Six Month Update

We are now into the sixth month of 2014, so I thought I would update my list.  There are not many changes from the last time and there are definitely a few that are not going to get done.  But, here I go:

1. Take a cooking class.

2. Have professional family portraits taken. -I have tentatively scheduled this for the end of October.

3. Have a date night with one of my boys once a month. (One-on-One time.  I'll take one, Daddy will take the other and the following month, we'll switch kiddos so each boy gets some special time with each parent.) -Unfortunately, this hasnt happened and probably isnt going to. However, we have made more intentional efforts to spend time as a family.  I have had a few changes for one-on-one time with Jacob playing cards and Mark has him involved more with projects he is working on.

4. Learn how to crochet.

5. Go zip-lining. -This is definitely happening!  The weekend prior to my birthday.

6. Run a race with my husband. (We had so much fun with the Warrior Dash last year and this will motivate us both to get back into exercising.) -So, I may not be running with my husband but a friend and I are planning on the Electric Run this fall.

7. Learn how to play the guitar. -One of my summer goals. Now all I need is a guitar...

8. Do at least 4 volunteer opportunities as a family. -One down, three more to go.   

9. Find a church to call "ours". (We have hopped around and tested new waters since we moved to NC 8 years ago.  I keep searching for that feeling I had back home.  I realize now the sense of belonging didn't come from the church, but from our involvement and the relationships made because of it.)  I'm happy to say tomorrow will be my first official Sunday volunteering in the nursery on a bi-weekly basis.

10. Finish 3 books. (May not sound like much to my reader friends but I have a habit of getting to chapter three or four, setting the book down, and never finishing it.) -One down, half way through the second (it is taking me much longer though) and searching for a third.  I have many options, but most are parenting/marriage/faith books that while they are wonderful reads, is what I chose for the first two.  I would like the third be a fictional book simply for entertainment.

11. Be rid of our credit card debt. -Paid off our first credit card this month.  We are constantly working on this and by September I hope to have two more paid off.

12. Work on a car-related project with Mark in the garage. (I helped him replace a transmission once.  It was the summer of 2001.  It meant so much to him.  I think its time I spend some quality time with my guy doing what he loves.) -Um, now we have a new visitor who was last seen in the garage (A SNAKE!).  So, until I know he is gone, I will not be in the garage with Mark. However, I can help him in the driveway. :)

13. Maintain a vegetable garden. -This was supposed to be my Mother's Day present but things just didnt work out. Due to time and the focus on our credit card debt, I am bypassing this again until next Spring.  Then I plan to go with Marissa to get what we need since I haven't a clue.

14. Diet and Exercise so my closet full of clothing fits me properly once again.  (This means consistently going to the gym 4-5 times a week.) -I cancelled my gym membership (see #11) but have started a home exercise regimen through Daily Burn. I'm not consistently doing 4-5 times per week but am getting at least two days in, taking Plexus Slim to help burn the fat, drinking much more water, and making better eating choices (most of the time).  I have noticed a difference in the way my clothes fit but am not satisfied here and will continue to keep up the good work.

Into the great unknown

I think we have entered the most difficult part of parenting.  This is where everything I did and didn't do comes flooding back to me.  This is where I begin to question my parenting and decisions.  This is where I desperately need guidance and help to proceed.  These are the tween years.

The last year, Jacob progressed from a very extroverted little boy to a much more reserved tweeny-bopper.  The natural changes during this time seem unnatural to me.  Its even more difficult while trying to help him navigate it as I am a female.  He is caught between boy and man now and the change from one to another can flip as fast as a light switch.  The worst part is, I know this is just the beginning.

