Just Because I Really Needed a Laugh

And yes he actually made this video!! Wikipedia says so!

Never Say Never

Have you ever really and truly believed that a door in your life was closed, locked, done? You were SURE you had locked it, and hid the key somewhere in a place you were sure you would forget about. Then one day you wake up, get dressed, go through your current door, thinking that you are doing exactly what you were meant to do and out of nowhere the old swings wide open. So, with no hesitation you run as fast as you can, hoping this is not some cruel trick, and the opportunity of reentering this world you were sure was lost is real and not just a dream. You fear that if you show too much excitement someone will come along and say "Oh wait, oops, I was just kidding, my bad." Or worse, you feel since it has been so long and self doubt starts to creep in and tell you that you no longer have what it takes, that very soon someone will figure out that you are indeed a fraud and cannot handle walking this path.

Why am I asking this now? At 10:39 on Thursday night. No real reason. Just wondering......

Pay It Forward

**Thanks to Paige for continuing this game. Click on Paige's name to read all about her family!!**

THE RULES: The main focus is doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and pay it forward.

I will send a small, fun gift to the first 3 bloggers who post a comment on this entry. In turn, those three will post this information and pick 3 people they want to send something to and then the game will continue!!

If you are interested in participating, be one of the first 3 bloggers to leave a comment!!

The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found, anything you want!! Just a gift that will make the person's day!!

You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link back to me, and then send something to the first three people who sign up to play along through your blog.

Oh and P.S. You have to comment on my actual blog, not on Facebook so if you are reading this through FB click on "originial post" to leave a comment.

Who's game?!!!!

CHUKI will you kindly get out of my head!

When we lived first moved to Nashville I RARELY took time to exercise. For a few of reasons. 1) I am fantastic at excuses 2)We were for the most part broke and I HATED the thought of doing anything outside, so I had no access to a gym. 3) I worked a lot, barely saw my kid, and saw my husband less than that.

I tried the jog stroller maybe once but again I had to be outside on a road where I have been guilty numerous times of harshly judging women who -run funny- wear the wrong clothes- jiggle too much fat -submit their children to sitting down WAY too long so THEY can jiggle said fat in public (Oh come on you do it too!). Anyway I was not a fan of allowing strangers to silently judge me (Yes, I am aware I have issues but if you don't know that about me you clearly have never spoken to me or stood within earshot of an conversation I have had.) I digress....

With time things changed. We had a very small balance in our checking account, I had a fabulous job with a boss who is now one of my dearest friend, Wes survived his intern year and had a few more hours at home, Peyt went to work with me and now had a new "little sister". We decided that a gym membership was next on the priority list.

After a few weeks of elliptical torture I was seeing no results (i.e. I was still eating like nobody's business) so I decided that I needed a huge kick in the rear and joined a "boot camp". I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I should have known there was something clearly different about this instructor because of her personal blurb on the gym's bulletin board. It was written in TEXT SPEAK. The entire thing. What? Anyway, I had seen several women who looked to be in worse shape than me running around outside jumping off and over and under whatever the day's "camp activities" were. Surely, it couldn't be horrible? *Insert dramatic pause*

So I show up for day one and in walks "Jillian" (she's the super fit Nazi trainer on the Biggest Loser) on CRACK!! Her name was CHUKI, just CHUKI, no last name. And no, I am not capitalizing for dramatic effect, that was how she spelled her name. She loved to quote Yoda by saying "Do or Do not, there is no try" in the worst British accent known to man. She donned the same sports bra and camo pants combo as Jillian, that showcases that same unnatural "6 pack" abs that every woman knows she will never have unless she quits her job, neglects her family, starves herself, and moves a sleeping cot into the gym. To top it all off CHUKI had spent so much time in the tanning bed that it was hard to guess her age. I am guessing late 40's but who knows, could be 30's, could be 60's..... Oh and I forgot about the 20 something streaks of dark purple in her hair. No, I am not exaggerating her appearance, I couldn't come up with this if I tried!!

Moving along.... We started with a one mile timed run. Great. I always sucked at this in high school as I was a super slow runner who most always came in last. But as in turned out my time was better than high school and I came in 3rd. I was feeling good, thinking this would be cake. We then proceeded to do "drills". We used jump ropes, medicine balls, huge rubber bands, soccer balls, stairs, walls, each other, and any other device that she could come up with to torture us. I did okay...it was hard but at least I finished. Then we had one last thing to do before we could leave.

