One Word - 2014

So last year, I did the "Word of the year" ...  The word was "Focus" & it was from Phil 3:13-14

I focus on this one thing; forgetting the past & looking forward to what lies ahead.  I press on to reach the end of the race & receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us

I still love my word... I repeat it to myself over & over to focus on the right things...

It also really spurred on my LIFE verse, which is the same... but PRESS ON is my theme in life now... I have it on a bracelet I wear every day - I put it everywhere. 
Mandisa even did a song off this verse called Press On that is A-MAZ-ING!   She even made a remix version for working out - my favorite song to run to.



So what do I need in 2014?

I knew what I needed in my life right now, for 2014... new beginnings... fresh starts.... a different attitude about things & life.

Then the word RENEW came to me...

It fits perfectly...

I looked up the word in the Bible to find scripture that has that word & came across this..... & I've heard this verse over & over...

seen it on MANY a shirt during races...

But its just hit me so differently... it is hitting me in the soul... as it should

but those who hope in the Lord

will RENEW their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run & not grow weary,

they will walk & not be faint.

-Isaiah 40:31

Hope in the Lord... yes!  That's what causes the Renewing!
I need strength... more every day... in every sense of the word...
Run & not grow weary... I know what it is to run & be VERY weary... I know what it is to walk miles & miles & want to just give up... faint... lay down & give up..

No more... I'm going to be renewed with a strength that comes from my hope in the Lord...YES!

That just excites me to no end...

The coolest things of all... I picked out my word for the year... & yesterday, on my tablet, it has the verse for the day.  On my birthday, guess what the verse of the day was?  Yep... Isaiah 40:31...

It was like God just said, "Yes, this is your verse"

I'm going to write up my resolutions in the next few days... but today as we close out 2013 & keeping my focus in check, I'm looking forward to what God has in store for me, RENEWING me every day....

Happy 2014!!!

 

Why I'm cooler then you are (... not really)

So all year, I've done posts called "Why my ____ is cooler then your _____" - insert husband, mom, step daughter, brother...

& today is my day... My Birthday!!!

But I know I'm not cooler then you all...

unless you count some of these as cooler:

* I can gain weight faster then any person alive
* One stupid tendon in my arm can ruin lots of normal activities causing extreme pain
* I have an extreme talent of worrying about everything little thing
* I get to work on the most stressful day in the world at work

If things like that make me cool - then I MAY be cooler then you...

otherwise, you win.. you're cooler then me

But today, it is my birthday...

My watch tells me so...

& I already took advantage of Starbucks & their free drink.  Who doesn't get at LEAST a Venti on a free drink day?  I need this much caffeine to get me through this day anyways.

Please note my beautiful red scarf my friends gave me for my birthday too

What are my plans?

Survive work today... & probably be exhausted & ready for bed when I leave

Fun stuff huh?

That's what you get at 42 years old

WOW... I can't believe I'm 42

I always used to automatically say when people asked how old I am - "I'm 18" - without even thinking... it had moved up to automatically saying 24... don't ask me why those numbers popped out of my mouth... subconscious?

Now I automatically say, I'm 85...

doesn't that tell you anything?

For the record, I DID NOT wake up like this
It was more of a moan & a "oh my back hurts"

But this year, my 42nd year.. its going to be awesome...

I'm going to feel better - I'm going to BE better ... I'm going to make it happen!

YEAH!

Friday Fragments

 

Everything is so frazzled right now with covering for the manager at work & my house is in Christmas chaos... so why not just frag & let my brain flow...

or do whatever it needs to do...

 

________

 

Its past December 21 & we're supposed to be getting sunrise 1 minute earlier & sunset 1 minute later... I'm not seeing the change yet.  GIVE ME DAYLIGHT!!!!

 

________

 

My Beauty & the Beast puzzle is still set up in the middle of the room.  Ricky says we have to move it... I give him a death glare & dare him to touch it until I'm done.

 

Puzzles make me violent

 

I literally have been working on this thing every minute I can.  Sit in front of it for 2 hours last night & I'm only about 45% done.  Its TOUGH!  The problem too is the picture on the box doesn't exactly match the picture on the puzzle so I have to figure it out on my own.  My brain is in over drive.