2014 Update

I have successfully crossed two items off of my 2014 bucket list.  While the item I am making is not pretty and is taking me forever simply because I do not dedicate much time to it, I have learned how to crochet.  I have the basics. I pick it up here and there when Mark and I are chilling in front of the tv and I'm not interested in whatever car show he's sucked in to.  BUT, I do know how and that is good enough for me.  I dont believe it will ever be a passion or real hobby of mine, I am more of a picture/paint/canvas kinda girl.  We've also settled on a church "home".  Jacob made the decision for us.  For the last five years, we have gone to Hope Community Church on and off.  We've tried a few others and asked others for feedback but we kept finding ourselves defaulting back to Hope.  The hesitation is the distance, the HUGE-Mungus size and the lack of weekday classes at their Holly Springs campus.  However, I made it a priority this year to get us up and going on Sunday mornings.  It was a slow start but we are finally in the swing of things.  Jacob has really enjoyed his group leader and the classes on Sunday.  Its been my heart's desire for him to connect during these middle school years and I certainly dont want to pull him away with a place he is finally comfortable with.  I was a middle school leader for four years, before I had Jacob, and it is certainly a time when the right influences are crucial.  So Hope Holly Springs has become our place to be on Sunday mornings.

We have also completed one volunteer opportunity as a family.  Last weekend, we went to a food packaging event run by Stop Hunger Now.  We ran a kind of assembly line and created pouches of soy, veggies and rice to send overseas to schools to feed hungry children.  Parents who would not normally send their kids to school, do when these packages arrive so the kids can eat. In the meantime, they are also receiving an education and therefore bettering the future of their family and community.  The boys were runners and took the bags from table to table as needed while Mark and I worked on the filling station.  It was fast paced and pretty fun.  I would recommend it to families with kids, as long as the child is over six they can find a spot for them to be involved.

I just completed my first book of the year.  Although it was my third time reading through it, 'Have A New Husband by Friday' by Dr. Kevin Leman has helped me, my marriage and my understanding of the male species tremendously and I enjoy going back through it every couple of years to brush up on things.  It is THE book I recommend to wives.  I really enjoy the author and have read several of his books, and I just purchased several more.  Its easy to read, understand and apply the concepts and I have personally seen a difference over the years.

We are on a good course with the credit card debt.  We have a plan of attack and Mark is working hard to bring in some extra income to help pay it down.  It'll take the whole year but its nice to know this is a mutual goal that we are both dedicated to.

I'm still making wiser choices and exercising to get to my last goal.  There hasnt been much progress though; actually, there hasn't been any progress despite the changes I've made the last three months.  I started a trial program with Plexus today.  A friend of mine is a consultant and she has seen great results (I was actually able to see them with her as well) so hopefully this will help jump start things for me.  I am making it to the gym 2-3 times a week right now, at 5 AM but am trying to do things at home as well.  I think getting involved in a steady class may help my commitment level.  Its easy to allow life's busy-ness to push this aside and that has been my problem lately.  Gotta stay focused!

1. Take a cooking class.

2. Have professional family portraits taken.

3. Have a date night with one of my boys once a month. (One-on-One time.  I'll take one, Daddy will take the other and the following month, we'll switch kiddos so each boy gets some special time with each parent.)

4. Learn how to crochet.

5. Go zip-lining.

6. Run a race with my husband. (We had so much fun with the Warrior Dash last year and this will motivate us both to get back into exercising.)

7. Learn how to play the guitar.

8. Do at least 4 volunteer opportunities as a family.

9. Find a church to call "ours". (We have hopped around and tested new waters since we moved to NC 8 years ago.  I keep searching for that feeling I had back home.  I realize now the sense of belonging didn't come from the church, but from our involvement and the relationships made because of it.)

10. Finish 3 books. (May not sound like much to my reader friends but I have a habit of getting to chapter three or four, setting the book down, and never finishing it.)

11. Be rid of our credit card debt.

12. Work on a car-related project with Mark in the garage. (I helped him replace a transmission once.  It was the summer of 2001.  It meant so much to him.  I think its time I spend some quality time with my guy doing what he loves.)

13. Maintain a vegetable garden.

14. Diet and Exercise so my closet full of clothing fits me properly once again.  (This means consistently going to the gym 4-5 times a week.)

