Wednesday, November 24, 2010

30 DBC: Day 30♥

Day 30-a picture

Better late than never :)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

30 DBC: Day 29♥

3 wishes:

Isnt this one of those questions we ask ourselves all the time? If we had a magic genie and had 3 wishes, what would we wish for?

Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is that my parents would find some sort of peace in life. The last few years they have had, have been rather rough. If they could just find some peace, they could enjoy life as it is meant to be. They could find it in Christ, but that will take time to work its way into their hearts, but all things are possible.

Secondly, I wish that I could take back all the time I have missed with Nathin over the last 3 years. I know he is young, but that makes it one of the most important times of his life. He needs his mom around, and I can't wait to be there for him again next year.

Lastly, I would wish that my kids get a chance to live long, healthy and Christ driven lives. That they get that rare opportunity to understand what their life is meant for in this world and that they listen to the callings in their hearts. I also hope they know that no matter what, we will always be there for them. Me, Boats, and Nathin's father as well. That they always know just how loved they truly are.

Monday, November 22, 2010

30 DBC: Day 28♥

Something that stresses me out: I think there are probably a lot of things that stress me out.

Kids.

Dogs.

Husband.

Time.

House work.

WEIGHT.

School work.

Lots of things. Of course there is always one thing that seems to do it more than anything else. It really is the one thing I should worry about the least, but I can't help it. I'm pretty confident its a stress factor for most people actually. My biggest stress factor...

Green. Benjamin's. Cheddar. Dough. Beacon. Cheese. The root of all evil... MONEY.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

30 DBC: Day 27♥

My pets♥

First came Dash... the pain in the ass cat that I co-exist with. Im not a cat person, lol.
Then there is my girl... Kadence! My 3 year old Mantle Great Dane :)

And of course, my guy! Harley has given me a run for my money, and yet I love him like crazy! This was taken today at 14 weeks, and 40.5 pounds :)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

30 DBC: Day 26♥

Picture of my family♥

Friday, November 19, 2010

30 DBC: Day 25♥

Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs:

1. Lifehouse: Everything
2. Nelly Furtado and Keith Urban: In Gods Hands
3. Breaking Benjamen: I Will Not Bow
4. BOB: Airplane
5. Rihanna: Unfaithful
6. Christina Perri: Jar of Hearts
7. Hillsong: Saving Grace
8. Hawk Nelson: Everything You Wanted
9. Garth Brooks: It's Midnight Cinderella
10. Bruno Mars: Grenade

After that... at Bug's request I had to play 'The Robot Song'. (AKA, Ke$ha's Take It Off)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

30 DBC: Day 24♥

Something I've learned:

I have learned a lot of things over the course of my life thus far, of course. But I would have to say that the most valuable lesson I have ever learned is the one of unconditional love. To be brutally honest, we will never have unconditional love from our spouses. That's just a fact. We do, however, get it from our children, and for me personally, I have received it from my dogs as well. They are these innocent souls, kids and dogs. They don't care if we dress to the 9's, if we don't vacuum every single day, if we forget to put the trash out on trash day. They just love us. I have learned that it is infinitely easy to return that unconditional love to them.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

30 DBC: Day 23♥

Favorite vacation: I have never really been on a true 'vacation'. I feel like if the kids went with... its not a vacation! We never went on a honeymoon or anything... so yea. Maybe that needs to be on my list to Santa :)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

30 DBC: Day 22♥

Favorite city: If you have to ask me this... you don't know me very well! :)


Monday, November 15, 2010

30 DBC: Day 21♥

Day 21-Picture of yourself

Sooooo, I can be a little vein. Shocking, I know. It's not that I think I am hot or amazingly beautiful or anything. Not in real life anyway. But sometimes a picture can capture just the very best features. Even when I receive compliments from people I care about, and who care about me, I don't really take it to heart. I just assume they are saying it because they love me and want to make me feel good. When I hear something nice from a stranger or someone I don't know very well yet, I assume they want something from me, lol. Awful, right? Anyhow... here is what the post is actually asking for...



