Operation Dog Eat No Poo

Operation Dog Eat No Poo is upon us! We're sick and tired of smelling nasty, disgusting, make you want to hurl puppy breath after Dexter is left outside for too long.

What's the plan of attack?
My hubby thankfully purchased a Coprophagia detering pill from Petco this past week. For a couple days now we have been feeding Dexter 5 pills a day, which he gobbles without any complaints. (We do not believe Dexter knows how to chew anything, just how to consume and swallow).

The goal of these pills is to make the poo smell distastefully to our 9-10 month old puppy. Therefore, with the poo smelling distastefully, the hope is that Dexter will no longer want to munch on the nastiness in our yard. I still do not comprehend how poo does not already smell back on it's own, but I'm not a dog, right?

We'll keep you posted how Operation Dog Eat No Poo goes along the way. I'm hoping for big results... this HAS TO END at some point! Yuck! He's too cute and cuddly and sweet to have such a disgusting habit.

Facebook Obsessions

I probably would have to admit that I'm addicted to Facebook. With the addition of the Sprint Instinct phone to my life (my hubby got it for me for my b'day), I have Internet access 24/7, which means that I have Facebook access 24/7. Not a good thing.

Due to much poking and prodding by fellow Facebook users, I finally answered the "Tag You're It Note". The rules of the game are: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

So here are 25 super random things about me.

1. I'm married to my best friend who is 7 years older than me but 12 years younger than me at heart.
2. I find myself acting more like my mother on a daily basis.
3. I'm addicted to HDtv.
4. I was raised in the Lutheran church, baptized again (first time was a sprinkle as a baby) into the Baptist church in 2001, and now belong to a non-denominational church that I love.
5. I love to read but do not take the time to do it often enough.
6. I was "forced" into blogging by my husband in July 2008 and now love keeping up with it (www.itsnotmydiary.blogspot.com).
7. I have a psychology degree but now work in sales for a safety products manufacturer.
8. I'm the oldest of three girls.
9. My favorite "happy place" is the shower. I could take one for hours.
10. When Kelly and I have kids one day, I want to become at least half the parents my parents were to me and my sisters.
11. I've somehow become entertained by a few characters in the professional wrestling world due to my hubby. (for example, Santino Marella!)
12. I cherish coffee dates with friends, more for the amazing conversation, less for the coffee.
13. I'm blessed to have a relationship with and enjoy spending time with my extended relatives: aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I'm so blessed to have such a family surround me and love me.
14. I do not enjoy cooking, but believe it's because I have not done it enough and because I'm scared of failure in the kitchen.
15. I do not have actual toenails on my two big toes, or they're at least super jacked up. (a story is involved with how that occurred)
16. Due to #15, I had acrylic nails put on my big toes for our wedding. I even had the photographer take a photo of my engagement ring sitting on my foot to show them off.
17. I drink more than I eat. I'm made up of 2 parts beverage, 1 part edibles.
18. I love entertaining people. Opening up our house to friends or family is such a treat.
19. The only major complaints I have with our old house that has tons of character is that we do not have a big shower (just a cast iron tub with curtains around it) and do not have an open floor plan to ease entertaining others.
20. I'm learning more lessons about unconditional love through my crazy pup, Dexter. I absolutely want to kill him sometimes, but in the same breath I find myself snuggling up with him and telling him I love him. Praise God Kodi is so easy, I don't think I could handle two of Dexter.
21. I have amazingly great intentions with house projects, but struggle to complete them. (i.e. Kitchen cabinets) This is something I hope to correct as the weather gets warmer.
22. I started a Bunko Group in September 2008 and absolutely love it. It's not just for old ladies!
23. I love the end result of working out and how it makes me feel, but I stink at making myself do it without the accountability I experienced through competitive and college sports.
24. I watch way too much tv. Some I watch religiously with my hubby: Lost, Fringe, Heroes, American Idol, Life, Eli Stone (until they cancelled it). Others I like to catch when I can and watch them with or without Kelly: House, Jon & Kate plus 8, The Office, Extreme Home Makeover, The Biggest Loser, HGtv anything.
25. I like sports. I enjoy watching them and playing them. I enjoy watching college basketball as much as any man out there - - - that's a fun thing for Kelly and I to do together.

Watching the Cats!

