Twoirishgirls

Positive things to come

2011-12-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

You know how when you get excited about something that will positively effect your life and you can't stop talking about it? That's where I'm at right now. I had an opportunity come up this week that previously would have scared me or just immediately dismissing it, but now I'm at a point where I'm finally open to it. I keep looking at things that I can change to make myself healthier, as well as doing something with my career so I can support myself and Sevrine without having to worry about whether or not someone will pay their child support. I think that with this opportunity the health changes will be a given, but the career aspect will be something that will take some time to build. It does have the potential to be something that will allow me to create my own schedule and spend more time with Sevrine instead of having to rely on others. There are a few things that I need to put into place before I can start the career journey, but I am so excited and ready for the changes. Check back in a few weeks!

11/11/11

2011-11-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted in this blog. There is so much to say that really can't be expressed eloquently or in a reasonable amount of space, so I'll just say this. Thank you. Thank you for your sacrifices as well as those of your family. Thank you for the selfless acts you perform daily without any expectation. Thank you for looking out for the rights of the American people even when there are some that would snub you or not appreciate your efforts. Thank you for looking past our flaws and serving us anyway.

ARMY*AIR FORCE*NAVY*MARINES*COAST GUARD

Remembering 9/11 5K

2010-09-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

Here are the results from my second 5k. For the record I have no idea what I was thinking or what I was looking at in the picture. lol

Wickenburg, AZ

2010-09-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Sevrine and I had fun day out in Wickenburg taking pictures. It was a little hot and we didn't take as many as we would have liked, but I think we got some good ones, and more importantly, we had fun. So here are a few pictures so show you what we did.

Update

2010-09-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

Well, here is the update. There is a little bit of progress on my "take care of me" goals. Sevrine and I have been walking a few nights a week (depending on whether or not she got her homework done), I'm taking more pictures and I'm running a 5k on the 12th. I'll also be heading out today to go and take some pictures to see what I come up with. I did find a really cool editing program online that can do some cool things. So, off to a decent start so far.

New Beginnings

2010-08-22T09:22:00.002-07:00

I feel like it's time to make some new goals. I think it goes in cycles for me. I start to take time to work on myself and start to feel really happy, then I get into a relationship and neglect myself a little bit. Not as much this time, but I do know that I started to give up more and more of the things that make me happy. So, it's back to working on me, and hopefully when/if I meet someone, I'll continue to make myself a priority. So, here are the things that I would like to do:

1. Run a 5K every other month (or every month if I can swing it).

2. Take more pictures

3. Go hiking with Sevrine twice a month

I'm sure there will be more things, but those are just a few that I want to do. In light of that, the picture I'm posting is not one that I took, but I did do the editing on it, and was really happy with the way it came out.

I'm kind of a big deal

2010-06-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Or at least my boyfriend thinks so. We live about 3 hours away from eachother so when we see eachother it means one of us spent 6 hours round trip in the car.Next week its my turn to make the drive. Yep, true love. :)

Mesa Temple

2010-06-27T09:14:00.002-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures I took while walking around the Mesa Temple on Saturday.

When you least expect it

2010-06-26T19:59:00.002-07:00

If you had asked me 2 months ago if I thought I'd be in a serious relationship I would have said no, because at that time I had figured I was going to take a break from dating for a while. But, I am in a serious relationship which feels comfortable and unbelievable at the same time. The best part is that he feels the exact same way.

Not all sweat is created equal

2010-06-02T21:06:00.002-07:00

I've done the gym thing, the Aerobics DVDs, Yoga, Pilates, and other various fitness activities, but nothing beats running. I know that sounds weird, and if you know me, it sounds even weirder coming from me. However, the one thing that I've found is that through all those activities running actually makes me feel like I've earned that sweat. Yes, I know that sounds disgusting. I hate sweating at the gym, and more often than not, I don't really think I worked hard enough to sweat much at all. Running is completely different, I totally worked hard enough to sweat, and I don't mind it, because I think it reminds me how hard I worked. lol I know this is totally crazy, but oh well. :)

Boycott Pure Fitness

2010-05-20T18:37:00.002-07:00

Last week I got an email from Pure Fitness stating my monthly dues were delinquent and that I needed to contact the club to remedy the problem. Here's the problem, my member had cancelled in January and I've not had any further charges since then. I called to club to remedy the situation, and when I got done explaining that I had cancelled this membership and my last payment came out in January they stated they would "fix" the error in billing. Well, they fixed it alright. They reinstated my membership and subsequently charged my account $138. Funny, I don't remember signing a contract. Isn't that what is supposed to happen after you've cancelled a previous contract, sign a new one? Hmmm, maybe I'm missing something. Yesterday when I noticed the charge I contacted the number on my bank statement and they confirmed with the Gym that my account had in fact terminated my membership as stated and that they would refund the money they fraudulently removed from my account. I was told by ABC Financial that they would contact accounting to expedite the matter and get me a reference number that would allow my bank to release the money into my account, as I didn't really want to wait 5 business days to get my stolen money back. I was told to call back later that afternoon at which time I was put on hold for more than 30 minutes. I was finally transferred to a Supervisor at 3:02 my time (5:02 CST), at which time I was informed that the accounting office was closed and I would need to call back tomorrow. So, I called back this morning to talk to that Supervisor (she said she would be there) to find that she was not in that day. I asked to be transferred to another supervisor who told me that they would also try and contact accounting department to acquire the necessary reference number and was told to call back at 11am my time, to find out (surprise, surprise) that this representative was not in the office. I contact another supervisor who told me that they would also try and contact accounting, and was later told that I would have to wait for another tomorrow. They wouldn't transfer me to accounting as "they aren't capable of getting incoming calls". I looked up the company, called their main line and was transferred to their Accounts Receivable office. What? They can receive incoming calls? I was told at that point I would have to wait for their credit card department to receive the paperwork in the morning. Hmmmm, who really handles this? Everyone keeps pointing the finger at someone else. So, I keep waiting to get back money that they had no right to anyway. Everyone agrees that it was in error, but no one seems in hurry to refund my money.

