Need your help...

I'm feeling a bit needy lately...

Here's the deal...when Steve was trying to get home from Moldova, due to all the issues they had with flight delays etc., he was given a voucher worth $400 from Delta airlines. As most of you know, we are planning a cruise in August which departs from Tampa, FL. Unfortunately, Delta does not fligh direct to Tampa. You have to make at least one stop with at least an hour layover. Even with our $400 voucher, the round-trip flights are going to cost an arm and a leg for all 3 of us.

Last night, I spent most of the evening on the PC trying 100 different combinations of driving and flying to get to and from Tampa and so far, everything I've tried has come out way more expensive.

I can get 3 round-trip air tickets straight in to Tampa on Southwest for $658. SOOOOOO......I'm wondering if anyone out there might be willing to buy these vouchers from me. I know that giving me $400 in exchange for $400 worth of paper for airline tickets holds no value for you, the potential buyer. I'm hoping you'll do it out of the kindness of your heart! I was going to put it up on ebay or craigslist, but first of all, I'm not entirely sure how the exchange would work AND I am not sure I could trust a buyer and they probably wouldn't know whether they could trust me. But with family and friends or even someone that you know personally, I think we'd all feel more comfortable than with a complete stranger!

I'd love for someone to tell me they'll give me $400 for the vouchers, but I'll take $350 and that's like getting a $50 off coupon! I really want to book those Southwest tickets soon because they are such a good prices. Ultimately, if I can't find anyone to buy them, well...I'm not sure what we'll do. I haven't gotten that far yet. :)

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

It's official!

Effective at 7:20am today, I became an official "Wii Waiter"!!! We knew that the Super Target in Spring Hill would have a shipment of Wiis this morning, but we didn't know how many.

When I asked the guys in Target what time they opened, they said 8am, followed by "good luck". Uh. OK. Steve set the alarm at 7am and promptly rolled back over when it went off. I laid there a few minutes wondering how I would explain to Jenna that we were too lazy to get out of bed and even try to get one. So, I went ahead, got dressed and headed to Target.

I had already decided if there was a line around the building that I would NOT be waiting. I got there and there were at least 50 cars in the parking lot. However, when I got closer, I figured out, it must be cars of all the workers because there were just a few people standing in line at the door. It was about 7:20 and 37 degrees out according to the truck's thermometer. I went up right behind an older man and his young teen son. There were three guys already there sitting on the Target bench, another man sitting on the ground, the father and son in front of me and me. I was the only woman in line, thank you very much.

I'm not sure who I expected to be in line with, but I was pleasantly surprised. I imagined there would be young men scalpers waiting to snatch the last Wii right before I could get one. But these guys, while young, were married and EXTREMELY funny, which made waiting all the more easy. If I had thought, I would have gotten out my camera and taken a picture of my fellow Wii Waiters. I have no idea what their names were or anything about them. All I know is that they wanted a Wii bad enough to come out at 7am (some earlier) on a Sunday morning to get one.

Anyway, as we were waiting, a Target worker came and as she was waiting on the manager to open the door for her, she asked if we were all waiting for a Wii. She said at Christmas, she did the same thing for her son and would be like number 4 in line and they'd only have 3...that's when I started to panic. I was number 6 in line and had no idea how many they would get in. I had heard the stories of "shipments" coming in just to find there are only 3 or 4 in the shipment.

About 15 till 8am, the manager came to the door, made sure we were truly Wii Waiters and started to hand out the golden tickets! OK, they weren't really golden, they were on red Target paper, but to those of us in line, they were GOLDEN! As the manager said, once you had a ticket, you were guaranteed a Wii, so there was no use in running or being crazy once they let us in. Now, mind you, I had been waiting in the cold since 7:20am and was number 6. It wasn't until about the time they started handing out the number that anyone else got in line behind me. So, I could have waited until 7:45 and still been good. At the point that I got into the store and was waiting on my Wii, they'd only handed out 10 tickets and they had 25 Wiis (I was told, I never actually saw all the Wiis...guess they have them under lock and key!)

They took two at a time, checked them out and then that was it. I was around the corner checking out other Wii accessories when I heard the "WOOOOOOHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" from #1 Wii Waiter who was the funny guy in line. The rest of us Wii Waiters laughed and cheered as he left Target with his Wii. Before I knew it, they called number 6 and I went forward to claim my prize. It took all of 30 seconds to check out (using my $5 off Target card) and that was it.

I walked out of Super Target in Spring Hill at 8:14am a proud Wii Owner, graduating from my short stay as a Wii Waiter.

I know probably nobody else really cares about this type thing, but for someone who minored in Sociology, this whole Wii experience was right up my alley. Looking at these other Waiters and wondering about them, their lives and how different we all were, yet life had brought us together for the same reason. It was truly a Breakfast Club moment. The #1 Waiter was somewhat of a Harley guy...Harley boots, chain, long hair in a pony tail, but otherwise clean cut. Then #3 Waiter was young, but already married, no kids. #5 was the man and his son. Behind me was an older lady (than me), and then behind her was a lady in her mid 60s I would guess getting a Wii for the senior center. How different we were...but all laughing and talking as if we were friends.

I walked out with the father and son who wished me a good day with my Wii. I'll probably never seen any of these folks again, although even if I did, I probably wouldn't recognize them or realize where I knew them from...

It was an interesting experience to say the least. And I'd sit and tell you more about it but Steve just finished hooked up the Wii, and so, well....you know...I gotta go. :)

Cruise-Shore Excursions...any advice?

OK, for all my readers out there, I need your tips and advice. We are going on a cruise this summer to the Caribbean. We will visit Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Island Roatan. I was told that I am able to book our shore excursions in about a month, so today I got online (been online about 2 hours!) to get an idea of what there is to choose from.

And I think I made myself more confused. First of all, there's so much to choose from, especially on Grand Cayman. Secondly, we have to choose something that Jenna (who will be 7 by that time) can/will enjoy.

Soooooooo....here are my questions to any of you who have ever been on a cruise either to these islands or somewhere else...

*What is a must see? Has anyone been to Stingray City on Grand Cayman?

*Would you book your excursions through the cruise line or through a local vendor? Last time we cruised (it's been 10 years!), we just booked everything through the cruise line because we didn't know better. This time, I was on Trip Advisor reading some reviews and saw where lots of people book their excursions and tours outside the cruiseline and it is a lot cheaper. I just wondered if anyone had any experience with this?

I know a bunch of you have cruised, some of you are pros...I'm just curious because any way I can save a buck, I'm going to!

Just email me if you don't want to post a comment. Any advice is appreciated. Even if you can point me to a good website talking about making the most of your cruise, that is great. After all, at this rate, it might be another 10 years before we cruise again!

Sandra

Lucky number 13!

So, I had my first weigh in at Weight Watchers today. I had no idea what to expect because while I was sick, I also haven't tracked what I was eating in 2 weeks. I was hoping to at least maintain.

Well, I am happy to report that I lost 2.6 pounds!!! I am down a lucky 13 pounds! I was so excited! I have someone every day that I am looking thinner and they don't read this blog, so I know they aren't cheating! I have just a few more pounds to reach my 10% goal and when I do, I have to select my REAL goal...so that will be interesting.

Anyway, thanks to all of you who are such wonderful supporters and cheerleaders! You are keeping me going and that's worth more than what I can put into words!

Oh, and a very quick thanks to everyone who ordered magazines. If you ordered and didn't tell me, please let me know because I didn't get any reports of who ordered. Carrie-I know about you...thank YOU and enjoy your guilty pleasure!

S-

Fun while it lasted...

I guess I had one good day and that was Saturday. Well, Friday was OK too, but by Sunday, I was sick again. Luckily, it wasn't the stomach virus sick from last week, but it was what I affectionately term, "the crud". It's what us Tennesseans get when the weather is 60 one day, 40 the next and then snowing 4 inches a day later. It started as a sore throat (probably caused by drainage) and now my voice is almost gone. I did go to the clinic at work today and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and severe allergies. DUH. I got an antibiotic to get rid of the infection and they told me to take Mucinex D for the drainage. I started feeling better a couple hours after taking it, but I have to drink about a gallon of water because it's such a strong decongestant. Tonight, I'm feeling a little better (about 75%), but the voice is nearly gone.

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. And I'm definitely looking forward to better days ahead.

:)

Back Among the Living-Just in Time for a Snow Day!

