I LOVE my MAN!

I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Jim. He is always there to help me finish or do what ever I need to do.

This last week was pretty crazy....pretty much like any week though.

I had started dresses/skirts for my girls to wear to Jim's brother's wedding. Jim finished them for me by doing all the elastic in them.

I started a potato salad for the wedding luncheon. Jim finished it...by pretty much doing all of it!!

I mentioned the kids needed baths before the wedding. Jim got them bathed.

Before I knew it, ALL the dishes were done.... and not by me or the girls. Once again, Jim!

I started some mini cheesecakes for the luncheon also...guess who finished them.

He also ironed his own clothes, took his suites in to be cleaned, set a tv up in the kitchen so I could watch the olympics, fed the kids along with the cousins, fed me, ran grocery errands, gave himself a haircut, bought me a dr. pepper :), along with many other things.....Plus he was at work all day too!

I don't know what I did to deserve Jim, but I am so thankful I have him.

A few months ago I was stressing about stuff to the point that I was making myself sick. I was really upset over it and mainly because there was nothing I personally could do to make it better. I had taken the kids to the local small zoo. As I was walking along with so many thing weighing heavily on my mind, I was pretty much slapped in the face with the overwhelming thought of, "You are not doing this alone. You have Jim and you will do this and get through this together." As soon as I realized what I was being told, the stress was so much easier to handle.

Thank you Jim for being my rock and supporting me in all my craziness! Thank You for choosing me.

Playing with Pictures

I Love to take Pictures of my girls....then I spend WAYYYY to much time editing and playing with different colors. For family night I had the girls go create an outfit. I tried to not choose what they put on, but I did have to guide them a little. We then went out back in the field where they had just bailed the hay into HUGE bails. I then had fun with the camera and my girls. Here are a few that I have been playing with. There are so many fun ones to edit that it may take a month!

I wish I wasn't so SENTIMENTAL!

About 7 months ago Jim and I were sitting in the Celestial room at the Temple in Reno. We were giggling because we were so excited about our decision to come back to Cache Valley. We told ourselves then that it was going to be hard. It was going to be an adjustment, but it was what we wanted and knew that the Lord was ok with our decision. We told each other we would do what we needed to do to make it work. And having to part with material things is one of those things we have to do to make it work.

I just wish I wasn't SOOOO SENTIMENTAL.

To some of you this may not seem like an issue, but it is EXTREMELY hard for me.

I have held off posting our trailer on KSL now for a week just because I am being so emotional over it. I know it's what I (we) need to do, but I keep hoping something will happen so we can afford to keep it.

I have thought several times that it would be alot easier on me to sell my house and I keep wondering why. It finally hit me yesterday. When I had to leave my house 3 years ago, it was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I didn't know if we would come back at that point. I remember crying and being so upset about it for days. But guess what, I got through it and was ok about it. Knowing that I have gotten through the house thing....which should mean more than the trailer....is helping me know that I can do this. As I have heard my mom say several times, "I will always have my memories. No one can take them away."

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We have had many FUN camping trips in the trailer. And living in it will never be forgotten.

Here we are in Silver City RV Park in Carson City, NV. Home for 3 months.

 When we first arrived and were just moving in.

 Just after we bought the trailer. Deer Hunt 07'. Monroe Mountain.

I'M GOING TO DO IT!

This is SOOO not me to share this, but I feed off of encouragment so I am doing this! Plus there are only like 6 or 7 of you that are invited to view this blog, so I guess I am not making it totally public, but in a way I am!

MY weight has been such an issue with my confidence my whole life. I still remember being made fun of in Elem. school. Because of that I struggle going back home and seeing those that I grew up with just because I worry what they would say or think now.

Back in Oct. I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease (Thyroid). I say "finally" because over the years I have watched others around me, my age, my activity level and realized that I wasn't normal. Something was wrong with me. I never had any energy....even with exercising 5 days a week. My hair had been falling out for 2 years. I would sweat through my clothes after two minutes of showering. I was a zombie (zoned out) by the time the kids got home from school and I couldn't even function at being their mom.  I had gone to my family doctor, had blood work done and was told I was normal. NO I WASN'T!! I knew something was wrong with me. After talking with a friend, she gave me a name of another family doctor. I made an appointment, went to him, and came home with so much more hope! He was going to do some more blood work and check my TPO levels. After doing the blood work, I waited a week for the call with the results. The call came. My TPO levels were high! YES!!! I knew there was something wrong!! I cried happy tears! I met with an endocrinologist, had an ultrasound of my thryoid and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I now take my synthroid daily. It has made a HUGE difference. While visiting with the endo doc, I found out other symptom's of Hashimoto's. Symptoms that I have been dealing with for years! So many things are now tied together and make sense to me!

SO THAT WAS A BIG HUGE LONG TANGENT!.....