 

 

__________

 

 

Our mail delivery just bites...

At least he's not this bad... guess I shouldn't complain

We got in the mail yesterday a coupon that was good for the beginning of December AND a Christmas card that has been mailed December 18th.  Ridiculous.

 

__________

 

I'm almost to season 4 of Breaking Bad.

 

 

I've done so good staying away from what happened in the series finale... but dang it if my Entertainment Weekly didn't have like 20 things about it in my 2013 Wrap up Edition magazine.  So I know KINDA what happens.  At least I know what happens to Walt... don't know how or why... so I'm anxious to find out the whole story.

 

I'm gonna be lost when its over. 

Talk about addiction.

 

________

 

I'm addicted to Kombucha ... gonna need Julie to teach me how to make it myself because $4.00 a bottle is CRAZY!!!!

(But I keep buying it)

 

OF KOMBUCHA!!!

...I say this every day I get in my car...

But the health food store is too far away

 

_________

 

I can tell its Winter

My car is a disaster!!!

Who wants to clean & vacuum a car when its freezing out?

I should have done this last week... too late now :)

 

its supposed to be in the 50's this weekend

I may try & clean it

.... who am I kidding?...

I'll be trying to finish that dang puzzle!

 

___________

Sydney wins on my Instagram pictures for the year :)

 

 __________

 

I can't believe I haven't seen Frozen yet

Something is wrong in my world

 

 

___________

 

 

After the Jean Claude video, I saw this & laugh every time

 

 

 

  

 

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is over....

There should be some sort of law that makes everyone stay at home the day after Christmas...

It's just a big build up to Christmas & then BAM, back to regular life one day later.  That's not fair.  I want Christmas WEEK.. or at least a few days.

Christmas Eve, Ricky & I both had to work.  Which isn't cool because its his birthday too.  I did get off work early though & Ricky usually gets off about an half hour after me so I hung around waiting for him..

& waiting.. & waiting... & waiting.

Scrooges at his work kept him there till about 2:15... he normally gets off at 4 so big whoopity doo! 

I had hung around the area shopping & then getting bored of shopping... so I ended up in a book store & sat down in the floor & looked through every Photography book they had. 

Ricky got off work & we headed to the restaurant of his choosing for his birthday dinner... lunch... brunch.. linner?... whatever you want to call it.  It was closing in a half hour after we arrived so it was nice because it was pretty much empty.  Yeah, I rented out a restaurant for his birthday.  Or at least it seemed that way.

We got home & just relaxed a bit... & then I turn around & the whole house is asleep.  I guess someone was just ready for Santa to come.

Snuggled up with visions of sugar plums dancing through their heads

I was a little bummed... we had plans to go to a church service at 7:30 but I didn't want to wake Ricky up when he was so tired... I thought about cleaning the house or doing something productive... nah!  I ended up starting on my Beauty & the Beast puzzle.

Ricky ended up waking up & we worked the edges together... He went to bed not too long after that but I was obsessed. MUST.GET.PUZZLE.DONE.

That sucker is HARD!  As of this morning, I'm still not finished... not even 50% finished.  Puzzles are good for the mind - right?

Christmas morning - we ended up sleeping in.  Thank you Baby Jesus for that gift alone.  I looked at my phone & saw half of the world had already opened gifts & celebrated Christmas ... I was just getting my eyes open.

I got up & made Breakfast & we just took it easy all morning long...

Didn't plan on it looking back at us...

I handed it to Ricky & said, when did this become a face?

We finally had our Christmas together... & as usual, Ricky spoils me to no end...

He got me a pearl & diamond ring - that I've been wanting forever...
Got me a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10' screen...
Totally surprised me with a Nike GPS Sports Watch...
Plus fun little surprises - a Beauty & the Beast bag... knitted fingerless gloves... a Zumba Kinect game (We bought each other a new xbox with Kinect for Christmas) & also a Wipe Out Kinect game... (We'll kill each other competing in that one)... even got me a mat for the back of my car to protect it.  Carrying all my photography equipment is rough in my car.  Good thinking hubby!

I was just in awe of all my goodies.