Push-ups. Now I do not enjoy push-ups but hey, we women can always do them on our knees, right? Wrong. Not only did we have to do them on our toes, we had to go down low enough for our chest to touch her fist on the ground! If you didn't touch her fist, it didn't count. Did I mention that you had to do this individually while everyone stood over you counting and cheering you on? Oh and then she proceeded to put your "number" on the board for all to see. I should have bolted. I decided to go second so I could get it over with. I figured it would be bad but I had no idea it would be HUMILIATING! First off CHUKI thought it would be cute to nickname me "Stubby". Not funny. In the least. Secondly, I did not do one that counted. Not one. All the others said "Hey, I'm sure I can't do any either". They were ALL wrong. Every other woman there did at least 3....some did as many as 12! Are you freaking kidding me? I went home deflated but also determined. I would, I had to learn how to do a real push up. Or so I thought. The next 3 weeks were not any better. I NEVER had a single push up recorded on the board, I did however pull something in my back that made getting out of bed a nightmare. I stopped a week early and didn't go back.

Fast forward 2 years to the present. There has not been a day that has gone by that I do not think about my inadequate upper body strength. I foolishly have challenged everyone I know to do a CHUKI push-up, trying desperately to find someone, anyone who is also in the "I suck at push-ups" club. I haven't found many. Even Peyton asks me to put my fist down to see if she can do more than 15! That little turd! A few months ago Wes and I started doing Body Pump. It's this group exercise class that combines weightlifting to music. He goes at the crack of dawn with a friend from the neighborhood and I go with my friends after Peyt gets on the bus. One night I asked Wes to lend me his fist. He rolled his eyes and sympathetically said, "It has been months since you tried this". I know, I know...just humor me? So he did, and I did 2! Now all I need is to move back to Nashville long enough to sign up for that class and erase that big fat zero that sits next to "Stubby".

Score!

Downtown trick or treating should never be done without a hidden flask of something potent.

Safe from traffic, yes. Safe from being mobbed by sugar crazed halflings, no.

I had choir practice afterwards so I was forced to fight the horrendous crowd with the slowest human on the face of the earth in her big ole hoop skirt bumping into everyone as we went along with all my senses fully intact.

Oh yeah and somehow we did everything against the flow of traffic.

My only happy out of the whole thing (other than the "snow princess" loving the gross abundance of miniature sized torture to her mom's lack of self discipline) was when she saw the Hot Tamales in the candy bowl at the sports table, she thought of me... and grabbed 3 packs.

"Here Mommy, I got these for you!"

Thanks kiddo!

What is your list of "non-negotiables"

*Tip 2 (Try this for one week) Instead of using paper towels to dry your hands use a kitchen or hand towel.*


I just want to go ahead and say this may not sit well with most. But this blog has really opened my eyes in light of the upcoming election. This particular post by Jim Wallis (click on his name and read the post before going on) asks the reader to come up with their own list and then share it with family and friends.

"In 2004, several conservative Catholic bishops and a few megachurch pastors
like Rick Warren issued their list of “non-negotiables,” which were intended to
be a voter guide for their followers. All of them were relatively the same list
of issues: abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, etc. None of them even
included the word “poverty,” only one example of the missing issues which are
found quite clearly in the Bible. All of them were also relatively the same as
official Republican Party Web sites of “non-negotiables.” The political
connections and commitments of the religious non-negotiable writers were quite
clear.
I want to suggest a different approach this year and share my personal
list of “faith priorities” that will guide me in making the imperfect choices
that always confront us in any election year — and suggest that each of you come
up with your own list of “faith” or “moral” priorities for this election year
and take them into the voting booth with you."

Now I am not a biblical scholar or have a degree in political science so bear with me if these sound a little simplistic. Here goes....

1. I will choose the candidate who is most likely to take care of the poverty stricken people of this country and those of the world. I will willingly take more personal responsibility to take care of my local community with money and time. I will learn more and educate myself so that if the government fails on their promises I will be able to act.

