My Big Rocks

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted something.  As you can imagine I've been a tad busy.  While the details of the wedding aren't consuming me, they have added just one more thing on my already full plate.  Needless to say that I have begun pruning as spring appears to be a great time to do this. I'm in serious declutter mode.  Most importantly, I am really trying to find time to do the things I LOVE.  So while I like to blog, I have to admit that I don't LOVE it.  My new goal for blogging is monthly.  I wish I could blog once a week and I doubt if I'll ever blog once a day but for now once a month is definitely doable.  This past month, I have started prioritizing my "big rocks" as Steven Covey would say.  My current big rocks are:  spending time with my son and my fiance, reading at least 30 minutes a day, exercising 3 days a week, getting more sleep and planning my wedding. It's taken some time but I now see that blogging is really among the sand, gravel, and water in my life.  Over the past few months, I'm learning that everyone's rocks are different and that one's rocks can change with each new season in life.  So as I recap the past month, I will focus on my big rocks:
1.)  Time with my son and my fiance - Grade C
       Unfortunately, I don't really feel like I've been spending enough quality time with either of them.  I also
       realize that I don't quite know what this quality time should look like.  So my plan for this month is
       to read a story to my son everyday .  (I'm giving myself permission to not limit this reading to
       bedtime.  It can happen at any point of the day.)  As for my fiance, my goal is for us to have at least
       one date night this month and play at least one board game a week. 

2.)  Reading at least 30 minutes a day - Grade B
      I managed to read 2 books this past month so I'm not doing too badly with this "rock".  My memory
       isn't as good as it used to be and I don't have my reading journal with me.  Therefore, I
      can't remember the books I read for March.  Thank goodness, improving my memory isn't one of
      my big rocks. :) In order for me to reach my big goal of reading 35 books this year, I need to read 3
      books a month so hopefully I will be able to accomplish this goal for April.

3.)  Exercising 3 times a week - Grade D+
      I suck on this one.  I just can't get it together.  It's either all or nothing.  Some weeks, I do it and other
      weeks, I don't do anything.  If there are four weeks in a month and my goal is 3 days a week,  that's only
      12 days a month.  Well for March I managed to work out about 7 days.  (This is of course a guess
      since  I don't have my calendar near me.)  My goal for April is just do it.  No excuses!!!!!

4.) Getting more sleep - Grade F
      I am failing miserably with this one. The only time I managed to get 7 - 8 hours of sleep this past month
      was if I was sick.  I really am committed to this one because I really do feel better in the morning and my
      day goes so much better after a good night's sleep.  My goal is to get in the bed by 10:30 p.m.  I have a
      DVR so I can't use the excuse of watching television since I can record the shows I want to see.

5.) Planning my wedding - Grade A +++++
      Surprise, surprise, I'm doing a great job on this big rock.  I have set up a website, secured the location,
      started making the invitations, located a harpist, decided on favors and weekend activities.  Since this
      rock is pretty darn big, I'm happy that I doing well on this goal.  Even though, I'm not consumed with
     wedding planning it's no doubt the one thing I'm doing well.  If I look at why I'm making such good
     progress, it's because I have a specific list of things to accomplish and have set aside specific blocks of
    time to accomplish it.  I guess I need to apply this same strategy to the other rocks in my life.

Now that I've shared my "big rocks", I'm curious to know what are some of the "rocks" in this season of your life?

I'm Engaged!!!!!

This past Tuesday, I got engaged. As you can imagine, I am quite excited and still floating on cloud nine. It's kinda weird now when I look down and see my ring. It really helps me see that God's grace is truly amazing and things really do work according to His awesome plan. Last week, it seemed like manfriend and I had been dating FOREVER. When in actuality, it's only been 17 months. I guess when you hit 30, months feel like years. It's almost like I was counting each month in dog years or better yet, single woman over 30 years.


Now, that I'm engaged it's been hard to make the switch in titles. I keep telling the engagement story and saying my friend or manfriend instead of my fiancé. However, for some strange reason I feel like I need to be engaged a certain amount of time before I can call him by his new title. It's funny because I've waited for this moment for what seems like an eternity yet I'm finding it difficult to grasp. I really feel like I'm dreaming and that this can't possibly be happening to me.


After a few long-term relationships and oodles of hurt feelings and tears, I just can't believe that my day has come. I swear I used to cringe when people were like, "Guess, what?" Of course, I'd fake it and act excited. However, it felt like a jab in my side every time someone told of how they met some guy, dated for a few months or a few years, and now they're getting married. Meanwhile, I just felt like I was sitting on the sidelines waiting to get in the game. I kept feeling like that kid who nobody picks for their team. So now that I have officially been picked, I am so sensitive to those around me. While I can't front, my world is different in a good way and that a HUGE monkey has been lifted off my back. I don't want my happiness and excitement to cause anyone else any unnecessary pain. So I just pray that during this time of my life, I don't fill my bucket at the expense of dipping into someone else's. I pray that this season proves to be a source of joy for all those around me.