Unfortunately, I already have one goal that I cannot cross off.  #3 Date nights with one of my boys.  I have not done this to date.  Three months here and gone already.  Schedules are not going to clear up any time soon either since baseball and karate start next week.  However, time isnt going to multiply or stop just because I am busy and this is important to me so starting the first weekend of every month (one week from today), I have a date night with one of my boys.

We live here.

I struggle with perfectionism.  One area where I have battled many years is with my home.  If there was a spot on the counter, the entire thing had to wiped down.  Cords and wires needed to be hidden or coiled and neatly put away.  Paperwork must be filed immediately and even the "junk" drawer was constantly cleaned out.  I would spend hours wiping, washing, vacuuming, dusting, organizing, and putting away items just to restart the entire process the next day.  However, living in a home with two young boys, two dogs and a husband made my "laundry" list even longer and more impossible to keep up with.  One day I was wiping the kitchen counters and almost in a tizzy because my parents stopped over, unannounced, and things were not in order.  I apologized saying, "I haven't had much time to clean. I'm sorry the house is such a mess."  What was my Dad's response?  "Its ok, Tara. You live here."  It caught me off guard a bit but then I thought it really made sense.  Our house isn't just a show piece that you see in on Pinterest or HGTV. Those homes are staged specifically for that.  My family, my boys, were living here.  My family was playing and growing and learning and eating and reading and sleeping and gathering here.  We were making friendships and memories.  Our house was full of Life.  

Since that day, my outlook on how my house needs to look is quite different.  I dont vacuum and dust and clean bathrooms and catch up on laundry and scrub the kitchen every single day.  I do one, maybe two each day.  Some days I do none.  When I vacuum, I dont always move the kitchen chairs to get under the table, or shake out the rugs, or even move the pile of shoes by the back door.  When I clean the kitchen after a meal, there may be crumbs left on the table cloth and sometimes dirty dishes pile in the sink.  I have fingerprints on my doors, actually man-sized hand prints when Mark is working in the garage, dog hair on my couches, and clean laundry stacked to be put away.  What I dont have is the driving need for everything to be in order and its proper place before I can function.  I dont have an overwhelming voice stating, "You cannot sit down until all the housework is finished." And I certainly dont have to put off time with my boys because dishes are in the sink.  

When the "voice of shame" starts whispering in my ear that the check list must get done RIGHT NOW, I remind myself that life carries on here and one day I am going to miss seeing that backpack on the kitchen floor and searching the house for Austin's tennis shoes because he never puts them in the shoe bucket.  Dont get my wrong, my house is still clean and in good order.  Its important to me and I am still a very organized person.  But my pride and confidence in myself as a wife and mother are no longer tied to every piece of dog fur off the floor or if every closet is neatly organized.  

Making new habits

I spent most of January adjusting my diet.  I started the South Beach Diet and while I did not adhere to the "no carbs the first two weeks. period." policy to a "T", I did do very well.  The purpose of cutting out all carbs and only allowing low-fat protein is to train your body to crave the proper things, instead of sugar and carbs.  This was hard for me since my diet had pretty much consisted of carbs, carbs, a bit of protein, maybe a veggie with dinner, then more carbs. Oh, and throw in a couple of handfuls of sugar too.  I gained 15 pounds in about four months in a very unhealthy manner.  So, the type of torture was absolutely necessary to get me back on track.  Now I have a cup or two of coffee in the morning and drink water and non-caffeinated tea the rest of the day.  I have had a glass of wine on a couple of occassions and I have enjoyed a Coca-Cola a time or two but my day-to-day choices have remained healthier.  Instead of crackers and cream cheese, I had pears and Laughing Cow cinnamon spread or celery and hummus.  Instead of sugar-loaded brown sugar and maple oatmeal or a granola bar for breakfast, I have been making protein shakes that consist of soy milk, spinach, blueberries, banana and a scoop of chocolate protein powder.  I do enjoy my grains now, but the bread and pasta are whole wheat or multigrain and I attempt to limit myself to one or two servings a day.  I haven't lost much weight, I think 3 pounds total in four weeks, but overall that is not my goal.  My goal is for my clothing that fit me well in January 2013 to fit me just as well in January 2015 (hopefully sooner!).  My biggest goal is to be bathing suit ready for our anniversary trip to the Florida Keys in September. That means no tshirt or shorts over top or a desperate grab for the towel as soon as I leave the pool.  While my weight may not be changing much, I am noticing a positive change in my problem areas.  In other words, I am moving in the right direction.

