.  That cheater. He rocks.

I got a lot more than that this Christmas.  I got the absolutely priceless gift of watching my kids light up with each gift. (Pictures soon!) I got to see my "Secret Santa" family member figure out who I was. I even got a beautiful gift from Julia that she made just for me (and her dad) while away at school.  But, the best gift I got this year isn't like any of those.

This year, I opened a package and found a raw, true labor of love from my daddy.  As it turns out, he has spent the first part of this whole year writing a book!  He is now a published author, and his story is dedicated to me and my brother.  Nobody knew he was busy writing this book - not even his wife. He kept it a secret so that the masterpiece could be opened on Christmas morning!  This book was given to me, my brother and my step-mom (aka OM) on Christmas morning. As each of us opened our individual presents, we were startled and confused...  how could someone have spent so much time, so much creative energy and done so much writing without telling anybody about it during the process!?!

I buried my nose in this book immediately and read for the first hour of the morning until breakfast was ready.  The kids were happy with their new toys and delights, Rich was busy baking his awesome homemade Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls, and OM and I were sitting on the couch, our noses buried in this book while dad was channel surfing the tv.

I was selfishly resentful when I had to put the book down to eat my breakfast. I was sad when I realized I'd have to put the book away and spend the rest of my day with the rest of my amazing family. I turned pages while I was undressing for my shower. I turned pages while I blow-dryed my hair.  I turned a page while I was tying my shoes.  Then, I put the book aside and spent the rest of Christmas day with the family - we drove to my MIL's house and enjoyed tons of fabulous comfort food, lots of candies and cookies, and we played games while the "kids" played downstairs. Then, we opened presents and more presents and more presents and marvelled at all the fun stuff the kids (and adults!) got. We played some wii together. We cried tears of laughter together while playing the Game of Things. Then we ate some more and played some more and had dessert together...  and (thankfully?), the day flew by justlikethat.  Although it was a long, relaxing day, it flew by in an instant! And when we got home, we bathed the kids, put them to bed, and I once again buried my nose in this book!

Then, I woke up and read some more, and I didn't - I couldn't - put the thing down until I had turned the very last page.  I finished reading at two or three in the afternoon, and then I handed the book off to my wonderful husband, laced up my running shoes and spent the next half hour outside in some freezing cold fresh air to process what I had just read.  It was the first time I'd ran at all in about four months.

My dad amazes me. He amazes me with his heroism. He amazes me with his heart. He amazes me with his writing talent. He amazes me with this history, with his values, with his understanding of society. He even amazes me with his ability to pull off such a surprise, such a gift at just the right moment.  He's completely humbling, very inspiring, and downright amazing.

And maybe when I'm done thinking about all of this and pondering his character and sorting through my emotions, maybe I'll be able to tell you more about this BOOK! 

wow

Writing a book

is hard.

Especially when it's a book of the personal reflection type.

Demons are surfacing - but they're the kind of adversaries that I want to meet face to face.  But, it's still hard.

I'm gonna make million on this book, y'all. Millions!  (okay, maybe like $10. but still)

Thanks for listening. :)

Counting Calories

A week or so ago, I told a friend I was 100% with her on giving up sweets until Thanksgiving.  That little dream was a reality for all of maybe 18 hours.

I'm not one to deprive myself! 

A few days ago, I decided instead to count my calories every day until Thanksgiving.  I'd aim to lose a pound a week, but made a deal with myself not to get too bent out of shape (hehe, get it!) if I didn't lose anything.
I have to say - I like counting calories!!

