Day 30: Your Goals for the Next 30 Days.

Day 30: Your Goals for the Next 30 Days.

I made it!!  30 day challenge completed!

My goals are:
To keep blogging, not every day but definitely more than once every 2 years. 
I'm going to try and get my financial state in order so I can make steps towards not work so much.
I'm going to cook better and more often and exercise at least a few times a week. 
I'm going to get more sleep than I do now so I don't feel exhausted all the time.
I'm going to make more time for me. Even if it's just a pedicure or to go tanning.

Oh and I'm going to start planning the Super Hero/Villain party for Amberly..  :)

Dislike!

This is a billboard campaign taking place right now in Georgia.  I came across this on Jillian Michaels' Twitter page and I am so disappointed in people!
Why would you do this to a little girl??  And yes, she is still a little girl regardless of her size.  I understand the message behind it but isn't this type of campaign just as bad as the pictures of emaciated super models that we find in magazines?  They both have the power to make our little girls ashamed of their bodies and who they are. 
Yes I agree that obesity is a huge problem in our society and I happily welcome any ideas to help combat it at a youth level so our children aren't fighting it at an adult level for their whole lives.. but isn't there a better way to do it than to shame our children?
Do these children really have any say in what they eat?  Sure they can make choices but at the end of the day the problem lies with the parents first.  School lunch is a disaster. There are health classes in our schools that teach nutrition and preach what not to eat and play movies like 'Super Size Me', then the kids are excused to go to lunch where every day they are offered chicken nuggets or nachos with cheese, or breadsticks.  True there is also a salad bar but these are kids...what do you think they are going to choose?
Whatever the answer might be...this certainly isn't it.  We should encourage our children to eat better, and turn off the TV and get off their butts, but we also need to build them from the inside and teach them to be confident and happy and self secure little people too. 
There definitely has to be a better way.

Day 29: List 10 People Dead or Alive, You Would Invite to Dinner. Include the Dinner Menu.

Day 29:  List 10 People Dead or Alive, You Would Invite to Dinner. Include the Dinner Menu.

This is a hard one.  I have no idea so I'm just going to wing it.

1. Bobby Carter, my Pepaw.  I don't know why but he is the first person I thought of.  I didn't get many chances to eat dinner with him but he was an amazing man and could keep the conversation going all night.

2. John F. Kennedy.  I really really want to know who killed him, and by now I would think he should know. And Jon is fascinated with all things Kennedy which has sort of carried over to me.

3. Elvis.. Because he is Elvis..and he could probably fall into the dead or the alive category.

4. Walt Disney.  An amazing man. Maybe he could make me a for real princess too.

5. President Obama.  Say what you want about him, I still think he would have a lot to offer at a dinner party.

6. Donald Draper. No, not that actor that plays him..the real him.  So handsome, so mysterious..with a little bit of jerk thrown in for good measure.

7.  Bear Bryant.  For Cody..and for my Pepaw.

8. Oprah.  So she could interview everyone and I could watch it later.  She could also give info on how to become the richest woman in the world!

9. Princess Diana.  So I could say I met a for real Princess and she would probably add a bit of class to the place.

10. Jon and the kids, because why would I want to entertain all these people alone??

I'd serve southern food, most of which I would never eat, but if my Pepaw was there that's what I imagine he'd like to eat.  So I'd go with shrimp gumbo, the first thing he ever made me eat, collard greens, black eyed peas, crawfish, and fried okra.  For dessert we would have Krispy Kreme donuts, because the first time I ever ate one I was with him.

HIJACKED!!

Over the last month this blog has been dedicated to the various item of the day, and in the various posts that have been made, Sara has made reference to the many important people in her life, one of the them is me, Jon, her husband.

Sara, I have hijacked your blog!

I hope you’re not mad, and for everyone I apologize in advance for my poor grammar and blogging skills.

I wanted to take a turn and letting the world know just how much you mean to me!

Almost 20 years ago my life change in ways I never could have imagined. It hasn’t always been easy, and there have been days where it would have been easy to throw in the towel, but there is no way I could ever give up on us.

Contrary to what everyone thinks I am not the easiest person to live with. I have annoying habits, I can be anal about stupid things, I can be selfish, I spend time coaching and being involved with things that take time from you and the kids, but you still love me at the end of the day.

I am the man, and father I am today completely because of you. Without you pushing me to be more every day I never would be who I am. You make me want to be more. I wake up every day trying to make you happy, and to be able to give you everything you could dream.

You are my partner, my better half, the only one I want to wake up to, and the only one I want to fall asleep with for the rest of our lives. I love our home, and our little family. You are the most amazing wife and mother. You are magic, able to pull out a homework assignment, or something the kids need at a moment’s notice.

