Thankful Thursday...short and sweet

1.sunrise
2.friendship
3.FAMILY
4.bluebirds
5.music
6.children
7.wings

I am a little EXCITED!!!

It is done! Mindy's second weight loss challenge is over and done with and I came out a winner again! This time there were 43 of us in the challenge so the pot is much bigger. We will find out how many others were successful tomorrow. I am feeling GREAT! My family was so excited they took me out for some Mexican at Chuy's .

I have learned a lot on this 8 month journey to loose quite a few bags of potatoes in weight. First of all, set reasonable goals. 10% at a time in a 12 week time period was doable. Second, have family not sabotaging you. ha ha Third, have some great friends to compete with and enjoy a little smack talk. I have found that money and beating others is really good motivation for me.

What does that say to me about myself? I guess while I am putting on my single digit sized pants with a smile, I will admit that Todd has always been right on one thing...I am REALLY competitive!!!

Thankful Thurs....I mean Saturday!

I am thankful for many things right now...

1. Our car didn't get damaged in the hail storm this week.
2. I have a very special friend named Jann who makes my life so much happier with her in it.
3. It rained on the way to our farm field trip and on the way back but not while we where there!
4. Working at the same school my kids attend. I love getting morning hugs from Mairzey and all day hugs from Brody.
5. Mindy's weight loss fun...I feel SO MUCH BETTER. Thanks Mindy!
6. Spring and all that it brings.
7. Even though many people tell Mindy she looks like Jenny Mcarthy, which I think is good, they have stopped telling me I look like Tanya Harding, which I think is better. Yep, definitely something to be thankful for.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday...

Thank you, Kaylynn, for the great idea. I am a couple days late but definitely need to make this list. I will try each week and keep it to 7. Just 7. I think I can do that. :)
I am thankful for...
1. sunny days, especially after all the rain last week.
2. 12 and 13 year old girls and their enthusiasm for talent shows at school. Good luck with dancing and piano Sadey!
3. Sleeping in.
4. A husband that made me feel like a queen last night.
5. Garbage Bags- I loaded 6 of them full of clothes that don't fit anymore and got rid of them yesterday. How fun was that!!!
6. Sweet Brody's hand holding each night as I lay down by him at bedtime. He even trades hands if he turns from his back to his tummy. I LOVE this!
7. Advice from a loving father-in-law.

Giving thanks has never been more important than today.

Playing Catch Up

You can't say I didn't warn you all...this was going to be hit and miss for me. I know what my journals, the whole stack of them, look like. I know that each has a few pages filled with memories, and then blank page after blank page. So....no surprise that I fell off the earth. :)
Since it has been so long, I will give a quick update on all the goings on in our family.

January brought us back to reality with school, work, and the routines of life. Jesse finished up his first season of basketball at the middle school. We had great friends from up in Mansfield come to see us. Paying for baseball ALWAYS comes sooner than I think.

March has brought Jesse's first youth conference and Sadey's performance, which was wonderful by the way. A "girl" weekend with Jann coming here has filled her closet with more clothes, emptied her bank account a little more, and filled her stomach with WAY too much food! haha Great times. Baseball practices have begun. Here we go again! :)

Sorry for the lack of communication. Hopefully you are all happy and well. We would love to hear from you! We do love you!

Christmas Visit to AZ

We decided to make the drive to AZ for Christmas. This was the first time in 10 years we were actually there on Christmas Day. We enjoyed brunch with my family and then in the afternoon headed over to spend time with my BFF, Marcy. For those of you who don't know, Marcy and I have been best friends since the 3rd grade. For many years I would head to her house Christmas evening for an absolutely delicious spread of food and fun game playing. This Christmas proved to be the same! I loved spending time with the family again. It was so good to see everyone!


Shelley&Marcy













Jesse, Brody, Shelley, Charlie, Marcy, Loudon, Sadey and Mairzey

I Need a Hobby...ideas?

So, I have decided that I need a hobby, something exciting, fulfilling, entertaining, exhilarating. Something I can do occasionally that will help me refocus on life, smile, jump for joy that I am alive. I started looking for that hobby weeks ago...and looking...and looking. I have decided that I need your help. I know many of you have stopped checking this lame, out of date blog of mine but I post this in hopes of you giving me another chance, and wanting to give me your wonderful suggestions and advice. So...let me hear it! Please, none of you say keeping a blog...we all know how good I am at that one.