I got him a Galaxy Tablet 7" screen, a new electric toothbrush, a Road ID bracelet, some gift cards, new seat covers for his car, a tablet case & then surprised him with a new guitar! ... I told him we're going to take lessons together!!! I'm so excited about it!!!   The gift that keeps on giving!

Needless to say - we had a wonderful Christmas with the two of us...

All the dogs had a great Christmas too...

Santa leaves treats for them as well

Harvey had a great First Christmas

We then headed over to my brothers & had a fantastic dinner.  Again, being vegetarian doesn't stop me in any sense of the word.  Sweet Potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, & my brother is KING of broccoli casserole... I could eat the whole dish by myself!!!

We then drove over to my parents house to open presents.  Convenient that we're all within 5 miles of each other now.

Good thing my dad had a camera & took a picture.

I have my camera behind me ... but between handing out presents & watching everyone enjoy Christmas, I never pulled it out.....

I'm a failure as a photographer

Present time is always fun with my nieces.  They are so cute, excited over every little thing they get.  So opposite too... Sophia wanted jewelry & things for her American Girl Doll & a Stitch stuffed animal.  Madi wanted comics & more cases for her ball cards.  I love we can range the scope with these girls.

I had gotten them both iPod Nano's for Christmas & I laughed when they opened them up & Sophia looked at me & said, "Are these real?"

Christmas ain't Christmas until my mom gets Wizard of Oz stuff

After present time, we had to have sugar in our system.  We had our tradition of Birthday Cake for Jesus... & my dad had made cheesecake & Hershey pie... yep, you can't end Christmas without gaining at least a few pounds.

Ricky & I had to leave, thanks to stupid work & get home & wind down....

It was a wonderful day... wish we could have seen Ricky's girls... but we'll get to spend Christmas with our G.Boys soon.... nothing like making Christmas last longer! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful day.... & hope you get extra days off work to enjoy it. 

Merry Christmas!!!

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone...

I wanted to share a song that my amazing friends did at Church a few Sundays ago...

Chasity & Jordan are sisters & both amazingly talented... I am blessed to know them both...

Enjoy their version of O Holy Night

Praying Jesus was a part of your Christmas Celebration today!

Why my husband is cooler then yours...

Today is the Hubs birthday...

& I know that you ladies think your husbands are pretty cool... & I get that... but I just want to show you why I think I have a good case on why my husband MAY be a tad cooler :)

So here's the list of reasons....

* Let's state the obvious - his birthday is on Christmas Eve!!!!  & he never complains about it.  I'd be throwing a fit.  Mine is in 6 days & I don't like it being that close to Christmas.  We need to throw a birthday party for each other in the middle of summer.

*  He can make it through a Color Run without getting ANY color on him...

He's THAT fast that color won't stick to him

* He has red hair... & not like me, its natural.  My red headed dad raised me right in knowing red haired men are just plain cool guys.

* He has stepped up in the Youth Group the past 2 years & is making great relationships with the kids.  Love seeing him step out of his comfort zone & being blessed for it.

There we are in the back row at Merge Camp this summer

* He walks between 13-15 miles a DAY at work... a DAY people... & busts his butt to provide for our family.

* He never gets too old for Super Heroes & has passed on the love of it to his grandsons... & me.  Quiz me... you'd be surprised what I know about super heroes.  I never thought I'd know this much in my life about them...

Big boys like their super hero toys too

* He is quite the Second Shooter in photography when I need help.  He's very particular & has seen enough of my work that he knows what I look for.  I'm actually impressed with his pictures he captures.

* Speaking of pictures... he's a great sport at hearing me say, "Come here & look at this picture!" ... or "Which one looks better?" when its like the most subtle change.  I trust his opinion too...

* He understands my love for Steven Curtis Chapman... & even kinda likes the guy himself :)

* He came out of the crowd & held my hand when I did my best race ever... it was such an amazing moment for me & to have him run across the finish line, holding my hand, cheering me on saying, "you're going to do it" - it was honestly one of the best moments of my life!  I'm so thankful he was there

* He deals with my moods...enough said on that one... I SAID ENOUGH! ;)

* He never gets too old to ROCK OUT!!!... especially to KISS.... He'll be in the KISS ARMY until he takes his last breath on this earth

*  He's the most generous person I know... if you don't expect anything from him, he'll want to give you more then he has.  His heart for compassion is something amazing & rare.

