A month of being thankful, Day 14, 15 and 16

Oh geez...I haven't kept this up as good as planned!  I am going to work on catching this up some.

Day 14:
I am so very thankful for my coworker and her sweet surprises.  She surprised me this week with clothes for Garrett.  She gives without asking and just puts a smile on my face when I need it.

Day 15:
I am thankful for a growing healthy boy!  He asks for me to measure him a lot and so we keep the chart on this door frame.  I noticed recently that all of a sudden his ankles were hanging out of his pants...every single one of them!  Gah.  I hated sending him to school looking like he doesn't own proper clothes, but what can you do the morning you send him to school?  Nothing!  So we went and measured him.  He has grown ONE INCH in about 6 weeks!  No wonder why he has been starving lately!  SO we went and purchased a couple of pairs of pants.  He went from 2T to 4T in a blink of an eye!  I swear he will be taller than Josh anyday yet!

Day 16:
I am thankful for this sweet little boy.  This was picture day and I could just SQUEEZE HIM!

I mean seriously!!!!!

A month of being thankful, Days 12 & 13

Man...I was doing so well doing my blog daily and then I forgot about it last night! 

Day 12:
Yesterday I was thankful for a quiet day at the office.  Most people I know were off work yesterday due to Veterans Day, but I had to work.  We only have 3 people in my office and one was out yesterday.  Also most of the phone calls I receive are from government agencies and they were all closed!  My boss was there but left right after lunch.  I had the entire office to myself!  It is amazing how much work you can get done when you are by yourself!!  It was wonderful.

Day 13:
Today I am thankful for heated seats!!  Holla!  I've always had an older car and this year I got a "new to me car".  I got a 2010 Toyota Camry early this year and have fallen IN LOVE!  I have been so excited each morning to turn on my heated seats.  Fabulous!!! 

A month of being thankful, Day 11

Today I am thankful for all of our Veterns.   Happy Veterns Day. 

A month of being thankful, Day 10

Today I am so thankful for unexpected surprises and gifts from God.  Today Josh had to work so our plan was to go to breakfast together and then he would go to work and Garrett and I would hang out until Josh came home.  No real plans, just hang out.
We went to breakfast which was hosted by Rotary here in Greenville.  My dad is the President so it was a lot of fun to go, plus wonderful pancakes and sausage!  My mom ended up being there too and we decided to go to the library together with Garrett.  The only problem was that it was 8:20 and the library opened at 9:00.  What to do??  We walked outside and there were BEAUTIFUL fall leaves on the ground that Garrett started to pick up.  My dad came out and helped Garrett find some gorgeous leaves.  Mom and I decided to go back to their house and make place mats out of the leaves by ironing them between wax paper.  We used to do this when I was a little girl and it was on my bucket list of things to do this fall.  Well it didn't turn out quite like I remember.  It worked enough though and was a fun memory.
After that we went to the library and picked out about 25 books.  I love the library!  Where else can you bring as many books home as you want and don't have to pay a thing!  We get so bored reading the same old books so we are excited to have some new reading material.  If they had a sanitize section to clean the books that would be amazing.  I just feel as though they are covered in germs!
There happened to be a BMX show going on next to the library (perfect)!  Garrett was amazed.  We sat there and watched them do their amazing stunts.  I think he wants to be a BMX rider now.  Let me tell you this mama needed a xanax was about to have a nervous breakdown and they weren't my children! 
We ate lunch at a yummy pizza place.  We were the only people there and Garrett found a dime on the table next to us.  So my mom gave it to our waiter and told him Garrett had found it on the table next to us (remember we were the first customers of the day).  He came back to give us our check and asked if we had really found that dime on the table next to us.  We told him yes and he told us that his wife's grandfather passed away not too long ago and ever since then she has been finding dimes all around (apparently that was something he gave her a lot or something?).  Anyway it gave me goosebumps to think we were the first customers there (clearly the tables had been cleaned the night before) and there was that dime there for our waiter.  LOVE it when stuff like that happens, it's like a hug from God!
After that we went to Catalog Connection which is a store that has discounted name brand clothing.  I had a $25 dollar gift certificate that was going to expire next month so I went to see what I could find.  Well nothing fit (hello exercise) so I decided to look at their coats.  I have been wanting a nice coat for a while.  I found a red J. Crew wool coat that was originally $330 dollars on sale for $65 dollars!!!  So it made it $48 dollars after my gift certificate!!  I felt like a million dollars with it on!  Yay for the small things!!
Josh and I volunteered in the 3 year old class tonight at church.  Luckily there were only 6 children so it was small.  One of the little girls that was there is one of my college roommates niece.  She is such a sweet little girl and so much fun.  There happened to be another little boy in the class and his last name is unusual.  I went to school with a girl with that same last name and we lived on the same hall freshman year at college.  Turns out that is his Aunt!  What a small world! 
IT was a great day and one of those that you look back on and just think how thankful you are.  If Josh could have been there with me that would have just been the icing on the cake!!  Oh and the weather was absolutely beautiful today too!