Months ago when the schedules were announced and the tickets became available, my hubby purchased two tickets to the Ole Miss vs. Kentucky basketball game. Last night we made our way to Oxford, MS to use our tickets and watch the Cats play.

The stage was set for an enjoyable game: the Cats were undefeated in the SEC, they had won every year against Ole Miss since 2001, Jodi Meeks had been lightening up courts across the nation all year, players were beginning to learn their "roles" and play as a team, Ole Miss had lost some key players to injuries, and the facilities (the "Tad-Pad", as my loving hubby has called it) were not overstocked with Ole Miss fans. In other words, the stage was set for victory.

A couple hours past tip-off, Kelly and I left the "Tad-Pad" with a 5 point defeat, rather than victory. What happened? The team I was able to see from within the Ole Miss coliseum was not the same team that had been showing up on TV in games past. Lack of defense, lack of rebounding, tough shooting day for Meeks (had 15 points at one time consisting of ONE field goal, ONE three pointer, and TEN free throws - not his norm), stupid mistakes... just an overall blah performance. I was disappointed, but have to give props to Ole Miss playing up to their greatest potential and putting it all on the floor. The Rebels deserved that win last night, Kentucky did not.

Nevertheless, we had a great time. I love watching college b'ball with my hubby. It's a great joy for the both of us. After the game, we had great eats with some Rebel supporting friends that drove us down for the game. It was a good night. Late night, but a good night. Only thing that could have made it better was a great performance from our CATS.

Kellyism

After a long day at work on Thursday, I came home to the typical. My fur babies greeted me at the glass security door, bowing (or taking a good stretch, but they seriously look like they are bowing low for the Queen to pass them by... I'll have to try and catch this on photo somehow... hmmm) in front of me before I begin to unlock the door. Once I'm inside, it is a squabble over who mom is going to pet first, lots of tail wagging and dog barking, growling, or whining is involved at this point. They push each other out of the way trying to get as much mom action as possible... "chill guys, there is plenty of me to go around for the two of you!" So I come into the house, love on my fur babies, put down my purse and give my husband a kiss.

Once I completed the normal rounds, I quickly bolted to the bedroom to change out of my "business casual clothes" (not the norm for me) and into some pj's. I landed my toosh on the couch and snuggled in for a relaxing evening.

The plan... watch the first episode of this season's Lost. Catch up on American Idol from the night before. Make some pasta dinner. And chill. I was looking forward to it.

And then Kelly let's me know we have another errand to run... and he wants me to go with him. I don't know what came over me, but everything inside of me was like "nooooooooooo.... I want my toosh to stay where it is.... I want to sit, vegetate, ... don't make me!" I say all of this in jest, but really let my hubby know that I was going to drag out the "we're not leaving for awhile" as long as possible... and I did.

Note: This is a HUGE role reversal for us. Seriously, if you've been in our house when it's "time to go"... this is NOT the normal course of events, at least not in this order. I'm usually Miss Go Go Go, We've Got to Go, Let's Go, Time to Go... and Kelly is Mr. I Take My Time, Oh Wait I Gotta Pee, Hold On Let Me Read This One More Article, etc... but not tonight! I was giving my man a taste of his own medicine and was cracking up inside...

After some time of this comical banter, the Kellyism occurred... my hubby was up on his feet, shoes on, ready to leave, and asking me to join him for our errand running. I continued to play the "nooooo... I want my toosh to stay where it is.... I want to sit, vegetate,.... don't make me" card, and then it happened...

He said,

"You know, sometimes I just want to give you a HUGGGG!!!"

Now this might not sound much like a Kellyism, but you have to view the hand gesture he was giving me while saying these words, oh and his face was all scrunched up like he was frustrated with a little annoying 4 year old. While saying the above, I look up and my husband's hands are making a circular pattern like he is ringing someone's neck. This was the "HUG" he was desiring to give me...

In other words, in my hubby's world, "You know, sometimes I just want to give you a HUGGGG!!!" really translates to:

"You know, sometimes I just want to RING YOUR NECK!!!"

Hysterical. I absolutely cracked up, which made us crack up together. Hilarious. I even made him take a picture of the "hand gesture" and facial expression he was making when he said this to me. I'll post it below when I get it off the camera. He he.

You know... now my man know what I feel like sometimes. That's love.

God's Presence Appearing

I'm into day 2 (doing it this evening) of Week 2 in my Bible study, Anointed Transformed Redeemed: A Study of David by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur. So far, I'm really enjoying the study, and am daily finding things that speak to me.

