Thansksgiving is all year long

I wanted to take this time to be sappy and grateful for all my wonderful blessings in my life, but this year alone has been a life changing year for me. I thought it was going to be life changing just because I turned 31, and a person feels like things should be progressing and really moving along when you hit the milestone over 30 like that.

For the most part I let my year get lost, I let things just "be".
Then I woke up and I have struggled the most this year than I feel I ever have, but it was all worth it. To feel what I feel, to know what I know.
I have a friend who suggests that people write things down on paper, well this is going to be my paper.. here is a list of my blessings, my accomplishments, my loves and joys, my truth, faith and heart.

I am humbly grateful for:

Kace and Cris- 2 amazing children that I was blessed to be given to me by the great lord. Who tell me every morning I am beautiful, who compliment me, who when they snap at me, come back quickly and apologize because they care about my feelings, who are a great example to me and keep me going strong.

My brothers - thank you for the good, comfortable and spiritual talks. the dropping everything to help me move, to give me a blessing, to call me and ask me how I am doing. I feel closer to you all, and forever grateful for how wonderful each and everyone of you are to me and to the boys. I cant say this enough, you are the most amazing brothers and I think this is just the beginning.

My sisters - Your examples and strengths surpass me, to send me emails, keep me in the loop and just give off the motherly, caring love that you do. I enjoy being able to catch up with you on blog's and emails. I dont want to use life and distance as an excuse to not spend more time with you, to talk with you, to share and laugh with you. I love you both very much.

My sister-in-laws - my brothers have wives just as amazing as them, if not more than. Thank you for your patience, understanding and willingness to help out where you can. I adore each and everyone one of you and so glad you are a part of this family. You all have something amazing to bring to me. I love you.

My mother - Who knows I can be quiet the handful and even heartache and worry, you still take me in, hold me up and make sure I am ready to walk back out that door again ready for the next day and what it might bring. You are simply there EVERY time I need you, EVERY time I fall, you are picking me up. I love spending time with you, sharing conversations, interests and time with you.

Agustin - I am so grateful for how we can converse about more than just the boys, that you show genuine concern with my family and provide me with updates about yours, to support me, offer help where you can and mostly for just understanding and being so great as I struggle. You make it more than about the boys and they have a terrific father.

I am blessed with:

My home - just perfect for the boys and I. We have found a place we can hang our hats and be comfortable. The kids can walk to school, have great neighbors and a pretty cool landlord.

My car - that gets amazing gas mileage and has helped me through this gas price shock. That doesnt cost much in repairs, and is low maintenance (thank goodness because I feel I am high maintenance enough)

My job- To work with normal people, not money-hungry materialistic snobs, to be able to help people that need it, to look forward to going to work every day. To just simply have a job when so many are losing theirs, And the health insurance is great!

My Health - to not have any health concerns, not a hint of a cold, to be able to continually keep moving, getting in shape and staying more fit and active for the boys and I.

The Church- For being able to have a place where I feel so comfortable, to have the truth that I was blessed to be born with. The support, the love and the knowledge that is ever growing.

My biggest accomplishment this year was that I stepped outside of the box I was living in, I took the knowledge of knowing how mentally challenging it was for me and I broke free. I couldnt be more happy, more grateful, more ready for the new tomorrows that I now have, the possibilities that I shut out before. All the struggles, the challenges, the stress was worth it for this moment to sit here and reflect on such an amazing year, to take the good and the bad and make it what it is now and what is still left to come.

The Number Is....

Well today was a weigh-in day, the first one since the biggest loser office competition started. I was dreading this, simply because I know I could have been better, but when I got there and weighed in I was pleased with the outcome. There are 5 people total in this competition, 2 gained weight and 3 of us lost weight. So while the 2 who gained weight actually may have gained some muscle, they still need to pay up. $2.00 for every pound! That is $12.00 added to the already sweet pot of $250.00 so far!

My number at weigh-in this morning was 153.8... resulting in a loss of almost 3 lbs, and while that is not a big number and realistically I wanted much higher, I am satisfied, if I maintain a weight loss of 3 lbs every 2 weeks I will have lost 20 lbs at the end of this competition. now that is a pleasant number I can handle. So I am going to keep on chugging, put a little more effort into it and keep my goal in mind!

