My Exercise Moodiness

I started a new challenge on January 1st.  Of course I did really good the first few weeks, but I have totally fallen off with the motivation?  Why?  Why is it so hard to fire yourself up to get to the gym or go walk outside?

I was always an athletic person growing up.  In PE in school there was not another girl who was going to beat me at ANYTHING!!!  I played basketball in junior high and volleyball in high school.  Sports have always been a part of my life and I have always enjoyed watching them.  People have always been an inspiration to me how they have been able to exercise and keep their bodies fit.  My mother ran for years, kept herself fit, and always looked great!  She is an inspiration to me too!

I like to walk and I'm learning to like jogging.  I would also love to have a bike to go riding with my girls!  The girls have also mentioned how much they would like to work out with me.  Since they play soccer, I know they would have no problem keeping up with MOM!!!  They give me some motivation to get going, but I'm finding it still slow going!

Anyway, what do you do to motivate yourself?  How did you start out?  I'm up for anything and I really want to get into some 5k's!  Let's hear them!

End of 2012

Another year has come and gone.  As I get older they go by so much quicker!  It seems just like yesterday it was January 1st.  Here's a look back at my year:
January was not so cold and the month of birthdays.  I turned 44 and ended up going to lots of indoor soccer games!  I was working at Soma in the mall and still finding time to be a taxi driver.
February came and went without much snow...as a matter of fact it never felt like winter in Missouri.  I was busy with PTA and still playing the role of a taxi driver!
March came in like a lamb and went out like a lamb.  We went to Columbia to watch our local high school basketball team play for the State Championship.  It was fun seeing my girls getting their into team spirit!  Laura started playing for her junior high soccer team.  It was exciting to see her in a Nixa uniform!
April was a unusually warm for average temperature.  Outdoor club soccer season started in full gear.  April flew by with junior high soccer games, club soccer games with two different teams, soccer tournaments out of town, and then I was elected PTA President at Liz's school for next year...while still working part time!
May had more soccer, gardening started, and school let out for summer!  John graduated from High School...it was a sad time, but yet so happy for him! It is so hard to believe we had a college student!!  
June was nice to finally have some down time!  The girls did some one on one soccer training, continued their piano, and we were able to enjoy some lake time!
July I started my Body By Vi 90 day challenge.  I had PTA planning meetings for the next school year.  More slow time with a soccer camp thrown in and more lake time!
August started the taxi driving back up along with school activities!  Summer went by so fast and it was a hot and dry one!!  Missouri is in a drought and I finally got tired of fighting the heat with the garden!
September was full of PTA planning and soccer tournaments!  Laura's team played their league play in Kansas City.  The month flew by!
October came and we had very nice weather!  We had our PTA Fall Festival!  More soccer and piano...and a beautiful Halloween with awesome weather!
November was quicker than October it seemed!  We had a beautiful Thanksgiving at my mom's.  Laura celebrated her 13th birthday and finally got a phone!  It's so hard to believe I have a teenager, but I can tell with the attitude sometimes!  Outdoor soccer was finally over too!
December came with decorating for Christmas!  I had to deal with my husband turning into Clark Griswold!  We had a wonderful Christmas with our family...the boys came and spent 4 days with us.  Wish we could spend more time with them!  We're on Christmas break and enjoying downtime with movie going and shopping...here's to a new year and all that keeps me busy!  
As usual, I'm making my promise to be more organized, more time to blog, and time to take care of myself!  Hopefully, I will truly be a different person next year!  I'm going to rock my challenge!  

A Happy New Year with No Drama

It's 2012! So what are you planning to do in this new year? A trip, a new diet, a new relationship or renew old ones, or maybe a new job? So many things are possible when the new year comes. I'm so anxious to see what comes not only my way this year, but what it holds for my family as a whole.

The year 2011 was filled with drama in our family. So many issues surrounding drama with a 16 year old. Many things were done and said, now filled with regret. But, you can only move forward and hope for renewel with a repaired relationship for the future. One thing I so want in 2012 is a year filled with no drama!!

I was able to fill 2011 with a new job and new friendships! I love meeting new people and making new friends. The world is filled with wonderful people...I know I don't make much money at my job, but working with fun, sweet, and loving people makes a job so much better! I'm getting used to being a part-time working mom...but the job at home is the best!!! Kent is looking forward to no drama at his work this year too...whether it be at there or somewhere new!

We will also have the enjoyment of seeing a child graduate from high school and move on in this world. We are looking forward to seeing what his future holds...can't wait to see if he sticks to his plans or how many times he changes them between now and August!!! I'm sure there will be a roller coaster or two to come! He moved away in August of this year to go back to his old school. It was very emotional for Kent, and I had to get used to not having a car pull up with a loud bass blaring...I have come to miss that noise!

As far as myself...I am giving up Diet Coke, getting an exercise plan going, and can't wait to eat healthier!!! I am looking forward to what this year holds. I am appreciating my life more. And, I'm going to appreciate my family! Time to get busy...and have NO DRAMA!!!

Don't forget to eat those black-eyed peas today!!!

It's About Time!

Well...as usual I haven't blogged in a while. It's not exactly my fault...computer crashed. I was finally able to buy a laptop last weekend and I'm happy to say I'm really enjoying it! I'm hoping I can learn how to post better and put some updated pictures up of the family. Many things have changed since I was last on. I really want to make this a sort of therapy for me. I need hobbies...besides my gardening (and that's another story to blog about). So anyone out there in blogosphere who has ideas and advice I would gladly listen to them. Thanks!