I finally feel like I am truly back among the living just in time for a wonderful snow day! The snow started earlier than we expected last night and we were out in it. It was touch and go driving for a while. We passed a car slid off on it's top on I-65 on the way home. Because of the way the front was moving, the southwest got the snow first and so "the hill" was pretty dense. But we got home fine and at 7am, Jenna came running in all aflutter about the snow. We managed to stay inside until about 9 and then we all bundled up and went out. Even though it was freezing, the wind wasn't blowing and so it didn't feel as cold and so we shed quite a few layers after a while.I guess this was probably the most snow Jenna had seen in her short life. It's probably one of just a few good snows I actually remember. The best was the snow about 5 years ago that dumped 10 inches on us! This time, we got a good 4 inches!Our first order of business was to build a snowman. The snow was great packing snow, but it's clear we don't live in a snowy portion of the country because our snowman looks more like a cone head than a Frosty. But Jenna did a lot to make this snow man and Steve and I really worked ourselves to get him looking good. Unfortunately, Frosty fell forward on his face as the sun rose and is slowly melting away already. Gotta love Tennessee weather!

After the roads had melted, we went out on a few errands. After my scrapbooking retreat, I wanted a desk light with a full spectrum bulb and I had gotten this idea for my scrapbooking room. I wanted something like a 2x2 with hooks on it in which I could hang my sticker protectors. So, off to Lowe's we went. I picked out the 2x2, then the pink spray paint and golden hooks. Brought it all home, put a couple coats of paint on the 2x2 and showed Steve what I had in mind and voila! Here it is. I have only hung up one of the protectors yet because I'm sorting through my stickers. There are some that I've had since I started scrapbooking and I'm giving those to Jenna to play with. I still have a fair amount of baby stickers I was holding onto in case I were to get pregnant again and so I'm pulling those out and putting them aside for Gage's book (if I ever get around to starting it). I didn't get very far in the organization, but you can at least see what I've done to the room. I think the pink compliments the green walls and I can't wait to get some pictures and other accessories to go in there.

Let's see...couple other exciting things...my friend Angela emailed me last week to announce she is expecting baby #2! She is such a fabulous aunt to her nieces and nephews and now a great mom to her son that I am totally stoked that she is pregnant again! In other baby news, my friend Farrah had her baby boy a week ago Thursday. She and her husband (and family and friends) are totally excited. I have to go see her as soon as I feel that this stomach bug is totally out of my system. I still have to take her a baby gift and now she's got a nice order of scrapbooking stuff I need to deliver.

Finally, tomorrow the new Super Target in "the hill" opens. I cannot wait! Just to think that I will have no more than a 5 minute drive to a Super Target (the only one in Middle Tennessee) is about more than I can stand! Next weekend, the Kohl's opens. Then, soon to follow, Books A Million, a multiplex theatre, an already opened Logans and Cracker Barrell...there's so many stores coming that I can't even name them all, but I will not have to leave the hill for anything other than work and church (and that might not even be for long!).

OK, I think I'm only about 95% back to capacity, so I'm beat after my romp in the snow today. Jenna is asleep on the couch with me and Steve is watching TV in our bedroom (which probably means he's asleep too. We lose an hour tonight with the change to daylight savings time, but it will be so nice to have an extra hour of daylight too.

Stay warm!

Magazine Sale...Over tomorrow March 7

For those of you that are infamous procrastinators, I forgot to add that Jenna's magazine sale ends tomorrow, March 7. After that, you can still order, but she will not get credit for it. Should have mentioned that in the first post, but just forgot.

As for me, I am feeling better. The stomach upset is definitely gone. I'm still battling a dizziness of sorts and I'm unsure if that is leftover dehydration symptoms or something different. And then I also have a pretty bad headache hanging around at the base of my head in the back. I did make it in to work this morning, but by noon, I was pooped out. I picked Jenna up from school and came on home with the intention to not sleep, but just rest and relax. Well, about 30 minutes on the couch and I was snoozing away. I'm up now trying to stay awake...it's harder than I thought it would be. I'm about to see if Jenna will come read to me and see if that will keep me awake.

A trip to the ER

Well, last night, I made a trip to the emergency room. I was feeling "OK" all day, but slept most of the day. No huge trips to the bathroom which was good and I kept down a few bites of food all day. About 8:30pm I took an Immodium to try and calm my stomach which was rolling still and then a Tylenol PM to help me rest since I'd slept almost all day. About 10pm, I rolled over in bed and even with my eyes closed, I felt like I was being spun all around. I opened my eyes and the room was spinning like crazy. It was the craziest feeling. Then I started to get really hot. And I knew I was about to pass out. I tried to sit up and Steve got the trashcan. Luckily, I never passed out all the way and I never got sick. I did have to run to the bathroom though. I just felt really bad at that point, so we just went on.

We dropped Jenna off at Steve's mom's house on the way. Bless her heart, she took it all in stride. The folks in the ER were nice and my nurse was super nice. They got me on a IV bag full of fluids and some Phenergan for the nausea. About 30 minutes afte that, I got sick again (go figure), so they gave me Zofran. That worked well, but it made me double tired but then I felt like I had to move every 20 seconds. My mouth was just so dry. Anyway, once the lab work came back it showed that everything was fine except for my potassium which was low. They sent me home with a prescription and the movement of the ride home, put me right to sleep. I guess we got home about 2am and I crashed and didn't wake up until about 11am. I've slept nearly all day but am feeling much better, just extremely fatigued.

I am thinking I might get up and try to shower here in a bit. I anticipate going back to work tomorrow if I can, so you guys keep me in your prayers...

I'm sick

There's not much to say except that. This time, it's the worst kind, if you know what I mean. I guess it started last night after dinner, my stomach was just feeling "blah". You know the feeling...not really hurting, but just "blah". So, I turned in a little early and at midnight, I got up to go to the bathroom and it hit. I was in there a while and then had to get the trashcan. Oh, what fun. This went on for 4 hours or so. Back and forth bathroom to bed. Clearly I didn't make it in to work. And until now, I didn't have the energy to even log on so my out of office at work wasn't on and my voice mail didn't reflect I was out. I have literally been in bed all day long. Most of the bad stuff stopped about 4am and in between sleeping, I've had a little diet Coke, a couple of Jenna's popscicles, some grapes and crackers. My stomach is growling so I know I'm hungry, but nothing sounds good. Steve and Jenna are on their way home with some gatorade and such, so that will make me better. :) I missed my Weight Watchers meeting today which is a pity because after last night, I'm sure I dropped a few pounds! Isn't it awesome how God works?! :) Seriously, I would NOT recommend this as a weight loss plan.

My last comment is that it is a true loving husband that will clean a vomit-filled trashcan just so his wife can mess it up again! God love him!

Fundraiser for Jenna

Hello everyone! It's that time again for school fundraisers. This time it is a magazine sale. I always order and renew my magazines through this fundraiser, because it's nearly always cheaper than doing it the regular way.

This year, the school is going GREEN and so everything is online. Rather than emailing all my friends and family and begging them to buy, I'm posting it here and hoping that some of you will support here. At least doing it this way, it feels less like an obligation than a personal email.

OK, so if you are interested, go to www.dlcs.lipscomb.edu and there is a link that will take you directly to a form that gives our school credit for your purchase. You'll have to register, but then you can select what you want online and pay right there. Or if you prefer, go to www.qsp.com and click the link that says something like "Just shopping". Make sure that "David Lipscomb Campus School" is selected and that you enter Jenna Grace Taylor as the student you are supporting so that she can get credit.

If you aren't into magazine, but still want to support the school, you might be interested in the music that QSP has for sale. And if that doesn't interest you, you can contribute to the DLCS Annual Fund. A donation of $20 will equal one subscription purchase. If you are interested in this, let me know or go to the school website to get more information about donating.

Thank you all so much for your support!

Fun weekend!

I had such a great weekend! I took off at noon (ish) on Thursday and about 3pm, we headed to a state park just a little south of us. "Us", being Rachel and I. Thursday night, we scrapbooked until after midnight. Friday, we made it to 2am and then last night, we turned in at 1am. No morning were we later than 9am getting started. It was marvelous! We do this every Spring and Fall and it is by far one of the things we look forward to for months. I'm sad that it's over now. And I have to wait until October to go again! But we both got so much done. Rachel is actually quite nearly caught up, so I may be scrapbooking alone for a while!

I am sure Tuesday will be a sad weigh in day because when we are there, they bring in dinner and lunch and there's not much to choose from. I'm sure I gained at least a pound back. I might go run/walk tomorrow and try to get it off before weigh in!

Micah and Gage came and stayed with Steve this weekend. I got to spend about 2 hours with them when I got home this afternoon. After scrapbooking some old pictures this weekend which included the kids, I was feeling a little homesick to see Micah. And of course, you know how much I love seeing my baby boy! I got some good pictures, but I have not had any time to post them.

OK, that's about it for a while. I am about to post a little about Jenna's upcoming magazine fundraiser, so stay tuned...

Exciting news!!!!

I've been awaiting approval to post this for a while...I finall got it today, so here's what you've been waiting for!

We have some exciting news to share from the Taylor household (no, I’m NOT pregnant!)

