SPRING (we're actually going somewhere) BREAK

We are going somewhere for Spring Break on Tuesday. I can hardly believe it, since in our whole married life I can't think of a time where we actually scheduled a trip on this holiday. Rich just reminded me... we were supposed to go two years ago but that trip was cancelled since Richie's dear friend Raymond died. Actually, it feels so good to be able to say that sad, sad day happened two years ago... the further we could get away from that horrible time, the happier I am. Okay, enough of that... now on to our anticipated trip. We get to go to Denver, Colorado and spend a few days with my aunt and her family. Her children are Belle's age and they are really the only cousins (second cousins) she has. We can't wait... we're going to get to do a little sight seeing and who knows what else. I have another cousin who lives in Colorado Springs and she just had a baby girl... we're going to get to meet her. It is a ten hour drive but we are planning to catch up on some reading and Goef and Jan Jackson lent us their animated CD series "The Chronicles of Narnia". What a delightful idea... can't wait! Is it Tuesday yet?

My Grown Up Bedtime Story

I'm almost embarassed to be "posting" since it's been a long 5 months since my last post. Oh well, it's still my blog and I can do whatever I want to with it, right? Tonight has been fun. Richie has been reading to me for the past 2 hours. It's a simple thing that I can honestly say means more to me than the usual sitting on the couch and vegging out in front of some Nick at Night reruns. Not only does it bless me, but I can tell that Richie is enjoying it as well. Neither one of us are "readers" but we have been persuaded to read "The Shack" which is a book traveling through the Christian circles right now. Wow... we are really taken by it. So far we have been emotionally choked by the despair of a father in his love for his daughter and intrigued by the passing thoughts about God from the main character. I am amazed at the way the author has described God and I can't wait what the next chapter has in store. Interesting... I really see how we could use segments of the book to illustrate the love of God and I am truly blessed by the truths retold in a fictional story and the by the way they are presented.

New Picture

I love this picture. It was taken a couple of weeks ago when Richie and I had to have a picture taken for work. While we were "posing", Jason (who took the pictures) got us when we were just being ourselves. Richie always makes me laugh!

Out with the Old and in with the New

On Sunday I was talking with my friend Tori about how much I can't stand my washing macine which has been giving me trouble for about a year now. In good fun, she suggested I OVERLOAD the washer in hopes that it will finally blow up and I would be forced to get a new one. A few hours went by and I thought nothing of our conversation as I threw a very normal size load in. An hour or so later I asked Belle to go downstairs to change the laundry. She came back with this report: "Mom the sheets smell like a skunk just died." I went downstairs to find that the load of laundry was sitting in the bottom of my washing machine... soaking wet, and the smell, YEECH! I'm pretty sure it wasn't a skunk but probably a burning belt that was making us gag. So, it was finally over. No more dealing with the ridiculous washing machine and no more small sized loads of laundry. The next day, Rich took me to Lowe's and we bought us a big ol' front loading washing machine and dryer set. I have to say, it's pretty nice doing laundry now... although laundry is still laundry... which is nothing to do back flips over.

Mean People SUCK!!!

I know that my title is pretty descriptive but it is exactly how I feel right now. There are a couple of little girls we know who have made it their mission in life to be cruel to my daughter. They OBVIOUSLY do not have good parents who can teach them what it means to respect others. We have tried on several occasions to go over to their house and talk with their parents but it's like looking in the future at what those girls will become... BIG GROWN UP MEANIES'S!!! It's in times like these that I start thinking about home schooling. Anyone who know me, knows that I am not an advocate of home school... atleast not for my daughter, but I am so mad right now, I start to think that sheltering my daughter from the big mean world is the only answer. GRRR!!!

Softball Saavy

Belle is playing softball on a recreational league in Broken Arrow. Her team is the "Roadrunner's". Even though this is her second season with the team, we missed the first season which put us a a little bit of a disadvantage since the girls had a coulpe of months to play together and establish first impressions, relationships, positions and the like. One of the things that all the girls got in that first season was "Nicknames" and they are really cute. Here are some of the names; Ace, Sugarbear, Pokey, Big Mac, Mad Dog, Krusher, V-Train... that's all I can think of right now. Each of the girls have their own helmets and the mom's bought some sticker's and tagged their daughter's helmet with the nicknames. This means that when all the cute little helmets are lined up on the fence, Belle's is the only one without a name. I thought that the name would soon come from the coach... not happening. So I decided that I am not waiting for the coach anymore and I am goimg to give Belle her own nickname so I can make her helmet just as cute as everyone else's.

Tori and I brainstormed last night and here is a list of possible nicknames we came up with: B-Bomber, B.B.Gun, Beamer, Brick House, Little B, Baby Bear, Bam Bam, Big Shot, Bee-Bop. We are strongly leaning toward Bee-Bop because it kind of sums up Belle's take on the whole softball thing. :0)

After showing this list to Belle, here are some of the names that she came up with: Mochy (her nickname since birth), Bumper car, Catfish, Kitty and Chewy (after our dogs), Blue Belle, Banana Split, Hubba Bubba, Tuffy, Slider, Big Red and BIG MAMA... she thought the last one was super funny.

So, tell me what you think.

Pilates

It's no secret that I am not an exercise buff. However, I have always enjoyed the effects of a good Pilates class. It's a kind of exercise that focuses on lengthening and strengthening your "core". So, when I arrived at our first class yesterday, I never thought I would be SORE like I am today. WHAT A WIMP!!! Ahhhh, it's all good. I know in comparison to most of the human race, I AM JUST NOT IN SHAPE (hehe). However, for the direction I am going with overall health, this class is one of the most exciting things I have to look forward to in my week. We also got P90X in the mail last night... (it's all your fault Matt and Jen) which is something that my husband will set out to do. We just need a couple of hours to go over the material together so I can get him on track and then I will pick and choose anything I feel will be beneficial to me. I'm pretty excited about the nutrition portion...
On a personal note: Those of you who know me know that I have basically maintained the same weight within a 5 pound window for all of my marriage (pregnancy excluded of course). However, for about a month or two now, I have EXCEEDED that 5 pound window. It has really been bothering me, but this morning I stepped on my scale, and I am just below my high weight by 1 pound. OH HAPPY DAY!