Transition

I remember the "transition" time during labor...who could forget it!  It was not easy - there was definitely a LOT of pressure...some/most would say pain, but I knew that it would not last forever.  I was focused, concentrating on breathing correctly - and I knew what was about to happen very soon.  My body was making its final preparations for the exit of my little baby out of my womb and into my arms - the beginning of his life in our family and world.  It was worth every moment of that transition.

Recently, our family has been going through some new transitions - good ones (new job for Dawson!!!, T-ball starting up, new schedules, etc.), but I have to admit that I am tired. I am realizing the importance of keeping myself focused and preparing myself properly so that I am not as tired during the day and can get things accomplished that I need/want to during the day...not just trying to "make it" through the day.  Earlier to bed is a must...so that earlier to rise is not as hard!

So, here is to another great day - and to trying to get to bed earlier tonight!

Broken Nails

When I came home from shopping the other day, I noticed that one of my fingernails had broken off!  Do you know what thoughts came to my mind???  Well, I will let you in on how my mind processes things:

1. How did I not realize that happened? (Because all of the white broke off!)  My nails were looking so nice...now, not so much!

2. My DNA is somewhere!  What if someone commits a crime at the store that I was in...they could find my fingernail and place me there...not that it matters for me - but it is just weird to think that my DNA is laying around somewhere!  I guess it is the biologist in me...and/or I have watched many CSI shows...or both - take your pick!

A Few Rambling Thoughts...

There are so many things that I could write about - so many things that have been happening lately...so I figured that I would write a little bit about what's been going on...

1. Vacation was great and I should write more about it  :)

2. I have caught up with my laundry this week!  Which is pretty good since we got home last Sunday from an 8 day family vacation!

3. I have a bunch of clothes to put away in storage that are waiting for the younger boy to grow into...and some that are out of season...they are in my bedroom at the moment, and really don't belong there.

4. Dawson and I "found our garage" as my neighbor put it.  We took everything out of our 1 car garage, got rid of a bunch of stuff, put things where they really belong, and we realize that we still don't have room for our car because of the boys' scooters, big wheels and bikes...that kind of makes me laugh.

5. I have started to exercise regularly - meaning daily, and it feels good.

6. I am trying to be more conscious about what I am eating - and that feels good too.

7. Getting to bed earlier has been helping me to wake up earlier and have some time to do things before the boys wake up and that has been amazing...it usually includes starting a load of laundry, exercising, emptying the dish washer, showering and just getting the day started!

Well, there is more that is going on, but I really need to get to bed...so that I can start my day early-ish tomorrow!

A Sneak Peak of My Monday

Today was a busy day, but a good day.

Here is a glimpse...well, let me backtrack to the middle of the night...

I was woken up in the middle of the night to take one son to the potty (which is much better than changing sheets the next morning...or middle of the night!) and then later on in my slumber, my 3 year old and his blankie came in to  my room and climbed right into bed with me.  I was so tired, that I decided to let him snuggle there with me.  I am not sure how long he was there, but I eventually turned over to Dawson and asked him to take Smiles back to his bed...and he did!  (He is the best husband!).

Okay, now back to this morning:

All of this happened before 9:30am: said goodbye to Dawson, showered/got dressed, folded some laundry, got the boys up, suggested clothes for them to wear today, helped them get dressed, fed them, and got them out the door

10-11ish Smiles had an eye doctor appt - everything went well, but they gave him those eye drops that dilate the pupils...which he does not like at all (who does?).  I really like his eye doctor - he is awesome with the kids! (Even Brady likes him!)

11:30-12:30 Back home.  Time to make lunch and call my mom - I need to take her to the chiro today...which is fine, b/c I could use an adjustment too.

12:45 - out the door to go to story time at the library

1:15-2:30  Story time and spending time at the library with some friends

2:45 leave the library and pick up mom.  Go to the chiro and get adjusted.  Stop by CVS - I am in there for about 10 minutes.  Drop mom off at home and I go home

4:30ish ?  Get home, give the kids a snack, get ready for the board meeting, throw some dinner together - and whatever else I had to do!

6:15 Dawson arrives home.  I talk with him and give him the run down of what I am thinking of saying at the school board meeting.  He prays with me.

6:45 I am off to stop at CVS - there is something else that I needed to get there.

7:20 I arrive at the school board meeting and talk briefly with a former colleague and then make my way into the board room.  I say what I wanted to and listen to everything that is going on.  I don't always like taking the time to go to the school board meetings, but I am thankful that I have gone to them and hope that I am able to continue to go to them so that I know what is going on in my school district.

9:30 Finally home from the meeting and find that my kids are wanting kisses from me...which only makes them hyper!  So, they did not settle down until about 10pm!!!!  Their bedtime is 8:30 the very latest!!!!  Tomorrow morning should be "fun" to wake them up...I think that it will be breakfast in a bag and milk in a sippy cup which they can eat on the way to our Moms Meeting tomorrow morning!

This was a busy day, but not a "hard" day and not too exhausting - just very busy.  I am thankful for my health, for my family and for my God who has helped me through this day without feeling stressed out.  Normally, I would have been setting up for our Moms meeting, however, I was not able to because Dawson had to work overtime and I had the school board meeting.

It was a good day.  Not everything turned out the way that I may have wanted it too.  However, my son's eyes are healthy, our car is running fine, we borrowed the Nemo soundtrack which I really enjoyed (thanks for finding it, Brady!), we all got great and well-needed adjustments, there was food to feed my family, my husband has a job and makes me smile, CVS had some great deals, and I had the freedom to voice my opinion at a school board meeting.

I am so thankful that the Lord helped me move through this day with grace and ease.  The dishes are not done, the laundry is backed up and I could name many other things here that are not "done" at the moment...but I choose to focus on the positive - I am thankful for the dishes and pots and pans that we have to cook with and eat off of and I am thankful for the clothes that we have so that we have more than one outfit to wear.

God is so faithful.  God is so good.

It's Been Awhile...

It's been over a month since I have blogged, because it has been pretty busy in our family. I thought that the past month would have been full of planning birthday parties for my sons and having lots of little kids in the house, however that has not happened...yet.

To make a long (month+) story short...I have spent many days and hours in the hospital visiting my mom who was sick with pneumonia and a staph infection in her blood - she was a very "sick woman", as her doctor stated. She went from her doctor's office to ICU for 12 days and then to a rehab hospital for over 2 weeks, and now she is finally home. She is going to outpatient PT and OT and has made tremendous progress since the beginning of this sickness. We are so thankful to God for all of the healing that has taken place in my mom's body and are looking forward to her complete healing (and my Dad's too!)! My sister and I are still very busy helping my parents out around their house and taking them to their doctor's appointments, but we are so thankful that their bodies are healing and that we live so close to them, so that we can easily help them out. I love my parents so much!

So, I hope to make the time to plan my sons' "friend" birthday parties soon and to blog more and tell you how I have begun to do some of the things that I have wanted to do! :)

He is our Healer...Dad's Healer

Yesterday and today have been good days but hard days for me. Two of my cousins came down from Long Island to visit my Dad , and we had a really great time seeing them. When we went over to my parents house to see them and visit with my family, I saw that my Dad was in a LOT of pain. I could tell that it was the worst pain that he has ever had. It is so hard to see my Dad , my loved one, in so much pain...and there is nothing that you can so to help alleviate it.

I have not written a lot about my Dad and what he has been going through on my blog. It is a very personal subject to me, but I did feel that I wanted to express a little bit of what I am going through today.

I love my Dad . He is a fighter - he always has been. My Dad grew up in "the city" (Queens) and definitely had his fair share of fights that he went through as he was growing up. He moved to Long Island when he was 16 years old (fast forward), and that is where I grew up. He was always my protector, and I knew that if anyone ever "laid a hand on me" that he would take out their knees with a baseball bat, because that is what he told me ever since I was little! The baseball bat was in his closet and thankfully it stayed there, because there was never a need for it to be used. Besides physically protecting me, my Dad was also my spiritual covering/protector. Dad has these great big hands that I have always loved to hold, and I loved when he prayed for me. I just knew that when Dad prayed, God heard and I would feel better quickly. He prayed with such power, and he still does.

