Come Spring Come!!!!

I'm taking a small break from my 60 Day Challenge to post about the beautiful weather we had for almost a full day and a half a few weeks ago. It was still a little chilly but we were able to get out and go to the park with our friends, the Smaellie's. It was a lot of fun to get out and enjoy the weather at the park. It has been a sad little joke in that it has been raining and snowing since our day at the park but we were grateful for the time outside and for the fresh air. It was fun to watch Riann out with her friends and getting a chance to get her energy out away from the small house we live in.

Although it's been snowing a lot here lately its still been pretty. I'm very excited for spring to get here. It's been a good winter but it's time to move on. I do love the mild spring weather out here and I can't wait to start going on our nightly walks. There have been a few times I've almost bundled up the kiddos to go for a walk but the wind gets so bad out here that it would just be too hard to keep Colby warm and both kids safe.

Here are some pictures of our outing...

It was a great day and we can't wait for everything we will get to do this summer. It's just going to get more and more fun!!!

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.

One of my Favorite Memories

There were WAY too many memories to pick but I decided on this one. Paul and I decided when we got married that we would do a smaller, simple, honeymoon at his aunt and uncle's beautiful cabin in Montana and then spend a little more money a few months later to do something bigger. Six months later in late August 2005 we were able to go to Oahu Hawaii for our unofficial honeymoon and both of our birthdays.

We had a great time while we were there. Paul had lived in Hawaii for a few months after he graduated high school and he fell in love with so many different parts of Hawaii. When we went back together he was very excited to show me a lot of the things he had gotten to do before. This specific adventure was not something he had done before but it was a chance for us to do something fun together. The ride that we went on took us up into the hills of Oahu where they filmed parts of Jurassic Park, Mighty Joe Young, and LOST. It was really fun to get up there and see these landmarks up close. After getting sucked into LOST later in the series we went back and looked at a lot of our Hawaii pictures and found that we visited a lot of the locations where they did a good amount of filming of the show. When we were in Hawaii we also spent some time at Waikiki where the LOST trailers were kept while the cast was on set/taping. That was cool, we just hadn't started watching the show yet.

This trip was a lot of fun for me because it's been one of the only trips I've taken where I've been in control of what we've done. I've been lucky to be able to travel with family and while I've always been able to add my two cents on what we should do, my ideas have always been put up to a vote against the majority. It's always been fun, regardless of what trip we were on but this was our trip and because we worked so hard to go it was a lot more fun and more memorable because we choose everything we wanted to do.

Day 04 - A picture of your night.

My Night

Unfortunately I'm not a very cool person and this is what I did on this lovely Friday night. As most of you know I work from home. I've been lucky enough to work from home for just over a year now and even though I don't love my job, like I wish I did, I know that I am VERY blessed to have this opportunity.

I have my own little corner in the kitchen that keeps me tucked away but in the action at the same time. That way I can keep an eye on Riann or help make dinner if needed. Some nights are hard but other nights are pretty laid back. Thankfully tonight wasn't too difficult.

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

Image from tvdownload.info

America's Funniest Home

There are very few shows I make time for on TV right now. It's partly because of my work schedule and partly because I don't like watching shows week to week just to be let down when the full story isn't revealed (watching LOST killed me after we got caught up on seasons 1-4 before staring season 5). My lack of patience and pure dislike of being "left out" of the loop create poor TV show loyalty.

However, AFV is the one show that I make time for. It's one of my favorite things about Sunday. I try to plan dinner a little early so that preparing dinner doesn't get in the way of me watching. I'm not all that good at scheduling it quite right but I still get to watch the majority of the show. If I'm being honest, when we are invited to a friends house for Sunday dinner I'm always a little bummed because I know we're going to miss the show.

The funny thing about my AFV obsession is that the show is only REALLY good when it's watched on Sunday. Out here it plays Monday through Friday at 10am and I just don't have the patience to watch it then. I think it's partly because it's tradition to watch it on Sunday and partly because no one else isn't making time for the show either. I'm so grateful that Paul has given in and will sit and watch it with me (he was a little resistant when we first got married) and actually enjoy it. Now Riann will even sit and watch it with us too. She doesn't focus for the whole hour but she does seem to enjoy a lot of the clips she catches in between playing with her toys.

I love watching the show because I get to do it with family and because those watching it with me are always laughing. It's a great way to end a Sunday, even if you're actually laughing at someone else's pain.

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.

My Mom

I wouldn't say that my mom and I have been close FOREVER but over the last 8-10 years I've felt like we've found a relationship that was hidden behind the expected child/parent drama. I know I was tough on my mom growing up and there were times that I'm pretty sure she didn't like me but she always loved me. I guess that can be expected from most relationships like ours but I'm really grateful she stuck it out with me.

My mom has really helped me develop as a mother and she has taught me to care for other people in a whole new way. I'm also incredibly grateful for the love she has for my children. As I've seen with some of my friends grandparents they can be present in their grandchild's life but not really "be there". That is not my mom. She works as hard as she can to be involved although they are 800 miles away. She is a great support to me and teaches me new things every day.

Although she probably doesn't know it my mom has helped me through a lot. I know that she thinks there were a lot of times that she wasn't getting through to me when I was a pain to be around but she did. My mother has always been a good example of right and wrong and through the experiences she has had in her own life I have learned how to better mine.