Most of you know that Steve has juvenile diabetes in which he was diagnosed when he was only 8 years old. Luckily, Steve’s been able to control this disease fairly well through the insulin pump he wears and we are fortunate that he has not experienced many of the side effects that come with uncontrollable highs.

Unfortunately though, Steve’s biggest struggle is keeping his blood sugar from going too low. A couple years ago, he was fitted with an insulin pump which supplies his body with preprogrammed amounts of insulin, but it still cannot imitate his pancreas. When he has a “low”, he goes into insulin shock or what is more appropriately termed a diabetic seizure. Some of you reading this (family especially) have had the experience of seeing this when it happens and it is very unnerving.

These episodes have happened everywhere…the beach, church (while pushing 8 toddlers in the bye-bye buggy), at home while alone with Jenna and while sleeping. However, I think the most frightening place this can happen is while driving. My first experience with that was Halloween many years ago. Jenna was just an infant, still in her carseat. We had taken her out to her grandparents house since she was too young to trick-or-treat. We were just a few miles from home, when Steve commented, “Oh, NOW I know where we are!”. Uh, excuse me…I didn’t realize we were LOST?!?!?!?! Of course, I knew immediately what was going on. But he was already glassy eyed and would not listen to my pleas to pull over. Finally, he did stop at a red light and I threw the car into park and jumped out in an attempt to get him out of the driver’s seat. To make a long story short (too late!), we got home safely that night, but it involved police officers and a LOT of explaining!

More recently, he had a diabetic seizure while driving home from work on the interstate in rush hour traffic (which also means Jenna was in the car with him). When he “came to”, Jenna was out of her car seat and had crawled up in the front seat of the truck, crying and trying to get him to drink a Coke to bring up his blood sugar. Needless to say, this shook us all up quite a bit thinking of what could have transpired. Had he wrecked or gotten stopped, he could have hurt someone or had his driver’s license suspended. I think this might have been the only time he (and I) was thankful for SLOW TRAFFIC!

Anyway, all that to say, a few weeks ago, we were flipping TV channels and came across a talk show featuring a young boy with juvenile diabetes and his mother. Normally, we wouldn’t have stopped to watch, but for some reason we did. Turns out, this woman was the founder of an organization called Heaven Scent Paws. They train dogs to alert when a diabetic’s sugar begins to drop. We were just amazed to watch this young boy’s dog in action.

So of course, when they gave the website, I got right on to investigate. At that time, they didn’t have any openings for the 3 week training classes, but I bookmarked the site and continued to check back. Much to my surprise, a few weeks ago, there were new classes posted with openings. I went ahead and filled out the application not knowing whether we’d qualify. The very next day, we received a phone call that our application had been processed and we could receive a dog!

Steve is set to go for 3 weeks to train with his dog in April 2009. I know that sounds like a lifetime away, but we know how quickly time passes. And there is much to be done…we will begin fundraising soon and all of you will be hearing from us with more information.
We are very excited and can’t wait to keep you updated as things progress. I encourage you to check out the website of Heaven Scent Paws in the meantime!

I’ll keep you posted!!

EXCITEMENT!

WE HAVE A SNOW DAY!!!!

First one since I think Jenna has been in "real" school! It was so cool and Jenna is swinging from the rafters ready to go play in it. Unfortunately, as an adult, we don't typically get snow days, so I will be taking her in to work with me shortly and trying to get a few hours in. She usually does pretty good... But it is very exciting to us, even though there's really not much snow. I'll have pictures and maybe video in a bit.

Second exciting thing that happened is that at my weigh in at WW yesterday, I lost .8lbs which took me over the 10lb mark!!! Hip Hip Hooray! I was so excited! Thanks for all your support!

OK, Jenna is yelling at me for breakfast so we can go out. I haven't even showered this morning yet, so I better get to it....more to come.

Let's see...what is going on with the Taylors?

Well, this past weekend Steve and I celebrated Valentine's Day. We went to the Melting Pot on Saturday night which is a once a year (if that much) event for us. The V-day special is quite pricey but it's about the only time we'd ever splurge. I tried to be good all week with my Weight Watcher points and then Saturday, because I got up kind of late, I didn't really have lunch, but I ate so I wouldn't be ravenous when we got there. Rachel and Hannah kept Jenna while we went to eat and to see Spamalot (thanks Rach!). Anyway, I ate some of everything at the Melting Pot. Which included very yummy bread with cheese fondue as well as dessert. I know dessert was probably dangerous, but most of what I ate was fruit, albeit, fruit dipped in WAY DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE!!

Anyway, all that to say, I knew I was going to gain at my Tuesday weigh in as I didn't have any days that I could squeeze in exercise. I thought about turning in my "no weigh" pass and skip the weigh in all together. But my friend at work, Nancy, warned against this. She said if I had a bad week I should weigh in just to see the results. So, I determined I would go, but just thinking about gaining made me feel anti-social so I decided I would weigh, but NOT stay for the meeting.

I got on the scales and the lady recorded my "progress". She didn't say anything and I didn't feel like looking at the stupid book to see the damage. On my way over to tell my friend I wasn't staying for the meeting, my curiosity got the best of me and I opened my weight tracking book anyway. I honestly have to tell you, I had to look 3 times because I absolutely could NOT believe what I was seeing. I LOST 2 pounds!!! WHA?????????????? I have no idea how that happened other than God was merciful because He knew I at least tried to be good!! That puts me at a total weight loss of 9.6lbs and this is starting week 8. I get a 10lb sticker when I reach that milestone, so I'm busting my butt this week to get that sticker! I've exercised yesterday and today. I'm probably not eating as well as I could, but I'm still watching my intake closely. My first weight loss goal is 10% which is 17 pounds (yes, I basically just told you what I weighed when I started)...I am over 1/2 way to that goal and I am feeling fabulous! I can feel the difference already in my pants which were getting so uncomfortably tight. I'm thrilled and I am thinking I can now see it in the mirror too. YAY!

OK, that was an awfully long post about my weight loss...but now you know. On another happy note, we have filed our taxes and will get a nice sized refund soon. We have most all of it going into our savings for our summer vacation which is a CRUISE! I'm so proud because as soon as it hits, we will have enough to pay for the entire vacation including the excursions we decide to do. Unfortunately, my family in Florida is not going to be able to go and we are totally bummed. So, if any of my friends or family reading this is interested in tagging along (at your expense of course!), we are going in August and to the Carribean...shoot me an email and I'll tell you all about it. We just think it will be more fun with another family, but believe you me, we will go alone and have fun regardless!

I'm trying to think whether there is anything else going on...I guess not really. I can tell you that I am thoroughly enjoying this Sunday night service thing at our church. The past 2 weeks, I have not even gotten out of my pajamas until around 2-3pm when it was time to leave for our activities. It's not like I haven't worked because I'm doing stuff around the house, but I just do it in my PJs. In fact, while preparing for my scrapbooking retreat in a couple weeks (I'm literally giddy about this), I went up in the attic to search for some older pictures. I found a bunch of boxes full of stuff that just came with us when we moved and it's stuff I can donate, so I am planning to do that this weekend. In fact, I'm looking forward to it.

Well, that's about it. Everything else is status quo...busy as usual. I'll be back shortly to update you more.

If you notice the time of this post, you'll wonder what the heck I'm doing posting at 1:30 in the afternoon on Friday. Jenna's school had an in-service day today, so Steve kept her the first 1/2 of the day and I took the second half off. YAY! It's a beautiful day (for February), and Jenna would rather watch TV than play outside, so I am going to take the opportunity to catch up on my blogging.

I had a weigh in this past Tuesday. I didn't know what to expect, but I had only exercised 1 time, so I knew it wasn't going to be spectacular. I still managed to pull off -.8lb. I'm down nearly 8 pounds and believe it or not, I can tell it in my clothes. This next week is going to be really bad because I've not eaten as well and tomorrow night, we have reservations at the Melting Pot which means lots of chocolate fondue for dessert. Luckily, lots of what they give you to dip is fruit! I'm still going to post my progress (or lack thereof) because you all have to keep me accountable!

I found this cool website that teaches you how to go from "couch potatoe" to running 3 miles a day in about 2 months. I think I might start doing this next week. I never had the desire to run a marathon, or even 1/2 marathon for that matter, but I would really like to enjoy running. I mean, how many fat runners do you know? Right. Me either. And running a few miles at a time takes less of a toll on your body and joints than marathon running.

What else? Not much going on in the way of work. As usual, I'm staying busy. I had more of a slow week this week and I was so glad for the breather. Next week will be a full week, but then the last week of February I'm taking 1/2 day on Thursday and all day Friday to go on a scrapbooking retreat and I am SO stoked about this...I look forward to it every spring and fall. Rachel goes with me so it's a very productive girls weekend.

