Long Time No Blog

Looks like I missed the entire month of November, so here's a little catch up.

Our family enjoyed lots of yummy food at Thanksgiving and we were able to share the yumminess with some people from the base. The day after Thanksgiving we decorated our Christmas tree and set-up the Christmas village. The girls had so much fun doing this and they can't stop looking at the tree lights and ornaments. They've always loved Christmas, but Kailey loves this holiday just a little more than Natalie. It's fun to watch their faces.

At Church, I have been busy with the Praise Choir getting ready for the Christmas Program. It's going to be awesome! I can't wait to see all the kids sing. Last year, Kailey and Natalie kind of stood there but they looked cute :)

We have a Christmas party to go to and possibly a dinner on Christmas Eve, and let's not forget the ginger bread house project. Tom has been wanting to do this with the girls for a couple of years and we found a kit at Costco.

Our lives are so busy. Between work, the kids and Church we have so little time for each other. The four of us need a vacation. Not a vacation to visit family either, some time alone just the four of us. I'm thinking this summer we should find a cabin here in Idaho and enjoy the beauty of nature.

On that note, I think I will do tinker around with google.

Happy holidays and may God bless everyone!

Julia

A New Book

I ordered some new books for Kailey from the scholastic program, and one of the books made me smile last night. It's called "Llama Llama Red Pajama." It's a very cute story about a little Llama whose Mama Llama tells him to go to bed and she will be right there to tuck in him. But the little Llama gets nervous that Mama Llama isn't coming and he gets impatient. By the end of the book little Llama learns that sometimes Mama is busy and can't always get to him right this second. Of course if it's an emergency I am sure Mama Llama would not wait :) We have this problem with our kids a lot! We send them upstairs to get pj's on, get in bed and we tell them we'll be right there. But then they start crying and yelling for us. They don't understand that Mommy and Daddy have to clean up before going to bed too!

When Tom was done reading the book, I smiled and said that I bet the author of the book was a Mom who decided to turn a few nights (just like ours) into a cute children's book.

If you haven't read the book, it's cute and you should read it at least once.

Back to the sicky in the family, Natalie, who is feeling better but needs some fluids so must go take care of that. Have a good day!

My First Mile

After a few weeks of alternating walking and running, I finally ran my first mile!!!

I'm very excited about this. I have never been a fan of running or cardio for that matter. Running is making me stronger and I have more energy than ever. I am running on a treadmill, but I need to run on the pavement more because I have been told it's different.

Our gym is awesome! I know I have blogged about it before but I can't tell you enough what a blessing it is to our family! The girls love going to the daycare and playing. It keeps them active and allows us to workout. The gym has so many members that I know eventually they will need a bigger place. The Lord has blessed this facility in so many ways. It's a Christian atmosphere and the owners are awesome!

Natalie has show and tell tomorrow at Preschool and she chose her Sleeping Beauty Barbie. Kailey is finally excited to go to Sparks at Church. She was sad for the first two weeks that she couldn't go to Cubbies with Natalie. But she loves Sparks now.

Speaking of Kailey, she will be six next week! I can't believe it! My babies are growing up too fast. We are having a little party just the four of us. Unfortunately we were not able to invite all of her friends from school this year or our friends from Mountain Home. But Kailey understands.

Well, that is all for now. I'm going to soak in a hot tub to help my legs. They are sore but that's always the case after I work them out. Hope everyone is having a good week and if it's cold, stay warm!

Julia

Well,

Busy Bees

Our family is finally settling down after a busy weekend. Thank goodness it's not over yet so I can recover for a few hours :)

After praying and much thought, Tom and I decided to host a small group. Our Church has small groups that meet in homes during the week. It's a wonderful time to fellowship, catch up with friends and share God's word. Tom and I have signed up to host one in our home but so far we do not have anyone signed up. Our first get together is October 9th so hopefully God will send some people our way. So, yesterday morning we spent a few hours at Church in leadership training. We proceeded to the outlet stores to buy some fall/winter clothes for the girls, a few pieces for myself, and then I had to be back at Church for Praise Choir.