The Past Month....

Omgoodness, I really can't believe that it's been over a month since I've blogged. It really does seem like it was just the other day. Since it's been a bit longer than a few days, I feel like I should catch everyone up.

Air cast Update: Gone, well kinda. It's in my trunk. I wonder if I can sell it on EBay. My foot is feeling a lot better as a result of wearing the air cast and now my Shape-Up Sketchers. Who knew that these tennis shoes would make me a mini-star? I'm not lying. EVERY time, I leave the house someone will ask, "How do you like those shoes?" or "Are they working?" My response to question number one is always, "Oh, I love them. They are sooo comfortable." Now, my response to the second question is a bit more detailed. Somehow I feel like I must look like a big frump because if my weight was in proportion to my height, would you need to ask? Wouldn't you be able to see that they were "working?" So, for the second question, I launch into this loooong explanation about the air cast and why I bought the shoes in the first place (which was to level out the air cast). I then go on to say that I didn't buy them to get in shape so I don't really know if they're working.



Doctor's Orders: 80 what??? This was my response when I found out that the "old" lady socks that my doctor prescribed cost that much. I mean really. $80 for some socks. Needless to say, I'm gonna have so stinky feet cause a sista can't afford to buy more than two pair of socks.



Reading: It's sad to say that February was a s-l-o-w month on the reading end. I only read one book. It's called The Conversation by Hill Harper. It was a really good book. I am currently reading 2 books so hopefully I will be able to finish one of them before the end of March.

Fitness: I swear, I 'm just so darn tired. It seems like I can't get enough rest. No matter what time I go to bed, I still wake up feeling absolutely exhausted. I am now taking a few vitamin supplements so I do hope this helps. I am currently looking for a Wii dance game. Any suggestions???



Family Life: My son currently has strep throat. When he had a fever the other night, I wanted to be near him just in case he needed anything so I slept in his bed with him. Well, guess whose throat is getting tighter and tighter by the minute. You guessed it....ME. I have already missed two days of work due to him being sick now I may have to miss another since I think I might be getting sick myself.



In conclusion, I am in the process of pruning and decluttering and re-organizing and all that other stuff..What I'm really trying to say is that while I do miss blogging, I realize that I don't have to beat myself up if I can't do it weekly. Hey, it's all about balance and adjusting so I may just be blogging once a month.



I know this post has been super long (for me) and I'm sorry. I really appreciate you reading all this.

90 Minutes in Heaven

In an effort to switch things up a bit, I decided to read a nonfiction book. I must say that I've seen this book over the years and never really felt compelled to read it. However, a few months ago, when I was dropping things off at the Goodwill and ended up leaving with 10 books this one made the cut. It was definitely an interesting story. I feel like a bad Christian because I'm not moved by the book and probably won't read it again. It's kinda heavy and I was disappointed that there wasn’t some profound moral at the end. However, maybe it's just because I've been in a funk lately and this definitely wasn't the book to lift me out of it. So if you are interested in reading about one man's trip to heaven and back then you should no doubt read 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper.

God Bless the People of Haiti

As I sit at home wearing my space boot, I am quickly reminded that my problems and inconveniences pale in comparison to the disaster that has hit Haiti. I feel a personal connection to this tragedy because one of my very close friends is Haitian. Her family has already confirmed the death of one family member and is anxiously waiting to find out about other family members and friends. I keep wondering what I can do. Well, I decided that my blog could be a voice to ask for help. Wyclef Jean's foundation is accepting donations and is committed to helping the people of Haiti. You can donate $5.00 by texting the word Yele to 501501 and the charges will appear on your next cell phone bill or you can visit Yele Haiti to a make a donation. I pray that you are able to forgo a small pleasure and find $5.00 in your budget to help Haiti. God Bless for your generosity and let's all pray for the wonderful people of Haiti.

A what? Oh, can I get one in pink?

My Doctor: You're going to need to wear a walking boot.


Me: A what?

My Doctor: An air cast. I know you've seen one before. It's a plastic boot that will help your foot and make walking less painful.

Me: Oh, can I get one in pink?

Unfortunately, air cast/walking boots don't come in pink. They only come in this UGLY gray color that looks like it's a part of an astronaut's suit.  It does however come with a cool hand pump so my son really enjoyed pumping air into mommy's cast this morning.  I guess it's a good thing that I wear a lot of black since my walking boot will be a permanent part of my wardrobe for the next few weeks. The doctor's exact words were "You have to wear it until we figure out what's wrong with your foot!"