* He loves his grandsons more then anything... & they think he's pretty cool too

* He can eat 20 candy bars & not gain a pound.  He doesn't like that fact, but I know it amazes me & I know most women will drool in jealousy like I do.


* His heart for animals is something that makes him pretty amazing.  I've seen him go out in the cold grass in the middle of the night & sleep with Buffy when she was getting ready to pass away.  He didn't want her to feel alone...

* He proposed to me on Christmas Eve during a candle light service at my church... he can have a romantic side to him when he wants :)


* He debunks the myth of what the "Middle Child" is... I'm not sure what that is, but its never good.  This Middle Child is everything good.

* He should have been a lawyer... the man can argue for hours about anything... trust me on this one.

* He is Mr. Pro on skates... I always say I fall in love with him all over again when he puts on his skates.  The man has moves... let me tell you...

Don't attempt this move unless you are a pro like Ricky...not good to crush a child

* He will dress up for Halloween even though he doesn't want to.  He even lets me braid his hair for Halloween costumes.

He's going to be even more excited that I posted pictures of it ... again :)

* He doesn't mind... too much... when I have to stop & pee every 30 minutes in a car ride

* He is genius when it comes to numbers & all things weight/pounds ... I'm the accountant in the family but don't ask me a question unless I have a calculator around.  Ricky is like Mr. Wizard with the answer... roll eyes & BAM, the answer is ______ .  His brain is amazing.

*  He's a corn hole champ.... unless I'm on his team

We still have fun though

* He has a spiritual gift of discernment ... I've never seen anything like it.  He can read people pretty amazingly spot on right from the beginning.  It's actually something that has to be God-given because I will tell him he's wrong so many times about a person & he turns out right.

I could go on... & on... & on....

I think he's pretty cool... in so many more ways... so I just wanted to stop for a minute when everyone celebrates Christmas & just celebrate my husband...

Happy Birthday Honey... I love you FOREVER

Weekend Wrapup...

... pant... pant... pant...

Nope - that's not one of our dogs taking over my blog... that's me trying to recover from this weekend.

Whew!  Last weekend before Christmas = insane running... & not loosing one pound for all the running!

Here's some highlights of the weekends

* Target needs some serious phone assistants... I checked my account & have a weird charge on there so I have been trying to call them about it, ONLY to get disconnected EVERY TIME you call.  I even sat on hold - when I called at 5 am - the only time I could get a line... sat on hold for 30 minutes & then it hung up on me.  They've got some serious troubles on their hands.

* I did take advantage of their extra 10% off on the weekend though

* I won't complain at all... but it was in the high 60's Friday & Saturday.  I can dig that kind of weather... I even opened the door to the enclosed porch (where the dogs like to lounge) & wrapped presents while watching & listening to the rain fall, watching Claymation movies on ABC Family. 

* That rain fall turned into a Panic Attack for me.... we were at Ricky's Christmas party & got a phone call from my dad that Tornado Warnings were happening at our house.  We have Harvey locked up outside.  Not really outside, but kinda.  He's teethered where he stays in the enclosed porch room - has a kennel he can get into... but the side door is open (it has a covered porch over that open door) - but he had never been through a storm before.  This was his first & I wasn't sure how he was going to react... run into it?  Freak out & have a heart attack?  Not care but get blown away?  ... I was FREAKING OUT... I just wanted to get home.  So the Christmas party ended & we ended up driving home in this CRAZY storm.  I mean, the rain was intense... the wind was insane... my nerves were destroyed.  It was the longest ride of my life.

... Harvey was totally fine - didn't even care about the storm.  Bruno, on the other hand, was a shaking nervous wreck.

* Speaking of Bruno - say a little prayer for my grumpy man.  He's going to the vet tonight.  He's hurt his back leg so bad, he can't walk on it at all.  He's on 3 legs. So he can't jump up the steps to go in & out.  We're having to carry him in & out of the house to go to the bathroom. He's pitiful.  He can't even stand long enough to eat & he gets frustrated trying to sit & eat... tonight was the earliest we could get him into the vet.  Anxious to see what they say it is...

