Oh dear, I might be getting old.

OK, this last week I have felt like I have aged every day. I started out feeling like I was about 27. Yes, that is my default age. 27 was a really good year for me, so I just kind of like to stick with it (you can't call me a quitter, right?). But this week we had a lot of big things happen that made me feel older. It really has been quite disturbing.

It all started last Saturday with Valentines, when Eddie and I celebrated 16 years together. Sixteen years???? How could that have gone by so quickly? I guess time flies when you are having fun...they have been good years. But 16???

Then on Tuesday night we took E.J. and Troy to Hillcrest to their Sophomore orientation. Not only was it weird to think about them going to high school, but they kept saying things like "drivers ed" and "graduation requirements". It was horrific. I sat there thinking "how can I possibly have kids going to high school?"

Then yesterday Eddie turned 40. Yes, you read that right, four - 0. And I kept wondering how he could have gotten so old. And it made me worry that oh dear, I must be getting old too. Thank goodness he is 5 years older than me, so no matter how old he gets I will always be younger. The only problem with that is that I feel older physically. Eddie works out and is in great shape, whereas I really don't like to sweat (really, I don't like it... ever, I have joked that it is against my religion). Eddie only has one gray hair that I have been able to find, it was in his mustache until he plucked it out. But I have many many silvery highlights if I do not get my hair colored monthly. Thank goodness my friend Jenny helps me keep on top of that. Unfortunately she has a new baby and I have been busy, so as of right now I have a beautiful streak of gray reminiscent of a skunk.

But don't worry about me. I will get my hair colored this week, and I am going to start working out tomorrow. I will go to work and hang out with my teenage employees (they help me remember being young). And next friday night I am having a slumber party/girls night out with 2 of my best friends in the world. Yes, I am pretty sure I will be able to be 27 again by the end of this week. No worries.

Silly Thoughts & Favorite Quotes

I love quotes. I collect them. Inspiring ones, and silly ones, and thoughtful ones. Some give me strength. Some make me smile. I have them all over the walls in my office. I love the power of well-thought-out words, and I think we have to be more careful in the way that we use them (at least I know I do) Anyway, here are some of my favorites:

• I do not suffer from Insanity - I enjoy every minute of it!
• "I saw that" ~God
• I don't think it counts as math when there are more letters than numbers!
• Due to Budget constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off until further notice.
• Don't make me get the flying monkeys!
• Chinese Proverb: Good things no cheap, cheap things no good!
• "You have brains in your head, and feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose" ~Dr. Seuss
• People fall away from the church for the same reason they fall out of bed; they weren't in far enough.
• Stop telling God how big the storm is; instead try telling the storm how big your God is.
• Our Challenge is not in getting the Lord to speak to us; our challenge is in understanding what he is trying to say.
• It is never ok to be mean or spiteful, for we are followers of God, and our words and our actions should reflect that.
• I don't have ADHD, I just....hey, do you like waffles?

And last, but not least: Dorothy said to the Scarecrow "How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" and the Scarecrow replied "I don't know, but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?"

My Amazing Valentine!

So today is 16 years for Eddie and I. We met on Valentines Day 1993 at the NCO club on Hill Air Force Base. He was so sweet the night that we met. He had to ask me to dance 3 times before I finally said yes (it is a whole 'nother story). But when we danced, wow!

Over the years he has become my best friend. He is such a good listener (when he doesn't fall asleep - I have learned to talk before 9:00 P.M.). There is an old saying that says "a best friend is someone who knows everything about you and loves you just the same".

Eddie is such a good husband. I have said many times that I feel like an 8 cow wife.

He told me that I was beautiful so many times that I finally gave in and believed him. He has given me confidence in myself.... confidence that I am worth more than I ever thought. And confidence that I can do so much more than I ever knew.

Eddie is an amazing father. I apologized the other day for being the "pushover" parent, because it forces him to have to be the "mean one". The amazing part is that even though he is strict with them, the kids never wonder if he loves them, they just know.

Eddie is a good man. In so many ways. I watch him coach wrestling, and see the amazing influence that he is on these kids. They look up to him, and he doesn't let them down.
He loves God and stands firm in his beliefs. He is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he works at being a valiant priesthood holder.

And he makes me laugh, which I will be forever grateful for:)


Happy Valentines day Eddie! Thank you for 16 amazing years! I love you!

The Confession

Dear Blog,

Ok, I know this might be hard for you to hear...

But I have been cheating

"Gasp"


With another web-site.

It's called Facebook,


And I think I might be

well, addicted.

I am so sorry, it's just that it's new and exciting, and.... well...

it's interactive. I can make friends, and invite people.

and it just makes me feel cool.

Please

Don't get me wrong, I still want to (up)date you,

and I hope we will still be friends,

But I wanted you to know I might not be around as much.

Can you be ok with that?

Where did my little man go?

So I have been thinking about little boys lately. Our friends Jenny and John just adopted a beautiful baby boy who is 5 days old as of today. He is a miracle and I am so happy for their family. Then today at church I was talking to my friend Emily G (see the "Gibson Family" link) and holding her way cute not-so-little boy Brennan, and it started me thinking about when E.J. was little (sometimes I long for those “easy” days). He was absolutely hyperactive, devastatingly cute, wonderfully cuddly, my nap buddy and my constant companion. His favorite movies were "The Lion King" and “The Goofy Movie” and his favorite books were “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Lady and the Tramp”. He was such a sweetheart. In one of my journal entries when we lived in New York (I think he was 3) I had a cold and he kept feeling my head and my cheeks. His little eyes were so worried, and he would shake his head, and ask “temp-ture sick? ...need soup?” It seemed like it was the perfect time in our little families’ life.

Now my little man is not so little any more. He is so big, in fact, that he leans over to hug me. But I can be ok with that. Because even though I miss my little E.J. I am enjoying this stage as well. He will be 15 next month, and he is still devastatingly cute. I LOVE his sense of humor, and he cracks me up all the time. He is trying all kinds of new things, like wrestling, auditioning for plays, and texting 24-7 (ok, maybe I don’t like that part so much) But really, I am so proud of the young man that he has become, and for the choices that he is making in his life. He turned around in church today and mouthed “I love you, Mom”. My heart just melted and I decided that I was wrong before… right now is the perfect time in our life. I love you too E.J., and I feel so blessed to be your Mom!