Well, my week was pretty jam-packed, but it was also a nice “change of pace” to the way I’d been feeling lately. This weekend it seemed I especially got a lot of things done, by way of chores & catching up on computer stuff. I won’t go into a lot of boring detail, but let’s just say that the house hasn’t been this clean in a while – although I do typically try to keep it “picked up”; this week I guess I did more “deep-cleaning”, if that makes sense. Although I don’t enjoy the actual work of it all, I really get a sense of accomplishment, once it’s all finished. It helps me enjoy the time I have to rest all the more!

I was also the Daisy Scout “parent volunteer” for Katrina’s troop this week. That was pretty fun! There are only 4 girls in her troop, so that makes it pretty easy. But, the rules state that the leader must have at least one other adult present at each meeting, so we Moms decided to take turns. Then, to make it even easier to remember, we agreed that each night that it was our daughter’s turn to bring the snack, that would be our “volunteer time”, as well – so, everything could coincide with “whose week” it is, ya’ know? Anyway, it was interesting & nice to see the troop interact with each other. I also enjoyed helping them make stick-puppets & put on a puppet show about the traits of a Girl Scout (Katrina’s were “friendly & helpful”). The meeting went a lot more quickly than I’d expected & I think Kat even enjoyed having her Mom there, to help out!

I’ve been feeling down lately, although I wasn’t sure exactly why. To be honest, I’m still not exactly certain, although for some reason, I feel like I’ve finally gotten a breakthrough in this area of life. Jeremy & I recently had a nice, heart-to-heart talk (no, it wasn’t an argument, nor was it negative at all) & that helped quite a bit. It’s funny, because it helped me to realize that for most of my life I was a “glass half full” kind of person. But, somewhere in the last few years (it wasn’t an “overnight transition” or anything like that), I turned into more of a “glass half empty” type. I relayed it to growing older, having more responsibility, making my eyes more open to the “evils” of this world, causing me to be less naïve; but the truth of the matter is, my heart is the same. God is still with me, no matter what. There isn’t a reason for me to become hardened or easily frustrated in life, the way I had been. This realization has made me experience more joy, just over the past few days, than I have in quite some time. I don’t mean to sound like I was just constantly upset, either. Just, in the big picture, even though I’d experienced happiness (even on a great level) here & there, it seemed as though negativity were looming over me, ready to “steal” that joy away… I hate to say that I’m more “carefree” now, but I guess that’s how it is, in a sense. I suppose I could honestly say that I’m less of a “worrywart”, ha-ha! Basically, I still tend to worry about the things that matter, like taking care of myself & my family, but little pressures that used to hang over me for no reason – they no longer seem so burdensome. It’s as though a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. And, with God’s help, I pray it will stay off, for good!

Now, along those lines, I have to say that Sunday was a pretty good day, all in all. I felt a little guilty that we overslept that morning & missed church, but then, we turned it all around by just doing everyday things around here, that make each of us content. The girls & I spent the day in our PJ’s, which is something we don’t get to do very often, anymore. Jeremy let me sleep in & he took care of getting our meals, so I didn’t have to do a lot of chores, which was nice. I did make some updates to our website, and responded to some e-mail, as well as doing some other computer projects that I’d been putting off for a while. And, I took some time to play with the girls, which is always fun. Later that evening, Jeremy & I watched the Super Bowl commercials & halftime show together (yeah, we’re not into football, or any sports, really, for that matter) & we played some World of Warcraft. It was a “lazy Sunday” & although we missed church & our Journey Group (our hosts were out of town, so we didn’t have a gathering that day), it was still a great day, spending time together, just hanging out & being “us”. I really enjoyed it!

I’ve had a fairly uneventful week, although I’m not exactly sure what’s been wrong with me… It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry; I’ve just been excessively tired, it seems. I keep blaming it on the weather being so cold & my body just wanting to “hibernate”, or something. But, in all honesty, I think I’ve just been “spoiled” by the fact that my wonderful husband works from home – makes it easier to take a nap while Alyssa’s taking hers! When Katrina was younger, her naptime was usually the span of the day that I would get most of my chores taken care of. But, lately, I’ve just been wearing out & deciding to get that extra bit of rest during Aly’s naptime, then when I wake up, it’s “crunch time” & I’ve got to finish all the chores, either prior to picking Kat up from school, or I work later into the evening, to accomplish all I’d set out to do. Hopefully, I’ll feel better next week & will stop making excuses – falling into the trap of “needing” that extra sleep during the daytime (which I *really* don’t need) & be able to “get on the ball” with things that seriously do need to be done around here…

