Taylor

I suppose it's about time I talked about Taylor. This was the BEST concert I have ever been to. It wasn't just a concert. It was a show. Costumes changes, set changes, all the things that you need to stay entertained for 2 hours and feel satisfied with the money you spent on the tickets!

Taylo singing Love Story

Love the dress! Totally dressed the part!

Taylor loves sundresses and cowboy boots

Singing Picture to Burn

Savannah was so overwhelmed she started crying!

She had sets for almost every song. This is Tear Drops on my guitar

Check out the set for You Belong with me :O) Pretty Sweet!

And my personal favorite:
"Shoulda said said No"
She ended the show just like her ACM performance from a few years back
The rain with the word NO in it, and she got in there and sang
It was awesome!

Love her so much!

You're off the hook, if you wanna be!

I'm transitioning my running babble to new blog. That way if you WANT to read it you can, you don't want to you don't have to. The new blog is:

http://pavement-princess.blogspot.com

This is where I where chronicle all my running woes and wins. So this should go back to being a regular 'ol blog!! I hope!!

My personal best

I did my personal best at my 5k this morning!! Whoo-hoo! I ran the 5k in 43 mins which is a 13 minute 50 second mile pace. My previous best? 14:30. I'm so excited! More blogging later. Happy Sunday Friends. Don't forget to praise the Good Lord above!!

My 3rd 5k

And I haven't run(more than a mile and a half) since my 5k last week. I'm going to be HURTING tomorrow morning! Wish me luck!!

I'm BBBBBBAAAACCCCCKKKKK!

I guess I just needed to whine and get it out of system.

Today I feel GREAT!!

I met my first weight loss goal(and then some!)

I'm in the office alone, got my orange ipod on and I'm jamming to my Tay-Tay. Love that girl

I'm going running tonight

Doing another 5k Sunday

L~O~V~I~N' the good life I lead :O)

Blah, blah, blah

I'm feeling super funky. No rhyme or reason. Just plum funky. I think work is part of it. I'm super stressed and super busy. Then shit keeps popping into my head. No reason for it. Just pop..pop..pop... I must it admit sometimes i hunt it down. It's hard to stay away though. I must challenge myself to stay away. Hunting it down does NO good. No good I say. It's been frustrating me lately though. Hence the popping into my head and the funky mood. I'd like to run it off, but I don't even feel like running. It's been 2 days since I ran and 4 days since my last long run. I'm going to be hating life after my next 3 miler.

I'm super frustrated with VA too. Seriously, could they please stop fucking with our money?? Oh, and feel free to answer a fucking phone every now and then. I'm ready for Jason to quit school and go back to work. This shit is ridiculous. It really is.

Harrison has turned into a full fledged BRAT. He was totally bullying the kids in the waiting room yesterday. He pushed a girl off a chair and pushed down a boy who was in his way. Good Times I say(very sarcastically) He hits, screams, throws food and is just plain rotten. I swatted him on his bottom last night....and he laughed at me. Ya, he went to bed at 7:03 p.m. I wasn't up for that crap.

I can almost read your mind right now, " oh God, what's wrong with Angel, this is so unlike her". I'm fine. I truly am. Just a TAD on the stressed and frustrated side. Honestly, I even thought about having a drink. I SO don't believe in drinking to make yourself feel better though. That's how alcoholism starts, and since my parents are 2 of the biggest drunks I know. I tend to stay away from the stuff most of the time.

Okay, enough crappy Angel. I think I'm going to go to bed early so I can get up and run in the morning. I have .6 to my goal and it's being very stubborn about coming off, so an extra long run oughta do it.

I think I'm getting old

When I'm away from my computer, or at work I think of all these fantastic blogs, and things I want to blog about. When I sit down to do it, I draw a blank.

This week I learned a very important lesson. You have to eat. I had been eating about 1200 calories a day and running 3-4 times a week, yet I was only losing about 1/2 a pound a week and I was getting FRUSTRATED! My plan/goal I had is shot to shit b/c I lost 10-12 lbs the first month and like 2-3 the second. WTF is going on?? I was getting very discouraged. So after a little internet research I discovered I was eating 500 calories less then my body mandated minimum. In layman's terms? I was starving myself. I didn't feel like I was starving, but my body did. Therefore it was latching on it everything I ate. The calories you need are based on your current weight, as you lose weight your caloric need will decrease. I was way under what I needed for survival and the running wasn't helping. Since I have adjusted my calories and kept up the running I've lost a pound. Whoo-hoo! It's not a lot, but it tells me I was doing wrong and now my body is rewarding me for doing right. So hopefully I will start dropping the pounds again. I'm going to have to reevaluate my goals and time line. There is no way I can lose 20 lbs in a month, at least not safely! So I'm going to change my next goal date from June 1st to June 19th. I know it seems like an odd day, but if everything goes as planned that will be the day I run my 1st 8k.

