A NON fiction book, ok! Day 14

Sorry I missed you guys yesterday, I was on a plane all day with my family coming to Virginia for a month long visit! I am sure you guys will see lots of pictures and posts from our visit here! Sadly today we are attending the viewing of my husbands grandfather. It was his time and we will miss him but are so glad that he is no longer suffering here on earth and has gone to be with his maker.

Now for today's part of the challenge.......

Im going to take today as an opportunity to share with you a non fiction book that is on my reading list but I havent got to read yet. I am very excited to read is Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo. It is the story of a young boy who went under for a life saving surgery and wakes up with stories of his visit to heaven. Some might say this story is completely fabricated because the boy who tells these stories is the son of a pastor but I believe. I'll write you a review when I get to it on my reading list and come to my conclusion.

here is a link to the book on amazon.

A Fictional Book Day 13 and some snow!

A good fictional book that I enjoyed is Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. Great story and an easy read. They also turned this book into a movie that I think turned out awesome and didn't leave much out from the book except for some of the character detail.

I also wanted to share some picture of all the snow we got here in North Dakota yesterday. Enjoy because I am hoping that spring is in the air when I get back since I am flying out to Virginia tomorrow with my family for a month to visit with the rest of our family and unfortunately to attend a funeral.

Tickling my fancy again! Day 12

Just a few days old by Nelly Hernandez Photography

Coleman is growing up so fast.....

So my baby boy is about to crawl, if he doesn't crawl before we leave for our visit to Virginia then I am sure he will be crawling when we return. Guess I better make sure this house is super clean for when we get back!

He gets up on those knees but then he gets wobbly and lays back down! Its funny how just 7 months and 3 days ago I brought home a tiny little 5lb 15 oz baby that could even hold up his own head. He was sweet and quiet for the most part and I was the proudest new Mommy on the block! Now I have a 19lb 7 oz little man that wont stay in one place and rolls all around my living room and babbles like a wild child, he has such a amazing personality that I like to think he gets from his Mama, and I love love love it!

I remember cradling him in my arms a few short hours after he was born, thinking to myself that how in the world did I make this and how perfect he was. Now every single thing that he does just blows my mind all over again just like he did the day he was born! There is no greater joy in the world than that of finally being a Mommy! Is it strange that I find myself telling my son like 30 times a day to "tell Mama a story"?? lol!

A little over 6 months old by My Lil Britches Photography

A photo taken recently....Day 11

This picture here was taken on my first girls night out since Coleman was born! Had an awesome time to say the least!! We went to The Lucky Strike and had a few drinks and bowled a few games, then headed over to The Starlight for more drinks and dancing!!

In this picture with me is Alyssa and Sam! I actually met Alyssa this same night and she left the next day since her and the hubby were pcs'ing to Utah! Sam is a great friend that I met when I was pregnant with Coleman and she has been there ever since! The friends I have made here in Minot are people that I am going to miss dearly when I have to start all over again at a new base which quite possibly could be at the end of this year!!

Being a military wife isnt always so bad when you have great friends like mine!

We love you Pawpaw

Today a great man with a huge heart passed away. He has gone to be with our heavenly father and is no longer suffering but he will be missed and always in our hearts. I am an emotional person and find myself crying at the drop of a hat when I recall a memories of this wonderful man named Herbert that I called Lormer from the day I met him, and instead of Jessica he called me Claudine! Please enjoy this picture but I am at a loss for words this evening. My apologies.

A picture taken over 10 years ago....Day 10

So today I am sharing with you a picture taken during my freshman year in high school. I have this picture framed in my house and it always makes me smile. The three girls in this picture are all very different, but two of us are very alike. The girl to your left is me. The girl in the middle is a person I have lost touch with. The girl to your right it my best friend in this whole world. She met me at a time in my life when things were perfect. Then things all fell apart and she was the only person left standing beside me.

When this picture was taken the girl in the middle was the person standing between us in my opinon, ironic huh? High school was a rough time for Tammy and I, we were both headed in different directions. Our past held something special for both of us despite where the future had taken us.

Today that girl you see in that picture with me is someone I love so dearly. We dont talk everyday but we dont have to. We can pick up the phone every 6 months and it seems as if we just spoke yesterday. We have been through so much together and and sadly have spent alot of time apart, but true friendships arent weathered by distance. She is an amazing mother, wife, and person in general, she is inspiring and thats what I saw in her the first day I met her in 4th grade. Funny how to this day when I think of my my mom a specific memory with my mother and Tammy always comes to mind :) She knows which one! Tammy and I have disappointed each other at times but this friendship is something amazing that has survived over a decade and 2 years short of an entire generation!