A month of being thankful, Day 9

Today I am thankful for a good report from the dermatologist today.  I've had a few moles removed from my back.  They usually shave them off, but earlier this year one that was removed grew back.  They wanted me to come back after the summer to have it removed.  I had it cut out last week. 
Garrett thought it was cool with all the stitches.  They told me that they got back the test results and everything was fine with it!
I tell you I get so nervous about skin cancer.  I am a avid sunscreen user and plan to continue.  It makes my skin crawl to see people not wear sunscreen or go to tanning beds. It is just too scary. 
Yay for good reports!

A month of being thankful, Day 8

Today I'm thankful for a sweet little boy who is learning all sorts of new things.  Each week the have a letter that they are focusing on and they are encouraged to bring an item that starts with that letter to school.  They have a letter box and the teacher goes over each thing in the letter box with the kids.  Garrett makes sure to show me every item that every child brought in.  He then tells me about the others that he didn't get to show me.  It is the highlight of his day.
This week is "H" week.  Garrett is obsessed now with a harmonica.  So we went to look for one today.  We found one at Target for 5 dollars.  On the way home he played it in the back seat.  He was so so proud of himself.  It was fun looking back and seeing a HUGE smile as he played away!
Love these sweet moments with him!

A month of being thankful, Day 7

This will be short, I'm tired again!  I am thankful for the ability to be a good cook and  baker.  I enjoy baking for others as well.  Pintrest has been an amazing tool in helping with my cooking/baking addiction.  Here are some of my favorite recipes from pintrest:

Egg and Cheese muffins

 

 

 

hibachi-chicken-and-shrimp YUMMY

 

 

asian-honey-bbq-chicken by far my favorite bbq chicken recipe!

 

 

 

Spaghetti and Meatballs this is healthy and we make these on almost a weekly basis!

 

 

 

Those are just a few, but SO YUMMY!!

A month of being Thankful, Day 6

Today I am thankful for the job that I have.  I used to work for a bank and loved the people I worked with, but it was too stressful for me!  Luckily for me one of my friends knew I didn't enjoy the bank and told me that there was a position open where her husband worked.  I was in the process of going back to school to be a teacher at the time and needed a less stressful job.  He called and I went in and interviewed and got the job!  I would be doing Accounts Payable for a franchisee of Taco Bell.  I really enjoyed this job.  I enjoyed it so much that I stopped going back to school and decided to stay on there full time.
In 2007 they sold the company to another franchise.  Luckily, they kept me on and now I do payroll for 34 restaurants.  We have KFC, Taco Bell and Long John Silvers.  I never in a million years would have thought that I would be doing this job.  It fell into place and has just been the perfect job. 
My boss is a great guy that we've ended up being great friends as well.  We've been though a lot together and just click.  It's nice to click with coworkers! 
I've met great friends there too.  I told you about Susie.  She used to work there too doing Accounts Payable.  I was NOT excited when she decided to work there.  I didn't think we would get along.  Ha!  I was so wrong.  Susie and I are such good friends.  In fact she came by today and had lunch with all of us and it was just like old times.
When Susie's replacement came I was a nervous wreck that we would not get along either.  So far so good.  We have really gotten along great and I think that it will be a great work situation.
I am so very thankful for a workplace that works with me and not against me.  For a job that gives me time off when I need it.  A job that is so very flexible when it comes to my family and looks out for my best interest.  I am very thankful to have this job and my work family.

A month of being thankful, Day 5

Wow I'm tired.  Today I am thankful for our King size bed!  Josh and I got a king size bed about six years ago and there is no turning back!  It is so bad that when we go on vacations that if we have to sleep in a queen we get a little irritated.  We love having the option to snuggle or the option to be so far apart we can't touch!  Ha! 