In an effort to help me meet this goal I will be adding strength training to my regimen. Gasp! I HATE strength training. I have the P90X videos. I have only done them once. They represent the 2 things I hate most about exercising, exercising at home and strength training. I know that if I do them they will kick my ass. I truly have to get over that major hurdle of working out at home. I would much rather go to the gym. The problem there is I would only do the machines, which are better than nothing, but not the best way to strength train. So for the sake of my hott(yes I did 2 t's on purpose) bod. I must do the P90X.

I am still trying to decide how to do my runs. I want to start shaving time off. I will still do my distance runs, but I think I will alternate that with short(1 mile) runs for speed only. Today Jason and I did a 1 mile run(with hills! Arg!) in 12:56. Not to shabby. I know I could do it faster if it was a flat run. If I learned anything from yesterday, it's that I can't just run on a flat surface. It's important to change it up. So I'm trying, but it's HARD!

I'm sorry if ya'll are getting bored with nothing but running talk. It's what's going on with me and what is super important to me right now. I will however try to give you a quick run(hahaha) down on the rest of the family since they haven't been mentioned much.

Jason-He is almost done with the semester he's kicking butt in everything but Econ. He'll still pull a B- or C+ in the course. He was hoping for better, but the tests(he says) are the hardest tests he's ever taken. He has already registered for his summer classes. However if he can get into college algebra this summer, they will change a little. Pray he does well on his placement and can get into the summer class. If he doesn't it will add an extra semester to his college career, and we don't want that!!

Jonathan-Is about to be a middle schooler! Next year he will be at the 6th grade center. I'm SOOOO not ready for that. He's a good boy. He does what he's asked, and doesn't lip back much at all. He finished level 4(of 5) swim lessons last week. He's active in "Earth Savers" at school. It's pretty much how it sounds. They do recycling and do things to be more "green". He wants to do it again next year too. As a reward for all their hard work, the club got to go to the zoo on Earth Day. He came home with all sorts of free goodies, and had a great time despite the pouring rain that came down on them!!

Savannah-Is doing much better. I'm still sure she will be the death of me, but my death has been delayed slightly. She's a very needy girl. She needs lots of attention and requires lots of patience. It's hard, very hard. She loves to lay on me and sit on me, and when I try to explain that she's to old/big for that she about melts down. She wants to be 16, but still be 3. It's so annoying and frustrating. It's a daily struggle to be patient and choose my battles.

Harrison- OMG, I love that boy! He is so wonderful. He's getting to the terrible 2's and is becoming more independent. Oh my he's smart. Grammie works with him everyday. He's started to speak in 2-3 word sentences and of course knows what your asking and can respond. He wants to sit at the table very badly. He loves to be a big boy. He "wrestles" with Jason and Jonathan and thinks that is the greatest thing ever.

There's the low down on the family. They are all still alive and kicking :O) Even if I haven't been talking about them much!

22 seconds

It seems like not that much time right? Well, in running it's a LIFETIME!! It was the time that I added to my 5k. I'm so disappointed in myself. I started out strong, but the last half was through a golf course. You know what that means? HILLS, and they killed me. I was SOOOO upset with my time. I'm doing my next 5k on May 22. I WILL be shaving at least 3 minutes off my time. I'm going to start running shorter distances for time. I love the distance running, but I've got to step up the runs for speed to. Then I have to kick up the distance too, b/c in June I'm doing an 8K :O)

I think I'm gonna have to re-evaluate my run schedule. My body is NOT ok with everyday runs. At least 3 mile everyday runs. So I think I'm going to do 3 miles every other day. I would rather do less and stay healthy(no injuries)rather than push it, hurt myself and not be able to run for weeks(or worse).

The kids finished swim lessons tonight. Thank God! That will help cut down our running around schedule. It's just to much sometimes. The summer should be pretty slow. Jason is taking 2 classes, the kids will be going to day camp to the Rec center and Harrison will be hanging out with his GG :O) I'm ready for LAZY days! Well, as lazy as they can be!

Work has been insanely crazy busy. 90 hours on this paycheck. Wish I could have had it all. Stupid VA. I'm so sick of them jacking with our benefits. I'm SOOOO thankful that Jason didn't stay in and get injured or worse. If this is the way they treat us, I can only fathom the horrible treatment the disabled vets get. It's amazing how much they jack with our pay, don't answer the phones, or just plain don't know what the HELL is going on!

Hmmmm....

So what do you wanna know?

I only ran twice this this week :O( I will never take 3 days off between runs again! That second run hurt!! My goal is to run 15 miles PER WEEK! Kinda sounds like a lot, but it's only 3 miles a day 5 days a week. Which is totally doable. IF I HAVE TIME! So, I'm going to get up in the AM and go running. That way I can do P90X at night. I need to add strength training to my work out. My cardio and reduced calories are not getting me where I want to me as fast as I want to get there. I have 21 lbs to lose by June 1 for my first goal. Then another 36 lbs by Oct. 13 for goal #2. So 58 lbs more to lose, and I've already lost 14. Agh. I know the slower it comes of the more likely it is to stay off, at least that's what I what I tell myself to keep going :O)

What else?

