Jen and the Art of Being Me

Tick, Tick, Tick...

2010-08-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

Can you hear that ticking?

I can. It's the ticking of the clock telling me that a special day is coming up.

A day that has been on my mind for years is approaching without regard to whether I am ready or not. Back in April, I did several things to get ready for this day. One of which was to lose the weight that I thought that I could get off for the past 14 years now. Apparently I was not doing something right because Weight Watchers helped me get it off in just over 20 weeks!

There is something about turning 40 that has caused me to take stock of where I have been and where I want to be. I can tell you I do not want to be fat and old. I really don't. I have a picture in my head about what I'll be like when I'm old and I see people that are really out of shape and sick and that is NOT what I want for myself. Therefore, I've chosen to do something about it. Regardless of what my body wants me to do (lay around watch T.V. and eat Cheetos) my brain has GOT to be in charge of this thing.

So far I think I've done okay. I think I get it now. Even though I've cheated a bit, I know that I am and am treating it like what it is, A TREAT! Not a lifestyle.

My goal was to be in my 140's by the time I turned 40. Although I don't know if I'll get there within the next two weeks (I am at 152 right now) I think I've made so much progress that the number on the scale isn't as important as it used to be to me. Right now what's important is that I feel good and have a new attitude about who I am and who I want to be. It's like being a teenager all over again!

I've been bad, I've been good...

2010-08-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

Super quick and probably uninteresting, I've been bad and good for the past 6 months. The "bad" part of my time is that I have not BLOGGED this whole duration of time. At least not on here. I've blogged plenty on the WW site. But! I have been doing well! Look at all I've done during this time!

I have:

1. Joined Weight Watchers and have lost a total of 26.4 pounds!
2. Joined KatyFit and have started training for the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon in San Antonio in November and the Houston FULL Marathon in January.
3. Taught summer school
4. Gone to Austin for vacation
5. Cleaned out my closet so that I no longer have any DOUBLE DIGIT SIZES remaining (except shoes - I can't help that I wear a size 10)

I have kept up with my New Year's Resolutions, formulating one for each month and following through. Here's a bad - I have yet to create one for August. It seems that August came in a flash and it's already the 12th!

I will make one though and I will keep up with my weight loss.

I AM SO EXCITED!

Hormone Irritants Part II

2010-02-03T09:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, my first trip to see a Naturopath. Don't get me wrong, I am not a fruity fruity nut cake. I don't wear crystals or walk barefoot around the park chanting. But I do try to eat healthy, take vitamins, exercise and generally look out for my health. After not being helped by my gyno, G.P. and the Endocrynologist, I figured I'd give it a try.

So I'm following the directions I was given when I realize that the place I am going to is an APARTMENT. Seriously, it's in an apartment complex. I start to have second thoughts. That's weird. But, me being the trooper I am, I go on in and see what's up.

She opens the door and is the sweetest looking little lady (I say little because I am 5'10" and weigh 175, plus I was wearing 2 inch heals). She had a little black poodle with a cute red and black sweater on and she leads me to the "office" bedroom of her two bedroom apartment.

I sit down on a bench and she sits at her desk and looks at my paperwork. She wonders out loud why they haven't done anything about my thyroid. She says she can look right at my blood work and see that my thyroid is low. She explains that there are two ways that she can see what's going on with someone. One way is hair analysis and the other is EAV (Electro Acupuncture Testing - I have no idea what the "V" stands for). If you think that Acupuncture actually works, then you have to think that this does, because it is essentially the same things, just instead of a needle, she uses an electropen.

Okay, so I'm in this thing now. I sit at the computer and hold the brass rod in my left hand and she gets the monitor set up. On the right half of the screen is a picture of a hand with bones inside. On the left is a chart for a line graph. Basically, the hand chart has dots on it that show the different points of your body, lungs, heart, liver, pancreas, etc. When she touches the electropen to one of these points on your hand, the line graph creates a line to measure the amount of "current" going through that point. When you get a reading of 45 -55 then that part of your body is considered "normal" or healthy. And basically I was really healthy. I have a brain, heart (although she showed me where the caffeine played a part), joints and tissue, etc.

The interesting part was when she got to the thyroid. Instead of a whopping 45 - 55 like before, I got a reading of like 10. She then click, click, clicks the mouse, adds Thyroid R6 to the current (as if I were taking that medication) and then puts the pen on again and VIOLA! a 55 reading. So that's how she knew to give me the supplement she did. Also, she checked the adrenals. She says that when the thryroid is low, the adrenals compensate so should be high, which they were. Like 70! So she gave me a supplement to help calm those down. S

There were other cool things as well. She could tell that I had had sugar a few hours before (Slim Fast and a third of a Skor bar) and that my liver was working through some toxins (that's from the pill that I took for two months).