So the one in the Cammies is very cropped, lol. These were a part of the photo shoot I did a couple weeks ago now and there is some booty showage in that one, lol. Most of the photos I left raw and didn't 'touch up' because you can see my mommy marks, and that not something I want to cover up necessarily. They used to bother me, but now I embrace them, and I think every mom should! Some women do get them after having kids, and yes, I will silently hate you (lol) but the majority of us get them, and its nothing to be ashamed of! I tell me kids that they tell the story of how they came into this world. While I don't 'love' the marks... I love what they mean.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

30 DBC: Day 20♥

Day 20-Nicknames

I don't really have nicknames anymore. I get the occasional 'Smashleigh' haha. Most of my nicknames are from my child hood. My parents would call me Taz a lot, because I was wild like the Tasmanian devil, lol. I also got Lizzy, or Lizbeth since my middle name is Elizabeth. Other than 'Babe' and other pet names from the husband, I pretty much just go by my given name :)

Saturday, November 13, 2010

30 DBC: Day 19♥

Day 19-Something you miss

This has got to be the easiest one yet...

Friday, November 12, 2010

30 DBC: Day 18♥

Day 18-Something you regret

There is not much I regret in my life. All the decisions I have made, I felt were right at the time. I don't usually apologize for my decisions, unless it has hurt someone I care about in some way. Too many people say and do things with the thought process that all they have to do is apologize to 'make up for it', and I pride myself in making choices I can live with.

The one thing I can say there is some regret on, would be that I waited too long to begin my walk with Christ. I felt the 'tugging' years ago, but I refused to explore it because my husband didn't also feel the tugging. I didn't go back to church until he decided he wanted to, and that is one thing I do regret.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

30 DBC: Day 17♥

Something you're looking forward to:

I can take this so many ways... so perhaps listing it will be the best approach :)

I am looking forward to getting back to California and being with my son again.

...to snowy days spent snuggle up with the kids watching movies and staying in our jammies all day, and savoring the moments I know will pass too soon.

...to rebuilding the marriage I know in my heart is worth fighting for, even though I feel overwhelmed with doubt, regret, jealousy and pessimism at times.

...to the day that Harley wont scream bloody murder when I take him for a walk!!

...to earning my degree and starting a career that will improve the lives of others.

...to being that phone call. You know, just the random phone call from your adult child who know has a family of their own. The one in which they tell you that NOW they understand and how they appreciate the life they were given. And the ones in which they admit they still need me, almost as much as I will always need them.

...to making memories with friends who are as planted in my heart as flesh and blood family.

...to just finding out what this path is that God has laid out before me and how He is going to use me to glorify Him.

...to finding me. The real me. A me that I can love and be so proud of, and that my family and friends can be just as proud.

...to earning my title of being a daughter of the Lord, seeing as how most days, I do not feel worthy of that.

...to making a difference in the lives of others.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

30 DBC: Day 16♥

Dream house: I actually think I might have seen my dream house when we went on a field trip with Chase's school last week. I want a house that has a huge front porch that wraps around the whole house. It will have a porch swing in the front and back. There will be great big trees in the yard that hold a tire swing and provide shade for the dogs to lounge in and for a picnic table.

There will be a lot of windows. I love natural light. I'm not too particular on color, although I do love the look of a rich blue or hunter green with white trim and shutters. The garage will be detached so Boats can tinker around and not invade my sound waves. A great big tree house and doll house for the kids and/or grandkids would be necessary as well. Preferably, the house would be located along a tree line in a wooded rural country type neighborhood. A little distance between houses, but not so much that I feel secluded.

We will definitely have a few chickens, because I love fresh eggs. Most of our vegetables will be grown right there in our own yard, as well as some fruits. Out back will be a fire pit that will be the center of a lot of amazing memories. Perhaps a hammock or two.

As far as the inside goes, as long as I have a large kitchen and a wood burning fireplace, anything else is workable for me. Although, an eat in kitchen with a breakfast bar would be nice. Our master bedroom should be big enough to build a half wall as a partition for where the dogs will sleep. After all, I have to keep them from laying all over my dry clean only comforter! *cough cough KADENCE!! cough*

At the end of the day, I would live in a cardboard box as long as I have my family. But lets face it, we all dream :) The following pictures are of three houses that I love, and would like to blend together to make my dream home from.



