Off topic but hope to inspire

So I made this goal awhile back to make it to 100 workouts in 2010.  In fact, at one point I thought maybe I'd aim for 125 but then reigned myself in to a realistic goal.  Now I am only 25 workouts away and fully plan to accomplish my goal.  It WILL happen.

Now as for the inspiration... I hear people complain all the time that they need to diet or workout or both.  This is also the time of year that people say, "Oh, I'll start Jan 1st or 2nd."  Or whatever.  So here's my insight... Don't diet now because that's just plain ridiculous.  This is the time of year to EAT so EAT and enjoy EVERY bite.  HOWEVER, start working out now!  It was about this time last year that I started running.  I didn't wait until New Year's to start working out.  DON'T wait!  If you want to lose weight at some point, at least start exercising now.  Even if it's just taking a walk or walking around the mall, do SOMETHING.  Then when you go to a Christmas party and pigout, you won't feel as guilty and you will have at least done something ahead of time to compensate.  Stop saying you are going to change and just change!  I did it and so can you!

I realize that most studies (that I've read/heard of anyway) say that diet is the more crucial thing when it comes to losing weight.  Well rather than gain this season, stay the same or maybe even lose weight by working out.  It's a lot easier to start with the working out and get into a routine before starting the diet.  I have tried dieting and then adding the excercise (and FAILED miserably), I have tried beginning the diet/exercise regime at the same time (and FAILED miserably).  The ONLY way I was able to change was to workout first and then once I got into the habit, it was a lot easier to watch what I ate.

I hope to inspire at least 1 person to start the workout journey now!  If not, well, at least I tried!

If now is not your time, then at least start thinking about the changes you plan for 2011.  I plan to workout 150 times in 2011.  I would love to have a buddy to inspire each other to meet our goals.  We don't have to live near each other (as I do all my workouts on DVD and/or my elliptical) but it would be nice to have someone cheering me on as I cheered you on.  Let me know if you are interested!

Gavin and Kailee: Polar Opposites!

Kailee Kailee Kailee... All I can say is that that child is a performer.  She EATS up any and all attention on her.  She's such the opposite of Gavin who is more self-conscious (like his mom).  It's so funny to see how completely polar opposite they are.  I can already tell, Gavin is going to be like me--very set in his ways, having and following his very rigid ideas of right v. wrong, and freaking out in new situations.  Kailee is going to be trouble!  She is mischevious, manipulative, the ringmaster, and absolutely adorable.  World watch out for her!

The only thing I worry about with Gavin is that is sense of how things should be might inhibit him from taking risks.  That's how it has always been with me.  I think I'm better as an adult but still it is hard for me to accept things outside of my realm of how I think it should be.

For example, I always had it in my head that people drank in college and that it was not okay in high school.  I had the opportunity to drink in high school but it COMPLETELY freaked me out.  I could not handle the thought because it was outside of my comfort zone of what I believed was right.  Thus, I NEVER drank in high school.  I stayed far away from it. 

In many ways, I'm thankful for this "conscience" but I also see how it prevents me from doing things I deem "impossible for me."  Of course, God has shown me that I am wrong in some cases.  For example, I did not believe for one milisecond that I could survive a deployment.  I did not think I could live physically apart from Brady.  And God showed me that I am stronger than I give myself credit.

It does make me feel good that Gavin may have a fairly influential conscience.  I just don't want him to have the constant and inhibiting anxiety that may limit his dreams for himself.  On the flip side, it may mean he will always live near me! :)

The Christmas Spirit has struck me!

Yesterday, I was listening to Cosmo Radio when I heard a commercial for Sirius Love having contemporary holiday hits.  I immediately switched over and have only been listening to that or Sirius 4 for classic holiday hits.  I was driving along, listening to the Christmas music when the Christmas Spirit struck.  I am now in total Christmas mode! It's a good think Turkey Day is next week so we can put up our tree (house rule: no tree before Thanksgiving). 