• I feel full more often. I think that being conscience of how many calories are going into my body is making me feel full faster.
• This is a realistic way to lose weight.  Just like with keeping a budget: if you spend more than you make, you're gonna be in a heap of debt.  If you eat more than you burn, you're just going to be a heap (like me!)
• It is motivating me to exercise!  I've been on my dusty old treadmill twice in the lasts week. And I'm still suffering symptoms of bronchitis! The itch to get/keep moving is stronger than it ever has before. Tonight, I ran 2 miles just to burn 300 calories.  mmmm calories
• It's making me a smarter eater.  Obviously, my options are carefully weighed. Instead of gorging on breakfast, I'm being more conservative earlier in the day so I can enjoy a "normal" dinner with my family in the evenings.  I'm making smarter choices! This can't be a bad thing...
• I don't have deprive myself of anything.  I had 1/2 a serving of my Ben & Jerry's ice cream tonight. Yum. I would have eaten more than that, but HONESTLY I was just full.  (thatsneverhappenedbefore)
• It feels like there are more options in the pantry and in the fridge.  Before calorie counting, I would open my fridge and stare blankly inside wishing something yummy would pop out of it.  Now, I am finding all kinds of options!  I can't wait to have that yogurt in the morning... I decided against it this morning so that I could have my ice cream tonight. Fair trade if I may say so myself. 
• I'm convinced that the actual act of counting calories is actually burning more calories. The effort involved is insane. Good thing I only committed myself to doing this for two weeks... if I had to do this everyday for the rest of my life, I'd probably give up kinda quick... especially when it comes to restaurants and eating out!
• I'm aware of portions.  This one is a "gimme" for any self-conscious eater... but it's worth mentioning that portions are important. 2 tablespoons of hummus? You mean I'm not supposed to eat the whole thing in one sitting?

I'm looking forward to seeing progress over the next week.  Today is day 4, and thanksgiving is just over a week away.  Hopefully the counting will continue to be "fun" and eye opening for me; hopefully I'll feel like doing it after Thanksgiving day as well.

Matthew West - Story of your Life tour

Tonight's concert was awesome! Jonny Diaz opened, what a hoot!  I didn't know he was as much a comedian as a musician.... Then, Josh Wilson took the stage, with an awesome & rockin' Amazing Grace. ...But, I've been looking forward to hearing Matthew West live ever since I saw him do an acoustic performance at a church in Colorado.

This concert was no joke! It was filled with inspiration and humbling stories. I love LOVE the song on the "Story of my Life" album that is called "Family Tree." That song was, I am sure, written just for me.  I knew this before going in there, but it's even more fun hearing it performed live. :)

The concert was a family event for us - we decided to bring the girls along since the artists are all very family friendly.  The girls had a great time, despite how tired and worn out they both were.  Julia was caught dancing to a few of Matthew's first songs in the setlist.  It's something awesome to see my six year old rockin out to music that was made for the Lord

I really feel like Matthew West connects with his fans. He's very gifted, and he knows it - but instead of letting that go to his head or taking for granted his success, he loves on his fans.  He's known to "RT" (re-tweet) his fans daily, he's active on facebook and he blogs frequently. What's more, a brief 10 second conversation with him is comfortable and easy...  he sat back smiling and with a little giggle he told me, "I just love meeting people!"

Rich, by the way, didn't get to shake the hands of Matthew West, Josh Wilson, or Jonny Diaz because he was loving on our kids while I was stalking the merch table - I waited by the table for autographs so that I could be first in line.  This, I think, was a very smart move.  Also incredibly dorky, but that's okay. :) :)  I have the sweetest husby ever for taking one for the team and letting me sneak out early for this purpose.  He's just as big a fan as I am, but I'm the one that walked away with a new t-shirt, an autographed book and a picture with the headliner.

Here's a few pix from the night. The camera isn't the best and we were sitting up in the balcony, but the memories are captured!

I didn't realize until we got home that Jonny Diaz and Josh Wilson signed on the page that says I love you More. Matthew's signature is on the left - he also wrote my name in the little box, yay!