Moral of the story? If you join a gym, go month to month. Pay a little extra to avoid auto draft. Once they have your account information, it's over. They'll charge you indiscriminately for made up fees, etc. Also, if you are joining a gym and still want to do auto draft, make sure their Third-party billing company is NOT ABC Financial.

5k pictures

2010-05-15T13:22:00.003-07:00

First 5K

2010-05-14T22:51:00.003-07:00

I ran my first 5K today. It was different than I expected, but also better. I was worried that I'd be the only one walking, and as it turned out I didn't walk more than 100 yards of it, but kept a little bit slower pace. I'm really tired, but not as sore as I thought I'd be and was really happy to see my family in the stands when I crossed the finish line. At the beginning my parents were standing with Sevrine at the start of the race and I stayed to the side so I could give Sevrine a high 5 as I passed. Apparently she liked that because she asked me on the way home if I remembered giving her the high 5. Gotta love that kid. I'll be putting pictures up shortly, but here are my results.

Photos

2010-04-18T17:27:00.003-07:00

Ok, well I know that I already posted today, but I wanted to attach some pictures I took. Some turned out good and others not as well as I'd hoped, but....... here are a few of my favorites.

I wish I were better....

2010-04-18T15:02:00.002-07:00

at a lot of things, including updating this. I wish that I were more consistent with my running instead of letting life and worries get in the way. I wish I were better at telling people how I feel. I wish I were better at a lot of things, but all I can do is I work on those things little by little. So, today, I go running. I will start writing my feelings down. I will webcam with Sevrine tonight and tell her how I much I love and miss her. Today, I will send emails to some of my friends telling them how much I appreciate them.

Getting back

2010-03-28T10:38:00.002-07:00

Well, after 11 days off I went walking today. Did about 3 miles and feel pretty good. I hate that I've been so tired lately, but I'm determined to be consistent. I have it set up so Wednesday and Friday are my off days and all of the other days I'll either do 2.5 miles or 3.1 miles. I still want to do 5k this year, but think that I tried to bite off a little bit more than I could chew and have been dealing with shin splints and some foot pain as a result. Gonna just walk for a while and then get back into running more. I want this to be something that I do for a long time, not just for a little while, so will ease into it. :) So, off to get ready for Church now.

Still running

2010-03-13T09:33:00.002-07:00

I really wanted to run every day, but was starting to get a little burned out and was starting to realize that even though it's good for me, my body was telling me that I was over-doing it a little. I think that as my body starts to get used to it, I will eventually be able to run everyday, but for now I'm going to make sure that I allow myself some recovery time too. I like being able to get out on the road and just enjoy the quiet. It's time to myself that I can reflect on the day and start to figure things out. I'm a visual person, and if I can't see results, then I typically will lose interest, but with my nike+ kit, I can synch my miles to the nike site and actually see my progress. I've joined challenges on their and can see where I stand with other runners. Since I'm new, my expectations are super high, but I like to see where I compare. Now I'm just waiting to see some results in my body from adding all this running. :)

Nike+

2010-03-05T22:12:00.002-07:00

Gotta love technology. I think that I've gotten a little off track when it comes to my goals this year, so am finding new motivation to run. I recently purchased the Nike+ sport kit to go with my ipod and really like that it tracks my miles, pace, time and calories burned. I really think this is going to keep me on track. I would really like to do a 5k this year and am following the couch to 5k program as well. I just get to check my ipod to see how far I've run as well as listening to the podcast. I'll keep tracking my progress here and let you all know how I'm doing. :)

Okay

2010-01-17T20:08:00.002-07:00

I think that slowly but surely I'm becoming okay with being alone (not in a relationship). I went to an engagement party today for one of my best friends and while there was a small amount of awkwardness, my being the only unattached person there (Sevrine doesn't count as a date), I didn't want to cry on the way home for my lack of a partner. Don't get me wrong, I was still a little sad that I don't have a partner right now, but for the first time in a while, it didn't make me want to cry. I felt a little bit more awkward there because even though I'm not much older than my friends, in maturity and our places in life, I'm way older. They are still fairly free to do the things they want without much planning, while I have to take several factors into account before I can even go to the grocery store. Part of me is jealous or their unfettered lifestyles, and part of me feels sorry for them because they don't have the experiences that having kids brings you. I guess I'm just feeling the divide between us get larger and larger the more time goes by. None of them are going through any of the same things that I am going through solely because I have a child. Maybe that's me isolating myself a little, but I find it harder and harder to relate sometimes because of it.

starting over

2010-01-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well, its time to start fresh. A week into this new year I'm officially single and trying to focus on myself. Gonna take things slow as far as dating goes, but will actually be blogging my dating experiences since it seems that they are so entertaining. I seem to be a magnet for guys that are just a little off the wall, so I'll just have to write about them just so you can get a sense of what I mean. I don't think I'll be posting those things on this particular blog, just to try and keeps things separate, but we'll see. I'm sure there will be some spill over.

Entertaining but unproductive

2010-01-03T20:53:00.002-07:00

I had a mostly unproductive day today. I got sucked into the crack that is a forum (actually a few of them) on a popular LDS networking site. It's so addictive. I can't get away from it for very long before I have to know what's going on. lol Some of the threads, to which I was a participant had me laughing most of the afternoon. I may have to ration myself. lol

Clean slate

2010-01-02T19:49:00.002-07:00

Okay, since this is a new year, I think we can say that now is a good time to start over, clean the slate as it were. I want to keep my goals this year simple. I could make a huge list of things that I want to accomplish this year as I've done in year's past, but I think that it's hard to look back and see what you've yet to accomplish sometimes. I already stated before that one of my main goals this year is to be selfish, but I think that to make that goal sound slightly less....selfish, I'll say that this year I'm going to focus on my own happiness. If you currently rely on me for your happiness, I apologize, you're on your own, unless of course it's directly linked with my own happiness. So yeah, main goal is to be happy. I may start up my photo blog again, but the pressure of having to do it every day was too much. I will just hope for a few per week at this point. Hmmm, I may have to set a goal to keep you more informed as to the happy aspects of my life. We'll start with this.......