She then moved to my right foot and when she got to the joint and tissue, she says, "OO, do you have pain on the right side of your leg?" And lo and behold, yes, I have been having an issue with my hip for about a week now. Crazy.

Anyway, she told me to take the supplements, quit caffeine for a while, and be careful not to eat too much sugar. She says I have a genetic tendency to be diabetic. Great.

It was a wonderful experience and I hope that it helps. It feels healthy and right and that's all that counts for me. Viva Jennifer!

Hormone Irritants Part 1

2010-02-02T17:31:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I haven't said anything about this before now, but I have had some crazy hormone things going on in the past several months. First of all my hair has changed dramatically (not the cut, goof ball, the texture and thickness). Anyway, it's been falling out in hunks when I take a shower so I went to the gyno to check my hormones thinking that well, I am starting to make the "change". But, much to my dismay, blood labs showed no problem.

Meanwhile, I am moody, tired, can't lose weight even though I am running and eating right, hair's falling out and I just feel like crap. So I decide to go to an endocrynologist. She is completely perplexed by the symptoms I am having and decides to the let the blood work speak. She says that I have too much testosterone and not enough estrogen so she puts me on the pill and gives me a mega dose of Vitamin D (50,000 mg in per week). I actually do feel a little better and go back in after two months for a re-eval.

When I go back in, they tell me that everything is normal except my insulin growth hormone is too low and was low the first time they did labs too. So they want me to come back in to do another test. Meanwhile I am looking online to find out what this means and then I'm the perplexed one. I told a good friend of mine what was going on and she suggested I email the information to a Naturopath that she knows. So I do. Her name is Joan Goodman and her web address is attached to this post.

She says she would like to see all labs and would like for me to fill out the new patient paperwork that's on her site. She says as soon as she gets all of that she will call and talk with me.

Meanwhile I go to get a THIRD lab to find out what the deal is with the Insulin Growth Hormone and come to find out it's "normal". I never hear from the Endocrynologist again. Nothing. I guess she was hoping I'd have diabetes or something. Jeesh.

So here comes the "now" story. Today I had my appointment with Joan. I'll talk about it later...

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

2010-01-31T20:36:00.000-06:00

I just finished this book by Donald Miller this evening. It was extremely motivating for me. The whole premise is that life is a story and to have a good story, you have to take some risks. What risks are you taking?
What's been cool about reading this is that our church has been talking about the exact same thing in the Life Lessons for the past several weeks, so it's been cool to see how these things are coinciding with one another.
Today our pastor talked about how you have to take risks in life to make a good story. Where Christianity goes wrong is when they tell people is that once they have Jesus in their lives, everything will be better. But it doesn't work like that. Think about Paul. He was an EXTREMELY prominent Jew who was way up there in the Roman Empire. His job was to persecute Christians. Then he met Jesus, quit his job, went around preaching, poor and spent the majority of the rest of his life in jail, only to be martyred. How's that for a better life? How does it work then? How does this thing make sense to people? We have to realize that our lives are not about us. Our lives are about something beyond us. Our lives are a story. It's like we are living in a story about a forest and we are playing the part of one tree. That's our life. Collective joy.

Anyway, February 1st starts tomorrow. My fast begins...

Alcohol once a week - 1 drink only
One cup of coffee per day
Walk 30 minutes every day
Drink at least 8 cups of water per day
Red meat once a week
Oily fish 3 times per week

Among other things... wish me luck, I am embarking on a story!

Getting Ready for Resolution February

2010-01-28T13:08:00.000-06:00

It's almost that time again. Resolution setting for February. But before I get in to that, I must revisit the Resolution set in Janurary which was to write in my journal each day as I went to sleep. I actually did pretty good. I didn't complete the assignment EVERYDAY, but I did most days. My parents slept in my room for two nights and I kept forgetting to get my journal from the room so I missed those days and some others here and there too. The process I think was really good for me. I am planning on going back today and tomorrow and reading through what I wrote. I am planning to keep going on this resolution, but I am not going to worry about every day anymore. I am going to worry about at least 2 times a week. Not worry really, but you know what I mean.

That now brings us to February's resolution. This one is going to be difficult. Since February is the shortest month, I am going to make it the hardest resolution. Here it is: I am going to drink water all month - nothing else (besides healthy food) will pass these lips. I am going to limit T.V. viewing to 30 minutes per day or 2 hours per week (unless it is an exercise video that I am actually participating in). I am going to go for a walk for 30 minutes every day. I am going to allow no unhealthy thing to enter my body.