We went to see a HORRIBLE play last night. I'll be so glad when Jason is out of theater class. I also found out last night that Jason's mother is FB friends with the MOST awful, horrible person in the world! Ya, you know the one. She's SO awful. What kind of mother is she? A Terrible one, for sure! It bothers me more than Jason. He wrote her off a long time ago!! She's sick in the head.

Hmmmm.... I wish I had more for you. But right now I don't :O( Work and running. That sums me up right now. What's up with you??

Totally Addicted

I love it. I love running. I love how my body feels after a run. I love the feeling of satisfaction that comes with the completion of a run.

My first 5K!!

Nothing feels as good as accomplishing a goal!! Especially a goal that once seemed completely and totally unattainable. I started the Couch to 5K program on January 18th. It took me slightly longer than the slated 9 weeks to finish the program. I'm OK with that, the end result is the same. I completed a 5k! I never would have believed in January I'd actually be running a 5k. It's truly an amazing feeling

This is my bib :O) Jason had to tell me what the F31 was for(Female, 31 yrs)

Jen and I before our run. I'm proud to say I wasn't near as nervous as I thought I'd be.

And about an hour later, after our run. I like this picture better b/c we have color in cheeks :O)

We finished 85 and 86 out of 106 people. Not bad at all

Our official end times were 44:36.7 and 44:35.9
Which mean we ran a 14 minute 30 second mile.
Very pleased with that.

I accomplished my 2 main goals which were to FINISH and RUN the entire race. I also had 2 minor goals that I didn't share b/c I was afraid I was going to put to much pressure on my myself for my first race. Those 2 goals were to NOT be last & to finish in under 45 minutes. I accomplished both of those as well! So happy.

Tomorrow Jason and I are starting P90X. It's a crazy intense strength training work out that is supposed to take you from flab to fab 90 days. We'll see.... I'll be honest and say I DO NOT want to do it. Jason wants to do it and me being the supportive, loving wife that I am have agreed to torture myself as well! So I will be doing that 3 days a week, running 2-3 miles 3 days a week, AND doing side runs with Savannah. Why side runs with Savannah? Jason and I have decided we want to do a 5k as a family. Savannah asked me to train her(thank God for children who think their parents are great at everything!!) All of that activity should keep me plenty active and get me to my goal weight by June 1st and hopefully my 2nd goal weight by Oct 13th.

I bet you're on the edge of your seats....

waiting for an update of my oh, so glorious life!

I've been BUSY! I don't quite remember last week. Everyday at work was non-stop. Throw in a sick baby, and a date with a mega star and WOW, what a week! I will do a post dedicated to Taylor sometime this week, b/c she deserves her own post. She is awesomer than awesome. I heart her more now, then I did last week, and I never would have that thought possible!

My life pretty much revolves around my running. I love it. I can't believe that I'm 50 lbs overweight and running 2-2.5 miles on a consistent basis. Me and my 14 minute mile kick ass! My first 5k is this weekend. I haven't actually ran 3.2 miles yet. 2.49 is my max so far, I would like to get up to 3 miles before Wednesday, since I won't run Thursday or Friday. We'll see. I only have 2 goals for this race:

1. Finish it
2.Run it all

I don't care if I'm dead last, if I run it and I finish it, I'll be happy as a clam!!

Next month is a 2mile and a 10k here in Wichita. No, I'm not doing a 10k..yet! I'm going to train to start shaving minutes off my time. I'm thinking 2miles in 25 minutes...something like that.

Work has been so incredibility busy! This first time home buyers and move up tax credit has home buyers coming out of the wood work! We have people selling, then buying with the upgrade. It's GREAT for business, but Lordy I stay busy!!! In May I'm going to Real Estate school. I'm constantly writing contracts, negotiating contracts, writing amendments, negotiating repairs, all sorts of things I'm technically not supposed to do, soon I will be official though! I'll be able to sell on the side, and pick up the over flow from our uber busy office and make money a little extra money too! I truly love what I do. I really like Real Estate. I love the people I work with and for. They are like family. I'm sooooo blessed to have the awesome job that I do.

They were right...

All those people who said running outside was better than running on a treadmill...they were so right!! I figured it probably would be, but I was never confidant enough to try. Plus, I could only run 3 mins at a time. What's the point of doing that outside?? But now...now I can run. Albeit it's a slow run, I average 4.2-4.6 miles per hour. Which I understand is a brisk walk to some, but to me it's a steady paced jog, and I love it.

I did 2 miles around my neighborhood today. I found an app on my phone that is supposed to measure for me, but apparently I need to work out the kinks. I about chucked my phone into the ground when it said I had only ran .82 miles!! I made Jason go drive it with me and it was exactly 2 miles, not sure what the hell was wrong with the phone!! I sprinted the last block to my house at the end, and truly thought I was going to puke when I arrived on my porch. I didn't though :O) My first 5k is in just a little less than 2 weeks. I can't believe it's almost here and I more than that I can't believe I'm almost ready for it. I may be slow, but I am very confident I will be able to run the whole thing!!