So now let me explain. Oh, about 15 years ago, my left foot started swelling up. It would be fine in the morning but by the end of the night it would be huge and a little stiff but nothing super uncomfortable. So I would casually bring this up at doctor's appointments and most times, it was dismissed as nothing major. Well, last week my foot started to swell in its normal fashion but then it started to really hurt to walk and by the end of the work day I was limping down the hall to my car. Thankfully, we were off from school on Friday so I had the entire weekend to rest. I soaked my foot in Epson salt, took a few Tylenol and all was well. So on Monday morning, I was "fine" and had decided to postpone visiting a doctor until spring break. Since by then I would have a little bit more time on my hands. Well, by around 9 a.m Monday morning, I was back to limping and promptly called my doctor. I had an appointment yesterday morning. Somehow I thought she would just give my some medicine and send me on my way. Boy was I wrong! I had to get blood drawn, x-rayed, and pick up my walking boot. Needless to say, I didn't make it to work yesterday and am off today and tomorrow. It's actually a very weird feeling because since I'm wearing a moon boot and now my ankle is killing me, I'm stuck sitting in my recliner with my foot elevated. I keep trying to figure out how to use this "extra-time" wisely. I thought I would scrapbook but it's hard to do with your foot elevated. I have of course been reading but hey I need something else to do. Most every one I know is working so I can't really call anyone. I guess this means that I can catch up on all the stuff I recorded on my dvr.

I love my Snuggie

Okay, I just wanted to take a few moments and sing some LOUD praises for my Snuggie. OMGoodness, the commercials look so hokey. Manfriend bought me one for Christmas. He got me a Pitt Panther one since that's where I went to college. I thanked him for the gift but thought why would he get me a blanket when I'm ALWAYS hot. I, of course, thought that I wouldn’t like it because it would make me sweat and just be quite uncomfortable. Boy was I wrong. I absolutely love it!!!! The weight is perfect. So it keeps me warm but I'm definitely not hot. I also like the fact that my hands are free while I'm wearing it. So now I can stay warm while attempting to read 35 books this year. Many people think it's just like wearing a robe backwards, it really isn't. I love it and am so glad that I have one. Do you have a Snuggie and if so, do you love it?

If you need a good laugh....

then you definitely should read Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs.  It is absolutely hilarious.  Omgoodness, it is truly one of the best books I've read in a long time.  So, what's it about?  The book centers around four hosts of a retail television show.  Think QVC or HSN meets Jerry Springer.  As you know, one of my goals for this year is to read 35 books.  Well, I'm so happy that I stumbled upon this one.  One down, only 34 more to go.  Have you read anything good lately?

2010 Goals

Well, as we are now a few days into the New Year, it seems only fitting that I post my 10 goals for 2010.

1. Read the Bible daily. (So far, so good. I have read the Bible two mornings in a row. I'm off to a great start.)



2. Read a story to my son every night. (Well, I actually might need to revise this one to daily and not limit it to bedtime. Since last night we got home kinda late and I didn't get a chance to read a story to my little one.)



3. Volunteer once a month. (I am currently looking for ways to "give back" each month. Suggestions are encouraged and welcomed.)



4. Go to bed at 10:30 p.m. Sunday - Thursday. (Well, since I'm currently on vacation, I've haven't started this one yet. This Sunday will begin the test.)



5. Read 35 books. (You might remember that last year, I attempted to read 52 books in 52 weeks. What was I thinking? I didn't reach my goal but I did read 29 books.  Well, this year, I have decided to be a little more realistic. I wanna read my age in books.)



6. Exercise 4x's a week for 30 minutes. (Ummmm...I've been rather sick these last few days and so I haven't actually started this either. However, Sunday (or shall I say tomorrow) I plan to start.)



7. Take my son on a vacation. (I want to take him to SeaWorld in Orlando or possibly a place with a beach and if worst come to worst, I can count the yearly trip home as a vacation.)



8. Save $1,000. (I am truly hoping to accomplish this goal by June.)



9. Weigh 135 lbs. (I currently weigh 160 and it's just too darn heavy. I wear an expensive size 6 and a cheap 12 (i.e. Jones of New York, size 6 and Wal-Mart size 12). I really would like to wear an expensive size 2 and cheap size 6.)



10. Get married. (This has actually been a "goal" of mine for the last 10 years. However, I've decided to put it down on paper and see what happens. Clearly, this is a goal that I can't really control unless I want to be like the girl in Leap Year, which I don't. But hey, I decided to write it down and see what happens.)


Bonus Goal:  52 posts in 52 weeks.  (Ideally, I would love to post more than once a week but I'm going to start small and commit to publishing at least once a week.)



So what is something you would like to accomplish this year?