Once I get caught up on things, it will be nice, because then I’ll have time for my hobbies & other activities that I enjoy, as well. One of my favorite websites just got back up & running this week, for example. Tulsa-Moms.com, the Internet forum board I joined a couple of years ago is a wonderful place for local moms to chat & discuss everything from what kind of behaviors they’ve been dealing with in their kids, to exchanging recipes, to just every day life, even if the topic is quite far from having to do with being a mother. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people on there, over the years & I’ve really missed hanging out with many of them at play dates & things in the past few months. This is mostly due to the fact that I haven’t stayed on top of the forum topics & don’t know when the get-togethers are, but hopefully, that will change, pretty soon. I was going to try & catch up a bit this weekend, but other things kept coming up, which made that next to impossible. So, I’ll have to start next week anew & see what kind of “free time” I wind up with.

As one chapter in my singing saga came to a close, a new one began this week. I had already made the tough decision to quit the chorus I’d been singing with & sent in my letter of resignation, as well. I had been debating it for a while, but ultimately, decided it was better for me to leave. The time commitment was getting to be a bit much. The girls are getting older & seem to need me around more and I just felt like the season for that type of performing had come to an end, for me, for now, at least… I turned in my costumes on Thursday, as well as some of the music I’d acquired for that group. It seemed more difficult than I thought it would be, since I had my mind already made up. I guess just the act of physically “sealing the deal” & “making it official” brought the reality of it all in to place. But, thankfully I’m not lacking for things to do!

Life has been busy, as is typical, but I’ve also got another group of people I recently started singing with! It’s not entirely the same, but it “fills the void” that would be there, if I didn’t have an outlet to share my gift. The commitment is only 2 Sunday afternoons a month, on average & although it’s not nearly as “professional” as the chorus I said “good-bye” to, these are also great people & I’m enjoying my time with them, too. We went to a nursing home and an assisted living center this Sunday & sang hymns. It warmed my heart to see the people there, even the ones who fell asleep! There were a few that would sing along & smile, and clap, which brightened my own mood, as well. We stopped & spoke with some, afterwards & they just seemed so gracious & sweet. It is humbling & inspiring to me, to bring the joy of singing praises to the Lord to these people & to share a common spirit, too. I feel that this is more what I’ve been called to do, especially at this time in my life. There may be room for both, one day, but for now, my soul is experiencing a contentment & peace in the singing opportunity I’ve been given.

Something I’ve always been obsessed with is singing. It seems like no matter where I go, who I’m with, or what’s going on, there’s almost always some reason for me to burst into song, or at least to have a song running through my heart & my head. I recently quit the show chorus I’d been a member of, because the time commitment was becoming too great a challenge for me to work around. However, I have been fortunate enough that I am now able to sing with a group of people who use hymns to praise God & bring His glory to people in nursing homes & those that may be shut in their own houses, for some time. I had the pleasure of Christmas caroling with this group & I cannot express what joy it brought to me, personally to be able to do so. The songs we have chosen to sing this month (the group goes out once a month) are many of the hymns I grew up singing, having been raised in a little, Baptist church. This group (as well as my own, current church members) are all non-denominational Christians, however they have not done away with these “oldie, but goodie” tunes & for that, I am also grateful. Just hearing the piano introductions takes me back & causes the floodgates of my heart to pour out in song, even if my part is merely in melodies.

A new, more “technology-aged” obsession of mine has been a certain online computer game, that many are, well, for lack of a better term, “addicted” to, lately & that is World of Warcraft. Jeremy & I have both been playing it since this past September & although we’ve had our ups & downs, we just can’t seem to quit. Our best friend & her boyfriend got us a free trial to begin playing it with them & there are times that we all play together that are just extremely fun! I don’t want to get into all the specifics, because it would make me reveal my inner “nerd”, but this game is pretty awesome! For those who don’t know what it’s about, you basically start out as a character who goes on “quests” & as your character does these quests, they get skill points, which help them to do much more challenging quests & gain more skill, over time. Again, there are many more details, depending upon what type character you’ve chosen to play as, but I don’t plan on getting into all that, here. Basically, there are 70 levels right now & Jeremy & I have made it to level 58, thus far. We typically get online for an hour or two, after the girls are in bed for the night. If you are into this game as much as we are, feel free to contact one of us for all of our player stats & info. so that perhaps we can “see” you there, sometime!

