What gets you out of bed?

It is so great to wake up each morning and think to yourself, "what do I have to look forward to today?" Even if it's not something immediate, or even anything that exciting....for me it is what gets me out of bed each day.

This weekend, I enjoyed time with my family, and friends. I enjoyed a night at home with "my" boys ordering pizza and watching movies, swimming lessons, and going for a walk with the dogs. I also enjoyed time with a good friend - laughing and acting like kids again. Sometimes it's the simple things that seem to bring the most pleasure.

Each day brings new things to look forward to, even if it's a Monday like today. You can still wake up with the joy of looking forward to a hug or smile from your kids, an opportunity to do great things at work, an "i love you" email from a spouse, or fun times to share with those closest to you. I continue to look forward to date nights with my husband, relaxing on the couch with my dogs, watching the boys laugh and have a great time when we do things as a family, trips we plan to take......and everything the future holds for me and this wonderful life I have.

Call me an annoying optimist, but what a better place this world would be if we could continue to look forward to the great things in life! Maybe it's faith, or the hope that each new sunrise brings. For me it's all of the above..... I'm just thrilled that I have amazing things to look forward to today, and for years to come.

Someday I will....

Do you ever think about all the things you wish you'd done? It's terrible that at the age of 30, I already look back on my life so far and say, "Gosh, I would love to do that" or "wish I would have done that". So let's take a minute and reflect on the fact that we aren't dead yet - and we have a wealth of opportunities to DO all those things we say we'd love to do "someday". Here are just a few of mine:

• I would like to travel around Europe
• I would like to take piano lessons....again.... so I can play like I used to
• I would like to become a key supporter for a charity I believe in
• I would like to visit with a medium
• I would love to dedicate my time/resources to my passion for animals
• I would like to spend more time with my parents
• I would like to be smarter than a 5th grader on a daily basis
• I would like to dance on the beach with my husband

Take some time today and think about the things you wish you could do. None of us can go back in time and change decisions we made in the past, but we do have the future which is wide open! Take advantage of your talents, desires and passions and live not only for the future, but for today.

Laughter & Pain

I heard this beautiful verse today, and thought it was so powerful:

God didn't promise days without pain,
laughter without sorrow,
sun without rain.
He did promise strength for the day,
comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

I am living proof (as are many other people) that if you trust in God and have faith, he will get you through anything.

I clearly remember the lowest point in my life, sobbing uncontrollably, hiding out without anyone knowing where I was, not knowing how I was going to face my family or one more hour of the day. And yet, despite all the heartache and drama and the growing up I had to do...here I am. I am happier now than I have ever been, and that is attributed to realizing I was not in control, and I needed to trust there was a reason and a bigger plan. Now I can say: thank you, God.

Good times, good friends

It was a great weekend. Friday night we went to the gym and got some groceries, and just relaxed. Saturday invovled cleaning and laundry (and for me - step class). Saturday afternoon was swimming lessons. The boys loved it and did very good for their first time! We tried to take photos but would have had to do it through the glass - parents aren't allowed in the pool area during the lessons. They are looking forward to going again this Saturday.

Saturday night we had a great party for Mary's birthday. It was so much fun letting loose with Eric and our friends. I'm so grateful for the friendships I've built in the last couple years. We all get along so well and have a blast together! But as you can tell, there was almost TOO much fun to be had on Saturday, making Sunday a very lazy day trying to recover from tiredness, and a bad cold!
(just gotta love this photo of Kurt and Eric!)
So on with this next week, and getting back on track with my diet. I feel so much better when I'm eating right and exercising, it's just hard to get back on track after you stumble for a few days.

TGIF!

Thank Goodness It's Friday! It has been another long week but it's time for the weekend!

Our meeting with the high-risk OB went great, he told us that the main thing is keeping my epilepsy medication on track and at a steady level, and increase my folic acid intake right now. Other than that, it was basically "see you when you get pregnant" and off we went. I feel confident that everything will happen with time. God always has a plan, we just may not know what it is or be able to understand it. But we put our faith in Him for the future.

In the meantime, we continue to be a great family, and a happily married couple. We are looking forward to a relaxing weekend with just each other this weekend. It's good "down time" for us as a couple, on occasion. But we are also excited that the boys start swimming lessons on Saturday! Aidan is a little scared but Orrin is raring to go. I think it will be SO good for both of them so we can start to enjoy family vacations a little more without worrying about them in the pool. They definitely need some more new experiences like that - they miss out on a lot of that being split between two homes all the time, which is very unfortunate. They are such good boys and deserving of every experience that a kid should get to have.

Enjoy your weekend and I'll hopefully post new photos on Monday!

Craziness!

Wow, it's been a crazy few days of January between New Years Eve, going back to work, finishing the bathroom and starting my diet/exercise routine in full force! But I already have a feeling this year is going to be a great 2008! New Years Eve was a great time (see picture above), the bathrooms are finally done, and I'm off to a good start with my weight loss....all great things!

We went to church today for the first time since November, and it was great! I didn't realize how much I missed it. I have also missed having down time for our family, without packing and traveling anywhere! Yesterday we had a relaxing day, and today we had an awesome time having a snowball fight and sledding in the backyard. It is great to spend some time all together.

Tomorrow, Eric and I have our first meeting with the high-risk obstatrician, I'm curious to see what he says about my chances for a healthy pregnancy in the future. I worry about my epilepsy having a negative effect. Nothing more we can do than what we are already doing, and it will be good to have the OB confirm that. But for now, it's truly in God's hands, as I'm sure He has a plan.