Poor boy can't do anything but try & squeeze in beds too small for him

... this is how I feel trying to fit in my jeans lately....

* Our table at Ricky's Christmas party came in 3rd place for Christmas trivia... out of quite a few tables, that was pretty awesome.  We got $150 to split between the table.  I'll take $20 for going to a Christmas party any day.  Ricky benefited too & got $20 for his wife knowing useless information.  One question & we would have been in 2nd place (we only missed 4 out of 45 questions!  We missed What the name of Bedford Falls would have been if George had never been born... & we missed the name of the Federal agency that tracks Santa... (NORAD was the answer...what?)...
but we proudly got the 12 days of Christmas gifts... & we also got the name of the Polka Band that John Candy was in from Home Alone!  YES!

* Ricky & I got in an argument about me being "too dramatic"... you can imagine how dramatic that conversation went :)

* Had the most amazing coffee Sunday morning... added Coconut Milk that is Mint Chocolate to my Starbucks coffee... yum!  ... but afterwards, my stomach was in knots & rethinking the drink.  Its a trade off - a chocolate yummy drink, or 10 fast trips to the bathroom?  ...hhhmmmm.... decisions decisions...

* Headed to my Sister in Laws for our Vincent Christmas.  She always makes the most amazing feast... & even called me a few days ahead to double check the vegetarian thing & make sure I wasn't vegan. She had me so many amazing choices. Brussel Sprouts, carrots, green beans, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes... it was a FEAST!

* I love playing games... we had the best time with a "Head's Up" sorta game.  It was a knock off of it, but it was free... & still as much fun...

My Brother in Law killing it in Sports Legends

...I of course, killed it in Disney Characters :)

* Had to pick up Zoe.  Who knew Pet Smart did grooming on Sunday, LATE?  We dropped her off before we went to my SIL's & had to pick her up on the way home.  They called & told us, "She doesn't want to be here at all"... apparently she was a nervous wreck & was "being anxious" - they wouldn't go into details.  She's a nervous dog anyways ... but the groomer said that about 90% of the dogs were acting that way for some reason that day.  They were super busy, so maybe the commotion was getting them riled up.  She looked fantastic though.  I got Zoe a new bed for her troubles & she loved it instantly.  I put it in the front seat of the car & she rode proudly in it.  She sleeps in a queen size bed all by herself (the smallest dog in the house gets a queen size bed) but we put this small dog bed in the middle of the bed & she was curled up sound asleep in it when I left work this morning... she loves it...

* Sound of Music... I still love that movie...The scenes always crack me up when the "love scenes" instantly look like Vaseline has been spread on the camera.  I need to put Vaseline over my eyes when I look at Ricky.. or maybe I need to put it on his eyes when he looks at me to make me look soft & blurry

Here we go... Christmas week...I'm swamped at work where everyone is on vacation & I have to pick up the slack.. so I'll be good to get through the next 2 weeks... let's do this...

Different path...

Anyone ever see that movie Mr. Destiny with Jim Belushi?

It's an old one... from 1990... wow... that was the year I graduated high school.

I still remember this movie though.

Its about this guy Larry who sees what life could've been like had he made a winning home run as a teenager.

One little change in his life completely made him go down another path.  He ended up being rich instead of being a blue collar worker... he ended up with the popular girl from school instead of being with the girl next door... everything about his life changed because of one moment...





Another one... Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow.  I actually love this movie.  Though her English accent is kinda odd to deal with.

Its the story of how different life is when she catches a train and when she doesn't...



The simple things in life ... they make a difference, don't they?

I mean, I know these are movies.  But its kind of the true. 
A hit baseball.... a train caught...

It could be those things in our life....

The dates we said yes too, the dates we said no too...
The left we took instead of a right on a drive home...
The test we failed or the test we passed in school...
The decision that you made... or the decision you didn't make...

They all put you on the path you're on right now...

If you really think about it, it gets kinda heavy.

