What is Healthy?

I have never been in better shape than my sophomore year of high school.  I played basketball then and our coach was hard core!  We not only practiced on the court and did our fair share of running and mastering the bleachers, but we also had regular weight training...particularly in the off-season.  I mostly played on the JV team, but did get some playing time at the Varsity level too.  It's not that I was that great of an athlete.  I wasn't.  We were just a pretty young team.  (I've said before that my brother, Matt, was the athletic one in the family.  I don't think there was a sport in existence that he couldn't play...and play well.)  During the basketball season we had what was known as "Pay the Price" week.  I still have the t-shirt to prove that I survived...barely. ;)  That week was T.O.U.G.H!  There were a couple of times that I actually fell asleep at the dining room table during supper.  I remember one particular night when my face nearly fell into my mashed potatoes.  That was quite literally a lifetime ago but I was in great shape, that's for sure!

Whirlwind Wedding Weekend: Part 2- The Rehearsal Dinner

You can go here to read Part 1 of this Whirlwind Weekend story if you're just joining us. :)

Did you know that Renee not only introduced me to my first "steady" boyfriend but that she was also related to him?  (Now you're asking yourself how this is relevant.  I'm getting there.)  This was no "fly-by-night" romance either.  I've always been pretty loyal. ;)  But to be fair, apparently he was too...for the most part.  And so it happened that Renee's cousin and I became high school sweethearts.  Troubled sweethearts, yes, very troubled.  But how much more can you expect from high school kids?  We're not exactly known for our maturity at that age.  Naturally, being Renee's wedding and all, most of her aunts and cousins were there, minus Jeromy (the "steady") and his wife, Jessica.  Jeromy is in the Air Force and was just transferred from Alabama to New Mexico so making it to the wedding wasn't within the realm of possibility.  His mom, Janice, brother, Jamie, and 5 year old son, Charles, were there, though.  Charles was actually the ring bearer and he looked super cute in his tux!  (But now I'm getting ahead of myself.)

The Journey of Parenthood Revamp Giveaway: Coach and Stella & Dot

A friend of mine is giving away a Coach purse and a $25 Stella & Dot gift certificate to celebrate reaching 200 followers!  Find out how you can enter to win here.  Now I've been inspired.  Once I reach 100 followers, I'll have a giveaway of my own.  So, what are you waiting for?  "Follow" me and hurry over to Emily's blog and enter to win!

Sadie's Shadow

I had another interesting theological conversation with Sadie again today.  We went to have lunch with Justin and while walking from the car to the building, here is what happened:

Sadie: "Mohhm, God doesn't want me to be in the dark.  He wants me to be in the light."

Me:  "What are you talking about?  You are in the light." (It was another gorgeous day today!)

Homemade Dry Erase Calendar for $5

If you haven't checked out Pinterest yet, you are missing out!  I've already used several ideas I've found there, many of which I've tweeked to fit my own needs and interests.  This latest project was inspired by this dry-erase calendar that I found.  I wanted to jazz mine up a little more and here was the final result:

So, here's a little tutorial on how you can make one of your own...

Moments with MOPS

For those unfamiliar, MOPS is an international Christian chartered organization which stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers" and includes moms who are expecting their first child up through those whose youngest child is pre-kindergarten.  In other words, if you are about to be a mom or have a child who isn't old enough to enter kindergarten yet, you qualify. ;)  If you fit that description and would like more information about it and how to find a group near you, you can visit their website here.

The Theological Threes

I had an interesting lunch conversation with my darling 3 year old today.  It started with the usual torrent of questions, only this time the questions were a bit more difficult to answer and explain.  Justin and I try to be very honest in how we answer our children's questions while also trying to maintain age appropriateness.  That's a challenging task sometimes but we feel that it's important in providing them with a sense of security, safety, and trust in us, their parents.  Our philosophy is, "Reality is your friend."  I suppose another way of saying that is, "The truth will set you free."  With that in mind, here's today's dialogue: