Christmas and all that Jazz.....Jr. Jazz..that is

I can't believe that Christmas is only 16 days away....where the heck did the time go??? The last time I looked, I was sitting down with my family for Thanksgiving dinner now here it is rapidly approaching Christmas and I feel that I am going around and around in circles and not getting anything done...well, I guess that is not true...I do have my Christmas tree up, along with my Christmas village and most of the packages wrapped...Harley is one freak'n spoiled boy....but the gingerbread house is not done...and this year I wanted to count down the days in a special way with Harley and did I get a change to even get started on that....NOPE!! So does that make me a slow mom or an unprepared mom?? I so hope not. I am hoping that Christmas will come even with out the advent calendar done and my hopes of a gingerbread house finished. Every year we have done one....it is now one of our "Johnson" Traditions....it is so much fun making up new traditions every year.

This year we were able to put up our Christmas tree together and we were even able to listen to Christmas music while we did it. Dave has a thing against Christmas music, but I was happy that he let us listen to it this year. It was a lot of fun to have Harley help us put up all of the tree ornaments this year. The only sad thing that happened this year with the Christmas tree was that half of our lights went out on it...what do you expect from a tree that is eight years old. Dave said that it was ok, because we had color lights that we could cover up and then next year I get to buy a new tree!!! YIPPEEE!!!! FOR ME!!!

So, an update on Harley::

Harley started karate about 2 months ago and has now have three stripes on his belt and on this Saturday he will be testing for his yellow belt. I am so freak'n proud of him. He has been working really hard at learning everything from his instructor and he has now told me that he would like to be a karate instructor when he gets bigger. It is so funny to see him practice with his Daddy....if Dave tries out a move and he does it wrong Harley is right there to tell him he is doing it wrong and then he shows him the right way to do it. It is great to see how much he has learned in such a little amount of time...

Besides the Karate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Harley also goes to the gym with us and works out, well, actually he plays with other kids in the gym in the daycare...he loves doing this and has been such a little motivator for me. I have a hard time really wanting to go and exercise, but for him I will do anything. He always tells me in the morning what we are going to be doing that night....Mondays = gym, Tuesdays = karate, Wednesdays=gym, Thursdays=karate....oh, yea Saturdays = gym and now Junior Jazz.....

Starting in December, Harley has been enrolled in Junior Jazz....it was so much fun to see him working on what the instructors have been telling the boys about basketball. Harley told me that he was going really slow dribbling the ball down the court because he was listening to his instructor and wanted to do it just right because he is the best basketball player ever. Oh, yea...that is my son alright. Best at everything. Harley has a couple of friends that also plays on his team. Brandon's son (the other attorney in our office) Andrew is on Harley's team. These are some pictures that I took during their first team game. They have a couple of whole team practices and then about the third or forth game they will play against each other. I had a lot of fun watching Harley and how he was really trying to do things just the way the
coach told him to do.

I told Harley that he should get number 34 jersey because that is how old his Daddy was and of course he loved that idea a lot.

Ok, Now it is time for me to sign off...going to gym with Hubby....more to come as Christmas comes near!!!

Mixbook Party.....

This last Saturday (Nov. 20), I held a Mixbook.com party. It was so much fun. I wish that all my friends could have come, but I know how busy that day was. I did have a lot of friends come and we were able to go over what Mixbook.com is and how easy to use it is. My dad has his computer hooked up to the television set, so it was so wonderful to be able to watch the little video that Mixbook.com sent and then go right into the program and show personally how it works for me.

My boss, Tammy, was one of many that I have introduced to Mixbook.com to. She has also been the one that I have been totally amazed by in her ability to understand the versatility and limitlessness ability of the Mixbook program. Below is an example of the wonderful book she was able to make with Mixbook. Her mother made a scrapbook of when she met Tammy's dad. This scrapbook was over 40 years old and kinda falling apart and had missing pictures and such. Tammy was able scan these pages into the Mixbook program and add extra pictures and statements to make this wonderful 8.5 x 11 book that you can hold in your lap and not be afraid to ruin any of the wonderful work that her mother had done so many years ago. I think that this is one of the best examples of how outstanding this company's program works.

