T-E-N Questions

Gretchen and I decided it was time for another blog off topic, so she compiled a list of riveting questions!  I haven't read any one else's blog yet because I didn't want to steal any answers.  ;-)  So, here we go...

1.   What is your idea of a perfect day?
I would love to sleep in - until 9.  That would rock!  Then, I would head to my living room for a pedicure, because if it is a perfect day, I wouldn't have to leave the house for one!  Then, I would S.H.O.P. for hours with some great friends.  Of course, there would be good food, good conversation and good dessert!  When I got home, my kids would ask if there was anything they could do for me! Ha!

2.   What is your favorite song and why?
My all time favorite is an old Hymn, It Is Well With My Soul.  The words are powerful and direct.  It was sung at my Grandmother's funeral and I will never forget that moment.  Every time I hear it, I cry.

3.   Do you think crying is a sign of weakness or strength?
If you know me at all, you know I am a crier.  I cry during the Folgers commercials at Christmas time when the soldier returns home to a quiet house and wakes his parents with the smell of coffee.  I cry when someone hurts my feelings.  I cry at sappy movies I have seen hundreds of times.  I would like to think of it as a strength because, in me, it shows my compassion for people.

4.   What will you never do?
Sky dive.  Never.

5.   What is the most desirable trait another person can possess?
The ability to listen.  When someone truly hears what you are saying, whether they agree or not, it is wonderful to feel like you've been heard.

6.   Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Yes.  I think we all hold on to something and are afraid to let God take control.  I'm good at giving God lots of little areas in my life, but to give myself over wholeheartedly is scary.

7.   What is your earliest childhood memory?
When I was around four years old, I was in my first dance recital.  Once the music started, I cried {imagine that!} for my Mommy to come get me.  -----> Can we say, "MAGGIE"???  Lord, that child has no chance in life! Ha!!

8.   Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it will make the elevator faster?
No.  I push the button once.  I don't want to seem impatient, even though in my mind I am screaming OH MY GOSH, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME, GET HERE ALREADY!

9.   Where else would you like to live?  Why?
I cannot imagine living anywhere else.  I love Indiana with my whole heart and the older I get, the more I love and appreciate it!  But, if I had to choose somewhere else, I'd say Bowling Green, KY.  Because my best friend lives there and their GiGi's Cupcakes is closer than our GiGi's in Louisville.

10. Is there ever a time when giving up makes sense?
Yes, yes and yes!  

four years!

It is starting to become a running joke around here that if you can't find me, look at the dentist.  Seriously, I have had SO MUCH dental work done over the past two years that it is ridiculous.  Eric wants me to give it up and just go ahead and get dentures. ;-)

Here I am, in the chair getting numbed up!  You can tell that the right side of my mouth is already starting to get puffy and slouch a little.  I had to get two shots - blech!    

My appointment was at 11 this morning and at 5 this afternoon, I was STILL NUMB!  Woot!  As it started to wear off, I was feeling the effects of all the work.  BOO.  But, with the help of some Ibuprofen, we were able to eat dinner out tonight.

On the way to dinner, I caught a funny shot of Eric.  Totally in his zone.  He plays drums at church tomorrow night and this is how he gets when he practices - totally unaware of his surroundings.  His wife at his side, trying to chat his ear off, his kids yelling "Daddy, watch!" in the back seat, and he is completely focused on his music.  Love him.

We went to dinner tonight with our neighbors/friends and it was great!  We were celebrating Jill, my friend who had her 2nd liver transplant four years ago this month!  Amazing!  Love that girl, and I love that I have been able to experience such life changing events with her.

 {Me, Jill & Natalie at dinner}

Post transplant...four years ago!

{Gretchen, me & Jill}

I'm so blessed with my friends.  I love all of them so much.  And, just minutes ago, I got this text from Gretchen...just to remind me how blessed I am. ;-)

A full weekend - Oh, and I shot a gun!

We had a JAM PACKED weekend!  

Friday night, Eric and I got a sitter and went out to dinner and to a parenting class.  I know, a real date night, right?! ;-)  We bought the book and started reading it, so now we can learn how to be real parents! Ha!

