Welcome Home

Well my dear friends just got back from vacation they went with family and enjoyed a wonderful week here I think that it would be an awesome time. The rented bikes and traveled all over the place and enjoyed different parts of the festival. Welcome home Joe and Tabatha you were missed.
Today was my 2nd day on the job I am getting better at remembering where everything is supposed to go and what I am to tell the patients when they come in (well sort of) I know I will get better it just takes time.
The boys for the last week have been taking the WASL that is being forced upon them I don't agree with the WASL and what it stands for and there is a group against it but as with all things changes take time. Do I have the strength for another fight? Only time will tell.

Our children are our only hope for the future,

but we are their only hope for their present and their future.

Dinner When?

Ok there is nothing more frustrating than walking in the door at 6:30 to drop your stuff, grab the mail, shuffle through the bills, sit down for a quick sec and hear MOM what's for dinner? I sometimes just want to scream hearing those 4 words. I love to cook and I love my children but sometimes the two just don't mix. I just want to have a Calgon moment, I get up go to the kitchen and fix dinner and we eat about 7:30. I know I am just getting started with the back to work phase but there are just some things that I have forgotten and this was one of them (Have Josh get dinner started). Charles and I have realized just how much we need this as we both are getting off of work at 6:00 and to prevent sleeping on dinner we have devised a plan. We are getting 12 dinners prepared in advance just for this reason so we can have a little bit of flexibility and Joshua doesn't go crazy thinking he has to do it all.
Today went really well I am feeling a little bit overwhelmed but I know it will pass quickly as I get accustomed to everything and get a routine down, I just feel bad at this moment when I am more of a hindrance than an asset.

Inner European

Your Inner European is Italian!

Passionate and colorful. You show the world what culture really is.

Who's" Your Inner European?

Thanks Sheri for this fun adventure.

The Job

For the last eleven months almost to the day I have been unemployed, my unemployment ran out three months ago and high stress levels, I am again an employed member of society. Yeeha! {Dancing for joy} I went in for and interview on Friday and Saturday they called and offered me the job. Yes Kristina Friday was a great day! We also on Friday had a family game night with our church we played Bunco it is such a fun game we have played it for years and I was the biggest winner so I won the grand prize. Wahoo! The kids played lots of other games the teens were in charge of playing games with them and letting the adults have some fun so it was a fun night for everyone (well except for the teens who might not have wanted to be in charge of the kids) LOL
Oh I guess I need to tell you where I will be working, I am working for an independent Dr. Inside of Lens Crafters. I will be getting $2.00 more an hour than my previous job and I will be driving 1/2 the distance, another perk! I start tomorrow at 9:00am and will be working Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 to 6:00. Praise God!

Out of difficulties

grow miracles.

It's Just Another Manic Monday

It is Monday, the day where I venture out with my best friend and we forage ahead through the crowds of people to see what kind of deals we can find at Value Village our local thrift store. Todays finds include a new purse, new shoes, several funny t-shirts for Joshua, a book to complete the partial set I have going and a new shower curtain. It was a fun day and a day that my friend and I can get together and not spend a whole lot of money, well we do lunch also!
It has been so nice to be able to do these things as today was our last time, Tab finally got a job and she will be working on Mondays from now on. Now for me to just finally latch onto the brass ring and get a job too.

What makes a man? Would shaving be one of them?

And The Winner Is....

Well we just came back from our weigh-in and dinner out with Joe and Tabatha and the outcome was just as I suspected, there was a surprise twist ending. Charles and I won! I couldn't believe it. Joe and Tabatha were already at the gym when we had gotten there and they had already weighed in, so I stepped up on the scale and slid the bar, and slid the bar, and slid the bar.. I was so surprised. Then Charles got up on the scale and slid the bar also. Charles and I have lost 30 lbs together. Charles and Joe both lost 20 lbs each, I lost 10 and Tabatha lost 7 so {drums beating, horns blowing, cymbals crashing} We now have our next weigh in and it is October 15th so we will have to see who wins this go round. Our teams at this point both weigh the same so for the next 6 months now we are going to help each other to keep motivated and try and beat the other team.
GO TEAM!!

Character gets you out of bed; commitment moves you

to action. Faith, hope and discipline enable you

to follow through to completion.

~Zig Ziglar~

Check In

Well after months of trying to watch what we are eating and cutting back, today is check in day to see which couple won the bet. We have been in a weigh off with our friends sense the last part of January and we said we would use Tax day as the cut off, well tax day has come and gone and today is the day. The couples were virtually 2lb's off from each other, Tabatha and I have both been having a hard time sticking to our diet but we have been cutting back the Guys on the other hand have been going like gang busters (Well Joe has that is) now in the midst of all of this dieting we started a diet plan called The Six Week Body Makeover . We are meeting tonight to see which couple won... it is "Joe and Tabatha" I just know it. Well we are planning on a new date and time for our next weigh in and hopefully this time it will be Charles and I who win the dinner (The winner gets to pick the place). Charles, Joshua and I are all sticking to the program really well it is a really good eating program which is what you should eat normally we have had a few obstacles which were 1. No coffee with milk 2. No salt 3. No sugar and 4. No Breads.... Ok I can do all of the first 3 but PLEASE don't make me give up bread. Now it hasn't really been to bad I have been getting my carbs in other ways Like rice and potatoes etc...
Well time to go wish me luck. We are meeting at 5:00 of course I will put the results here later and the dinner choice (Yes we are cheating tonight) but it is ok I just re-start tomorrow morning.

Friends

True happiness consists
not in the multitude of friends,
but in their worth and choice.
Friends are the spice of Life.

I am truly blessed with the circle of friends that we have, they bring us much laughter and joy and a source of strength when the times are rough.

Another one of Misty. 

Misty eating her weight in Easter candy? That wouldnt be very much. LOL 

Misty & Angie come for a visit.