Not only did we have fun sharing what we had already done, but we had new friends come out and learn all about the program.

We also found that not everyone needed to be into the digital scrapbooking to have a good time with each other. We are now hoping that many more friends will come out to our scrapbooking days and not only bring their digital scrapbooking projects, but also there regular scrapbooking.






And what is better to end the post about how amazing Mixbook.com is than to have them have there very own cake that was totally yummy and everyone enjoyed!!! Thanks so much Mixbook.com for allowing me to share this great program with everyone that I know.

P.S. I forgot to mention one of the many things that I have just discovered that you could do with the Mixbook program....you can scan in items like movie ticket stubs, wrist bands, postcards, itineraries and any other kind of memorabilia that you have into the sticker format of the program and place it just like a sticker. I thought this was wonderful especially when I have been working on my cruise from last year and I wanted to have the plane tickets and such in with all of my pictures. Love this!!!!

Update.....

Wow....I haven't been blogging much these last couple of months, but let me tell you it has not been for not having anything to write about. We have been so busy doing so many wonderful things. I think this blog will be dedicated to all the fun stuff that we have done that I haven't written about yet.

FIRST.....Three weeks ago, Dave and I decided that we should check out a Karate place for Harley. We had been talking about putting him in Karate for the last three years and never really got around to finding a place. Dave had been talking to a couple of his buddies and saw this little studio over by where he was working one night. He said that there was tons of kids there and maybe Harley would like it. We went in one night just to talk and find out how much. Harley was so excited about the place and we decided that it wasn't all that much and it would be good for him.

After the first introductory week, we signed Harley up for a full year. We made him promise that he would do his best and practice everything every day. I must confess that this later promise we really don't enforce all that much. He does do his sit ups, push ups, and jumping jacks all the time. His dad loves to tell him to do the sit ups and of course Harley does as many as his dad says....just like that.

This last Thursday, was Harley's fourth class (2 classes as a maybe student and then 2 more as a student) and he was able to get two stripes to his belt already. He really has learned a lot and does the blocks, punches, and other moves quite well. He remembers stuff that I thought for sure he would forget. Oh, yea that is my sewing skills coming out. I sewed on the patches all by myself and I have to confess that I think that I did a stellar job. GO ME!!!

He can't wait to get into the yellow belt. This morning he asked me if I had taken Karate before and of course I told him that I had. He then asked me what belt I had gotten to....orange....I replied...."WOW!!! that is awesome!!" Kids. Have to love them...they always seem to make you feel like superman or woman!!

Let's see.....also on last Thursday....My mom, my sister and all of the cousins and I went to see Mickey Mouses' Magic Show on Ice at the Energy Solutions Arena. It was great. We had killer seats!!! YEA...no freaking out for me....more about that in another post.....

Of course, my favorite part was Arial. I love this princess and it was great to see it on ice.



Harley's favorite part was all of it, but I think that it was Peter Pan when Tick Tock Crock was eating Captain Hook. I don't have a picture of that one, but my mom does and hopefully I could get it. Tick was a big inflatable balloon that Captain Hook fell into. He was talking about that a couple of days later.




Ok....well, I actually have to go and take Harley to Karate right now, but tomorrow I am hoping to catch ya all up....there is so much more.....

Weekend in Idaho.....

This last weekend we spent in Idaho with my sister, her family, and my family. It was great. We all had such a wonderful time and according to Harley that is our new home. It is so funny when he says "ok, let's go home" I say "we are almost there" then he goes "no, our home is in Idaho now." How funny is that? I know that he wants to be around his cousins a lot more and maybe someday, but right now we will just have to plan more trips up there.

Friday, we left a little late, but made it in time for Harley to start playing with his cousins. Teancum wanted to show Harley his new video game. It was pretty cool. It was Lego Star Wars. I thought it was great because when the bad guys would die instead of blood and such they just broke apart into little pieces of Legos. Wonderful!! I know that I am a paranoid mom, but what can I say....I like games that doesn't have that much blood and guts in it.

While these three was working on defeating Darth Vader....I was, of course, holding that cute little niece of mine and Kathy was working on making hair clips for tomorrows pictures.




Isn't she just the cutiest thing you have ever seen??






On Saturday morning, we all woke up and got ready. Let me tell you that was fun.....six kids and seven adults running around trying to get everything ready for pictures...it was great entertainment, I'll tell ya what.

After we all got ready and in the car, we went over to the photographer's shop and ended up following him out to the location where we were going to shoot the pictures. It was only about 15 minutes away which was great. Kathy and Nephi ended up having all six kids with them and Dave and I had my parents and Blair with us. Here are some pictures which I took with my camera. It was a gorgeous site and very peaceful. Dave and I have fallen in love with this area of Idaho.





























Below is the backdrop of many of our photos.









After pictures we all went up on the bridge and had fun playing on it. I was also able to take some amazing photos of the bridge. I wish I would have had the photographer do some of us up there. They would have been amazing!!

After all the picture taking was done, we went back to Aunt Kathy's house, changed our clothes, and then headed out to the ranch for lunch. When we got out there we were amazed to see this great big huge shop on their property. It was big...oh, yea, I already said that, but it was HUGE!!! Three car garage with a little semi house attached to it. I believe they are going to have a master bedroom down stairs with a bath room and then upstairs that is going to be the kid room. Right now it is all unfinished except for the outside and the frame work. I now wish that I had a picture of it, but alas I don't. Maybe next time.

After playing in the fire, dirt and on the big construction equipment out on the property we went back to the house and either fell asleep for a little nap or played a game called get BLAIR!!!

We had a lot of fun seeing all the kids going after Blair...Harley was excited at first to get in on the action, but then he wandered over to the video game and I had to tell him no. Not now. After the fighting with Blair we had the kids run and get their swimming suits on for showers and baths. It was great getting them all washed at the same time. Saved a lot of time. After all the kids were all cleaned up (yet again) we all piled into the cars and headed over to Jackson Hole for the Bar J Chuckwagon. That was so much fun. The dinner was great and the entertainment was wonderful as well. The kids were a little restless by the end of it all and we were all ready to go. Grandma took all the grandkids on the little train ride right before dinner was to be served. It was wonderful to partake in the western hospitality.


It was a great weekend and we had so much fun. When we asked Harley what was his favorite part about the weekend he told us that it was "getting the pictures taken." Go figure that one out.

Venting.....

So, I know that my job is not that tough and I have been doing this job for almost the past 10 years, so I tend to think that I know how to do my FREAKEN job. I have this one client that I swear if he goes missing I would not mind in the least. Maybe I shouldn't say that, but really?? When you have been in four accidents and you think that your last case is my top priority let me just tell you now that it is not. I have 85 other clients that are just as important as you and calling me every day to bitch me out for something that is BEYOND MY FREAKEN control will not help matters. I do my job. I call the person. I call the person every day. I am not about to call the person 7 times a day and then spend what additional time I might have tracking someone else down to see if they could help me work on your stupid case. I feel that I have done everything to the best of my FREAKEN ability and I do not need you condescending voice to tell me that I need to work harder for you. LET ME TELL YOU......YOUR CASE IS NOT WORTH MY TIME!!!!

Thank you for letting me vent!

Accountibility.....

I now know why I have this blog....it is to help me vent my frustrations out and not at everyone else right?? I hope so. I am so freak'n pissed right now...I just need to write it all out...so if I offend anyone, right now I am sorry, but later I might not be. Just take it with a grain of salt and move on.

So, yesterday, I dropped Harley off at school (like always) and then when Dave called me to see if he could pick him up from daycare you would expect him to be there. Well, yesterday, that was not the case. Dave got over to the daycare place and found out that he was not there and no body knew where he was. SERIOUSLY?? You are telling us this. After the staff member called the school to find out if he was there or not...Dave rushed over and picked him up. He was so brave. The first things out of his mouth was "I am sorry, Daddy, but I missed the bus, but I didn't cry." Talk about melting your heart.

I didn't know any of this until I got home from work. I was about 15 min behind Dave picking up Harley. I can not begin to describe how furious I was when I found out. At first I didn't know what to do or what to think. Later on as the night progressed I found myself getting more and more mad about the whole situation. I kept thinking...Harley was sitting in the school office for 45 min and no one freak'n called me to tell me that he was there.....what the hell???

Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well last night. I kept having nightmares of things that could have happened and then a dream about me getting everyone into a room and yelling at them until I couldn't yell anymore. The one thing that I didn't know was what really happened. I just had what Harley told us, which let me tell you isn't much...he is six after all and he thought he had done something wrong.

So, this morning I got up and wrote down our phone numbers on a card for Harley and told him any time he needed me or something happened that he needed me he had my number to call me. Then we had time when I tried to drill my number into his poor little head. He said enough and said that he had the card in case he couldn't remember it. I finally relented and told him how much I love him and that I just want him to be safe. He said I love you too.

When we got to school, I still didn't know what I was going to do or who I was going to talk to about my concerns. So, finally I called my mommy!! Yep, even at this age in life, I do need my mommy. I talked to her about what I should do. She told me to go into the school and talk to the principle and that is exactly what I did. I marched myself in there like a big important person and demanded to see the principle. The secretary there told me that the principle was out with some students and that there was another person before me. Then they asked me if they could help. I decided that really they are the brains behind the school and they would probably know more than the principle so I relayed my plight with them and asked them if they knew why no one called me to let me know that my son was in the office. They told me that they had seen Harley come in and he told them that he missed the bus. The secretary told me that she called the daycare and they said that they were stuck in traffic and would be there shortly. She told Harley to go outside and wait for them at the usually spot. He did and then 15 min later he came back and told them that the bus didn't come. He ended up waiting in the office until Dave got there. After I heard this I was even more mad, but I think that it was more towards the daycare.

I got to work, mad....I called the daycare about 11:00 a.m. to find out what really happened. When I called, I had to wait for the director come on the phone so I could ask her. The hold time I was trying to calm down. I asked her what had happened yesterday. She told me that the bus that usually picks up Harley from school was in a little fender bender and that she had to go to all 10 schools to pick up all the kids and she guesses that Harley wasn't where he was suppose to be to meet them. She then told me that she never received a call from the school and by the time she got all the kids back to the center and calmed down Dave was there to pick up Harley. She told me that she didn't know that he was not on the bus, nor did she ever get a personal phone call from the school letting her know that Harley missed the bus. During our whole conversation did she ever say, "I am sorry that I left your son at school. We are making sure that this never happens again and I am looking into new procedures so this will never happen again." Instead she ended up blaming everyone else for the miscommunication between the school and the daycare.

I was so appalled that here is a director of the daycare that I entrust my child to telling me that it wasn't her fault for them leaving and not being aware where my child was. When we first went looking at this place, I was a little hesitant, and I wasn't sure why, but when we went back to have Harley check it out and get his approval, the director told both, Dave and I, that within 15 min of not picking Harley up we would be getting phone calls from the daycare asking us if we had possibly picked up our son. The way that she told us of all the security measures that they had in place it really impressed us. Guess what?? NOT IMPRESSED any more. I don't know what I am going to be doing now. I would hate to pull Harley from another stable environment, but then I would never want this to happen again. He is my everything and so help me if anything were to happen to him there would and is one angry momma bear here to protect him.

X96 - Morning from Hell Radio Show....

So, I am not much for talk radio or really radio for that fact. Since I have found this new little invention called an iPod....radio has become something in the past for me....but, like all good things....my iPod found its end....in a washing machine....Really? How could I have checked everyone's pockets except for mine?? Now I am iPod less and have been begging Dave for a new one ever since. He has this cute little thing that he does....."what? I can't hear you? I don't know what you are saying." whenever the subject of replacement is approached.