My favorite picture, of course, is the one of Mr. Matthew West and myself.  I would have liked a picture with Josh Wilson as well, but it was crowded and hot and I was satisfied with having shook his hand. :)

Bucket List

Shamlessly stolen from one of the various blogs I creep upon while working surfing the net.  100 Things I would like to do before I kick the bucket:
 (in no particular order)

1. Publish a children's book.
2. Go to the taping of a funny sitcom in NY or CA
3. Watch the launch of a spacecraft
4. Sing karaoke in a public place without a care
5. Canoe or Kayak somewhere (anywhere?)
6. Take a hot air balloon ride
7. Ride in a helicopter
8. Snorkle in the ocean
9. Tour New York City
10. Be a missionary in an underdeveloped country
11. Go parasailing in Hawaii
12. Run a 10K
13. Walk (or run?) a marathon
14. Learn American Sign Language
15. Go on a cruise
16. Teach Kindergarten
17. Pay off the house
18. Manage a healthy weight under xxx pounds. (nonofyourbusiness)
19. Try a new fruit or veggie every day for one month.
20. Start a non-profit organization for a good cause.
21. Have/Make a friend that will sit with me on the front porch when I'm really old and senile.
22. Swim with dolphins
23. Learn to draw
24. Finish a scrapbook
25. Print pictures of the kids/events/milestones/vacations and file them chronologically
26. Help the BBF raise a million dollars (or more!) to give away
27. Own a preschool business (in a commercial building, not in my home, hehe!)
28. Ride a ferry
29. See a blimp up close
30. See Stonehedge
31. Renew marriage vows in Tahoe (maybe for 50th?)
32. Sleep by campfire without a tent/shelter (maybe on a hammock!?)
33. Place first, second or even third in a 5K
34. Memorize the books of the bible in order
35. Attend a Jewish wedding
36. Be a guest at a traditional Jewish Hannukah dinner on Passover
37. Provide respite care for a cancer patient or family member
38. Volunteer at a high school consistently
39. Design a state of the art playpark in a low income neighborhood
40. Revisit the area of San Isabel National Forest, where we got lost in the woods in August 2000.
41. Visit Bishop's Castle with my dad
42. Go sledding with the family in a secluded, perfect area
43. Make a quilt
44. Make a better quilt
45. Archive the lyrics to all the children's songs I know
46. Perform in a skit for a church/cause
47. Go to an opera
48. Go to a broadway play on Broadway
49. See the bar from Cheers on display in Los Angeles.
50. Take the kids ice skating on a lake
51. Have a garden on my property
52. Grow all my own veggies (cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.)
53. Hike up Pikes Peak
54. Ride a train to (or from?) a vacation destination
55. Leave a $100+ tip at a diner/restaurant
56. Pay someone eles's mortgage for a year
57. Help build a house for habitat for humanity
58. Provide Christmas for a family in need (dinner, presents, clothes, a ride to church)
59. Teach a parenting class
60. Volunteer in a hospital (oncology if needed)
61. Have coffee/lunch with Matthew West
62. Spend 24 hours in pajamas as an adult and not care :)
63. Write an inspirational song
64. Babysit for single moms free of charge 
65. Buy groceries for the person in line behind me at the grocery store
66. Buy lunch for the person behind me in a drive thru
67. Ride along with a police officer on a night shift
68. Visit ground zero in NY
69. Collect the 50 quarters from all 50 states
70. Live a simple life with very few possessions
71. Witness a medically necessary surgery
72. Make a really good bottle of wine
73. Try a ropes course with husby
74. Drive a golf cart for golfers I know (or famous people!)
75. Write a bucket list!
76. Go white water rafting in the Rockies (again)
77. See my children grow up to be well rounded, responsible, successful adults
78. Go on a women's spiritual retreat
79. Lead a bible study
80. Do a touristy zip line in a rainforest or somewhere
81. Learn to ski
82. Get a masters degree in something unconventional (underwater basket weaving?)
83. Learn to knit a scarf for someone
84. Have a clutter free home (even before number 70 is achieved)
85. Complete a big jigsaw puzzle
86. Learn how to change the oil in my own vehicle (and become good at it)
87. Get pedicures with both my daughters
88. Give all homemade presents for Christmas one year
89. Write down something I'm thankful for every single day and then put them in a time capsule to open in 10 years.
90. Go tubing down a stream in the mountains (again - haven't done that one since early 90's!)
91. Donate my hair to Locks of Love
92. Speak Pig Latin with my kids in public 
93. Make a snow igloo in the backyard.
94. Learn to cook meals for other people (Frozen Stouffers Lasagna just isn't very ....heartwarming anymore)
95. Save Princess Peach (again) :)  - can never do that too many times!
96. Write a book filled with word plays. (I like throwing knives! I like throwing - knives.) I'madork
97. Keep a prayer journal
98. Fly a really cool/big kite with my kids at a park
99. Come up with two more things for this bucket list
100.   
101. 
     