I bought a new point & shoot today. My old camera was about 3 years old and will no longer take a charge, so after much shopping around, I settled on a Samsung with 5x optical zoom. If it weren't for the much anticipated football game on Monday, I may have postponed this purchase for a little while, but alas, I really want to get some pictures of Jeff and I at the game so I had to buy it. :) It does have some pretty cool features, so stay tuned. If I can figure them out, they'll be really cool.

So, to you all.... Happy New Year and may it be everything you hope for. :)

2009: You are officially dead to me

2009-12-31T06:58:00.003-07:00

I have to say, that I am so glad this year is over. It has not been a very good one. I just hope that 2010 is better. Okay, so here is my New Year's Resolution. It's going to sound strange at first, but I'll explain. I vow to be selfish this year. Yep, that's it. Last year I spent so much time and energy taking care of and worrying about everyone else that I didn't take care of me at all. This year will be different. This year is all about me. I know that if I take better care of myself I can be a better Mom to Sevrine, which is a definite bonus. It's also the year to evaluate who I really need in my life. I find that so many of my friendships/relationships are a little too one-sided. Which goes back to the being selfish thing. If my friends don't treat me the same way that I treat them and am getting nothing back from them, I'm going to have to cut them loose. So, I am also now taking applications for friends. lol Please submit your references. ;) jk

So, here is to me in 2010, since this will be the year that it's all about me. :)

Sticking with it

2009-12-27T23:22:00.002-07:00

Well, I did manage to get out and walk again tonight, and even shaved a minute off of my time. I'll probably keep with the walking until the end of the week and then start to add jogging back in. I don't want to over do it and get shin splints again. That sucked. LOL So, for now I keep trying to stick with it and start eating better. We'll see how it goes.

Jump start

2009-12-26T23:09:00.002-07:00

Well, I think that I want to get a jump start on the whole New Year's Resolution thing. I've been telling myself for a while that I'm going to start exercising again, but have never really followed through on it. So, tonight I decided that I wasn't going to put it off even for another day and I laced up my tennis shoes and went walking. It was cold out, but it felt really good. I only did 2 miles, but that is a good start, and the goal now is to decrease the time it takes me to walk that 2 miles. Hopefully I will get to the point where I can just run it without stopping, but for now.... baby steps. I would like to try and walk every day, but I know that that may not be realistic, but, I want to stay as close to that goal as I can.

Also, I think that I want to restart the photo project with the new year. We'll see how it goes, but I really want to finish it, or at the very least, make it beyond 27 days. :)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T21:26:00.002-07:00

Well, I have to say that I'm happy the craziness is over. I also can't wait until Sevrine is home so she can open her presents here. I have a few more things that I will get for her before she gets home on the 9th. I'm so happy she's been having so much fun in Utah though. She doesn't get to see her cousins up there very often and she definitely gets spoiled when she's up there. For now though, I will try and take advantage of the time I have and get some things done. We'll see how it goes.

Evaluating

2009-12-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

I think that its time for me to sit down and evaluate my life and how I want things to be. I know that some things are out of my control, but I think it may be time for me to take control over more aspects of my life, or maybe take ownership of more aspects of my life. I think its time to clean house so to speak, cut loose the people who stress me out and don't offer anything constructive and fill those slots with people who will enrich my life. Probably easier said than done, but I'm making it my goal.

Globe, Arizona

2009-11-07T18:21:00.002-07:00

Sevrine and I are in Globe, Arizona this weekend. We came out here to get some pictures of the historical buildings and scenery out here. We left a little bit later than planned this morning and Sevrine has been a little grouchier than I had anticipated. She was all excited to take her own pictures this weekend, but once we got up here all she could think about was taking a nap. She never did take a nap though. Thankfully I did get to take a few pictures. Not as many as I would like, but we still have tomorrow.

Getting ready for "vacation"

2009-11-06T21:09:00.002-07:00

Well, Sevrine thinks that anytime we stay in a hotel it's "vacation", so that is what we are doing this weekend. We've been trying to plan a picture-taking weekend for a while, but we've had so much going on the last few weekends that we are finally taking off. Tomorrow morning we will be heading up to Globe / Miami, Arizona to take some pictures. That whole area is really a string of mining towns that have some great old buildings that are just begging to be photographed. I've been through Superior and Miami before, but I've never been to Globe. Sevrine is excited about not only staying in a hotel, but also taking pictures. She's really begun to take an interest in it. A couple of times I've found her with my camera out snapping random pictures and some of them actually thoughtful. This is our chance to get out and do something that we both really like together. I can't wait to see what kind of pictures we've taken and then share them of course. So, be looking for lots of pictures this weekend.

My little Ballerina

2009-10-31T21:09:00.003-07:00

Okay, I know I just posted today, but I couldn't help but post a picture of Sevrine all ready to go Trick or Treat. She was so excited about her costume and all of the candy. We ended up hooking up with some neighbors to go out and their kids were a little bit crazy. They wouldn't stop running and would just dart into the road without even looking. Sevrine over course followed suit and it was hard to get her to stop. We had gone pretty far when I noticed that Sevrine was almost dragging her bucket on the ground. I figured at that point that if she was too tired to carry the candy, she didn't need anymore. lol Once we got home she had even more fun helping Grandma pass out candy to the Trick or Treaters. Glad Halloween is over, but even more glad that my little Princess had such a great time.

Irish Festival

2009-10-31T14:44:00.003-07:00

Well, I finally got to take Sevrine to the Arizona Irish Festival this year. I can't remember what conflict I had last year, but I was determined that I would take her this year. I'm so glad I did. She had a lot of fun. Jeff met us over there before he had to go to work and she was so excited to see him. She was her normal happy bubbly self and so interested in everything going on around her. She clapped to the music when the McMorrows played, got her face painted and jumped in the bounce house. She didn't wear her costume this year because her play costume got torn at school yesterday, but she still had fun.