We really don't have plans except for the Melting Pot and to see Spamalot tomorrow night. Some of you know that Steve became really close to a young teenage girl while he was in Moldova. A few months ago, she came to the US to go to school and she is coming to visit us this weekend. She'll just hang out with us and do whatever we normally do. It will be interesting for her to see how this crazy family lives!

I guess that's about it. I had my Subway sandwhich (Rach says I'm going to turn into one!) and now I'm starting to get sleepy. I don't foresee a nap in my future, but I will at least get to lay on the couch. It will be just Jenna and I tonight while Steve bowls. We'll have to find something to get into or we'll drive each other crazy!

What Did I Do Today?

Well, pretty much nothing. I haven't gotten out of my PJs all day long. I had to re-read my last post to see what I had typed. I had some serious medicine head at that time. I think I mentioned taking some Tylenol Severe Allergy. Apparently, for what ailed me, that was the wrong thing to do. My head was completely clogged. You know, like when you've cried really hard and you are 100% stopped up and there's no air passing through? That's what happened to me after taking that. I could not even swallow without choking. It was a little scary. I went to bed in hopes that laying down would help. It did just enough. I would wake up every hour with my mouth feeling like it was full of cotton. Finally about 12:30, Steve told me that I had waited long enough and maybe take an Actifed. At that point, I was willing to try anything, so I took 2 and it was like a miracle! Minutes after I laid back down, my head cleared and it was heavenly. But, all night, I felt like I was wide awake, so I didn't sleep well. Friday I went on in to work, but was pretty tired all day. After work, Rachel and I went shopping to prepare for our scrapbook retreat in a couple weeks. Last night I slept well and slept until almost 9am. My nose is still a little stuffy, but sitting around all day has been oh-so-nice!

Actually, it's not like I haven't done anything. I just haven't GONE anyway. I cleaned the kitchen and did the laundry. Tomorrow, our family will begin attending the evening Sunday service at church, so we'll get to sleep in again and then do our church activities tomorrow night instead. I can't tell you how stoked I am about having a free morning.

But something else I have done today in preparation for my scrapbooking retreat. I went through a ton of old pictures in order to maybe get them into albums during the retreat. I had in the back of my mind that I wanted to put our wedding snapshots into an album and maybe one of these days put all my growing up pictures into a real album. The problem was finding where I had put all of them. I finally found them and lo and behold, I had already put them together and organized them. Apparently, I had that idea a few years back and I forgot about it. I have my pictures from the year I was born up until high school. I also have all our wedding activities together and then several years of vacation photos before Jenna was born. It's a tall order to get ALL of those into albums even with a long weekend, because I have to still get caught up on the current album as well.

Anyway, that's what I've done all day. So while I stayed in my PJs and never left the front door of my home, I have accomplished alot. Tomorrow I will iron and get groceries. It will be a bit strange grocery shopping on Sunday morning when most folks are in church. It has got to have been 30+ years since I slept in on a Sunday other than when we were out of town or sick!

For now, I'm off to bed!

Thanks to everyone who emailed me earlier this week to be sure we had survived all the bad weather and tornadoes that blew threw on Tuesday night.

It was very bad and while the city I live in was spared, several counties south of us were hit and mostly devastated. Check out this website to find out how you can help. Union University has a blog and to the right, you can view a slideshow of the devastation.

I am sick YET AGAIN. I started sneezing today at work and now I literally cannot breathe at all! I think this is the 4th time this season that I've been sick and I am quite getting tired of it. Don't know what to do about it though. I took 2 Tylenol Severe Allergy and now I'm about to fall out. My ears are stopped up and I am miserable. It's not that I feel so bad per se, but trying to breathe wears me out and really ticks me off that I'm even sick at all.

Oh, one more update...I can't believe I'm just now posting this...I had a weigh-in at Weight Watchers on Tuesday. I was in such a mood that day that I thought if I didn't lose, no one would want to be around me at all. Guess the good Lord was looking out for me because I lost 3.2lbs! I'm down almost 7 pounds!

OK, I am off to bed in hopes that my head will explode and relieve the pressure or it will get better during the night.

Catching up...

Sorry for the delay in updating everyone. I've gotten several emails regarding Steve's job situation and I had a weight in for my WW last week. So, let's get right to it because I have a laundry to do!

I'll start with the least important which was my weigh in last Tuesday. Well...it just didn't go so well. I knew that the week hadn't been as good and that I'd probably gain but you know, I was just hoping against hope that I'd be wrong. I wasn't. Of the 5lbs I'd lost, I gained back 1.4. :( But I had determined before not to let a gain bum me out. It's the first of many I'm sure. Just like my struggle with reading the Bible/devotional every day, I'm not giving up after just one setback. I realized in 2 weeks, I probably ate Subway like 6 times and lost 5lbs. Last week, I didn't eat there at all and I gained. Hmmmm...maybe that Jared guy was on to something! This week I had Subway twice!!!! :)

As for Steve's job situation. It really got bad last week. He just really has a hard time with the owners of the company. They are what we in the south would call, "Good ole boys". The owner, co-owner and operator of the company all went to school together and regardless of whether they can run a company, they all have jobs there. Given how they did him when they first purchased the company (remember, Steve was the ONLY one they didn't have a place for?), they already had black marks in Steve's mind. And then things have just built one upon the other until Steve has such a deep seated hatred and bitterness for these guys. Then his manager quits and rather than letting him work out his 2 weeks, they tell him to pack his stuff and get out...well, that just topped it off. It was really bad. The night I posted and asked for prayers, Steve had called me sobbing. Do you know how hard it is to listen to the one you love the most cry and not be able to do anything about it? It's awful.

Anyway, we have talked about this off and on since then and Steve just felt like God was not answering his prayers. Let me preface by saying, there are two prayers that I've been praying for years...one was for another child and the other to provide another job for Steve (that's been going since before wanting a second child) and God's answers have consistently been "no". I don't know why and I've gotten to the point that I don't question it. Just know it's for the best and go on. Steve was just asking for a peace when he is in the office and to be able to function without this bitterness and hatred, but he just can't. He says he prays every day and it just doesn't help. I told him maybe it wasn't enough...maybe he needs to pray every hour. Every minute if that is what it takes. Everytime he has to open an email from one of these men, pray before he does it. It's the only other thing I could think of.

Well, yesterday, he told me that the day had been better because he had prayed more frequently throughout the day. PRAISE GOD! I had prayed so hard that morning that God would reveal himself to Steve and give him peace for the day. I love it when we see such a direct answer to our prayers!!

We still don't know what will become of the company (they say nothing...they won't close) or of Steve's job when they hire a new manager. But we are taking it one day at a time.

Thank you all for your prayers and emails and words of advice. I have passed that on to Steve and he does appreciate them all.

I guess that's about it today. We have some pretty exciting news to share, but it's not time yet (and NO I'm not pregnant!)...Hopefully I'll be posting soon!

Urgent Prayer Needed

I'm calling all of you out there that believe in prayer...

Those of you who have been reading for a while know what we were going through a little over a year ago with Steve's job. And earlier this week I mentioned that Steve's manager at work had turned in his resignation. This really sent Steve reeling as this man (a Christian) was very much a mentor, a friend and someone who stood up for Steve many times. While Steve was still trying to get his feet under him, the owners came in today and told Steve's manager to just pack up and go.

I can't tell you what this has done to Steve. You know how you get angry on someone else's behalf when you feel they've been "done wrong"...well, that's how Steve feels. For at least 4 years now we've prayed that God would remove Steve from this job and provide something else. And each time, God's answer has been a definite "NO". I have spent more tears and prayers asking for guidance over this for Steve.

Given all that's happened this week and in the weeks leading up to this time, we believe that they may indeed shut his part of the company down soon. I can honestly say, without a doubt, this is as low as I have ever seen Steve in our marriage of nearly 12 years. He has shed tears, even sobbing, feeling that he is in a field all alone with no direction on where to go. He is angry with God for allowing the injustice of it all and he truly does feel all alone. I am at a loss for what to say. Steve knows deep in his heart that God has a plan for him and that if he will be still and wait that He will provide. However, when you are in the midst of the storm, it is hard to be still on a boat that seems to be rocking back and forth perilously.

I am crying out to you to stand in the gap for Steve right now. Pray for a peace of mind and focus on God. And pray that God will give very clear guidance on what we are to do. Also, pray for me that I will have the right words to say to Steve to soothe him. I feel that because I have begun to get my spiritual life back in order that Satan is attacking me by attacking the one that I love the most. I refuse to give in to him. Please approach the Throne as often as you think about for us.

Thank you dear friends...

First, thanks to you for all your prayers. Steve's dad is FINALLY home! He took a little spill the evening he got home but thankfully he wasn't hurt, but had to have his grandson come help him up because Steve's mom is in no shape to be handling him. We are just so thankful that he is OK. They both have a very long road of recovery and need your continued prayers.