Oh Crappy Day....

What an awful day today was. I woke up to go running after a restless night of sleep. I didn't really want to go, so I pumped myself up. I got up, got dressed, and by the time I got to the park I had convinced myself that I was ready to do a solid mile and a half.

All that came to a screatching halt when I arrived at the gate and saw: PARK CLOSED

What a let down. I could have ran the neighborhood, or went to the gym, but I wanted to run the park and none of the other options appealed to me. So a I came back home and crawled back into bed next to Jason.

Work is so busy. I'm still catching up from vacation. I love that we are busy and we have lots going on, but dang, can a girl catch break.

So between no running, and work, and whatever else I'm just cranky. Cranky and down in the dumps.

Jason just got home early....I think I'm gonna go run.

Sorry!

I just want to say sorry in advance for all the photos you're going to have to endure while I learn my new camera. This is my favorite from today. No, she's not wearing make-up.

Where do I even begin??

We had an AWESOME visit with Amy and her family. The weather was awful most of the week, but we made the most it. On Sunday we had family pictures done, then went downtown and walked around. Benji and Jason took 3 of the 6 to a hockey game, while Amy and I came home and got "makeovers" by Gracie and Savannah. Monday, the guys went golfing while the ladies took the kiddos roller skating. Tuesday was Amy's birthday and zoo! The Zoo was amazing like always, but OMG it was COLD!! After the zoo we met up my my sister at Granite City for Amy's birthday dinner. Wednesday, Katie and Jonathan went roller skating while the rest of us went to "The Keeper of the Plains" Very cool. I hadn't been since I was a kid, and it was much neater than I remember it being. Wednesday afternoon Amy and I got some girl time and headed off to get pedicures. Thursday they left :O(. We didn't do much but try and get Amy's phone fixed(she dropped while she was here). They rolled out about 3:30 and made it back to 'Bama around 4 in the morning. It was a awesome visit. We had so much fun. I hated to see them go.

I did get to take lots of pictures with my new camera though!! With our tax return I splurged and got a Canon Rebel Xsi. LOVE it! I'd have rather gotten a Nikon, but I don't have any one to teach me the ins and outs of one. There is a girl I'm friends with on FB, that is an up and coming photographer who is willing to share her knowledge and since she has a canon I figured I'd get the same. It came with a 18-55mm lens, but I want to get a 50mm when we get the money. Right now all the photos are being taken on auto, but I'm going to start learning this week. It's silly to pay that much for a camera and only use the auto function. I think I may even sign up for classes somewhere. All the pictures from the Wood's visit were taken with my new camera and they are all on FB if you want to check them out.

Monday it's back on the running horse. I'm scared I won't be ready for my 5k. I'm gonna really have to step it up a notch over the next 3 weeks. I haven't ran since last Wednesday. So Monday I'm starting C25k week 6 over. I also think I will run 5 days a week, if I can. I'm so not a morning person!!! Thankfully, I didn't deviate from my eating to badly over SB and I only gained .4 of a pound. Whoo-hoo!

My favorite pics from yesterday...

I LOVE my new camera!!

Olivia Grace

Harri at the antique store

Savannah Grace

Katie Elizabeth

Harrison and his Mim

We had a great day!!

Waiting...

The Woods are in Kansas! Just not at my house...yet! They will be in an hour though. Whoo-hoo!

So excited!

Amy and her family will be here in 6 days!! I'm so stinkin' excited I can hardly stand it. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas. I'm so ready for a break from work and everything else and just spend time hanging with my friend and her family. We will celebrate her birthday while she's here, I have a cool surprise planned for that! We will also go to the zoo and the drive in. She's going to make Jonathan a skateboard cake while she's here. I think most of you became a fan of her FB page, and know what awesome cakes she makes. When we were in Alabama last summer she made a cake for Savannah, and now it's Jonathan turn. He is so excited!

Here lately I have been in a great mood! I'm working out, the sun has been out, and I have in general been feeling great. I finished week 5 of my Couch to 5k program and ran 18 minutes yesterday!! What a step up from when I could barley run 90 seconds!! I was supposed to run 20 minutes, but whoever thought going from a 8 minutes run to a 20 minute run was a good idea was crazy!! I went 13 minutes than had to walk for a couple of minutes, then finished strong. Tomorrow is week 6! I can't wait to get started!!! Jen and I are doing our 5k in just over a month. So excited and scared at the same time. I've never committed myself to anything like that before. I can't wait. I don't care what my time is, I just want to finish!!

What a week!