I even changed my ringer to "All I want for Christmas is you!"  for the 6th consecutive year in a row.  Of course, no one has called me since I changed it so I haven't gotten to hear it yet.

Now comes the fun of watching all my Christmas faves...  Hopefully I won't forget any this season!  Help me out and comment some suggestions!

School pictures!

All I have to say is that I'm glad this:

And this:

happened after this:

The sweet moments

When carrying Kailee in from the car last night, I had one of those sweet moments.  Sadly these moments become less and less often the older they get.  I absolutely cherish the ones with Gavin since they are few and far between now.  The last one with Gavin was while he was sick with a high fever about 2 weeks ago.  All he wanted to do was be held by Mommy on the couch.  So Mommy sat and held him, enjoying EVERY second he let me hold him close!

If you are blessed with children, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  So cherish every moment with your babies because before you know it they are toddlers, and then little boys and girls.

I can't believe Gavin will be in kindergarten in less than a year.  Where did my baby boy go?  They tell you it goes by so fast.  I believe it!

The Horror Film that changed my life...

I was just thinking back to Halloween 2 years ago when I at last found "The Blue Lady."  If you are one of my cousins, you have probably heard Morgan and I talk about "The Blue Lady."  The Blue Lady is an old women in a blue bathrobe from a horror movie we watch with our grandparents, LaLa and G'Daddy, when we were 6 or 7 years old.  I think Morgan and I were scarred for life thanks to this movie; I know I was at least.

2 years ago, I decided to use all of my memories of the movie to figure out ways to search for it.  Here's what I remembered:
1. Old Lady in blue bathrobe
2. murky pool
3. girl being murdered in bathroom stall
4. a bunch of girls living in a huge mansion together
5. an old man who helped them

Number 3 and 4 screamed "Sorority House" so I started searching for sorority horror films.  After about an hour, I found it!  It was The House on Sorority Row!  Here she is, The Blue Lady:

When I found this picture to include, my heart stopped again despite some interesting facts I discovered when Leslie watched it with me in Summer of 2009... She wasn't even the killer?!?!?!?!  Apparently our grandparents made us stop watching before the end of the movie.  Either that or Morgan and I remembered the movie completely wrong (which is actually quite possible seeing as how young and traumatized we were).

So if you are wondering if I'll let my kids watch horror movies young... DEFINITELY NOT!  I had so many irrational fears thanks to this movie.  I don't want my kids to get scared unnecessarily.  Kristi had me watch Friday the 13th movies with her, and I remember being afraid of Jason coming to get me at camp.  Definitely want to shelter the babies from the horror films for a few more years... At least. :)

Kailee's BIG Booboo

I was warned about little boys.  They get into everything, they're fearless, the get goose-eggs on their heads on a regular basis, they get cuts and scrapes galore.  Some of this was definitely true for Gavin.  He had goose-eggs all the time when he was 1 and now seems to always have a scab somewhere on his body as proof that he can't get enough of playtime outside.

I was not warned that sometimes the little girls are the bigger trouble.  Gavin is not fearless, Kailee is!  She is fascinated by our stairs, is trying to figure out how to climb up any and everything, and she was the cause of our first visit to the ER for an accident.

It was a typical Monday afternoon, I was printing out worksheets to photocopy, when I got the phone call.  Kailee was playing with a children's chair, fell and hit her head on the corner of it.  By the time I arrived, the bleeding had stopped though it began to bleed again in the car.  Her caregivers were wonderful, explaining where I could get after hours care and providing snacks for both kids.  We headed out, and I called our pediatrician to see what she recommended.  Her recommendation: head to Children's Medical Center (in Plano).  We were lucky.  The wound was not too deep and was able to be repaired with super glue (which I learned was originally used for medical purposes).

It would be Kailee, not Gavin.  She's supposed to be my dainty little girl.  Well, she's a bit of a firecracker and we have already learned we have to keep an eye on that one.