2. I will choose the candidate who can no longer justify this seemingly never ending war. I will choose the candidate who will protect us without bullying others, one that will consider alternative means to war that are peaceful and respectful of all human life. I will longer pretend that innocent lives are not being lost and that our country is a big reason.

3. I will choose the candidate who will preserve the sanctity of ALL human life. Unborn and living equally. Period. I will support a consistent life ethic based on the premise that all life is sacred as it pertains to abortion, capital punishment, assisted suicide, economic injustice, euthanasia, and unjust war.

4. I will choose the candidate who takes the responsibility of protecting our environment seriously. I will support wise choices in the use of our world's resources and make more strides to use only what is needed and renewable. I support better stewardship of God's creation and will make greater strides to live and teach our children about a more sustainable life.

5. I will choose the candidate who leads by example in their daily lives. I will support one who promotes healthy, moral, ethical, and mentally stable families. I will support the well being of children in families no matter what that looks like. I will not support taking rights away from families based on gender, race, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation.

6. I will choose the candidate who treats every human with equal respect. I will not support any form of torture or inhumane practice done in our country or by any American.

7. I will choose the candidate who is a voice for the people. One who does not only adhere to the policies of a particular party. I will support a candidate who will not back down because the elite says so.

OK, I want your lists! Even (or maybe I should say especially) if they strongly disagree with mine. I think the key thing in this election year is that we as individuals refuse to be silent and take more personal responsibility in this great country where we have so many opportunities to make a difference.

Looking for a little inspiration

So I know a while back I said I wouldn't "waste time" with lists on how to be more environmentally friendly, instead I thought it might be fun to add a "tip" to each post from now on. Now when I say tip I am not talking about huge financial investments like solar panels on rooftops, tank less water heaters, energy efficient washer/dryer (not that those aren't good...just probably not feasible to a typical household especially now!) but things that we might could try today with little to no costs. Wes and I have tried different things throughout the years....some have stuck, some not so much.

So, first up is recycling. When we lived in Nashville I was obsessed! It was easy because the city made it so that almost everything you would normally throw out could be taken within 100 yards of our apartment and put in huge bins. Here in Auburn it takes, in some instances, huge efforts and time spent for very little recyclable materials. However to me it is worth it not to fill the trash can and thus the land fills.

This is not a hard project to start in most cities. You can call your local recycle center and ask if they do curbside pick up. Some cities will even give you a bin for free. Auburn does curbside pickup for no extra charge (taxpayer dollars go toward this so you pay whether you use it or not) but you have to buy your own bins. We went a year just using extra small trash cans around the house to separate the newsprint, cans, plastic bottles, and glass. I just recently went to Target and bought $8 stackable milk crates for easier storage. The few things you can't leave curbside we take across town to the city's facility.

Save your plastic grocery bags!!! You can take them back to the grocery stores or Walmart and they have their own recycle bins for the bags. If you live in Auburn you can go one step further and take them to the Community Market behind Durango so they can use them to bag groceries for low income families.

OK so my "tip" turned in to the post...oops! I will leave you with this precious drawing of Peyt at a local fall festival we went to last night. This lady did this for all the kiddos for FREE and it only took her like 5 minutes per kid.

Change

I am sure everyone is sick of this word by now. I am. I would love to turn on the radio, television, or go to any news website and not hear/see the word plastered everywhere. If it wasn't there then maybe I wouldn't have to do it.

I am tired of it because I am worried that it is just a slogan and change will never happen. I am worried that no matter who we elect everyone will go about their business as usual. I am worried that we will continue to ask everyone else to "bail us out," feed the hungry, keep our unborn children from dying, teach our children about God, pay for our medical expenses..... while we do nothing in our daily lives to change ourselves.

And by "we" I mean me. I am really not happy with myself these days and I need to remedy this. I have all these thoughts in my head about what I believe, but practicing these beliefs seem to be very minimal if not nonexistent. Hypocrisy is such an in your face word and one that makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I really dislike and can even get angry when someone is a blatant hypocrite, however my fear is that my entire day to day life is engulfed in it. Does anyone have days like this?