This week was a little bit on the CRAZY side. Last week we had 2 of our agents quit, so this we was super busy making sure someone was covering our leads. Not to mention we had 5 contracts come in! Two of them ending up not coming to terms and one of them I negotiated myself! Start to finish :O) YaY me! By mid week we had a replacement for 1 of the girls, and we have another agent starting class on Monday. I hope with these people we will be able to get to our goal of 25 million, b/c if we do I get a company car! Whoo-hoo Me!

The big kids are still doing swim lessons on Tuesday and Thursday. So those days are crazy, not to mention Jason also has class on Thursday, and I keep E and A those nights. I feel like I'm constantly running. No rest for the weary, right? I need to get up and do my running in the mornings. Doing it at night seems to disrupt my sleep patterns.

Yesterday the car started acting up and by last night it wouldn't start at all. This morning Jason and Grampy took it to Sears and sure enough it was the starter. He also said their is a belt going bad, but that's a problem for another day!

In good news, Jason did his FASFA stuff and we qualify for max pell grant next year which means less loans!! Yeah! We will need it since VA decided we have to pay back the $3,000 advance out of pocket. Initially they had said they would take it off the back end of the benefits. Somebody somewhere decided that wasn't good enough and they thought they should take it back in increments of $750 per month! WTH? We only get $1,000 per month in benefits! Jason told them flat out if they did that he would have to quit school and he would call his congressman(I still think he should do this). So they "worked" with him(aren't they gracious?) and they are going to take $250 a month from our benefits until it's paid off. What a crock. It can never be smooth with the government.

Speaking of, we are still waiting on our taxes. damn injured spouse form. We have no idea what they are paying to DFAS, if they are going to pay them off, or what. Hopefully it will come soon. My dryer is about to die!!

I'm becoming very...Eh, about my blog. I'm not going to delete it or anything crazy like that. I just feel I don't have much to say anymore. My life is so mundane that who wants to hear about it. And, I'm so personal, and don't want just anyone reading it, so I don't advertise. So, what's the point? I'm fairly honest and straightforward on here and I just don't like everybody in my business. I'm going to "revise" my FB friend list too. I deny ALOT of people, but some I accept then block them from my news feed b/c I really don't care. I'm not trying to be mean, but just b/c we were friends in HS or grade school does not mean I want you in my business now. I have over 100 friends on FB and only interact with 20-25 at the very most. Some people I have approved, and they've never even said anything to me! Losers! They only want to be nosey. There just are not that many people I care about or mean enough to me to be involved in my life now. I'm past the "I'm everyone's friend" stage and have moved on to having my own "circle of trust". More than likely I will never see most of those people, so they are getting the boot! In case you are worried, don't be. If you read this blog your safe on FB!

Couch to 5k

I LOVE this program! I really like to run, but it's been years(a lot of years) since I have been able to do it with ease and distance. When I was trying to find something to get me back in the swing of things I found this program. It seemed almost to good to be true. Couch to 5k in 9 weeks?? Are they serious? Don't they know how out of shape I am?? I am now a believer. I ran 5 minutes straight tonight, and while I was ready to stop when my time was up, I'm sure I could have keep going if I had to. Actually I know I could have if I had to. Over on the right is a countdown to my first 5k. My friend Jen and I are doing it together and I'm stoked!! A 5k! That might as well be a million miles to me. It's going to take training and dedication but I know I can do it. I want this to be 'my thing'. I can't wait to say, "I'm a runner' or 'Ya, I like to run' or 'Oh, I can't, I'm doing a 5k this weekend'!! Hehehehe, good night all~!

If you don't have anything nice to blog about don't blog at all.

The Dark Ages

It's that time again. The time of year I hate. I really used to love Spring. Now I dread it. The months of February-April are my own personal Dark ages. Every year I say they won't be, but they are. I can't help it. I try to not to think about it. Yet years later,here I am thinking about it. Thinking about the days. Counting the days. I'm sick, like nauseous, when I think about making it through these months. This year is really dragging me down. I think it's because there is no sun. Grey everyday. It makes me so tired, I only want to sleep. I want the damn sun! I NEED the damn sun! What's in the forecast? More fucking snow! It's not helping my disposition at all. Jason is on me all the time about being 'to quite'. Can you imagine? Angel Hallock, to quite. The weird part is I'm not thinking about anything. I'm quite with no thoughts. Nothing running through my head except for, "When can I sleep next?" No deep thoughts, no planning for the future, or thoughts of the past. Nothing. Just sleep, I only want to sleep. I felt great for the few hours yesterday the sun was out. No sun today :O( C'mon May hurry up and get here!!

I'm a Crank Ass!

We have a seller that has finally gotten under my skin. He's been nothing but a rude, unhappy, ungrateful, asshole since we put his house under contract. Yesterday he spent 30 minutes cussing at me and telling me what a horrible job Josh has done as his realtor. Today, he started in again bitching about everything. He's a loser who's pissed off at the whole world and I'm so thankful his house closes tomorrow. Im' taking a half day and I know that shit is going to hit the fan about 7 times before all is said and done. I don't care. 99% of the time I love my job, but some times I just don't get paid enough to deal with sellers shit.