So, where was I going with this post....oh, yea...Radio. I have now become a mom that has to be to school early to make sure that her darling young son can get to class on time. So we sit in the car and wait....and wait.....and wait. (It is so weird, I can be late for everything in the world, but when it comes to taking Harley to school...get this....I am 20 min early.) Well, recently we have been listening to the radio (when Harley isn't pushing every single button in the car) and one of the radio shows that I have been prone to stop on is X96. I must confess that I usually don't listen to this station, but occasionally I press on it to listen to a song or comment.

This morning was one of those exceptions. I was listening to them talk and then they got on to this topic of things that must go....so, of course, I want to do this. I want to sit here and type all the things that must go. It was funny listening to them because they would sit there and argue about some of the things that one person thought should go such as people who put dog sweaters on their dogs.

So, here is my list of things that must go:

1. People that get into the far left lane only to cut everyone off in order to make a right hand turn.
2. People who boast about having a secure day care and then ending up leaving your child at the school and don't notice that he is missing until you go and try to pick him up.
3. People who are in the administration office of a school to allow a boy to sit in their office for an hour and a half without calling their parents.
4. People who don't call you back when you have left 10 messages.
5. People who say they are going to come in and sign some paperwork and then never show up and don't return phones calls.
6. Tracking down people to make arrangements to see their kids.
7. Ketchup
8. Annoying coughs
9. Getting up at the butt crack of dawn
10. Not feeling refreshed.

Mental Patients and Texans....

So, one day we were watching a movie called "Bad News Bears." It was a cute show with a lot of grown up humor...BTW I wouldn't let young kids watch it.....and in one of the scenes you have the baseball team going out for lunch after a game when the coach says something to the affect of "good lord, do you have to have that much ketchup" an other kids pipes up and says "My mom says that the only people to love that much ketchup is Mental Patients or Texans..." Ever since that day I know which is my family.

Yes, I did marry a Texan with an offspring of himself. Last night it was every evident which they were. I made dinner and it was beautiful, lovely cooked chicken to perfection, mashed potatoes, and peas. It looked so gorgeous on the plate. Then it happened...."Honey" "Yes, dear" "Could you grab the ketchup for me?" WHAT?? Seriously?? Yep, both of them, ketchup over everything. I was so heartbroken that they thought that putting on ketchup would help improve the flavor of this wonderful meal that I had just spent the last 30 minutes making. GRRRRR...Texas Men!!!

This might give ya an idea of what it almost looked like before the ketchup was added. Everything was beautiful.....then, the aftermath of the attack of the ketchup......










What a sad day for me...and my cooking.

Second Anniversary.....

I have to confess that this post is going to be so mushy and gushy...you might not have the stomach to read it, but if you think that you do.....go ahead and keep reading, but don't say that I didn't warn ya all.....

Today it has been officially two years since the day I married.....my everything. I can't believe that it has only been two years. It seems like I have known him my whole life. He is my other half, my protector, my Knight in Shinning Armor. It is just amazing to me how much better life can be when two people are working at achieving the same goals in life to accomplish a more beautiful life together.

Ya know, he still makes me feel like a silly little school girl that is constantly flustered and bewildered that he is in love with her. Crazy how a person can make you feel so wanted and desired all at the same time.

I have often wondered what makes our relationship so strong and different than other relationships that I have been in.....well, for one, I feel that Dave always wants to help me with everything, except bills and laundry. Just this last Saturday, I went scrapbooking with my mom and some friends, when I came home I found my sweet husband lying on the couch exhausted after washing and putting away dishes (no dishwasher:(), sweeping and moping the kitchen floor and vacuuming the whole house....he told me that he did it all because he knew how much laundry that I had to do. It was so sweet. Having him do little things like this really makes my day.

