More Christmas!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.  It still doesn't feel 100% like Christmas b/c we still don't have snow, although we have plenty of cold!!  I'm SO excited for Jason and the kids to open their gifts on Christmas morning.  I worked hard to make this an awesome Christmas and I think that it will be!

Tomorrow I'm going to try my hand at....making a pumpkin roll!  I love them, and they only sell them at Thanksgiving, so I'm going to try and make one for Christmas dinner.

Not much else is going on.  I'm pretty excited for 2011. I'm still working on my goals, I'll post those next week.  They are nothing crazy though. In 2011 we are going back to Alabama to see my Amy.  Woot-woot!  We were hoping to buy a van, but we'll see... That whole VA thing may have put a wrench in that.   In 2011 I will celebrate FIFTEEN years with the man God made just for me.  We talked about a cruise, but we'll have to see how everything works out later in the year.

My Life

This is one of my favorite quotes:

We're all given terrible trials sometimes, things we think will break our spirit and kill us, and they make us stronger in the end. They seem like the cruelest blows, but in a funny way they're like compliments from God. If he didn't love you and believe in you, He wouldn't give you challenges like this. They're opportunities for Grace.


This is one of my favorite quotes ever.  Reading it and re-reading it has gotten me through me very rough times.  I would love to tell you that it was spoken by some neat person at time of terrible strife, however I got it from a Danielle Steele novel :O)

Yet again this week we were punched in the gut by VA.  I am truly starting to hate our country and their treatment of vets.  Their total disregard for the soldier/student is appalling.  They constantly F up, we have to scramble b/c of their mistake, and they have struck the Hallock's AGAIN!  It's a long story but it comes down to this.  They over paid us by $5,400 and they want their money back, like yesterday.  So, they will take our housing allowance for the next 8 months to recoup their money.  Yup, $1,000 a month less in the Hallock Family pocket due to their mistake that should have been caught during Jason's certification period.

Needless to say, I about went crazy when I heard this.  It's not like we were living high on the hog to begin with.  We have been very wise with our money to be able to get Jason through school.  I initially freaked at the thought of losing that much money per month, WTF were we gonna do??  After much talking, planning, and budgeting I think we have it figured out.  It's gonna be tight(duh!), but I'm confident we'll be okay.

Today, Jason and I went out to finish up our C-mas shopping.  So much fun.  We have almost everything!!  I have to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond this week to get 1 thing for the kids, then my grandparents and Jason's stocking and I'm done :O)  I'm so excited!!  It hasn't snowed at all, which is inhibiting my Christmas spirit.  It just doesn't FEEL like Christmas to me yet.  Hopefully the next 7 days will get me in the mood :O)

Christmas List

One of my friends put her Christmas list on her blog, and I thought it was a cute idea, so here we go..

1. Brown knee high boots
2. New wedding rings
3. A new comforter set
4. Taylor Tickets(although they are not even on sale yet!Sept. 24th BABY!)
5. Fake Bake sessions

This was HARD, I don't really WANT for anything!  That's a massive blessing.  What's on your list this year?

Christmas!

I'm so excited for Christmas this year!  We have planned and saved so everyone in our family can have a good Christmas and I'm pretty excited.  Yesterday we started our first round of Christmas treats.  I don't like to bake, but I love to do non-baking treats.  We did Puppy chow and holiday rice krispy treats yesterday.  Next weekend will be dipped pretzels and peanut butter balls.  We'll do fudge too!  It's going to be hard to keep from gaining weight, but my goal through the end of the year is to maintain.  I've gotten back to running.  This week is the last week of my trainer :O(  She has decided to stop personal training and focus on her studies and other jobs.  I don't care for any of the other trainers, so my plan is to keep it up on my own.  I know what to do now, I just really like her accountability.  I've been doing lots of interval runs on the TM.  I'll do a 10 minute mile for .10 of a mile, then a recovery walk for .05 of a mile, it's tough!  It's been giving me a 12 minute mile average, which is faster than I have been able to do on my own.  At the end of 2 miles I'm dripping sweat!  Yesterday I even up'd it to 9:30 min mile for a little bit.  It's tough, but it's a nice change.