I think my problem is pretty simple (ahh "simple" is another one of those tricky little words). I have to choose. I have to choose to get up every single day and consciencely weigh my decisions.
Do I really have to have another shirt from Target even if it only costs $3?
Do I need to buy Cheerios instead of Toasty O's?
Could I use my "me" money to pay for just one low income senior citizen to have food for a month instead of stopping at Starbucks?
Am I really and truly going to give money to the local church who helps families keep their heat on in the winter or will I just smile that "someone else" is taking care of that?
Will I make sure that local produce comes into my house instead processed stuff that has to be shipped from thousands of miles away?

So far, on this very day, the answer to all of these questions that I am asking myself is a big fat NO. My question to myself now is will I write this post, wallow around in self pity, and then in a few weeks look back and see that nothing has been done differently, or will I....change?

If only...

If there ever comes a day when I disappear off the face of the earth you can be 100% sure my location will be here!

Home

There are few places I call (or at least feel at) home. Even saying "places" is not incredibly accurate. Wes, Peyton, and I have lived in three cities and moved in and out of six different houses/apartments in the last seven years. I have no special attachment to any of the physical addresses, however we have made all of them our home. At the end of every day I feel at home only when all three of us are together.

My mom's is another "place" I feel I can go at ANYTIME. She moved into her house a little over 13 years ago and I technically never lived there. I went away to college two weeks after she and my sister moved in, however, whenever I have come back to Florence this is obviously my home.

My Granny's house is somewhere that I love to be. It is the one place that has always stayed consistent in my life. I have so many memories...trees where mine and my sister's names are carved, the garden that my grandaddy used to drag us out of bed to work in, the barn that no longer stands except for a few pieces that my cousin kept to frame the paintings she gave to the family, the catfish pond where we all "caught" huge 8 lb fish for dinner that night. The list goes on and on. There are some days I have these grand illusions of living on her land and resurrecting the garden that has in the last few years been bare. My dad kept it up for a while but with full time jobs and kids to raise, the grand patch of land that I remember as a girl just waits.

Wes's parents' is a "place" that feels like home. Deborah and Terry have lived in more houses than I can count! They have this fascinating hobby and talent for restoring old homes so you never know just when or where they will be any given amount of time. They say that Aberdeen MS is it for them, but we all secretly wonder, now that the house is restored, if they will be able to do it. However, no matter where they are or the amount of time they stay in one place, it ALWAYS feels like home.

The one place Wes and I have not had for a long time is a church home. We, as a couple, in some ways are like night and day when it comes to God, religion, church, etc. The main thing we agree on that we have always wanted and have had a hard time finding is a place where asking questions (you know really tough-out there-seriously doubting questions) is OK.
That is until now. The first Sunday I walked in Auburn First Baptist Church I felt, for lack of a better word, at home. I thought surely it was too good to be true. I am one that has always hated stereotypes, but I found myself thinking, we aren't "baptists"; we are not the type of people who identify with any one denomination. I even told the pastor that I actually tried really hard over the last several months to find something "wrong" with the community. The only thing I have been successful in finding at AFBC is a group of believers who make it a point of searching for God and serving others. It is a place where "knowing the right answer" doesn't exist. It is a challenging place where you do not have to leave your brain at the door in order to worship. It is not a place where you just "check off" church each Sunday. These people are out in the community of Auburn and Opelika serving people where they are and making a real difference. I would love to list names of all the members who have touched our lives in just a few short months, but I know I would leave someone out. Needless to say, we officially joined a few weeks ago and have never felt such a sense of belonging as we do now.

Today

Because I can't seem to get my thoughts straightened out in my head well enough to transcribe them through the keyboard and on to the screen, and give you a post with a little meat and sincere scepticism, I thought I would tell you about my day.

** See, I can't don't even have the brain power to fix my horrible run on sentence**

It started with Body Pump. My new favorite way to work out. One reason is because it's GOING TO WORK!! The reason I know this is because my friends go with me. And if my friends go with me I am less likely to skip. The second reason is simply because my friends go with me. Today's workout is also worth mentioning because in the middle of our lovely butt shaping squats, the air died. Not a good combination I might add but, we made it through. And as if I hadn't had enough, afterwards I listened to this weird little voice in my head. I TRY to keep her quiet but sometimes she overpowers me. The one that says "today you need to stay and do extra cardio" is not really my friend. I want her to be but usually she is just telling me I'm not_____. (skinny, strong, pretty, blah, blah, blah) I tried to recruit my Body Pump partners but they were smart and went home.