Today was just as busy as I sang both services with the choir. Tom and I help out in the Children's Ministry during the 11am service which is something we have thoroughly enjoyed. It's a blessing to hang out with the kids and watch them grow as they learn about God. When I was younger, we always attended Church and I loved sunday school. I am thankful those people took the time to share God's word with me. It's not easy. It can be very exhausting but God calls each of us to share his word with EVERYONE and that includes the little ones. Tom and I feel that at this time, God wants us serving in these areas in our church. It's an exciting time for us because God is opening up doors for our family.

On a not so happy note...Kailey will be seeing a specialist tomorrow about her stomach. She has episodes where she throws up and can't stop, therefore she becomes dehydrated and has to go to the ER. She was hospitalized earlier in the summer but tests did not show anything. Hopefully this doctor will be able to help her and give us answers. Tom and I ask that you please pray for Kailey, and that we would be patient as we go through this.

I'm off to snooze for a bit. Hope you are all having a good weekend and remember that the Lord never gives us more than we can handle.

Julia

New pictures

Kailey's first day of School...yea!

Our maple tree is slowly getting bigger.

What a day for a mow Tommy.

Our spoiled fur baby; Mr. Dante.

Picture this...

A near accident occured earlier today. I'm a big fan of the Golden Girls so I will set it up Sophia style :)

Picture it....Kuna 2009.

Tom was unloading rock. I was supervising :) Kailey and Natalie were playing in dirt.

I didn't want the girls to get extremely dirty so I asked them to stop playing in the dirt. Natalie listened but Kailey didn't. So she got in trouble.

Kailey starts crying and decides to disobey further by picking up a tool that she isn't supposed to play with. A very looooooong screwdriver. I asked her to put it down. She didn't. I began to walk towards her and she starts running.....with the screwdriver. I run after her.

Let me just pause for a brief moment to say that kids are extremely fast and I am extremely out of shape.

Back to the story. Kailey is running and suddenly stops and turns towards me with the screwdriving pointing at me. I stopped in time to miss what could have been a messy accident.

Thankfully, no ER visits today. I explained to Kailey, in a very frustrated tone I might add, that she could have hurt Mommy and herself. She knows not to run with scissors but I guess that knowledge went right out the window today.

Things are better now. But every time I think about it and what could have happened I cringe.

It's times like these that I think "didn't I teach her better?" and "why can't the kids listen?" It's a frustrating time in our lives with Kailey because she doesn't listen very well. Sometimes she does awesome but she keeps getting in trouble at school. Remember the frog blog....yep the frog is not staying where it should. Must get through to Kailey somehow.

Okay. So the end of the story and pizza is on it's way. So I am going to close and leave on a happy note before another incident happens. Because it's bound to happen.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Kailey's Frog

No, Kailey doesn't have a pet frog :) This blog has to do with her frog made out of construction paper at school. Each student in the class has a frog with their name on it, and if they don't do what they are supposed to then the frog gets moved from it's nice, good, spot to an "oh no" spot :)

Kailey's frog was moved today :( We had a talk about it but what I admire most about my daughter is that so far in her life, she is not afraid to tell us things. She's honest....most of the time:) Hopefully the frog will stay where it belongs.

Kailey loves Kindergarten. I can't wait to watch her grow in school and in Awana's at church. Both Kailey and Natalie are looking forward to Awana's starting up again. The year will be super busy but it is worth it.

It's late so I better get some sleep. I am so excited to start my new job next week :) Blessings to everyone and may the Lord continue to keep you and your family safe!

The Answer Came

This morning I was offered the position for the job I interviewed for yesterday. Amen! Thank you Lord for answering our prayer and for giving us patience the past few months during the search.

Off to the gym :)

Julia

Change of Season

I am so ready for fall! Tom and I were talking about how we are ready for a change of season. Isn't it funny how we are ready just about the time the season actually does change? I love the colors and smells of fall. The fresh air that blows through the house, because it's so cool outside you can turn off the ac. I love the candles that everyone starts burning like pumpkin spice and warm apple pie. We have had a great summer but it's definately time for a change :)

I had a job interview today and now I get to play the waiting game. It's in God's hands.