I could write an entire list of the quotes and verses that I've underlined and put stars by during the study so far, but that list could get pretty lengthy. For now I'll just share one in particular.

One of the things written by Priscilla Shirer in her section of this study said,

"When you have patience in your mothering, holiness in your singleness, gentleness in your response, contentment in your circumstances, and empowerment in the face of your challenges, you are experiencing the greatest miracle of all: God's presence appearing in your life."

Lord, please allow me to have your presence appear in my life more often. Daily and constantly I want to outwardly show that your presence is within me.

Piscilla Shirer: Preachin It!

Thanks to a fellow blogger, thanks JMom... I have come upon the Priscilla Shirer quote I have been search for from the Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed Series. Thank you!

Remember the beautiful woman I described before. "If you've never seen Priscilla speak, imagine a beautiful African American women speaking boldly and passionately as she preaches each line to her fellow sisters in Christ about WHO GOD IS. If you have heard her, imagine the women you've seen and heard."

Priscilla says,

He Is…..
The First and the Last
The Beginning and the end
The keeper of creation
The creator of all
He’s the architect of the universe
And the manager of all time

He always was, always is and always will be.
Unmoved, unchanged, undefeated and never undone

He was bruised but brought healing,
He was pierced but eased pain,
He was persecuted but brought freedom
He was dead and brings life
He is risen to bring power
And he reigns to bring peace

The world can’t understand Him
Armies can’t defeat Him
Schools can’t explain Him
And leaders they can’t ignore Him

Harold couldn’t kill Him
Nero couldn’t crush Him
The new age can not replace Him
And Oprah can not explain Him away

He IS Life,
HE IS Love,
HE IS Longevity and He IS The LORD
HE IS Goodness, kindness, faithfulness

And HE IS GOD
HE IS holy and righteous
and powerful and pure

His ways are right,
His word eternal
His will unchanging
And His mind is on us

He is our savior, our guide,
Our peace, our joy, our comfort
Our Lord and He rules our lives,

I serve Him because His bond is love
His yoke is easy His burden is light
And His goal for us is abundant life.

I follow Him because,
He Is the wisdom of the wise
The power of the powerful
The ancient of days, the ruler of rulers,
The leader of all leaders,
His goal is a relationship with me

He will never leave you, never forsake you
Never mislead you, never forget you,
Never overlook you and
Never cancel your appointment is His appointment book.

When you fall He’ll lift you up,
When you fail He will forgive you.
When your weak He’s strong,
When your lost He’s your way
When your afraid He is your courage,
When you stumble He will steady you,
When your hurt He Is going to heal you,
When your broken He will mend you,
When your blind He will lead you,
When your hungry He will feed you,
When you face trials He Is with you,
When I face persecution He shields me,
When I face problems He will comfort me,
When I face loss He will provide for me,

And when we face death
He will carry us all home to meet Him.

He is everything for everybody,
everywhere ,every time,
And in every way.

He is your God

and that sister’s is who you belong to.

Amen! I will rest tonight in the beauty of our Lord! He IS! Thank you for the reminder, Pricilla. Amen!

Love Languages

When my hubby and I were in our premarital counseling sessions over two years ago, one of the many things we went through with our pastor was The Five Love Languages. The love languages are the ways in which you show love to others, as well as the way you most feel loved by others when shown. There are five love languages to choose from: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, and Physical Touch. Often, we fall into the trap of expressing our own love language to those we love, rather than remembering what THEIR love language is, and speaking that directly to them.

For example, before we got married, I discovered that my top love language is ACTS OF SERVICE. I often find myself doing Acts of Service with the mindset of "oh, Kelly will really see how much I love him by how clean the house is" or "if I pick up Kelly's plate after him, he'll be reminded of my love for him". Problem is: Acts of Service is nowhere on my hubby's radar of feeling loved. He could care less if I clean house or not, as far as him feeling love is concerned. Acts of Service is MY love language, not Kelly's. Therefore, if I want to show Kelly that I love him, Acts of Service is not the way to go. Rather, I should give him Words of Affirmation, or Physical Touch, or Quality Time. But, if Kelly speaks to me through Acts of Service, I totally feel loved and appreciated.