Tough

Next semester is going to be tough.  Jason will be starting classes for his major which are conveniently all at night.  Note: Conveniently is said which sarcasm. :O)

He has 1 day class and 4 night classes. Ick.  That means no family time and no gym/running time at night.  I'm gonna have to go back to 6:30 am training sessions and running in the morning.  Thankfully the running will be at the gym in the warm, b/c it's gonna be cold out!! We will really have to learn to cherish weekends as family time.  Monday-Thursday will be Momma gets home, we eat diner, and Daddy leaves for school.  It's gonna stink.  I keep reminding Jason and myself that it's means to an end! I just hope all his classes for the next 2 years aren't at night.  That will really suck!

GOTR Part 2

I got an e-mali today stating there was a already a chapter in process for our county!  Whoo-hoo!  I really didn't want to start and head up a new one.  I am excited to volunteer and coach for this one though.  Everything should be a approved by the end of the month.  Then we will start meeting, and hopefully be able to have our first season come fall!

Girls on the Run

Through random clicking of pages that my friends have "liked"  I found Girls on the Run.  Upon entering their site and reading what they do, I was hooked.  This is their mission statement:

To educate and prepare girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living.

It gives me chills, seriously.  It's a 12 week program that not only trains 3rd-8th grade girls to run a 5k it encourages them to make wise choices.

This is the objective:

The objective of Girls on the Run is to educate and empower girls at an early age in order to prevent the display of at-risk activities in the future. At risk activities include substance/alcohol use, eating disorders, early onset of sexual activity, sedentary lifestyle, depression, suicide attempts and confrontations with the juvenile justice system. 

This is a program after my own heart!!  I click locations...only 2 chapters in Kansas, and they are FAR away!!  :O(  What's a girl to do??  Why click the "start your own chapter" button of course!  I'm waiting for them to send me information about starting a chapter in my county.  I don't know what goes into it, I don't know anything about running a non-profit organization, but I do know I haven't been this fired up about something in a long time.    

I'm excited to find out more about the program and any way that I can get involved.

Almost back where I was

After I had Harri I lost 63 pounds.  I swore it wouldn't come back on, but it did(at least most of it)   :O(
At the beginning of this year I decided I was going to take it off, again.  Right now I'm about 8 pounds more that what my lowest was after I had H.  Who-hoo!  I'm going to keep working with the trainer, I'm going to pick my running again.  I'd like to lose 25-30 more pounds.  That'll be my focus after the first of the year.

You know what drives me insane?

1. People who bitch all the time they are broke, yet are always buying "stuff". If you have money for that "stuff" you are NOT broke! If your heat is getting turned off, that's broke. If it's getting turned off b/c you don't have money to pay it b/c of the "stuff" you bought, well, you're just plain stupid. I've been seeing this "trend" on FB a lot lately and I'm sure it's only going to get worse as Christmas grows near. We have 3 children in a 1 income household while Jason goes to school. Money is tight, times are tough, but we are making due. They can too. I'm afraid I may have to block some people. I'm not gonna wanna hear about how much their kids C-mas gifts are and how expensive they are and how they can't afford them. THEN DON'T BUY THEM!! Geez, go teach your kids the real meaning of Christmas this year then.

2. Our family learned the very hard way alcohol gets you NOWHERE. There is a girl I know that her idea of "quality time" with her husband is getting drunk. Is it just me or does that seem wrong? Don't get me wrong, I like to have a few, a few times a YEAR! Yes, my average drinking nights range 2-4 a YEAR and I'm proud of that. If I have to get drunk to enjoy my husband what does that say about our relationship? When she told me that, I just looked at her like she was a retard. I can't fathom. Maybe it's the fact that both of my parents are alcoholics...I don't know, but it's not something I do often. I don't have to drink to have fun, It's expensive, when I do drink it makes me sick, and I end up saying shit that doesn't need to be said. Gee, that sounds fun.