My Dad is still a fighter. He has been battling cancer for 12 years now, but it has only become really hard, weakening, and painful in about the last 6 weeks or so. I cannot even comprehend that amount of pain that he is in.

So, I spend time with him, hold his hand and enjoy every moment that we are together. I allow myself to cry when I am home, and pray to God for the healing of my father this side of heaven. I ask the Lord to renew my father's strength, to take away the pain, to flush the cancer out of his body and give him many more years of healthy living with his family. I ask the Lord to strengthen my mom, and sister and myself, and our other family members. I believe that my Dad is going to be healed. This is not the end for my Dad

God is good and He is God. He is the same God that healed the women who touched the hem of Jesus' robe about 2000 years ago. My sister reminded me that the women was battling the blood disease for 12 years, and in an instant, she was healed. You know what? He is the same God that healed my pastor of stage 4 leukemia, and his life and story have definitely been an encouragement to my whole family.

This has been a tough weekend for me (and of course Dad). However, with every tear that would well up inside of me and fall down my cheek, I still know and hold on to the fact that God is God and He is our Healer...Dad's healer.

One way that I have been encouraged is through song. I am thankful for every song that would be streaming through my mind, that I would suddenly start singing, or that would come on to the radio that I was listening to. They were exactly what I needed at each moment, and I hold on to each and every word and promise that He has given to me, my Dad and my family. I choose to praise and worship Him.

But as for me, I will always hope; I will praise you more and more (Psalm 71:14).

I Would Like To Do...

There are so many things that I would really LIKE to do, but rarely find or make the time to so those things...and as I am writing this, there are even MORE things that come to my mind that I would like to do, such as:

Blog more - I would really like to do this more. In fact, I have another post that is waiting to be finished and a few more posts that are in my head! It is hard for me to sit down and make the time for blogging.

Build furniture - I would LOVE to build some of my own furniture. My friend Tiffany has built quite a few pieces in her home and I SO wanted to build some furniture with her...but I feel that now is not the time. If you really want to be inspired to get crafty, I encourage you to visit Tiffany's blog - she is SO talented and creative! There are other things that I need to tend to at the moment, so building furniture will have to be put on hold. However, I am hoping that I will be able to build things that are found on the Knock Off Wood website.

Read more books from cover to cover - I guess I need to make the time to do this. I read a little here and there, but I have not been able to get through a whole book in a long time. I tend to read a little bit in one book and then find another book to start, so I guess I am a bit of a "Book Hopper."

Organize my home - ok, I know that this is a process. I feel that I need some furniture to help with this, and then I face the dilemma - do I wait and build something at some point, do I buy from IKEA or some place that it not too expensive (but I don't want the furniture to fall apart!), or do I save for a nicely made piece of furniture...not sure about this. At the moment, I am trying to declutter and not hold on to things because, "I might need it someday." - yes, I am sometimes like that!

Begin painting and decorating my home - I often feel like I don't know where to begin...and by that, it is really just choosing a room. I also need to learn how to decorate. It seems silly to say that, but I don't feel like that side of me has been developed, and I am not sure how to develop that yet. However, I feel that I am on the right road for choosing paint colors - I think! LOL!

Get more sleep at night - I am a night owl, and that needs to change. This seems like one of the easiest things to change, but it really had not been. I need to change this though so that I have more energy to continue to be the wife, mom, sister, friend, child of God that He has called me to be. So, with that in mind, I am going to end this post, set it to post tomorrow morning and go to sleep!

What are things that you would like to do/change in your daily life?

Smoothie Time!

I am praying for my Dad today and you can join me too! We are praying for complete healing and peace for my Dad.