I could go on and on, there are 20 years worth of stories to tell, but the point is to let you know that you mean the world to me, I would be lost without you. I don’t tell you or show you enough how important you are to me.

I love you more!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love, now, forever, and always!

Happy Birthday Colleen!!

Meet Colleen.  She is absolutely one of my favorite people in the world.  And today is her birthday.

After what we put her through yesterday I hope she still loves me half as much as I love her.

I honor of her birthday I will not disclose her age, I will say that when I am her age I hope
 I can be at least half as much fun as she is!

Isn't she adorable?

In honor of Colleen I will tell you a few things I love about her.

I love that I get to work with her every day and that her office is right next to mine.

I love that she listens to me talk about my kids all the time!

I love that I can vent to her and be petty and mean and she will still love me.

I love that she always has a smile for me whenever I see her.

I love that she is very good at her job and is willing to share her knowledge with me.

I love that she calls me one of her kids.

I love that she can always make me feel better when I'm having a meltdown.

I love that she was there for me every day during the worst moments in my career.

I love that we traveled well together, even though she takes 10 minutes to dry her hair and I take 45.

I love that she isn't always happy and can be mean and petty right along with me!

(Makes me feel better about myself!)

I love that I got to host her surprise birthday party that she said she wasn't having and

she is still my friend today..Right.. Right??

I love that she calls me her Princess..every single day. :)

And I love that I can call her one of my closest and dearest friends in the world!!

Happy Birthday Colleen!  I hope it is as fabulous as you are!

Day 28: Something that You Miss

Day 28: Something that You Miss.

I can't believe it is Day 28!  I've missed a few days here and there but mostly I have managed to keep up.  And I'm kind of loving blogging again.

I miss my free day Fridays! For almost two years I had Fridays off and I loved it.. It was my day alone, my day to sleep in, my day to run errands, my day to have lunch alone with Jon, my day to go to the movies with my sisters, and my day to lay in bed and read books all day, stay in my pajamas until noon, and my day to relax..alone!!

It used to bug the kids and really bug Jon that I had a free day and free time without them.  I don't think any of them could appreciate my desire to spend some time without them.  Jon would always ask me what I was going to "do" all day.  It frustrated me to no end, because I'm not the kind of person that has to "do" something every day.  I can spend my day in the house, on the couch, or doing nothing at all and not feel bad about it.  Jon is not one of those people.  A day spent sitting around is a day wasted to him.  With that kind of logic, I wasted a whole lot of Fridays.. and what I wouldn't give to waste them all again!!

Day 27: A Problem You Have or Have Had in the Past.

Day 27: A Problem You Have or Have Had in the Past.

I can think of a couple but I'm going to go with Money Management.  It's a problem most of us have but most recently I feel my control of our money situation slipping away. It seems just when we take 2 steps forward towards making things better, we get knocked 3 steps back.  It's no secret I work 2 jobs right now.  I sort of feel like a broken record about it.  I decided to do it because the job that came along paid really well for a part time job and it was something I already knew and loved doing so I jumped at it.  We were in the process of buying our house at the time and I knew the extra money would come in handy. 

So many people said once you start making that kind of money, you will grow into it and always need it.  I'm sort of afraid that has come true.  We can pay all our bills and live without it, but we would be paycheck to paycheck again and while I thought we would be using the part time money to pay off some of our debt, that just hasn't happened.  It has gone to so many other things instead.  Some things we needed..some we didn't. 

Our priorities pretty much suck.  I have been hoarding money to pay for a new roof for my house.  Something we knew we would need when we moved in, but now I have discovered that money is going to have to go to pay the thousands of dollars in taxes we owe this year.  Yes..thousands.  Because although we have a house and the kids to claim now we make "too much money" and didn't pay enough throughout the year..so there goes my roof money.. It's a viscous cycle.  The extra money I earned to help us out has now caused us to owe so much more.

I'm really not sure how to gain control again, or any perspective on it right now. I feel pretty doomed to work 2 jobs for the rest of my life.  I don't see a raise in my near future, and in actuality I will soon be making as much an hour at job 2 as I do at job 1.  Jon's job is pretty stagnant.  Things aren't getting cheaper, and never will.  The kids cost more the older they get, not less.   I know money and bills will be a problem to face until the day we die but I would just like to worry less about them and be able to enjoy life just a little more than working 2 jobs has to offer.

Happy Birthday Jon!!

Happy 35th Birthday to the Love of My Life!

In honor of your birthday I thought I would share some things I love about you.