While we were there we got a picture of the brick my parents bought a few years ago in memory of Grandma Bromley. It was nice to have Sevrine sitting next to the brick since that is who she was named for. As you can see from the pictures Sevrine had a blast and now she can't wait to go next year. :)

Long day

2009-10-24T18:30:00.002-07:00

Well, today began early. Sevrine woke up a happy girl at around 7am asking me to read to her. We got up and got ready, went to get her hair curled and then rushed down to Saguaro Ranch Park to meet Sara Carroll for her pictures. We were cutting it close, but we managed to get there on time. Sevrine was really wired. She did really well though and I think Sara got some great shots. Sevrine wore 3 different outfits and we tried to change her hair a little without messing up her curls. By the end of the 1 hours shoot, Sevrine was "directing" Sara and telling her how she wanted to pose for her pictures. She was still saying "hey Sara take my picture" as we were walking to the car. She just kept stopping a random spots or posing next to trees and had to have her picture taken. It was really cute. Sara was awesome. She was so patient with Sevrine which made me a feel better even though I was stressing out. lol I got a couple pictures of the scene so you can see them. I felt weird taking a picture of Sevrine while Sara was so all of the pictures are of Sara taking Sevrine's picture. :) I can't wait to see them now!

Another year older and wiser too

2009-10-20T20:37:00.003-07:00

Well, I think today was a revelation per se. I had a fairly decent birthday, but the person I wanted most to wish me a Happy Birthday didn't, and likely didn't even remember that it was my Birthday. Maybe I'm overreacting or being overly emotional about him forgetting my Birthday, but it's just one more thing that's telling me that it's okay to be done with this relationship. I don't want to turn this into a complete slam, but I guess I'm just feeling like I'm being taken completely for granted. I'm not a piece of furniture, I'm not going to hang around no matter how bad you treat me or how neglectful you are. So, I'm either going to have to be a priority, or I'm out completely. We'll see how it goes. This is not a conversation that is going to happen over text or IM if I can help it. lol

Oh yeah. Here is the picture from my first day of Project 365. I do have it say that it's pretty calming. Just what I need right now. :)

Project 365

2009-10-19T19:38:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I need to take more pictures and put my nice camera to use so I think that I'm going to take the Project 365 challenge. The challenge is to take and post a picture every day for a year. So, being that tomorrow is my birthday, I figured that there's no better time to start then tomorrow. I will try and find out tonight if there are any official rules to it. Well, I'm off to jot down some photo ideas since even I don't want 365 pictures of Sevrine. lol

Pictures!

2009-10-18T21:04:00.006-07:00

I love getting pictures taken of my girl. :) There's nothing better than seeing how they grow and change over time. This weekend was no exception. I look at her on a daily basis in awe that she is getting to be so grown up, but never as much as when I actually see it in pictures.

Part of the reason for all the pictures is that she may end up doing some modelling. I know, funny right? Mostly for fun, but if something comes of it great. I love that the agency is very openly "Christian" and won't book the kids for anything questionable. So, we are getting pictures taken for her Comp Card. Ashley's friend Sara Carroll will be taking the pictures. If you're in Phoenix and need family photos, you should totally check out her website. She is incredible. www.saracarrollimages.com

Alright, what else is going on..... Oh yeah, I'm getting old. lol I can't say that I'm looking forward to my birthday. I guess when you really look at it "age is just a number" lol, yeah right. I guess we will just see how the week plays out.

Scared and proud at the same time

2009-09-17T21:31:00.004-07:00

Okay, so I'm not sure about a few things still, but I do have more information to work from. At first I was a little bit bitter about why in the heck the Military would be recalling / stop-lossing Jeff only about 2 weeks before he was to complete his military service, but now that I know what his training is as well as what I know of his character, I completely understand. It doesn't mean I'm not worried, but I think that I would be more worried about that unit if someone else were leading them. I don't have a lot of details, or any really, but from what I can gather by reading between the lines, this mission is both dangerous and critical.

There are so many what ifs, but along with the stress and the insecurity about the future, I also feel a tremendous amount of pride in him and what he does. When I told Sevrine that he was going to be gone for a while because he was a soldier and was going to help people, she asked me if he was a super hero and could he fly. Well, she was sorry to hear that he couldn't fly but I did assure her that he was a hero....mine. Cheesy, I know, but it's true. I'll keep you posted.

Back on track

2009-09-16T05:47:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I guess I'm trying to take control of the things that I can control. My actions. As some of you know, my life has been a little bit crazy lately. Well, they've now settled down at least a little bit, enough that I can step back and get a new perspective and consciously decide how I want to go forward. The goal I started to start taking care of myself was renewed this morning on a 40 minute walk. Eventually I'll start running again, but for now I like the walk as it gives me time to think at a reasonably pace. :)

Also, things with Jeff are still scary and unsure, but I think the original panic phase is over; I hope. He got a call yesterday morning that the location of his Battle Ready Physical was being moved from Luke Air Force Base to Texas (not sure which Base, but I will assume Fort Bliss until I can confirm). Now, this is good and, well, I hope it's just good. It's hard for me not being close, but he met up with some guys from his Unit that will also be deploying. I'm hoping that being able to talk to be that have not only been through a similar situation, but were participants in the same memories will bring him back from the panic. I know that he will still not want to go back, who would, but I think being able to have that kind of support system, since your Unit is your family, that it will give him the support that he needs and that I am completely unqualified to give him. So, now, I wait for word on how things go with the physical today, and pray that he and I will both be strong enough to handle it.

2009-09-11T13:39:00.001-07:00

I remember...

2009-09-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

Being that tomorrow is September 11th, I felt like i needed to publicly express my love and appreciation for all those that serve and have served in the armed forces, especially Jeff and Lamar. I love you both.

