it's the little moments...

I really truly am so blessed! I have great friends and family. I got to spend the morning serving with some great ladies. Blenda said "you know you are going to have a good time when Kathy is going to be with you". I couldn't agree more!! All three ladies I spent the morning with are wonderful, but Kathy just knows how to have fun no matter what she is doing. I try and be that way, I love to laugh and make or just laugh with others! She had me in tears on the way home.

When I am out with the girls it is always the little things that I remember. The little things that we do or that just happen that make me laugh. Dancing with Amanda, Emelie, and Lisa @ The Magneto's show. Bunco nights. Being really silly with Emelie when it is just her and I out on the town. Playing games with my sister is always a hoot!! Your abs are guaranteed to be sore the next day.      

Most of all I am blessed to be a mother. My children sure know how to push my buttons, but it is the little things... Just tonight when they got home from their fathers house, I was watching a movie and they both went and did their own thing. No fighting!!! I told Titan he had to turn the tv off and go to bed at 9pm. I heard him turn the tv off and run to his room. This makes me so proud, he didn't try and stay up. I am sure there have been other times and situations when he has tried to be sneaky about doing things, but not tonight. Then when I was tucking Odessa in she said "we are rolling in this hood to find you, that's what's crackle lacken"!! Are you kidding me?! If you don't think that is cute and want to eat her face off then you need help :-P Yeah, yeah, I know that I am really the one that needs help, but come on that is cuteness right there!



storms are meant for dancing...

I have a heavy sad heart tonight as I worry about a friend of mine. She has a dark cloud over her, not unlike the one in my picture above from a major storm we had last year. She is very smart and knows what she should do (I hope), so I don't feel the need to give her my two cents. Having had my own very dark cloud not so long ago, I know how horrible it feels and how confused, upset, and angry one can get. 

Dark clouds often bring rain and storms with them.

This is a picture of the same storm cloud from a different direction. I want to point out the green field in this picture though. We may feel like we are drowning from all the rain and storms that we get from our dark clouds. This also makes me think of The Never Ending Story where Artax dies in the swamp of sadness. We can't let the sadness take over us and allow us to give up and quit. We need to remember that the rain is good for us. We need to dance and sing in the rain and mud.

I can remember my own rain storm when I started to let myself drown. It didn't take long for me to be in the mud up to my neck. I hit my own rock bottom and that is what it took for me to realize that as long as I let my storm get me down I would only continue down and never find my way back up. Since I love to sing and dance I started and then it didn't take long till I could see my feet again.

What can we find after a storm? A rainbow! Don't we all love to see the beauty of a rainbow after a storm. I have to say that I didn't take this picture, I would love to be able to claim it as my own, that place is beautiful.

I feel that my dark cloud is gone and I am in this picture now. I don't have my dream guy, the most well behaved children, or the perfect body (to me). With everything that I have been through though, I have made it here despite not having the things I just listed. Something has changed in me. When I told my friend about one of the changes I noticed that came for me, she wanted it. I wish that I could give it to her to help her with her storm. As hard as it is for me to see my friend struggle and wanting so badly to help, we all have to weather our own storms. Hoping she will find the path that will get her to the rainbow she wants so badly...



Five Finger Death Punch - War is the Answer - Walk Away with lyrics

Just walk away make it easy on us both
Just walk away there was never any hope
Just walk away you already know the deal
Just walk away pretend that none of this was real

breast cancer sucks...

Rejoice in the normal boobs ( . )( . ), celebrate the silicone boobs( $ )( $ ), be thankful for perfect boobs(o)(o). Perk up with cold boobs (^)(^), let the grandmothers know we love their boobs\./\./ Can't forget the very large (o Y o) boobs , nor the very small boobs (.)(.), nor can we forget the asymmetrical (•)(.) boobs . We love them all! Say ┌П┐(◉_◉)┌П┐ to breast cancer!

This post is dedicated to my grandmother. I love you!

Five Finger Death Punch - Hard To See

Thanks to Guitar Hero I love this song!!! I just got the album and it is so intense. This is going to be great to listen to while I am lifting when I really start getting into that...working on lowering my body fat % first, for those of you that didn't know that already :-P

Now that I am addicted to exercising I don't know how I went so long with out ever really doing it. I can't start my day without working up a really good sweat. I feel so good and energized for the rest of the day. I am in a better mood and can deal with things better. I am NEVER going back to a sedentary lifestyle again! It SUCKS and I felt horrible and yucky all the time. I am only going to improve in the future. So here is to a long healthy life with the two best children in the world!

learning...

I am having a great time in my speech class!!! CRAZY to think, since I hate to speak or teach. I love to research the topics for my speeches. I did one on Stonehenge and now I am doing one with my group, we all have the decades 1900-1919, and my topic is Health and Medicine (go figure that I picked that one;-) I feel like I have learned so much and on top of that I am getting better and more comfortable with speaking. That will help with teaching also.

In my research I found some pictures to share during my speech (I will make transparencies). Some of the pictures of the diseases from then are pretty icky. I also have some of some new equipment like the stethoscope, laryngscope, hypodermic syringe, and anesthesia machine. I found some really neat WWI propaganda posters though...and want to share some of them here.