This month the exercise comes in to play.  I took a much too long break from the gym and, boy, is it hard getting back into that routine.  I have gone twice since the beginning of the year.  But today was encouraging for me.  My brother is in town and he wrote up an exercise plan for me.  This morning I met him at the gym and I asked him to show me the various exercises to be sure I was doing them correctly and to get some feedback.  By the end we modified the plan quite a bit, back to the basics, but I feel confident in what I am to do when I go and have a routine for each day of the week.  Sean is extremely knowledgeable in the human body, weight loss and training.  It is a passion of his and I am glad to have someone like that to point me in the right direction and get me motivated.  Now I get to pass it along to my gym partner and we can start our 100-day challenge.  100 days straight of some sort of exercise (at home or at gym, walking, weights, yoga, zumba, whatever) to create a healthy habit.

I not only want to create a healthier lifestyle for myself, I want to be an example for my children.  I hope by seeing the changes I make and living them out day by day, they will understand the reasons, see the difference and make better choices themselves.  Because Mommy can only make choices for them for so long.

A Boy's Book List

Boys.  What strange creatures they are.  I tried to be a tom boy when I was younger and attempted to hang out with my brother and his friends, but at heart I am a girly girl.  So, naturally, when these two bustling boys came around I had a hard time buying toys and books that appealed to them.  As a parent, I not only wanted to give them things that were "with the times" but I also wanted to share some things from my childhood. However, I don't think My Little Pony, 'Anne Likes Red', or 'The Little Mermaid' would go over too well.  Then I learned that these little creatures would create their own preferences and opinions at a very young age.

Jacob wanted to mimic everything his Daddy did and spent many hours playing under his rocking car with his tools ("I'm fixin' it, Mommy") and his ball cap on backwards.  Blues Clues, The Lion King and The Brave Little Toaster wore out our VCR, serenaded us through the speakers during car trips and even decorated his 2nd birthday party.  He has played soccer, t-ball, basketball, baseball and karate.  Fast forward almost 10 years later and we are on to Harry Potter, Xbox, and Yu-Gi-Oh.

Austin seemed to be his older brother's exact opposite.  While Jacob was our social butterfly, Austin was much more introverted.  He preferred playing in the kitchen at his special bench with his special cooking utensils while Papa cooked for us.  His baby rattle was a whisk with a megablock inside.  And boy, oh boy, did he love books.  We would read over and over and over and over until I could quote them front to back, back to front.  Austin's memorization of facts is quite impressive.  His obsessions went from Cars to Dinosaurs to Reptiles and now he reads every 'Believe It or Not'-type book he can find.  Everyone who has met Austin has agreed that boy is an old man trapped in a boys' body.

Well, their differences could make bedtime stories difficult to choose. Add that to the fact I do not hold the same interests, finding books at the library that I enjoyed reading as much as they enjoyed listening too was quite a task.  However, it was not impossible.  Now that our friends and family are growing their families and we have added a few more boys to the group, I know exactly what to include in the birthday gifts.

The Boys' "must read" list:
0-4 years old
I Love You, Stinky Face
The Little Red Hen
Dr. Suess' ABC book
Are You My Mother?
4-7 years old
If I Ran the Zoo
Fox in Socks
I Need My Monster
The Mitten
The Magic Treehouse Series
7-10 years old
The Magic Treehouse series
Captain Underpants and all affiliated series
A-Z Mysteries
10-12 years old
Butt Wars
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Harry Potter
The Lost Hero
Hatchet

Of course reading level and maturity take a role in what is appropriate for your child.  Austin has read everything except the Harry Potter series in the 10-12 year old category.  He started the first book but the reading level was a bit too high for him.  I attribute his early love for books and attempting to keep up with his older brother to his higher reading level (he is reading at a 4th grade level in 2nd grade).  While Jacob's desire, and now passion, to read didn't begin until 4th grade and started with The Magic Treehouse series.  We supplemented this with books on tape and that actually made him more interested in the newer stories.