So how's that for a flippin' resolution, eh? I will then hope that in response to all this CLEANSING, that I might be able to lower my cholesterol, especially my LDL from 110 to under a 100. Which I think is resolution March.

So, stay tuned folks! I know you're just dying to see how it goes!

Your Life is a Story

2010-01-10T16:21:00.003-06:00

I have been hearing this over and over for the past few weeks. I think the coolest way that it's been explained to me was that every writer begins a writing a story with the climax in mind. Then he builds up to that climax with the main character working through all kinds of obstacles.

For instance, the three little pigs just want to build a house, man. That's it. They see themselves living in a nice house, enjoy a quick romp in a mud pile, chillin' with some slop and generally lovin' life. However, the house thing is proving to be quite difficult. Not because they can't build it, that's not a problem. Not because they have a lack of supplies, I mean really, they're getting them for FREE! Nope, the problem is the freakin' wolf. What a royal pain. He seems to live to make the pigs' lives miserable. They suffer through this part of the "rising action" and end up getting rid of the wolf and what? LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

Our lives are like that. We have to begin with the end in mind...Instead of saying, "I'm going to lose 20 pounds." We should make it into a story.

"Once upon a time there was this cool lady named Jen. She actually lived a pretty good life. But there was this one thing that was really weighing her down, and I mean WEIGHING her down, and that was the fact that she had this 20 pounds that she needed to shed. So she.........
blah blah blah *insert rising action*
Finally the big day arrived - her 4oth birthday. All of her hard work paid off. She was in the best shape of her life. She greeted her guests warmly - thanking them for taking the time away from their busy schedules to celebrate her special day. All of them remarked at what great shape she was in and how much weight she'd lost. She felt so special. She felt really good about herself. The fact that she had worked so hard and achieved so much was truly the best gift she could have given herself that year. She was in the best shape of her life and the hard work was truly worth the struggle.
The End

So goes my story. It's started with a month of journal writing and who knows where it will end, but stuck in the middle there, on September 11th the climax of that story will be reached and another story will begin.

Resolutions

2009-12-29T13:54:00.002-06:00

We all get into the New Year by creating, talking about, thinking of resolutions that we have for the upcoming renewal. It's a perfect time to make them since it is the start of new possibilities and hopes for the future. However, I find myself making these resolutions and then feeling defeated when I can't uphold them for longer than a month or so. I think that it takes a ridiculous amount of will power to be able to maintain my resolutions for an entire year. I mean really. One year I had "make a million dollars" whatever. How is that a resolution? How would I actually accomplish that? Especially with no plan. Jeesh.

So, here is my resolution: Every 1st of the month, I am going to make a month long resolution that will end at the end of the month. If it is something that I want to continue with, I will. But there will only be ONE thing at a time. I thought that was pretty good and it will enable me to grow without the undue pressure of a whole year's worth of work.

For the month of January, I have several resolutions to choose from.

1. Write in my journal every day

2. Become a vegan

3. Exercise at least 1 hour each day

Those are the ones I'm thinking of right now. My plan is to write in my journal at least once a week for the entire year and then for January I'm going to exercise at least 1 hour each day.

On the 31st, we'll see how I've done!

Uh, where have I been?

2009-04-02T21:28:00.002-05:00

Apparently, I have either been very busy, or, completely neglectful. Actually a little of both. It's not like people are missing me. I have yet to hear one complaint because I have yet to post a new blog since Feb. Sick.
1. planted a square foot garden
2. started a women's bible study
3. working
4. mothering
5. etc.
Sorry!

LOST Blogs

2009-02-12T21:59:00.005-06:00

Okay, so, I haven't done this in quite a while. I mean since November. Terrible. But really I think that my blogs between then and now exist, just in another time demention. I do seem to remember this crazy flash of light...

My friend, Leah talked to me yesterday about this 101 things to do in 1001 days. Today is my first day. So, the first thing I plan to do is blog about what I want to do. Seems appropriate for me I guess.

I have this great new laptop that I got for Christmas (well... some time afterwards... Dell computers suck. HP has been great!) so I can blog all I want from my bed which is where I like to spend most of my time which is why I want to complete this 101 things in 1001 days. I am going to start my list tonight since tomorrow is day 1 for me. If I post my list, others can access it and look at it. Somehow, this is supposed to hold me accountable which is good since I cannot seem to hold myself accountable for much.

So, expect to see my list posted soon. I know that you will eagerly await the next blog. I am already bored.

Jen

Aren't you thankful?

