Day 1: Your Current Relationship

Having not blogged for over a year I was excited to find this challenge on a friends's blog and hope to use it as a way to get back into things.  So here goes..

Day 1:  Your Current Relationship



Homecoming 1992



Jon and I started "dating" in 9th grade.  He sat behind me in our journalism class all year and I'll be honest, I didn't really pay him very much attention, he was pretty quiet back then and I wasn't.. One day I was at the mall with my Mom, next to Mrs. Fields to be exact, when Jon walked past and said Hi.  I said Hi back and thought nothing of it until my Mom said, "Why can't you like a boy like that??"  I'm assuming she said that as up to that point I had always liked the boys no parents would ever want you to bring home.  I just rolled my eyes and thought nothing more of it, because at 14 who likes any boy your parents like?
But it must have stuck in my head, because after that I noticed him more and more, and talked to him a little more, and then called him a few times.  (No texting back then!)  We went to our 9th grade promotion together a few weeks later and after that I was hooked! To this day my Mom says she picked her own Son-In-Law.  I'm not sure if she considers that to be a good or a bad thing??

We were 17 and 18 in 1995, the year we graduated, got married and had Cody.  What a scary time that all was and while we were so young and so naive then, I think we have come a long way since. 

We have had some really bad years, and some pretty great ones.  And now I think we have finally settled in a pretty good place.  We respect our differences and capitalize on the things we have in common. And most days we end up on middle ground.  We definitely spend less time fighting and more time talking than we ever have in our lives.  I think we have finally grown up!




My two loves! 

We live in a beautiful home and the bills are paid, and we have good jobs and I think we have it a lot better than most do these days.  We are definitely blessed with two really great kids that keep us busy and going all the time.  Something we wouldn't have any other way.



My favorite Coach!



Cheering with Kelz!



So many couples that get married and have babies so young don't seem to make it, and to be honest there were years (and still times) that I wonder if we will.  But I count myself lucky to say that I am still married to the boy I met at 14.  And so lucky to still be in love with the man he is now 17 years later.  The kids will be gone soon enough, something we talk about more and more, and I don't know where we will be after that.  I always say that we had them when we were young and broke, so that when they are gone we will still be young and have the time and money to enjoy being just us! 



My other half.  Not necessarily my best!  :)



My favorite people on Earth!

So there you have it.  Not so bad for my first time back after quite the hiatus.

See ya soon for Day 2!

30 Day Blog Challenge

I think I might steal this from one of my favorite bloggers and start tomorrow.  We'll see what happens!  I'm ready to make an entrance back into the blogging world.

Tennis, anyone?

We have been looking for something to for Kelz to do for a while now so last week she started tennis lessons. I know nothing about tennis but it does look like fun and so far she seems to be enjoying it. She has lessons twice a week but unfortunately they are at 4:30, making it really hot for her and making it so I have to race home from work to get there. Her trainer is great with the kids and has a lot of patience.. There is another Kellie in the class so Kelz is referred to as the "New Kellie".. I'm not so sure how she feels about that. Her dad made her day when he told her that maybe she will the the star in the family and Cody will just be known as 'that famous tennis star Kellie Elmen's older brother'. Gotta love sibling rivalry.

Her Trainer Jason

Kelz first lesson

Playing Doubles

Keep it up Kelz! You're doing great!

Kelz turns 11!

On April 30th, our baby girl turned 11 years old. Not quite the baby these days, Jon and I have realized, but I think the name is going to stick for a while longer.. If not forever. I guess that happens when you are the youngest.

So in honor of her birthday, I thought I would post 11 things about Kellie that I love, or that you may not know.

1. Kellie comes across shy on the outside, but at home she definitely speaks her mind. She has a sarcastic wit and is quick with a comeback, and is the most stubborn thing I know. I have no idea where she gets this from. She keeps us on our toes, and makes us laugh like crazy, although she does not like to be laughed at! She is smarter than you give her credit for. As the youngest we tend to make excuses for her, and she uses that to her advantage! She absorbs everything going on around her and retains it for later use. Kellie remembers everything she hears, and she defintiely likes to be in the know. Do not leave her out, or you will pay!