I decided back in Oct. that I just needed to be happy with my weight because trying to diet did not make me happy! So I have just accepted it. I have loved not having the guilt when I eat an extra cookie. I told myself as long as I physically felt good, then I needed to be happy. Physically feeling good required exercise which I was ok with because I do like how I feel after I exercise. My problem is, I am not finding the time....or dedicating the time to exercise. SOOOO this is why I am putting this out there. I have had to exercise my whole life....and most of the time it doesn't help me with the weight, it just helps me feel physically better (AND EMOTIONALLY).

I have fallen off the exercise WAGON! GRRRR!! I don't think I have ever been in worse shape than I am now. My goal is to run a 5k....sometime....I told myself that 2 years ago. I was ready for it. I was in shape and knew I could run it, and then I got a "RUNNER'S" injury! I haven't been able to really run since! I still have the pain from the injury. I still have the goal to run a 5k....and now I want to participate in one of those mud runs! But I have to be in shape first.

Now to commit to exercise....I have stuggled getting out of bed in the mornings to exercise. I have a couple daycare kids so if I don't get it done before they arrive, then it doesn't get done. By evening I am ready to put my feet up, so there is no exercise there either....so, today was the day to start! With Brindley home from school for the summer I decided I would have her help watch the boys while I did my exercises. We will see how this works. Today was great! I did Jillian's 30 day shred along with 10 minutes on the treadmill and 10 minutes on the eliptical. That's about 45 minutes!!! More than I have done for awhile!

So here is where my blog is going to be involved. On my side-bar, I am going to record what I have done for my exercise for the day. I feel like putting it out there kinda holds me accountable. I do not have a scale to weigh myself. I haven't weighed myself in 7 months. I think this is another reason I have been happier too. I don't see those numbers! I just want to feel better physically with exercise.

So, here I go!! LET'S DO THIS!!

Another Day with Sam

Samantha came in to me as I was sitting at the computer. She was still in her jammies. I told her to go get dressed and she told me she was still tired. So I told her to go get back in bed but she couldn't come out til she was dressed. Pretty soon I hear her holler, "Mom, Mom! Come turn Backyardigans on while I'm relaxing!" I go in to see what she is doing and she is in my bed. She tells me, "I don't have a TV stuck to my wall in my bedroom."

I looked at her and said, "And?"

She replies, "And I don't have any clickers!"

I know, I know....She is SPOILED!

This following picture was during dinner when she was REALLY tired. Her head was bobbing. I told Jim that she was going to face plant it in her food. She heard me say that so she decided to pretend that she was going to put her face in her food. She gets her face really close to her food then would sit back up. The next time she did it, "someone" (it was not her mother!) helped her get her face in her food with a little nudge on the back of the head.....resulting in this picture!! Ofcourse I grabbed my camera!!

Karissa's first Wellsville Mile

It was so fun watching Karissa run the Wellsville Mile. Her class had been practicing for a few months before the actual event. There were so many kids participating that it was hard to find Karissa, but I did! She did awesome!

Some high school cross country members were there to run with the elem. kids and help keep them motivated. This girl helped Karissa... 

FINISH!!! 

 I just have to share...The girls behind Karissa are other 4th graders. They are another 1/3 of her. Yeah, she is small, but she can compete with the best of them!

 You can see in her eyes that she is excited that she did it! Love this girl!

 Her biggest cheerleader!

Karissa and her friend Anna.  

Now bring on next year's Wellsville mile!

Tender Mercies

Thank you to those that are actually reading this. You are my support alot of the time. You are the ones that have lifted me up and made me feel better about myself. And that's why I feel like I can write more personal things and you will understand.

Towards the end of last week I had a Big Long EMOTIONAL post typed up. I decided to hold off on posting it for that moment. I then went and got on the treadmill and ran....and I ran...and it felt good...then I got off the treadmill and cried...ALOT....and it felt good....and I felt relief from alot of things...issues that I have been dealing with. And today I do feel better.....

I have heard the phrase "Tender Mercies" alot over the last couple of years and the last week all I can think about is the Tender Mercies that the Lord has blessed Jim and I with along with our beautiful daughters. I am amazed at each little "coincidence" that has come along in the past 6 months. (WOW, HAS IT BEEN 6 MONTHS!)  And to know that they ARE NOT COINCIDENCE! They are TENDER MERCIES from the Lord.

As our new journey started several months ago, we were blessed with such a calm, and peaceful assurance that everything was going to work out. Jim was without work and our money was running out and we weren't freaking out!!! WHY??!! I started to worry about the fact that I wasn't worried. I kept saying to Jim, "Why are we not freaking?" We knew we could make it through March with the funds we had, but after that....then what?! We both still felt ok about our situation.

And now, here I sit on the 7th day of May... Where just three days ago I went and took $250 of our last $400 in savings and paid bills....and today is Jim's first real payday with his new job.....tender mercy.

I CAN NOT deny the hand of the Lord in our life. I can not deny that Heavenly Father knows me, Jim, and my girls. I can not deny that this is His plan and things will happen on His time and we will be better and stronger because of it.