Holidays are Here!

I love this time of year so much, turkey, stuffing (or dressing depending on where you are from), mashed potatoes, gravy, pies, the list goes on and on. It is my favorite meal the WHOLE year! This year is special because I get to spend it with my family, cousins and aunts and uncles. We just don't see each other enough, and I am so glad when we do!

Though it will be a short trip it is so great to see everyone and get a glimpse of their lives and what is going on. Then 2 weeks after Thanksgiving we are already heading to Ohio for an early Christmas with my family, the 2 weeks later on to NJ for Christmas. We have nicely spread our holiday visits over a 6 week period, well then there is New Year's Eve, but no time off work for that one :)

I can't wait for Christmas either. Yummy mistletoe candles, a tree, cookie exchanges, snow ( well maybe) Christmas music, something I could listen to all year really. There is just something so comforting about sitting by a Christmas tree with the fire going and candles burning that makes we feel so comforted.

Happy Holidays are here!

friendly reminders

Such a great weekend in Nashville, too short if you ask me. It is always so wonderful to see my family, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc... We spent a lot of time getting lost, but enjoying the journey :) In the picture here is Arnold's, it will be featured on Diners Drive Ins and Dives tonight at 10! It was good ol' southern cookin' with a whole lot of pepper, burned going down and cleared out the sinuses :) It was an adventure to say the least.

My cousin Joy got married and it is always such a wonderful reminder of what marriage is all about. My uncle Larry preformed the ceremony to marry off his last daughter, which I know was hard for him. He has such love for his daughters (and son in laws) and it is an inspiration to me. One thing he said that was a great reminder to me was to always remember that your spouse has your best interest at heart. The moment we forget that our spouse has our best interest at heart, we begin to grow apart. If we cannot share our full hearts and every thought with our spouse, we will end up in a sad ended marriage that is all to common today.

I am reminded of the great husband I have and how he fights for our marriage each day and has my best interest at heart.

It was so great to catch up with family, see the new beautiful babies and pray for patience until we can have kids. I can't wait! The saddest part about getting older is the changes in family dynamics, but it is also a joy to watch my family grow and do great things :)

What's Next???

I am at such an interesting point in life. I am looking for a job in ministry, which has been quite a challenge and taking much faith and patience. I am coming to an incredible place in my marriage and connecting with Steve in such an amazing way. I am so blessed to have him! I am struggling to get healthy so we can have children... Man I am so ready for that. Watching so many people I love have babies is so exciting and makes me so anxious all at the same time :)

This year is going to be a year of change, growth and brand new excitements and I can't wait.

This past week has also been a tough week. They say things happen in 3's and sometimes I must say I believe it. My dear friend Jennie lost her stepfather, my great aunt lost her husband in a battle of diabetes, and my aunt's sister lost her husband in a manor still unknown. There has been alot of tears for my family and dear friends and I find myself thinking of them daily.

The good, the bad and the ugly and all that falls in between... The Lord is faithful and patient with me and no matter what happens that gives me comfort!

Happy Anniversary

In 22 minutes it will be Our 3rd wedding anniversary. It has gone by so fast and we have grown so much! Looking back at couples who have just been married and listening to them complain about things like how to do laundry and and communication issues makes me smile at how far we have come :) Of course there is always work to be done, but we have fought and won so many battles that have brought us closer together. (There probably would be many less fights if he had a less stubborn wife, I'm workin' on it!)

If I may take a minute to boast about my husband...

I never thought I would marry someone who loves me so much, works so hard, loves so completely and tells it like it is all at the same time. He wants the best for everyone, especially me and supports me even when my stubborn self has trouble letting him be there for me. He is honest, funny and balances me well. I like to save, he likes to spend, he helps me to spend a little, i help him to save a little :)

He is a Godly man who pushes me to be a better person and a better follower of Christ. I have a wonderful example to follow. I look forward to the day that I can boast about what a great father he is and start that part of life together!

I married a man who embraces change as I do, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Steve I love you more than anything on this Earth and I look forward to many more years. This year is going to be an amazing year I can feel it!

It's Official!

Finally a new computer! We have been scraping by with the old one for at least 3 years. I bet you didn't know a computer could be on its death bed for that long :) What is so amazing about it?

