Comfort Zone

I am a pretty safe person.  I am the type that pretty much eats the same thing every time I go to a restaurant. For example, one of my favorite restaurants is Carino's!!  I almost ALWAYS get the Bowtie Festival!  It is super yummy!  When I go to Chick Fil A, I almost always get either a deluxe or spicy deluxe sandwich...LOVE them!  I am the type of person, who if I find a shirt I like, I will buy the same shirt in 3 different colors.  It just works for me.

Lately, I have been stepping out of my comfort zone....living on the edge.  Okay, maybe not living on the edge, but definitely trying some new things.  Some of them I've really enjoyed....others have been, well, PAINFUL to say the least.  :)  Nonetheless, I have had fun trying new things.  Now, I do know that one of the reasons I have enjoyed some new things is because I have had friends/family with me as I have been trying them, and that always makes things better.  

I LOVE Spring and Summer....and am so excited the weather has been so nice lately.  I am excited about all the fun things that come along with warm weather; soccer, grilling out, shopping, lake time, vacation time, pedicures, all these and so much more!

I hope you had a GREAT weekend and have an AWESOME week!  If you feel inspired to try something new...take a friend along, it always makes it better!  :)

High School....

Who were you in high school?

Me....well, I was the good girl.  Seriously.  I didn't do much, if ANYTHING wrong.  I got good grades, played basketball, ran track, volunteered with clubs, and worked.  I was friends with as many people as I could possibly be.  I wasn't the most popular girl, by any stretch.  If anything, I was the goofy girl, who was nice to everyone.  I brought stickers and handed them out on holidays, I was the one who ALWAYS had gum to distribute, I was the one who brought her spaghetti in her thermos for lunch. I carried the massive Valentines' card around all day that wouldn't fit into my locker, so I wouldn't hurt a guys feelings.   I was very naive. I really had no idea that "bad" things went on at my high school.  In fact, at our 10 year reunion someone said they didn't want me to know the "bad" things that went on....they liked that I was clueless.  :)

Who am I now?  Well, pretty much the same person...I would like to think.  However, TEACHING high school has changed me.  I am nice...the majority of the time, but can't stand it when someone talks back to me.  I have found I am not quite the pushover I once was.  I can't just let things go....like I think I used to do.  I am very aware that "bad" things go on and do my best to "bust them."  I find myself encouraging people to talk to the ones who don't have lots of friends, or making sure I talk to them.  I have also realized that some of the people I am teaching will change.  Some will leave high school and become BETTER people, some will continue to be FANTASTIC, and some will probably struggle.

This weekend my brother got married...there are TONS of pics on my FB page...probably too many, but it was an AWESOME time.  One of the things that was surreal to me was seeing my brother's high school friends.  He had quite a few at the wedding and they have grown up to be some GREAT guys!  It is so weird, seeing people from high school and how they have changed.  I mean, these guys danced with my daughters out on the dance floor.  It was just fun to see and made me wonder how others have changed.  You see, in high school we all wanted to be certain people, and I find it fascinating to see the people we have become.  I still have some great friends from high school.  Some that I thought I would be close to, I'm not and some I keep up with more than I ever thought I would.  I loved high school, not saying I would want to go back....but I enjoyed my years of being naive and passing out stickers.  However, I am so impressed by how we turned out as adults.

My brother and my girls.  I am so proud of the guy he is today!  :)
(Cheesy of me, I know!)  :)

Have a GREAT night!

How do YOU handle it???

It seems, lately, that I have several friends who are hurting.  They have been hurt by people close to them.  It is hard to see people hurt, especially when there is nothing you can do to help them.  (Especially when it is having life changing effects.)

It has gotten me thinking about disappointment.  I think that is one of the hardest things for me.  I know how I would handle a situation and I get frustrated when others don't handle it the same way.  Now, that is not how it should be.  I should not expect others to do things the same as me because, well, they aren't me.

But, let's be honest.  People do disappoint us. Sometimes it is people close to us, other times it is people we don't know.  To me, it is tougher to deal with the disappointment of those closest to us.  So, how do YOU handle those that disappoint you?  I seem to want to let them know, but sometimes, they disagree or don't care, or don't want to try and fix it.  I know this is the point where I am supposed to hand it over to God, pray about it, listen to him....but to be real honest, I am not always good at that, especially if it is the same person over and over.  I think I USED to be the type of person who could let things go....but the older I've gotten the harder that is for me to do. (Isn't it supposed to be the opposite???)  So, I will continue to pray about it.

But, seriously....how do YOU handle disappointment????

Have a great day....and though this may sound like a down post, I promise....I'm really not, just one of those things I have been wondering.....:)

Anticipation....snow????

I love the anticipation of FUN things.  Tomorrow there is a possibility of snow, sleet, and ice.  Now, as to whether or not we have a snow day I am actually indifferent.  There are pros and cons to both sides.  However,  I love the anticipation of it.  I have been stalking the weather.  It is just fun.  Now, there is really no point in me being quite as obsessive as I am, since nothing is supposed to happen until tomorrow, but it is still fun.  

I love having fun things to look forward to....it just makes the days, weeks, and months, that much more fun.  So, whether or not there is snow, or ice, or sleet.....it will just be fun to see what happens.  

Enjoy!!!

Competition v. Acceptance

January 31, 2012...can you believe it?  I mean the month of January is over!  That is incredible to me.  It has been a busy, but fun month.

I had originally set 3 goals for 2012 and figured I would fill you in...

1. Declutter---hmmm....looks like I am WAY behind on this one.  I did clean out a drawer in my dresser, so we will count that.  :)

2. Start a prayer journal...this I have done and like.  It is nice to be able to glance at it and remember who I am praying for.