On another note...I made a smoothie for my kids today. My kids love smoothies! (So do I!) I decided to make a peach smoothie. To 1 cup of plain yogurt, I added 3 large peaches...and then I decided to add 1 apple and 1 medium carrot. Why not!

Guess what flavor stood out the most???

The Carrot!!!

I don't think that the kids noticed too much, but that is what I tasted, and you know what? It was pretty tasty. It reminded me about the juice drink that my dad has been drinking: carrots and apples juiced together. It made me smile.

I love my dad.

Feeling a Little Emotional

Tonight is one of those nights where I feel so full of emotions. I don't know whether I am going to cry or just have this feeling for a little bit. I don't mind crying. In fact, I feel really good after I have that kind of emotional release, but I just don't feel like I am actually ready to cry yet...just have that lump sort of in my throat.

I am not really sure why I have that lump in my throat. There are so many things that can be attributing to it...my Dad's health has definitely been on my mind a lot lately. He has been battling cancer for about the last 12 years. You would probably not realize that he has cancer when you are around him because he has a positive attitude about it and does not look sickly. I don't talk about it with people either...I guess I have not really known what to say, except, "He's doing okay and please pray for him to be healed here on earth." Various drugs have helped to control the increase in the cancer multiplication, but they are no longer working, so he is not on any type of medication at the moment. Right now, a second opinion is being looked into, and diet changes have been made. I know that this is not about me (well, I guess this post is!), but I am definitely effected by what is going on, and it is really hard for me. This is my dad, and I love him. I don't want him to leave this earth yet. I cannot imagine life without him and his stories, his laughter and his hugs. I know that I have to take advantage of getting all of that from him and all of my family members, because truth be told, we don't know how long that any of us will be here on this earth. I wish that I could do something more than pray for his complete healing here on earth. Okay, so I have cried a little bit while writing this. The lump in my throat is gone...although the emotions are still there.

I know that I need to lay my burdens and feelings down before Him. I need to release everything to Him, and I know that He will fill me with His peace. No matter what happens, God is God. I have to trust Him and look to Him in all things.

Blogging...just haven't had the time!

I have thought about this blog of mine...really I have...but I have been so busy with trying to do some other things in my house and life, that this has "suffered" a little bit.

So, what have I been up to...Oh just watching soaps and eating bon bons...you know, what every SAHM does! HA! Just kidding...I don't even watch any TV during the day, except an occasional show with the kids!

OK, what have I REALLY been up to??? Well, that will have to wait for another post!

In the meantime, stay tuned...I am going to have a giveaway for you soon...just need to take the time to write about it!

Perspective

The last week and a half have not been the easiest. Dawson has had to work overtime almost every night, the kids have been sick - fever, cough and gagging on mucous while coughing which led to my 4 year old throwing up about 5 times, earlier this week we got water in our basement, and then I started to get sick yesterday! Because of the sickness, we had to postpone the boys' "kids party" that was scheduled for this Saturday...

You know what I kept telling myself and others - it might not be great, but there are people out there that are worse off. Some people don't have a job, their kids might be in the hospital and maybe they are foreclosing on their home. It's all in how you look at it....

PERSPECTIVE.

While I was laying in bed last night trying to get my head to feel better, I was conversing with the Lord and He brought some clarity on a few things that I have been asking his guidance on. Did it actually take me getting sick for me to stop and actually wait on Him and listen to Him? I guess that it did at the moment, and it also reminded me to take time with the Lord - which is not always easy for me to do - I let other things get in the way of that time. That is something that is going to have to change.

So, although I am not thankful that we have been "hit" with some of this "yuckiness," I am thankful that it made me slow down and think about life. I am thankful for the life that God has given to me and the family that He has given me.

Perspective. Think about it.

Dinner is in the Oven!

Lately, I have been quite tired. I definitely enjoy staying up late, but with kids, it is not wise to do that, especially when they wake you up at 6:30AM...and today Brady woke me up at 6:00AM! Today I was surprised at how early it was, but I he climbed into bed with me and we will snuggled for a little bit until I felt that I needed to get out of bed and shower (then he snuggled with Dawson)! I love snuggle time!