Tuesday, November 9, 2010

30 DBG: Day 15♥

Bible verse: This one is pretty easy. Although I was torn between the Corinthians verse I have on my shoulder and this one... I think the one I chose holds a lot more for me right now :) This verse has been instrumental in the rebuilding of my marriage.

Ephesians 5:22-33 (New International Version)

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ok, so its more than just one verse... but you need the whole thing to get the idea :) The book Love and Respect is based on this verse and how we can apply it to our marriage. I definitely recommend it for all married couples, not just those in peril.One of the best tools I found in this book was the 'Crazy Cycle'. I can recognize now when we are on it, and we can stop and reassess what we are actually upset about and address the real issue while still showing each other love and respect.
♥ Me.

Monday, November 8, 2010

30 DBG: Day 14♥

Picture you love.

Again... just ONE?? Talk about impossibility! I am a self-proclaimed picture snob, and I take pictures like nobody's business. I guess if I have to choose just one recent favorite... it would be this one:
We recently did a photo shoot with a friend who got some amazing shots of me and Boats together, as well as just me and some also with my friend Erin. They are really too 'hot' to post all here, even though I'd love to! So this is just one that I totally love.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

30 DBC: Day 13♥

Todays post is about my goals. I am taking it to mean more of the long term type of goals. If it were short term, Id start with something like cleaning out the kids rooms or something :) My first and main goal its to develop and maintain my relationship with God. I was watching a Carlos Mencia show today, and there was a joke in there that just about killed me from laughing but it was SO true! He had made some crude joke about the Pope (it was funny, but I wont repeat it, lol) and someone boo'd him. After that he told the person who boo'd him that at least he knows his religion well enough to know that as a Christian, no matter what he does, all he has to do is pray to the Lord and he is forgiven. Its like an etch-a-sketch! I need to find that clip and post it... it was too funny.

Next on the goal list is to be the best wife and mom I can be. If that means housework, fine. If it means saying screw the housework, lets go outside and play in the rain, I'm good with that too. If that means flipping the bird to anyone and EVERYone who looks down their nose and me and my husband because we are now putting blood, sweat and tears into fixing our marriage, then I'm all for that as well. Whatever it means...

My education is my next goal. I was my children to see and understand that an education is a must, no matter what you plan to do in life. I gave myself a time line a long time ago on how long I would be a stay at home mom. That time is coming to an end in a few years, and I need an education under my belt to give me the most opportunities. If knowing in my heart that taking on a job outside of my home is what is best for my family makes me some sort of bad mother to other people, refer to the bird flipping above. As long as my children know I love them and would do anything for their happiness, the perception of others really doesn't matter to me at the end of the day.
This last one has sort of been a work in progress for a while. I want to run. I want to have that drive and that need to run for miles and miles. My New Years resolution this year is going to be a big one... but its definetly do-able.


♥ Me

Saturday, November 6, 2010

30 DBG: Day 12♥

What you believe.

Boy, if that's not a 'loaded question', I dont know what is! How do you even begin to answer that? I suppose the first thing that comes to mind, is that I believe that the God in my heart loves me, just as He says, no matter what. It doesn't matter how many times I drop the ball, He keeps on loving me. I also believe that there is nothing more important in my life, next to my continually growing relationship with Christ, than my family. My children are my life, and the things I do with and for them everyday will have a profound impact on their life and who they will become. While I can't 'make' them into anything, I can give them the tools to hopefully become children who love God and respect me and others. Who have loving and open hearts, and who aches for the betterment of the lives of others. That kind of development begins now, at home with me.

I also believe, that no matter what, there is nothing two people cannot overcome if they want it bad enough. The past can be left in the past. Forgiveness can be given and received, no matter how deep the wounds. Love truly does 'bare all things, hope all things, believe all things.' I believe the Word of God holds more wisdom and love than I could ever possibly hold in my heart. If I ever need proof of that... I just seek out my husband, and see the love in his eyes that was once said to be gone. I see, and feel, it again.