I’ve had a good week, so far. It’s been interesting, getting back into the “old routine”, having to take Katrina back to school & things like that… But, I’m taking things one day at a time & enjoying the good times more, as well.

I’m taking more time to update on here & hope I can keep that up! I’ve also been trying to actually catch up to my e-mails from a long time ago; which is an ongoing process… I’ve been devoted this year, so far, to reading & meditating on Bible verses daily, which is something I’ve wanted to dedicate more time to, for a while now. I have also made more time to play with the girls, which really brings joy to my heart. And, of course, I’m working on singing, which I feel has always been a calling in my life.

The Lord continues to bless these avenues I’m pursuing & for that, I am truly grateful! I’m looking forward to seeing what else the new year will bring my way!

Things are going pretty well for me, lately.  I’m making some changes, as I typically do, when the new year begins.  One goal I have is to update this site more often, with shorter entries, so please wish me luck with that!

On that note, I just thought this was a kinda’ funny story & wanted to share with you all!  Last Saturday, we celebrated my youngest nephew Austin’s 3rd Birthday.  His parents got him a really cool Spiderman cake, complete with black “gel-looking” stuff all over the icing, for the web.  We all thought it was probably licorice-flavored, or something… until we tasted it.

After singing, “Happy Birthday” & watching him blow out the candle (a big one, in the shape of a number 3), the kids got started eating their pieces of cake first.  One by one, they all got messy – Austin mostly, since he got the black stuff all over his face, then proceeded to wipe it on his shirt!  Jamie, his older brother had taken a bite or 2 & realized he didn’t like the black stuff, so he stopped there & didn’t make nearly as much of a mess.  Katrina decided she would “dive in” & took a big bite, which discolored her entire mouth – black, purple, blue, you name it, her lips, tongue & teeth were one of those shades!  She also realized at that point that she didn’t like the black stuff, so we had to scrape it off of her slice, in order for her to finish her cake, too…

Ok, so me, being an adult, figured, the kids just didn’t know how to eat the stuff, without making a mess, right?  Of course, *I* could maneuver, putting the fork far enough back in my mouth that there would be no “dyeing of teeth” for me!  So, I took a big bite, mostly of the black stuff & boy was I wrong!  Not only was it the nastiest-tasting thing I’d eaten in a looong time, but everyone around me immediately began laughing, then pointing me out to those who weren’t!  I couldn’t help but laugh, myself, imagining that I looked just awful, but being in good spirit, enjoying the moment, I let Jason, my Brother-in-Law take a few pictures as well.  Little did I know *just* how bad it was, until I saw this:

My younger Sister-in-Law, Ashley made the same mistake, it seems, but not nearly as badly as me!  We had a good laugh about it, then decided we weren’t going to “indulge” in anymore of the black stuff, either!  She & I agreed – it didn’t even taste edible!  I was worried (not seriously) that they had used actual ink, rather than food coloring, or something crazy like that!  The discoloration eventually wore off of both mine & Katrina’s mouths (and Ashley’s too, I’m pretty sure), later that same day.  All in all, it was just one of those “live & learn” type things, and I believe that we all need to be able to laugh at ourselves, every now & then, anyway…  🙂

Just wanted to check in & quickly mention that I lost another 2 pounds!  I’m so happy & excited — every time that number on the scale drops, I get that much closer to my “goal weight”…  Only 8 more pounds to go, now!

Well, I lost two more pounds this week & decided to share a couple of pictures, here…  I call them “before and DURING”, because I’m not quite to the “after”, yet.  But, this shows you just how far I’ve come, now…

This is me at Katrina’s Grandma Linda’s house, last Christmas (2004).  Nice lil’ “side shot” — gotta thank Jeremy for that one!  Ha-ha!

And, here’s me at Katrina’s Grandpa Phil’s house, this Christmas, helping her open a gift.  I have to admit, I’ve never really been a fan of the “profile” (especially mine), but I’m actually pretty happy with this one, compared to the other one!  Thanks again to everyone for your encouragement & support!

Ok, sorry if I keep boring you all with updates on my weightloss, but it’s one of the main goals I’m working toward in life, right now & as I see progress, I feel it necessary to share…  I lost 3 more pounds this week, which puts me just under what I weighed, over 4 years ago, when I got pregnant with Katrina!  I can’t help but feel blessed & thankful that things are going so well, thus far!