I watched a movie a few months ago that I want to see again. I can't remember the name of it but it's about the true story of Vince Papali who played for the Eagles. Now I remember, it's Invicible. I love football. Tom and I love watching it together. Over the past eight years there have been some awesome bonding experiences during the NFL season :) Lots of time to joke around with each other, Tom taught me football, and I learned a very important lesson; never try to give your hubby a kiss during a great play....especially if it's his team that is playing....and they are making the great play! It's better to tell in person so just ask me next time you see me :)

Right now Tom is sleeping, the girls are sleeping, and the dog is sleeping. It's 11:13 at night so I should be sleeping. So I better end this post for tonight. Go Denver Broncos!!!!!

Julia

A lesson worth learning

I had an amazing thought this past week. A thought that would change my perspective of how I live my life.

We are having an amazing time in Colorado. We had a blast visiting my family and this past week has been awesome as well with Tom's family. My sister-in-law, Dawn, is an amazing woman. And this blog is about her.

Dawn was diagnsed with Cone-rod dystrophy in her twenties. She is legally blind, or preferably visually impaired. I personally like visually impaired. Anyway, she can see some objects and color but not much. I can be standing in front of her, only a few inches away and she will not know it's me unless I tell her. She can make out my eyes, some colors of my clothing (a yellow shirt may look green), and if my hair is down or up in a clip. But mostly, it's blurred or nothing at all.

When I first met Dawn, Tom and I had been married a few months. You would not know she was visually impaired by talking to her because all the damage is behind the eye in the retina. I remember asking Tom why she didn't have a cane or a seeing eye dog. He wasn't sure. People would help her by telling her that a step was in front of her etc. To me, she was in a shell almost with her disability. Years later I would tell her that I thought this, and she would tell me I was right.

She was very much in the dark and I don't mean because of her impairment. I will not go into detail because I feel that is not my place. But she came out of it with the power of the Lord. Dawn is a Christian. A sister in Christ. Loves the Lord with everything she has! Loves to praise and worship our Savior and she is a blessing to everyone around her. THAT is how she got through that rough time.

A few years ago, Dawn was blessed with an amazing friend. Hanna, her seeing eye dog. A beautiful black cross (mom was a golden retriever and dad was lab) who is very loving but when it's time to work....she works. More on this gorgeous creature later.

A few nights ago, I asked Dawn to think of a test or a lesson for me. I wanted to put myself in her shoes. I wanted to be visually impaired. Not just walk to the mailbox either. Something that was hard for her to learn. Dawn told me the story of her cooking experience at the blind school she attended. She had to make Chicken Cutlet Parm. I hope I got that right. She didn't know how to tell if chicken was cooked, and she learned that you have to listen to the chicken. Rely on your other senses. She had me close my eyes and show me how to tell if water was boiling. Hold the sides of the pot handles. She had me cut squash. I was terrified. I was blinded. I held the squash in my hands and began to cut. Dawn stopped me and instructed me to feel the squash and where it was compared to the knife, and that's how you can tell how thick or thin to cut it. And always hold your other hand on top of the knife. No cuts :) Then I put the squash in some foil. And then, I had to find the butter in the fridge. I was knocking stuff over and I was feeling for the butter on every shelf but I couldn't find it. I started getting frustrated. Seriously I was mad. Why was this so hard? Dawn was right behind me coaching me through it. And she understood. But I finally found it! Then, I got out a spoon and placed it on the counter but turned around to do something else. When I was ready for the spoon I couldn't find it! After feeling around on the counter for it, I was able to finish the squash. This process took about 20 minutes. When I prepare squash for the grill at home....with my eyes...5 - 10 minutes.

So after that test was over, Dawn explained that she is very organized with her stuff. She has a system. Before she learned all of this she was a wreck. But today she is amazing! She amazes me. Watching her make coffee is unreal. From grinding the beans to filling her cup. Oh, yeah I did try to fill my cup with ice tea blinded. I spilled! She's amazing.

Back to Hanna. Dawn loves Hanna. Her whole family does. Hanna is a member of their family. Dawn has truly bonded with Hanna. She is her eyes. This evening, Dawn took me on their evening walk. A 2 1/2 mile walk that was exhausting but worth it! Outside, Dawn put the harness in front of Hanna. Hanna put her head down so Dawn could place it on her. At this point of the walk, I am not allowed to look at Hanna in the eyes, talk to her, pet her and Dawn instructed me to stand to her right side and a little bit behind her. Dawn gave the command "forward" and we were off. Hanna walks fast and I forgot to put my walking shoes on so I was in flip flops. Yikes! Anyway, if Hanna becomes distracted Dawn gives the command "leave it" and "pfui" which means to stop; she will continue the walk.

