Its Good to be Home

Confession: As much as I love weekend road trips to get away from it all, I have mixed emotions about them upon my return home to reality. For example.....

Last Friday evening after work, we loaded up my car and headed up the interstate to beautiful Lake Martin, AL for the holiday weekend. It was fabulous. Our whole family was there; the four of us, Brent's parents, his sister and her husband and their two girls. We spent the mornings drinking coffee on the porch overlooking the lake and cruising around on the boat. In the afternoon we took the little ones swimming at the pool. We dined on home cooked meals at night and on the 4th we feasted on the traditional smoked ribs and grilled corn. YUM!! The weather was perfect, and thanks to that I can actually claim to have a tan this year.

It was a relaxing getaway that I hated to see come to an end. Because as usual, I knew what would await me upon our arrival back in Mobile: last week's laundry plus the laundry that accumulated over the weekend, a kitchen with no groceries, and a house that needed a little more cleaning that was done before we left. So as has become my custom I have spent most of my weeknights playing "catch up" on all of the things that I normally do on the weekends, but couldn't because we were gone. I do this so that the upcoming weekend will still have hopes of being somewhat of a weekend..meaning I am not dealing with not one but TWO weeks of piled up laundry and cleaning.

Luckily we are in town the rest of July. This is good for several reasons.

1. We have been out of town 3 of the last 6 weekends. I am tired and need a break from traveling. Especially in a small car with two small children, a husband, and all of our stuff - half of which never seems to make it out of aforementioned small car which creates one more thing to add to my "to-do" list.

2. I am not too proud to admit it gets expensive traveling so much by the time you factor in gas, boarding my 60 lb chocolate lab, food, and the inevitable unexpected necessary (and sometimes unnessecary) purchases that tend to get made on the road.

3. I need time to prepare, and I mean seriously prepare, for our next out of town road trip. We will be spending the entire first week of August at my absolute favorite place in the whole wide world (more about that later). I can't wait and I have LOTS to do!! I need to make packing lists. From the packing lists I will need to make shopping lists. A shopping list will mean that at some point I will have to actually go shopping to purchase items on the shopping list. Then I will have to pack. Pack bags, pack the car, you get the idea. Oh yeah-and lets not forget about doing as much laundry and housework as I can so its not staring me in the face when I return.

So there you have it. My love/hate relationship with traveling all summed up in this post. I know it may seem complicated, but traveling and I are working it out one trip at a time.

The Boot Camp Experience

Four weeks ago I began what I like to think of as a new chapter in my life. For those of you who have been reading what few posts have actually made it to this blog, you may recall this post. And shortly after, I wrote this post. I am sad to say that as determined as I was I did not go cold turkey with what my friends and I now refer to as "The Meagan Diet" on May 1. However, I can still say that I am 10lbs lighter than I was that day at my Dr. appt. So that just goes to show that even small changes in your diet can have a big impact without you even realizing it.

Anyway, back to the new chapter in my life. Four weeks ago is actually significant for two reasons. First of all I turned the big 3-0. I don't think this milestone warrants much more explanation; although, some great friends helped make it a super special day! The story is definitely blogworthy and I promise to write about it later. Second of all, three days after my birthday, I attended my first boot camp class. If you have not heard of boot camp, let me give you a brief explanation. It is four weeks of high intensity, kick your butt, make you sore in places you never thought possible work outs. I LOVE IT!! And I want to give a big shout out to my friend Abbie for inviting me to sign up and do it with her. We signed up for three days a week, but you can also sign up for 4 or 5 days a week. The classes are 45 min long and offered several times a day at various locations. You can go whenever and wherever its convenient for you. The one Abbie and I do is on our lunch break at Pump It Up, here in Mobile. Don't let the pictures fool you. Those inflatables that my 3 year old would jump in for hours are not that fun when you've got a trainer pushing you!!!

But I have to say, the results speak for themselves. In four weeks I have lost a total of 9 inches!! My clothes fit better (and bigger!!). I feel like I have more energy and I can tell that my endurance is building up with each class. Another reason I find myself attracted to this boot camp thing is that I love seeing so many different women (and some men) with different body shapes, sizes, and athletic ability come together with a common goal and really encourage each other. I have made friends these past four weeks I wouldn't have made otherwise. Oh - and I forgot to mention that when you sign up you also get nutritional counseling. It sounds corny but it really is a lifestyle change. I signed up for the next session the other day when I went for my assessment. It doesn't start until July 12 and I just know I'm gonna miss it next week.

If you live on the Gulf Coast and are interested go to http://www.bodiesbycindy.com/ and check it out!!!

May: The Series

I am devoting the next couple of posts to events that happened in our lives during the month of May. I had every intention of actually documenting these events as they took place (back in May) but as you can see that didn't happen. From now on when it comes to blogging my motto is "Better late than never." So here goes. I hope you enjoy!!

I'm Still Here

For those of you wondering if I had abandoned this poor little blog, I have not. I have just been really, really, really, really, really busy these past few weeks. I know that sounds like a cop out, but I am not exaggerating. Two weekends ago I took the girls to the beach for a long weekend. The following week I had my wisdom teeth removed. Then Haley had two birthday parties to go to on the same day and last weekend we cleaned. And cleaned. And then cleaned some more. But I am extremely overjoyed to announce that I now have a clean house, clean clothes, clean sheets, etc. So that pretty much sums up my absence from the blogging world. I wish I had something insightful to write about after staying away so long, but I dont. So on that note I will end. Until next time.....(and I promise there will be a next time!!)

