Monday, March 26, 2012

Monday Motivations....For my Boys!!

 

After celebrating Christian's 15th Birthday this weekend, I sat back and realized just how quickly all my boys are growing up. Its crazy! It kind of hit me when one of the gifts Chris received was a certificate to get his Driver's ed course online to get his drivers permit! That definitely didn't help. So not only are they getting older, but they're getting old enough to do some very grown up things like driving....Uggghhh!

And not only did Christian turn 15, but this year our Daniel turns 13, and Mikey turns 10...that means a new teenager in the house, and my little boy is now in the double digits....We will no longer have any babies!! As exciting and rewarding as it might feel to know that they're growing up into little men, it is obviously nostalgic for me as a mom to know that those days of them doing "little kid" things are over. Sigh!




I write about many things in my blog including about my boys, but I know that they're not at an age where they might be interested in reading it themselves...just yet. However, I know that as long as this blog sticks around on the internet, my boys can always come back and read what I've written and hopefully appreciate what I've shared about me, and them and our lives together. I've always said that this is my way of leaving them a legacy. So today, in my nostalgia, I just wanted to share a few thoughts and wishes that I hope they can take with them today, tomorrow and always....









My friend found the one on the right on Pinterest, and loved it because its soo true. And as parents we all want the best for our kids so that they have a great life.

But my favorite quote is the one below from one of the sweetest books you could ever read to your child...
Love You Forever.  I still get choked up when I read it.

But they will ALWAYS be my Babies!


 ,

To my Boys,
Daddy and I are continuously feeling blessed and so proud to see you
growing up into fine young men!
May God bless you boys in all that you do. 

We Love you!

May you all have blessed moments with your babies today and always!

From my corner to yours,

 

Friday, March 23, 2012

Foto Friday- "Still Life"

To say the last few weeks have been busy is an understatement, so picture taking has not been at the forefront of my attention lately. I don't even think I finished my February challenge...Oh, well! However, I have missed the taking of pictures for a purpose..that need to remain creative somehow. I also miss my Foto Friday themes. So as late as this might be on this very busy Friday night, I wanted to get to this week's Foto Friday theme I picked up from Photograph Life..

"Still Life"
Here is my interpretation of what that might be.
 I was also in a black and white mood, so here it goes...

  
Christian is turning 15 tomorrow, and I was just watching him in disbelief that our first born son is becoming such an awesome young man (sniff, sniff). As I watched him being totally comfortable and doing homework, I reflected on the fact that he's at a point in life where so much of who he is self directed. He knows what he needs to do, and does it, and does it well. 
He came home with a beautiful progress report with 4 A's and 2 B's. 
He's doing something right!  We couldn't be prouder.
 Happy 15th Birthday Christian!
 I love you!

  

 These two are more of my interpretation of "Still life." This is the stuff that stays still around and all over my house when I can't get a chance to get to it. These "things" become semi-permanent fixtures until I have the time or more so the energy to actually put stuff away. Like I mentioned earlier, its been a busy couple of weeks and I'm heading into another busy weekend, so we'll see when that energy kicks in. Can any of you relate? I hope so ; )

(These pictures were edited in Picassa ~ Orton-ish)

Ok, so now that I accomplished my goal to remain creative...I can move on to my weekend. 
We will be celebrating Christians 15th Birthday with his friends and our family.
Can't wait!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend too!

Happy Foto Friday, from my corner to yours...



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Monday, March 19, 2012

Monday Motivations- My 5K Run Recap


I am not a runner, I never have been...I guess not until now according this quote.  I have avoided running all my life, or anything to do with running anymore than I needed to. I had definitely, at least, convinced myself that running was just "not my thing." I have also had really bad knees, for a few reasons. One, because of the lack of cartilage in between my joints due to old injuries, and second, the weight that I was carrying was undeniably limiting my ability to even try anything more than walking briskly.

So in growing, changing, and discovering new things this past year, including losing weight and walking for exercise on a more consistent basis, I began to crave something new to do to take me to a different level. So at the start of the year I changed things up a bit by taking a cross fit class and some Zumba classes, and have been implementing some of the things I've learned into my workouts. In doing that, I have discovered that I am capable of much more than I ever thought possible. So I started jogging a bit more, and found that I enjoyed the feeling it brought me, and that my body was ready to be able to handle my new weight enough to push myself to run a little more each time I tried.

This year, one of my goals was to find a chance to do a 5K run/walk of some sort. I have never felt strong enough or capable to do one until now. So when my son's middle school offered a community run at the local high school (Taft Community Health Fair 5K) I figured this was the perfect opportunity to help support my son's school, and finally follow through with this goal.


My SIL, Adriana, also had this similar goal and signed up to do this with me. We were pumped, and now that we had signed up, it actually meant that we had to start training to complete the 3.1mile course we were going to run. So we did. Adriana is a natural runner, so training with her was great as it helped push me to push myself harder to keep up with her as much as possible. It was hard at the beginning but it felt soo good after each practice to know that I was improving each time.

