Jillian,you're killing me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My birthday has come and gone. Another year, another day that I have been blessed to walk this earth.
This years present to myself is 6 pounds of weight loss. It may not sound like much, but after 14 days of sweat and tears coupled with everyday trials and tribulations I have managed to bring the number on the scale down. Now that is progress! I have to say I love Jillian...she has motivated me in no way anyone could. She doesn't pretend it's easy or even fun at times, but she pushes you to reach heights you never thought you could. I started a three level system. Just the first level made me feel like I would die, but slowly I got more adept and it wasn't too painful. I finally summoned the courage to hit level two Friday. Whoa did it kick my butt. I thought the throbbing muscle pains from the early workouts were gone, but no such luck. I have felt muscles I didn't even know I had. What makes me even happier than the weight loss is the strength I feel. Instead of losing the weight in muscle mass and fat through some unhealthy fad diet, I can feel my body adapting and growing stronger. It is amazing how changing one facet of your life can spill into every other corner. I feel more confident because I know just because things are uncomfortable doesn't mean I give up, it means I press in harder and push through.
Hmmmm I think there could be a spiritual lesson in there somewhere. God is even trying to talk to me in my workouts. Anyway I just wanted to share my progress and excitement. I don't like to talk too much about it because there are always ups and downs. Never the less I just want to provide some encouragement to anyone out there who finds themselves falling in and out of dieting, exercise, etc. There is hope just keep pressing on!

Drowning

At work the new year brings with it the challenge of tying up all of the loose ends from the old year. Yesterday I started the feat of moving the contents of my filing cabinets into boxes for storage. I was so proud of myself. I had almost completed the project and ran short just a few boxes. No big deal, I could get those in by tomorrow.

Surprise! My boss walked in with a mile high stack of not just last years invoices, but some 2007 paper work that someone forgot to pass along to me. Nice, now I get to spend the whole day tomorrow locked away in the hot file room going through boxes and catching up. I think I may just build a fort with my boxes and hide out the rest of the day.

Friends

Good friends are hard to come by these days. Chris and I have often pondered the passing of people in and out of our lives. Sometimes it can be quite lonely. So few people have truly understood us, our lives, and our call. I feel sometimes we must take the less beaten path. It is hard and difficult. Connection and understanding is something everyone longs for, but sometimes we must be satisfied to just be.

Birthdays All Around

Today kicks off a month of birthdays. Four people in my immediete family have birthdays this month including me. Melody gets us started today. She is turning eighteen. Happy brithday Melody welcome to adulthood! Where did the time go? It's really strange to think that it has been seven years since I turned eighteen. My birthday comes next and then my mom's is two days later. My dad rounds it out with a birthday falling near the end of the month. We will have our fair share of cake and happy birthday tunage to carry us till July when my brother's birthday falls.

I've always found it a bit rough having a birthday that falls in January. I know all you Christmas babies are shaking your heads right now. I don't know what it's like to receive birthday presents wrapped in Santa Clause wrapping paper, but at least your birthdays fall when everyone is in a cheery,holiday mood. I get the beginning of the year when everyone is hitting reality with a resounding thud. Credit card bills start showing up from those holiday purchases, and most people are gloomy because now that Christmas is over they long for warm summer days. I don't necessarily mind that my family and I share such close birthdays, but it can be a bit hard on the pocketbook with so many dinners and presents. You want everyone's day to be extra special, but at the same time you have to be realistic. It must be tough being a septuplet.

Here's to a month full of birthdays. With our combined ages we could probably really light a cake on fire!!! Happy birthday family, sharing a January birthday is not always easy, but I love you just the same.

A Few Pictures

Here it is at last. Our holiday memories shared in pictures

Kaylie loved her hot chocolate

We had to mail a letter to Santa

Micah enjoyed the holidays by chillin

We checked out a really cool neighborhood where each street had a theme. Our favorite was the Peanuts theme

And what would Christmas be without a trip to the Galleria? Honestly, a lot cheaper on the wallet. Kaylie looks like she might be afraid of falling three stories.

Once again Micah is more interested in his feet than shopping.
Ahhh Christmas dinner at Italliani's. You can tell Kaylie is thrilled about another picture, or looking for an escape route.

Mommy and Micah celebrating our first Christmas together.

The family

Santa left a bicycle under the tree!!!!

Some of the cousins on Christmas day. It was the best we could do with three tired kids!

We had a fun and eventful holiday season. Now the decorations have been packed away till next year, but the memories will remain. It is definitely like ripping a band-aid off. I never feel like packing it in, but the longer I wait the harder it will be.

Our New Years was quiet and uneventful, but that is not a bad thing. Next week its back to the old routine. May this week bring you a fresh and happy start to the new year.

Ludicrous, Yet Politics at Its Finest

Can someone please remove the man with the forest animal on his head? It may be a danger to all of us.

I am going to say this in my best girl with an attitude voice,"Oh no he didn't!" Did this man really just appoint a replacement for Obama's Senate seat? He's a gutsy man I say, a gutsy man.

Another Day

I was a bit worried today would drag on an on. I am fortunate that I kept fairly busy, a welcome surprise during the slowest point of the season. It has been harder than I expected to return after a nice long weekend. Luckily I have another few days off that will help ease me back in.

This week I have found myself daydreaming about doing other things...being with my kids more, traveling, missions, maybe being in an occupation that is more fullfilling. Of course money is always a key factor in all of these things. My greatest goal for 2009 is to continue the process of getting out of debt. I long for the freedom from bondage to creditors. I dream of being able to save huge portions of our income for the future. I am am hoping that with a lot of diligence we will come close to accomplishing these goals in 2009. We are seriously considering selling our home this summer when some terms in our mortgage become more favorable. A lot of our income is tied up in an adjustable rate mortgage that is higher than I would like. It is very difficult in this economy to decide the benefits to selling and perhaps settling for less than we want or sticking it out a little longer and not having as much extra to pay down debt. We both know we want something a little bigger, but if we do sell we may have to settle for an apartment for a short time to make the savings really add up. These are all difficult decision that we face this year, but I am determined to see our family free and prosperous in the coming years.

I apologize for the rambling. These were just thoughts rolling around in my head as I anticpate the year to come. I pray that this coming year will bring each one of you much joy and that you are blessed with the perseverance to see each dream, goal, or resolution through. If you fall off the wagon there is no shame in getting back on for another try! Happy New Year!