I love the passion and dedication you have for all things you are involved in.

I love that you can fix stuff that I have no idea how to!

I love your Sheldon laugh. :)

I love that you put gas in my car when I am too lazy to do it.

I love that we have been together for 20 years now.

I love that you are never afraid to tell me and the world how much you love me.

I love that you are an amazing father and a great example to our children.

I love this beautiful home and family that we have created together.

I love that you still need me for so many things. (or at least let me think that you do!)

I love that you still try to tell me dumb stories from when you were younger that I have already heard 100 times.  Half of them that I was there for!

I love that we share the same goals and work towards the same future.

I love that there is no one in the world I would ever want to be with!

Happy Birthday.. Here's to many more!!

Day 25: If You had 1,000,000 To Spend, How Would You Spend It?

Day 25: If You had 1,000,000 To Spend, How Would You Spend It?

I would quit my part time job first thing!  I would probably keep my full time job, or find a part time job I loved, like at the library.. A million bucks doesnt last as long as it used to.

I would pay off our house and all our bills.  I would set aside all the money it would take to put my children through college at any school of their choice.

I would give to my family and close friends what they need to be comfortable and not have to worry.

I would like to donate some of it.  Probably to the JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Relief Fund and to Make-A-Wish first. 

I'd hire a personal trainer/chef to whip my family into shape!

Take my family on a fabulous vacation.  Like that Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.

The rest I would invest.  Save it for a comfortable retirement, to spend on my grandchildren, to travel with Jon to so many places.

Just simple plans..  Nothing too extravagant just things to make me and those around me happy.

Day 25: Someone Who Fascinates You and Why

Day 25: Someone Who Fascinates You and Why:

So my kids are probably who probably fascinate me most but today I'm just going to write about one.
(Sorry Kelz)

Cody. CodeMan. or as I often just call him..The Boy.

From day one I have always been amazed by him. As a baby he was a terror and never slept but as he started to grow older there was so much going on with him that made me wonder what was going on inside his little head, you see Cody has always been a little obsessive, to put it mildy, and we have seemed to always encourage that obsession when we can.

When he was 3 he was fascinated with all things trains and we would follow trains all over the valley for him and he could name every train in Thomas's yard.  When he was 4 you could tell him a car number and he could tell you the NASCAR driver who drove it. He always had a great imagination and would play with his toys for hours (this was before Playstation came into his life)  He had a Batman and a Scooby Doo beanie baby that he would throw in the air to land on his fan in his room so when he turned it on, they could fly! He would wear his Star Wars pajamas with his Batman cape, two different colored mittens and his snow boots and run all over my house!  He had an imaginary friend that I can't for the life of me remember his name..maybe it was Steve?  He went everywhere with us..one day we left Steve in the basket at Smith's and Cody was so devestated that we had to go back for him.
UPDATE: The imaginary friends name was Mike..  It was the fish named Steve..what was I thinking?

At age 5 he started Soccer and played several years of that, both indoor and outdoor. Then Basketball at age 6, and Football at age 8, and Lacrosse at age 12. While it took a while for his athletic ability to catch up with what he knew in his head he has always excelled with a ball in his hand.  He has natural athletic ability that I only wish I could take credit for.  Give him a ball and tell him to run and you'll never catch him.  How does that happen?  Are we really related?  He is driven in ways I've never seen in a kid his age.  He currently works out about 4 hours a day with Football stuff during school and Lacrosse stuff after.  I could never maintain that schedule. And he never ever complains.

As a little kid you always knew if Cody was happy or sad or mad.  His every mood was always written on his face.  As a teenager he is so much harder to read.  He hides out in his room a lot.  He discloses very little personal information unless questioned.  Sometimes I feel like a stranger is living in our house with us.  With Kellie it's so much easier. She's an open book.. but The Boy...?  The boy is a little more mysterious..a little more complex, so much more intense..all of which is what fascinates me the most.

Day 24: Your Favorite Movie and What It's About

Day 24: Your Favorite Movie and What It's About

I don't know that I have a favorite movie but if you asked Jon he would probably tell you that it is Hope Floats. I love Sandra Bullock and I think Harry Connick Jr is quite yummy. 

When a high school beauty queen is cheated on by her husband and best friend who exposes it on a reality TV show,  Birdie and her daughter Bernice come back home to to Texas to live with her crazy mother and nephew and meets up with a man from her past, Justin Matisse.  You'll laugh..you'll cry.  Yes it's a sappy romantic movie but something about it makes me want to watch it over and over again.

Something I just noticed.. Bernice, the daughter from Hope Floats is now an actress on
one of my favorite TV shows, Parenthood.