A month of being Thankful, Day 4

Today I'm thankful for a relaxing weekend!  We have been on the go for way to long and I have been ready for a slow weekend.  It came just in time.  Saturday there was an ECU game and Josh and I decided we would stay home this time.  I went to Harris Teeter and did some shopping by myself because it is Super Double coupon time.You know you are getting old when super double coupons are part of the highlight of your weekend :-)  I did pretty good.  I spent 60 dollars and saved 76 dollars. 

After that I came home and we lounged around the house.  I was going to take Garrett to see my Grandma.  He had been acting whiny most of the morning and turned out he was running a low fever.  So he stayed home and I went and visited her and then went to church.  I was working in Guest Services for the first time and it was a lot of fun.  Then I got to go to church.  I came home and we had Taco Soup thanks to pintrest.  Click here for the yummy recipe!
Today I have just changed out of pajamas into jeans but still am sporting a sweatshirt instead of real clothes.  Josh and Garrett have been doing housework together and working on our dining room.  Josh is making it "fancy"  Here they are working on the sprucing up the dining room:

Josh is also painting the wall white.  Here is what it looks like after. 

Pretty fancy.  Can't wait to see how the rest turns out

Garrett has been working on entertaining himself.  He isn't the best at it and always wants someone to play with him.  So he pulled out letters and decorated our fridge:

All in all it's been a great weekend and we are going to my parents tonight for dinner which means no cooking!!  Wahoo! 









A month of being Thankful, Day 3

Today I am thankful for my grandma Burton.  She is my mom's mom and has just moved here from Greensboro.  My mom went up on October 1st and found out that she was not doing well.  Basically it was very apparent that she needed to live in an assisted living.  Sadly we didn't get to Greensboro very often to visit.  We couldn't stay overnight with her, so it made for a long trip to go and visit for the day.
She moved here two weeks ago and is doing so much better.  She still has a long road ahead of her, but man what a difference a month has made!
Lucky for me her new home is 5 minutes from my work.  I've been going to visit at least once during the work week and once on the weekend. 
We have great talks and I've enjoyed meeting some of the other residents.  It is so sad because when I walk in it is like Christmas.  All the residents are so excited to see anyone come in.  I have a feeling that I will eventually get to know these other residents.
Right now I'm enjoying sweet time with my Grandma. I'm also enjoying her getting to know Garrett better and getting to see him on a regular basis. 

A month of being Thankful, Day 2

Well today I am thankful for a ridiculous thing.  Being a parent is wonderful and challenging thing.  Today I am thankful for The Apple Award.  What might you ask is this award???
It is an award at school for the child that had the best manors, took a nap, listened to their teachers etc. got an apple that hangs from their neck.  When the mention of this award came out I thought no biggie, we got this!  God must have wanted to teach me something because it has been anything but easy for us. 
Garrett was the LAST child to get this freaking wonderful award.  Everyday on the way to pick him up I would get my hopes so high that it would be THE DAY...I think 4 weeks passed.  Today I got a phone call from school.  My first thought was he's sick.  Then I heard the sweet little voice of Garrett calling me to let me know that he had received the apple award!  So I am so very thankful that he finally got it.  If he doesn't get it again I'm OK with it.  He's a good kid and we know that and that's all that matters.  So thankful for my sweet boy and the fact that he got his Apple Award!
For a celebration we went to Moe's.  When we were in line waiting for our food the guy poked his a hole in G's wrap and I didn't worry about it.  Then G went down to check out the brownie situation and when he got to the end he fell.  BUSTED hard!  There was water on the floor.  The two guys that were working there clearly didn't have kids.  They just looked at him.  He stood up and started crying like crazy.  Someone was exhausted!  So the cashier asked me if he wanted a free cookie?  It comes with the meal anyway so no thanks.  Then we had a coupon and my item was to be free, but the did G's meal.  It was just one thing after another.  So glad this apple award is DONE!
Here is a picture of one proud kid:

A month of being Thankful, Day 1

I started seeing posts on facebook about posting each day something you are thankful for.  I thought this was a great idea, but decided to instead do a blog every day of something I am thankful for.  It might be something silly, could be a long post or short post.  I just think it's important to focus on the good.  I find that a lot of times it is much easier to focus on the negative and bad and you can overlook some of the good in your life.  I challenged my friend Susie to do the same.  You can follow her blog by clicking here.  Her latest blog is great and I recommend it for a good laugh.  She is single and could write a book about her many adventures. 