To cross the street, Hanna stops and when it's safe to go we cross. Hanna does not like the sprinklers so she leads Dawn (and I follow) into the street, if it's safe, so she doesn't get wet :) To lead Dawn up a curb, she puts her first two paws on it then stops and we continue. Some of our walk involved tree limbs sticking out that Dawn would not be able to see. Hanna guides Dawn to the right to avoid the branches or slows down to warn her. Hanna mostly walked on the left.

Dawn instructed me to never correct Hanna. That was her job. While we were walking, a couple was walking towards us and rather than moving to the side, they kept heading straight for Dawn and Hanna. I saw this coming but I was told to keep quiet. Hanna didn't move either but she did slow down and Dawn picked up on the signal and at the last second the couple moved. My instinct was to prepare Dawn that someone was in front of her...but Hanna is in charge on this walk!

Dawn trusts Hanna. Throughout the walk she shared with me the stories of their past walks. I was amazed. Speechless at the intelligance of this dog! Hanna led Dawn home when she was lost. Hanna is a professional. Praise is her payment. Dawn constantly praised her for a job well done. And once we were back in the house and she was done working, I was able to praise her too :)

Right now, Hanna is sitting on the floor relaxing. It's amazing how smart she is. She was trained as a puppy to be a seeing eye dog. She is a $50,000 dog because of her training. Wonderful people donate to this cause and because of them, my sister-in-law can take long walks by herself and not live in fear. Her sight no longer keeps her from living, because Hanna helps her get out and live.

Dawn refuses to let her impairment control her. She lives her life. She praises the Lord everyday for her blessings and even in her storms she praises him. She was told that she would completely lose her sight. But she believes that if the Lord wants her to see, she will see. She has seen a rainbow and a hot air balloon. She had never been able to see these before! How awesome is our God?

All I can say is that I truly admire my sister-in-law. I love her. She is amazing. She lives her life. And her family loves her so much!

Julia

90 pounds to go

Five pounds gone! Woo hoo! After our vacation I am starting a boot camp class at the gym three days a week, and then my regular routine the other three days.

It hasn't been easy. But when I am done with my workout I feel so good! It's worth it.

Just wanted to share that with everyone! I am doing weight training but mostly working on cardio right now. Thank you for your support and kind e-mails. It's a tremendous help knowing that I have so many people backing me up and rooting for me. This is one battle that will be tough but I know I can do it! Not just to lose weight but finally get off of blood sugar medicine. And just feel better!

Enjoy your week!

Julia

95 pounds to go

Yes, I am actually putting my weight loss numbers out there for all to see. Why? Because I want to track my progress with friends and family. I have so much support from my husband, friends and family that I know I can do this.

Tom, the girls and I recently visited family in Texas for my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. What a wonderful occasion to celebrate. But I also realized via pictures how extremely overweight I am. Yes, I have known this for some time but it's like my eyes were opened and I did not like what I saw.

So what am I doing about this? I will be running six days a week as well as weight training and continuing the diet Tom and I have been on. Nothing extreme, we just follow the food pyramid and that has helped us get our eating on track. Tom and I both feel this is important for the girls. We want them to grow up eating right and understanding what happens when you don't. It's not just about weight, it's about blood sugar and heart problems. It's about being healthy and having a better quality of life.

Last night I did my mile at the high school track and then walked home which is another mile. Tonight I plan to do two miles at the track. I also plan to keep an update on this blog.

I pray that the Lord will give me strength and courage to lose this weight. It's a lot of weight. Almost 100 pounds. Never thought I would be at this point in my life. But here I am and it's time.

Zero Sleep

Kailey is sick and was throwing up through the night...yuck. I feel so helpless when our kids are sick. I received zero sleep last night and I am trying to stay awake until Tom gets home. This task is very hard and so I decided to eat a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter for some energy! So far, nothing. But maybe it will kick in soon :)

We are doing more yard work this weekend. Sometimes I wish we would have just hired someone and be done with it. But I agree with Tom...it's awesome to look at your yard and know that you took the time to do it yourself. Especially when you work together as husband and wife. It's been an awesome time for us, and it's fun to show your spouse that you can actually do things he had no idea you were capable of doing!