What if something changed.  I always think, I probably wouldn't live where I'm at right now.  I may be in a different state.  I may be a mom with a house full of kids or maybe a pharmacist that has money coming out of my ears.  I wouldn't know the people I know now, but a whole other group of friends.... I could have dogs that I never had & someone else would have my dogs I've given good lives too... if they were even adopted at all... what if they were somewhere else & someone didn't take care of them

& then I get sad thinking of that side of things... what would have happened to Ricky if we didn't meet?  or even worse - if I took a small change in my path, would that have meant something dire for my path?  That an accident could have happened, or an illness & I may not even be on this earth on Dec 19, 2013...

see where my mind goes when I lay in bed at night?

I need to start drinking more Sleepy Time Tea I think ...

Its just weird to think about...

But then I always go back to the idea that God knows my path...

If I were to steer off of it, He puts me right back on a path - may not be the same one I was on, but its a path that still gets me to where I'm going...
His will for my life...mixed with my free will to choose...

Heavy thinking today...

Seek his will in all you do,

& he will show you which path to take.

-Proverbs 3:6

__________________

Do you ever think of "What would have happened if....?"

Have you ever seen these movies?

What weird things to do you thin of when you're going to sleep?

Hodgepodge

Wednesday... one week before CHRISTMAS! WHAT?

1. Do you believe in miracles?

Of course... I think they happen every day

I think the 2 people that won the Mega Lottery last night also believes in miracles


2.What's a recent fad you admit to trying?

A Pumpkin Latte...

It wasn't that bad...
but not the 'heaven flavor' I was expecting from everyone love of PSL

Wasn't too much a fan...  I'll stick to my chocolate, or excuse me, mocha


3.  Peppermint-are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite food or beverage containing peppermint?

Fun Fact - my mom craved peppermint when she was pregnant with me.  Good thing I was a December baby where it's everywhere.

I'm picky about peppermint.  Yes I love it, but I'm not a peppermint drink fan... or in ice cream (not a big fan of ice cream anyways)... but I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE York Peppermint Patties.

Ricky & I usually both pick up 2 a day on the way home so we each have one for dessert every night... right now, they have the snow flake shaped ones for Christmas.  Those are amazing.  They are super thick... yum!!!

Even more of a reason to eat them...

4. Break the ice, on thin ice, as cold as ice (emotionally, not literally) which phrase have you run into most recently? Explain.

On thin ice... the stress of the season & work is getting to me... feeling like the cracks are starting to spread out quickly....


5.  Have you ever broken or spilled something in someone else's home? Still friends?

There was a couple that had a Christmas party every year for everyone in our church in their home... it is a beautiful BIG home - enough to hold most of the congregation!  They have a pitch in & everyone sits & talks & laughs anywhere they can around the house.

So I'm sitting, talking & laughing... & spill my food all over a beautiful suede ottoman in their home... OH MYGOSH!! Can I crawl under something?  Ricky has forbid me to ever take food out of the kitchen after this event.

This is NOT how I spilled stuff on the ottoman

... but that would have been pretty awesome...

I think they had to send the ottoman out to get cleaned... I still cringe...

Still friends?  They left the church not too long after... is it my fault?  Please Lord, don't let it be because of my queso spill... :)


6. 'Tis the week before Christmas...are you feeling more like Buddy the Elf or the Grinch before his heart grew?

I'll be the Grinch until Christmas Eve... & then magically turn into Buddy the Elf...

How do you NOT get excited on Christmas Eve?

I'm fine once I know I can't do anything else.  Until then, I'm running running running from store to store. Ever been in the stores this close to Christmas?  It'll make anyone turn into the Grinch.


7. Share a favorite quote relating to Christmas.

 

 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

So I started watching Breaking Bad on Netflix...

Wow... just wow...

That first season?  If you've never watched it... I wont give anything away, but dang, I literally was gagging in some of the scenes.  Things don't normally bother me on TV... I was freaking out.

Is it wrong that I like Walt?

Glad I just keep going on Netflix - sailed through season 1 - almost through season 2...

I'm staying away from the words "Breaking Bad" on the internet because I don't want to spoil how it ends... so don't spoil it for me...

Anyone else a Breaking Bad fan?