On thing that Dave loves to brag about to his friends is the fact that I cook him breakfast in the mornings and make him his lunch. Now, I know that this sounds so old fashion so let me try and explain the reasons behind why I started to do this for him....When we first started to date, it was during the busiest time of the year for him. Since he is a seasonal worker he is able to stay home during the winter months and not work. My husband works such long hours that some days it feels like I never see him and so I thought that I could have a good hour with him in the mornings to talk about how each other is doing. This just happened to also allow me to make a healthy breakfast for him (cause ya all know that if it was up to the guys it would be McDonalds or donuts every day for breakfast). Now it is so much a part of our lives that something is missing when I don't make him his morning breakfast. I love our alone time in the morning when he would sit there and stare at me or pinch my butt and tell me how beautiful I look in the mornings.....are you kidding me?? Wild hair and slobber all over my face...his is so twisted....but he is my twisted person.

There is one thing that I do on a continual bases and it is saying I love you....I say it so much that it really starts to sound like a broken record. The reason why I say it so much is because of my greatest fear of being in an accident or dying and the ones that I love the most won't ever know how much I love them. So, if it means me saying it to the point that they can't get it out of their heads then I have done my job. Harley has come to know my quirks and helps me stay sane...I know that he knows that I love him and that I would do anything in the world for him. On the day that we got married, I also said a little vow to him. It was special and I meant every word of it. Yesterday when we watch our wedding video, Harley said see that?? (our vows) that is when you married me too. How could you not cry over that one.


These guys are my cowboys and I love being married to both of them. I love them SOOOOOO much it hurts some times.

First Day.....

On August 23, 2010, Harley had his first day of a new school and 1st grade. I have to confess that he is more grown up than I would like. Since I am a step mom I only really get to claim certain accomplishments and see this progression from when I first met him. Lucky for me I was able to meet Harley when he was only 2 1/2. so I have been around for a while now. Oh, the days of when he would walk around with his feet pj's and the diaper that made him walk like Sid the Sloth....too cute. Now his is all grown up into a big boy. He is now 6 and becoming so bright and independent. I didn't know that I could have emotions quite like I have been having lately. What is happening to me?? Oh, yea, this is what it is like to really feel like a mom. Now I hope that I just don't screw up. That is my greatest fear of all time.

On, Harley's first day of school, both his dad and I took the day off to be able to take him to school and show him where he was going to be. This was a little bit challenging since the school wouldn't let anyone in the building except for kids and they couldn't go in until the bell rang. I was a little taken back by this. When we went to school, the school teachers didn't have to have key cards to enter the building and parents could go into the school and walk around looking at everything. Now we have to schedule time to go and see the teacher. There are a lot of security measures which the school has taken in order to keep our kids safe and I am just going to have to get use to it.

Right before the bell was going to ring the kids where lining up. Harley was so cute and the other kids right next to him was just as cute. Harley was so proud of his new shoes that he was showing them off to the new kids and they were showing him theirs. It was so cute that of course I had to grab the camera.

After the bell rang and Harley went into school, I felt so sad for some reason. Like his is now this big huge grown up boy that didn't need his mom anymore. The next couple of days went ok, but one day we got there early (like always) and he opened the door and jumped out and said see ya later and ran off.....sniffle, sniffle. That is when I broke down and called my hubby, but he didn't want to hear it either. Actually he was just busy at work and when he got home he gave me a big hug and said that it was bound to happen. Oh, the joys of learning how to be a mother.

Missing Tooth....

On August 9, 2010, my son lost his first tooth. It was bittersweet for me. I had so many mixed emotions running through my head. Being a "Step" parent is really a lot harder than one could ever imagine. When I first started dating my husband, I have to confess that I was scared shitless, not because of the fact that I was falling head over heels in love with him, but because of the fact that if his son didn't like or care for me at all....his daddy was going to be going bye bye and leaving me broken hearted. I didn't really need to worry though, because his son loved the crap out of me and he still does to this day. The more days that go by, the more and more I am starting to feel like a real mom, but I digress....