Well, sitting here typing is making me drowsy so I better scoot and move around. Tom should be home any minute. Kailey is holding down some liquid right now so I pray this is passing for her. It is so hard to watch your kids be sick. I told Kailey that I can't wait for her to be better and watch her jump on the trampoline.

May God bless you and your week!

Julia

Enjoying Life

My surgery went well and I have recovered. My surgeon is very happy with the results and if I could just get rid of these allergies, I'd be even happier. But the fact that I can breate better, smell better, and don't sound like a frog....I'm extremely happy!

I have been busy doing projects in the house and this weekend we will be busy once again outside. It's good to get outdoors and work in the yard. Enjoy the weather and let the girls burn off some energy. I love it!

Next month we will be in Texas celebrating my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. I can't wait to see family and friends, especially two new cousins :) My Mom and her sisters are putting together a wonderful and memorable party for their parents. It's going to be so special. We are flying which is not my favorite means of traveling but driving would be too long. I'm one of those passengers that will get on the plane and be so tense until we land. I panic over the slightest noise and bumps. I think I drive Tom crazy :)

Hope everyone has a good weekend and enjoys the weather if it's good!

Julia

Waiting

Those that are closest to me know that I am not a patient person! I know that God is constantly trying to teach me patience :) Waiting for this surgery is hard. Especially after this past weekend.

I got a sinus headache Thursday night and it continued through the weekend. This morning, I had to get one shot of headache medicine and one shot of nausea medicine. Worse, the shots were in my hips! Made me want to have my surgery today instead of Thursday. So ready for this to be over.

The girls enjoyed a day in the pool to beat the heat. They are fishes. My water babies.

Better get back to cleaning and figure out dinner. Hope everyone has a good week!

Julia

Surgery Date

May 21st I am having sinus surgery. Sorry I am late getting this posted but things have been super busy lately. I actually picked this weekend for my surgery because it's Memorial Day weekend, which is always rainy in Idaho, and the Dr. I work for is gone two of the days I will miss so it was the best time. The surgery will be on a Thursday morning and I should be released for work the following Wednesday.

To skip the medical language I will tell you the areas that will be fixed. The sinuses in my cheeks will be opened up...these are called the Maxillary sinuses. I will undergo an Ethmoidectomy (i hope that is right) which is the sinus area just to the side of the bridge on the nose, and a Septoplasty. There is one other correction but I can't remember what it is at this moment. So I will be able to have the proper sinus function that I have been lacking since October. Although the worst of it didn't come until January when I began losing my voice over and over again. I haven't been able to sing since then and talking is hard when I have to do it a lot. My throat constantly hurts due to the drainage and nasal dripping which sounds so gross but it is what it is. So after the surgery everything should work the way it's supposed to.

The septoplasty is the one part of the surgery that will change me physically. It's basically a nose job and if you have ever seen a profile of me, you would see that my nose has a bump which was from a car accident a long time ago. I don't know how they will do it, but I my nose will be completely straight after the surgery. I have a deviated septum and that has been preventing me to breathe right. It can cause sleep problems as well.

It's going to be a painful recovery. But I have felt the prayers of our Church family as well as family and friends, so I am confident in the recovery and I know I'm in God's hands all the way. We are so thankful for everything.

Well, it's getting close to bedtime so I better get going. Kiddos to tuck in and a hubby to snuggle with. I hope everyone has a blessed week and remember God's promises to us. Remember he loves us unconditionally. When you are rushing through your day, take a minute to say a prayer of thanks for the friends and family he has given us. And last, remember the experiences we go through always have a purpose.

Julia :)

Sinus Update

I FINALlY have an appointment with the ENT specialist on Wednesday. I am so ready for this sinus crudd to be over.

Tom and the girls have been awesome throughout this ordeal. God has given me strength on the many days I am so worn out from the pressure, headaches, pain, stuffiness, ear aches and not to mention the constant coughing and losing my voice.

Saturday's message at Church was from Job. When Job was covered from head to toe with boils and had lost everything , he still didn't curse God. His wife told him to just curse God and die. But he didn't. I told Tom that I am thankful he has always encouraged me to pray and ask God for patience and strength during the past few months. Not just with my sinus problems, but everything in our lives Tom takes a stand for what is right and what we should do. He's a real leader in our family.