I love you Tammy, you will be forever and always in my heart for the of our lives and beyond :)

Getting to Know Me!

I was sort of tagged/motivated by Sophie to do this "Getting To Know You" post and since I am a blogaholic I thought sure why not immediately!!

 

There are six "rules"

1. Post these rules.

2. Post 11 random things about yourself.

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post (i.e., Sophie's for me).

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them.

6. No saying, "If you are reading this, you're tagged.

11 Random Things About Me:

 

1. I have officially been diagnosed with ADHD! LOL

2. I secretly have an obsession with all things automotive! 

3. I love shoes and by that I mean sneakers, flats, boots, heals, flip flops! I'm like an addict!

 

4. I'm a lefty, and so is my brother! odd huh?

5. I hate video games with a passion and I mean all video games!

6. I am not a home body, I have to get out of the house or I go stir crazy!

7. It drives me crazy that I can shower at night and have greasy hair by morning, wtf?

 

8. My best friend lives 1600 miles and 32 hours away from me :( She has loved me since 4th grade because her Momma made her! lol!

9. I could not function in my daily life without a smartphone. period.

10. I believe that God has a plan for each of us. Don't ask questions. Its not part of the plan.

11. I am practically blind without my glasses or contacts, like I walk into things seriously!

Sophie's 11 questions for me:

1. If you could spend one day eating/drinking whatever you wanted without ANY negative repercussions whatsoever, what would you ingest?

cheesecake all day long seriously! there are so many different kinds I would just go CRAZY!!!!

2. Pretend I'm rich and offer you a $1000 gift card to whichever store you choose. Which one? 

Send me to Aeropostale!

3. Would you rather live in a small town or a big city?

Small town for sure!

 

4. What would you most like to be famous for? 

Writing a best selling book

5. What's your favorite accent?

I'm going with Australian bc I loved the way our foreign exchange officer from Australia talked :) Cate was awesome!!

6. Tomorrow's going to be 25 hours instead of 24. What will you spend your extra hour doing?

Sleeping duh! I have a 7 month old baby! Sleep is gold!

7. What's the most disgusting (to others) thing you love to eat?

Pickled beets! Nobody likes them!

8. Which is worse: horrible drivers or horrible parkers?

Horrible parkers, my husband is one of them and it drives me bonkers!!!

9. What's your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?

Saomoas, but i think they are called caramel delites now :( Im so old! lol

10. If you could only watch one tv show for the rest of the year, what would it be?

This is tooooo hard! I guess I am going with One Tree Hill since I spent so much time catching up on the previous seasons and this is the last season!

11. Would you rather always dress like a skank or a nun?

Sorry guess I gotta go with skank lol!

 

11 Questions for Alysa from Heart Treasures (my Minot blogging friend), Christine from College Mom Gone Post-Grad (a long time childhood friend), Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim (I love her photo challenges), Robin from Pink Dryer Lint (her posts often crack me up), Chelsey from The Paper Mama (she got me to start a blog with one of her challenges), and Sophie from Sophie Plays Hooky if she wants to play again!:

1. If you could pick up and live anywhere with no consequences where would you go?? 

2. What is one thing that is in your purse or bag?

3. How many children do you have? Do you want more?

4. What is your favorite drink? (alcoholic or non alcoholic)

5. What is your secret addiction?

6. How many greeting cards would you estimate that you received this year?

7. Do you like to host parties? why or why not?

8. Are you happy where you ended up so far in life?

9. What is your favorite fast food restaurant??

10. Do you have a DVR that records your television programs so that you dont miss anything?

11. What is your style? Punk, preppy, fancy, sexy, etc.??

I dont usually blog on the weekends but I need to rant!

So we went out for what has always been a lovely dinner at Alaska Alder Grill here in Minot, ND with some friends. Now again let me remind you, we have been there a few other times and never had this bad of an experience but they recently changed management and lets just say it has gone down hill.