I can't believe I'm even thinking about it!!!

For for the past few weeks I have been working out with Tiffany, Josh's wife. There is a woman's ministry workout class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It's hard, it kicks my ass. Last October Tiffany did a 26.2 mile marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Today she called me and told me she wants me to do it with her this year! What?? I'm up to 90 seconds running non stop, that's a LONG way from 26.2 miles! Even if I walked some, hell, even if I walked it all, that's an insane amount of miles!! What's even more insane is that I'm thinking about it!! I'm actually thinking about it and even a little excited about it! I love to run, I'm loving the the Couch to 5k program. Twenty-six miles though??? I just don't know. I'm scared, excited, intimidated....

My God....

is awesome and amazing. It's VERY easy to forget this. I'm thankful to be blessed with wonderful believer friends. Friends who know what an awesome God I serve. This is very important to me. I know we are to love all, but I have always found it difficult to relate to non-believers. I can't fathom not believing. To some extent I have a blind faith. I'm not overly educated in all things Christian. I know the basics, I have been to many bible studies, and had the pleasure of being able to speak with many people more knowledgeable than myself. However, if some Darwin lover hijacked me and wanted to have a pissing content, I'd lose. All the semantics don't matter to me. I KNOW Jesus died for my sins, I KNOW that he was the son of God, I KNOW this because I have faith, because I believe in my God. I believe that my God loves me, cares for me and always has my best interest at heart. I have been given terrible, horrible, awful trials, and my God saw me through. My God never gave me more than I could handle. He molded me, and taught me, and used me(yes me!) for HIS glory! It wasn't, and never is, about me, or you, it's about Him. How are you going to use this day, this situation, this conversation, this life to glorify Him??

We've never been a "Keeping up with the Jones" kind of family. It's so overrated and totally not who we are. We live a pretty simple life. We buy what we need, when we need it or when it needs replaced. We just got our first game system last year, and it was a PS2 hand-me-down from my brother! Crazy right?

My point:

Last night Jason decided that he wanted to buy a new TV. A thought totally unfathomable to me since our 19 inch TV Jason bought in Korea in 1994 still worked JUST FINE! Was it big? Nope. Fancy? Nope. Did I care? Nope. I had NO desire to go buy a new TV just b/c our TV was old. I was content. Bills paid, money in savings, happy Angel.

However, we all know how men are when they get that bug! He flitted all around, looked on-line, looked on ebay and came to the conclusion that what he wanted was cheapest at Wal-mart(Isn't it always??) So I told him to GO! It was worth the cost of the TV to get him settled and out of my hair.

So, now we are the proud owner of a 32 inch HDTV. It's huge! I can't imagine anything bigger, I'd need theater seats! It's nice to watch DVD's again though. We snuggled up and watched a little 'The Unit' last night.

If he's happy I'm happy...even if we didn't need it!!

Truckin' Along

I seem to have this hump I can't get over, I can do 3 workouts a week. Fitting in that 4th is where I run into a brick wall...It's hard. I have done my 3 for this week. I think I'm going to suck it up and buy the Biggest Loser for working out at home. The Wii Fit Plus game is eh, So far. Maybe it's me, maybe it's the game. I'm going to keep working with it, but I want more results. I'm also starting this tomorrow. I really want to run. I do alternating walk/run on the treadmill at the gym, but I need a PLAN. This is my plan. If I can be running 3 miles by mid-march, I will be stoked!!

I ate out. It's an evil addictive habit. Once you start it's hard to stop. I'm going to start tomorrow again and try to do it again for the rest of the month. It's SO hard for me to make the right food choices while eating out. They say,"oh, just eat a salad". NOBODY wants to eat a salad!!. I truly believe that. And if you do it's covered in shredded cheddar and full fat ranch. Salads are not good. At least not compared to a bacon cheese burger and some fries. Which is way I have a hard time eating out. I'd rather not eat out, than eat an $8 salad. Just me.

I hope all of you are doing well on your resolutions, goals, or whatever it is you are working on this year. I'd love to hear about it on your BLOGS!

Hallock Family Updates

Jason-He's getting ready to go back to school next. He's SOOOO ready. I was concerned about him taking 20 hours, but he seems to be organized and prepared and most importantly pumped up. If only it were over already...I'm read for the increased pay and decreased VA BS :O)

Me-Work is finally picking up again. Praise God. As you can tell by my daily FB activity during work hours, I haven't been busy. Once we get into the swing of things again. I will hardly have time to get on FB. I didn't workout 4 days last week, only 2. I decided to keep track of which weeks I did the 4 workouts, then at the end of the year add up how many I succeeded and how many I didn't. It seems like a much better way to do a resolution then to do it until I fail, and never do it again. I have lost 4 lbs since January 1. It's the 12th and I still haven't eaten out! Wow! Now that is a feat for me :O) It hasn't been hard really, and today was the first day I wanted to stop and grab something.