It's quite neat, if you have never read through the Five Love Languages. It's totally worth reading. It's work though, when a certain love language is not your natural thing, and it's what your mate most likes, you have to work outside of your zone to speak their language to them.

My hubby did just that for me today. Among taking care of me all day while I was home sick from work, he totally spoke my love language in an intentional way. After I finally got off the couch and took a shower this evening, I found my hubby doing the below for me. Speaking my love language! He's vacuuming! Cleaning house for me is like writing the most eloquent love letter to me! Crazy isn't it?!

I snuck a shot while he worked and luckily he did not notice until the shot was already taken... once he heard the snap of the camera, his only words after I told him it was for my blog, was "oh great, Uncle Frank is not going to be happy about this one". To understand why Kelly might say that, see UFrank's comments on the following post.

I'm so thankful that the Lord blessed me with a man that loves me! My hope for everyone is that they are also blessed with someone that is willing to speak their love language. Even friends of mine who have 6 love languages. You know who you are. ha ha.


My hubby's quote when he saw me typing out the beginning of this post was: "That was my New Year's resolution, remember?" Yep. I remember.

Day 4: Getting Sick!

Monday morning came early today... 5:30 am the alarm rang with the noise that tells us it is TIME to get up, and time to get ready for workout. But this morning, I was feeling differently than just tired. I felt nauseated this morning and found myself dry heaving into the bathroom sink to start the day... not a good sign.

But I persevered and got ready for the day. 6am we arrived into the gym, ready and willing to get our butts kicked for the fourth day. After our typical warm up and stretches, the workout began. We started with latter workouts. This time the latter was placed at the baseline standing vertical towards the next baseline, a second latter was placed in the same direction at the half court line. We ran two exercises on the latter, one each direction. First we did the shuttle, turning sideways, putting each foot in out out of the latter, through latter one, jog to the next, through latter two, and jog to the baseline and back. Now turn the opposite direction, same shuffle each foot in out and out through latter one, latter two, and jogging to the baseline and back. Now the second exercise, one foot in, second foot in, one foot out, second foot out, repeat through the latter. One to the second latter and jog down to the baseline and back. Repeat exercise again going the opposite direction. That was ONE. We did 4 sets of this.

Following a short break we started the BOX/SQUARE DRILL. I think that's what he called it. Four cones were spread apart to make a square. Each side of the square was about 12-15 feet apart. We did multiple sets through this box. They looked like this: sprint, shuffle, sprint, shuffle. Sprint all four sides. Sprint, back peddle, spring backpedal. Etc. Once we finished going through these, the nausea that had not left me picked up a notch. I had to bow out.

Once I was sitting on the gym floor, head lowered between my knees, the rest of the group, my hubby included, continued the box/square drill in a larger fashion. The cones were spread out to a larger width and the exercises continued with running the long diagonals. I had to sit the entire time. I was going to be sick!

Once these cardio exercises were complete we went to do our free weight exercises. Three sets around 5 exercises. We did 3 sets of 12 reps. I slowly pushed through this praying that I would not throw up on everyone. The last activity was 5minute abs, I passed on this and instead laid in the fetal position on the weight bench realizing it was going to be a LONG DAY!

Needless to say, once we got home the nausea again kicked into high gear! I was done for... I called in sick to work. Laid down on the couch at 730am, and I'm still sitting here. I have gotten up ONCE for a potty break. It has been a long, worthless, and sickly day for me. My hubby was amazing and took the day off to cater to me. He has brought me drinks, lunch, cuddled with me, and kept me company during the moments I was conscious. He's been so good to me, and for that I'm super thankful. So the rule of the house is that if you miss work then you have to miss your extra curricular activities too... I'll be missing my Monday Night Bible Study. Even though I know I would struggle being there, still not feeling 100%, I hate that I'm missing it.

I'm hoping more sleep tonight will allow me to wake refreshed and ready to tackle another day.

P.s. Because I've already been asked by one, and I know people at work will ask the same (they always do), NO I am not pregnant. :)

Day 3: Eww Weee!

Yes, Ladies and Gents, we completed day 3 of workouts! Whoo hoo! 3 out 5 days isn't bad... Although we would have liked to do 5 workouts in 5 days, my hubby had some intense migraines Wednesday and Thursday. We set the alarm as usual, got up, and realized he was just not going to be able to go.

Needless to say, we got our bodies definitely WORKED OUT today! Ewww Weee!