Saturday, I met a dear old friend for lunch in Edinburgh.  We had a great time catching up and sharing our hearts.  I'm so blessed to have some wonderful, godly influences in my life and she is truly one of the people who helped to mold who I am.  We sat and talked for 3 hours and I could have sat there for 10 more.  I miss her. 

That evening, the kids and I went to an event where Eric and the guys were the DJ's.  It was a basketball game where the faculty played the students and we had a blast!  We ran into our adorable niece, Megan. :-) And, the guys had an area roped off for us in the bleachers -- I kept referring to it as "our suite"!  Ha!

The real excitement, though, was Sunday.  A couple of months ago, Eric and I signed up to take a gun safety class with our neighbors Todd and Natalie.  I grew up in a family of gun totin', Bible believin' people who support the NRA.  And, even though there are 3 people in my immediate family who are police officers, I have never shot a gun.  I've never handled a gun, barely touched one and wouldn't have the first clue what to do if I was in a situation where I needed one.  It's not that I am against guns or are scared of them, but, I guess they just have never been "my thing".  Eric owns several and has tried to show me proper gun use, but I always stare at him with that deer in the headlights look.  Recently, I decided it was time.

The class was from 8-5 on Sunday.  Um, hello early.  Sheesh.  ALL day talking about guns?

As soon as we arrived, I realized this wasn't your Barney Fife class.  It was serious stuff.  We had booklets, paper to take notes and even a test to take.

First on the agenda, and most important, was breakfast.  ;-)

Let me tell you something -- I was nervous as heck.  We were going to learn every intimate detail about a gun, go to a range and SHOOT that gun and I honestly didn't know if I could follow through with it.  Natalie was just as nervous as I was.  She was even at the point of breaking out in hives.  I'm so glad we had each other for support because Eric just kept telling me, "you'll be fine".  Ha!

The first few hours were filled with the basics - the parts of a gun and what each part does, the different types of guns, different types of ammo, and situations in which you may need to use a gun.  They provided lunch for us and ... THEN, it was time to learn how to shoot.  OMG.  I didn't feel ready.  I didn't think I had near the amount of information I needed to pick up a gun.  The instructor assured me I did.  First, though, he asked, "Is anyone here left eye dominant?"  Blank stares.  I didn't even know what that meant.  Evidently, if you are right handed, you usually close your left eye and look out your right.  If you are left handed, vice versa.  Again, blank stare from me.  I had NO CLUE.  So, we did a little exercise to see.

Natalie is left handed, so she automatically closes her right eye and looks out her left to line up her sights.

Eric, who is the epitome of cool with a gun, thinks he is all that and a bag of chips because he keeps both eyes open when he shoots - whatevs.

My turn.  (Excuse the layers of clothes.  It was frigid in the classroom.)  My instructor said, "Uh oh..."  WHAT?  What does UH OH mean?  It means I am left eye dominant.  I am right handed, but use my left eye to line up when I shoot.  He just said I would have to adjust some things.

The funny thing is that Levi is also left eye dominant, so now we know where he gets it. ;-)

After we did some "dry shooting" in the classroom, the instructor told us it was time to load up and head to the range.  EXCUSE ME?  We had only learned how to hold a gun and point it for about TWO MINUTES!  Now it was time to PUT AMMO IN A GUN AND SHOOT IT??  Oy.

For the entire five minute drive to the range, my heart was pounding so hard, I thought it might come right out of my chest.  I felt like I was going to get sick.  But, I gathered myself together, powdered my nose and put some lipstick on.

First up was our head gear...you know, so we didn't bust our ear drums.  My instructor told me I might want to remove my earrings.  UH...No.  I asked him, "You want this to be as much like real life as possible, right?" He smiled and nodded his head 'yes'.  "Then, I will leave my big earrings in because I'm pretty sure I will be wearing them unless I shoot in my sleep."

Our targets.  Yikes.  This picture is from far away.  When we shot the first time, we were 12 feet away from them.

AND...{drum roll, please}
After my first four shots - EVER!!!  Target: Hit anywhere in the black.  SUCCESS!  Eric and Todd nicknamed me Kill Shot.  Woo hoo!