Day 1:

I am going to start this blog with being thankful for God.  I've always been a believer, but until around two years ago I did not have a relationship with Christ.  I am so thankful for the relationship that I have formed with Him.  I have learned so much about what it is like to be a child of God.  The love and grace he has for us is just so amazing.  I am in a much happier place in life with this bond that I have formed. 
Embarrassing, but true story is that growing up while in church when the minister would say "Please listen for the word of God..." I thought that meant count how many times they used the word "God" while doing the sermon.  FOR REAL.  So I would sit there and every time they would say the word "God" I would smile to myself thinking got that one.  Ha!  I think I had a mild touch and still probably have of ADD.
Now church has an entire new meaning to me.  I love the music and the message and look forward to each visit.  The music is a huge way for me to connect with Him and I've downloaded a lot of new music.  It's awesome.
God has provided me with an amazing family, incredible friends, a great job and great life.  I am so forever thankful.

Frenimies

I'm not sure if that is how you spell frenimies but I have a definite friend/enemy relationship with this time of year.  October is one of my favorite months of the year hands down!  We celebrate all month long between birthdays and Halloween events.  We get to go to the pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins (still need to do that) and go trick-or-treating with a great group of friends and Garrett's school has a fall carnival.  Sounds wonderful right? 
It is, but here is the downside:  my ability to turn down sweets and eat candy.  Every year I say I will not buy candy until the day of or I'm only buying pretzels (I'm not a big pretzel fan).  Yeah right!  This year Harris Teeter put a ton of candy and gum on clearance (doesn't expire until next year) so I bulked up.
I did really good for a while.  I asked Josh to hide the candy so I wouldn't be tempted.  He isn't very good at the hiding game.  It was out in the open in our spare bedroom.  When I found it, I noticed he had opened a bag!  Dang it!  So I had to have a few to make sure they were OK one!  Well that led to opening of a second bag. I then confessed I found the candy and he needed to hide said candy again.  I was good for 2 weeks...and then I was stressed and while Josh and G were doing something I went on a hunt to find the candy.  Didn't take long and I found it.
I didn't tell Josh this time.  I have successfully eaten an entire bag of candy by myself.  What is my problem??  No self control.  Thank goodness Halloween is tomorrow and that candy will be gone.  Luckily I will leave G's candy alone (for the most part).  Jeez!  Next year Josh will have to take the candy with him to work.  My name is Kim and I have an addiction to sugar! 
November 1 I plan on starting over (for about the 50th time this year) and give the healthier lifestyle another go!  One day at a time!!!

Fall Festival

This weekend has been nothing but RAIN.  Secretly though I have enjoyed it.  I have been on the go for about a month straight and this rain has forced us to slow down.  We are still wearing our pajamas and it is 12:30 in the afternoon!  Garrett is sitting beside me watching TV and eating a sucker that has covered his face in goo.  Life is good!

Thankfully the rain didn't start until late Friday night and gave us the time to enjoy Garrett's Fall Festival at school.  I love his festival and enjoy seeing all the kids interact together.  Thursday night I had to make some cakes and brownies for the cake walk.  I decided to make a couple because I love to cook and I figured they can always use extra!  I try to be creative and this year I was pooped, so this was the best I got:

brownies with frosting and two cakes with spider webs on top...

Spider Web cake

They didn't turn out exactly as I had them pictured in my head.  I had also wanted to get plastic spiders to throw on top but didn't have time to stop by the store and get any.  I had also planned on making one of the cakes look like a pumpkin.  Well that didn't work either.  Overall I was happy though.
Friday we headed to the festival and they had firetrucks, a bouncy house, snow cone maker, cake walk, face painting and all sorts of games to play.  Garrett had so much fun playing with his friends.  To say he was WILD was an understatement...couldn't keep the boy still to save my life.  Here are a few pictures from the night:

Riding the horse

Checking himself out...he looks scary to me

Buddies...these boys were WILD but had a blast

Before face painting, doing the cake walk

Garretts friends doing the cake walk

These got out of order, but here he is getting started with the face painting

It was a fun time. 
Yesterday we went to G's best friends birthday party and I forgot my camera :-(  It was supposed to be an outdoor party, but Hurricane Sandy had other plans for it.  Luckily we were able to play outside in the very light rain for almost an hour then had to move indoors.  His mom is brave because she had at least 40 people in her house for the party.  Shew.  It was a lot of fun though and G had a blast.
We left and Josh went to the ECU game and Garrett and I stayed home and went to church.  Another great church service and then went to Moe's for dinner.  Perfect day!
The rest of today might be on the busier side.  I am going to go and vote, then we need to get Garrett new shoes (growth spurts like CRAZY around here).  We are also going to visit my grandma who recently moved down here from Greensboro.  She is living in an assisted living place and it is so good to have her here.  My parents invited us over for chili tonight and it is the perfect night for chili :-)

Spirit Week

This is one of my most favorite times of the year.  It all starts off at school with spirit week and ends on Friday with a festival. 
Monday was hat day and Garrett wore his ECU pirate hat.  Tuesday was pajama day.  Can I tell you how jealous I was that Garrett was able to participate?  I wish that I could do pajama day at work!!!  Too bad that will never happen.  Wednesday was sports day.  Garrett pulled out his ECU gear and I thought he looked like he could head straight to the courts.  What do you think?

When I took Garrett to school I noticed that not everyone was dressed in sports wear.  Turns out that two different sheets were passed out and half the kids were dressed tacky and the other half in sports wear.  It was funny.  Thursday we did tacky day.  We did a construction orange monster truck with red, white and blue shorts and a pink tie.  Of course we had to wear 2 different socks and 2 different shoes.  We could have gone tackier, but this was fun for Garrett and he was tickled and ready to get to school!

Friday was orange and black day.  He sported his orange and black and had a great day. 
The week ends with a fall festival and I will have those pictures tomorrow.  It is so fun to get to hang out with Garrett and his friends.  I have enjoyed becoming friends with the moms as well.  I have been very blessed to have these women in my life and look forward to growing old with them :-)

My Worst Enemy....

My worst enemy is something else, let me tell you.  She can be one of the most hateful people I know.  She has some of the nastiest things to say and can get under my skin more than anyone I've ever dealt with in my life.  I've known her for a very long time and most of you will recognize her:

Yep me!  I am my own worst enemy.  I swear I can get myself so worked up over the most "non existent" issues that I make into big things in my head.  I'm sure I sound like a crazy lady but I am my own worst enemy.  I can look at a picture of myself and critique it like no other, get worked up because Garrett hasn't won the apple award at school and I think badly of myself.  I'm working on knowing who I am and not losing focus on what I'm not. 
I'm in a new small group at church that is called "Unglued".  It is based on the book by Lysa TerKeurst.  It is wonderful and address those situations where you feel like you are about to loose it.  Unfortunately I have those moments more than I realized.  Last small group we were given some reminders to keep on our key chain.  Very powerful words to remember:

If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it's still a pretty good day

The One who holds the tongue, holds the power

My feelings are indicators, not dictators



Am I trying to prove that I'm right, or improve the relationship?

Well the first one and the last ones are the ones are the one that hit me the hardest.  I am stubborn and often enjoy being right more than anything.  So terrible I know, but honest.  Also if this is the worst thing that happened today, then it's still a pretty good day.  My unglued moments are getting better and I've truly enjoyed my small group.  It ends next week and I am going to be so sad.  Hopefully after the first of the year there will be another small group that I can participate in.