All the small things

Sometimes I feel like I'm treading water. My legs are moving and moving but I'm not getting anywhere.   Okay, it's really not that bad - after all, we are home together as a family most week nights so we have it better than a lot of our friends do.  But, with Julia in Kindergarten and the home business going well, I feel like there's a lot to keep up with.  Packing lunch for Julia, remembering dates/deadlines for her papers, reminding her to do homework, teaching both girls the value of money (and chores/jobs), helping Rebecca keep up, living life with a puppy in the house, sanitizing toys, doing crafts/activities, laundry, dishes, groceries, .....groan....  there's so much to do every single day! 

But, we manage to have fun in the process.  You'd think that me working from home and us having so much evening free time that our house would be orderly and somewhat clean.  But, you'd think wrong. My house is embarrassing.  I have clients that come through here every day, and whenever one of the parents comes all the way inside, I cringe. Will they notice the clutter that used to be my desk? Will they see the ant traps on the kitchen counter? Will they notice that I haven't vaccuumed the stairs in decades? Will they *gasp* ask the use my bathroom?  Does the house smell?  Is it dirtier than the average house on the block?

Seriously. These things stress me out.  I'm home 24/7 so I never get to see the outdoors (except, ya know, my weedy backyard filled with broken toys and sagging trees...  do the parents notice those things, too?).  The daily state of my house is ... blahhh.  Or at least, I think it is? Imagine my relief if only I knew that the clutter, the dog hair, the random toys is sort of... normal.

But, geez. That's not even what this post was going to be about.  I intended to write about how much we love life.  You see - the state of the house really does stress me out and worry me. But, not enough to make me do anything about it!  Because during our free time, we're ... ya know... free!!  And we're relaxing! And we're playing Candyland for the gazillionth time.  And we're singing karaoke with the wii. (andmaybewearehavinghomemademargaritas) And we're watching Mythbusters thanks to Netflix. And we're wrestling with the dog. Or out at the park. Or shopping!   We're too busy to care that the things that should be... could be... cleaned up and organized and made right again are completely and totally neglected during those moments in the evening or on the weekends when we actually have time to PLAY. 

It's the small things that make me smile. Like when Rich agrees to Boogie  and belts out, "you can hang out with all the boyzzzzz... at the YMCA!"  Or like when Julia draws the ugliest butterfly ever on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.  Or like when Rebecca says something crazy like "I wanna be a daddy when I grow up! I wanna have a beard I can shave!" 

Yeah - those small things.  That's life, right?  Not a clean, orderly desk. Or an empty dryer.  Just the smiles, the joy, the togetherness. But, maybe I'd enjoy those things even more if I didn't have a small heart attack whenever anybody comes by unexpectedly?