Anyway, back to me being tired...I was really becoming unproductive and impatient. This led to barely getting dinner on the table and getting frustrated easily too. This weekend, I was able to catch up on my sleep - I "allowed" myself to take a nap on Sunday while Dawson and Brady were at a baseball game (and Smiles was taking a nap), and then I made myself get in to bed a little sooner than normal - which is around 11:00PM (I know, that is not really early, but it is earlier than midnight!).

I have felt more refreshed today that I have felt in over a week, and I am thankful for that! I will need to remember to continue to get to bed by 11:00PM - seven hours of sleep is wonderful!

...and dinner is in the oven! (lasagna tonight!)

Thoughts That Will Eventually Be Written

I have been thinking a lot (ok, now and then), about things that I would like to blog about, but just have not had the time nor made the time to do it, yet...and some things have been taking precedence over blogging times - specifically trying to get things done in the house, making meals, you know, those types of things. However, I have been thinking of a few things that I would like to share with my readers, and I will soon make the time to do so.

So, what has been on my mind?

Making great choices for my life - specifically in the health area.

Seeing motherhood in a new way.

I am still processing some of this stuff, but will soon begin to share with you, some of the things that I have learned, and am still learning.

Trying To Get Back to Normalcy

December was a good month, but it was really draining for me, and if you want to read more about it, you can go here. Since Thanksgiving, I have kind of been in "survival mode," and I have to say that I don't like to live that way for a long period of time. I am out of my routine (the few that I have), and time seems to "get away" from me. I feel that things are beginning to change in a few areas - some of the change is because I am making the decision to do so, and others are happening "on their own."

One of the most remarkable changes that has happened within the last week, is that Smiles is starting to sleep through the night again!!! Ever since his surgery on December 1st, he would wake up in the middle of the night, at least once and sometimes twice!!! That really drained me, and that is part of the reason why I was in survival mode. I have been so tired over the last month and a half - this Mama is used to getting a full night's sleep! One change that I made (well, really Dawson made it for us) is that we tuned off the monitor that was in our bedroom (we still have one downstairs - but that is used only when we are awake and the kids are sleeping)! Ever since we did that, Smiles started to sleep through the night...coincidence? Maybe, but I am sure that it also helps that I don't hear every little squawk that he makes. So, I thank the Lord that little Smiles is sleeping through the night...I am talking about 7pm to at least 6:30am!!! WHOO HOO!!

Now that I am getting more sleep, I have decided that I need to also bring back some of the other parts of my routine...which have been hit or miss lately!

1. Dishes. I am trying to get all of the dishes done before we go to bed...yes, I have been known to leave them in the sink until the next day. I know, none of you have ever done that before in your whole life! :) (and of you haven't, good for you - seriously!).

2. Laundry. I have piles of laundry to do. I don't think that I have done any laundry for about 2 weeks! And, yes, I have enough undies to last that long! The last time that laundry was done, Dawson did it (yes, he is awesome)...so, I should really say that I have not done laundry for about 3-4 weeks...however, I only have about a 2 week pile up...well, the boys have more than that, thanks to all of the hand-me-downs from my sis! :) So, as I am typing this, I heard some strange noise that was coming from upstairs. I had to stop and listen a little closely, wondering what it was...I then chuckled, because I realized that it was the unfamiliar noise of my washing machine! That will now become a daily noise that I will hear...lots of laundry to do!

3. Meal Planning. This is something that I have been majorly missing! I have been "throwing" meals together, and we have been surviving, but I have to say that I miss not knowing in advance what we are going to have for dinner...speaking of which... I have not planned dinner for tonight yet! This is something that I have not put back into place yet, but it will be back by next week.

Those are the three main things that I can think of at the moment - there are many others, but I am slowly jumping back into all of this. This may seem so simple, but I knew that I had to start somewhere, and over time, "normalcy" will return to our home again!