 As the day of the run approached the weather reports announced that a big storm was going to hit that Saturday, the morning of the run...Of COURSE! My first 5k and it was going to rain all morning. Whatever!! So instead of entertaining thoughts of not going, we just started to plan on how we were going to deal with it. There was no turning back after all the work we had done.

So Saturday, I woke up early feeling jazzed but nervous,  not really knowing how it was all going to pan out, but I was ready.






I had a good fiber filled breakfast and a cup of coffee to give me some energy.

However, note to self: I may have drank too much liquid before the race...Uggh! ;)





Being that it was soo cold and raining soo hard, I couldn't expect my family to come out to be with me at the run. I knew they were supporting me from home, and were proud of me for even going in this weather. After this, I'd like to think that there will definitely be other opportunities for them to come out and cheer me on.
Adriana and I got there pretty early to register and to get our numbers. That's when I really began to get excited. It gave us a chance to really stretch well and just get mentally ready to deal with the rain. 


  










 
They had music playing and the excitement built as we stood at the start line.  


As we waited we spotted someone crazy enough to do the run barefooted!! Omg!  Apparently, this is called forefoot running, and he said that he runs trails and marathons the same way. I don't know, but more power too him. I was happy to have my shoes on that morning. Although, after unsuccessfully trying to avoid the puddles along the course, my feet were just as wet as his were, so it probably  didn't really make a difference. lol



From the beginning of the race, I was already one of the last ones out...I even had a security car following me at first, probably thinking I was going to bow out early...but I didn't care!! I really just concentrated on the music pumping me through my ears (My music and the right playlist makes all the difference for me), finding my own pace and trying to ignore the down pour that was hitting me straight on. I walked the first .2 miles to warm up, and then hit the floor jogging. Mind you, I was snail jogging, but I was jogging! Amazingly enough, the farther I got into it, the more I realized that I wasn't stopping, that I didn't really need to, and that in itself gave me such a rush. It was at that moment that I realized how important the training had really been. I felt good that we had taken this seriously enough to follow through with that.

 My body was ready and prepared and that gave me the boost of confidence I needed to keep going. I found myself smiling, feeling giddy and feeling really good even though by that point I was truly soaken wet.

I even got philosophical out there...it was so symbolic to me that although I had weather and the rain against me, that I was still  pushing through it...and isn't that just how life is? At least for me, everything that has happened or will happen in my life,  just when I think its all against me, I WILL make it through! I thanked God for that aha moment. If I can run this race in the rain...I can do anything!!  This was how I was supposed to experience this run. Amen!




So ultimately, I jogged the whole course which was an accomplishment in itself for me, and by the end I was singing out loud as I made my way to finish line. I even took the time to take a picture right before the finish line...a picture to always remind of just how amazing it feels to cross that line. I came in as the second to last person, but again...I didn't care!!
It was AWESOME!!




Adriana had finished earlier than I so she was already there waiting for me. We laughed, hugged and congratulated each other. It was a nice moment. I was soo proud of both of us. We had done it! We had trained, we had finished the run, and accomplished a goal!! Hurray! And I was so happy we had done this together.





We checked out and they gave us a goodie bag along with a special  dog tag to remember the event and then we got our times. Adriana had a great time and came in at 33 minutes and I came in at 40min 51sec. For having been our first time, and doing this in the rain, I think we did pretty well!! It encourages me to think of what time we could have come in at if the weather hadn't been soo bad.  So now we each have times to beat for next time!
I went home to celebrate with my boys, but the adrenaline was still pumping in me and I truly felt that I could have kept going. Maybe that means I can try a 10k next time?? Or  maybe one of those mud runs? Let's wait and see!
One step at a time. But for now, I know that if I truly want to, I know I could do it.


Like with anything, I learned soo much about myself and about what I can get myself to do. I will always remember this experience, as small as it may end up being in the long run, but it was truly a special one for me. I guess I'm a runner now, but I wasn't there to win a race,
I was just there to win for myself, and that I did! 

Thank you again to Adriana, for being my partner that day,
and for motivating me the days I wasn't so into practicing!
We Did It, Girl!

Thank you to all of you for stopping by and for all your loving
and supportive Facebook messages! I truly appreciate each one! 
 XO

Have a wonderful week!

From my corner to yours,
 

Monday, March 5, 2012

Monday Motivations- Life is Too Short!!

Hello All,

Its Monday, and as I come out of a very busy and delightful weekend in which I celebrated my birthday, I also come out of a weekend in which I lost a childhood crush, but more importantly, I sadly almost lost my father as well on the same day. He lives in South America and suffered a heart attack, but with the grace of God has survived because they caught the symptoms in time to get him the help he needed and is expected to do just fine. It hasn't been easy, but as much as I celebrated I also spent some time crying and realizing just how much we take others and our life for granted.

So without going into too much of anything, I just want to just leave you with the following motivation because 
Life is Just TOO SHORT!!!
 Take advantage of it and do things before its too late!!


                                                                                   Source: weheartit.com via Sandy on Pinterest


Have a blessed week!!


