Jazzercise

Some of you may not know that I have Jazzercised for eleven years. I stared when I was 19 and have faithfully danced at least three to five days a week since. I love it! I love to dance and I have always felt passionate about exercise. It is so important to me to take care of my body, it really is the only one I have.
I also have the greatest ladies that I Jazzercise with. They are like another family, I have cried with them, laughed with them and prayed with them. They all accept me for who I am, without any makeup on and usually in sweats. They have seen me at my best and at my worst and they love me. Some days I wake up and it takes everything I have to get myself in the door. Every time I do I anyways feel better that I did.
Today was Halloween and I would not miss it for the world – here are the photos of what you are missing out on!


My good friend Kristin Adams as cousin it.


MaryAnn Mandel as Thing 1


Christy Flynn as a Pirate.

October 20, 2007

The perfect combination two boys and two girls.

Quinton learns to sew


Henry gets a manicure


Lulu…… do I need to say more?

Stuff

The American dream! To have it all house, car, wife great job and happiness. Oh wait I mean one house in the city one in the country and one down south. Two cars at each house and one of those have towing capacity for the toys that will fill the lifestyle where the house is located. Wife well she better be beautiful, fit, friendly and a nice rack. If she does not have these things then we will just pay for them. Great job, as long as I can work from home not any more then 40 hours a week and eat out as much as possible. Then there is happiness, how great it feels to have it all.
We want everything and we want it now. Not only do we want it but, we deserve it.
The thing is that living in America we can have it all. We can have the house or maybe even two and the toys to go along with it but it is the happiness that we lack. We are so busy keeping up with having it all we forget about what really makes us happy.

Do we own our stuff or does it own us? Are we working to pay off the house that we have second on so we can have the boat to enjoy the weekends with our family who was too busy to pack healthy food so we just grab something on the way and we will eat off paper plate that we bought at the convent store where we filled our boat pulling SUV with gas using our preferred card for .03 off per gallon form the club where I spent the last four days trying to lose weight to fit into my new swimsuit that I am going to ware after applying sunscreen at the lake before we go home early on Sunday because we have to get the lawn mowed before Monday.

We are Americans we deserve this! Maybe we need to think of clearing out the American in us and letting in more of who you are. What is your passion, what really makes you happy? Are you living your life or are you maintaining your stuff. Are we truly boating, fast food eating, and gas guzzling creatures or have we become blurred by the fog of stuff.
Is this what God intended for us, if so how many people are suffering because they see others with so much and just feel bad that they do not have the same. What makes one man more superior then the other in this kind of world? The man cleaning the convent store does he work less or not as hard? Where is his boat?
The truth is he does not have a boat, but he has stuff. Extra stuff that clutters his home, his mind and his time. Time is the only thing we have and over all we do not have very much. Life is how we spend our time.
God wants us to be fulfilled with his love, he never said that life would be easy but he did say that when you walk your life with him by your side you have everything you need.

Romans; 13, 8-14
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “do not steal, do not murder, do not commit adultery,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now then when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of the darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. RATHER CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND DO NOT THINK ABOUT HOW TO GRAFITY THE DESIRES OF THE SINFUL NATURE.

My Husband

This blog entry I have to give credit to my husband. He truly is amazing in so many ways. He is a very hard worker and impresses me on all the stuff he knows when it comes to engineering. He really likes what he does and is very good at doing things right. He is also very good at working on cars and not only domestic cars but also most all cars. There is nothing that he cannot fix on any of our cars including the two Alfa Romeos we have. He is also an awesome plumber, which comes in very handy when your water heater goes out. He is also a very good electrician and can do anything from jimmy rigging the vacuum to installing 220 panel and outlets in the garage. He knows lots of stuff about the computer and can run any TV, VCR, DVD etc. like a pro. He is very good at doing anything in the yard from the sprinkler system to picking up the dog poop. I really like that he is good at that. Our Christmas lights are always hung exactly right all pointing the same direction and in color order. Our cars are for the most part always clean and up to date on their maintenance. Everything in the house is always operating just how it is supposed to and in a very efficient manner. I have been completely spoiled with all that he knows.
The one thing that Jason loves to do is build stuff. He installed beautiful bamboo floors in our living and formal dining room. He also put in new molding and sprayed the doors to match. He also installed a new front door with early craftsman style molding to boot. When Jason can have an afternoon sawing, painting and screwing he is a happy camper.

Now he gets this all done while working 50 hour plus workweeks, spending time with the family, spending time at church. He is also very good a paying all the bills with some leftover on a four kid stay at home mom salary. Since I mentioned it he also puts his kids first by working his tale off so that his wife can stay home and raise them.
He never goes out with the guys and could care less about football. His feet do not stink and I never have to remind him to take a shower. He loves my cooking and is always thinking of ways we can be healthier. He loves to spend time with the family no matter what we are doing. He likes to sit and watch movies or drive across the country as long as he is with his wife and children he is happy.

He truly is the most amazing man that I know and I am very blessed that he is mine.
So I have to apologize giving him such a hard time about his shed. You see Jason decided that when I was on a trip with my Mom and the kids that he was going to stay home and build us a shed. He collected and bundle of 2X4’s from my uncle and various other materials that was up for grabs. He drew up the plans invited over a few friends and up went the sturdiest and tallest shed of all times. 6mo later he rounded up some more free wood from our pastor and put the doors on. 6mo later he was given some metal roofing panels. 3 years and one month later he gets the panels up on the roof and finished the soffet. He still has about 2 more years of work at this rate. Everyone who knows him gives him a hard time about it. He has put the shed together for little to nothing and he has done it all with his own two hands. It will be a very nice addition when it is done.

So. I from the depths of my heart I have to apologize for the crap that I have given this hard worken, loving husband because if it is a shed that take five years to built then I will take it all.
I love you Jason you truly are the best!!!

light and fluffy

Every Monday we stop by the fruit stand for the weekly fresh fruit and veggies. The kids have become good friends with the guy who runs the place; he gives them lots of things to snack on while mom shops. He has been very generous in giving mom left over fruit to turn into jam.
The price? A pint of jam.


Lauren has always had her own sense of style…you have to love that girl!

Jesus Loves Me

I woke up this morning and remembered that I was loved. I know that my blog has been heavy and dark that is what I have been feeling lately. I have never been able to just pick up and be something that I am not and honestly those kinds of people irritate me. Now I could post inaccurate fluffy things about life, or post colorful photos of the things I want people to believe about the hidden truth of who I really am. What would be the use of blogging? Life is heavy and full of pain but it is only through he pain we feel that we become strong, compassionate people. When everything is great and there is no necessity to have character. If we are not learning and growing then we might as well be dead.
But lately I have been blinded by the darkness that has been around me. I have slowly let it take over me. I have forgot the beauty that the Lord sets right in front of you. This is the beauty that holds caries and us through each day.

I have the best family and the cutest kids, I would give my left arm for any of them.


When I woke this morning and looked over to see the most loving and caring man I know, I remembered that Jesus loves me.
When I heard the sweetest little voice pop up from the edge of the bed, informing me that the sun was up I remembered that Jesus loves me.
When the best sister in the world showed up to take the kids for the evening I remembered that Jesus loves me.

Life is hard and it is easy to forget that even through the bad stuff Jesus still loves me.