Anyway.... I stayed and read a magazine while I did my high calorie burning machine (which probably is rigged just for people like me who want to believe they can burn 450 calories in 35 minutes)and stumbled across an article about a woman "going green" for 2 weeks. She mentioned several websites she used in her research and I tried my hardest to hold on to one (in my head, since I had no paper) so that when I got home I could look it up. I said the name over and over until I got to the computer and typed it in only to be led to a porn site! What?!!! Turns out I added an "s" where none was needed. Yes, I tend to do that; Parisian's, Belk's, JC Penny's, Victoria's Secrets (none of these stores have an s on the end by the way). By the time I actually got to the correct site I was flustered and the info was unorganized so I messed around on Facebook. Story of my life.

Things did perk up when I met Wes at a Cuban restaurant for lunch. I had a plantain omelet sandwich with spicy black beans(pretty tasty as sceptical as it sounds) and enjoyed talking to my husband about his morning. He had the afternoon off so we went home and tried to discuss the maybe hypothetical, maybe not; "would it be hard to give up all our possessions." That's where my head started spinning again. I needed a practical reason to have a massive yard sale and put our house on the market and he just wanted to talk about the philosophy of what it could imply. Also the story of my life. I am good thinking about an idea in the concrete-give a reason-sure I'll do anything for a good cause-practical kind of way, but throw in abstract-think outside the box-just to know in a moments notice I could... I suck at it. So I took a nap.

Anybody seeing a common thread...

So on a lighter note. I made a new pasta salad for dinner that rocked. If feta cheese, cilantro, chickpeas, and mint sound yummy to you I'll email you the recipe. I may even make it again for tailgating this weekend so I can eat it and wreck my minutes of psycho cardio torture.

So I guess the point is (if you have actually made it this far before deeming me certifiably insane), some days I can wrap my head around tricky little thoughts that make me think there actually is more to life and some days all I can manage are Facebook, a nap, and pasta salad.

Maybe there IS hope

I've said and heard from other moms who have young girls this exact statement: "If the styles for teens don't change, I am going to be one very unpopular mom!"

I read this article from CNN this morning and although it gave me a little hope, it made me realize that I am not too far away from possibly a heated discussion on what is appropriate for tween/teen girls to wear, with my own daughter.

I have always been a little on the overly conservative side with the way she dresses anyway. If it is inappropriate at 14 then it is therefore at 3, 4, 5 , and 6. No midriffs, short shorts, or even leopard print(that may just be a style preference), and two piece swim suits have to resemble a tankini of sorts. I absolutely refuse to allow into the house t-shirts that express rude phases. "I'm the Princess-Brat-Spoiled-Drama Queen-Diva," anything that implies that selfish or bad behavior is "cutsie."

Now don't get me wrong I am a huge fan of her having her own style. I don't really care if she matches and her stubborn will causes a big clash in style from what I think is cute on 6 year old girls and what she likes. Most days she is a blend between hippie and compound girl (if you have ever seen Big Love and know who Nikki is then you get the full picture). She may look a little like a hobo but hey, her style is VERY unique and all her own! I love that about her.

Lately she has started to branch out and I may have gotten a little lax.... She is starting to lean toward "the teenage look." That is what she calls it. It's not bad in and of itself. Not all teens dress like hookers. A pair of jeans and a cute strappy tank from Gap is one of my favorite things she wears. But now she wants to complete that ensemble with her black heels! Yes, I did let her buy them...she wanted them SO bad that she used her own money. So I let it slide and thought oh well, she sees me wear that all the time...

One recent Sunday morning she emerged in a pink sequined top(one that I had somehow failed to take to goodwill as it was about 2 sizes too small), a blue jean mini skirt (not too short and purchased one size too big b/c it had an adjustable waist), and the black heels. My mouth fell open! I quickly made up some excuse about not wanting her to wear denim to Sunday morning church(a total lie) and sent her off to change. Her reply was that I just didn't want her to look cute! I wish I had a picture to show. She looked like she was about to get in her car and head to the mall with her friends to "hang out" aka "meet boys." I made her change.