Friday, March 2, 2012

Daydream Believer- My tribute to Davy Jones


 Once upon a time, in the 1970's there was a 5 year old little girl, in Glendale Ca, who's favorite time of day was after dinner. She used to sit back on her legs, right in front of the TV to watch a show every night called The Monkees (little did she know she was watching reruns at the time). Nonetheless, it was a show that had the cutest boy with the cutest funny accent. All she knew was that this cute boy lived by the beach with 3 other crazy good looking boys and they all sang this music that was heaven to her ears, had crazy adventures, and on more than one occasion, a lucky girl (that she soo badly wished she could be) would end up falling in love with this cute boy. This little girl had not only fallen in love with The Monkees, but she had fallen in love with Mr. Davy Jones!
 
The face I fell in love with!

 The Monkees! ("My Boys")
















Of course, that 5 year old little girl was me, and my love affair with Davy Jones and all things Monkees had begun!!   A good part of my childhood and teenage memories have revolved around him and these guys and I thank them for every minute of happiness they have given me.

Sadly, on Wednesday 2/29, my world was crushed when my lifelong love, Davy, passed away at age 66. I spent the day crying on and off as I heard the reports on the car radio, and amusingly received concerned phone calls and texts from friends and family offering their condolences for "my loss" as if I had been a long standing relative of Davy's. Quite funny and endearing actually, but honestly, as any starry-eyed fan feels about their celebrity crush, I truly felt like I knew him, like he had been a part of my life. In my mind, I had shared so many happy moments with him, "my boys," and  their music. Davy and the Monkees had touched my life in such a big way, but I didn't realize how much until I felt the sadness of his loss on Wednesday.

You can call me crazy, hokey, silly and all of the above...go ahead, I give you permission. But for those of you who know me well, I am willing to take any name in the book to defend my love for him and my Monkees!! I was the only one in my group of friends who ever liked them, who liked their show, their music (an aquired taste, I know). However, having said that, those closest to me were the ones who so kindly and generously encouraged my Monkee delirium with amusement and love, and for that I thank them with all my heart. (XOXO)

So that is why today,  on my birthday fittingly enough, I have been moved to write my own tribute to my Davy. I wouldn't feel like a proper and true fan if I didn't take the chance to do that on my own blog. I'm tearing up all over again as I write and listen to Monkee music playing in the background. That reminds me of  how I would drive my mom crazy when I'd listen to their tapes over and over again at home, in the car, as I would sing completely off key. Awww...the good O'l days, well I still do that but ...that's another story. ;)


I feel that in some way Davy and the Monkees have also defined a part of who I am. There are so many things that are a part of me that have derived from this connection with the Monkees.  I have a huge British Fetish. I love so many things British...Mary Poppins, Duran Duran, Harry Potter!! All things that have been big phases of my life too! And that accent!! OMG...Love it!!  Also, again, if you know me, you will know that I have a deep affinity for the 60's generation. To the point that I feel like I connected to the Monkees at such a young age because maybe I had lived in that era in a past life?? So did they find me or did I find them again?? Hmmmm??? ;)

Anyway, as I reminisced in my sadness I decided to go and find all the Monkees stuff I've collected over the years. Just sitting and looking through it all making me feel all warm and fuzzy and sad at the same time. Here are a few things I wanted to share with you...



This was the very first record I ever bought and the first Monkees LP I purchased at a garage sale for 25 cents!! It used to have the cover and to my dismay I clearly remember my mom throwing it away because it had ripped....Nooooo!! Oh well!
But as I pulled this out, my boys gave me the ultimate sign of the times reaction..."Whoa, Mom, that's a record!!! Wow!!" That reaction totally aged me, but it was soo cool.


In 1995, the Monkees were rejoining for a tour and came out to CitiWalk for a signing event. My beloved husband found out about it and dragged me out there because according to him, I had to meet them (God love him!) So I was terrified but I went and when I got to Davy I was soo star struck...I was speechless! I Regret not having said anything to him to this day, but soooo glad I got to see him and have this to cherish always!



My collection of Monkee LP's that I have. One still had a price tag on it, and this just took me back to when I bought them and going home to sit next to my old record player to just listen to their music for hours...Soo much fun!








  OMG! I found my supposed "scrapbook" before I even knew what that was. I laughed soo hard seeing all the teenage like drawings and the cut & pasting I did as only a silly girl, like me, could do.


 The magazines I've collected. I tried to get my hands on anything I could back then. 
Loved buying Tiger Beat and 16. Remember those??

My Monkees Inspired License plate
And I will end my tribute with the one song that I feel has truly defined who I am and why I love the Monkees soo much. They gave me my Life's Theme song. I am the Ultimate Daydream Believer! Hearing Davy sing that (to me of course, lol) gave me permission to dream and go where only my imagination could take me and believe that they can come true. A gift no one can replace!
 I love this song!

  


So Davy Jones, Thank you!! Thank you for making me a Believer!
 I will always love you and carry you in my heart!! 

Good bye my sweet Davy!!
 

XOXO