Reasons I admire my daughter.....

Autumn turns 10 today...double digits.  YIKES!!!  The older she gets, the more I am impressed by her.  Some of the things that I admire the most about her could also be some of the things that make me or even other crazy....but when you think about the following qualities she has....they are admirable.

1. Autumn is extremely compassionate.  She is definitely a chatterbox, but she talks to everyone...not just the popular kids.  In fact one of my favorite compliments I have ever received about Autumn is how she talks and encourages the kids that don't have friends or that have differences, that others might make fun of them for.  Raising a child who doesn't acknowledge differences.....well, that makes me proud.

My sweet baby....I had expected blonde hair and blue eyes, instead....brown hair and brown eyes...PERFECT!!

2. Autumn is determined.  She does not like others being better at her at things.  Now, I think this can get on people's nerves.  By that I mean, if someone can climb a rock wall in 10 seconds, Autumn will say she can do it faster...sometimes she can, sometimes she can't...but she will continue to work at it until she does it.  To me, that is a sign that she will be successful in life.  She won't give up....she will always (hopefully) believe that she CAN do anything.

Sweet Girl!

3. Autumn is encouraging/complimentary.  I bet Autumn tells me every day how pretty I am or that I am a good mom and the best part is, she says it with sincerity.  Autumn loves to find reasons to make others feel good about themselves.  I love this quality.  I love the fact that Autumn is always looking for a reason to make other people smile and she doesn't do it to get a compliment back (though my child LOVES receiving them).  :)

4. Autumn doesn't have a lot of needs.  She has some wants...but for most of her wants she is okay with knowing she doesn't get everything she wants.  She would LOVE to have a phone (though in our situation I don't see a reason for her to have one).  Though she won't be getting a phone, she knows that when she turns around 16 she MIGHT get one, so she thinks she will start saving money now so that she will have money to pay the fees when she turns 16.  Sometimes her understanding of not receiving does make me want to give her what she wants....but, no to the phone.  :)

5. Autumn is an AMAZING big sister.  There is NOTHING she would not do for her sister.  She plays with her, takes care of her, helps her, encourages her, reads to her, she is just AWESOME.  Though sometimes this can be a negative....she is so willing to do for her sister that her sister doesn't always learn to do it for herself.  :)

6. Autumn is so well-rounded.  She is an absolutely beautiful girl (and no, I'm not bias).  :)  She loves to deer hunt.  She loves to dance.  She loves to wear make-up and she loves to play in the mud.  She loves to watch classic movies, like Bye Bye Birdie, John Wayne movies, and White Christmas, but she can't wait for the Breaking Dawn Part 2 to come out.  She loves all types of music and is willing to try anything.  She loves to dance with my grandmother, play with her cousins, and wear a St. Louis Cardinal hat to make her Papaw smile and the rest of us cringe.  :)  She is a little bit of everything and a whole lot of wonderful.

I am so proud of the beautiful young lady that my daughter is becoming and I love her so much!  :)

Me....the REAL me....

It may sound funny, but sometimes I wonder who I really am.  I mean, I know who I am, but am I the person I want to be or used to be?  A lot has changed in my 35 (yikes!!!) years.  I have moved away from home, gotten married, become a teacher, become a mother, made friends, kept friends, lost friends, made new friends, become a soccer mom, a fitness instructor....the list could go on and on....:)

This past week Mark and I went on a 7 day cruise.  It was our 1st ever to go on and we LOVED it!!  We went with some friends and had a FANTASTIC time.  We made some new friends, we climbed waterfalls, laid on beaches, visited Mayan Ruins (that's a whole other blog), enjoyed food whenever we wanted, watched shows, danced, ate, and ate some more...it was FABULOUS.  If you ever get the chance to go on a cruise, I highly recommend it.  I do think it was super fun going with friends.  We laughed so much and had such a GREAT time with them. I know cruising may not be for everyone....but it was perfect for Mark and I.

