December 30, 2009 @ 06:43

I’ve decided that this year, I’m not making any resolutions.  I’ve done the no resolution thing before and it wasn’t particularly satisfying, but I’m approaching it differently this year.  It seems as though the minute you start thinking about your resolutions for the new year, you immediately start taking a negative inventory of yourself from the year just past.  And that’s not helpful, is it?  You look down and berate yourself for not hitting the goal weight.  You hate yourself for not being able to 100% quit smoking for another year.  You tally up all the things you did wrong, or inadequately, or just didn’t do at all.  Well I’ve had it with that crap.  I’m going to spend the last couple of days of 2009 remembering what I did right and did fun and resolving to do those things again. Now won’t that be a much easier list to put together than a list of all the things that I, or other people, think are wrong with me?  And when it’s written down I will have no desire to stuff it in a drawer and hide from it. 

1) I made the whole quit smoking process (a years long process) a full time reality.  All the time.  I’m not even considering a cheat night on New Year’s Eve. 
2) I completed an official-got-a-number-and-everything 5k. 
3) I went on a beautiful family and friend filled vacation to the Grand Canyon. 
4) I spent some precious time with friends.  Whether being a fool on the beach or being there for someone in a crisis, I love the people that are in my life.  For better or worse. 
5) I was enchanted daily by my children.  Even on the tough days, they regularly rock me back on my heels and drop my jaw. 
6) I had some awesome hiking trips, short spur of the moment day trips and carefully planned adventures.  They were all grand.  Even that day we nearly died on Petit Jean Mountain. 
7) I made changes in my choices for myself and my home in an effort to shrink our carbon footprint.  Saved lots of money in the process, too. 
8) I did not allow myself to get caught up in the drama of others . . .  too much . . . 
9) I did not settle for less than what I wanted . . .  too often . . . 
10) I went to the beach on 24 hours notice. 
11) I drove to a strange town in a different state and danced under the stars to Big Head Todd and the Monsters. 
12) I painted my living room emerald green and my bedroom orange. 
13) I loved my children. 
14) I loved my job. 
15) I loved my life. 

Hope y’all are loving your life, too.  Happy New Year! 

December 22, 2009 @ 21:53

A baby Jesus cake for Christmas . . .  for scale, his face is about the size of a nickel.  He sort of needs a gold lame’ diaper though, doesn’t he? 

December 18, 2009 @ 06:18

As I was putting away some of the holiday loot that Puppy came home with, including a full sized stocking, we had this conversation . . . 

Puppy:  Mommy, let’s hang my new stocking right next to my gingerbread man one so that I will get lots and lots of presents. 

Me:  Okay, we can do that. 

Puppy:  I’ve been good this year so I will get lots of good presents. 

Me:  (rolling eyes and grinning behind his back) Yes, you have been good this year. 

Puppy:  You’ve been a very good mommy this year, you’re gonna get lots of good presents! 

Well didn’t I just? 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

December 14, 2009 @ 21:56

Well, it’s actually chocolate cake with an inner layer of chocolate ganache and buttercream. 

December 02, 2009 @ 18:50

For Hunter’s first birthday . . . 

December 02, 2009 @ 06:39

Last night we finally did it.  We ran our first race.  A 5k.  Our hometown’s Dashing Through the Lights.  It was cold cold cold.  And it was harder than I’d have thought.  I mean we do this all the time, right?  But it puts into perspective just how much you left yourself off the hook when you are just running on your own.  Plus, a week ago, I was laid out with the H1N1.  I feel good about just finishing.  About halfway through, a group of us were chatting during a walking moment and I shared what was really the best part of the night for me.  A little more than a year ago, I’m not sure exactly, but somewhere between 12 and 15 months ago, I weighed over three hundred pounds.  I had let it get that bad again.  But here we were a year later and instead of saying gosh I’ve been sick and gosh it’s cold and gosh I can do it next month, I showed up.  And that’s half of success, just showing up.  We came in damn near last, but we showed up.  When we could have been sitting home cozy and warm with a plate of cookies watching Biggest Loser, we showed up.  And hopefully, sometime in the next week or two, we’ll thaw out.  In the meantime, YAY US!!!