2008-11-08T17:49:00.004-06:00

Things I am thankful for -
Our pastor sent an email with things that he was thankful for. It prompted me to make my own list. Although I can't think of anything right now. Except for my kids. And sleep. Stretchy pants. House shoes. Music. Time to make this list.
More to come....
I have to go get the pizza!

Okay back!

1. 10 days paid sick/personal days from KISD!!!

2. iTunes

3. Amazon.com

4. People who recognize your efforts and support you

5. Harley the dog

6. Youth Sports

7. Luis and his help around the house - I don't know how we function when he's out of town!

8. God and His provision in my life

9. Bill O'Reilly and his commentary

More to come....

Back to Reality

2008-09-21T17:30:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow starts the first day back at school following a 10 day break. Unfortunately, I had no idea we would ahve this break or I would have made plans to head up tot Dallas to see my family or down to McAllen to see Luis's family and our good friends. Then on Wednesday I came down with a HORRIBLE case of allergies that has lasted through to today. UGH.

I hope that this week goes okay. I have really enjoyed having the time off - it's been like a teeny summer! It also made me realize that I cannot home school my children. But, I have come up with some priorities that I am going to follow. Maybe by typing them here I am securing that they stay priorities! These came about from the time spent without electricity. Thanks Hurricane IKE!

1. Start running - my belly is just way to rolly
2. Make daily tackle lists - by doing this, I can ensure that what I need to get done, even the small things, will get done.
3. Work hard to get my garden going - I have the plan and now will, in small increments, get it ready for planting
4. Take time to relax and enjoy myself, my children and my incredible husband

There may be more, this will do for now.

IKE

2008-09-14T21:20:00.002-05:00

Well... we've made it through Ike and the subsequent storms, no water, and no power for the weekend. Now, we've just discovered that there will be no school Monday or Tuesday. Fortunately, we had our power restored today at about 4:30. Thank GOD! I have realized how much I love electricity. We actually did okay, I can handle everything - no fridge, no stove, no oven. But the one thing I just had the toughest time dealing with was the heat. Having no air conditioning, even for just 48 hours, was very difficult to deal with. Especially because I have been so flipping hot lately.
Thank God for friends. Pamela was awesome and gave me a bag of ice and some hamburger patties. Luis met a guy at Home Depot who helped him haul plywood back home. We purchased a generator that we didn't want to use unless things got really bad, so we sold it to our friends who have family in Houston where they are not going to get power back for several weeks. The librarian at my school and her elderly mother came over tonight to enjoy the air conditioning, get some supplies, a glass of ice water, a glimpse of T.V. and a nice shower WITH THE LIGHTS ON! It's the little things that really mean a lot to people and I am so grateful for everyone and hope to pass the blessings on to others. I hope that we can all remember this and continue even after the struggles of Ike have worn off and things go back to normal.

I am blessed and highly favored!

2008-09-04T20:33:00.002-05:00

I truly am blessed. Here is a list of reasons why I know this:

I know just about the most awesome people.
My kids are healthy and I have a wonderful husband who is also healthy!
I live in a house with electricity and air conditioning.
I have money in the bank.
I am loved by lots of people - people I respect and love in return.
God speaks to me.
I have a great job.
My neighbors are quiet.
If I see a pair of shoes that I like, I can just buy them!
I have hot water.
My kids don't fight.
I can buy food at the grocery store.
I have health insurance.
I LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WHERE I GET TO VOTE FOR MY LEADERS!!

Those are just some of the reasons I know that I am blessed and highly favored!

Peeple

2008-08-26T20:49:00.003-05:00

People, what is it with people? It's like everyone is weird. I feel like the only sane person. But what's so funny is, I am sure that to other people, I am weird. Some people are great. They're fun, easy-going, helpful, kind, assuring. But others just make my skin crawl - they're lazy, stuck up, self-centered, enragingly inadequate.

My school year has started off poorly. What ia most hilarious is that the kids are great! It's the crazy set of peeple I work with - and I do actually mean PEEPLE. PEEPLE are the people who make my skin crawl - the people that make me know that God is so amazing because I can never see how He can love them - which makes me feel like HE is REALLY amazing because HE loves me even though I am so mean as to say that peeple He loves are completely unloveable.

I think I am just getting older and less tolerant of peeple. I used to make fun of them, but now, I just don't even want to waste my time with that. I find myself just with an overwhelming urge to get away from them. As far away as I can possibly get.

What's even weirder? The peeple that I used to think were really bad PEEPLE, have actually now grown on me and they seem like just regular people - like me!

Maybe I used to be the bad PEEPLE and now I am a good PEEPLE. HMMM. Those are the things that I obsess on.