Jonathan- Can we say emotional pre-teen? AGH! He has so much attitude and mouthiness lately. He's still doing well in school, so far. I'm scared of when that will stop, or become more difficult for him.

Savannah- Her attitude is improving daily. Sometimes I still have to inhale/exhale deeply before responding, but it's getting better. She has decided she wants to do competive swimming. I spoke to the swim team coach and enrolled her in lessons so she can improve her technique before the summer season starts. She is pretty stoked!

Harrison- He's a BRAT! Where did my perfect baby go? He was sucked into the terrible 2's!! Why? Why did that happen to my sweet baby boy? He's getting fun though. He has about a 7 word vocabulary. He can be really fun, when he's not throwing himself down on the ground, or screaming b/c you are changing his clothes...LOL!

It was nice for one year...

Last year I wrote this post regarding News Years. Blah. I am weak. That 63 lbs did not stay off. Thankfully it didn't ALL come back on, but about half of it did. Agh! So that means this year I have weight loss on the agenda. Sucks. It's not really a new years resolution b/c I've been working on it for a couple of months now. I want to keep it up in the New Year, so it's going on the list. One thing I have learned is 'out of sight, out of mind' when it comes to stuff like this. So I'm posting it everywhere! By my desk, on my mirror in my bathroom, on my mirror in my bedroom, one my desktop, my blog. There will be no forgetting!! This is pic of me from last Christmas, I'm printing it and putting it everywhere. It's my inspiration.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Friends!
I hope that your day was as wonderful mine.
This year was great Christmas. The lids got spoiled, I got spoiled, even Jason got spoiled.
It's always nice when that happens.

Savannah helping Harrison unpack his stocking

His favorite was this little peppermint straw from his stocking. He carried it around for an hour!

Jonathan checking ut his WWE puzzle

Me sportin' Savannah's new shades

Jason and his new coat

Lordy, she's excited about that hair dryer!

He doesn't look to excited about his Froggie dishware...

This is a horrible picture of me! BUT, It shows how excited I am about my ipod. Jason did really good this year. He got me new sneakers, the orange ipod, orange ear buds, an itunes GC, and an ipod armband holer thnigy, a cd, perfume, face wash, and then little goodies in my stocking :O)

I'm pretty stoked, I can't wait to hop on the treadmill :O)

Jason has been wanting this book for 6 months, at least!!

Jonathan helping Harrison open a gift

New Glasses :O)

Who needs to play with the toy when I can climb on the toy!!

Seriously Mom, you want me to get down??

Where is Harrison?

There he is!!

Pretty much the same as last night.

Checking out the craziness

Harrison dancing while Savannah sang

Beat those drums!

My guitar Hero!

Cause you belong with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Harri in his new jacket from Grammie

Harri in a Santa hat :)

Did you notice what his shirt says??

I have to brag on my brother. He is a spoiled little turd most of the time. However he really surprised me this Christmas. Since he turned 16 in May he has been working part time for my Grampy. This Christmas he bought a gift card for the whole family for $100..with his own money!! I was shocked! My lil bro his growing up, and thinking of others. I'm so proud!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Remember this post?

That was way back when the colored ipods first came out! I was happy they didn't have an orange one b/c my white one was only 6 months old. Then they came out with an orange one, but I still didn't need it b/c I had a white one. For Christmas jason got me an orange ipod though! Amost other things, but I'm most excited about the ipod!!

Christmas Eve Jammies

Miss Me?

I've been busy! We have had Ashrya's C-mas concert, Elize's C-mas concert, the KW C-mas party. I feel like we are doing something all the time! I can't believe it's only 3 days until Christmas!! WoW, times flies!

Harrison is going to be fun this year. Not as much fun as he'll be next year, but funner last year!

I finished up my shopping tonight. Jason was one only one I had left and I stopped at the mall and Target, and now I'm DONE! Whoo-hoo! It was tough at the beginning, but thanks to the VA overpayment we are going to have a good Christmas. Which I am very thankful for, b/c last year sucked! The kids didn't feel it, but we did. money was so tight, it was depressing. I hate Christmas like that.

I'm super excited that I get C-mas Eve and Day off with PAY! Whoo-hoo! I'd be hating life if I didn't since those 2 days and NYE all fall on the same pay period.

Guess that's it for now I have a couple of posts floating in my head I'd like to get out, but I don't have the time right now. Maybe tomorrow at work :O)

Don't get lazy and not leave comments. I'll stop blogging again. You know who you are!

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza!

The kids had so much fun at Aunt Misty's!! They made aprons, popcorn garland, and of course, Sugar cookies! They are so yummy. She used the Quackenbush Secret Family Recipe!

Our sweet Elizabeth! She stayed with Misty Friday night and us Saturday night. She is such a good girl. Sweet, funny, polite, she has it all!

It hasn't seemed like his birthday b/c he's been gone all day, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Jonathan!
He is 11 today!
WOW!

He went to the game today with his dad and pop-pop, They had a great time!