We arrived at 630 and it was basically empty and we were seated right away. We placed our order got our drinks and everything was moving along nicely. Now things start to head down hill, We waited an hour before receiving our food and when the food arrived they apparently assumed that my husband ordered nothing but a cup of soup because the pheasant he ordered didn't come out so his friend Adam cancelled his order and gave my husband his pheasant since they ordered the same thing! My chicken was raw so I sent it back and apparently they thought it was appropriate to bring my chicken back charred and black. Did I mention that the manager was completely condescending and acted as she shouldn't have to fix anything that I was complaining about. During this time my husband sampled the pheasant and decided that we paid 26 dollars for the worst pheasant he had ever had and decided it tasted more like chicken! Shortly thereafter a piece of their decor which was a tree branch fell onto two people at another table and had my child been sitting in his high chair it would have knocked him in the head! The manager came over and removed a steak knife from our table to cut the branch down with and then handed it back to me and reminded  me not to use it, seriously?? So during this time the restaurant was filling with smoke from their grill so I took Coleman to the bathroom to change his diaper where I found no changing station and ended up having to change him on a blanket on the cold tile floor....after returning to the table we were told that they would comp the chicken that cost a whole 12 dollars!!! At this rate my son's allergies were in full swing due to the smoke and his eyes were bright red and gooey and he was coughing So I had my husband take him to the car. I ended up paying 35 dollars for a disaster of a meal and let me tell you that we will not be going back ever again. Good service and practical accommodations make people come back time and time again, and we received neither.


Can't wait to say goodbye for good to Minot, ND, this place SUCKS!!

Share a picture I took :) Day 9

This was taken on the Enchanted Highway during our roadtrip from Glenburn, North Dakota to the South Dakota Badlands, Mount Rushmore, and Keystone. It was a long and very eventful trip with my husbands commentary during the ride, lol! I really thought he was going to drive his mother crazy!

We went on this trip with my mother in law and father in law for our 1 year anniversary! I would actually like to go again some day when my son is older so that he can see the beautiful sights that we were able to experience on this trip!

Anyways, Enjoy the picture and have a great weekend! See you on monday!

A photo that makes me sad/angry, task complete - Day 8

Today my task is to share a photo with you that makes me sad. Its hard to show you a photo that makes me sad, but this picture gives me feelings of sadness because I miss her so much. On the other hand this picture makes me smile because it reminds me of the great memories I have of her. So I guess more than anything else it kinda makes me angry that I will never get to make anymore memories with her. She never got to meet her grandson, she died way too young, this woman is my mother.


I saw a quote yesterday that said "Love the people God gave you because he will need them back one day". My mothers day came too soon in my opinion but on the other hand I am glad that she is in a better place and free of the suffering that she experienced here on earth. I guess partly for me I feel bad and partly for her, its a hard call. She missed out on so much that has happened in my life, but I am sure that she is watching from above and is hopefully proud of the person I have become. I like to think that she met my son before he came to me :)


So meet my mom if you didnt get the chance. This was Sherri Ann Pennington. RIP Mom, you will always be missed.

Just an extra for today, but I am so proud of myself!

This is a little project that I did last night. You dont need much, just some ribbon, a hole punch, and cards of course. I have been collecting all of our greeting cards for the past 3 years, ever since we got married actually! So from the left: those are all the cards we received while waiting for Coleman, after he was born, and cards sent to Coleman, next up is misc cards, ya know like thank you cards, valentines day cards, mother and fathers day cards, next is all Christmas cards, and then all Birthday cards :)

Saw this idea on pinterest and just loved it so I strung them up and hung them up with some stick pins! Funny how I collected these cards all these years hoping to find something to do with them and then all of a sudden I found it on my dearest Pinterest!!

Share a photo that makes me happy - Day 7

The first picture taken of my son and I on the day he was born is the photo that makes me the happiest! There is something about the bond between a mother and her child!

On that day there was nothing else on my mind, and the first time I saw him I fell in love! The whole time I was pregnant I was scared that I wouldn't like him or that I wouldn't think he was cute. Oh well let me tell you that he was and still is the cutest thing I have ever seen!

There is nothing like taking home your perfect little baby, and in my case it was my perfect little baby boy named, Coleman!!

Something that tickles my fancy, easy enough!? Day 6

OK, so today my challenge is to write about whatever tickles my fancy, well that is alot of things. Coleman's smile, a long chat with my best friend, taking pictures on a whim, a walk with my dogs, making something for a friend, reading a good book, a clean smelling house, shoes shoes and more shoes (they don't even have to be for me), my sleeping baby boy all snuggled with his nankie, a warm day in North Dakota in the winter....oh and the list could go on and on and on.