I have gotten it into my mind that a person I work with is COMPLETELY inadequate for the position that this person is in. I actually VOICED this opinion out loud today. Not good. Actually, I think I did it twice. To two different people (notice the spelling). But this person is a joke. This person has made me think that I should go back to school to become a labotomist. No, just kidding. But I have thought of going back to school to become a principal. I think I could do a really good job.

Maybe the PEEPLE in our lives help us to become better people by the way we treat them and change our actions toward them. HMMMM.

The First Week Back

2008-08-16T08:26:00.004-05:00

Okay, it's Friday and I have just completed my first week back at school and I am EXHAUSTED. I feel that I have actually run a marathon. That's how tired my body is. I have had endless meetings about all kinds of things, worked with our counselor on schedules, stayed at school ALL DAY Wednesday for our 6th grade Maverick camp, and worked in my room for hours. Granted, we did get new flat screen televisions (thanks, Texas, I am sure that NOW we'll have no child left behind) so I have been able to keep up on the Olympics.
Our Maverick camp occurred Wednesday night and I was in charge of teaching the children about the library. I saw all kinds of things that made me CRINGE. I will NEVER understand parents and what they allow their kids to do. I had kids chewing gum, texting, wearing tight/short/revealing clothes, talking while I was talking and generally just being pains. THIS WASN'T EVEN ON THE FIRST DAY! I would think that those kids who really don't like to behave would at least be scared on the first day, right?
One teacher, who had her students in her room for a discussion on dress code, had to MOVE A STUDENT TO ANOTHER DESK! I am appalled. My prayer is that we are able to instill some ability for these kids to behave in the first week.
Oh boy.

What's Up With That?

2008-08-05T15:09:00.005-05:00

I have decided that I ask too many questions. It's just my nature to want to REALLY understand things. I realized this today while I was running errands today with Zachary. Here are a few of the questions I asked OUT LOUD (so this isn't counting the ones I simply thought about) just from that hour long trip:

Why does the man at the bank wait for me to sign my name on the paper BEFORE getting up from behind his desk and walking over to greet me? If there was no one else waiting, couldn't he have called me over so that I wouldn't have to fill out the form?
How come the man in the Pho restaurant, who came in AFTER WE ORDERED OUR FOOD, gets his pho before us? When we ordered pho too?
Why does the lady who is speeding in her Suburban quickly move to the right lane at the RED traffic light so that I am now behind her and cannot make a right since she plans on going straight? AND why do the people behind me honk? Do they think she's going to change her plans to accomodate their need to turn? Do they think she forgot to turn?
How come the people getting into their car in the parking lot stand WITH DOORS OPEN talking while I am waiting to turn in to the space next to them so that I have to wait until they finish their conversation before I can park. Can't they just get in and talk? What's up with that?
Here's one from our trip last night to the grocery store: Why do people have to get SO MUCH WATER when there is a storm? I mean really. How thirsty will you get? I mean one person could probably live on only one bottle of water a day. Why must people take all they can get so that there is none left for others? I saw a lady and her ENTIRE cart was full of water bottles. Seriously. I thought about asking her for 8 so that my family could have a half of one a day for 4 days. Is everyone just really thirsty? What's up with that?

Do these questions make me an impatient person? Or are they questions that everyone asks? Wouldn't you want to know these answers?

Zachary and I had a conversation on the way home that I just realized could be my answer. He said that some boys riding their bikes looked like dorks when I asked if he knew them. I said that they didn't look like dorks to me, but like a group of boys enjoying the last few weeks of summer adventures. Dorks to me are boys who stay indoors all day playing XBOX 360 with other dork boys online. He said that's not dorky. My response - it's all relative - until you've walked a mile in someone's moccasins, you have no way of knowing why they do the things they do. HMMM What is up with that?

Let the Games Begin!

2008-08-04T07:46:00.004-05:00

Gabby started volleyball camp last week and tryouts are this week. We just got up today at 6:00 in order to get her to school by 6:45 for her 20 minute workout.

Coach Paxton, the high school varsity coach, told all the girls that if they could not do the 20 minute workout in 20 minutes or less, forget about making the team. Gabby was a little worried since the last time she did the workout (it's an insane combination of agility, endurance, speed, and strength) her time was EXACTLY 20 minutes.

She just got home from the first part of the tryout and she did it in 18:26! We are very relieved. She is hoping to make the Junior Varsity team this season.

I read a book this summer called The Art of Racing in the Rain. My friend Pamela loaned it to me. One of the themes was to look ahead at what you WANT to achieve - not just where you are right now. That way, your path will lead you to those things that you desire. On the other hand, the bible tells me that a person's heart without Jesus is full of everything evil and wicked. Is that the desire I want to follow? Or, should we follow our hearts when Jesus has changed our heart from stone to flesh? That way, once our hearts are right with God, our desires are godly ones. Then we can move toward those desires, knowing that they are also God's desires.