3. Perhaps it's the eternal optimist in me or the very high anti bullshit level, either way I can't stand whining. Your life is not that bad. That's what I want to say to all these people. Or you got yourself into this mess, so shut up. I know, compassion is not my strong point. I just don't feel bad for people who makes choices then whines about the consequences. If I can spend the extra 3 1/2 minutes to think about my decisions you can too. If I can be a grown up and realize I made the choices that put me here you can too. When I tell people this I get the, "I'm not as strong as you" crap. Let me tell you a secret. YOU ARE AS STRONG AS YOU CHOOSE TO BE. You CHOOSE not to be strong b/c it's easier, b/c you can whine more, b/c people will feel bad and help you. It's your CHOICE.

Ever had so much to say, yet you know you'll never say it?

I feel like I could verbally vomit on numerous topics. I am feeling annoyed at most aspects of my life right now. I'm so done. I seriously want to tell everyone to just "Shut the Fuck Up!"

Do you how much much better I would feel if I could do that? I already feel a little better just typing it :O)

Bragger

I totally have to brag about my kiddos. We had parent/teacher conferences this week and they are both doing amazing. Jonathan, received 4 A's and 2 B's. His teacher said he is bright, helpful, responsible and an overall great student. His only downfall? Chatting. He's a talker. 3 of his 6 teachers have commented on his "excessive" talking in class. His homeroom teacher even said that his name has come up every month for student of the month, however he has yet to receive it due to his excessive talking.

Savannah is a whiz. She is 1/4 of the way through her 3rd grade year and her standardized tests have her at the middle of 4th grade for reading, math, and language. I knew she was smart but, WOW! Her reading has really picked up this year too. She's reading 4.4-4.8 books right now. She blows through books on her own level. I've stopped buying books as much b/c she reads them to fast. Totally reminds me of myself as a child.

Harrison-I was supposed to meet with Ms. Carla for how he is doing at school, but it got rescheduled. However I assure you he is a genius too!

I'm doing something different

So far it's going well. I'm hesitant about sharing, b/c everyone has an opinion and I don't really feel like listening to them right now. Once all is said and done I may share, but that's weeks away. It's nothing bad, don't worry. In the long run I believe it's going to be a very good thing :O)

I love my birthday!

Birthdays are special. I try to make them special for those around me and I love it when others make mine special. I actually got to have a 2 day birthday this year :O) On Tuesday my office took me to lunch at Olive Garden, where I received an orange cake and a $15 itunes GC! Whoo-hoo! Then that night Jason took me to dinner and gave me my next 8 weeks of training sessions. Double Yay! After 2 doses of Alfredo in one day, I got my ass handed to me at the trainer! My legs still hurt! On my birthday morning, the kids presented me with their gifts. A running shirt, sunglasses, a super cute hat, and an orange loofah! I loved it all! I worked and went to lunch with Jason, then home for a quiet evening of hanging out and grocery shopping. I love my life. Thank you all of you who sent birthday wishes.

hmmmm...

Sometimes, I hate Facebook. It makes me feel like I have nothing to blog about when I come here, b/c most everything is already out over there. I have to really rack my brain for "new" news. Let's see...

I had a couple of rough weeks at work awhile back. The kind of days where you don't want to get up and go to work. That's never happened to be before at this job. I've always loved my job. Those few weeks though...I was half tempted to look for another position. I worked through it and talked to my boss(who is awesome) and I feel much better now. Next month I'll have been there 18 months. 18 months and no raise. Don't get me wrong I've had bonuses, but not an hourly raise. So, I will be putting on my big girl panties and asking for one. Agh! So not in my comfort zone. Running is going better. I'm back on the saddle. I feel really weird not doing the long distances that I once was, but I have to remind myself that I'm not training for a marathon anymore so 10 mile runs are no longer necessary! I set my own personal record yesterday at the Susan G. Koman 5k. Pretty excited about that one :O)