Easter Fun

Last weekend I got to take a break from the craziness of April and enjoy Easter with my family. Actually it started last Wednesday. Haley had her very first Easter egg hunt at school. I was a little worried since she hadn't really had any experience, but she did great!! I never did take the time to count how many she got, but let's put it this way: her basket was so full that by the end of the hunt when she would lean over to pick one up, I had to catch the two or three that fell out. I tried to explain to her that if she would hold her basket up instead of sideways she wouldn't lose any, but she was too focused on getting eggs. We had another egg hunt on Saturday at a golf club Brent's parents belong to. She and her cousins (who are younger than her) had to compete against some older kids, so she didn't walk away with that many eggs. We still had a good time and the food was yummy. I am just thankful the rain held off!!! On Sunday we went to church. After sunday school, we went and got Haley from her class and brought her into "big" church with us. I am not sure what possessed us to try this as she is not really known for being still or quiet for an extended period of time, but she actually did really well. And the cool part is that I know she was listening at least part of the time because she would lean over and whisper what the preacher had just said. We ate lunch at Brent's parents along with his sister, her husband, and their two girls. After lunch we held the third Easter egg hunt of the year in the backyard. The day ended with a viewing of Princess and the Frog and a consumption of too much candy courtesy of the Easter bunny. Now its back to the grind. I am praying these next 9 days go by fast because I am ready for a break at the beach!!!

I Think I Can!!

I saw Meagan yesterday. She has lost a total of 28 pounds since the end of January and she looks great!!! Seeing what she has accomplished makes me want to wake up tomorrow and go cold turkey, but I know I need to be realistic. I have two more weeks until the end of tax season and my plate is filled with more than I can say grace over between now and then. On the bright side, I have done very well with the goals I set for myself a couple of weeks ago. My caffiene consumption has dropped dramatically. I have traded in sweets for fruit, white bread for 100% whole wheat, and sucessfully refrained from late night snacking (i.e. no eating after 9 pm). So considering all the circumstances I am actually pretty proud of myself. I am optimistic that I can stick with these changes until May 1st. That is the day I am going all or nothing. I picked it because it gives me two and a half weeks to get my life back to normal after April 15. Hopefully that works out for me because whether things actually calm down or not, May 1st is not negotiable. I am determined not to be my own worst enemy in this attempt at weight loss. Another reason I am probably so peppy about all of this right now is not only do I have a good friend to encourage me, but I am starting to finally see light at the end of the tax season tunnel. Tomorrow is the last day of March and that thrills me to no end. I think that seeing the end in sight is giving me a second wind. I am more motivated to get as much work done as I can at the office and around the house so that April 16 will be that much sweeter!! Not that it needs much help. It is customary for our office to be closed the first Friday following April 15. Since the 15th is on a Thursday we will be closed the 16th. Me and the girls are headed to Orange Beach for the weekend with another friend of mine. Although I have lived on the gulf coast for almost seven years now I haven't been to the beach since college. The girls have never been to the beach. Suffice it to say I CAN'T WAIT!! All I can say is, "Please, please, PLEASE, let us have nice weather!"

When it Rains It Pours

Last weekend has to be one of the craziest weekends I have had in quite a while. Let me give you the recap. Midnight Friday night. Emme wakes up. Emme refuses to go back to sleep. I feed her. She still refuses to go back to sleep. She spends the next three and a half hours alternating between screaming and playing in my living room floor while I watch Sahara on TV. I feed her again. She finally goes to sleep around 3:30 or 4. Saturday morning at 6. I get up and get dressed because Emme's 9 month portraits are at 8. I get Emme up. One of her eyes is red and puffy. I figure this is from lack of sleep and lots of crying. We go to the photography studio and take pictures. She does remarkably well given the circumstances. We go back home. I eat breakfast and leave for work. Work till 4:30. Get home to see Emme's eye is still red and the other one is looking bad, too. Gonna have to make a trip to the doctor. Conclude that continued crying is due to teething. At least I can give her Tylenol for that. Put kids to bed at 8, thankfully no one wakes up!!! Sunday morning. Arrive at Urgent Care at 8:05. Emme has pink eye. Leave Urgent Care at 9:45. Go get prescription filled. Get home after 11. Learn that while Brent was trying to be a good husband and clean the oven, sparks flew when he lifted the lower heating element to get up underneath it and the whole thing went dead. Spend the next hour trying to find someone who will come and fix my stove on a Sunday. Thank you Donald's Electric Appliances. Things slowly begin to return to normal. Then Brent's allergies kick in and all of a sudden he is sick. Then at 11:45 p.m. just when we have gotten to bed, Emme wakes up. She finally goes back to sleep at 2:30. Fast forward to 5:30 am this morning. I hit the snooze twice. Finally I crawl out of bed at 6:00. Rush to get ready and out the door. Halfway to school realize Haley's napper was left in the dryer. Get Brent to deliver napper to school where he sees she is the only one there who doesn't have a coat to put on to go outside, where it is STILL COLD. Surely at this point things can only get better. I am not working late tonight. I am leaving in time to pick up Emme from her Grammie's before 5:30. As soon as the girls to go bed tonight I am going to bed. I do not care about taxes or the pile of laundry that hasn't left my bedroom floor in a month. I am tired. I need sleep. But for now I am trying not to think about it any more. Back to work I go.