Things that make you go &#^$%*

In no particular order, here are the top ten things that are pissing me off right now:

1. Taking the dog to the shelter because he's way too high maintenance for this house. (Good riddance Mr. Eko - sorry it didn't work out... blah).
2. Wanting a puppy so bad, but wanting to wait it out since the last two dogs were ...uh... not a good fit here.
3. Losing a best friend to cancer. $#@& Cancer.
4. Hearing that a friend of another best friend had bad news at her routine scan. #%#@%@
5. Losing a client, and possibly a friendship with it. ARGH
6. Losing friends over stupid stuff that should have been avoided. 
7. Reading rude comments about politics on a nicely written article that had nothing political to mention in it.
8. Rich must leave the state for mandatory work-related training and he'll be gone forever! (or 10 weeks, whatever).
9. Ants (especially in the kitchen)
10. Shocking news that a friend is getting divorced. SUCK ROCKS.

And now, in no particular order here ten things that I love love love love (because who wants to end on such a sour note?)

1. My church rocks. As well as the people who go there, too... of course. And when I think of my church, I also (inadvertently) think of the Brent Bays Foundation. Both are pretty rockin'.
2. My clients rock. Make new friends, but keep the old; some are silver and the others gold. I'm loving the new family - 3 girls that fit in perfectly around here. We are so blessed!
3. Julia is excelling in Kindergarten.  (I admit, it's pretty nice having her out of the house all day, too!)  I'm so glad that she loves to go there and wishes it was all seven days a week.
4. Rebecca is one of the most mature 3 year olds that I get to be with on a daily basis. And, she's not even 3 yet. :)  I'm lucky she's my kid!
5. My family is amazing. I'm talking about my dad and step-mom, my brother and nieces, my in-laws, and of course (and especially!) my husband and children.
6. Facebook gets me through the days.  When I only talk to children all day long everyday, I crave peer interactions. I love facebook for letting me "creep" on my friends' profiles and engaging in conversation when appropriate.
7. God is pretty rockin'.  A short month ago, I was wallowing in tears trying to understand what my future had in store for me. I thought I was supposed to get a "real" job. I thought maybe I was supposed to go back to school. I thought I had it all wrong and needed to change.  Turns out, if you're patient enough, he speaks very clearly....  I just needed to re-center! Thanks, God. I'd totally link to You if I knew how.
8. Big Brother.  I admit it - I'm a BB junkie. Gosh.  But, okay really? That and LOST are the only shows I ever watch. And LOST is over forever (sad!). So, is it so bad to enjoy me some trash tv for a few hours a week?  Seriously need a reason to dust off the old boob tube anyway. (I might cry when the season is over.)
9. Fall is near!  After weeks and weeks of 100+ temps, we had a cool day yesterday. High of 80 or something like that. I loved it! I love Fall. OMGOSH just thinking about Fall makes my tummy do happy flips. Love it! I love Fall!!  WHOOO HOOOOO    okay thanks :) 
10. I'm still running. I still enjoy it. I have found peace in running for pleasure. I'm happy that I'm not a competitive person...  and I'm happy to have finally realized that!  Yesterday, I ran about 5K and enjoyed the scenery and my private conversations with God during the solo run. Priceless!

The weird thing about keepin' on

Many have heard me say lately that I feel like God is calling me to "keep on keepin' on."  That is to say that I'm on the right track - to just keep looking for ways to improve, looking for bad habits to drop, looking for Him in more places than I have been, keep working hard at what I feel like I'm good at, keep trying with the things that I'm not so good.... keep on keepin' on.

But it's not as easy as it sounds.  I've reached some pretty big goals over the last couple of years. My confidence has skyrocketed, and I no longer allow people to tell me who I should try to be more like. I'm more physically fit, spiritually aware, and emotionally stable. (Okay, maybe not that last part.)  To keep on like I have been is asking a lot.  My best friend/soul mate and I started a non-profit organization for a needed and noble cause in the community. We directed a 5K event that brought together over 300 people for the cause.  We've made solid friendships in our church (which was a pretty big achievement for us, since we're so socially awkward with others..  but maybe I should speak for myself there?).  Anyway - those are just a few of the biggies, ya know? To keep on with that kind of life-changing STUFF is asking a lot!

Anyway, that's whats on my mind today. I have no idea where I was going with it....