- The 2 key and @ symbol work ( I no longer have to find an @ symbol to copy and past to put in my email, which is MOST user names I needed on a daily basis.
- The battery lasts about 6 hours instead of 15 minutes (no joke)
- it charges without propping a stapler against the cord to get it to stay, or the power cord starting to melt from the computer overheating.
- It starts quickly and is so quiet and a shiny new screen, the excitement is endless!

Thankful for this new computer. It is such a part of all we do, research, emails, our finances, etc... Loving it!

mini vacation!!!!!

It's almost here! Steve and I are on our way to Charleston, SC tomorrow night for a mini getaway. The weather is supposed to be great and I can't wait for a change of scenery at least for a few days. The only issue is the ridiculous amount of work I have to get done before we leave, it is never ending... I have made it through grocery shopping, a haircut, work and meetings at church, car repairs and will now move onto cleaning and laundry until Water's Edge.

A short post, nothing to exciting, but mini vacation is at hand!

Good morning blogging world!

So right now I am watching The Doctors talk show, I always learn so much, and they have a way of talking about medical things without grossing me out, ha! Today's topic is on body fluids, yes it does not sound very appealing, but quite interesting none the less.

In other news... today is Thursday and I am done with my detox on Monday. I am almost through 21 days of eating nothing but fruits, vegetables and eventually chicken and fish along with shakes and lots of pills. It has been amazing how much better I feel, my joints feel better, my mind is clearer, I have more energy and I have lost weight, always wonderful!

The issue is keeping the weight off and continuing to eat healthy after that fact that seems to be the issue. For the first time in a long time I am actually very motivated to workout, which has also been a help.It is easier to get out of shape than it is to stay in shape, just like it is easier to to eat crappy than it is to stay on a healthy path. Discipline is the key thought here, a whole lot of discipline..

Other than that life is normal today, get the car fixed, clean, exercise, shop keep on the job hunt, and off we go!

3 years and counting

Steve and I are almost to the 3 year mark and what a ride it has been. I know the first year is the "acclaimed" honeymoon phase, but I would have to say this is our year and I am looking forward to it. Before I got married I really did think it would solve so much, ha, oh so naive in the dream was I. Marriage is a wonderful gift from God, but it adds so many new facets to life, good and challenging. Not bad because nothing about marriage in my mind is bad, just challenging. We are learning to balance and blend family values, ideas, money, down to how we fold the laundry. We are in our first home figuring life out together and I wouldn't choose to take this journey with anyone else.

I have a husband who loves me more than anything on this earth. I don't know if I have ever had someone so invested in my life and I can't wait for the challenges and triumphs before us this next year of marriage!

It figures...

I have spent waaaaay to much time trying to figure this blogging thing out, like how do I add pictures after every post? Although I must say I have found it to be a therapeutic and artistic experience which has been quite enjoyable. Steve is on his way to the Knoxville area for work and I am left to a quiet house. It's ok for a while, but looses its luster after a bit. I should be getting ready for bed by now, but instead I sit here figuring out the world of the blog. I wish I was clever enough to have the fun blogs with wonderful remedies, recipes and life lessons, but I can't guarantee any of that :) I love reading blogs of family and friends and who knows maybe something here will inspire someone out there, what we all hope for...

New Change

I have been reading so much lately about how to eat and cook healthier. It is almost an obsession I must say :) I am starting week three of my liver detox as I type and I haven't felt this good in such a long time! I thought I would miss so many foods, but I have found that I really don't miss them at all. My three favorite reads on the subject are Now Eat This!, by Rocco Dispirito, Eat This and Live, by Don Colbert and Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. I can't wait to try some of the recipes using good ol' healthy living fresh foods.

I must say there are some facts in some of these books about our food that I find quite disturbing and wonder did I really want to know what I was eating or just enjoy it.

I am realizing everyday how the way we make life easier and make food faster is making us live shorter unhealthy lives and I don't want to be a part of that anymore. Now I know some would say "you only have one life so live it", but we are also called to take care of the one body we have. It doesn't mean you don't ever get great tasting food and the occasional dessert, but not all the time.

I can't wait to dig into all this information and start changing and cooking wonderful new things, Suzie Homemaker here I come!