Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for little bits of encouragement that push me to continue pressing onward. When I feel like my work has been useless, my degree is meaningless, or my abilities are futile, notes like these are just what I need to keep going. 

I'm thankful for the people who act on their intentions and don't let these simple notes sit stationary in their heads or outboxes. :)

What are you thankful for, today?

xoxo,
Sarah

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for one more day. I'm thankful that I woke up to my sweet babies this morning, I'm thankful for the gift of life, and I'm thankful that noone was taken from me.

A very close friend of my dad's found his wife dead last night. Completely unexpected. No fair warning, no nothing. This is a part of life that scares the hell out of me. Literally.

You. never. know. when. life. may. end. So don't take yours for granted. Live today for all you're worth...and be thankful. Because somewhere, someone else is grieving the loss of a loved one.

xoxo,
Sarah

Wednesday Weigh-In

As of today, I will be reporting my exercise & nutrition efforts on a weekly basis. While I won't be disclosing my actual weigh-in numbers (although I have posted that here, once before lol), I will disclose how much -- if any -- has been shed. I'm ready!

So, for now, I'm not going to "diet" per se...I'm just trying to do things better, and most of all, be a better example for Maya & Gus to stay healthy. These are some things I will be focusing on:

--Water myself. 64 oz. a day.

--Halve at it. No more gigantic portions.

--Go meatless. Okay, seriously? I can't do this one. However, I will be avoiding anything from a 4-legged animal.

--Get fresh. Although expensive, I'm going to increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in our kitchen.

--Not so sweet. Yikes.

--Fidget more. Piece of cake.

--Sleep it off. I'm working on this one...sleep doesn't come easy for me.

--Be virgin. Easy enough for me considering I've had one alcoholic beverage in the past 6 months.

--Walk 2 minutes of every 30. Sweet -- I'll take any excuse to get away from my desk for awhile!

--Get it on. 'Nuff said.

--Eat at home. Except on Friday nights. I can't give up my family time. However, I WILL stick to the 2-legged meat when we go out. :)

--Blog it. That's why I'm here!

--Veg out. I'm fine with this as long as it doesn't necessitate the indulgence of brussel sprouts.

--Go nuts! Yeah, I know...I'm already there. :)

We'll see if any of this pays off. Oh yeah, I'm also going to start utilizing the gym membership I've been paying for each month for the last 14 months...and hopefully brown up these white legs in the process! AND...I'm going to become really close friends with Bob on my Biggest Loser Cardio Max video. :)

Until next Wednesday...pray for me lol,
~Sarah

Finally...some pics!

Today I'm thankful for so many things. We had a fabulous Easter weekend -- filled with so much laughter and love. And boy, did I need it!! I am so grateful for my big family, and for parents, aunts, and uncles who have always done their best to make the holidays special.

Saturday began with our annual easter egg coloring at Grandma Luna's. Since Sam was sleeping, I took the kids over a little early. I probably should have just waited until it was time to be there because they immediately wanted to start with the festivities! I was so proud of them, waiting patiently and BEHAVING until everyone else arrived. It was rather refreshing to be reminded that they actually CAN be good when they want to be! ;)

While the kids (took a bath in vinegar) played in the colors with GG, Poppy kept the little ones happy on his lap.

You think anyone was having fun?

Not everyone gets to color easter eggs with their great-grandma. So blessed.

Dom actually dunked one egg in a matter of 14 seconds...I'm not sure how I was lucky enough to capture 2 pics.

I think the vinegar smell was a little too much for him. :)

Busy, busy, busy!

Awww...brotherly love. I am so stinkin' blessed to have such amazing aunts & uncles. Love them.

Okay, a little break from Easter for a minute.

After coloring eggs, we were off to Maya's soccer game. At this age, they don't really 'keep score,' but Sam & I do. :) The Bombers are undefeated...yay!!! We are excited that Maya's last game will be this Saturday, followed by an awards ceremony. Yes, more soccer pics will come in the future.

I'm pretty sure Gus will be happy when soccer is over, too. lol

Okay, back to Easter...how precious is this?

Ugh...I'm going to be 30 very soon. :(

Maya did great recognizing the letters on the eggs. She did even better stashing away the cash that was inside! ;)

Handsome red-head.

Handsome blondie...with what I'm praying is a temporary mark on his head that is just taking a really long time to heal. lol
I'm not sure why my kids hate having pics taken...maybe because their dad is always following them around with a big, scary camera...?

Papa convincing them to take pics so we can go inside and have dinner!

Love her.

Boys will be boys...and make me a nervous wreck!

Not sure what cracked us up on this one, but it must have been funny. :)

Sis, Mo, Sarah, & Lou :)

My little girl is growing up!

Lou with all of her monkeys!

*singing* Sisters...there were never such better sisters! --ha! Geez, we look OLD.

One of my favs.

Cousins...2nd cousins, to be exact. Makes no difference, here...so much love.

I'm not sure what was going on here -- maybe llama faces? :)

This picture is screaming one word: trouble. :)

So, I was probably in an extra good mood because for once, something that I made was pretty -- AND delicious!!

Yes, I realize it's just fruit. But I was still proud of myself. lol Dinner was FABulous! We didn't get a picture of the buffet line, but we had some scrumptious grub -- ham, brisket, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli cheese rice, corn, rolls, cabbage salad, green salad, fruit salad, and desserts!

Life doesn't get much better than spending an afternoon playing with a baby at Uncle Eddie's house.

It just so happened that the baby I played with was real. ;)

Even Sam got some babydoll time!

ROCK BAND!

...MORE ROCK BAND!

And for the older folks? Yep, you got it...SHUFFLEBOARD. ;)

This is serious business.

As usual, the boys lost to Nina & Poppy...otherwise known on Sunday as "THE SENIOR CITIZENS!!!" :-)

As you can tell, we all had a blast. My heart is so thankful.

I'm also thankful that we were able to order the plane tickets to get our travelin' girls to Kansas in the next couple of months! We can't wait to have our complete family together, again.

The end.

What are you thankful for, today?

xoxo,

Sarah

Thankful Thursday/Bad Friday

I've had a horrible morning. So horrible that I was praying for traffic to move a little faster so I could just get to work. I left my mom's house with those big gasps for air that last for what seems hours after you've been crying so hard you can't catch your breath. And, Gabriel and Maya were both bawling their heads off, too, when I walked out to the truck. It wasn't until I sat down at my desk and looked at my calendar, noticing we have church tonight, that I remembered this is GOOD Friday. Ohhh, yeah.

The bad days. The hurt feelings. The unkind words. The raw emotions. The put downs. The anger. The jealousy. The cheating spouse. The drug addictions. The...you name it.

And then, there's this:

Yep, there's forgiveness. Those bad days? Don't matter. Those hurt feelings? They can heal. Those unkind words? Let them go. Those raw emotions? Everyone experiences them. The put downs...the anger...the jealousy...the...

It all pales in comparison to the sacrifice of my Savior. He paid it all. His wounds are my strength, His death is my life, and His forgiveness is my everything.

This week, I'm thankful for everything He is to me and everything I am not. Have a blessed Friday, my friends. Remember the One who loved you enough to die for you, regardless of your pretenses and shortcomings. Spend some time with Him...and then be thankful.

Love you,

~Sarah