Let me off this ride

2009-09-08T20:34:00.003-07:00

It seems like when I think that things are starting to get back to normal or close enough to normal for me to be comfortable, something comes up that throws things off again. I think they've already settled down again, at least for now. I guess we will see how things play out over this next week. In the meantime, work is going fairly well and Sevrine had a great time getting to see her cousins and her Dad this weekend. If only the excitement of being in a new house would wear off so she'd go to bed on time again. lol It used to be that I could ask her if it would make Jeff happy that she wasn't going to bed when she was supposed to and she'd settle right down. I haven't threatened her with his disappointment in a while because she hasn't seen him in a few weeks, and I'm not sure when she'll see him next. She misses him though. So do I, which makes it hard to hear her talk about him sometimes.

Ok, on to more fun things. Sevrine had a great time this weekend. She loved getting to play with her cousin Maddie. She didn't want to leave at all. She got to go run through the fountains at Gateway, go to Swiss Days in Midway, UT, play dress up, and go to see her Dad. She is still recovering from the excitement I think. lol It doesn't help that she's sleeping in a new house and a new pink bedroom. She's had a lot of changes and these have been exciting for her. Hopefully she'll start to settle into a routine soon so she can get back to her old schedule.

Well, I'm off to bed. A little earlier than is my usual, but after so many late nights, I need it.

Day 1

2009-08-30T18:22:00.002-07:00

Well, I got through Day one with no soda and managing to stick to the plan and squeeze in some exercise. Granted, it was only about 20 minutes of swimming laps in the pool while Sevrine tried to attach herself to me, but hey, I stuck with it. I haven't had any soda today either, which would explain the headache I had for most of the day. Today has been a pretty lazy day, but we will see if I can keep with it and squeeze in some more exercise. :)

Setting new goals

2009-08-29T13:10:00.002-07:00

Well, after some reflection, I have a whole bunch of things that I want to work on. On of them being my general health and wellness, and Sevrine as well. We don't eat particularly healthy and I don't get a whole lot of exercise unless you count chasing Sevrine and running back to the parts department to figure out why our Receivers take 2+ hours to get parts out to the technicians. Sooooo, the goal is to use my blog to track the healthy changes we're making. My goal is to get 10-30 minutes of real exercise in per day, whether its a video or traditional sit-ups and pushups, a video or going for a walk or hula-hooping with Sevrine. I also plan on cutting soda out of my diet as well as Sevrine's and drinking more water and fruit juice. We definitely need to eat more fruits and vegetables and less McDonalds. lol I'm not sure if we're going to start this immediately or start it fresh on Monday, but we'll see how it goes. I have some prep stuff I need to do to get ready, like buying fruit and vegetables, etc. and maybe stocking up on Perrier so I can still get my carbonation fix. Oh yeah, I also need to buy a replacement battery for my bathroom scale. Man I hate that thing, but it's a necessary evil isn't it? Ok, I think that I've decided to jump right into the exercise part of this goal today and the diet part on Monday. It's going to be hard Labor Day weekend since Sevrine and I will be driving to Utah and it's so hard to eat healthy on a road trip, or even get in exercise for that matter. The goal is that I will post about what I've done to stick with the goal each day to try and keep me honest. So, wish me luck. :)

Detour

2009-08-22T21:22:00.002-07:00

My Fairytale took a wrong turn and I'm still waiting for the turn-by-turn lady to start yelling "You are now off track". I don't know how things will turn out, but I just can't believe that this is really the end. I've been a little bit quiet this weekend. I really haven't wanted much company under the circumstances because I know that I'll get a lot of questions that I'm not really up to answering. So, yeah, the relationship status is currently single, and when things aren't so fresh in my mind I'll talk about it, but until then I'm just going to try and make it through one day at a time.

I believe in Fairytales

2009-05-27T06:31:00.002-07:00

I wish the weekend could have kept going. Jeff and Sevrine and I had so much fun in Wickenburg. It was really nice to get away for part of the weekend. We took Sevrine swimming on Sunday night and Monday morning before we had to head back. I can't wait until we have more time to just relax. I definitely didn't want it to end.

A happy girl

2009-05-16T20:15:00.002-07:00

I think the picture pretty much says everything. I'm completely happy, and so very blessed.

Exhausted but happy

2009-05-09T15:21:00.002-07:00

Well, it's been a quite a week. Between Sevrine and I being sick, work, and little sleep it's been a very busy week. And yet, with all of that going on I still managed to squeeze in a little time for me. I had a lunch date on Monday, met him again on Wednesday, took him to Rawhide to watch Friday night Bull Riding with Sevrine and I and tonight I get to see him again. What a lucky girl I am. Sevrine will be at Dorothy's tonight while we're out, so tonight it's just the two of us.

Well, gotta finish getting ready, Sevrine and I are leaving for Dorothy's at 4. If you're lucky I'll let you know how it goes. ;)

It's been a while

2009-03-29T11:12:00.002-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted anything so figured that I should at least get something down, so I apologize if it's not witty or entertaining. The last couple of weeks have been really stressful, and I guess I didn't know how stressful until everything came to a head on Friday. It's been an eye-opener for me. I'm at this point where I need to sit down and evaluate where I'm at and where I want to be and then pick the shortest way there. Not necessarily the easiest, but the shortest. I had a small setback yesterday, but am still determined to move forward no matter the challenges and roadblocks.

I'll try and keep everyone updated on the road ahead.

So easy to pass judgment

2009-03-16T19:43:00.002-07:00

I hate when people make comments that pass judgment when they don't know anything about the situation. I won't explain the situation on here, but I have to say the whole thing really made me mad. I just can't believe how insensitive people can be sometimes.

Okay, we're beginning another week. I think that I've begun to live for the weekend. I spend the whole week trying to survive that by the time I get to the weekend I'm exhausted. Then I spend all weekend chasing Sevrine around that I'm even more exhuasted by the time Monday comes around. What a vicious cycle! I can't figure out when I'm supposed to unwind in there, ore even get anything done.