Everyday.

I believe in miracles.

Friday, November 5, 2010

30 DBG: Day 11♥

Favorite TV shows:

Reality TV is such a guilty pleasure. I'm happy to say that there aren't any that I am 'addicted' to, but there are a few other shows that I love to watch when I can remember they are on, lol. First would be Sons of Anarchy! I don't know what it is about it, but I have been hooked since the first season.Recently I have become an avid watcher of Criminal Minds. I don't usually watch the 'new' episodes, but anytime I see the older ones on, that's what I watch. Since I just got into it this year, most episodes I have not seen. As scared as it can make me (an seriously, this show is the reason why I know want to own a gun.) I still love it!

Having kids in the house forces me to watch a lot of kid shows. Some I cant STAND. Others I tolerate. However, Dinosaur Train is one I honestly enjoy! It has really catchy songs and the kids love it. I actually like Imagination Movers and Fresh Beat Band too... those are Grace's favorites!


♥ Me

Thursday, November 4, 2010

30 DBG: Day 10♥

Something your afraid of:

There are some obvious answers to this one. Most of my friends and family know of my bug phobia, lol. Especially spiders. I have gotten better living in the midwest, but still... spiders are a hard thing for me to deal with!


After spiders is totally clowns!! BLEK! I cant even think about clowns... seriously. Moving on.

The next one is one I am sure many people fear. Loneliness. I don't know if it's the actual idea of being alone or on my own that scares me the most, or if its the thought if loosing what I already have. No matter what, its a thought that scares me to death.

My biggest fear in my life, is that something will happen to one of my children. Not just that 'something will happen' but that they will be taken from this Earth before me. I know that sounds selfish, but I can't even begin to thing about how I would be able to physically breath knowing this world existed without them. My chest feels like it is caving in just thinking about it.

We all fear something. We can hide inside a little shell and watch life pass us by, or we can put our faith in the hands of our Lord and know that His plan is perfect. No matter what that could mean. We never know our strength until we are faced with a fear, and its how we adapt that makes us who we are.

♥Me

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

30 DBC: Day 9♥

A picture of your friends... just one?? Not a chance. My friends are my family and I have tons of pictures... here are just a few I managed to locate :)

Erin and I right after our piercing experience together!

Me and Shayna out bowling :)

So I wish I could explain with proper justice to the situation, how hilarious this photo is! This is my friend Amber's husband, Jason, and my friend Kim in a HEATED political debate in Ambers hospital room right after she GAVE BIRTH to their second daughter!! I love this picture for many reasons. Mostly because Jason is a great spokesman for republicans (the ones who are right of course) and I love Kim to death because boy can she keep up!!


Me and my bestie out for a night in good ol' Chi-Town!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

30 DBG: Day 8♥

A place I have traveled...

This is a really hard one because I really haven't 'traveled' really. Sad, right? I have been here and there around the country. Kentucky to see my sister. Wisconsin for Mindy and Boat's family. Washington when my dad was stationed there. Michigan to pick up Harley. Vegas a few times, but never really in the fun way people go to Vegas. So yea... this day of blogging kinda blows, LOL. Sorry! :)

♥Me

Monday, November 1, 2010

30 DBC: Day 7♥

*Favorite Movie*

I think this one is a little harder than at first glance. I have a lot of faves and narrowing it down is pretty tough. A while back, my answer would have been Romeo and Juliet... the one with Leonardo DiCaprio... I loved that movie. Part of me wants to say the Twilight Saga. Ok, a lot of me says that. Maybe I should break it down by category.

Romantic Comedy: The Ugly Truth

Love Story: The Notebook

Comedy: Ace Ventura Pet Detective

Horror: Anything with 'jump out' kind of scares... not the bloody stuff.

I think that covers the four main categories. Movies are a great escape from reality and gives time for just a release of all the tensions we hold on to most of the time.

What are your favorites?

♥Me
 
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