Another thing that I am working on, is making changes to my lifestyle to lose the rest of the baby weight (from Brady - I already lost all of it from Smiles - although the muscles are still weak!). Natalie challenged us a few weeks ago, and although I have not taken the time to blog about it, I decided to make four changes to my lifestyle, and see what happens! I will write more about that in another post. If you are interested in reading more about this challenge, head over to Created and Called, and you can read her posts here, here and here.

It is good to get back on the track...and now, I am full steam ahead, prepping for Brady's Thomas the Tank birthday party...which will happen this Saturday!

His Grace is Sufficient For Me

After posting this on Tuesday, which list all of the craziness and busyness that I have been going through this month, the Lord has been speaking to me and ministering to me in a variety of ways.

Yesterday, my mom and dad watched the boys while I went out food shopping! I even did a little bit of their shopping too! I was so thankful for their help - it may have only been an hour and a half, but they basically gave that extra time to me - thank you both!

I have also been able to enjoy the moment that I am in, and not be concerned about what is going to happen next. I do need to prepare, but when I am spending time with people, I need to be there 100%!

One other thing that has been resonating inside of me is, "His grace is sufficient for me." Along with this phrase, is the rest of a song that I sang growing up:

Jehovah Jirah, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me, for me, for me,
Jehovah Jirah, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me.

My God shall supply all my needs, according to His riches in glory,
He will give His angels charge over me,
Jehovah Jirah cares for me, for me, for me,
Jehovah Jirah cares for me.

He does care for me, and He will provide for all of my needs. He is a good God.

December in a Nutshell

This month has been really tough and tiring. This year has been pretty tiring. Good, but tiring.

So often during this year, I felt like I was running, trying to catch up with what was happening, but always feeling a few steps behind. I have felt isolated at times and just plain busy. There are many reasons that I can think of that could be linked to why I was feeling this way: our family had only one car from October '07 - August '08, so I stayed home most of the time with our new baby that was born in January and with my toddler/pre-schooler. Going from one to two was definitely challenging for me at times, and I was just lacking sleep a lot of the time.

December was definitely a month that was very tiring and I have felt worn out. I feel like I have been just going, going, going since Thanksgiving - and I am still going! I have had a lot of fun too - but that has been coupled with being tired. This is basically what has been going on (I need to write it in list form - it just helps it to flow better for me):

1. We hosted Thanksgiving here - we had a great time with the family that was able to come.

2. The Monday after Thanksgiving, Smiles had surgery.

3. After his surgery, he would wake up in the middle of the night every night, somewhere between 2-4am, and he would not go back to sleep unless I nursed him - he took a whole feeding, so I am assuming that he was hungry - I just was wishing that he would get all of his calories during the day! He was not awake from 2-4am, he just woke up somewhere in between those times. This went on for at least 2 weeks.

4. Smiles finally started to sleep completely through the night during the third week of December - I know that many prayers were going up to the Lord for this to happen!

5. At the end of that week (Friday before Christmas), he got a high fever for three days, which then showed itself as roseola. During this time, he started to wake up at night again - probably from being uncomfortable.

6. The Monday before Christmas, Smiles woke up at 11:30PM screaming and I had to nurse him in - he would not relax and go to sleep if I did not. He then woke up at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30 and 5:30. Needless to say, I was exhausted the next morning - thank you mom for your help on Tuesday! Smiles woke up at 11:30 PM again on Tuesday evening, and I was happy to have children's benedryl to give to him - that seemed to help him get through the rest of the night!

7. Christmas day was spent with my family, then I had a day to try and recoup a little bit, then Christmas with Dawson's family was on Saturday - which was great, then our friends from CT arrived on Sunday morning and stayed until Monday morning (again, this was great, but I felt like we were still going!)

8. Tomorrow is decorating cookies for the grandkids at my parents' house plus I need to do food shopping (and CVS too - we need some toilet paper, and I have two great coupons to use - thanks Thrills!)