Aside from the sinuses we are busy with t-ball and projects around the house. I finally got some painting done in the house. Tom is working on re-staining our dinner table, extending our back patio, finishing rock in the back, and the usual mowing. We love working outside.

Well, I better get going so I can wash my lab coat for work and get some sleep. Hope everyone is doing well and I'll keep you updated on my appointment. God bless!

Hope

Well, it's been way too long since I've blogged but as usual we are always busy. Spring is here finally and so begins our spring projects. I have already completed one...painting our half bath downstairs. I used the Bellagio Faux technique and it looks great. I love the colors we chose and it was that hard to do. We had fun :) Next, we have to finish the rock in our backyard and next weekend I am painting an accent wall in our living room. Then, we are painting the girls room. Tom is also in the process of re-doing our dining room table. It was given to us by my grandparents and it needs sanding, new fabric on the chairs and staining. This one will take the longest but I can't wait to see the outcome.

New developments. Tom is back in school mode taking two Master classes. I'm so proud of him but I hope he doesn't get burned out. He's almost done. But he needed a break and I'm glad he took it. I have a new job starting Monday as an Ophthalmic Assistant at St. Luke's hospital. It's a little closer to our house than my previous job, so we'll save on gas. I actually wasn't looking for another job but the opportunity was there and I decided to interview for it. This was a position I was studying for before we moved overseas so it's a job I really wanted. The interview was great and I'm excited to start there. Nervous, but excited. I will have some responsibilities that I have never had before so I pray that God will prepare me for the challenge. I love challenges so I'm excited!

Kailey and Natalie are having fun coloring eggs tonight. They are doing great in preschool and Kailey is registered for Kindergarten. I can't believe my Kailey bug is starting school! It's going by so fast....wish it could slow down. She started t-ball a few weeks ago and is having a lot of fun. For the parents it's entertainment. But her team has some great players. Natalie is teaching us sign language :) She is learning it in preschool and we love learning the words with her. She is a sponge when it comes to learning. She just can't sit still for very long! She is such a wiggle worm :)

Tom and I have joined a new small group at our Church, actually it was a few months ago. We love being around the other families. They live in Kuna like us and everyone is so nice and the support and prayer is awesome. Tom and I are so tired after work but it's worth it because we need that fellowship outside of Sundays and we have a good time.

The message today at Church was about Hope. I was very emotional because it hit home with me. Especially today. I have been dealing with sinus infections since October. After three different rounds of antibiotics I had a ct scan and found out that I may have to have surgery in order to correct the problem. I don't know that for sure, but the disease I have is called Maxillary Sinus Disease and surgery is one of the options. I will know more after I meet with a specialist. Today, I am fighting a bad sinus headache. It is better now but earlier it was horrible and we were trying to get ready for Church and I just broke down. Sometimes it is just too much and I need a good cry. Which actually hasn't happened but one other time. So I think it builds up. Anyway, Tom was so wonderful during that. Very supportive and loving....I love my hubby! He reminds me that we are almost at the end of this road and that God hasn't forgotten about us. He is taking care of me, even when it doesn't seem like it. So I got it together and we headed to Church. The message really hit home like I said. I can't even explain it. I just have hope that this long and painful battle with the sinuses will end soon. In the meantime, I will continue to live my life and follow God's direction. His will not mine.

Hope everyone has a good weekend and God bless you all!

Julia

A Tough Choice

I'm sad today. We have had a border collie named Macy for a little over a year and in that time she has brought so much joy to our lives. However, we have had to make a tough choice. About a month ago Macy and our Schnauzer Dante were playing when Macy began to play too rough and she hurt Dante. We had to take him to an Emergency Vet. We realized then that while Macy would never hurt the girls, how could we be 100% sure? Also, what if Macy hurt Dante again?

I did research about Border Collie behavior and I learned that if a BC doesn't have a "job" or some kind of work they can become destructive. Macy is kenneled at least 8 hours a day while we work and it's not fair to her. She deserves to be in the environment she was created to be in.