Oh well. I'm surviving. :)

180

2009-02-28T08:35:00.003-07:00

What makes it so hard for Men and Women to understand each other? And what makes a person behave in a certain way one week, then completely change the next? Just food for thought I guess.

It was definitely a long week. Work was pretty busy with it being end of week and all and Sevrine got sick and has had a fever and an earache for the last couple of days. I feel so bad when she's sick because there's not a whole lot I can do to make her feel better, especially when she wont even take Tylenol! Normally she loves Tylenol. Right now she's fine, but when the liquid Tylenol that I slipped into her milk this morning wears off she'll start getting warm again. I'm debating on whether or not I'm going to take her out to Hailee's birthday because I don't want her getting the other kids sick too. She'll be so bummed, but she needs to get her rest so she can start feeling better.

Well, that's about all I'm going to write here. There's really more going on, but I always hesitate to write everything because I don't necessarily want to share everything with everyone. lol

P.S. The picture is of Sevrine with her Grandma Christine while we were in Albuquerque, NM.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T21:50:00.004-07:00

I feel a little lame for writing this during a time that couples everywhere are out snuggled up to their significant others, while I am home with only Sevrine for a Valentine. I can't really complain too much though because I did get to celebrate a few days early with someone special. It does seem that the holiday has become mostly commercial, but it's nice to be able to celebrate it with someone. Well, I really can't think of anything else to write, now that I've started this, so will try and come up with something for later.

What a week!

2009-02-08T21:47:00.003-07:00

Okay, this was kind of a long week to begin with, but to cap it all off, I got rear-ended by a drunk driver on Friday morning. That's right, on my way to work at 7:30 in the morning. Did I mention that he fled the scene? Lucky for me I was able to get his license plate number and Chandler PD, kicks @ss and caught him. I was even more fortunate that a woman admitted to the arresting officer that this drunk had permission to operate the vehicle, which means their insurance will have to cover it. The downside is that I feel like crap. Even with as minor as it is, my x-rays show swelling and a bunch of pulled muscles in my back and neck. Yay for me! On the bright side, Ken will be in town on Wednesday and Thursday and I'm taking the time off so we can go play. I'm so excited and have literally been counting the days since we firmed up our plans. I'm also going out to New Mexico on the 20th to see him. Sevrine is looking forward to it because she's going to get to see her Grandma Christine.

Well, it's getting late, and I need to lay down. BTW, the picture is Sevrine with her "aunt" Laura, my best friend. They're soooooo cute!!! I love this picture of them.

Bright and Early

2009-01-10T07:34:00.002-07:00

Well, once again Sevrine woke up with the Train. Thankfully at 7 instead of 6:30 like it used to be. Unfortunately, if I try and go back to sleep it will end up giving me a headache. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, but that's pretty normal for the weekend. I ended up staying up late to talk to a friend. So entertaining, I couldn't stop laughing.

Today should be fun. I bought tickets to go and see the Harlem Globetrotters so Sevrine, Mike and I are going. Sevrine saw the ad on TV for it and got really excited. Sevrine can be a little of a challenge at a big event like that just because she wants to go and see everything so I needed reinforcements. :) She'll love watching the basketball and the tricks and Mike can help keep her distracted so she wont run off. Hopefully. I guess there's a Supercross event going on at Chase Field so parking should be interesting. I hope it's not bad.

Sevrine and I went to a basketball game last night and it didn't turn out as I had expected. I honestly thought it would feel awkward, but it wasn't bad. It was different, but not bad, and Sevrine and I both had fun.

Well, we have to get up and get ready so we can webcam then leave for the game. Bye!

I'm surrounded by crazy people!

2009-01-07T22:37:00.002-07:00

The first week of this new year, has definitely been a strange one. It started off a little bit wrong, started to turn back around with the addition of some new friends, then has gone back to the twilight zone (not the vampire movie, the original lol). This new chapter in the drama that is my life is actually just a continuation of an incident from a few months ago, but has resurfaced. If you're lucky, you can ask and I'll tell you, otherwise you'll just have to be curious.

Sevrine and I went to the gym tonight. I have, yet another, new trainer to do my re-evaluations. Let's hope this one lasts more than a few weeks. I do like him though, I think he's going to kick my trash. I'm going to hate him tomorrow and for a few days after that, but I'm sure I'll come to love him as I notice more results. lol I do have some new goals to try and stick to, one being cutting out soda. Probably not 100%, but I drink way too much soda right now which isn't doing me any favors.

Well, time to wrap this up. More later.

"Calgon, take me away"

2009-01-06T19:52:00.002-07:00

I know we just got done with having days off for the holiday, but having to work the day after both Christmas and New Years has me all turned around. I don't feel like I really got to unwind or relax. I definitely feel like I just need to get away for a couple of days, and relax with some peace and quiet. Who knows. Maybe sometime over the next couple of weeks.

I don't really know what else to write. I'm always unsure of how much to put in here. I'll say this though, guys are confusing! :) So are girls! Now that's a long story. LOL Well, that's it for now. :)

Low blow

2009-01-05T21:53:00.002-07:00

Well, I almost wrote the most bitter post to date. lol Maybe writing it out was good therapy, even though I didn't actually post it. We'll just say it was kind of a low blow, and leave it at that. If you're in my inner circle, you already know most of the story anyway.

Well, it was definitely a Monday. Work wasn't too bad, but it was just a long day. I'm definitely in need of a vacation, and preferably somewhere nowhere near here. I think I just need to get out of town to relax and destress. We'll see how things go, I just need to figure out where to go, when, and whether or not I'd bring Sevrine with me. lol

Well, more later, and hopefully more upbeat.

long day

2009-01-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm being really bad and updating this from church. Oops. I know its bad, but I'm getting antsy. Today is Sevrine's first day of sunbeams. I can't believe she's getting so big! She was a little funny about it because she's so used to going to nursery that she was annoyed when I wouldn't take her to her normal classroom. I just hope she's behaving. :) well, I'm going to have to finish this update later.