So, here we are at my brother's house having family dinner for my mom's birthday...When Harley is eating his second piece of corn.....he takes a bite and then stops and looks at me with sheer terror in his eyes...at first I started to freak out and then he showed me his tooth...is was loose. I grabbed his cheeks and told him that his tooth was going to come out. I was so excited, my little boy had his first milestone experience with me...I told him to stay right there and I ran out to my car as fast as I could to get....can you guess? Oh, yea, it was the camera. Of course, everyone was laughing at me, but what could I do....it was MY first milestone experience.
Dave and I then took Harley into the bathroom to get a better look at it and try to get it out. Dave first tried to get it out, but his fingers were just a little too big to get a hold of that little tooth. Of course, I had to video tape the attempt. Just for all of you, it is a little nerve racking...well, it was for me.




After the second attempt from Dave, Harley said that he wanted to try himself and with one tug and twist it was out. He had done it himself. I was so proud and so was he. He went running out of the bathroom to show everyone that he had finally lost his first tooth.

He kept saying "I am so glad that I finally lost that tooth, because now I am a big boy."

He wanted to tell everyone. First we called Papa Johnson....he told him all about loosing his first tooth. He told Papa all about it and then ended up saying "Now, I am like you Papa, but with hair." I laughed so hard, I almost had a little bit of an accident. Harley knows how to say the funniest things.

I am so very proud of Harley and his ability to take on new things with such passion. I hope that one day I will not be so paranoid and freakish...what I am saying?? I will always be this way, but at least he knows that I will DO ANYTHING to keep him safe and that I love him very very much. Oh, yea, the tooth fair came that night and left a $5.00 bill for Harley. When he woke up in the morning he came over to my bed and touched my arm until I woke my sorry butt up, then with a big "toothless" girn he showed me the money and said "the tooth fairy came last night!!!"

McDonald's blessing or curse??

McDonald's....what a place....this is really a place for parents to come and let their children run
wild and let them do whatever they like. I must confess that I do this myself...however, I have a real difficult time letting my son act too much like a heathen. There are times between the screaming of other children that I get to hear that wonderful, joyful, fun filled laugh of my son. You know the laugh that I am talking about...the one when you know that they are having the time of their lives. To me that is worth the screaming, hitting, crying, and back talking that is unfortunatly associated with these magical places that we drag our children to in order for us, as parents, to get a moment of ....well, it isn't really silence...no, it isn't that...but it is something where we (as parents) find a little bit of a break from the home life.

There are two things that I really love abou these types of places, and no it is not the food. It is when on those rare occassions when your child will run up to you and give you a hug or kiss on the cheek...or it is the times when they bang on the plastic and say "hey, Mommy look at me" you look up and wave at them and they get that huge smile on their face....that is what makes it worth everything that I go through worth it.

The Gym

Two years ago for Christmas my newly found husband decided to renew his gym membership, but then also add me on to his account. When he gave me the new card he told me that (1) he didn't want me to get offended by the gift (2) that he wanted us to use it together. I thought it was so sweet, but really was I going to use it....let's be honest....no. However, this was also the year that my husband decided to quit his 20 year smoking habit. So, I thought what the heck I could go. Well, here it is two years later and I am now officially using the pass. Not only using the pass, but all of the benefits that go along with the membership.

One day I was just doing my own thing riding the bike jammin' out to Pink or something like it when an instructor came up to me and asked me if I would like a private session with a trainer for free.....so, really what the heck do you say? No, I like doing the stuff that I am doing now, except I haven't lost anything and I don't feel that I getting any benefit out of what I am doing, but I don't want to get out of my comfort zone so I will not do the trainer thing.....ok, that is what I was thinking, but then I say yes.

The first thing that we did was take my measurements and weighed myself...oh that really sucked. Then we did a workout together and he had me sweating like I have had never sweat than much before. By the time that I was done I was about ready to kill him, but he had beaten be to it, because I had no strength left. Then he had me sit down and go over all the charts on what I looked like and what I could look like in 12 months if I signed up and worked with a trainer. I have to tell you that I was pretty impressed with what I could look like. Then he laid it out there....the price. WOW!!! That was a lot. First he suggested that I see a trainer three times a week for 12 months. That was close to $400 per month on top of the price of the membership. That sucked. I said thanks for the work out, but there is no way that I could possible afford that. I proceeded to get up to go and he said wait let's talk about this some more. So, we talked and I still said no.