2. She is a great friend. Kellie will play with anyone, and does. She has a sweet nature and she loves to share it with others. It's a little harder for her to make friends, but once she does, they are friends for life. She is forgiving, patient, kind and friendly to everyone.

3. Secretly, and she will never admit it out loud, she loves her brother. They fight, they argue, they make me want to pull my hair out, but the moments that they get along are the very best in the world for me. Kelz, I truely hope when you two grow up that you become great friends.

4. Kellie loves babies! No longer the only granddaughter, Kellie is so excited to share that role with her cousin Baylee. She has waited months for this baby to come and she counted the days when it got close. Kellie will drop everything to see her for even a few minutes. Kellie has loved baby dolls since she was tiny. She had millions of them, and has practiced being the little mother for years. Sometimes I wish she had one of her own, but since that is not in the cards for us.. she is lucky to have aunts and an uncle willing to share.

5. Kellie is an animal lover. Big and small, furry and not.. Kellie loves her four legged friends. She is allergic to cats, and probably dogs too if I had to guess but that doesn't stop her from loving on them as much as she can.. Even if it means she will sneeze for the next 4 hours.

6. Kellie is a junk food junkie! She loves chocolate, and anything sweet. Fruits and Veggies, not so much... :) She learned to make chocolate chip cookies when she was 3 years old, which pretty much says it all!

7. Kellie is in the 5th grade, soon to be 6th. I have no idea where the time goes. She has an awesome teacher that pushes her to not be lazy and get things done. Kellie has been on the student council at school for the past 2 years, and wants to be an SBO just like Cody when she is older. A career in government would definitely suit her.

8. Kellie is an artist. (This I really have no idea where she got.) She loves to draw pictures, make cards, design clothing and color. Give her some paints, crayons and paper and she will be happy for days. Don't dare to throw any of her artwork away, however, or she will not be pleased. You must keep everything!

9. Kellie has been a cheerleader for Bingham Little League cheer for 5 years. She does a great job and has a ton of Miners spirit. She loves to learn new cheers, and is always willing to help the younger girls learn them too. She never says no, and always does what she is asked at practice, something she rarely does at home! :)

10. She is a Daddy's girl. Or maybe Daddy is a Kellie's boy. She has him wrapped around her little finger. When her big blue eyes tear up and she asks him for something, he can never say no. He hates that she is growing up, almost as much as she does. I think they would both be happy if she stayed a little girl forever.

11. Kellie loves to be outside. She is always on her bike, her scooter, or jumping on the trampoline. She loves to be with her friends but will even go out riding the streets up and down by herself. In the summer she loves to swim, but she doesn't like just sitting outside.. She melts in the sun!

And number 12.. my one to grow on. Kellie, I love you for everything that makes you, you! Some days it's just like looking in a mirror, kid! You are such a special part of our family. You amaze me. You are so beautiful, and smart, and determined.. and fierce! As you get older I know that nothing will ever be able to stop you! I hope when you grow up that we become great friends.. (because I know that for the next few years we won't be!) Stay close, follow the great example your brother sets, work hard and the world will be yours for the taking.

Love you Baby Girl!!

Generosity

For the past few weeks Cody and Kellie have been doing a service project collecting water bottles to send to Haiti. We heard about the opportunity through Disney's Give a day, get a day program. We chose this project so the kids could participate, and so it could be done at home. They collected over 600 water bottles and quite a bit of money. I took this picture on Sunday when we loaded up all the water to go turn it in.

They seemed as proud of themselves as I was of them. It's great to see kids that have so much give back to those that don't. What a great thing to teach our kids now, before it's too late.