So excited!

Right Misty is on her way back from Salina with our niece Elzabeth. She is our littlest sisters oldest child. She is the only reason I don't kill Chris. She is his daughter from his first marriage. And she is a DOLL! Our whole family loves her so much, to bad her dad is such a smuck!

She is staying with Misty tonight at her 1st annual sleepover Christmas cookie and sleepover extravaganza! Misty is going to have about 9 kids at her place baking, cooking, crafting and gnerally driving her crazy! She loves it! She has been looking forward to this weekend for a couple months now.

I will post some pics of their creations later this weekend.

HUGS!

Holiday Party!

Last night of the girls I work with had a holiday party! Great fun was had, much alcohol was consumed, and yummy food was eaten! Tracy made homemade Italian nachos. OMG! SO GOOD! As most of you know I only drink about 2x a year, so last night I got in my 2nd time before 2009 ended!! Thankfully, I wasn't sick to day AT ALL! A little puny when I woke up(or should I say was woken up!)

Jason and I when we dropped the kiddos with my sister.

Tracy, Michele, Me, and Josh
Our team rocks, I love my job!

Me and Tracy

The 3 amegios as Josh has begun calling us

As with any good party, there was drama. Not at the party, but there will be some this week at work. There is another girl on our Team(not the new girl, another one) that wasn't invited. It was Tracy's party, and Tracy doesn't care for her. Well, she found out about the party through some other people at the party who also work in our office. Now Josh is worried about her feelings being hurt and has given me damage control duty. AGH! What a crappy job, especially since I don't really care for her either!

No, Seriously!

Crazy MIL sent ANOTHER friend request to the EX. Um, she denied the first one, TAKE A HINT NUT JOB!

Seriously??

It's amazing to me sometimes just how crazy and desperate Jason's mother is. After Jason's ex spoke to his aunt over the weekend, the aunt obliviously spoke to Jason's mother. How do I know you ask? Tonight Karen sent the ex a friend request on Facebook! Yes, you read right. The woman sent a friend request to her son's ex finance of 14 years! Let's say it together now...Psycho!

Maxine sent me a message telling me about the request, and letting me know she would be denying it. She knows through my status updates how Karen uses our friends to try and gain info about us. So she knew it wasn't a request for her but merely a way to reach Jason. Karen is blocked from searching both our Facebooks, and I even have Jason's privacy level set to that only friends of friends can search him. Not even the general public can find him :O) So she's kind of double blocked!

I think I sleep better at night knowing she is in turmoil over her choices. 'cause you know what? We sleep like a baby :O)

I'm like a teeny bopper!

TAYLOR TICKETS GO ON SALE TOMORROW!!

I'M SO FRICKING EXCITED! I'M LIKE A 12 YEAR OLD WAITING FOR THE JONAS BROTHERS! I HAVE SAVED SO I CAN BUY THE BEST TICKETS AVAILABLE. EVER SINCE I FOUND OUT SHE WAS GOING TO BE HERE IN OUR TOWN(NO TRAVELING) I'VE BEEN COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS! I KNOW SOME THINK HE MUSIC IS VERY "TEENAGE GIRL" DUH, DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE IS? DO YOU KNOW WHAT I USED TO BE. THERE ARE A FEW OF HER SONGS THAT I REALLY CONNECT WITH. OTHERS ARE JUST FUN TO SING ALONG TO. COUPLE THAT WITH THE FACT THAT SHE IS GENUINELY A NICE GIRL, HOW CAN YOU CAN YOU NOT LOVE HER? OH YEA, DID I MENTION SHE IS DATING A SUPER HOTTIE?

2 in 2 days? Wow

I miss blogging. It used to be very therapeutic for me. I would vent and feel better, I need to get back to that.

Below is a voicemail message from Jason's mother. It just reinforces why she is not a part of our life. She made her choice and the message below leads us to believe that she is not happy with it. Some people think we are mean or wrong for keeping her out, but I promise if you knew the whole story...well, let's just say she has made her bed.... I really did used to feel bad for her, I tried many times to push Jason into a relationship with her. He was right about her all along. We are all better off with out her!


His whole family is so incredibility selfish. It makes me sick! His "favorite" aunt and uncle. LOVE him when we are in NY, but RARELY call or communicate with us when we are not there. Anyway, this aunt(his mother's sister) is friends with his ex-finance. Well, apparently his uncle is pretty sick. We had NO idea, b/c they never called to tell us. So, in a Facebook lexulous game the ex fiancee tells Jason that she spoke with Terry and Tim is really sick, and Terry would like Jason to call her. WTF??? Um, no. You call us, when something happens in your life. Not send a message through an ex. I found it so tacky! She didn't even think to let us know until Maxine mentioned she had spoken to Jason on FB. She could call us. Maybe it's an east coast thing. I really don't know, it seems so bizarre. It's not like she couldn't call his g-ma to get his number. Why send a message that way?? Agh!