As a lady, half of these books totally disgust me and I had a hard time reading about all the gross bodily functions and a superhero running around in his underwear and a cape but it sure did grab my boys' attention.  Honestly, these are things little boys will joke about anyway and for some strange reason they find it just hilarious.  Knowing friends and cousins who are similar in age read the same things, I can safely say these books appeal to most of the younger male species (and even the older ones as my husband would sit in on the readings of the Captain Underpants books and laugh right along with them).

Writer's Block Unhinged

While filing away bills and school papers, I came across a folder of my school awards and important work.  In high school, I was very shy and seemed to share only one or two classes with friends.  I was very lonely so I resorted to writing stories, scripts and poetry.  One of the papers I came across today is a short story I wrote, for fun, in eleventh grade.  Reading through it, fifteen years later, it really isnt that bad.  I can even picture the scenes as I originally had them when I wrote the story.  While the beginning is great, it was around the time I became more involved in the youth group and acquired some great church friends, taking away time and therefore the substance in the middle and ending.  I may have just found my passion for writing again.  I think I'm going to re-write the "book"!

"Bucket List" update

I shared my list with my husband and kiddos, explaining some of the items that involved the four of us together.  Everyone seemed game on my ideas.

-I've researched cooking classes in the area.  If anyone is interested in doing one with me, I'd love some company!!  There is one at the Mineral Springs Inn in Fuquay or I found some others in Cary and Raleigh.  
-Mark and I decided which race we will run this year, the Color Vibe 5K.  The date is not set for Raleigh yet, but I pre-registered us today.
-I have two churches I want to check out: 1. Church Alive, which my parents are attending. I went with them once around the holidays and the boys have been a couple of times. Austin really liked the Children's program.  Their middle school program is Sunday evenings so Jacob has to sit with us during regular services. However, they are located in Fuquay-Varina.  2. Triangle Community Church, where our friends James & Diana attend.  Its a bit further out but I like all of the options they have for Middle Schoolers - even a monthly Saturday volunteer day for just middle and high schoolers.
-I am two weeks into the South Beach diet, attempting to get my carb intake under control.  Exercise regiment comes next week with my accountability partner wrapping up her overtime this week. The timing works well because I will be on Phase 2 of the South Beach diet which re-introduces whole-wheat carbs and some fruit, important items to energize me while at the gym.
-I finished a book today, although it was only 31 pages long, so I'll call that my warm-up for the three I plan to read this year.
-Lastly, the credit card debt. Mark and I have had many discussions the past few weeks about this.  As soon as I hit post here and change over the laundry, I'm adding a sheet to our budget spreadsheet to show us how much we owe to what and the interest rate so we can form our plan of attack.

To Move or To Modify?

Mark and I have debated the past few months whether we are going to stay in our quaint home and remodel, or make another move to a larger house.  Its a struggle to decide.  The bottom line is we need more indoor space.  This house was the perfect size and set-up when we moved in almost four years ago and the boys were 7 and 4.  Now that they are 11 and 8, we are already starting to feel cramped.

It would be so much easier to purchase a different home rather than modify this one.  We can look for just what we want: two-stories (something I refused to have when we originally moved due to younger children/stairs/laundry - now they can get themselves and their own stuff up and down the stairs), fenced yard, at least three bedrooms and a bonus room, trees (oh, how I miss having trees. real trees. tree-fort trees and ones that provide shade.), wood flooring, a wrap around porch and an open floor plan.