9. Wednesday evening (New Years' Eve) we will be at my parents' - food to make!

10. New Years' day we will host family at our house - more food to make!

11. January 2nd is Brady's birthday - we will have a cake for him...when will I make that???

12. On top of all that has been going on, Dawson had to work late every night for at least two weeks before Christmas, so when he got home, I usually did not feel like going out shopping for presents (hence the last minute shopping that I had to do with the help of my parents!)

This month has been tiring, but also filled with a lot of fun family time too. I am just looking forward to having a vacation...I am not sure what that means, but I am looking forward to one! Dawson was joking with my tonight, saying that he should send me to a cabin in the forest - but I thought that it would be lonely, and I would still have to make myself food and clean everything up. I am not sure what I need, but I have to say, that when I go on a vacation, I really like my family to be with me! I love them so much! I think that I need some sleep, and more time with my hubby.

If you have made it this far, thanks for reading and hearing what has been going on in my life during the month of my tiring December. I am ready for some rejuvenation!

Praying For Comfort and Peace

I cannot imagine living life without Dawson. He is the love of my life, my best friend, and I love being with him, talking with him, etc.

When Dawson returned to work today, he found out that a co-worker past away on the 23rd. My heart breaks for his wife and two daughters. Dawson went to the viewing tonight and he is planning on attending the funeral tomorrow. This was a sudden death, which makes the situation even harder for the family and the people that worked with him.

Every time I think about it, I get choked up and tears fill my eyes, and I have been praying for the family many times throughout the day. Praying for comfort and peace for the family.

Black Backgrounds - my thoughts

I don't know about any of you, but white (or light colored) text on a black background on a blog makes my eyes go a little nuts! The blogs are pretty, but I cannot read it unless it is in my reader. I think that blue is fine, but black...well, I just can't do it! Please don't be offended or even change your blog! These are thoughts that were just going through my head after my eyes were bugging out after reading a friend's blog (from college).

It Was Worth $18

Dawson and I do not normally go out to the movies. If I want to see a movie on a large screen TV, I can always go over to my parents' house and watch it on their large screen TV. Forking over $18 for two tickets is a little hard to swallow, but since we don't normally go out to the movies, I was fine with paying that amount of money and going to see the movie Fireproof. It was the best $18 that we spent!

I really enjoyed the movie and I highly recommend that you go to see the movie is you have not yet! You could even pay a little less than we did if you are able to catch a matinee! This is definitely a movie that deals with real life issues and has an awesome answer to help work through those issues...and it is not just a book. I think that I might purchase the book and go through the "Love Dare" with my husband. We are not estranged, but marriage is work, and if there is a tool out there to help bring us even closer to each other and God, why not try it out!

I will definitely buy the movie when it come out on DVD, and I am looking forward to the next movie that this church puts out!

Not Up To Par

It has been 10 days, and I am still not feeling well. My whole family has been fighting off some type of sickness. Brady is doing fine - a few boogies here and there, but they are clear, so it is all good. Dawson seems to be doing fine also. Smiles just started getting major boogies a couple of days ago, so he is still fighting something - they are not clear yet! Poor little guy! I am feeling well usually in the morning, but by the afternoon, I start to feel lousy again.

This is the worst that my sinuses have even felt in my whole entire life! I have been taking a lot of sudafed and Tylenol, but I think that I am going to have to make a doctor appointment tomorrow. I am wondering if I have a sinus infection - it is something that I just have not been able to "shake". I just hope that they don't tell me to keep blowing my nose and take more sudafed because, I am already doing that!!! AND, I really don't want to pay someone to tell me what I am already doing - that is the reason that I waited this long to make an appointment! I actually called the doctor's office on Friday and they said to wait about 10 days - and take sudafed.

So, hopefully, I will get better quickly so that I feel like doing the things that I have been putting aside...which includes a date with Dawson! I was so excited to go on a date with him a week ago, but I got sick! So, we just went to bed early. That date will still happen - as soon as I get better!! I can't wait! :)