So where do we draw the line between letting children "grow up" and being a parent who is too over protective, that will no doubt lead to rebellion? Now I know she is ONLY 6, but she won't always be. And I realize that she is only mimicking. She has no clue that the way a girl dresses speaks volumes. She's is too young for that. Oh and how do I teach an age appropriate lesson in those moments...or do I? OK, now I've given myself a headache...

Any thoughts?

Usher meets Showbiz...very funny!

I have not laughed this hard in years!! Wes and I were literally doubled over. The longer you watch the funnier it gets.

Has anyone else seen this?

Wes just called to tell me about this nifty little gadget. I REALLY want!!



I am already obsessive compulsive about upping my miles per gallon. And this lets you play games while driving! This might just make me officially "that girl". You know the one that always drives 3 miles under the speed limit and makes cars line up for miles. Yeah that's me you're behind, cursing. I can't help it...my screen shows every tenth of a mile I gain or lose. It's like the little angel and devil sitting on my shoulders constantly judging me every time I step on the gas. Oh this Kiwi device may just be too much for me to handle.

In honor of the first day of school....

Here is a recap of the summer


**If you click on the "conversation bubble" in the lower left corner the captions pop up.

My How Time Flies!

Had I known then what I was getting myself into....



I'd do it all over again!

Just in case you haven't met Jessica

Jessica came to us via Lee County Humane Society in March. She is super laid back however, really hates to be alone. Her personality makes you fall in love at once and then proceeds to drive you mad if she can't join in on the fun. On this particular night, she thought by putting on Meghan's flip flops, we would mistake her as just one of the girls!!

This Morning

A conversation on the way to church...

Me: Hey, I found a cool website that sells organic cotton t-shirts. One of them had a snowman on it and under it said Endangered Species.

Wes: Oh yeah?

Peyton: What's a snowman?

Wes: Exactly!

Because sometimes...

you need more than a paintbrush.

Made in China

So I had heard some time ago about a woman who went a year without buying anything made in China.

Sara Bongiorni takes pains to say she does not have a protectionist agenda and, despite the occasional worry about the loss of U.S. jobs to overseas factories, she has nothing against China. Her goal was simply to make Americans aware of how deeply tied they are to the international trading system. "I wanted our story to be a friendly, nonjudgmental look at the ways ordinary people are connected to the global economy,"

It was one of those things that stayed in the back of my mind, however, occasionally reared its head as if to say, "I'm bugging you for a reason". I kept fruitlessly trying to push is back because like most things of this nature...it made my head hurt.

Wes lost his flip flops a few weeks ago and decided to try and find an affordable replacement made in the USA. We are still looking! Even the super ridiculously expensive ones are imported. Now if it were me I would have patted myself on the back for giving a good effort and said "Oh well, I NEED flip flops. I can't spend an entire summer without!" And off to Target I would go. But, instead Wes just puts on his old ratty sneakers without complaint and keeps going. I fear if he tries to replace the tennis shoes we will run into the same problem.

This morning I found this article from 2007. The journalist focused on the harmful products coming out of China as of late; toys, toothpaste, pet food, produce, to name a few. The end of the article sums up what made sense to me. A former U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said:

...all consumers receive value from the ubiquity of Chinese-made appliances, but when it comes to food products and ingredients, companies need to be more vigilant in tracking their supply chains. “Unfortunately in the case of foods and drugs, there’s a safety issue on top of the quality issue. If the toaster doesn’t work you just take it back to Wal-Mart and they give you another one. But if the food is unsafe, that’s a different matter.”

Ok, so here is my question. Or rather dilemma. How am I going to change the way I think about shopping? Will I start turning over products to see (or for that matter care) how much jet fuel it took to put them in my hand? Will I actually stop by the Farmers' Market instead of passing it on my run? Will I ever be able to buy a cute top, a pair of earrings, or heels from Target or Wal-Mart again? Can I afford to? Can I afford not to?

Go see this movie! Now.

I have never felt more responsible for my actions than I do now that I have seen this movie. I believe this movie is meant to make us feel guilty. I mean most of us are only going because you can take kids. That's what got me in. What a great way to market environmental change. The entire time I sat there I felt ashamed of how much Peyton's generation is going to have to clean up after me!