So, why not bite the bullet and move?  Location. Location. Location.  Here's what I mean:

Jacob loves his school.  The poor boy has attended Holly Springs, Raleigh, Cary and now Harnett County elementary schools.  The last thing I want to do is move him again, especially when he's made so many steady friends the past four years.  It was nice going to school with the same, familiar people from second grade on for me. I want the same for him.  One reason for moving is to reduce our travel time to work.  Keeping Jacob in the same school wouldn't happen if that was the case. There is no way we can move any closer to Cary and keep him in Harnett Central.  We are at the county line and any closer puts us into Wake instead of Harnett.

We live in the best neighborhood I could ask for.  Everyone looks out for each other.  We have two corrections offices on one end, a retired sheriff and an active military man on the other.  The girls across the street are the boys' exact ages.  Their mom is such a blessing when we are in a bind. Not to mention, Jacob was in the same class as Autumn 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades.  The same "group" of teachers in 5th, so their classes spent much time together.  Mark's garage is the hang out for the men surrounding us.  He takes care of our elderly next door neighbors' vehicles and in exchange their son maintains our lawn.  And last, but not least, my parents are five houses down the road.  My mom is already quite lost when she has to go a day or two without seeing them because of her work schedule.  Friday night wrestling with Papa certainly wouldn't be quite as convenient!

We have just under an acre of land.  The kids and dogs have plenty of space to run around.  We also maintain a car lot in our side and back yard.  That certainly wouldnt be possible if we had an HOA to contend with.  The goal is to build a pole barn in the back corner that is large enough to house lifts and a finished second floor.  This would free up our two-car garage to actually house cars...or we've even played around with the idea of using half for a photography studio.

Even though we are not satisfied with the house we bought, that is one thing we can modify and create as our own.  The other things listed above are not quite as easily obtained.  Mark just found that he CAN do the work himself, as long as he pulls the permits and has inspections done, and any additions will be included if we decide to sell in the future.  We did a major remodel in our home in Michigan as we prepared to move to North Carolina, but the structure stayed the same.  It was down the the bare studs but rooms were simply upgraded, not modified.  My biggest fear is what we will find when we open up walls.  Or what if our "dream" idea of opening this place up can't be done.  Between lack of insulation, improper tiling and crooked door frames, I'm not to keen on the quality of work the original builder did.  That could mean a lot of surprises and a lot of time and money to fix them for us.

Bringing an architect in to assist us with design concepts is something Mark has pushed for.  Oy! It takes me weeks to decide on a paint color.  Paint is easily changeable. How am I going to decide on a floor plan to permanently change my house?!  This is why moving would be much simpler.

I've got to move it, move it.

It never ceases to amaze me when God confirms something in my life.  My original post stated "2014 will be my year of action."  

Well, God brought it home today with the sermon at church (we actually made it, and to the early service -Go us!).  Pastor Mike is covering the book of James the next seven weeks. His focus today was James 2:14, 'What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?'. 

In other words, believing means nothing if you don't apply it and put action behind it.  So, watch me go! I hope you all will walk along side me, or maybe even push me, if I need it, to keep me moving forward.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to the sermon:
http://www.gethope.net/apply-as-directed/real-faith-for-the-real-world

My 14 in 2014

A friend of mine wrote a "30 by 30" list for herself and encouraged me to do something similar.  I thought it was a neat idea but brushed it off.  I had no idea where to even start.  Add on my fear of writing and then posting such a list and not accomplishing it and looking like a failure when people would ask.  This hinders me from doing many things. I feel as though if I dont complete what I set out to do, it is wasted time and I let others down.  Well, it is time to grab the bull by it's horns and this fear is the exact reason I created my "14 in 2014".  I can tick away one per month or get them done randomly, but by December 31, 2014 at 11:59:59, I plan to have all 12 items completed.  So, here it goes:

1. Take a cooking class.

2. Have professional family portraits taken.

3. Have a date night with one of my boys once a month. (One-on-One time.  I'll take one, Daddy will take the other and the following month, we'll switch kiddos so each boy gets some special time with each parent.)