I've been crazy busy at work with meetings solid for the past two days which makes me very behind on my regular work, emails and phone calls. I am afraid that this is just the beginning though. Also, this week Steve found out his manager is leaving the company. This manager has really done alot for Steve...taken time to teach him, mentor him and really been his advocate. He truly has saved Steve's skin several times. Of course, now we are back to wondering what in the world will happen and whether Steve will have a job in the future. We are praying sincerely about it. I feel the Lord is telling me that if we will just be still, He will take care of us. But being still is way too hard! :) Just something else to put on the prayer list!

Really, there's not that much else going on. No exciting plans for the weekend, but I'll keep you posted.

Health update

Couple of health updates for you...

First of all, thanks for all the prayers for Steve's parents. His mom is still recovering and doing pretty well. Still a long road ahead. Steve's dad remains in the hospital with some hopefully minor complications. Keep them in your prayers...

Also, not on a health note, but on a prayer note, remember my niece in your prayers...I'll call her "G" since this is a public blog...she's embarking on a cross country drive to the west coast. She's only 19 or 20 and I'm sure this my BIL and SIL worried sick. Pray for her and them. The Taylors sure have a lot going on right now.

Finally, ending on a happy note, I had my second weigh in at Weight Watchers today and lost another 2.8lbs bringing me to a grand total of 5 lbs! I was very happy, although trying not to let my day/week be determined by what the scale says every week.

That's about it for now. Will try to keep everyone posted this week.

Just a few quick words...

Thanks to all of you who read my last blog (epic) and commented on the blog or in person. I have found so much support through all of my friends. Just remember, this is an ongoing journey for me and your prayers are still needed.

Thanks again for those that have asked and prayed for Steve's parents. His mom is still at home and recovering. We went by the hospital last night to see his dad and she was there visiting. She just looked so much better being by his side. If there's one thing I wish for Steve and I, it's that we will be as much in love with each other after 50+ years as his parents are.

His dad is doing OK too. He looked good last night and you could tell he felt better with Mary at his side. They are hoping he will be able to go home tomorrow or Tuesday if things continue to go well. Because of all the blood thinners he was on, he's still passing some blood and they were checking that out tonight. We haven't heard the results of the test yet.

Neither of them are out of the woods totally yet, so keep them both (and all the Taylors) in your prayers.

Well, tomorrow is MLK day and Jenna is out of school and I'm off work. Hooray! I have no plans except to do a tiny bit of work at home and then maybe have lunch with Hannah and Rachel. I'm supposed to go to a jewelry party tomorrow night and Steve and Jenna are going to the DLES girls' basketball game. But we'll have to play that by ear depending on what's going on with the parents.

That's about it for now.

Life Changes...My story (finally!)

Well, here we go. I'm going to do my best to outline what I have been going through the last few months of my life and what made me decide to implement some life changes...

Before I start, let me give you all an update on Steve's mom and dad. Mom is doing better, but still has a LONG way to go. Steve's dad went into surgery to have his defribrillator inserted late this morning. I went to the hospital to sit with the family for a while. The surgery ended up taking nearly 4 hours. It was very difficult and there were complications. Apparently the doctor didn't get the wires placed exactly where he wanted them, but everything came out fine and now it's just the recovery. While we were in the waiting room, I was witness to the people sitting behind us being told that their loved one did not make it through surgery. It was awful to hear and it was very surreal to be a witness to someone's life being changed so dramatically.

That's a pretty good segue way into my story...


For quite some time, I have not been where I need to be in many areas of my life. Most of it has to do with my spiritual life. I had tried over and over to pray more, read more, study (not just read) the Bible more. And I'd try and do well on these things for a while but then I'd miss a day, then I'd get back on track. Then I'd miss another day or two but get back...you know how it goes. Eventually, I'd give up trying...at least for a while. After a period of time feeling guilty, lost and frustrated, I'd try again. And I'd fail again.

My life as a mother and wife was the same way. I'd think I wanted to do better with being a good wife. Being married nearly 12 years, you just lose some of the romance that you once had if you aren't careful. I'd decide I wanted to do better with that and I would for a while. I'd make a mental note to do something nice for Steve or do something that I wouldn't normally do and then I'd forget and slip back into my comfortable life again.

I'd promise that I'd do better at reading to Jenna, at playing more with her rather than sitting in front of the TV or the computer. I'd do that for a few days and then I'd think I was entitled to a few hours in front of the TV. Before I know it, I'd be yelling at her to be quiet so I could hear the TV.

Then there was the physical part of it. I'd try to go buy clothes and I'd get depressed over how overweight I'd gotten. I'd join Weight Watchers, lose a few pounds, gain a few, lose a few and then get frustrated that I couldn't eat what I wanted and just give up.

And somewhere along the way, things went from bad to worse.

Spiritually, I was as dead as I'd ever been. I just gave up trying to do any kind of Bible study. I did my morning devotional which took about 5 minutes and that was it. No praying, no nothing. I'd still have a good time in Sunday worship. The music still brought my emotions to the surface and I still loved to hear the pastor preach. I'd even pray during the prayer and altar time. But then, I noticed that started to taper off too. I got to where even though I enjoyed the music, it didn't touch me like it used to. And I found myself making mental to-do lists during the sermon rather than listening. And it wasn't long until the fact I was SO far away from God just didn't even bother me anymore. And KNOWING that it didn't bother me bothered me. But I didn't do anything about it. I just didn't care. I began to contemplate whether I wanted to even continue going to church seeing that I was getting nothing out of it.

Maritally, my relationship with Steve became more like a roommate relationship. We were in a routine...get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed. And then the next day started it all over again. We were barely talking and while we weren't unhappy, the spark was missing. And again, I just didn't care to do anything about it. I figured it was the same as the spiritual things I was going through..."WHY BOTHER?? Not like anything's going to change anyway."

Physically, I really quit caring. I just ate what I wanted, when I wanted and I enjoyed every minute of it. I quit looking at myself in the mirror and I certainly didn't go clothes shopping. It got bad enough that I resigned myself to buying my clothes as Lane Bryant so that I would be comfortable. No reason to diet because I was just destined to be this size. Might as well enjoy the food while I could.

Even financially...I'd tell myself that I needed to not spend any money on wasteful things and things we really didn't need. And then I'd go to Target and spend $125 on just random stuff.

But outside of the spiritual slump, I think it was parental responsibilities that suffered most. Looking back on it now, it's almost more than I can take thinking of how badly I treated Jenna. It got to where I would find any excuse not to play with her. I'd just as soon as sit in her bedroom all night with the TV on so I could watch my TV or read or work on the computer undisturbed. I was so, SO short tempered with her. I was NOT being the parent I knew I could be.

It was almost like I was addicted to spending, food, eating, ignoring my family etc. I knew I needed to change, but I had failed in EVERY aspect so many times, that I decided there was no point in trying anymore. This is just the way I was destined to be.

I'm sure to most of my family and friends reading, this is probably a pretty big shock because I rarely let on to any of them (even my closest friends) what I was going through. I mean, why talk about it when nothing was going to make any difference? I had an idea that if I could get my spiritual life back on track, that the others would fall into place. But my spiritual life was probably what was the furthest off track.

And then, something happened...I was at church one Wednesday evening in August maybe? I was sitting in the hallway with Rachel waiting on the girls to get out of choir when a mutual friend of ours, Jamie, walked up and was just all aflutter about a new Bible study that she and Rachel had attended for the first time the night before. She asked me why I hadn't come since it was located right in the little town that I live in (as did she and Rachel). So, they invited me to the study and I decided right then, that this would be a good thing for me to do. I always try to participate in things that are happening in "the hill" because I really enjoy not having to commute 20+ minutes to get to and from activities. So, the next week, I picked up the study book and headed off to the Bible Study leader's house. She lives just in the subdivision across the street from me and it's probably only about 200 yards from me as the crow flies. I didn't know hardly anyone in this study. I knew the leader mostly from seeing her singing in the choir and from our Thailand trip. I knew a few of the other ladies by sight, but not personally. But I can honestly say that this group and study turned my life around. It was a Beth Moore study and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I didn't miss one Tuesday night! And just so you know, the facilitator of this study, who graciously opened her home to all of us women is Leigh Ann whose blog link you can find right here on my page (extremely entertaining writer, so be sure and check her out).

It didn't happen overnight. In fact, it took the entire study before I realized what I had been going through. I had allowed Satan to talk me in to living a defeated life. Everytime I tried and failed at changed, I was defeated a little more until I didn't have the courage or energy to try again. And that's EXACTLY what Satan wanted. He has nothing to worry about as long as you are sitting around on your rump not bothering to try. It was during that study that Beth Moore mentioned living a defeated life and that was the moment that Satan's attack was revealed. Very slowly, I realized I DID care about what was happening to me after all. And I wanted to change. But I wasn't going to make these pie in the sky promises to make a miraculous turnaround. I knew I could only change a tiny bit at a time if I wanted to succeed at all. For me, complacent = defeated. But not anymore.