Apparently the kids weren't very good in Sunbeams because they didn't get treats. lol From what I heard they disrupted Priesthood meetin as well as a few other classes. I felt kind of bad for her teacher.

Okay, this picture is from yesterday when we were out running around. Sevrine got to go see the movie Bolt again and we had a late lunch at the theater. We got to go shopping after that because she said she wanted to get earrings for her baby. We didn't end up getting the earrings, but she got a blanket for snuggling up watching movies and a few other things. We'll see how things go, but the goal is to keep adding pictures more frequently. Hope you all had a good Sunday!

Resolutions

2009-01-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well, welcome to a new year! This one didn't get off to the kind of start that I'd hoped for, but things seem to be improving.We'll see how it goes. lol

My new years resolution (or at least one of them): Take more pictures! It used to be that I had my camera out all of the time, now it stays safely in my bag. lol But this year my plan is to get it out and use it, and hopefully get some good ones of myself as well.

As some of you know, the hard drive on my laptop crashed and I lost all of my data, including pictures. I'm so bummed about it. Sevrine is pretty cool about taking pictures and will ham it up in front of the webcam so I know that we will be able to take some new ones, but man, there were some good ones on my computer. Oh well. There's nothing I can do about it now. Well, more later, and hopefully more pictures! :)

My girl is home!

2008-12-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sevrine came home this morning. It was so much fun to see her. She was so excited to see me and I was really happy to have her home. She couldn't stop talking about going home and seeing her bed. She was really funny about needing to see her bed. :)

So, now we are watching movies and snuggling in Mommy's bed. She's been a little clingy since she got home, but that is normal for her. She kind of got right back in to old habits though. I don't know how I'm going to break her of them, but we'll try again.

Well, she is trying to get my attention so I'll have to finish this another time.

Tis the season for bowl games

2008-11-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I should start by saying that I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Mine was different this year because Sevrine is up in Utah with her Dad until the15th of December. I got to talk to her on webcam though which was nice. I've been able to talk to her on the phone a couple of times too which has been nice. She's getting so big and grown up. I will get her for Christmas this year which will be nice.

So, those closest to me know thatI'm going a little nuts without her. It's really lonely without her here. That sounds weird, but having her around means I don't have to think about being alone. I hate doing things by myself. Not really sure what I'm doing today, but I'm sure part of the day will involve watching football. Oregon plays Oregon State today. Well, I guess it's time to go get ready for the day. ;)

So quiet

2008-11-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

Well, Sevrine is in Utah. I took her to the airport on Saturday morning so she can spend Thanksgiving with her Dad up in Salt Lake. I think that she is going to have a blast. It's been pretty quiet here. I have tried to keep busy while she is gone and Mike has been a big help. I conned him in to going to see Twilight with me. We were supposed to go and see it on Saturday, but we ended up going to grab sandwiches and watched Air Force One at his house. We did go and see it on Sunday though. I kept warning him that he could back out, but he said that he'd already agreed to go see it and wasn't going to back out. I think he now regrets that decision. It was awful. There was no character or story development so you missed out on all of background. It just kept jumping from significant even to significant even without any sort of explanation. Poor Mike. :( He's such a good sport. He did fall asleep a couple of times, but I honestly can't blame him. I definitely owe him now.

Thanksgiving is coming fast, which means Christmas is right around the corner. Yikes. Why is it that it just doesn't feel like the holidays?

Not really sure what I have planned for the next couple of weeks, but I definitely plan to keep myself busy. Mike might get sick of me by the time Sevrine gets home. :)

Where did the weekend go?

2008-11-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Where did the weekend go? Sevrine and I got a lot done this weekend, but I still need an extra day to just unwind. On Saturday we got up and went down to my work to pick up my computer cable then headed over to Target to get our pictures done, after that we went to see the Movie Madagascar 2. and then finally home to watch some football. The pictures turned out really cute. We wore our Braille shirts and Sevrine even sat still for the camera. I think this was the best one yet. Thankfully they were running online specials because of the holidays coming up so I got 50% off of my order. Sevrine did pretty good in the movie too, but she did get up to go to the bathroom twice. All in all, it was a pretty fun day. We made it home in time to watch the last of the Oregon State game and all of the Arizona/Oregon game. I'm tempted to go down for the Oregon State game in Tucson because if they win their last two games they're going to the Rose Bowl. I think they were saying that it would be the first time in 44 years that Oregon State had been to the Rose Bowl. We'll see though, I don't want to go down there by myself. Well, more later.

Still tired and still happy

2008-11-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

It's only Tuesday and I'm ready for the week to be over. :) Sevrine has been having a hard time going to sleep lately which means I don't get to wind down until late as well. By the time I'm able to finally stop listening for her sneaking out of her bed it's after midnight. So, needless to say, I haven't been getting very much sleep lately. It's kind of starting to catch up with me today. I'm definitey looking forward to having a break while Sevrine is gone. I'm already starting to make some plans, but will have to change my plans for the 22nd. I think the 22nd is Mike's Birthday. I had talked him into going to see Twilight with me, but I was thinking this morning about the fact that his Birthday is coming up and thought for sure it was the 22nd. So, not going to make him see a chick-flick on his Birthday. :)

Work is still going well. I picked up our Rome t-shirts yesterday and everyone loves them. Including the new GM. He has a great sense of humor.

Well, that's about all that's going on. More later.

Tired but happy

2008-11-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, this weekend was really busy, but really good. On Saturday Sevrine and I woke up kind of early because she had to see the train go by then we got back in bed and snuggled for a while. We got ready and went out to pick up Melonie from Time out for women to take her to her Soccer game. After the Soccer game we drove out to Phoenix to see Paul's Football game. Sevrine went home with the Burbanks for the night and I went out with Mike. I can't believe how long it had been since Sevrine had seen them, I think it was a couple of months. The kids were really excited to see her and Sevrine was equally as excited to see them. It made the night less stressful for me to have her spend the night at their house because I didn't need to worry about getting home to take a babysitter home.