Us....just being us....:)

This cruise was possibly the most stress-free vacation I have ever had (since becoming an adult).  :)  It sure was nice when my parents used to take us on vacations as kids and they paid.  :)  I truly felt like me again...me as in, Darci.  Not a mom, or teacher, or house cleaner, or cook, or taxi driver...now all of those things I enjoy....but gosh it was fun being just me.  I enjoyed spending time with Mark...it was our time....we couldn't use cell phones on the ship, we never checked e-mails, it was just us time. It was so nice.  We dressed up for dinner, we slept in, we stayed up late, we laughed with friends, we played, we were just us.. and it was so nice.  I didn't feel any pressure, I felt like me.  

Fun with friends....:)

So often once we get married life consumes us, especially once you have kids.  Time with your spouse is priceless.  Time to be an adult and laugh with your spouse and friends is so good for your soul.  I can honestly say that after this vacation, I feel better.  I feel better about me as a wife, as a mom, and just as a person.  I hope that everyone can have those types of getaways.  I know sometimes we say there isn't time, there isn't money....but the truth is, these experiences can happen anywhere.  Mark and I watched the sun set one night over the water and we commented how we could sit and watch this every night, yet we don't take the time.  It was beautiful...the stillness, the colors, the fact we weren't doing anything, but watching the sun set.  I truly hope everyone can enjoy the same type of peace and relaxation I found.  I hope it can be found in the perfect place and perfect time for you....mine just happen to come at just the right time in the Caribbean.  :)

:)

Have a GREAT night!  

Strength.....

I have been having a super fun, but busy summer.  This week I have had a few opportunities to sit and watch what I want on TV and have been loving watching the Olympic Trials!!!  I am FASCINATED by the strength of these athletes!  I keep pointing out to the girls the muscles on each of the athletes.  I mean, like right now, I am watching the male gymnasts! The strength they have on the rings....WOW!!!    We've been watching the long distance runners.....the abs on the runners!  AWESOME!!!  The arm muscles on the swimmer...I'm JEALOUS!!!

The strength we see on athletes is amazing.....but we recognize it because we can SEE it.  What about the strength we don't actually see?  What about my former students who just had to bury their 4 month old baby girl, but can still find the strength to get up in the mornings?  What about the strength of a friend who just lost their mom and is handling all the preparations.  What about the strength of several of my friends who are going through divorces and are still smiling around their kids.  What about our everyday strength.....getting up and working out when we would rather sleep, cleaning our house when we would rather watch TV, smiling when we would rather cry.

My strength......<3

We all have days where we have to be stronger than people realize; because we are using our inner strength, not necessarily outer strength.  I think it's important to show/explain to our kids inner and outer strength.

We all LOVE to receive compliments....so why don't we hand them out more? Compliment people who are strong....let them know you can see it and how awesome it is!

For now....I will continue to watch the Olympic Trials and anxiously await the Olympics!  So awesome to see "regular" people representing us!!  I LOVE it!!!

The Truth About Me and Running.....

Okay...here is the truth...I don't love to run....until I have finished.  There are days that lacing up my tennis shoes is possibly the most dreaded thing on my to do list....but I do it.  As some of you know, I set a goal to run 500 miles this year.  So far (as of June 4th) I have run 258 miles, so I am over half way there.  I am super proud of this, but there are days I would rather do nothing.  

I truly believe that the best way to lose weight and be healthy involves eating healthy and exercising.  I know lots of people use a variety of things....but the truth of it is being healthy is a lifestyle change.  I am pretty good at the working out part. I would say I workout or run 5 times a week on average.  It is the eating part that gets me.  The truth...I LOVE food. 

When I workout it is mostly in a group setting...which I LOVE because I have other people going through it with me.  I have other people encouraging/motivating me.  I love the variety, the people, the fact I am completely exhausted and so is everyone else...it is AWESOME!

Running.....that is individual.  I mean yes, you can race the person next to you on the treadmill or sign up for various races, but running is all about you and what you can do.  Sometimes I feel pretty good about it...I feel like I could run miles and miles...other days, I am forcing myself to get on the treadmill, but the truth is I always feel GREAT when I am done and usually I question whether or not I could have gone further (which means...I could have gone further).  :)

I am so inspired by other runners...those that have NEVER ran in their lives starting the Couch 2 5K program, those that complete marathons with disabilities, those that wake up in the morning and immediately start logging those miles.....it's just impressive to me.