That night I went home all excited about what I had done at the gym with the trainer and I proceeded to tell my hubby all about it. He then convinced me that I should go and do it, but only if I was going to commit to doing it and not waste our money. Wow, what a big decision I had on my hands. Was I really going to commit to something and follow through with it?

Well, I did sign up and the next thing that I knew, Dave had gone to the gym and got sucked into the same thing. So, now we are both working with a trainer once a week for 12 months. I do have to tell you that it is such hard work, but I have to give my trainer props for putting up with my comments, complaints, griping, cussing, and of course those dirty looks that I give him (especially when he mentions the kettle bells...oh, I hate those!!!). JT is awesome. Dave has lost 40 pounds since starting to work with the trainer....bastered. I have only lost 8. That is right 8 pounds in approximately six months.

Just to let all of you women out there, do not try and go up against your husbands in a weight loss challenge. You will fail. I didn't really understand this until Dave and I decided to make a bet on who could lose the most weight by our Anniversary. We started to work out with our trainer, changed out eating habits, exercising on our own, and it just melted off him like butter in a hot frying pan...me, I got discouraged. I lost a couple of pounds the first week or so, but then I maintained the weight....lost and then gained a pound every other week. I finally decided that I was not going to weight myself every time I went to the gym and just stick to the plans that the trainer had set out. This worked for a couple of months, but I have to confess that I was not going as much as Dave was going. He really was going the three to four times a week and working out when I was really going one maybe twice a week.

About a month ago I really had a heart to heart with myself about what I really wanted out of life. I also had to own up to some of the stuff that I said I was doing, but confessing to myself that I really was not doing it. One of the things that I said I was doing was going to the gym three times a week...honestly, I wasn't. I was going once a week to meet with my trainer. I was so discourage with my results and blaming my lack of motivation on stupid things like having to watch Harley and not having the time to go to the gym, working late, being involved with other projects that were more important. After having this discussion in my head, I felt that I really had to try and make it all work. So, I decided that I was going to drag Harley to the gym with me and do my exercises that I needed to in order to start seeing results. Harley was all for going to the gym and playing at their playplace for kids. We started to have a routine (I just love routines). Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturday mornings was our time to go to the gym. I loved it, but felt that I wanted to do something different then the machines.

Did you know that the gym offers classes??? I have seen them going on all the time, but always felt that I wouldn't be able to keep up or that I would look foolish doing them. Well, one day I decided that I was going to throw caution to the wind and dive into a class head first. Well, I did it. I took my first ever yoga class a month ago and let me tell you it was an absolute BITCH!! Loved the teacher (too sweet for words), but the after math of doing the class was hell. I hurt for about three days. I was so sore, but my body started to feel much better. So, what did I do next?? I took a pilates class....oh, that was just as bad if not worse than the yoga class.

I have to confess that I thought that the yoga class was going to be easy, but when you are positioned in the downward dog sweating like a stuff pig trying to relax with sweat running in your eyes....it is just not all that fun. The weird thing about it all is.....that I keep going back to these classes....I am now starting to say bring on the pain, I kinda like it.....so, my question now is am I turning into one of those musclebound "meatheads" that I see in the gym every day? Man, I hope not, but I think that these new workouts are my drugs of choice.

I do have to say that it is a great stress reliever. One day I was so pissed off at something, that I told Dave that I was going to the gym. I did a pilates class and even worked out on some of the machines...that was hell and my body is aching, but I am starting to feel just a little bit skinner and what I thought was a big angry situation just really turned out to be nothing....that is what I get for over reacting. Dave has also been noticing some small changes in my body...actually my butt, he says that it is getting smaller, but I feel that it is getting more defined. He diffidently is not complaining....and neither am I when he grabs it and says that I am his for all time.....awwww and this all happened because of a little Christmas gift that I thought I would never use.