I do have to say that the very first shot was the most terrifying thing I have ever done!  I heard Eric and Todd's guns go off on either side of me and I was so afraid to pull the trigger.  I lined up my sights, put my finger on the trigger and just pulled it.  It all happened in less than five seconds, but it felt like five minutes!  I heard the instructor yell, "THAT'S IT, GIRL!" and I checked out my target.  Spot on!

We shot again, from 21 feet out, which was much harder.  But, I still hit the torso area and stayed in the black.  Next, we shot one handed, first with our strong hand, and then with our weak hand.  I STAYED IN THE BLACK each time I shot!  It was such an incredible feeling!  With each shot, I gained more and more confidence.

Natalie and me, right after we both shot with our weak hands.  We were BOTH ON TARGET with almost all of our shots!

We were at the range for three hours.  It was honestly one of the most liberating and exhilarating things ever! While I feel very comfortable handling a gun, I am by no means ready to join the SWAT team. ;-)  I cannot imagine all of the skill that goes into becoming a police officer or the hours it takes to train extensively for a high stress hostage situation!  Gives me SO MUCH MORE appreciation for my sister, brother-in-law, and my Dad!

We did some exercises where we were moving and shooting.  That was pretty insane.  One of them was to take cover behind a makeshift wall.  To the left of the wall, we had to shoot one "guy" in the torso and then move to the right side of the wall where two "guys" were HOLDING YOUR GRANNY HOSTAGE!  You had to shoot those two "guys" with head shots AND NOT KILL YOUR GRANNY!  Oh my goodness.  Thank goodness these targets were not real people, because, while I didn't shoot my granny, I'm pretty sure she would have died in the amount of time it took me to line up my sights and shoot the two "guys" in the head!  Ha! ;-)

After we were done at the range, we headed back to the classroom to take our test.  I'm officially certified to use a pistol!  Woo hoo!  We even learned how to clean our pistols at the very end.  All in all, I give the class an EXCELLENT rating!  I am proof positive that someone can go from being terrified to hold a gun to someone who can't wait to go out to a shooting range again!

Know what that means?  I see some pretty awesome day dates on the horizon with my awesome hubby!

more Zumba fun!

Recently, I shared that I joined Zumba with my friend, Natalie.  She sent this to me earlier in the week and I love it!  I want to print it out and put it on my fridge.  :-)

You know which number is my favorite?  #9 - practice dancing, gain confidence on the floor - pretty sure I will be ready for the clubs in a few weeks!  Ha!

Last night was my fifth class.  (I missed one class when Maggie was sick.)  I've been doing it for three weeks now and I weighed this morning and have lost five pounds!  I've also been doing our elliptical at least three or four other days during the week.  YOU GUYS - this is big for me. :-)  I'm very proud of myself for sticking with it and getting into a regular routine.  Woo hoo!

After Zumba, I headed to Bearno's.  Eric was there with the kids for Levi's basketball party.  The kids (all boys!) were OFF THE WALL.  Seriously, just plain wild!  Some of them were up running around and I gave Levi that "sit in your seat and don't get up or I will take you out faster than you can say MOM!" look.  We were sitting by our friend, Adam, who also happens to be the associate pastor at church.  His son was forced to sit there, too.  They were both staring at us with that "LIFE IS NO FAIR" look, which was quite funny!  ;-)  We eventually let them get out the iPods to play some games on.  Shew -- thank goodness for little video games!  Hey, I'm not too proud!  Love how Maggie is looking on...    

And, just because they're cute...
Today is hat day at school.  Levi wanted to sport his INDIANA hat!  So proud!  HOOSIERS!!!  Maggie wanted to sport her toboggan at home.  She's crazy! ;-)

road trip

Yesterday was the perfect day for a road trip!  I was invited to a Kelly's Kids party in BG and Eric gave me the "okay" to go down.  My mom was gracious enough to keep Maggie ALL DAY for me, which was awesome of her!!  Thanks, Mom!!

It was a really beautiful drive down.  The skies were overcast and the roads were pretty bare.  I enjoyed time just praying and singing.  :-)  

First on the agenda - stop for a diet coke.  Exhibit A.


We honestly just had such a great day together!