Running is not only exercise to me.  It is a time to think, I time to listen, a time for me.  I feel better after a run....I feel inspired after a run...I feel accomplished after a run.

I have just about 7 more months to accomplish my goal....only 242 more miles to go!!  I am excited about this goal and look forward to accomplishing and hopefully exceeding it.  

Summer.....ahhhhh......

It is Memorial Day 2012 and school is out.  I can not tell you the last time I was out of school before Memorial Day....it is very surreal.  I don't think it has hit me yet that summer is officially here.

This past school year was probably one of the BEST I have ever had.  It was just a GREAT year...GREAT kids, GREAT people to work with, less stress in my life than I have had in a long time....it was just a GREAT year.

The girls also had a FANTASTIC year.  I can't believe Autumn will be in 5th grade next year, and Allie will be in 2nd.  They are growing up so fast....and I love getting to be apart of it.  I loved getting to watch them perform in their school's talent show, seeing them receive their awards at the end of the year, and seeing their faces light up when they would spot me in the crowd.  These are the times it really hits me...how much I LOVE being a mom.....their mom.

Love it!!!

Awards time!!

There is so much to look forward to this summer.....time at the pool, time at the lake, sleeping in, being lazy, time with friends and family, a possible cruise....hmmmm....:) !

We only have one obstacle (you could say) to get past first.....Mark is having surgery tomorrow.  I am praying it goes quickly and that his recovery period goes well for him and we can enjoy lots of fun things this summer!!

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend and has a FABULOUS week!!

Fulfilled.....

I am happy.  Do you ever have those moments, days, or weeks when you realize you truly have everything you could want?  I mean, the past few weeks I have felt really good about things.  There are so many things in my life that just make me happy.  :)

Here are some of my favorites....or things that make me happy...

1. My husband.  I am more in love with him EVERY day....and sometimes, I actually feel like I am a pretty good wife.....and when my husband is happy, well, that makes me happy.  :)

2. My sweet daughters.  I ADORE them and still tear up some mornings when I drop them off at school as I watch them walk in to school.  Sappy, I know, but they are my world.

3. My friends/family.  I love having friends/family who care about me and who are there for me. They can make my day seem so much better and that makes me happy!!

4.  My job.  I love my job and the fact that it is almost summer, well, that makes me SUPER happy!!

5. Running/working out.  I set my goal of running 500 miles by the end of the year and so far I have run over 200 miles!   I love how much better I feel after running and working out.  I also love that I am fitting into clothes that I haven't been able to wear in a while!  :)

It is nice to feel fulfilled.  That makes me happy.  :)

Have a GREAT weekend!

You can do it!!!

This past weekend I ran my first 10K.  6.2 miles of running.....if you had ever told me I would CHOOSE to do that, I would have said you were crazy.  Yet, I did it and was so happy.  Mark and I both ran and he was there to cheer me on at the finish line.

The definition of CHEER is to lighten spirits or mood; a source of joy or happiness; a comfort.


Running has become kind of therapeutic for me.  A time where I think about problems, try to come up with solutions, or just analyze life.  I feel better after a run.  My mood is better, my attitude on life is better, I feel like a better person.  We all have our outlets that we use to boost our moods or our attitudes and running has started to become that for me.

Now, back to the cheering part.  I can not even explain how awesome it was to pass people cheering me on as I ran.  Just the little comments of "you can do it," "you're almost there," "great job" all gave me inspiration and motivated me to continue.  These were STRANGERS....people who had no idea what my name was or even cared, but they cheered.....for me.

Mark and I after the 10k.....I am so lucky to have him as an encourager!!!

How do we motivate people in our daily life?  Do we cheer people on?  Do you feel like you cheer others, but no one cheers for you?  We all need encouragement and motivation, we all need our own cheerleaders.  But, we need to remember that people need us to be there for them.  Be an encourager, a motivator......sometimes people need us, more than we know.  Thank you to those who are always cheering me on.....I appreciate you!!!  :)