Pay It Forward

"One of the most difficult things to give away is kindness, it usually comes back to you" Unknown


I am all about doing little things for people just to bring a smile to their face or as a small reminder that this world still has some good left in it. I have these cards I got from a website called random acts of kindness and occasionally I get to use them, the theory is I hand the card to the receiver of the nice gesture and they in turn pay it forward to someone else.
My point in all this is that lately I have been the receiver and it is hard for me not to be the one giving and doing. It is just who I am. So today we left the house a little late, I am driving the boys to school and no longer do I make it to the first light and I hear a loud noise, it is constant and sounds like a car I had in the old days where I had a 10" glass pack on the muffler. It is such an annoying thing to know that a noise like that is coming from a car, but worse to know it is coming from MY car.
The light signal I was sitting at turned green and it is taking me right on the freeway, it is wetter than wet out and pouring rain. I don't want to deal with this right now, but it sounds as though my car might explode. So I get on the freeway and take the first exit a couple hundred feet away. I pull down a side road off the freeway, I get out and check my 'rear' end. My muffler is still attached but it is sagging on the end where it meets the rest of the body work crap underneath. I knew it wasn't going to make it through an entire day of driving like that, but at 7 in the morning, I didn't have a lot of choices. I drove off, I made it out pass the oncoming traffic lane and sccrraatchh, damn it! I was dragging my muffler. The kids were going to be late for school and why oh why didn't this happen yesterday when I had the freaken day off? I stop in the middle of these two lanes, my hazards on, and I thought there might be a chance if I could take the muffler off that it had a chance of surviving and being re-attached, but I didn't know how to take this thing off, let alone I was not going to get my work clothes wet and dirty from the road by really getting down and looking at it. Sooo I made a few phone calls... no answers and just as I was about to make another call my little brother B calls back. He is on his way. (Did I mention what an awesome family I have, I have the coolest brothers, every single one of them and my mom and sisters are so understanding. I really got a great deal for a family)
I am sitting in this somewhat of a middle lane, the windows are starting to fog up because the sound is to unbearable to leave the car running and I make a few phone calls to work and to school to let them know there will be a delay for us. Just as I am finishing up these calls, Cris tells me that there is a car next to me, I quickly look to see this young guy sitting in a white truck. I jump out and he asks if I need help. I explain to him that my brother is on his way, but that my muffler is dragging and I would like to just get it off all the way but I don't know how. He didn't say anything, pulled his truck a little more off the main lane and walked straight to my trunk, laid down (YES I said laid down ... in the freaken rain, soaking wet ground and all!) and he wiggles and wrestles my muffler off and throws it in the trunk for me. I wanted to show him my appreciation but all I had was a thank you. He was cute though and had a great smile, so random guy I don't know, that was a truly nice thing to do this morning and I would offer to wash your pants or even buy you new ones (now that my head is more clear).And no I didn't get his number either for those of you who were thinking it.
However I know from being that kind of person that, that is not what he was looking for. I appreciate the kind and generous people of this world who don't think twice to do something that was probably so simple for them, to help out another. It really means alot to me as a receiver.

The ending is a normal one, After I dropped the boys off at school (who were not happy that they didn't get to miss the entire day) I drove straight to Midas, an hour and $120 later I have a new muffler, the old one could not be saved (probably why it wanted to fall off in the first place)
and I didn't think to take a pic of the old hanging muffler (why would I? it was raining and bleh outside) but I did however take a quick pic of my new muffler. So as cheesy as it is, here is the pic of my day today.
One less thing to worry about I guess and I am grateful that it wasn't something more major or expensive.

A Few of my Favorite Things...

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things"...

"I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad"

So things have been going pretty good lately, I feel great emotionally and physically. Today was raining the way the good 'ol Northwest should. I loved it!
I threw on my running shoes and ran, it felt so good to get that fresh rain air in my lungs, to splash in the puddles like I was a kid... I am sure I had a very kid like smile on my face while I did it too. There is something very sobering for me to run in the rain...
There a few other things that work for me that bring me to a even keel with myself.
I feel like sharing them so here goes:

* Cleaning, but after I am done cleaning sitting on the couch in the clean room and enjoying my vacuum lines, not wanting to get up, move and disturb them.

* Going through a box of pictures, looking back and remembering some old good times, and also remembering some things I have been through in the past and made it out A OK.

* Driving alone on a less driven road, listening to music, or not even listening to music but enjoying the beautiful scenery around me.

* Hiking alone or with someone, this too is something to just get back in touch with the simpler things, to see how amazing God is and what he has created. The silence of the wooded trails helps me clear my head.

* Dancing alone in my room or house to music. Music (if proper) speaks to the soul and dancing not only gives you some exercise but lets you release an inner child.

* Watching a movie by myself, sitting in a dark theater, eating all the popcorn with no other hands, really taking in the art of acting and filming.