I'm grateful for her friendship and for the love that she so selflessly offers me. I'm excited to make my way back home so that we can be closer and spend more time together, instead of over the phone.

I love you mom!!!

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.

(I know it was probably supposed to be a picture of just me but I don't have any of those anymore...)

My 15 Facts

1. I prefer to drive without the radio on. Unfortunately for Paul, I find that music is just noise and a quite car is where I find the most peace. That being said, I do enjoy a great beat and a fun song. I love dancing although I can't keep rhythm and really don't have any moves.

2.When no one's around I like to pretend I can sing opera. I am a Child of God and High on a Mountain Top are two of my favorite songs.

3. I'm a commit-a-phoebe. I struggle with plans and have to be reassured often that things will be okay. I'm good at spur of the moment ideas but often freak out once a plan is made. Don't even ask me how I got married...

4. I miss throwing (track) and playing volleyball and sometime wish I would have tried harder in high school to be better. I remember one throw AFTER a meet, while frustrated that I didn't do better, that was my best and farthest throw and I really think if I could have gone to state had I had that kind of focus the whole time.

5. I water down my juice on purpose and my favorite drink at a fast food restaurant is water with a "splash" of lemonade. I'm always grateful when they pair up the water with the lemonade so I can sneak it in.

6. I get WAY too wrapped up in love stories and chick flicks. I love reading and watching them, even the super cheesy ones, but always get depressed when they're over because I know it will never happen to me.

7. I have two specific reoccurring dreams and they scare the heck out of me. One is about tornado's and the other is that I'm not actually married to Paul but someone else who I haven't seen in years. In my marriage dream I'm always engaged to Paul when I find out that I'm already married to this other person but I can't ever remember getting married and when I go to fix it we can never find him. The small details in both dreams change often but the theme and the basic idea... and the feeling I have when I wake up... is always the same.

8. I'm a self-diagnosed hypochondriac. Paul is always rolling his eyes at me because I'm worried about some new kind of sickness.

9. My favorite holidays are the 4th of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving. My least favorite holiday is Christmas but as my family is growing and getting older I'm finding a new joy in that season that is pushing out the bad memories.

10. I'm chronically late. It doesn't matter how well I plan it is almost a guarantee that I'll be at least 5 minutes late to any given event and if I pray to be somewhere on time, I'll be at least 30 minutes late.

11. I swore up and down that I would never had a girl and now that the Lord has laughed at my determination and has given me Riann, I would NEVER give her back. I always said that I wanted all boys but now I'm praying that the Lord blesses me with another girl somewhere down the line.

12. Even thought I get SOOOO sick, I love being pregnant and feel great it my last trimester. My body is showing signs of giving up before I do but I do hope to be pregnant at least one more time before all is said and done.

13. I love driving fast. I've gotten in trouble with speeding multiple times... I've had five speeding tickets on my record at one time, two of which I got on the same day. I love feeling the car "get up and go" and hearing the engine purr. When people used to ask me why I had so many tickets I would answer, "I'm training for NASCAR".

14. I devote too much time to television. I have very few "releases" and love just vegging in front of the TV. I'm working on fixing this and try to turn it off when I catch myself doing it but could probably put a little more effort into it.

15. I love swimming but hate being in a swimsuit. That being said I'll rarely turn down a chance to hang out by a pool or a lake. I have a hard time not getting in the water, even if it's just dipping my feet.

60 Day Photo Challenge

I'm going to do it. I'm finally going to commit myself to this. I don't know how I'm going to do it as I don't get on the computer on a daily basis, although I do facebook more than regularly, I'm going to try to at least post one photo a day. I think this would be fun to do on facebook as well as our blog. Let's see if I can actually do it.

Here's the challenge:

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your night.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.
Day 31 - A picture of a tradition you have.
Day 32 - A picture of a crazy night.
Day 33 - A picture of the house you grew up in.
Day 34 - A picture of your currently most played CD.
Day 35 - A picture of your favorite place to eat.
Day 36 - A picture of your ‘other half'.
Day 37 - A picture of the people you spend most of your time with.
Day 38 - A picture of the best part of your day.
Day 39 - A picture of your favorite movie.
Day 40 - A picture of your favorite Disney character.
Day 41 - A picture of your pet.
Day 42 - A picture of your dream house.
Day 43 - A picture of something you can’t function without.
Day 44 - A picture of someone you’re told you look like.
Day 45 - A picture of your room.
Day 46 - A picture of where you wish you were right now.
Day 47 - A picture of your favorite place to shop.
Day 48 - A picture of your favorite actress/actor.
Day 49 - A picture of where you live.
Day 50 - A picture of your most frequented place.
Day 51 - A picture of your dream car.
Day 52 - A picture of your favorite sport.
Day 53 - A picture of someone you think is hot.
Day 54 - A picture of the one thing you would bring if you were stranded on a deserted island.
Day 55 - A picture of the last movie you saw in theaters.
Day 56 - A picture of something that makes you happy.
Day 57 - A picture of your favorite holiday.
Day 58 - A picture of your favorite animal.
Day 59 - A picture of a random item that you own.
Day 60 - A picture of something you’re excited about.

Wish me luck!!