Thanks to everyone who donated money, and water, and words of encouragement to my kids. It was all appreciated!

Type 2

As you may already know.. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes on April 21, 2009. So I've been dealing with, or not dealing with it for about a year now. I'll admit to not being really great about taking all my medication and doing all the things I should but I have made improvements to be healthier.

My diagnosis came with several pills I am supposed to take and I hate most of them!

Metformin.. to control blood sugar. This is by far the worst, and the one I am the least good about taking. It makes me so sick.
Hctz, or hydrochlorothiazide. This is for high blood pressure, and I have been taking it for about 5 years.

Crestor, for high cholesterol. Which mine isn't too bad anymore but as a diabetic you are at greater risk for heart attack so you are still supposed to take it.

Trilipix, also for cholesterol. It helps your triglycerides that somehow the first pill can't do all by itself.

and finally a cute little baby aspirin, a daily regimen to prevent heart attacks.

I have a few other pills I take not directly related to my diabetes, but with all these I average about 8-9 pills a day. Ugh. And each one comes with it's own special side effect or problem and I think I have really forgotten what it feels like to be normal again. Not to mention how much they all cost! I know I should feel lucky that it's type 2 and not 1 and that I don't have to do insulin injections and most days I do..

I'm supposed to test my blood sugar a few times a week, and I'm pretty good about that, but the numbers always are high when they should be low, and low when they should be high. I just don't get it.

So how did I get here?? I'd like to say genetics, and while that does play a big factor it's not everything. A lot of it is self inflicted. Too many years eating crap and not taking care of myself caught up with me. Type 2 diabetes is reversible, in a way. You can get to the point that you can control it all with diet and exercise, but I'm not there yet. I'm down 32 pounds. With plenty more to go. But every little bit helps. I'm hoping to make some more changes and improve things in our home for both myself and my family. I don't want my kids, or my siblings to go down the same path. I haven't been the best role model in that area for any of them, and I'm hoping to change that now! Wish me luck!

My Return..

It was pointed out to me that my last post was about Lacrosse, and here we are coming up on Lacrosse season again. So shame on me I guess. There is so much I want to write about that I have no idea where to start. So I thought I'd put up something I wrote and read for my grandma's funeral in January. I have it hanging in my office as a reminder and I kinda like it so I thought I'd share. It was a great tribute to her, and who I thought she really was, and it was very personal to me when I wrote it..

My Grandma
I stop today and think of what she meant, and who she was.
I play back memories in my mind and smile at each one.
My Grandma, loved in her own way, she was special to us all.
She cared for you, and wished you well, but she rarely answered when you'd call.
She had her quirks, she spoke her mind, she'd tell you exactly what she thought.
Your hair is messed; you've gained some weight, that doesn't look like you at all.
Here's some money, grab your coat, Linda will take you to the mall.
Grandma shopped with us for our first crib, bought a prom dress here and there.
A wedding dress, the costumes made, she was always one to care.
She loved her grandkids most of all, sang their praises every one.
Soccer games, and skating lessons, even cartoons in bed all day.
She lived her life through all of us, each special in our own way.
Grandma, quite a stubborn thing, worked hard her whole life through.
Retired off and on for years, so Dr. Ward she must have loved him too.
I think God saw her struggling, saw her sick and said no more.
He called her home to be with him, he helped walk her through the door.
I held her hand when she said good bye, we all felt the loss that day.
She will watch us now from up above, I can almost hear her say.
Don't cry for me, I'm not in pain, I left that all behind.
I'm happy now, I'll miss you all.. It's Grandma's turn to shine.


I will admit to not being as close to her as I should have. I tried, but could have tried harder. My mom encouraged me to see her and always asked if I had. No excuses but sometimes I get so involved in myself and my problems that it's hard to make time for someone else. I am grateful that I went to see her on Christmas since she died just a few days later. The biggest lesson I learned from that is that you never know when the last time you see someone will be. Make it count.