I joined Weight Watchers and I have NO EXPECTATIONS from week to week. My first week's goal was simply to buy and take a multi-vitamin and TRY to eat better. Not to deprive myself of eveything that tasted good. I met my goal and lost a few pounds in the process.

I bought the Chronological Bible, the Apologetics Bible and the archaelogical Bible and I committed to read the Bible every day. And if I missed a night, then I committed to not give up but to keep trying again and again as long as it took me to be successful. Leigh Ann gave me some good advice and that was to not expect too much of myself in this area. If I didn't get to read in all three Bibles or missed a day or two or even three of reading, just to pick it back up and try again. I have kept this in mind as I go and so far, I've managed to read AND make notes in a journal I bought about the things I am learning. The new Bible Study has started and I am doing that nightly as well. My time with my Father is just wonderful now. I still have a LONG way to go, but I am definitely making my way back.

I try to pray every day. Not just a quick thanks, please help and forgive me prayer, but a real, ACTS prayer (adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication) on my way to work after dropping Jenna off. Some mornings, I forget or my cell rings, but I don't allow myself to feel defeated. I just pray when I do think about it or try again the next morning.

I'm praying for more patience with Steve and Jenna. And I can tell you, I feel the difference! I will look at Jenna and the word "patience" just comes to my mind and heart. I know it's God's nudge to remind me of my desire to become more patience and loving toward her.

Life is just improving all the way around. Last week during the video for our first week, Beth Moore talked about God pursuing us. And it was so crystal clear to me. I could see in my minds' eye, God pursuing me through my friends, Rachel and Jamie, by inviting me to this study last fall. During those long, dry months of my life, as far away as God seemed, He NEVER stopped pursuing me. I picture Him walking the halls of our church and standing near as He nudged Jamie and Rachel to invite me to the Bible study. And I wonder how many times He was there, coming after me over and over again, trying to encourage me to turn back to Him, but I just was too involved in myself to feel His tug.

Like I said, it has not been easy and I'm no where near where I need to be in any of these places of my life. But I did not end up where I was overnight and so I will not be able to dig my way out overnight.

I won't quit though.

Not this time.

Not ever again.

I've been pursued by the Father. And I'm going to do my best to pursue Him back.

Isn't this a great picture?

Trying to catch up...

I know I haven't blogged in a while, but as many of you know, we've had quite a wild ride around here. Steve's mom and dad have both been in the hospital this week and his dad's condition is pretty serious. It was very touch and go for a while and so I've been a might bit distracted. They are hoping to do surgery tomorrow to insert a pacemaker which hopefully will help out alot.

We've had alot of other things going on, so I'll try and touch on a few here...

Finally, here are some pictures of Jenna at her first horseback riding lesson 2 weeks ago. This weekend is supposed to be bitterly cold, so I doubt they will have them this week. She's going to be disappointed, but that's just the way it is. It's better for the horses to have a week off when it's so cold.

Jenna is finally back in school and we have settled into our routine again. On our last day off, it was about 70 degrees (yes, in January!) and so we spent some time at the park. Since everyone else was already in school, the park was completely deserted and I took the time to really play and be a kid again. Here we are in the tunnel slide. I'm embarrassed to say that I could barely fit in it! (it IS a kid's slide after all!)

Speaking of not being able to fit into places...I had my first week's weigh in at Weight Watchers on Tuesday and I lost 2.2 pounds! Hooray for me! I worked pretty hard at eating better. My goal for the first week (besides losing weight) was to get on a multi vitamin, which I bought and have started. This week's goal is to take the stairs at work more. I only work 2 flights up and in the mornings I always walk up. But many times I ride the elevator. Week 3 I'm going to try and get at least one day of exercise in. I'm starting with very small goals so as not to get discouraged. Thanks to all my fabulous cheerleaders! I have had friends I didn't even know read this blog encourage me and that was just wonderful!

Oh, and something so very exciting for me (and other girls I know) is that my women's Bible Study started again Tuesday night! I have SO missed this time. I never remember looking forward to and not wanting to miss a study like I have with this group of women. It's also fabulous to be able to leave and arrive at my house 1 minute later! Living on the outskirts of town usually means at least a 20 minute commute! I am eventually going to post a very long post about my life changes and everything I've gone through in the last 6-9 months. It's definitely a journey I've been on and I have been thinking for some time about blogging about it, but it's one of those things that I have to have time to sit down and think about and really spend time doing. Hang in there with me because I'll get to it. It will be a very personal post though.

Don't forget to also keep Steve's parents in your prayers...

First day of...

Several "firsts" today. It was Jenna's first day back to school after the holidays. It was my first "real" day back to work since the holidays.

Another first was on Saturday, Jenna attended her first horseback riding lesson and loved it! I have pictures, but I don't feel like uploading them now. It was freezing cold and rainy, but not enough to stop them riding. I stayed out the whole time and watched. I know it must have taken me about 2 hours to thaw myself out!

Today was also my first WW meeting. I'm not EVEN going to tell you how much I weighed in at, but suffice it to say I have to lose 40 pounds to get to the HIGH end of my "ideal weight" (who thinks of those things anyway!?)

Another first for me is that I tried to give blood. Yes, key word is "tried". It really wasn't the first time because I gave about 9 years ago at work and ended up sitting on my head because I quite nearly passed out. But that was forever ago. Time to give it another shot (no pun intended), right?!

Not so much.

I ended up on my head again. Not just feeling like I was going to pass out, but nauseous and clammy etc. So, my motto is, "Once a fainter, always a fainter." Neither time did I go all the way out, but it is most uncomfortable.

I'm beat tonight, partly because I'm a huge bag of blood short and the other because I am back to getting only 7 hours of sleep when I have gotten used to at least 8 1/2!

Enchanted

Today is my last day off work so after Jenna and I visited my dad for a while, we went to see Disney's new movie "Enchanted".

I have to say, as far as movies go, this one is one of Disney's best in my opinion. It was just a sweet movie and if you have a young girl, I highly recommend this movie. Especially if your little girl is into princesses...I can't wait for it to come out on video...

Tomorrow it's back to work for me and I'm not looking forwad to it. How many days until MLK day??????? :)

Happy 2008!

Well, it is a new year already and I have resolved not to make any New Year's Resolutions. I think I'm probably the last person alive that actually did them, but this year, I'm not.

Last night, our friends, the Millsaps, came to spend the evening with us and watch the ball drop in New York. Rachel and I scrapbooked until almost midnight and if you can believe it, the two girls stayed up to watch the ball drop as well!

This afternoon, I was scrapbooking and Jenna looked out the window and screamed, "It's SNOWING!". I thought she was just fooling around, but I looked out and much to my surprise, it looked like a blizzard! The picture doesn't do it justice, but Jenna had a fit for the whole 5 minutes it lasted!

Last year, my new friend Leigh Ann started the Chronological Bible and read it through in a year. During our Bible Study this fall, she (and others) raved about it, so today Rachel and I started reading it as well. I haven't gotten far (obviously), but I am SO looking forward to it. I also have my Apologetics Bible and the Archaelogical Bible to go along with it. Cool!

I'm off work tomorrow but then I'll be back on Thursday and Friday and then one last day off on Monday before having to go back full time.

For now, I'm off to read!

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish all my loyal readers a Happy New Year! I hope 2008 brings health, happiness and hope to all of us! More tomorrow!

S-

Confessions...

Webster defines the word "overweight" as "weight over and above what is required or allowed or excessive or burdensome weight ". Well, this is my confession.

I am overweight.

I know there are readers that are more overweight than me. But since this is MY blog, this post is about me and me only.

I'm not going to tell you exactly how much I weigh, but I will tell you that I could lose 50 lbs and easily be within my "ideal" weight range. I have dieted off and on for some time and never lost much more than 10 lbs or so.

I gained quite a few pounds during the in-vitro to have Jenna and then subsequent tries for a sibling. The past few years, I have used the excuse "no point in losing weight if I'm just going to get pregnant and gain it all back" to avoid actually committing to losing. However, it's painfully clear that it's ridiculous to use THAT excuse anymore!

But I realize that if I don't take control of this problem now, then it is not going to get better and will begin to affect more than just my physical appearance. Already, I'm to the point of having to shop in specialty stores to buy jeans and I won't even tell you what a fiasco buying undergarments has become. I experience more reflux than I used to and this year I didn't ask for clothing store gift certificates for Christmas because trying on clothes is depressing enough to make me leave the stores in tears.

I know that most of you probably think I'm exaggerating and some of you just may not have ever stopped to pay attention. However, what I say is true and I need to lose weight.