Busy week

Wow it's been a busy busy week.  It all started when I got a lovely piece of paper in the mail a few weeks ago with two words that I wasn't thrilled to see:  JURY DUTY!!!  Gah.  I know I should want to serve, but to be honest it throws my anxiety into a new level!  I have a hard time making decisions, so the thought of having to decide if someone is guilty or not guilty makes me so nervous.  It doesn't help that around 4 or 5 years ago I served on a murder trial!  What are the chances?  That trial ended up in a plea bargain so I didn't have to make that decision. 
I was supposed to start Monday, but when I called they said we didn't have to report!  I took this is a GREAT sign that I wouldn't have to serve at all.  Not so much.  Monday night I called and had to report Tuesday morning at 8:15 a.m.  I showed up on time bright and early.  On our first break I headed to the restroom and noticed my zipper had busted.  Seriously?  Just my luck.  SO I had to wear my coat the rest of the day.  We all went in to the courtroom to wait to see if we were picked to serve.  The judge got through the first 12 members of the jury.  I was not one of them.  They decided not to keep some of the people and I was the first one chosen.  They kept me.  I was SO NERVOUS!  They said this should be a quick trail, so I was satisfied.  The second day we were to report we had to report at 9:30.  I went to my job to get an hour of work in before jury duty.  I thought I left on time to get there...of course not.  I looked at the clock on my car when I got stopped by the TRAIN and it was 9:20.  10 minutes to find parking, go through security and get into the jury room.  OMG PANIC ATTACK!!!!  I got through the train and could not find parking.  So I called the number they give you if you aren't able to show.  They did not seem to be alarmed.  So I ran and when I was almost to the courthouse I found another juror member, PRAISE!  So we ran in together.  Luckily they were still waiting on one other juror.  We finished the trail up right after lunch.  It was a pretty simple trail thankfully.
I got back to work and our entire system was down.  Payroll started yesterday and the computers were down ALL DAY.  Today the computers were down until after lunch.  Thankfully they are up and running and I can get my work done tomorrow!
Tonight I had the honor of going to a GREAT event put on by a local organization.  It was BUNCO for Breast Cancer.  I think there were over 350 women there playing BUNCO.  They had dinner and then did raffle prizes that are amazing.  I buy about 30 tickets every year and and never win a thing...ha!  It is so much fun though.  They have amazing women there that are all survivors and their stories are just so touching.  I can't imagine what they are going through.  I have a new friend Jamie who is battling breast cancer and she works with the organization that held the event.  She is so strong and I am in awe of her strength.  There was also a young mother who talked to the group that was diagnosed with breast cancer at 36 weeks with no history in her family.  She had to deliver her child at 37 weeks (delivered on a Monday) and then the following Monday she started treatment!  Can you imagine??  She beat breast cancer and then 3 years later got a call and was told that the cancer was back and it was in her bones, liver and one other place.  She was treated for that and then her husband was diagnosed with cancer.  Her cancer has returned again.  It just hurt my soul.  Her family has been through so much.  You know what?  She has a strong faith still.  I am just in awe of her.  She really made me think about me and the things I get worked up about.  She put things into perspective.
Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!!!  Yay!  Ready for another fun weekend!

Our weekend brought to you by the letter "P"

When I thought back over this weekend most everything we did revolved around the letter "P".  It was such a wonderful weekend that I look back and just smile. 
Saturday morning we woke up and got ready for ECU Homecoming Parade!  I love this time of year.  The weather was perfect.  Garrett even put on face tattoo's.  He was such a cutie pie.  I just love when he wears a hat and it was cold enough he put his ski hat on.  We went to the alumni tent and had some yummy snacks and then headed to the parade.  Garrett had a blast.  Here are a few pictures:

Seriously...I could eat those cheeks!

Rock Collection...playing a game with Josh

After the parade we came home and relaxed for just a little bit and then headed to a Pirate Football tailgating and game.  Garrett was super excited about the game.  We couldn't ask for better weather.  The last 2 home football games have had TERRIBLE weather so I was relieved to have "normal" weather. 

OMG love him...

Sunday morning we went to church to Praise the Lord.  I needed this lesson like you would not believe.  It was all about Grace.  I was humbled by this sermon.  Grace is freely given by God even though it is undeserved.  Wow!  It's so hard to turn it around and have grace for others.  Also they talked about how Jesus sees people as people, not problems.  I think if I could follow this better I would be A LOT better off.  I am making progress, but still have some ways to go...
After church we went for Pictures.  We haven't had professional pictures done since Garrett was about 18 months old...horrible I know.  There was a local photographer running a special so I thought I would give them a chance.  We will get the pictures on Monday and I can't wait to see how they turned out!  If I can get a few good ones I would be sooo happy!!
After pictures as a reward we went to the Pumpkin Patch!  Oh this is my favorite time of the year.  I LOVE the pumpkin patch and could go every day.  We only had about 2 hours there on Sunday, so we only did the "kiddie corral" and their new slide they had.  To say he had a blast (and us) would be an understatement.  We will go back this weekend for the hay ride and picking out pumpkins to bring home!  Here are pictures from 2009 to current on how much G has grown.  I think I will strap him down at age 13 and still make him do this...ha!!!

2009...check out those chunky baby legs!!!  LOVE

2010 with Rooke

2011...not looking like a "baby" anymore!