Bernice

Amber

Hmmmm...small world.

Day 23: Post 5 Pictures of Famous People You Find Attractive

Day 23: Post 5 Pictures of Famous People You Find Attractive:



Bradley Cooper..  Amazing eyes..and hair!



Christian Slater..in his bad boy 'Heathers' day.



Dane Cook..  Goofy with a great sense of humor..and Hot!!



Brady Quinn.. Quarterback and..  his picture says it all!



Alexander Skarsgard..Better knows as Eric Northman..  He can bite me anytime!! 



Day 22: How Have You Changed in the Past 2 years.

Day 22: How Have You Changed in the Past 2 years.

I would say my biggest change happened about 2 1/2 years ago when I applied for my current position at work and got it!  It was something I wanted really bad but I didn't realize how much it would change my life.  I dispatched for over 9 years and 8 1/2 of those were on graveyard shift.  I worked every weekend, every holiday and I loved it!  It was definitely who I was.  When I accepted my new position, with my fancy title of E-911 Office Facilitator, my schedule was thrown into total upheaval and I packed my bags and went to day shift.. something I thought I would hate more than anything.  And to be honest, I am not a day shift person.  I could go back to graves with no problem at all. But I love my job and I love the people I get to work with now, people I have grown to know and love so well. and I could never go back at this point.

At the same time I was promoted I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and that sort of sent me into a tailspin.  I was and am scared of this diagnosis but I try not to let it define me, and not think of it as a death sentence..  What has changed with that is I try to be more conscious of what I eat and try to work out and really try to take my medications, even though they tend to make me really sick.

In the past two years we moved from the house we lived in for 5 years and took a leap and bought our own home.  Granted we are second time home owners but this felt really different this time.  And really scary for me.  It was a good decision all around and I love my new home, now that it feels like home and I can see us here for a very long time.

I have had to learn to let go of my kids some so they can grow and become the people they were meant to be. 

I have changed my idea of where I want to be career wise and have decided to let nothing and no one get in my way.  I have a great boss that recognizes my abilities and is willing to teach me and help me get where I want to go.

But mostly I haven't changed where it matters..I know more than ever that family is everything. And while I love my whole extended family, I mean more of our little family of four.  They are my world and everything I do, I do with them in mind.

Day 21: One of Your Favorite TV Shows

Day 21: One of Your Favorite TV Shows:

Sorry, Colleen..we have the same... Bazinga!!

My favorite show is The Big Bang Theory!

I love how hilarious this show is and I love Sheldon, but I honestly think Leonard is my favorite character though.  We watched several seasons on Netflix and now look forward to it every week.  We all watch it as a family and there is nothing funnier than my kids and Jon trying to imitate Sheldon's laugh. Sheldon was in the new Muppets movie and we were all so excited when he came on.

I also especially love the Vanity Cards that flash at the end of every episode. The writer Chuck Lorre writes these random thoughts that come up at the end of all his shows. Waiting for these are almost as good as the show itself.

  CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, Vanity Card #184

Don't fall for a woman who has had sex with one of your rock n'roll heroes.
No matter how emotionally evolved you think you are,
you will never enjoy listening to Eric Clapton again.
Don't lurk around web sites where people comment about
your work unless you're drunk.

Don't use emoticons. You're too old to communicate
like a twelve-year old girl.

Don't forget that you are the product of a culture that went
stark raving mad about ten thousand years ago.
Adjust your thinking accordingly.

Don't answer TV critics questions about the state of TV comedy.
It's a trap.

Don't eat anything bigger than your head.
True in the sixties, true today.

Don't believe that crap that you're as young as you feel.
Your feelings lie.

Don't hug men while shaking their hand. Enough already with that.
The shake/hug (shug?) is probably something Roman guys
did when their empire was in decline.

Day 20: How Important You Think Education Is.

Day 20: How Important You Think Education Is.

Dumb question if you ask me.  Education is so important to me.  I did pretty well in school, and to be honest I never really had to try very hard.  I love learning, and reading and thinking.  I love a challenge and learning things I don't already know.  In school I was lazy though so I would really like to go back to school one day and do all the things I never got a chance to do.

I want my kids to go to college!  I know it's expensive but I will do whatever it takes to get them there.  I hope they both go straight from high school right into college with no question.  Once you stop school it seems really hard to get back into it.  I will support whatever they want to be in life but I just don't think you can get there anymore without an education.  There are so many limits on people without a degree.  And while sometimes I do agree that it is just a piece of paper..that piece of paper can open so many doors that are closed to those who don't have one.