1) Paul sleeping -- Paul usually falls asleep at some point any time I visit.  I haven't decided if it is his way of trying to get rid of me or if he does it just because he is so comfortable with me around.  I'm going with the latter. ;-)
2) My name on the calendar.  Love.
3) We met Brittany & Luke for lunch at Buckhead.  So good!  And great company, too!
4) My cook for the evening.  Homemade pancakes, bacon and eggs (requested by the kids!) - yummy!
5) The reason for my trip.  Cannot wait to see Maggie in her clothes!  I.will.die.
6) Gymboree.  Because we love it and it is a must!

Of course, the day flew by and that always makes me sad.  But, I'm so thankful we got a little unplanned time together.  Love this girl so much!

Last week

Last week...

We didn't have a whole lot going on, but I caught some sweet moments on my phone.  

On Wednesday, WE HAD SNOW!!!  And, then, we didn't have snow.  Seriously -- it snowed really hard all morning, but then by lunch, it was gone.  I guess the ground wasn't cold enough to keep it around.  But, Mags sure was cute when she first saw it! ;-)

Later that evening, Eric and I were in the kitchen talking about our days.  We looked over and Maggie was like this... PRAYING.  So cute!  And, so funny!  She was praying for her daddy because he had a bad cold.  How precious is that?

There are a lot of times that I find myself complaining about our boring days at home or how mundane things can seem.  But, in all honesty, I love being a stay at home mom and I wouldn't change it!  Especially when I am able to attend school parties with Levi.  He said it was "the best day of his whole life" and that made me happy!

In other news, Maggie is pretty much mullet-free!  She had her second hair cut and Ashly cut off THREE inches!  I was in shock at first, but now I love it!  It's very cute on her and much easier to fix.

Friday, Eric met me at the store and he bought some toys for the kids.  You know what's funny?  He said that they should get something fun because they were so good at the circus and didn't ask for any toys there. Ha!  He's such a sucker! ;-)  Levi got some new SWAT stuff.  He was THRILLED!  There have been hundreds of bad guys taken out at our house over the weekend.

And, over the weekend, Maggie went through a box of bandaids.  I don't really blame her, though.  They were Hello Kitty and they were pink.  What else does a girl need?

Neti Pot, Mucinex and Kelly's Kids

I've been pretty lethargic the last two days because Maggie's sickies finally caught up with me.  :-(  I sound like a man and have been sneezing my head off.  And, get this --- I tried a Neti Pot last night.  O.M.G.  I've heard of them and thought they sounded like the most disgusting things on the planet.  But, um, they work.  True love is when you and your husband help each other use a Neti Pot for the first time.  ;-)  I'm so very thankful for Eric who went and got me home some Mucinex last night.  Happy Valentine's Day to me! Ha!

I have finally started to feel slightly better this evening and these gave me quite a chuckle!

Something else that made me cheer up...

I got an invite to a Kelly's Kids party!  This is awesome for two reasons.  #1...I love, love, love their clothes!  They have such cute stuff!  I've never been to a show, so I'm sure I will die.  #2...I was invited by a friend of Gretchen's in Bowling Green, so I get to spend the day with G!  Yay!!  I've met Michelle several times now and feel like we are old friends. ;-)  When she sent me the invite, I brought it up to my dad Eric and he gave me the go ahead to take a little jaunt to BG for the day.  SO EXCITED!!  So, now, I have to get well so that  G's place doesn't get infested with snot.  Keeping it real.  ;-)

The Circus {{according to my iPhone}}

Saturday morning, our neighbor called Eric and asked if we wanted to go to the circus on Sunday.  Um, SURE!  We've never taken the kids to the circus and I really thought they would love it.  

So -- a plan was born and we headed out bright and early Sunday.  We didn't tell the kids we weren't going to church.  Maggie was the first to notice when we began to cross the bridge.  Then Levi noticed that we were following behind "Hillary's van".  For the next twenty minutes, we were bombarded with questions!    

I opted out of taking the camera because I didn't want to keep up with it.  So, all of the pictures are courtesy of one of our phones.  :-)

When we first arrived, there were sheriff officers all around and Levi thought we were taking him to tour the police station.  That kid is hilarious!