2012...he will be taller than Josh and myself next year!

I made it!

I've been working on losing the extra pounds I put on over the summer for the past 4-6 weeks.  It took me forever to get my head straight and finally make the decision to be in this 100%.  Unfortunately I have to be 100% in because I don't have good self control and will not get good results.
The first 4 weeks I lost ONE POUND!  One little pound but I worked SO HARD to get that one stinking pound off.  Normally I would get discouraged at this point and say forget it and pass me the cookie dough.  This time I decided to keep trucking along.  I was also reading "Made to Crave" and it has helped with the process A LOT!  Why is it so easy to gain weight and so much fun??  Last year I ran a lot and loved it until I did a half marathon and got burned out.  So this time I've been doing other exercises to try and keep it interesting.  I'm also not trying to kill myself but just get moving!  Well over that month I stayed away from running.  Sadly when I attempted to run I could only do a mile.  For some this is great, but for me who ran 10 miles in December last year this was very sad and hurt my heart that I had let myself go so quickly.
Last week was when I finally got that pound off and we had a beach weekend planned.  Road trips = chips and M&M's for the way up  and bad food and alcohol while at the beach.  This time I refused!  I did not want that pound back on, so I stuck to my guns and did not snack in the car on the way down.  Instead of eating pancakes, I ate oatmeal one morning.  I also just chose to eat healthier items.  I didn't deny myself completely.  I had homemade banana nut bread, chips (just a normal portion) and we did eat ice cream (the real stuff) each night.  The first night I had a whole serving to myself.  The second night Josh and I split a cup. 
My parents are big runners and always have been.  I packed work out clothes and actually used them this time!  Ha!  They decided to go running and I said I would go with them.  I made it 3.10 miles!!!!  It had been such a long time since I'd reached that goal.  I felt like I had won a gold medal!  hahahaha!!  Disclaimer:  it was a slow run, but a run is a run!  The next day I decided I would run again...and ran another 3.10 miles!  I was starting to get back in the swing of things!  I weighed myself when we returned.  My goal was to maintain and not gain.  Guess what?  I actually lost weight while on vacation at the beach.  It was only .2 lbs but I was thrilled!
The first night back from the beach I decided I would run again.  This time it was on my own so I was nervous.  Luckily we are having beautiful weather right now and that helped.  My goal was 3.10 miles.  As I was running I heard a very familiar sound and guess what was following me?  The freaking ice cream truck!  Dang it.  She followed me for 3 streets.  If you have never heard an ice cream truck it is quite possible one of the loudest noises I can think of.  She can be 5 streets over and I can hear her truck.  I survived her!  ha!  No I didn't buy any ice cream either.  I actually made it 3.25 miles!  wahoo!  I have a running watch and would recommend it for anyone thinking about training or running.  It is a Nike one with GPS in it.  Best investment! 
I weighed Thursday and had lost an additional 1.2lbs!  WAHOO!!!!  In just 3 days.  Isn't it funny how the first pound took a month, but that second one only 3 days.  I'm glad I didn't give up! 
Yesterday (Friday) my office had a birthday to celebrate.  That means cookie cake and lunch out!  Normally I would look forward to this because it gave me an excuse to pig out.  It took too long to loose those 1.2 lbs and so I was in nervous mode on what am I going to eat etc.  I knew we were going to a Mexican restaurant for lunch.  It is one of my favorites around here.  I normally get a spinach and mushroom quesidilla and it comes with a beef enchilada with rice.  I think the plate is well over 1000 calories and my goal for lunch is around 400 calories.  I found a plate that was a marinated chicken breast with sauteed mushrooms and onions covered with cheese and served with rice and beans.  I ordered this with no beans and no cheese and guess what?  It was sooooo good!  Oh my goodness I could have licked the plate!!  I'm guessing it was anywhere between 400-500 calories max (at least that's what I hope).  I had a small piece of cookie cake.  In my office if you say no to cakes and cookies it is not accepted.  Period.  You have to have some.  You can't even pretend to eat it or take it back to your desk because everyone eats together and they know if you don't eat it.  They already get annoyed with me that I don't participate in as many group lunches anymore and bring my own food.  ha!   I spend 45 minutes at the gym to try and work off some of that food.
I weighed this morning after the "heavy" day yesterday and didn't gain or loose...I maintained!  I was excited.  I went to Zumba
This is a hard process but so rewarding when it is working. 