The bible says that God will give you the desires of your heart. Maybe that's what it's talking about? You're desires are those things that you set your mind upon and those things that you set your mind upon you live and therefore, you will gain those desires. So if a man's heart is wicked, he will get the desires of his heart, evil, and if a man's heart is made flesh by Jesus, he will get his godly desires. All this because our desires are what we FOCUS on and that is the path we follow. Does that make sense? If we set our minds to attain a goal, then we live our lives to attain that goal. However, if we have no focus, no goals, then we are simply floundering here.

I had a talk with Gabby and Zachary yesterday about this and had them draw up a goal sheet. What are the things that they like to do, what are the things that they desire? Then I had them think on what they would do this year to achieve those desires. It was a pretty cool lesson. It all came out of a Life Lesson we heard at church yesteday from Pastor Matt Popovits. We really enjoyed it.

So, therefore, ask the Lord to change your heart to flesh. Then, ask him which desires are godly ones, focus on those and let him lead you to your desires. Amen!

Untitled

2008-07-27T14:45:00.003-05:00

Well... we are back from Dallas. We have had a wonderful weekend. Tomorrow I start TALA training. It's a three day training at MRHS from 8:30 - 3:30. I am not really excited about the training, but I think it will be a good one. It's actually the only training I will be taking this summer besides that district ones that we are required to attend starting August 13th - UGH. I am not happy about summer being over. Gabby starts volleyball camp for Katy HS all next week and the week after that is try outs and then the season starts. Even before school starts the season starts. Jeesh.
We sold our condo apparently in the nick of time since Hurricane Dolly came to visit. Apparently our condo suffered some pretty bad leakage. Man, that's a bummer - the the buyer that is. I am really thankful that we were able to part with that earlier this summer.
The sermon today was on our words and how powerful they are. I haven't really thought about it before, but our pastor taught that God used words to speak everything into existence, He made man in his own image, so therefore I can use words to speak things into existence as well. Now, I am not saying in any way that I am God, because everyone of you knows that I most certainly am not perfect, however, the words that I use have power. And because I am not perfectly good, like God is, my words have the power to hurt as well as heal. So, here is my quest, speak the truth in love. That's it. Plain and simple. I am going to recognize that what I say has power and I will do my utmost best to use my words for positive, encouraging love. Amen!

Refreshed, Relaxed and Off to Dallas

2008-07-20T09:02:00.002-05:00

Why does it seem that when I have summer vacation, I have to fill it with as much to do as possible? How come I am not just able to sit at home and read, lay out and chat with friends? It's like I am not productive if I am not running around. So, here we go again, we're on our way to Dallas for Gabby's SMU volleyball camp. Don't get me wrong, I am really excited about going. I get to see my little nephew, Shannon, my Dad, stepmom, sister, stepdad, brother, etc. I miss them all so much. It's just that I feel the clock ticking closer to August 13th when I have to start the whole yearly process over again. And this year, I am nervous.
I am nervous because we will have a new principal. Mrs. Bracewell, our old principal moved to a high school in our district. So we will start all over again with a new one. I am wondering what changes we all will encounter when we start the first day. I liked the way Mrs. Bracewell ran our school. She really loved our kids and it showed. I will miss her.
We'll be back from Dallas on Thursday and then I have a TALA training on Thursday, don't ask what that is. I forgot. I am sure it'll be good, since I wouldn't have signed up for a summer training if it weren't. I have some relaxing to do!!
Love!
Jen

White Water Rafting Pics Here!

2008-07-16T10:00:00.003-05:00

Hey guys, while on the rafting trip, we had to use an underwater camera. We haven't gotten them developed yet, but there was a professional photographer there taking pictures. I can't copy and paste, but I can imbed the links, so click on a link and you'll see our pictures. I don't know how long they'll be up, so be quick about it! Here's one of us before the trip. Here's one of Julia Roberts and her hubby before the trip (I told y'all she was there!) And here's one of us coming down the last rapid. Gabby knew where the photographer was!
As soon as we get the photos developed, I'll post some of them. It was so much fun!
Yesterday, Gabby and I went to Ojo Caliente which is a mineral hot spring about 50 miles west of Taos. The guys went mountain biking. We had a great time. Today we'll just hang out here and walk around the plaza. It's been a blast!