It really just blows my mind how much I am enjoying going back to school...after I was so glad to be done when I got my Bachelor's degree. I know that I am doing what I need to so I can provide for my children as a single momma. Even with the school loans it will all be pay off in the end...

never-so-little-scar

I just found an AMAZING quote. Everything we do leaves a "scar" in our lives. Even the smallest of choice can turn out to be the biggest scar in the future. How many times do we actually think about what type of impact a choice will make on our lives, either immediate or years down the road? I know that I have not always been one to do that. And I have some pretty big scars from choices that I have made years ago. These scars, whether good or bad, will be with us forever and maybe affect choices that we will make later. Just my quick little thought for the day :-)

“We are spinning our own fates, good or evil, and never to be undone. Every smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its never-so-little scar.”
~William James



all you need is music...

Today was a great day! Got my sweat on and had some very sweet things said to me. Titan and Odessa have spring break so they both wanted to stay up late, but I had a headache so I told them they could each watch a movie from bed. I didn't stay asleep for very long... I got up and came to the computer to find some mellow songs. I really need to get a playlist of mellow songs on my ipod.

While I was listening to and searching for songs I realized that music gives meaning to feelings (I knew this already). Or it can change your feelings. I go through periods in life where I have favorites of differents types of music. It can make you feel happy or sad, loved or lonely. Life would be BLAH without music. I would love to post all the music that touches me on any particular day but that would be a waste of time. I posted one of my mellow songs tonight on facebook and one of my friends commented how after about twenty seconds he wanted to punch the singer... People just don't feel certain music the same time I do, or maybe not at all, and that is ok. To each his own, and that is what makes every person different.

I am not real sure where I wanted to go with this, but I typed it so it is getting posted :-P

Here is a quote that I like:
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.

- Aldous Huxley

Here are a few pics from St. Patrick's Day. Hope it was a great day for you

Ready for the day

Waiting for everyone to join us (surprise!)

Thanks Amanda! Backin' it up...

Em and I...what dorks!!!

The Gang minus Lisa and Amanda



House of Pain - Jump Around

Here is something that will take you back...but great for today!

#1 Happy St. Patrick's Day with Jeff & Bubba J

                       


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

what is it about me?

I made mention about being in a sociology class a few posts ago and I am intrigued by something so I want to do an experiment. I hope everyone is game... It is all about the "looking glass self". So here is what I would love to have happen. If you know me, even in the smallest of way and even if you don't follow my blog, I want you to leave a comment stating the very first thing about me that comes to mind when you think of me or you hear my name...OR...list one thing you like about me and one thing you would change about me. You could always do both :-) I don't want anyone to be influenced by seeing what others post, so if I did the settings right, then the comments will come to me first and I will not publish them. The only way this experiment will work is if there is some participation...



Ben Harper "Burn One Down"

I need a little pick me up tonight, feeling kinda numb. How can one feel down when they hear this song??? I will post the lyrics so you can sing along with Ben, just pause the music on my player and enjoy. I do want to say that this song is more then the lyrics to me. "If you don't like my fire then don't come around". My fire is anything I like to do, my family, my friends, or even just me (I am going to be me, I don't change for anyone). I am thankful for all the people I have in my life, those that love my fire and stick around. So here are the lyrics...push play and sing your heart out!! :-)

 Let us burn one
from end to end
and pass it over
to me my friend
burn it long, we'll burn it slow
to light me up before I go

if you don't like my fire
then don't come around
cause I am gonna burn one down
yes I am gonna burn one down

my choice is what I choose to do
and if I'm causing no harm
it shouldn't bother you
your choice is who you choose to be
and if your causin' no harm
then you're alright with me

if you don't like my fire
then don't come around
cause I'm gonna burn one down
yes I am gonna burn one down

herb the gift from the earth
and what's from the earth
is of the greatest worth
so before you knock it try it first
oh, you'll see it's a blessing
and its not a curse

if you don't like my fire
then don't come around
cause I'm gonna burn one down
yes I'm gonna burn one ughh...

Daddy Picking on Demetri

Lisa you are the only one of my followers that is not on facebook...so this is for you! My one and only nephew. I can't wait to see my bro and his family again! I miss them so much!

my new love! this can't be real...

So I posted a few posts ago my before pics for ChaLEAN Extreme and today was day 1 of week 4. I love it, Chalene is amazing! I ordered and have been very impatiently waiting for Turbo Fire to arrive. My plan was to do the hybrid with ChaLEAN Extreme. Turbo Fire finally arrived today and I did the first full workout tonight. Two workouts in 1 day! Some of you may be thinking that I am crazy, but I love to workout out now. Just a couple years ago I didn't at all. It is amazing what divorce will do for a woman :-P I learned on Saturday in my sociology class that with divorce men's health will decrease and women's health will improve. I am sure that is not true in all cases, but it sure is true in mine! And I love it!!!

I do have to say that I am glad that I am single because Turbo Fire would be my secret lover if I was in a relationship. I can't even express in words how fun that one workout was tonight. It is amazing to me that after working out this morning that I still had so much energy. I think it was just the sheer excitement of finally having it. I will never be too tired to do Turbo Fire! The only time I have ever actually had sweat dripping off me is when I am running and Turbo Fire did that for me. I am really going to love my results! I could go on and on but I would just be repeating myself...

For those of you that have no clue what Turbo Fire is here is a short video. ENJOY!!!
I am hooked after 1 workout.
http://teambeachbody.com/workout-routines/turbofire-workout/turbofire-video?p_p_id=56_INSTANCE_h4YV&p_p_state=exclusive