The kids quickly figured out that we were doing something fun.  Insert many pushy people selling cotton candy, slushies, programs, balloons, light up glow stick thingies, and so much more!

They were also doing elephant and camel rides.  At times like this, I'm kind of glad my kids don't want do branch out and ride elephants.  The rides were $15 per child.  FIFTEEN DOLLARS to ride an elephant for a minute and a half.  Ridic!!  But, I guess to each their own! ;-)

These kids all love each other so much!  They have such a good time together. :)

Let me tell you one thing:  I hate clowns.  I've never liked them.  They kept trying to talk to us and I would politely nod and keep walking.  Levi figured out I was scared of them and HE DECIDED HE WANTED HIS PICTURE WITH ONE.  Kill me now.

The kids loved the show!  I loved how attentive they were.  So cute!!

I think one of our favorite parts was the elephant.  He was funny and did all kinds of tricks.  It pretty much amazed me that he held himself up on his two front feet.

And, we all loved the motorcycles in the ball.  I'm sure there is a more technical name, but I just call it the motorcycles in the ball. ;-)  There were FIVE going around and around at the same time.  Insanity.  I kept looking to see if there was an EMT close by.

We had THE.BEST.DAY.  I'm so thankful for our friends and having days like today to spend together.  This girl right here makes me smile. :)

And, this guy right here?  Love him.  

baby girl is better but Zumba is killing mommy

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that over the last week, pretty much all I did was upload pictures of a sick little girl.  :(

That's pretty much all I could do.  She was on my lap, in my arms all day long.

Maggie came down with a nasty sinus infection on Saturday.  By Sunday, she was running a fever of 102.8.  I had never seen her this sick!  She began coughing Sunday morning and did.not.stop.  She coughed so much that she threw up.  A lot.  We started breathing treatments and headed to see the doctor on Monday.

It is CRAZY to me that your sinuses can cause someone to be SO SICK!  With the weather being so insane for January, I guess it just took a toll on her little body. :(  She was still sick with fever on Tuesday, but by the end of the end of the evening, we saw signs of life.  She wanted her princess slippers on.  Yay!

And, on Wednesday, she started playing football in her heels.

I'm so thankful she is better!  Seriously, when your kids are sick, it is one of the worst things ever!  

As I was uploading my pictures for this post, I realized that I had not taken any of Levi for a while.  Poor guy!  I guess that's just how it goes when your little sister is sick and all she wants is MOMMY.  Eric did send me this one.  He gave Levi his old iPod Touch and Levi is way too cool to talk to us now!  

Totally random, but does this remind anyone of their kids?  No?  Okay, maybe it's just mine.  ;-)

Yesterday, I was finally back into my routine.  It was really nice to be OUT OF THE HOUSE!  Maggie and I had Bible study in the morning and I stopped to get my crack.  I want you to know that it had been TWO WEEKS since I'd had a diet coke.  TWO WEEKS.  That, my friends, is unacceptable.  

Let me fill you in on something else about me.

I joined Zumba.

I KNOW.  Yes, you read that right.  Zumba.  It is even weird to type it.  My neighbor and friend, Natalie, has been asking me to go with her for over a year.  She has been so kind and any time she goes, she throws out a little text inviting me.  Recently, she told me about an offer they were doing: two classes a week for eight weeks.  It kind of peaked my curiosity.  She knows about my aspiration to be on So You Think You Can Dance, but also about my inability to dance.  She encouraged me just to try it once and see if I liked it.  So, I did.  I did Zumba.  And I didn't hate it.  In fact, I held my own and felt a little liberated!  Last night was my third class.  I actually remembered some of the dance moves when a certain song would start.  Progress! This morning, I didn't know if my legs would work when I got out of bed -- but they did.  Ha!

For almost two weeks now, I've been doing the elliptical on nights that I don't have Zumba, and I've also gotten back on MyFitnessPal to log calories.  While I fell off the bandwagon for a few days while Maggie was sick {evidently it is impossible to have a sick child and diet at the same time!}, I got right back on Monday morning and have been going strong.  More progress!

So there.  I didn't intend on throwing all that out on the blog today, but I guess now that I did, I look forward to some accountability! :-)