Jason is looking to change his major...again. I truly don't care as long as he's happy. I just want him to hurry up and be done. I'll be excited to live like normal people again. The kids are doing well. Jonathan is rocking the 6th grade. He has 5 A's and 2 B's. At progress report time he had 7 A's so I'm riding him hard to get those B's back up. Savannah is doing awesome academically, but it's her attitude that is causing trouble. She's always getting "yellows" for talking, and talking back. Harrison is about as perfect and wonderful as they come!! He's talking way more now and understands most everything you say to him. He's the puzzle master. He has 4 wood puzzles that he loves. He goes to "school" 2x a week for 1/2 a day and I think it's great for him to have children his size around. He's so used to playing with the big kids I often worry about how he'll do once he gets into kindergarten and has to play nice with others.

I'm super ready for fall! Cooler running temps and SOUP! I made homemade potato soup tonight. It was pretty delish. It was almost a disaster though. I only had wheat flour and I had no idea how that was going to play out... It made the soup thicker so I had to add more water and bouillon, then added more spices to compensate for the more water. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself(and I do!)

It's amazing what antibiotics and pain meds will do for you! I feel like a new woman. I woke up at 9 still feeling crappy, took more meds and went back to bed until 1. Finally got up and around and started my Sunday ritual of laundry and cleaning. I went grocery shopping later than normal and it was nice. Everyone else was at home having dinner, so wal-mart was pretty barren. It was nice. Happy ya'll have a great week :O)

Dopey

That's how I feel. I think I have an ear infection. I have been having some sharp, almost unbearable pain in my ear. It only last 5-10 seconds at a time, thankfully, but it hurts like hell when it's here. I have some homeopathic drops I got at Wal-mart and some perkiset(sp?) that my Grammie gave me. I was surfing the net, updating blogs waiting for it to kick in and I think it has. I'm starting to feel loopy and sleepy. So I should probably stop here, and come back tomorrow to update. If I start a blog now who knows how it will end up!

Not much new,

Thought I should update though. I feel better. I had some stuff to get off my chest at work and once I did I instantly felt better. I have never been one to keep feelings inside. If I'm upset, mad, happy, ect, I'll tell you. Holding feelings in just breeds contempt and makes the person holding in the feelings miserable, while the other person has no clue!! Anyway, I had an awesome weekend. My mom, step-dad and nieces and nephews came to visit. I had never seen Zachary before, he's so little and sweet! It was fun to snuggle baby again. I put all the pics up on FB. A few even came out really good! There are a few of my sister that are amazing! I think I'm finally going to try and figure out my camera. It's silly to have a $600 camera and to use it as a point and shoot. I need to learn all the settings and stuff. I know I could do so much with it, if I just learn!

hmph..

I'm bitchy, cranky, totally blah. No reason. All is well. Kids are back in school. Jason is back in school. I'm working. Nothing has changed. I'm just BLAH. I think the blah-ness is contributing to lack of running desire, or maybe the lack of running is contributing to the blah-ness. To be honest I'm not sure which it is. All I know is I have an overall blah-ness for life. Work, home, everything in between. Blah, blah, blah blah. I don't feel like doing anything. Running, fixing dinner, doing laundry, snuggling with my children, kissing my husband, nothing. I just want to sit and be blah. Let's be honest. It's depression. At least that's what it sounds like. It will go away soon. It always does. Those few weeks that it lasts though....blah, blah, blah...

Tired and Happy

What a weekend! I am soooo very tired, but so happy we went. We left Derby at 7:30 a.m. Friday for our weekend adventure. We booked a King suite at the Drury Inn for Friday and Saturday night. If you've never stayed in one I highly recommend it! It was little pricier than some in the area but they had HOT breakfast and a 3 free drink happy hour with bar food munchies. The money we saved from not going out to breakfast was worth it! Our room was nice and we had a separate room from the kiddos, so that was even nicer. We checked in about 11 on Friday dropped off our stuff then hit the mall! Both of the kiddos had a school clothes money and it was burning a hole in their pocket. I wish I could say we went to some neat stores we don't have here, but that's not the case. The Oak Park Mall had pretty much the exact same stores our mall does. Jonathan hit the motherload at Hot Topic. They had $19 skinny jeans(on sale from $34, thank the Lord!). He got 4 pairs and a very LOUD belt. We hit up a couple of other skate stores for him and got some t's. Then went to JC Penney and Justice for Savannah. Lord, I was wondering if I was ever going to be able to find her a shirt with out Justen Beiber on it. That kid is sooooo not cute! On Friday evening we went to dinner at an awesome Italian restaurant. Unfortunately we had to bail early b/c Harri had his fill and was just crying non-stop. So Jason and I enjoyed our dinner in the hotel room. Ahhhh, the joys of parenthood!