The never ending journey

One journey that I am always on is the weight loss journey.  I've never been one to be able to either not have to work out or watch what I eat.  I know this, but for some reason I always get going 100 miles per hour and then crash and burn.  SO I am trying this time to ease into it and to not get burned out!  I just wanted to share a few of my favorite things that are helping me through this journey:

 



Made to Crave is an AMAZING book.  I am only in Chapter 3, but it is honestly the best book that makes so much sense and I can relate to!  I can't tell you how many "last meals" I've had before starting a "diet"...she addresses this!  She even talks about when she finally decided to visit a nutritionist that she sat in her car with her last meal, looked around to make sure no one was looking and licked the plate!  hahahaha!!  That is so me.  So far this book is about changing your focus from craving food to craving Him.  I am guilty that when I have a bad day, I turn to food.  When I have a good day, to celebrate I turn to food.  If I'm depressed, anxious, you name it...turn to food.  Where should I turn to?  Prayer and God.  So I can't wait to see where this book continues to go, but so far so good!!!

 

Weight Watchers makes an AWESOME ice cream bar!!!  It is incredible and I will save my calories every day for one of these right now.  Oh my goodness.  They are 140 calories and worth every one! 



 

I also love Pop Secret 100 calorie kettle pop corn.  I eat it every day.  It is a lot of food and only 100 calories.  It can't get much better than that!

 

 

One last thing that I am really enjoying is My Fitness Pal app for my phone!  It is so cool.  One of the important things to do when eating right is to write down what you are eating every day.  I used to do this by pen and paper.  This eliminates that and stores it on your phone.  The best thing is that when you eat something and you add it, you can scan the bar code and it uploads all the information straight into your diary!  LOVE THIS!  It is very cool and I highly recommend it!

 

I know that I will have tons of "tests" along the way, but so far so good.  Today I turned down two YUMMY meals and stuck to my meal that I packed.  We have a few get aways planned over the next 6 weeks and football season is here, so I know that the challenges are going to be very tempting!  I will take one day at a time!



Weekend wrap up

I'm sitting here watching Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition trying to find my motivation and thinking about my weekend and trying to get back on track.  I haven't been working out lately and my eating hasn't been what it should.  The result?  Weight gain, energy loss and bad attitude!  I know this is the result, yet every time I seem to fall back on this track and regret it EVERY TIME!!!  Well tomorrow starts with getting back on track...again!  Ugh.  Maybe I can find the happy medium soon and not be on one extreme side or the other.  I'm working on finding that spot...
Saturday Josh, Garrett and I took it easy because we had some friends from college come with their two kids for a play date.  We went to the pool and then went to Meet the Pirates.  This is an event every year where you get to go out and meet all the football players for ECU.  We go out there for the bouncy castles!  Ha!  It sure helps to get their energy out.  Here are a few pictures from our play date.  We look forward to the next one:

Jack, Mary Walter, Garrett

Silly faces

Jack sliding down the HUGE SLIDE!!

Garrett's turn

Love that they had such fun together!

Dear Lord, thank goodness this wasn't loaded :-)

towards the end of the night...check out the sweat and sleepy eyes.

I did want to share one haha story from the day.  I think I tell G twice a day (at least) to get his fingers out of his nose.  The first thing he told them when he got in the car was "Do you know what I like to do that my mommy doesn't like me to do?  Pick my nose".  Bless him.  Before hello or anything!  He thinks I can't see him if he turns his head when he does it and jumps out of his skin when I bust him.  It's gotten pretty funny now because he will tell me before I say anything "I'm not picking mommy".  ha
Today we went to my parents house and had dinner with my parents, brother and sister in law.  It was such a nice and relaxing evening.  Josh and I are so blessed to have both of our families here in town with us.  It is so nice to have them a phone call away! 
This weekend also had some sad news.  I had a classmate pass away on Saturday that had been battling Multiple Sclerosis since high school.  Her name was Haley and she put up such an amazing fight.  What stood out most to me about Haley was her amazing relationship she had with the Lord.  She was such an inspiration with everything that she had going on with her illness she had such a positive attitude.  They are having a celebration for life on Tuesday that I plan on attending. 
I also love finding new music and have a dear friend Jamie who introduces me to the best stuff.  Enjoy this by Kari Jobe:

I hope that you have a great week!