3.  Run (with some walking) a minimum of 500 miles in 2012 with the hope of getting in 750 miles.

Now, we need to talk about this goal.  This is the competitive part of me.  You see, I really want 750 miles.  To achieve 500 miles I need to run 41.6 miles a month.  To reach 750, I need to run 62.5 miles a month. I want to run daily.  I want be able to run for 10 miles at a time.  I want to run faster.  I want to run 62.5 miles a month.  It is at the point that I feel guilty if I'm not running daily.  Now all of this is good.  I am glad I am motivated to work towards this goal!

Here is the, what I would call, tough part.  You see, I teach a fitness class 1 night a week at a local gym and I try to attend classes at the gym at least 3 nights a week.  The classes are hour long and are GREAT!  I mean they kick my tail!  I am usually exhausted when I leave and physically worn out.  So, I am trying to fit running into a schedule that already wears me out physically and takes up over an hour 4 nights a week.  And, remember I am exhausted.  I work all day, try to spend time with my girls and husband, go to classes, and run.  I know my body needs a few days off to rest.....but it is so hard to do it because I WANT/NEED to achieve my goal.

January 2012...I have ran/walked just over 57 miles.  I am 15 miles above my minimum for the month and 5 1/2 below my "desired goal."  I feel like I am doing a good job.  I am just having to ACCEPT that I may not be able to do it ALL.  I am hoping as the year goes on that I will be able to run longer and faster and get in more miles, but until then I will be proud of the first 57 miles I have accomplished.

Have a GREAT night!!!

Looking around.....

Life definitely has its ups and downs.  Being an adult isn't fun sometimes.  There is that desire to do, be, achieve, provide, embrace, love, etc.  It can be overwhelming.  Lately, I have been TRYING to notice the little things, the blessings.

As I drive the girls to school, I LOVE to listen to the girls sing to the songs that are on the radio.  I tell myself they are a blessing (even if it is off key...which sometimes makes it that much better).  :)

As I've been running lately, I've been trying to look around or focus on the purpose.  I am excited about the fact I can actually go for a run.  I used to barely be able to make it to the end of the street without feeling like I was going to fall on the ground.  Now, I can run a good ways before I really want to quit. I feel healthier, stronger, and at times skinnier (which, I can't lie...makes me smile, until I eat Chick Fil A....but it is soooo good!)!!!  :)

I've been trying to let Mark know how much he means to me.  He does so many thoughtful things for me.  I am proud of the man he is and blessed that he is my husband.

I've been trying to have more patience lately...though I definitely struggle with that.

I've been trying to be a better friend lately.  I've been trying to encourage and let people know I care.  It is a work in progress, especially the busier life gets.

I've been trying to keep a cleaner house.  This one.....well, let's just say today...the house still looks descent which in my opinion, is an accomplishment since we cleaned it Sunday!  :)

Sometimes I get so busy with things I stop focusing on what is really important.  The truth is there are blessings everywhere...you have to stop and LOOK for them sometimes, but they are there.  They are in the crazy art things I have been trying to make, because it is fun times with friends that I am making them.  They are in the conversations I have with people, because we are talking and listening to each other.  The blessings are in the sunrises, sunsets, the cool crisp mornings, the smiles on my girls' faces, the love in my husbands eyes.....they are there.

Don't forget to stop and look around.....you can't wait for others to point them out to you.  Blessings are there......

How well do we really know each other??

There is a post from Huffington Post circulating on Facebook and it is really good.

  Don't Carpe Diem  If you haven't read this, it is really good.  It is about the reality of parenting and how others view it.  It made tons of sense to me...and yes, I love it when the girls go to bed and I get quiet time. :)

However, this post really got me thinking.  There is another side to this story.  How about when a stranger critiques our parenting skills?  I mean, when someone tells us how to do our job better.  All of the sudden we become defiant.  Our defense mechanism kicks in and we find ourselves thinking or saying that we know what is best and that these are our children, who we love and cherish and how dare someone think we don't do a good job!

Society is changing. I wonder when we were kids, how our parents communicated how parenting was going for them.  I mean, did my parents pretend they enjoyed every minute?  Did they anxiously wait for bedtime all the while pretending that they were embracing every minute when others were around?  Did they meet up with friends and talk about the hard times of parenting?

I think things are different for us.  So many people equate all of their relationships to Facebook or Twitter.  We let a status define us.

 Some people post how wonderful their kids are and what a wonderful day they had, how much they accomplished the entire time they had 2 sick children that were hanging off of them.  We see that and think...UGH!  Overachiever!!!  We end up comparing ourselves to them and often, we feel we come up short.

Then there is the other side.....the people who complain on Facebook constantly.  They are too busy with their kids stuff, their kids are always a problem, their kids are always sick and then we find ourselves thinking....UGH!!  So glad I'm not like that!

What kind of REAL conversations do we have with people?  Do you know how your friends lives are really going?  I know people don't want to hear lots of negative statuses, so most of the time, I post the positive.

But, what do you really know about me?  Do you know about the days I am sad?  Do you know about the days I am upset?  Do you really want to know?  Or would you rather hear the light hearted, fun things my family is involved in?  If you don't care about any of that...you may want to delete me as a friend, or stop following me on Twitter.  :)   I am a Mom, a wife, a teacher, a daughter, a friend, and a person....I have good days and bad days.  I try my best and want my family and friends to be happy.  I love the fact I have friends who DO know what is really going on in my life and know the ups and downs and don't judge me for the good and the bad.  Remember, there is more to us than what you see and yes....my girls are in bed!  :)

Look how sweet they can be...:)  

 

Have a GREAT night!