Two Days In Taos

2008-07-15T09:46:00.003-05:00

Hey guys! It's been an incredible two days here. We are now embarking on our third which will be a little more low key. Sunday we went horseback riding with a Pueblo Indian named Storm Star. He led us on an hour ride through Native American land in the Carson National Forest. It was beautiful! We then went on his recommendation to the Taos Pueblo Pow-Wow which happens here at the Taos Pueblo once a year. We ate fry bread, watched drummers and singers and dancers all dressed in their native dress. There were many vendors with native american jewelry, etc.
We left and went to see the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It was crazy. Whenever I am up high, I don't get naseous or dizzy, my feet hurt and here my feet hurt really bad. We then left and ventured a few more miles to check out the Earthships (which is where we almost stayed). They charged $5 each to see one, and I was the only one interested in them so we didn't want to pay $20 to see it. But they were pretty cool. They are completely self-sufficient. Totally off the grid.
We then went on to the grocery store and bought stuff to make dinner and relaxed at home.
Yesterday, we got up early and went to Los Rios River Runners and enjoyed a full day white water rafting down the Taos Box. We even went under the bridge that we stood upon the day before! It was quite a unique experience. Especially because in our group of about 25 rafters Julia Roberts and her husband, Danny Moder were included! Crazy, huh? Needless to say, we were exhausted last night and instead of fixing dinner, we went to Taos Pizza Out Back where we enjoyed incredible pizza and yummy microbrews (at least Luis and I did!).
Today, Luis and Zachary rented mountain bikes and Gabby and I are going to take it easy here at Casa Mariposa. We may venture the mile to Taos Plaza and do a little shopping. Love! Jen

We're HERE!

2008-07-13T08:34:00.003-05:00

While Luis was in Albuquerque working, he purchased a Flip camera. This little thing is a video camera that is about the size of a digital camera if not smaller. Anyway, he recorded when he got the kids from the airport and we made a little movie using the Flip software this morning. It's cute.

Anyway, WE ARE HERE! The house is absolutely gorgeous. Gabby says that this would be a perfect house for us. I think being here has made us all miss our time in Chandler, AZ. We love the weather, the vegetation, the people, and the atmosphere. It's wonderful! We have internet in the house, so you won't miss out on any life-altering information from me!

Last night we ate at a little restaurant (there were literally five tables) and it was awesome. We stopped at the store for coffee, cereal and milk, so this morning we are just relaxing and sleeping in. We plan to do the "Enchanted Circle" today. More on that later.

Love!

TAOS BOUND

2008-07-11T21:51:00.003-05:00

Hey guys,

I know that you are going to freak out that there won't be any informative, suspenseful glimpses into my life for the next few days, but I promise to have a great post upon my return. Who knows? Maybe I will find a cute internet cafe and be able to post one there. Julia Roberts lives in Taos, you know. Maybe I could just borrow her computer, huh. Anyway, I hope that you all have a great week, I know that my family and I will. Here is our schedule:

Saturday - arrive in Albuquerque - rent a car - take the scenic route to Taos - 3 hours away.

Sunday - explore Taos - museums - restaurants - grocery stores (we rented a casita)

Monday - Rafting in the "Taos Box" - See picture - collapse and order pizza

Tuesday - Rest explore - Ojos Calientes (hot springs - mmmmmmmm)

Wednesday - Girls spa day / boys mountain biking

Thursday - return back to Katy

Yea!

Love!

Jen!

Yeah, Yeah, God is Great, Yeah, Yeah, God is Good!

2008-07-11T12:08:00.002-05:00

Hey all! I just got the sofa and am attaching a picture of Zachary in the room. Although I don't have the curtains up or pics on the wall, I think it looks pretty good! I bought the curtains at Target yesterday, but I am not hanging them up until we get back from Taos. We leave tomorrow!

Okay, this morning, I got out of bed and did two "salute to the sun" s. Is that grammatically correct? Anyway, when I finished, I reminded myself of the scripture that says that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and keep his commandments. I reminded myself not to worry about things as worrying is praying for bad things to happen. So, instead of worrying about how I could be all over Katy in the same moment, I just figured that it would all work out. I ended up taking Gabby to piano early (thanks, Tammy!) While there I got a call that the sofa guys would deliver between 9 and 10 which meant that if they came at 10, I would be late for my haircut. Well, they got here at 9:40, left at 9:51 and I was out the door at 9:52 with time to spare for my appt.! So, I am glad that I reminded myself of God's provision and that I left the worrying out of the equation. I hope I can maintain this tomorrow as well since I will need it for our airport juggling! Many blessings and much love! Jen

Painting Done

2008-07-09T20:28:00.003-05:00

Okay, we are finished with the painting and all that. That was yesterday actually. Today I picked out curtains at Target - my absolute favorite store. Anyway, here is a pic of the curtains I chose and also a copy of the room without a sofa. It will get delivered Friday. The day before we leave for Taos. OOO FUN! I will post another picture Friday when we get the silly sofa. Then what in the world will I write about? OO next topic - P.E.T.A. and becoming a Vegan. Mary Beth ought to like that one. I have lots to say about it!