Come first of the year I will join Weight Watchers again and try to lose some weight. It will not be easy and I have absolutely no will power whatsoever so that will be interesting in and of itself. But I have to do this. For my health, for my family relationships, for ME.

Right now, I don't like me. I don't like the wife I've become. I don't like the mother I've become. I don't like the PERSON I've become. There's so much change that needs to happen with me but I have to start somewhere. I have personal goals spiritually, mentally, physicially and financially. Personally, I believe if I start with changing/improving spiritually, the others will come in time.

Why am I telling you this? Because I need as much support as I can get. If you are a pray-er, then pray. If you aren't, then support me however you can...just positive thoughts will help. I'm going to need as much as I can get. Feel free to hold me accountable. Feel free to ask me how it's going. Remember, I have no willpower, so the support is welcome and needed.

Thanks for taking this journey with me.

Merry Christmas!

I know this post would be so much better if I had some pictures to go along with it, but I'm worn out (as most parents are!) and just don't feel like uploading any.

This morning started early...about 7:45 which is not as early as it could have been. I woke up at my usual work time around 5:00 and went back to sleep until about 7am. At that time, I woke up and the thought crossed my mind to get on up, get my contacts in and my teeth brushed, but I didn't. And then just 45 minutes later, Jenna comes busting into the room.

I remember a time not too long ago where it didn't matter what was opened, she would tear through the gifts not stopping to see what they even were and the fun was over in just minutes. Now, she is slower, looks at things, poses for the camera and even lets Steve and I open one here and there. This year, she was old enough to notice that Santa used the same wrapping paper that Mom and Dad did. She also can read enough to know that some of the gifts I was saying Santa brought had from Mom and Dad on the label. She also noticed that Santa gave her and her daddy several of the same things in their stockings, but she knows that Mom and Dad fill each others' stockings because Santa only fills the children's. I guess the easy Santa days are over. Now comes the part of wrapping things with different paper for Santa and being careful with my handwriting. And I know several people whose kids started figuring things out about 7 or 8, so it won't be much longer. I never realized how short this time was.

Anyway, Jenna had a nice Christmas. I got her every DVD on horses I could find and bought her a Barbie jumping horse whose legs move like it's jumping and it whinnies and neighs. It was by far her favorite gift. I got several things for my scrapbooking room including a nice high back chair. It will make scrapbooking much easier on my back. Steve got a couple nice shirts, pair of jeans and a silver ring.

Our evening was spent with Steve's family who I truly enjoy being with. We did a gift card exchange which everyone thought was fun. Steve and I got a $25 gift certificate for Outback from his mom and dad which with what we got from our other family gathering is $50 total. I got a Red Lobster gift certificate in the exchange which makes us having $50 for that too. Steve ended up with Saltgrass for $25, so that will get us a decent meal there. Jenna got $25 from Grandmother and Pacockey. I also got gift certificates from Target and TJ Maxx from Chase. We'll be eatin' free for a while! I kind of wish I'd gotten a few more Target cards because there are several things I didn't get from my list that I'd still like to have.

Tonight after Steve's family, Micah, Chase and Gage came to the house and did their exchange. I think they were all pleased. Chase got a bunch of shirts and a couple gift cards from us and he really seemed pleased. I like that because it means I am still somewhat "in touch" with what the "young uns" like to wear!

Now, I'm about to put my girl to bed and get in bed myself. I'm off work tomorrow and plan to get all these Christmas decorations put away. I'm back to work for a few hours on Thursday and Friday and for whatever reason, I just can't stand for Christmas decorations to remain very long after Christmas is over. However, turning off the lights on the tree downstairs tonight for the last time was depressing. But I guess I'll blink and we'll be celebrating again next year.

To all my readers...Merry Christmas. Let us remember the real Reason for the season.

Merry Christmas Eve...

There is so much I need to blog on...I'll start with tonight and go back in time.

Jenna is in bed already waiting on Santa and his reindeer to arrive. Tonight, we had our friends the Millsaps over. My family no longer gathers on Christmas eve and I miss all the appetizer goodies that we had. So, I fixed a spread enough for an army. The six of us aren't an army, but we did our best to put a dent in the food. Rachel brought some goodies of her own to share and between the two of us, we have full tummies! The girls exchanged gifts and hade a great time as usual...

And though it wasn't my blood relatives over tonight, it was family. Family that I'm so glad to have.

The next best thing to family is my church. We went to Christmas Eve service tonight and it was just awesome! At the end, all 3000+ of us lit candles and as pastor Mike closed the service, one by one, all the candles went in the air. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the picture in my mind's eye is beautiful!

OK, so Saturday night, our church hosted the Michael W. Smith Chrismtas concert. It was OUR choir and OUR orchestra backing him up. And it was awesome! Our pastor always tells us that we are the coolest church around. And after this concert, I can say it is definitely true. Check out my friend Leigh Ann's blog. She is in the choir and her entry is way better than anything I could write. But be assured...it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was awesome! Melinda Doolittle and the Katinas were there as well.

After the concert, we decided to tag along to my sister and brother in laws house for a little early Christmas surprise. For some history, Debbie, my SIL has loved playing the piano for...well, ever since I knew her and long before as I understand. But she's not actually had a piano in her home. Every Christmas, we'd enjoy her playing over at my other sister in laws house at Christmas. Because she was in the choir backing up MWS, she was gone all day Saturday and that's when her hubby had her new piano delivered. It was very cool to witness her excitement upon discovering the treasure in her own home.
Friday night was the night my family decided to get together for Chrismtas. While the whole family wasn't able to attend, most of them did and it was enjoyable. We did a gift card exchange and that worked out well. Steve and I ended up with Outback and Red Lobster which we really enjoy! The kids got several nice things and thus starts the Christmas influx of gifts.
Back even a little further to Thursday which was Jenna's Christmas party at school. I had missed the Harvest Party so this was the first time I got to go and help out. It was fun and they had made so many cute things. Take a look at the reindeer and wreath they made!
And lastly before I got to bed so Santa can come...here's a picture of another sunrise here in the "hill". One of these days I'm going to wreck my van trying to take a picture of these beautiful creations.
Well, I'm getting tired and it's taken me nearly 45 mintues to write this up, so hopefully Jenna is sleeping soundly by now. I'm going to take care of a few last minute activities and then I'm off to bed myself. Somehow I think it's going to be an early morning and a long day!

Merry Christmas Even to you all!

Time to celebrate...

Several things to be happy about today:

Visit my friend Rachel's blog. I'm certain she'll have this exciting news posted very soon....

Her little girl, Hannah, has always been terrified of Santa. In fact, she liked him so little that Frosty the Snowman brought her Christmas gifts each year. Without telling you the whole story, Hannah sat in Santa's lap this afternoon (after hours of standing in line) and there are pictures to prove it. I am so proud of her! The sad thing is that it just goes to show, our babies are growing up. Go Hannah!!

That was a wonderful way for Rachel to celebrate her birthday today! So a big happy birthday goes out to Rachel on her special day!

Also, this afternoon at work, I got an email stating that due to having a good year, our offices were also going to be closed on December 31! YEAH BABY! I am stoked! And it doesn't even count against our vacation time. It's just fabulouse! Couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift. OK, I would have liked a huge $10,000 Christmas bonus, but this is pretty good!

Shortly after that email came a message from our SVP stating we could begin our holidays any time we were ready. It only took me about 10 minutes to finish what I was doing and cut out! It's been a great day all around. We are about to leave to do my family Christmas. It won't be complete because not all the family will be there, but I'll take what I can get.

Will post pics later.

Sandra

Second Post of the Day

It's 10:44am and this is my second post of the day.

After a long evening of shopping last night, I decided all I wanted to do today is sleep late, wrap a few gifts for Christmas, relax and read a magazine or book.

Well, apparently, I've forgotten how to relax. And sleep late. I got up at 7:45 and felt like I'd slept 2 days. Of course, during the week my alarm goes off at 5am and on a good night, I get 7 hours of sleep, so technically, getting 8 1/2 today was sleeping late for me.

I just finished writing 1/2 a page of "Things to do" today. And I'm sitting here feeling like a slug for not already having some of them done. What is wrong with me? Oh yeah, I'm a mother...it's what we do. :)

OK, I'm off to start my list!

Warning: Political Rant

So, I must post a short rant.

Yesterday morning, I was watching TV/news while getting ready for work. And a story came up that I'd heard previously, but chose to ignore because it fires me up. For whatever reason, I decided to listen more closely. It was about a local county school district lawsuit brought against it by a Jewish mother regarding "religious activities" in the school. You can read more about it here. Anyway, the crux of the issue is that she is upset because the school "promoted" such things as "See You At the Pole" and praying parents on it's website.

