Friends

My good pal Mallory from high school just sent this in an email, and I thought I'd share. *Warning: This is sappy (but true) and for ladies only*

When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.
Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.

One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,'
Another, 'Let's fight together,'
Another, 'Let's walk away together.'

One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe fetish,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back,
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself ...

Those are your best friends.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman, But for many, it's wrapped up in several..

One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
a couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbour,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.

So whether they've been your friend for 20 minutes or 20 years,
Take time to thank the women that God has placed in your life

Pictures, Preschool & a Bit of Panic

Here are a few pics from the past week or two. The one of Hayden & Carson cracks me up. Carson's head is as big as Hayden's!









We were going to tour a possible preschool for the big guy today. Cornerstone Christian Academy has a 2 half-day/week program for 3-yr-olds starting in the fall. Unfortunately, Hayd was up last night with a horrible cough and fever. So, we're postponing. This is the 4th time he's been sick since Carson was born. Poor guy.

Finally, I'm starting to panic a bit about getting my hair done tonight. I know it can be blonde again in a few weeks if I don't like it. Still, it's such a big change. I have this fantasy that I'll walk out of the salon to hear people say, "Wow, she looks just like Angelina Jolie," when in fact I fear it will be more like, "Holy crap! When did Delta Burke move to town?" Regardless, I'll post a pic - good or bad! :)

Please say a prayer for our little guys - that Hayd gets better and Carson doesn't catch what big brother has.

Embracing Brunette

I was born blonde. Strawberry blonde. The lone blonde in a family of brunettes.

Over the years, I've highlighted, dyed & frosted this mane. But one thing has remained constant. When the roots grew in, they were still blonde.

It was in eighth grade that I first dabbled with highlights. A box of "Frost & Tip" was my gateway peroxide that opened the door to many more dangerous forms of dye in high school...some of which lead to week-long stints of brass-removing toner rehab in the basement of old lady Hazel from church.

This continued during college. Even when I did it myself and screwed up, I could wait for it to grow out a bit and then try something new.

Once I graduated and entered the working world, I decided I was ready for a more grown-up, professional color treatment. Thus began my search for the perfect colorist.

What I didn't want to see during this time was that my hair - highlight by highlight, shampoo by color-enhancing shampoo - was turning darker. By college, the strawberry blonde locks had turned dishwater blonde. Post-college, they had turned dark blonde.

After my first pregnancy, my natural hair color could be deemed "light brown".

And now, staring at my roots post-pregnancy with my second child in my arms, I can see that I am no longer blonde. I am no longer even dark blonde.

I am brunette.

The highlights I've gotten the past couple months have looked white compared to my dark, natural low-lights and roots. The contrast between the two colors is harsh, a glaring neon sign on top of my head that says "I'm in denial of my brunetteness!"

The way I see it, I now have two options. I can either dye my hair all over to my former "dark blonde" color and then add the buttery blonde highlights I have so cherished. This would mean long trips to the hairdresser and a bigger chunk from the checking account.

Or, I can go natural. I can have my hair colored to match my roots. I can have my natural hair color and go without highlights for the first time in about 15 years.

Life is all about taking chances - big and small. And Tuesday, I will be taking a small chance. I will exercise my God-given right as a woman to color my hair any color I wish.

This Tuesday, I will embrace my brunetteness. I will wish a teary farewell to blonde highlights. I will look into the mirror post dye job and see a new woman.

Brave. Brilliant. Brunette.

(and if I don't like it, I'll be blonde again by February)

Treadmill Tunes?

Only three weeks back into my routine, and I'm already tired of my mix. Any suggestions for good workout songs? This is what I currently have (and I should be embarrassed by a few). They are good...but already getting old!

Viva la Vida - Coldplay
Human - The Killers
So What - Pink
Wind It Up - Gwen Stefani
Mercy - Duffy
Maneater - Nelly Furtado
Fergalicious - Fergie
Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
Circus - Britney Spears
Pocketful of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield
Chasing Pavements - Adele

Lots of Pics

Here are some photos from the past week or two. They are completely out of order but include Christmas at my parents, two (count 'em, TWO) girls nights out (and two nights in a row, no less!!), a visit from the Woods and random pics of the boys. Enjoy!

Back on the To-Do List

I am a list person.

I make one every day, and many times the night before. When I worked full time, it was my To-Do List that kept me on top of things and employed. Now it functions to keep me sane. In fact, I'll get up at two in the morning after a feeding (the baby's - not mine) to write down a few things on my list so I don't forget them the next day.

There's a sense of control and relief that I get when I write things down. If it's on paper, it will get done. Maybe not that day, but soon. It will not slip my mind. If I don't write them down, those thoughts and intentions - however important or enjoyable - are prone to slipping off into the haze of my mind to mingle with irretrievable song lyrics, phone numbers and birthdays - never to be thought of again. At least, not until it's too late to accomplish them.

My lists usually are comprised of mundane tasks: vacuum, dr. appt at 2pm, clean fridge, call Kaisner (homebuilder) about squeaky floor, etc... On a slow day, I'll even write down a task that I would normally do, solely for the satisfaction of crossing that something off. Brush teeth. Check. Go to bathroom. Check. Shower. Check. (although, showers are becoming a sort of luxury with the little dude).

However, this past Monday I was watching Oprah. As much as I hate to cite her two posts in a row, something she said gave me my own "Ah-Ha Moment", if you will. Her show on Monday was all about the importance of putting yourself back on your To-Do List. It sounds simple, but for someone like me who lives her life by her list, it's a big deal. And I realized that day, which happened to be D-Day for my resolutions, that it was the first time in a VERY LONG time that I actually did have myself on my list. I had the usual things (laundry, mail thank-you letters, etc...). But nestled in there with those items were "Go to the Gym" and "Tan".

Anyone who knew me pre-Hayden knows that I was an avid worker-outer. From freshmen year of college until the + sign showed up on the stick, I could be found on the treadmill, stepper or elliptical 5 days a week. But after scares early in pregnancy with Hayden, I decided my body wanted to chill out. Unfortunately, it has "chilled out" for almost 4 years now. Going back to the gym has given me a bit of my old self back. With Gwen Stefani's "Wind It Up" blaring in my headphones, I am one bad mother on a 4-mile-per-hour mission.

And let's face it, tanning is not the best thing for you. I know. But there's something about a little bit of color that makes the pale belly, legs & face seem a bit more toned and glowy. I love optical illusions. Plus, I'm looking at it as Vitamin-D Therapy.

Whether you're a working mom, stay-at-home mom or empty nester with grandchildren...it's so easy to put yourself either on the bottom of the list, or not on the list at all. Maybe there's some type of martyrdom complex we develop the moment our children peek their heads out of our hoo-has. We think that if we sacrifice and stress and go, go, go...we're being good moms and will someday be rewarded.

I'm thinking we can do both. Do the hard stuff but ALSO do some fun things for ourselves. One small thing on the list every day. Even if it's just "paint toenails", "call old friend from high school" or "'alone time' with the hubbie" (yes, you can schedule that). I think these things will culminate into one larger sense of well being.

Now granted, not all "good" things for us on our to do list are fun. Weight Watchers is not "fun" for me. Eating a bag of Cheetos is. But that gratification is temporary, and losing my baby weight and feeling better about myself is much more satisfying and longer lasting...but not easy.

I have a good friend in St. Louis who put herself back on her to-do list a year ago by going back to school to get her teaching degree. She works full time at a great job, goes to school at night and all the while is a wonderful wife & mom to a busy three-year-old. But she put herself on her list so that she can eventually become a teacher and have more time to spend with her family. Putting "go back to school" on the list is not an easy task, but it's bettering her life.

My aunt Rae wrote something about this yesterday in her blog, Finding Thin. Sometimes she takes the words out of my head and puts them down in a much more interesting way than I ever could. If you're on the weight loss journey, this is a great blog to check daily for inspiration and laughs.

Anyway, I'm not sure what I'll put on my list today. At this point, it's all cleaning items since we're having guests this weekend. But I vow to put at least one good thing for me on there. Maybe I'll print some photos and put them in pretty frames to smile at me around house. Maybe I'll finally use that Victoria's Secret gift card online and await, with childlike excitement, some fabulous 5/$25 underwear. (I'm sorry...in Victoria's Secret world, they're called "panties") Or maybe I'll think of something else in the next hour or two. Something I've never done before.

Regardless, I will be on my list. And if you're not already, you should put yourself on your list today too. You deserve it. Plus, Oprah said to.