4. Learn how to crochet.

5. Go zip-lining.

6. Run a race with my husband. (We had so much fun with the Warrior Dash last year and this will motivate us both to get back into exercising.)

7. Learn how to play the guitar.

8. Do at least 4 volunteer opportunities as a family.

9. Find a church to call "ours". (We have hopped around and tested new waters since we moved to NC 8 years ago.  I keep searching for that feeling I had back home.  I realize now the sense of belonging didn't come from the church, but from our involvement and the relationships made because of it.)

10. Finish 3 books. (May not sound like much to my reader friends but I have a habit of getting to chapter three or four, setting the book down, and never finishing it.)

11. Be rid of our credit card debt.

12. Work on a car-related project with Mark in the garage. (I helped him replace a transmission once.  It was the summer of 2001.  It meant so much to him.  I think its time I spend some quality time with my guy doing what he loves.)

13. Maintain a vegetable garden.

14. Diet and Exercise so my closet full of clothing fits me properly once again.  (This means consistently going to the gym 4-5 times a week.)

30-Day Challenge

Today I accepted the 30-day challenge with K-Love to listen to only Christian music for the next 30 days.  "Why?", you may ask. Because I am a firm believer that what you put in is what you give out.  Don't get me wrong, I love my country music and there are plenty of great songs and artists out there that I enjoy listening to who fall out of this genre. In time, they will re-enter my playlist. However, Christian music is uplifting, enlightening, safe for the boys and helps keep the peace flowin'.  I have seen and felt the atmosphere change in my home from a tense, negative energy to a much more peaceful and cheerful mood after changing the Pandora station.  This will also keep me focused on one of my previously mentioned goals, actively pursuing God.  If He is what I am hearing about throughout the day, then He is where my focus will lie.  Besides, it is 30 days -one month- of my life.  Out of the 376 months God has given me thus far, I think I can spare the next one for Him.

2014: I've got my running shoes on.

2013 was a year of reflection.  I spent a lot of time evaluating what is important to me.  It was a quick year, but a quiet one as well.  I worked on things internally, reconciling relationships, accepting new people in, pondering my future goals and dreams, the ups and downs of photography.  Mark and I focused on our communication to build a stronger marriage and unified us.

Granted, there were plenty of things to keep us busy.  Basketball ran through February.  Both boys tried out spring soccer with the Upward Sports league.  Their cousin, Jenna, even got to play before my brother and his family moved back to Michigan in June.  We invited a good friend, his girlfriend and their two young children to stay with us because they were desperate to escape Port Huron.  Sarah and the babies eventually went back in September but Josh is here with us still trying to gain some ground.  The few months we had with their two little ones will always live with me though.  They may have been small, but they sure created a lot of love.  My parents, the boys and I took a trip to Michigan in August for my Great-Aunt's memorial and to meet my little nephew who was born in July.  We were able to spend some time with both sides of our family, visit with some old friends and even take a night at my favorite childhood place, my grandparents' cabin in Lewiston.  It was soccer time again for Jacob in the fall. It was a different feel of the sport and much more competitive than the league he played in the spring, but he still worked hard and improved immensely.  This spring he asked to go back to baseball though.  It was nice trying something new, but he's been a ball player since he could throw and that's where he is most comfortable.  Lastly, I finally got my dream family vacation in October.  We took the boys to DISNEY WORLD!  We only made it to the Magic Kingdom but it was a goal for the last 10 years I can gladly say we have achieved.  Not to mention all the awesome concerts scattered from April through September.

2014 will be my year of action.  All of the things I contemplated, reviewed and prioritized last year will now be driven for.  I want this year to be one of activity.  Actively pursuing my dreams, actively pursuing God, actively pursuing a healthier lifestyle, actively pursuing a richer relationships, and actively pursuing our goal to be debt FREE.  This is going to take organization, planning, self-discipline, lots of prayer and lots of support, but I know my heart's desire and am rested and ready to run.