I am not a huge fan of the phrase "Going Green". Why? Because it's trendy and trends never last. There is a lot of publicity about it and most of it is not what it seems. You can spend ALOT of money going green and really do nothing to make our stay here better.

I could sit here and list all the ways but you're smart. You know how to use Google. Maybe I could waste a whole day writing a blog about 100 ways to be green. Or maybe I can start living my life in a way that shows Peyton I actually care about her future.

Care to join me?

I was wondering...

Do ever have those times in your life where you realize you've changed? You take a step back and wonder, "when did I stop liking cream in my coffee, how did I forget that I love roller coasters, why did I ever believe I wanted a house full of kids"?

Some of these questions keep popping into my head and won't go away. I wonder, did I change my mind or did I just not know that I didn't want or like certain things? The one thing REALLY bugging me is that I can't quite pinpoint the thing in my life that I am passionate about. Obviously my family is my greatest passion but I'm talking about me, just me, my selfish wants and needs. Something that I could not imagine not doing or having in my life.

I am getting better at knowing what I don't like.
I don't like red sauce on pizza.
I don't like, no I HATE to mop (that fact is painfully evident).
I don't want to use my Human Development degree. Ever.
And I don't like to be touched by people I'm not close to. Just the other day I caught myself putting my hands behind my back and making the smile on my face bigger (a lame attempt to still seem somewhat inviting), just so I didn't have to shake some one's hand.

Things that I don't know:
Who to vote for (this one make my head want to explode).
Why can't I politely listen to my husband explain how different drugs work in your body and not get utterly frustrated because I'm not going to remember what he said in 3 minutes?
Why can't I manage all this free time? Some days I get absolutely nothing done. Nothing.
Why am I all or nothing? I get super excited about starting a project and then get burned out and just stop.
This list could go on for days.

There is little that I am completely certain about. However...
I love Mexico. I WILL find a way to spend a LOT of time there!
I love red wine. I love to drink it at a nice restaurant on a date or on my back porch with a group of friends. And,to be perfectly honest I love to have just one glass too many.
I love the pastor at our church. I could listen to Jim Evans speak all day.
I love earrings and heels. This is a new love for me, but getting dressed up makes me giddy.
I LOVE that my husband is completely difficult.
I love that my little girl likes to express her independence.
I love fall in Auburn.
OK, so maybe I am certain of more things than I thought.

Somebody should warn you before you hit your 30s of all the questions and self doubt! Sheesh!

Bear With Me

In hopes of inspiring a bit of creativity and motivation, I decided to change things up.

Moving seemed easier for a few reasons. I LOVE to start over when I can. It can be annoying especially when the reasons to start over are only apparent to me. I can be very anal and when I don't like what I have done, I usually refuse to try and patch it. I had much rather scrap it, go buy new crayons and paper, and start ALL over! However, in this case I didn't want to "scrap" the old blog, I just didn't know how to transition into something else. That's what I want....something else. Something new, fresh, and different than the last. Something that I hope keeps me inspired because as much as I loved the old, it obviously wasn't well... inspiring me. The other is still there if you want to go back and reminisce. I probably will occasionally do just that.


In an abbreviated effort to catch you up, Peyton finished kindergarten and has so far had a busy, yet fun filled summer. She has had the opportunity to travel and see almost everyone she misses the most. Not for the length of time she had hoped, but some good times nevertheless. We are planning one last trip to the beach before diving back into schedules and required activities. We have exactly one month left and I am actually sad that summer break is coming to an end. Surprisingly the weather in Auburn has been incredibly mild! Unlike last year where going outside made me ill, this year we have tried our hardest to do everything we can outdoors.

In June, Wes and I were able to go on a vacation sans child. It gave us an opportunity to see the pros to such grown up getaways. So as a result, we are committing to do this once a year and when school starts to one date night a week.

I have one room left in my house to paint. The house is now settled and arranged. My husband has found a grove at work that he can manage. My kiddo has her friends and a level of comfort in her environment that makes her feel confident. So my "time off" is slowly starting to seem silly. I NEED a different purpose. A job? Continuing my education? A volunteer program? All of the above? It makes my head hurt to try and figure this one out. So I am planning to start small. I am going to apply for a part time job and enroll in a beginners Spanish class starting in the fall. Hopefully, I will be successful in these endeavors.

But that will be for another blog...