Picture a gym floor, going the length of the basketball court. On one baseline sat our free weights - 8lbs for me, much more for my man. On the other end, sitting on the baseline were medicine balls. My medicine ball was 6lbs. And the games begun:

On the baseline with the free weights we had many weight lifting activities: RDL's, Military Press, Squats, Plymetrics, Triceps, Biceps, and even push ups. We would do one rep of 12-15 of one activity, then jog to the other baseline where the medicine ball awaited us. There were did crunches holding the medicine, usually in a set of 30-40 reps. We would then jog back to the free weight baseline and complete a new activity, with the same result, jogging back to the medicine ball and the required crunches.

We went through all 8 or so weight activities and 8 or so sets of different crunch related activities with the medicine ball, plus our 16 times the length of the basketball court. That was 1.

Yay. We did this 3 times total.

I feel good this morning. It burned, I felt it during each activity, but I felt good. I feel we've done something this morning. I love that feeling. I'm proud of my man, and myself for getting three days of hard workouts in this week. I'm looking forward to Monday & Wednesday next week when we get to do it again... and then for awhile I think we're on our own. I hope we can keep it up!

Thirsty Much?

Okay, so I'm a drinker. I swear I drink more than I eat. For every bite I take of food, I probably take three sips of a drink. Yum. I love my beverages.

But today, my desk is getting pretty ridiculous with the plethora of drinks I have sitting here. See below:


Fed Ex coffee mug was from this morning - apple cider, yum. Coffee cup behind it was Gatorade on ice. The water bottle was just that, water. The black canister was more Powerade brought from home. And the two cokes are from Mom & Dad's - one for lunch that I finished here, and one to day for the road.

I have problems.

Busy Bee

Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool.
I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight,
I hope I don't get in a fight.
Ohhhh, back to school. Back to school. Back to school.
Well, here goes nothing.

- Quote by Adam Sandler in Billy Madison

Well... the winter break is done - back to the busy bee nature of the McGugan life these days. Kelly started semester number two of his new college career this morning. Spring semester has begun!

With a new semester comes another wave of manager duties with the University of Memphis Men's Soccer Team. At the same time, the process has begun again where my hubby must adjust to juggle the work load of managership with his job, school responsibilities, and home life too. It's definitely a progress, but I am confident that within a few weeks or two, my man will be doing just fine in all the necessary categories of life. I'm a proud wife.

Let the balancing act begin...

Jodie Meeks - That Was Fun!!!

I don't know about you, but last night my eyes were glued to the Kentucky vs. Tennessee game. Of course, the plan for me was to watch the game - I did marry a huge KY fan... but once the game got underway, KY fan or not, there was no stopping this one. I was hooked.

Jodie Meeks, a junior guard on UK's team has always been "one of my guys"... one of the guys I like to watch and yearn to do well. I acknowledge his skill, and hope for him to do well so the entire UK team can walk out with a victory. Last night however, I screamed more than once, "that's my boy!" during the game.

Jodie Meeks single handily put up 54 points on UT. We're not talking about putting a lot of points up on a piss poor team, we're talking about putting 54 points up ON THE ROAD, against a team that is expected to do well in the national scene this year. Meeks pulverized UT... often making them look stupid. It's was super fun to watch!

Today, every sports writer in town and in the nation is writing about Meeks and Kentucky. You could say my hubby is a happy man today.

If you want to find out some info on all the Meeks accomplished last night, breaking records for UK and all... check out some of the suggested links:

ESPN: Pat Forde writes: Jodie Meeks puts on a show for the ages
Kentucky Sports Radio blog writes: GREATEST.... PERFORMANCE... EVER

In the supposed words of Patterson's facebook page status: “Jodie Meeks is like a Ferrari, Bobby Maze is like a Honda…. U do the math.”

Day Two: Oh MY!

Yep. Day two of working out at 6am has a new word for description purposes: OUCH!

As soon as I woke this morning I felt the burn of the my previous day... and we did NOT lax for a moment today. We pushed harder, and did more than the day before, and now my body is moving like I'm in my 80's. Ouch.

Throughout the workout this morning I kept repeating in my head, like Thomas the Train... "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." One more rep, one more sprint, almost done, come on Heather push! My body gushed for air and demanded a break, but I kept moving, even if it turned into a snails pace.

