Annie

Both Kyle and Kenton were in the school play Annie. Kyle was a radio announcer and Kenton was an apple vendor. They did so well. Here is a picuture we took after the play. I am so proud of my boys.

Conference and Mini Vacation

I had a conference to go to in San Antonio, Texas this week. It started on Thursday but we left on Wednesday night. A friend and co-worker was also going to the conference. We decided to ride together and take our husbands with us. There is so much to do in San Antonio. While my friend and I were attending the conference during the day our husbands hung out together or caught up on some much needed rest. Once the conference was over we had fun on the river-walk. Kenny and I felt like we were dating, newly weds, and all together young. It is the first time we have been on any type of vacation without the children in over 14 years. Below are a couple of pictures of some of the things we did.

                                                   When we go somewhere special we get a cross to hang on my cross wall. I loved this one immediately.

                                      We were eating lunch on the river and this poor duck was just waiting for us to drop something. They looked so sad...lol

                                           Kenny and I learning how to use the front camera on his cell phone.

                                           Kenny with the metal musicians.

                                          Kenny and I in front of a water fall on the river.

                                           Kenny talked me into drinking a margarita (2) and I was a little on the happy side.

                                          Me in front of the water fall.

                                           Me with the metal musicians.

                                          Kenny and I held hands and got a mold of them in wax. I decided on the green sleeves to match my new paint in our bedroom.

                                                 Our best kept secret is now reveled. Kenny is Capt. Jack Sparrow.

We had such a great time together and plan on going back with the boys this summer so they can share in the fun. I am so grateful for a great conference and much cherished time with my husband.

Out with the old and in with the New

The new year is quickly approaching and I am so ready for it. I do not have Year resolutions but rather new goals that I want to obtain. 2011 was a tough year. I lost 3 very close people this year and almost lost my marriage. I am so grateful to God for bringing me to my senses and for restoring my marriage.

My goals for this year are simple.
~ Make God #1
    Go to church and get involved
     Pray without ceasing
~ Make my marriage #2
         Date night every Friday
         Devotional every morning
          Bible study every week
         Weekend alone every month
~ Get Healthy by eating right and exercising(With my husband)
~ Become better organized so that Kenny and I can spend quality time together and spend quality time with our children.

What do you surrond yourself with?

Over the past couple of years I have slowly moved away from God. I didn't move closer to anything else, just existed. In the past 2 months I almost lost my husband and children because I was not obeying God. How can we obey God when we are not close enough to him to hear what he is telling us? For me, it is difficult to come back to God when I have chosen to move away from him. Probably guilt and the feeling of not being worthy enough to come back after everything I have done. This is not what God says at all. He is always there with open arms waiting for his children to come back home.
I am trying to rekindle my relationship with God and one of the biggest things I have noticed is that I am not surrounded by God or Godly things. So on that note I have decided to make some small changes in my life so that I can be closer to God.
1. I really do not listen to music much as I prefer the quiet. However, when it is quiet it gives your mind more time to wander. Needless to say if God is not there then Satan moves in and the thoughts that go through your mind are not healthy ones. So I have started playing Christian music in the truck and at work. I may not listen to every song, or every word, but the spirit is there.
2. Prayer...I know this is an obvious one, but when you have walked away from God it is very difficult to just jump back into being a prayer warrior. Therefore, Kenny and I make it a must every night to pray together. He starts and then I finish. This helps both of us be accountable to each other and it also helps me feel that I can still pray and God hears it.
3. Go to church every Sunday. We do go hunting so there may be a couple of weekends where we are out of town. We can hold "church" at camp just as well as we can go to church when we are at home. The important thing is to keep God number one and a priority in our lives.

What do you surround yourself with that keeps you close to God?

Fresh Starts

In the last month my marriage has been to heck and back. Praise God that He intervened and we are on our way to a fresh start and a new begining. We have been together for 19 years and married for 10 of those years. Life had a way of getting between us and almost destroying a great marriage. To eveyone that has been praying for us, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We are both very excited to have the opportunity to make our marriage better than it has ever been.
Kenny is the love of my life and I am his. God made us for each other and what God brings together nothing can tear apart.

Healthier = Happier

I decided to juice fresh fruits and veggies for breakfast and lunch then eat a sensible dinner. I started that last week. Today I started incorporating exercise and I feel GREAT!!!
Check out my ticker on the top of my page. 8 pounds lost. Amazing
One day at a time and one decision at a time and I will reach my goal.
I want to thank a dear friend of mine...Sherry, for going through the changes of lifestyle with me. What a great motivator she is.

I don't expect my weight loss to stay this fast (although I won't complain if it does). But regardless of what the scale says, I feel better than I have felt in years and that is an accomplishment all in itself.
Now I am off to juice my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow.

Where is the resolve?

I made the decision to do a 5 day juice fast starting on Friday. All day Friday I drank my meals of fruits and vegetables. Saturday I started the day the same way. Believe it or not I felt great! Energized and motivated. I went to the farmers market and liked what I saw, however, I did not think about it being a cash only event so I didn't buy anything. That is OK, now I know for next time.
Rachel and I went to see a movie and my plan was to eat a nice salad after the movie. As long as I eat or drink raw veggies or fruits I am fine on this detox fast. However, I did not plan very well.....
First of all, 15 minutes into the movie the electricity went out on the whole block. So we got a rain check.
I was starting to feel a little hungry but did not want to give in so we went to IKEA and walked around for an hour and a half. By the time we were done, my head was pounding from hunger. Rachel's fiance works and Chili's and we can get 50 % off so we went to Chili's. Again, I planed on having a plain salad with pico as dressing.
This was a BAD idea. Once I entered the restaurant all resolve ended when I smelled the food.
Needless to say that I ordered veggie tacos with brown rice and beans. That doesn't sound so bad except all the crap they add to it to make it appeal to peoples new found taste for flavor. So......
Now I am thankful that I am taking my life one day at a time.  I messed up, didn't plan well and there will be consequences but today is a new day and I am back to juicing. I learned that I MUST be prepared and if I want something bad enough I will do what it takes to get it. No bashing myself though, just learn and don't repeat the mistake.
Amazing how much freedom there is in living one day at a time. Not an excuse to mess up or do what I know I shouldn't but a way to continue in my efforts to do better without the overwhelming guilt I place upon myself when I do mess up.