I began looking for such an environment. I spoke to a man who owns a sheep ranch in Caldwell and he offered some good advice. For a few weeks, nothing. Then a couple of days ago at my work, I met a family that has a ranch outside of Caldwell. They have cattle and six Border Collie's that help herd the cattle. I asked if they needed another dog, and they said no. But they would keep us in mind. The next day, I got a phone call from the family offering to take Macy and give her a good home and also allow her to herd with the others.

I struggled to say yes, but in my heart I knew that this was an answer to prayer. She will be in her element. Her environment.

So, this morning we are all driving Macy to her new home and actually I have a peace about this. I feel a weight lifted somehow. I think for the past few months I have felt guilty about her not having the lifestyle she needs because of her breed. Now, she can live a better life and I'm doing this because I love her.

She protected us for a year and gave us so much love in return. Some of you may not look at dogs as members of the family, but I do. She is very special to me, but I know that this is the right thing to do.

To change the subject, my sinuses have caused a lot of problems. I have been sick with sinus infections for a very long time and most of the time I lose half my voice or have coughing fits that hurt. I have been on antibiotics but they keep coming back. So for now, I will do what I can until my appointment next month. I have had to take a break from Praise Choir for now, which is something I love to do and so that was a hard decision to make. Hopefully this will clear up soon.

This week has been a week of tough choices. Sometimes we have to make them and pray that we are doing the right thing.

Julia

Feel the burn

Can you tell I'm on an exercise kick? Yep, another blog about spinning class. I can't help it, it's so much fun!!! At one point I thought I was going to fall off the bike I was so pooped, but wow did I feel awesome when it was over. The instructor is so positive. She plays fun music and everyone gets into the class and the best part.....we all encourage each other. That makes a HUGE difference.

Changing the subject to Church. Our small group is doing a study on 30 days to live with no regrets. I think that is the title. I can't think right now. Anyway, I am thankful to be part of this study because it has made me really stop and think about my life. So if I could change one thing in my life right now it would be to slow down. Quit being so rushed. The mornings are the worst. Trying to get the kids and myself out the door is a nightmare sometimes. I end up getting frustrated with the kids and it starts our day off on the wrong foot. So I'm working on that.

I'm anxious to complete this study and see what God shows us along the way. We are also praying for those who are doing this study as well. Because this is a Church-wide study, it will be exciting to see what God does in our Church family!

Have a blessed week and let's make sure we enjoy each day we're given. Especially with our kids....they grow up way too fast.

Hooked

I am hooked on cycling! Our gym has a class Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Tom has been going for a few weeks. He loves it. So I decided to try it last Thursday but the class was canceled. I was bummed because I had spent most of the afternoon getting mentally ready for the pain and the burn! Tom and I decided to go ahead and have our own class and he was a good instructor :) We only did two hills but it was 30 minutes of sweating and burning in the legs....and I loved it! I don't know why but this workout just clicked with me. Maybe it's because I love bikes. Whatever the reason I can't wait until Tuesday's class. I think it's also called Spinning but not sure. Anyhoo, I highly suggest this workout.

Tom is an awesome workout partner. He doesn't let me give up. He challenges me but most of all he's encouraging and supportive. I think it's important to have a workout partner if you can. I'm trying not to put so many goals on myself, right now I think it's about getting healthy and feeling better about myself when I wear clothes and go shopping for clothes.

I'm very thankful that when we don't think we look our best, Christ loves us and thinks that we are amazing and beautiful (or handsome for you guys) and isn't that such a wonderful truth to hang on to?

Motivation

Our biggest motivation for the gym is Kailey and Natalie. But only because they want to play with their friends in the daycare area! I consider it good motivation though.

I really love working out. It's a great stress release. The Freedom Fitness gym in Kuna has been a blessing to us, and if we ever move again we will miss it so much. I have seen people from our Church and the girls daycare and it's awesome to see familiar faces. We are all striving for the same goal...to get in better shape and have a healthier life.

I'm still searching for a school to do online classes. I want to find the right one. What do I want to do? That I am keeping silent for now because I have some ideas but I'm in prayer at the moment so I will let you know as soon as I do :) Some good news with school....the G.I. bill is supposed to be available to spouses starting in August. I don't have all the details but it may be a route we can take. Tom's military career has opened up so many doors for us. We'll see what happens.

Well, I better get this day started! Have a good weekend everyone, miss you and God bless!

Julia