We stretched, we did 3 sets of five latter exercises that meant we went 30 lengths of the basketball court in between the two ladders, 5 sprints up and down the length of the court, we did 6 envelopes that consisted of 12 sprints along the way, and that was just our cardio. Whoo.

Back into the weight room we completed our morning routine with 3 sets of 12 reps on the mostly the arms. The burn was being felt throughout it all, and again we concluded with our ab workout. Talk about struggling!

But I must say I feel accomplished each morning. I'm getting up early and I'm doing something. I'm just looking forward to the day when things get a bit easier and I'm having to push harder to get the extreme workout rather than every single step being a struggle to push through. This week is truly boot camp, whipping me good, but I'm soaking up the luxury and enjoying the "team work" between the hubby and me. One day at a time... we can do this!

Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: Loving Priscilla Shirer!

Tonight I began my Bible study with the Women's Ministry at my church, Central Church. I'm pumped about it. There are three girls from our awesome Sunday School class participating in the Monday night study too. I'm pumped to see what we learn through the next 7 weeks.

Tonight was just the beginning... among the many things we did, we watched the first video session to the series: Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David. This study is led by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur.

Priscilla led off this evening and PREACHED THE WORD! Whoo! She fired me up! Among her many points that nailed home... she had a quote of the night that talked about who God is, and how He is the provider of ALL. If you've never seen Priscilla speak, imagine a beautiful African American women speaking boldly and passionately as she preaches each line to her fellow sisters in Christ about WHO GOD IS. If you have heard her, imagine the women you've seen and heard.

I searched and searched throughout Google to find a quote of Priscilla's quote from tonight's video. She even had a moment when she said "and Oprah cannot explain Him away!". I cannot find it, but want to share it with EVERYONE. It was a pure moment of "PREACH IT SISTER!" If anyone knows where it is, or can slow down their own tape long enough to dictate it down... PLEASE send it to me!!! I really want to share it!

[NOTE] - the quote has been found and is posted on my blog post: 

 http://itsnotmydiary.blogspot.com/2009/01/piscilla-shirer-preachin-it.html

In the mean time, here is another good quote I found from one of Priscilla's DEEPER STILL conferences. Below:

Priscilla says "pass it on!" Let's all remember all that God is...He truly is the great I AM and all we will ever need! Let's keep going DEEPER STILL!

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel's Guide
Joshua, He's salvation's choice
Judges, He's Israel's Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He's the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit's power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace
Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
IN Zachariah, He's our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
AND THAT'S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT

In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He's God and the trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our faithful shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride

AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it's all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!

Survival: Day 1

Survival is the keyword about today. I survived our first day of 6am workouts.

I choose the word survival because it means the state of surviving, or staying alive. Yes. I can attest to the fact that I am alive, ha! me writing this post is evidence to that, but I cannot claim more than being alive at the moment.

The alarm rang early this morning, VERY EARLY at 5:30am! I did not sleep soundly last night because I knew what was to come this morning. And even more than the dread and nervousness of what was to come at 6am, I had more anxiety about sleeping through my alarm and missing the event we had committed ourselves to. So there I was at 5:30am, opening my eyes to see the annoying bright light coming off my cell phone and hearing the obnoxious and loud tune that rang from its speaker. It was time to get up.

We pushed snooze once, just because I could, and laid there awake, but nestled inside the warm covers trying to find the strength to bust out into the cool air and "get this party started". The day had begun.

I'm so thankful my hubby is doing the same 6am workouts, because the motivation to get out of bed, while he laid sound of sleep would not have come... it was great to have both of us moving at 530am. The dogs were even stretching out, yawning, and confused - "Why are you guys awake?! The sun is not even hinting about coming out!"

But we made it... out the door by 10 till, and by 6am we were in the "gym" ready for impending doom!

So, as mentioned before I survived day one, but I barely survived. We did 25 minutes worth of cardio on the treadmill. That about killed me. We did an interval run, with incline, without incline, slower pace, faster pace... by the second half of the course I was pushing the speed button down, rather than staying on track with the settings. In all, I traveled 1.94 miles and felt every bit of it. I have a long way to go. Post cardio, we went to the free weights. 7 exercises, 2 sets of 10 reps. Where did my muscles go? I felt every bit of that too! And finally to wrap us up a bit after 7am, we finished with a 5 minute ab workout. 5 minutes, you say? Doesn't sound bad, huh? Uhhh.... ouch... 5 minutes straight, changing the type of ab workout every 25 seconds. I could feel the burn with a quickness.