I met up with Mike at around 8 and I think he must have just finished his workout because I ended up having to wait for him to get ready. We were trying to decided what to do for a little while and finally settled on a movie. We went down to the theater to see what was playing and decided on Role Models. It was hilarious, but there was a kid sitting next to us with his girlfriend that talked and laughed, really loudly, throughout the entire movie. It was really annoying. Mike and I both want to see the movie again, but hopefully without the obnoxious commentary. Sevrine and I are also going to go to one of his high school team's basketball games. Sevrine loves to go to games and yell for her team. Most people are surprised by how loud she can be and by the fact that she actually yells stuff that's applicable. She did the same thing when Maxx was wrestling. I'm excited to see it.

Sevrine leaves on the 22nd to go and see her Dad and it will be really quiet without her. That's a double edged sword. :( I enjoy the quiet while she's gone and that I don't have to worry about what she's getting in to, but I miss her so much too. I almost don't know what to do with myself. Everyone says to go and do stuff while she's gone, but those that really know me, know that I really don't love doing things by myself. Thankfully I've already roped Mike into going to a movie the day Sevrine leaves. Poor guy, I'm making him go see Twilight with me. I did offer to let him pick the next one though. :)

I'm normally not that productive when she's gone so we'll see how much I can get done this time. I did get a lot of my room organized a few weeks ago, although I still have a lot to do. Well, more later.

Hmmmmm

2008-11-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

Not really sure what to write today, but thought I'd try and keep this up on a regular basis. Sevrine and I have a big weekend ahead of us. On Saturday we are getting up early so she can webcam with her Dad, then we're going to pick up Melonie (My friend Dorothy's daughter) from "Time out for Women" and take her to her soccer game, then we're going to Paul's football game. After that, Sevrine is going home with them (The Burbanks) and I'm going out with Mike. Not really sure what we're doing yet, but it's a free night for me that I don't have to chase Sevrine and I get to sleep in. ;) All in all, it should be a fun weekend. I'm hoping that we can wear Sevrine out enough on Saturday that she won't have any trouble going to sleep at a decent time. It kind of worries me because she hasn't been going to bed until after 10pm most nights. I think she'll be fine, but then again, she might get really wired since she hasn't seen them in months. :)

Hump Day

2008-11-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well, the week is thankfully half way over. I feel like I was pulled in 50 different directions today, but also that I didn't get hardly anything done. I'm so ready for the weekend. I have plans this weekend with Mike, but have to confirm the babysitter situation with my friend Dorothy. I think that we're going to head out that way during the day anyway to watch Melonie's soccer game and Paul's football game. They haven't seen Sevrine in a while so hopefully it will work out that one of the kids can watch her. Otherwise I'll get Maddy to watch her and make it an early night.

Sevrine has been a challenge lately. She doesn't take a nap during the day anymore (not by my choice) and yet she still wont go to sleep until afte 10pm most nights. I'm not really sure why this is, but it's driving me a little crazy. She's still getting over a cold and cold medicine makes her really wired. The pharmacist said I could give her a half dose of nyquil, but that doesn't work either. :( I need to find something that will help calm her down. I took her on a bike ride on Monday night, partly so I could get a run in, but also to try and wear her out, but she didn't go to sleep until 10:30 still.

Kit posted new pictures on facebook. He's deployed in Djibouti, Africa right now and the pictures are of him and the guys shooting some pretty cool stuff, including a grenade launcher. It's cool to be able to see pictures and read his posts about what is going on over there. He has such a funny way with words. It's kind of funny because I think we instant message more now than when he was stationed in Tucson. :)

Well, that is about all that's going on right now. I'm going to go snuggle with Sevrine for a little while.

Election Day

2008-11-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm letting my mac site expire for a little while so thought it would be a good idea to get this started so I can still bore you all with my thoughts. :) I voted today. I'm not going to pontificate about the various candidates like so many do. For me voting is pretty easy. I vote Republican across the board. There are many people who will think that that isn't the best or smartest way to vote, but honestly, I think I'm voting smarter than most people. I know you're freaking out right now at that statement, but let me explain why. It's not just that they're Republican, it's that my Dad picked them. Before you laugh, you'd have to know that my Dad is probably the smartest person I know and I respect his opinion highly. See, I let him do all of the research then take his practice ballot to the poll with me. We have the same values so letting him pick is okay with me.

Okay, enough about that. I voted. :)

Let's see, what else is going on. Sevrine and I are watching a movie and really looking forward to Kung Fu Panda coming out on DVD this weekend. Sevrine and I saw it 3 times in the theater. :) There's so much to do over the next couple of weeks. Sevrine leaves on the 22nd to go and see her Dad for 3 weeks. I have to make sure she gets packed up, that she has enough warm things to wear since it's cold up there, even though some things I will let her Dad buy since she really has no need of winter things in Arizona. She and I will also be getting a family picture done next weekend wearing semi-matching shirts. Those that know me well, know that I'm into custom t-shirts. I normally find something online that I like then go down to Brand X and let them help me tweak it so it's completely original. Well, a couple of weeks ago I found a company online that prints "braille" t-shirts. They basically print any saying you want in braille on the shirt. I ordered a shirt from the website, but since it was coming from Edinburgh was going to take 3 weeks to arrive. Well, you all know how impatient I am so I called Brand X to see if they would be able to do a braille shirt for me. They downloaded the fonts from a website and set it up so they could do it for me. What a great group over there! So I ended up having one made. The shirt I ordered came in the mail on Halloween and I have to say that I like my Brand X shirt better. Well, when I got to thinking about Sevrine being gone for 3 weeks, I thought that it might be good to have another family picture done since the last one we took was when she was 2. We kind of did the matching thing then too, but we were both wearing brown. In this picture we will both be wearing braille t-shirts that say "cutie" on them, in braille on the front and written out on the back. Her shirt is pink and mine is black, so not too matchy-matchy. ;) I'll post pictures here when we get them done. Well, that's probably enough for now. More later.