Saturday we got up and had our hot breakfast at the hotel, it was pretty yumm-o. Then we headed to the Legends, which is an outdoor outlet mall. It was neat place with statues and fountains, and of course, shopping! I hit up the adidas store and got a new running tank, sports bra, socks, and my favorite, foam flip flops! They are the kind that are memory foam. They mold to your feet when you put them on. Soooo awesome! We also got Harri 2 new pairs of shoes at the Stride Rite store. His fat feet make him darn near impossible to buy shoes for. SR has W and XW for kids which is great and we took advantage of the buy one get one 1/2 off sale :O) For lunch we went to T-Rex. It's like Rainforest Cafe, but with a dinosaur/Jurassic theme. It was pretty neat and the kids loved it. I still prefer RC, but I'm glad we went. It was fun and the food was great. After the Legends we went to the Apple store or as my Grampy calls it...the mothership. Jason has been trying to decide between a used motorcycle or a mac. Praise the Lord he came to senses and decided on a mac(can you tell I'm not a fan of motorcycles?) We got a Mac Book Pro with iwork(like office) and a printer. They offer an education discount so we saved $100 on the computer(which is awesome b/c Apple doesn't have sales), and $30 on the iwork disc, and the printer was free, with a rebate of course. Jason got a new rockin' Hurley bag for school too. Overall an expensive trip to the apple store, but I think it will be so worth it in the end. Saturday evening we hung out at the hotel and vegged while the big kids swam.

This morning Harri woke up bright and early at 6:30! What was that boy thinking?? So he snuggled in bed with us and watched TV. I got sucked into ordering some make up from Lezza Gibbons. I'm really not a make up person, but I'd like to be. I've been spoiled by my husband telling me all the time how beautiful I am, so I don't feel the need to get all gussied up. Bad, I know. I should do it for me, but I don't really care. I'm trying to be more girly though(kinda late in life I know). So I have been buying more girly tops instead of just v-neck t-shirts(my default favorite!) and I've been trying to look for cute shoes. Something more feminine than just a pair of black flats(again, my default fave). Anyway, I digress, I didn't stay on the Bare Minerals bandwagon, so we'll see how this goes.

This morning we headed home and back to real life. The kiddos are in bed and ready for the first day of school( I think). Jason's classes start on Thursday, so he'll be home with Harri most of the week then Grammie duty will kick back in. I'm ready for school to be in session and for life to be back to normal. Oh, and I start seeing the trainer again on Tuesday! Whoo-hoo!

I'm so pissed I could scream!

Remember a few months back when I said that my dad's girlfriend called me, but my dad didn't? Guess who called me today? My dad, asking me to talk to his girlfriend!! He's left 2 messages telling me he loves me and misses me and "please talk to to Tanya.' What the fuck? WHY???? I don't know this woman and I have nothing to say!! What makes me more angry is that she called my Grammie and asked Grammie to call me and ask me to call her. Double WTF? Now my Grammie is upset with me b/c I said I didn't want to talk to her(the girlfriend). I know she only wants me to talk to her b/c it's the only time we get information on Dad. The thing is, I'm done with my parents. I only want information that he WANTS to give him. I'm not desperate enough for information to get it from his girlfriend.

I'm livid with all of them. With my father for not calling(ever!), with Tanya for thinking I have anything to say to her, and with my Grammie for making me feel bad about not wanting to talk to Tanya.