* Doing service, whether small or big, it makes the soul feel good. It is easy to get caught up in life when things are going good, but when you stumble it makes you realize how others stumble even more, and if I help them then we both feel good.

* Reading. I love to go find a good corner somewhere and read without interruptions. Getting into the book and not wanting to put it down. When weather is nice, I would take the boys to the pool, let them play and splash and I would pick a good corner and read in the sun... got a good tan too.

* Sitting in front of a fireplace during the cold months, but especially Christmas morning, the lights on the Christmas tree with happy kids, I love those!


I am blessed.

I'm So Great They Made 2 of Me!

Got Twins?

So I was going to post first thing this morning because I know my sister, the queen of posting on her blog more regularly than anyone, would once again try and steal the show....
you know what? That is my birthday present to you! I am giving you the joy of being better than me, but just this once...j/k...kind of ;)

But really now, you get the top-dog on this one. There is no way I have the skills to put every song on my playlist to a happy birthday song..oh, wait... I don't even have a playlist. To change my background to happy birthday, To add several pictures of the 2 of us, (do you have any ones where I look decent?), and especially remember all those cool things... I hate my lack of memory.

So instead of working against you.. I figured I would join you, after I clear up the fact that you pushed me out of the womb, it wasn't I who pushed my way out... after all you hogged it the entire 9 months, what was stopping you from enjoying the leg room after I was out of there? LOL.

We stole the show a lot. Here are a few of my favorite memories:

*We would mix our funny socks up and you would wear one of mine and I yours so they looked even funnier.

*We walked down the hall in Jr High School wearing dads pants, one body in each pant leg, people looked at us like we were nuts, but we had a blast.

*When you tried to chop your thumb off in shop class, I was in Science and my thumb was killing me and I didn't know why until later when I discovered what happened to you.

*We were called the 'dude twins' because we have a slightly deeper toned voice.

*We would jump across beds to the other, jumping back and forth sometimes throwing our pillows at each other, and once exhausted we would stay up late in bed talking to each other... Sometimes we would hear dads deep voice say "go to sleep".

And since you were so gracious on sharing my wonderful moments I thought I would add to those as well:

*When we would fight as we got older, I would hit you and then run with you running after me to hit me back and then turn and run like lightening until I caught up to you to pull your hair... this would go for only a few minutes and shortly we would be back in the same room and fine around each other.

*We typically dated the best friend of each others boyfriends (well usually me after you..so I guess a thank you for the boyfriend)

*We used to play with matchbox cars too (I'm not too proud to admit that)

But the best thing about my sister and being a twin is:

*You always have a friend the first day of school.

*There is always someone who understands me, even when we are a gazillion miles apart

*We compliment each other in every way

*We have the awesome automatic bragging rights of having a twin sister, and a bond that no one would understand unless they themselves are a twin.

My sister is humble, sweet, spiritual, awesome at spontaneous humor, knows how to get a good buy, creative, and a darn good writer.

Happy Birthday!
I love you and think you are the best! I hope your day was great today and know that I am thinking about you and miss you!

Ready, Set, Go will power!

So today marks the day of no more eating like crap and actually doing some hardcore exercise.
It needs to be done and there is never a good time to start as there is always something that will blow it. So I already know the challenge I have in front of me as I start this a few days after our homes are blasted with sugary crap candy and we enter into Thanksgiving and Christmas...not to mention the weather does not support a healthy, active outdoor lifestyle...so yes, I have carefully taken all of these factors into consideration.

But there is a new wardrobe with a hot pair of shoes at stake! It is a competition. A few co-workers decided that they wanted to do an office type biggest loser. So we have come up with a fun individual member names, we made official rules such as no sabotaging others, no binging and purging, no weight loss supplements or surgery. Each participant put in $50.00 and we weigh-in every 2 weeks. if at weigh-in anyone gains weight there is a $2 fine for every pound. if someone misses a weigh-in they get the same weight from the last weigh-in used and a $5 fine. The competition is based off of percentage lost.
So see what I mean.... I have clothes on my mind! I will need the money from the other losers to buy new clothes!

So I weighed in today at 156.6. I will update here, every time I weigh-in. At the end I will post a before and after picture. I am sharing this on the Internet as it holds me more accountable if I do not follow through.

A few things I have started to change:
no more coffee - I now drink green tea.
no alcoholic beverages
I went shopping and was very conscious about calories, carbs, and fat.
no soda - think water, water, water.

I think I will do okay on the food part of this, it is sticking to the exercise routine, that will be my challenge....so here goes.

my name for this competition is 'Wine is not a fruit'.