I Loved Christmas

Christmas is a special time of the year for all of us to get together...especially the Davis' clan! We are so busy with our daily lives we never have time it seems for each other...I really miss it! Our niece Addy is growing up so fast and is really getting so big in her personality!! She learned to walk this year and is really great at signing! The best part of our time with the Davis clan was Kent's mom getting Cammie, Scott, Kent, and I each an iPad!!! It is the best thing and I can't put it down...thank you so much to my MIL Nancy!!!


The annual Christmas cookie decorating was done again at Mama's house!!! We had especially bright colors this year! Mama especially had a hard time with our neon orange color...it wasn't a Christmas color to her!!


The family gift this year was the Xbox Kinect we got for the kids...they were happy and I had a blast watching the boys have a dance off on Christmas morning! It will definitely be a part of the New Years Eve festivities!!


Christmas morning came with a visit with Santa...everyone seemed to get what was on their wish list this year. Kory even got a new comforter so I will soon be painting his room to match the new decor!


I love Christmas...what can I say! It just gets better every year! Don't get me wrong...I loved my kids when they were little and full of wonder in their eyes. But the older they get the more helpful, excited, and giving they become. These times are precious to me and I'm so going to miss them when they are all grown up and on their own!!


We had a wonderful time with the extended families...lots of funny things said and done with memories to last a lifetime...like John modeling his new shirt in his best Abercrombie pose or Kory deciding to take off his jeans in the middle of the family room to put on his new jeans. I have pics but I won't put them on the internet...I'll just save them for their Senior video!!!



They are all getting so big...we watched a video on the xbox of years past pics...saw some sweet Christmas pictures of when they were small and we all wondered where time went? When someone finds out how to slow down this life let me know...I want it to so bad!!!


Mom, Cori, and I have started a new tradition it seems...yearly pics of us together! Last year we all had red on without a note to each other and this year it was scarves!!!

Here's to hoping your Christmas was one you won't forget and you were able to make extra special memories with your loved ones!!! Now on to the New Year!!!

Remembering this day...

Time passes so quickly...life is so short. But many of us never really pay attention to the small things in life that truly matter. How often do we let life pass us by without truly enjoying that beautiful sunset...the beauty in a child's face...or the love of someone one close that we totally take advantage of? So many times we get caught up in the who, what, where, when, why, and how of life that we forget to taste, smell, see, feel, and hear the things that are most important in our lives.

On this day, eleven years ago, life for me came to a screeching halt in a way I never thought could happen to me. I was at home enjoying my new baby. She was four weeks old and the angel I had been wanting for so long. There were three miscarriages in seven years, several rounds of fertility drugs, and many ups and downs before she came to us. Laura was beautiful the minute we saw her magical face, rosy pink lips, and her gobs of coal black hair. She looked at us with her dark eyes and worked that magical tongue of hers. There wasn't much crying from her just a look of amazement and wonder. If only I had known to look and pay attention to this awesome moment in our lives...to not let it go...that one look of seeing his face when he saw her too for the first time.

If only I had payed more attention to that wonderful smell and taste of his steak he only knew too well how to grill. We had so many Indian summer days that fall...hanging out on the back patio...grilling and talking. Another thing...talking...talking with him about his life, travels, experiences, fishing, hunting, Navy life, the things he saw in other countries he visited...where he wanted to take me one day in our future...the west coast of Africa. To him there was no other place like it on the earth.

If only I had payed more attention to that voice of his...his laugh, the way he teased his nieces and nephews. He was a kid at heart and loved to entertain them. He loved to hang out with them...do silly stuff with them, lay on the floor and watch Bambi with them, go fishing with them and help them experience the things that were so precious to him, and chase them around the yard on those beautiful crisp Spring days during the Easter egg hunts. He loved kids...and you Laura was the one he loved the most!

If only I could have more hugs, more kisses, more hellos...more dances on the living room floor. More days ...more hours...more minutes...more seconds. But, God wanted him for something more...maybe more help with the kids that are taken too soon...maybe helping with the dogs who leave us too soon...or maybe with cooking some good ole steaks on the grill? We will never know why...until we meet him again.

Laura...this is for you...and even though he was with you for only a short four weeks of your life...he loved you. He thought you were the cats meow...he would come home at lunch just to check on you. He couldn't keep his hands off you in the mornings before leaving for work...but knew better than to wake a sleeping baby!! He was very proud of you and I know he is still proud of you! I know he watches you each and every minute of the day. He's your guardian angel and always will be...I'm sorry he's not here with you on this earth, but I couldn't think of anyone better to watch over you!!!

Matt...we miss you, your family misses you....06/22/64-12/7/99.

Summertime - Where has it gone?

I know it's been a while since I've been on here but it was one enjoyable

summer with my children! We were extremely busy and life was fun.
June flew by with so many activities from soccer camp to acting camp.
Then we had all are relatives from Oregon and Oklahoma here to enjoy
the Ozarks. We enjoyed the lake, Silver Dollar City, and the Spring
Creek pool together. Another 4th of July came and went with the kids shooting off
fireworks and a family BBQ here at home...it's becoming tradition! July turned off
hot with record hot and heat advisories...there were more trips to the lake and
pool. Then...August came...the depression set in that another summer was over!
The last few years I was really ready for the kids to go back to school, but for
some reason I didn't want them to this year...they were fun...they were able
to help themselves and weren't so dependent on me for everything. I know
very soon I will really miss these days...I wouldn't give away this time with
them. I understand more than ever that time is precious and my family
is precious...something my mother often said but I never got...til now!!