Now, don't misunderstand, I get their complaint (not that I understand or agree with it), but that wasn't my problem. My problem was the comment from one of the opposing parties that basically said the big issue was that there were teachers from the school participating (and by way of participating, promoting). YEAH. SO WHAT???!?! So now, are they saying that as a teacher, you cannot freely choose to participate in a prayer program in your workplace? Does this bother anyone else? Of course the ACLU is going to say that, but what if the judge rules in favor of the lawsuit? Does anyone realize what that means? It is just one step closer to government telling us what we can and can't do. Now, you can't pray in the place in which you work because it might offend someone. It's a very scary thing to me. It's like telling people they can't smoke in parks. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that they've banned it from restaraunts here and next summer, my workplace is becoming totally smoke-free meaning you can't smoke anywhere on the property (and no, there's no "designated" spot). But when the government tells you that you can't smoke OUTSIDE in the air...I don't want to smell it or have my kids smell it either, but that's just stepping over the line a little isn't it? I don't know, but all I'm saying is I get an uneasy feeling about it. If you are going to spin your wheels on something like that, then state smokers can't be within XXX amount of feet of a children's play area.

I don't ever get on a political soapbox about anything. Mostly because I'm ignorant when it comes to politics and don't know enough to argue about it. But the story yesterday about the lawsuit on prayer....well, it literally brought tears to my eyes. If my child were in public school and there was a Jewish celebration advertised, I wouldn't be offended...I would ignore it as it doesn't apply to me. And if I found out that several teachers attended, I'd think, "Hmmm, I didn't realize they were Jewish" but I wouldn't bring a lawsuit. What is the world coming to?

The story has a humorous side too...“Today it came out that the Doe family, the mother came in and taught the children about Hanukah in the classroom,” said Fox. HA! So it's OK for her to come into my child's classroom and teach them about HER religion when my child doesn't have a choice but to sit and listen, but it's NOT OK for a teacher to voluntarily go pray with a group (both on school campus)? What's wrong with this picture?

But by far, the most humorous part of the story was this, "After giving attorneys instructions to file paperwork with him by January 7, Judge Robert Echols wished the court a “Merry Christmas.” After a few snickers and giggles, he realized some in the courtroom might be offended by that and wished them a Happy Holidays."

And God laughed.

There is a name...

...to the rash that Jenna has. I finally broke down and took her to the doctor this afternoon because this morning the rash was still pretty pronounced and I just wanted to be sure that it wasn't anything serious.

The doctor took a very close look, called in another doctor for a second opinion, looked at the dermatology book and diagnosed Pityriasis Rosea and is apparently nothing to worry about. It is a skin rash, not caused by allergy, but by a virus. Our favorite doctor prescribed her something to help with the itching and told me to give it a week. It can actually last 2-6 weeks or longer. Hopefully it won't take that long because it is annoying I'm sure. Thank goodness that's all it was.

So, while I was waiting on the time to come to leave and take Jenna to the doctor, I get a call from Steve saying he was going to the ER with chest pains. He didn't think it was anything serious, but it was hurting bad enough that we thought we had better not take a chance. Luckily, everything they did at the ER came back OK. They still want him to go do a more extensive stress test, so we have to get through that. But thank the good Lord, things were fine.

I'm still fighting a mean sinus infection/cold. I can't seem to kick this mess. I'm on day 4 of a 5-day antibiotic and still got some serious congestion in my head.

I'll keep you all posted on the health of the Taylors!

"Hot Cross Buns" like never before!

I'm sure you are all wondering about my title...well, today, Jenna stood up in front of an audience and played "Hot Cross Buns" on her violin! I was so proud of her! She'd been taking lessons since August from our church's worshipping arts area. For those that may not have ever played, violin is pretty difficult. I didn't think she'd learn enough in these few short weeks to be able to participate in a recital, but she did. I even gave her the choice on going or not and she wanted to. I heard her practice several times and to be honest, I was a little worried. I prayed right before she went on stage and she played perfectly. After it was over, I resisted the urge to stand and shout, "That's MY girl!!!!" When she rejoined us in the audience, she was smiling from ear to ear. I could tell she was proud of herself too. I am sad to say that as good as she did, she has retired her violin (we only rented it) and does not intend to play any instrument for a while. She's got her heart set on horseback riding lessons.

This is Jenna and her violin teacher Ms. Morgan...she is extremely talented and unbelievably patient.

Something else going on here in the house...yesterday afternoon, Jenna developed a rash on her torso. There are little red welps all over her belly, chest and back. I didn't really know what to do last night so I put some calomine on them and once she quit scratching them, they went down. This morning they looked better so I figured it was just some fluke. This afternoon, when she woke up from her nap, they were all red, blotchy and welped up again, so I ran her down to the Minute Clinic. Unfortunately, the nurse practioner didn't have a clue as to what they were either. She said it wasn't chicken pox, scabies, poison ivy or measles. Most likely, it's hives or other allergic reaction, but I have wracked my brain to figure out what it might be. We are pretty predictable though, so nothing has changed that I can put my finger on. While at the clinic, I bought some Aveeno oatmeal bath and some hydrocortisone. We used both tonight and it appears that between the two, it's easing the itching and therefore, the bumps are receding a little.

Other health news, I'm sick...AGAIN. I started feeling "not right" on Thursday afternoon and Thursday night I was miserable sneezing, stuffy, sinus pressure making my head feel like it was going to explode. Friday morning I didn't feel AS bad, but I started some antibiotics just in case. Last night Rachel came over to scrapbook and I didn't feel nearly as bad as I did the night before. Today was rough. I didn't sleep well last night and so it was tought to get going this morning. I took a nap after the recital and made Jenna do the same because she hadn't gotten in bed till nearly 11pm and then up at 7am too. After my powernap, I felt better and feel pretty good when I'm up and moving around, but then on the flip side, I don't feel like being up and moving around. I've got no fever, and really would be fine if not for the sinus pressure. I'm going to have to go in and see the doc I think to get on some allergy medicine. What is it with this family and allergies?!?!?

I guess that's about it. I finally put up a little Christmas tree in our bonus room. We never get to enjoy the main one downstairs and it's too fru-fru for my sentimental ornaments. So, Jenna and I put up a little 4 1/2 ft pre lit tree in the bonus room and it just feels so Christmas-ey!

I guess that's about all the news from the Taylor household now. Tomorrow my goal is to get some Christmas presents wrapped. We'll see how that goes... :)

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I can't seem to find the time although I think of things I want to blog about all the time!

The day after Thanksgiving we got the Christmas tree up. We haven't decorated as much this year because it doesn't seem that we can find the time. We have limited Jenna's extra curricular activities to two at a time, but I think we need to cut that back to one. Our church is adding a 3rd worship service on Sunday night and what that means is they are going to move children's choir up to 4pm and since we don't get home from morning activities until 1:30 (if we eat out for lunch), so there's some decision making about to go on here. I wonder when I'm going to be able to get all the Christmas presents wrapped.

Yesterday, we had the Taylor Family picture done. The last one was when Steve was married the first time. Chase wasn't even 2 yet! Since Steve and I had been married 11 1/2 years, I thought it was high time for a more updated picture! Not to mention, there are several children that weren't in the picture...Anyway, I was again reminded how much I enjoy being around the family. I just LOVE my sisters in law and can't wait until Christmas! Here's just a sample of the pics...

Last night, Jenna did her choir program at church. I think I teared up through most of the entire thing. When we were on our way to school/work this morning, I asked her to teach me one of the songs they sang. It's not long and it's got a pretty catchy tune. When she started teaching me the words, I began to really hear them and thought I'd share...

"Our God is a great big God

Our God is a great big God

Our God is a great big God and He holds us in His hands.

He's taller than a skyscraper, deeper than a submarine.

He's wider than the universe and beyond my wildest dreams.

And He's known me and He's loved me...since before the world began.

How wonderful to be a part of God's amazing plan."

What really struck me was the part about God knowing me and not only KNOWING, but knowing me and loving me despite myself. And He loved me before He even created the world. Think about that...HE LOVED US BEFORE HE EVEN CREATED THE WORLD. I mean, if that doesn't bring tears to your eyes...and then yes, how very wonderful to be a part of God's most amazing plan. Just think, of all the billions of people in the world, each one of us are part of a huge plan that God has for us. Awesome.

Anyway, I couldn't finish the song because I kept getting choked up. Jenna finally asked me if I was crying. I tried to explain to her how cool it was about God loving and knowing us. Not sure she understood, but it was an interesting conversation.

Not much else to speak of. Check out my friend, Rachel's blog. She blogged about several things (like the Steven Curtis Chapman concert) that I haven't touched on because I'm busy and then by the time I have time to sit down and blog, I've forgotten 1/2 of what I was going to talk about!

That's about it. I'm going to try and keep everyone updated as the holidays approach, but you all cut me some slack...after all...it' s the holidays!