But I survived, right? One day down, many more to go. I'm glad we've begun, sometimes that can be the hardest part. We can do this. Hubby & I together!

The guy above looks like me this morning and probably many mornings to come... maybe one day I'll look like this lady to the left - calm, excited, and fit with her weight in hand. Only time, perseverance, and lots of sweat will tell.

Home Project Underway

Within my list of New Year Resolutions, I put a blurb about our house. The resolution read: To work on the house and make some of the dramatic changes we've talked about.

One reason this is such an important statement is that we live in an old house. A wonderful house, a house with LOTS of character, but an old house. Old houses, by definition, mean they need a lot of TLC. Rooms are square and lack openness, kitchens are smaller, windows have been painted over and over to the point that they do not open, etc.


We have created a huge "Honey Do" list with all of the changes we would like to make within our home. I say we, but it's mostly me, but my hubby is awesome enough to accept those desires and help me reach those desired goals. It's easy to become overwhelmed with the many things "to do", but we're learning and doing our best to take things ONE DAY AT A TIME. We will do projects as money, resources, and time allows.

Today, I am excited to say that one of our desired changes is being completed... the project started yesterday and I believe I should be able to post pictures later today, if they complete it as planned. We have two living rooms... the back living room had an old, ugly, brown AC unit protruding out of the wall. The quick fix for my husband, before we ever met, was to cover the AC unit with a curtain... and that is how it has sat ever since. Yesterday, however, a better solution began. With the help of a dear family friend and my dad, the AC unit has been removed and a window is being put into its place. Today, the men are framing the window.

I am so excited about the major change this project will bring to our back room. We have already removed all the furniture from the room, selling much of it to Kelly's brother and sister-in-law. Now, having this project completed will allow me to buy the primer paint (needed to cover dark blue walls) and begin to repaint the room! Our next desire is to change the nasty laminate black and white checkered flooring - oh the difference that will make! I'm pumped.

UPDATE (3:36pm): The main job is complete! However, there is still the nice trim to be created in the interior to complete the job in full. Dad and Kelly will work on that at a later date, but the exterior trim is complete and the window is fully in place with the necessary installation around it. Here are pictures of the BEFORE and the current AFTER. Thanks Bill, Dad, and Kelly!

Before (above).

Current After (above).

P.S. I have seriously slacked with my desired kitchen cabinet remodel! I have completed three full cabinet doors. If I'm going to continue with this project (I will not be defeated), I will probably have to start on the main body of the cabinets and get those done in a fully dedicated weekend. This whole, door by door thing is going too slow! Time to get out the day planner and pick a weekend!

My Hubby's New Baby

The hubby got another baby yesterday...

I walked into the house after work to find a couple large boxes in the living room. Once I took a look at the packaging, I quickly realized what the delivery from Vann's entailed. That's right, my hubby saved again for another big purchase. Praise God for the "piggy bank" approach to purchases.

Baby #1 is his 50 inch Samsung Plasma TV. Baby #2 was delivered yesterday, a 5.1 Bose Surround Sound - speakers and wires.

It was like watching a kid in a candy store... Kelly was so excited to unwrap his new love and get everything plugged up and ready to go.

In fact, we did not eat dinner until practically 9pm because my hubby wanted to let the taco soup simmer until his connections were done and we could listen to the sound during dinner.

Too funny... well, too funny until his wife started to get crabby because she hadn't eaten yet. However, once we put some food down the hatch, I was in a much better mood, and we both enjoyed the amazing Bose sound as we watched one of my Christmas presents from my man, 27 Dresses.

Safely Back Into It's Place

I am NOT a jewelery kind of girl.

Ask anyone that knew me prior to getting engaged, I was NOT a jewelery kind of girl. I didn't wear much of it, I didn't EVER wear rings. You might see the occasional necklace on me, or even the less occasional bracelet, but jewelery just wasn't my thing. I had a favorite diamond cross necklace my parents gave me for graduation and have worn that around often ever since, but my collection is limited.