Tired

2008-07-09T07:18:00.002-05:00

I finally finished the T.V. room. Norma took the T.V. cabinet yesterday. I still have a dining room table in my foyer and a headboard in Luis's office. But the room upstairs is painted, cleaned and looks great. I just need the sofa and maybe some new curtains.
I woke up this morning at 5:18 and couldn't sleep. I came upstairs to the new "office" and enjoyed having my own little room but I am exhausted. I am going to try to go back to sleep.
It's 7:21.
J

Operation: Casa Manuever

2008-07-07T10:28:00.002-05:00

Okay, if you care to know, here we go:

Emptied T.V. room except for T.V., stand, and recliner
Gave guest room mattresses, etc. to a dear, lovely woman who I absolutely adore :-)
Moved sofa bed to guest room
Put together Ikea desk
Set up computer in guest room
Moved old dining table (serving as computer desk) out, old T.V. cabinet out, and dresser from guest room out.
Painted T.V. room with primer. It's REALLY PLUMMY. I mean really plummy.

That was yesterday and this morning. So today I will actually paint the T.V. room with the first coat and then do the second coat tomorrow. The sofa arrives Friday, we leave Saturday for Taos, NM. MMMMM Vacation!

Not too shabby, huh?

NEW SOFA

2008-07-05T22:27:00.004-05:00

Do you remember the story about there being a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza? That's what I am thinking of right now. I am wondering how I ended up with a new sofa, two cans of Ralph Lauren paint, a gallon of primer, an extra mattress, box springs, frame and T.V. cabinet, and an Ikea computer desk.

Luis mentioned yesterday that he wanted to get surround sound for our T.V. room (we have to spend our economic stimulus check, you know). So I say, "Hmmm....I've been thinking about that room. Here is my idea - change out Zachary's mattress with the guest room mattress. Get rid of the guest room bed, move the computer and the sofa bed into the guest room, get rid of the T.V. cabinet and buy a sofa big enough for our whole family to sit on to watch T.V. and put it in the T.V. room. Therefore, we can use our guest room when we don't have guests, which we don't do right now."

So, we headed out to Star Furniture Outlet and bought ourselves a sofa. Then, on the way home, we decided we needed a desk for our computer, not the dining room table we use now - it's too big. So we stopped at Ikea and got a desk. Then we looked at the cushions for the sofa (we brought those with us) and decided that we should paint the T.V. room now. Hence the paint cans (Ralph Lauren Mahogany which is so dark, it will require a primer and two coats - ugh). So now, here I am wondering how I got from a new sofa to a complete upstairs remodel - Dear Henry, Dear Henry.

Katy ARTreach

2008-07-04T22:42:00.005-05:00

In support for Katy ArtReach, Pam and I ate at Fish City Grill on Tuesday (incredible cole slaw, I must say!) But anyway, Terri Bieber was there with an outlined picture allowing guests to paint a part of the design. Pam painted the sun in the upper left hand corner and I painted the chef's bow on the middle right. I love Katy ArtReach and what they do for the kids at MRJH. You can click on the title of this post and it will take you to her blog. Or check out the Katy Artreach Website http://artreachonline.org/

Independence Day

2008-07-04T09:18:00.005-05:00

It's 9:18 a.m. July 4th. My family is sleeping and I want them to wake up so that we can go to the Pin Oak Parade today at 10:30. Nobody wants to go but me. Why do I love parades? I love clapping and waving. Not just at parades, but pretty much all the time. How can you not? It makes people smile - it makes me smile. I am smiling right now. Who doesn't love smiling?

Today is my first day without summer school. We gave the TAKS test Wednesday to our kids. Most of whom are taking it for the third time this year. Poor things. Most of them worked really hard to pass it this time. According to NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, all 8th graders this year must pass this test to move on to 9th grade. Talk about motivation! The difficulty is, these kids usually have one of three problems:

1. They do not speak English fluently.
2. They have learning disabilities.
3. They have problems in their lives that are bigger than the 8th grade Reading TAKS test.

These problems are what plague us during the year as well. How do you keep these kids from being left behind? Are all students the same? Can success be measured with test data?

Lord, help us to help these kids. Teach us how to teach them. Remind us that you love us so that we can love them.

They are the neighbors Jesus talked about - I am the church Christ talked about. Don't go to church - BE THE CHURCH!