However, once my hubby slipped that unexpected extravagant rock on my finger the day he proposed, something within me changed. I'm not quite sure what it was... the engagement ring was so exciting in the beginning, but felt a bit odd on my finger, and then five or ten days into the engagement, BOOM... the ring became an extension of my finger. It WAS my finger, without it something was wrong! I even made a fuss (I couldn't believe it) about having to take it off for a 24 hour period in order to get the wedding band fitted to wear with it. What was that about?

And now, with over two years of engagement ring experience, and almost two years of wedding band and engagement ring experience, the problem has become worse... I cannot be without my ring! Sure, you have the occasional take the ring off for a kickball game, but that is for a couple hour period and then I'm back home to put that part of my "finger" on again.

My love for my wedding rings and need to have it on me at all times was recently put the test.

On Tuesday, December 30th, my hubby graciously offered to take my rings into our jewelry place to have them cleaned. He thought it would be nice to have them bright and pretty before ringing in the new year, and I gladly accepted his offer. While at the store, my hubby decided to go ahead and get my rings re-plated with white gold (this is something you have to do from time to time to keep the true gold color from showing too much). When I came home Tuesday night, expecting to get my rings back, Kelly informed me of the "change of plans". A little begrudgingly, I thanked my hubby for the sweet thought and looked forward to getting my ring back Wednesday evening right before our New Year's Eve outing.

Wednesday, as seen on a recent post, I became sick and went home early from work and paid my doctor a visit. After my doctor's visit, I climbed into bed and took a four hour nap - which totally helped me, by the way. I was awaken by my hubby, telling me I probably should get up and moving, especially if I was going to go to dinner as planned and have folks over afterwards to ring in the new year. Once I came to, my hubby went on to ask if I loved him, and would love him no matter what?

Then the news happened: Our jeweler had closed early that day, and Kelly did not make it to the store in time to pick up my rings.... I would be without them until Monday evening, January 5th!

Needless to say, it has been a rough week waiting on my rings. I even wore my college class ring on my ring finger throughout that period in order to feel less without. I'm a dork and have problems, yes...

But today, I can proudly say... my rings are safely back into their rightful place, on my finger! Thanks honey, they really do look beautiful. I guess it was worth the wait?!

To the right is a crappy picture of my rings, I took it with my phone today... but it doesn't show them well at all. I guess it's better than nothing. Maybe.

2009

With each new year comes the discussion of New Year Resolutions. A year has past us and it allows us to reflect over the year that was and compare where we came from, where we are today, and where we would like to be. The funny thing about such reflections is that to truly reflect over one's year, there is a need to be still. I have found little time of being still and being silent in my life as of late. When there is availability for stillness, I find myself filling that time and space with the TV or reading or taking a nap...

I believe our McGugan Mailer helped the hubby and I to plot out the things that were for 2008... but I do not believe I've really fully reflected on what all of 2008 meant. I can attest to this without much thought - THE LORD PROVIDED! However, I haven't just sat and reflected over 2008, and asked the Lord to reveal to me what I'm to learn from the past 365 days. We go through things, experiences, events, and should be able to walk away from each with a new take on the way things ought to be. The hope is to learn from the lessons the Lord reveals to us, and walk closer to that of Jesus the longer we go... but it's hard! It's hard to always move forward, and sometimes unfortunately we move backwards instead.

New Year Resolutions come out of such reflections: What should I change? How can I be better? What is my goal for this new year?

My hubby asked me this afternoon, "so what are your new year's resolutions?" and this is what I came up with on the fly:

• To be more disciplined.
  
• This entails both physically (working out and/or eating better) and spiritually (spending more personal time with the Lord). I've learned that when my body is disciplined physically, I am more prone to be spiritually disciplined in my quiet times. I want both of these things in my life to improve and become more constant.

• To be still more often.

• To read more.
• Kelly laughed at this one - he believes I read plenty... but he didn't see how often I read before we were married. I love it... I want to soak up more words on the pages of books this year.

• To work on the house and make some of the dramatic changes we've talked about.

• To practice the discipline of frugality more and save more.

• To speak my husband's love language more often.
• Kelly actually said this one about his own resolutions, and I am taking heed to his great desires... I want to do the same!

• And most of all... LESS OF ME, and MORE OF CHRIST.

It's a new year... a new beginning. In the same way that 2 Corinthians talks about us being a new creation in Christ... the rolling in of 2009 allows for the beginning of new directions. We have the chance to do better this go around with the strength of the Lord beside us.

What is your new year's resolution? Want to make any changes?

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)