So lets talk about this phrase "tickles my fancy". There are many definitions. So ill list some for you. One definition: something that is appealing to you. The second definition: to enjoy, adore, or be satisfied by something. The third definition: something amusing, entertaining, or stimulating to someones imagination in a favorable manner. In a way aren't these all the same exact thing?? In most cases life in general tickles my fancy, another day is something appealing, enjoyable, amusing, and entertaining in my opinion.

So where does the term "tickles my fancy" come from?? It was originally meant to touch someone in a sensitive place as to provoke laughter, and it is technically a verb. Now doesn't it seem that we have gotten away from its origin a bit?? Most of the time tickles someones fancy has nothing to do with laughter whatsoever.

Anyway Happy Valentines Day to you from me, May you tickle someones fancy today!!

A quote and completion of day 5

I saw this quote posted on facebook the other day by a very dear and longtime friend. I repeat it here because it speaks revelations to me! "Life is not ideal so be prepared to adjust; people are not ideal so bare with them; relationships are not ideal so be tolerant and willing to forgive". This is from the book "Life is not ideal, Deal with it" by Michelle M. Russell, now I have not actually read this book but I have purchased it for our kindle fire because it looks like it could be a very good read! I'll give you a review when I finish it up!

Now back to this quote. This quote speaks so bluntly to so many situations that I have been in over the years. It reminds us that we must adjust, bare with people, be tolerant, and forgiving. Now lets keep in mind that none of these actions that I just mentioned are easy tasks to complete. Nevertheless life can be that much easier in some cases when we find the strength within ourselves to do exactly this. If you are anything like me it is very difficult to bite your tongue; never mind actually admit that I am wrong. These are characteristics of myself that could use some adjustment and my husband is often too tolerant and forgiving and always bares with me! Funny how that works huh?? I need to do the adjusting but he manages the other 3 with ease on a daily basis.....my husband is no saint but it seems that it's time for me to do some self evaluation. Sometimes I really surprise myself where these posts actually end up!

If anyone is interested in reading this book it can be purchased on amazon.com for .99 cents electronically, here is the link!

Day 4 = Favorite book

Day 4 of this challenge gets a bit complicated because honestly I have a few favorite books. I really enjoyed the Harry Potter series, and then there is the Twillight series, and the I absolutely fell in love with Emily Giffin's Somingthing Borrowed and Something Blue books. So now I have to make the call.

I really think my favorite was Breaking Dawn, the last book in the Twillight series for the time being. The author says there will not be another book but I dont want to give up hope just yet. I really dont care for the way that Breaking Dawn left me hanging but I guess there is always hope for another book.....

The movie that was created for this book was good but a complete upset since they cut so much out of it but lets hope that part 2 is better!! Oh but back to the book, I know for sure that everyone is screaming, tell me more about Renesmee!!!!

Day 3

So today is Day 3 of The 30 Day Tumblr Challenge. The challenge of the day is favorite television program. I have many favorite television programs but the one that I have been hooked on lately is One Tree Hill and sadly it is in its last season ;(

 I actually completed a marathon of One Tree Hill seasons on Netflix so that I could catch up to the current and last season on tv! It is a great show but I have many complaints about the last few seasons. For me it seems that the main characters in the first couple of seasons have basically been removed from the storyline, they are sometimes mentioned but never shown and sadly I feel they had the best story to be told!!! Anywho so that will be the end of my ramblings for the day and I will go ahead and post a link to the preview of the last season for your viewing pleasure!

LINK TO PREVIEW OF THE LAST SEASON

Day 2 of the Challenge!

So today the challenge is telling your readers your favorite movie and why. So here goes, my favorite movie would have to be Letters to God. This movie touches my heart. Someone so young is faced with having to be so grown up. Yet that little boys faith is much stronger than most people I know. Wish more people would see this movie and follow that little boys example. When Coleman (my son) gets older I really think I will teach him to write down his prayers and mail them to God!


Anywho here is a link to a clip from the movie

Check this out friends!!

GIVEAWAY!!!

http://beautifuljourneyblog.com/2012/02/kelly-moore-bag-giveaway/#comment-14638

Something New - Here is Day 1

Ok so today I found this challenge and I am going to do this challenge on my blog for all of you’re to complete also or just follow along with me! So you can comment everyday or you could start your very own blog. I might get a bit off track which may mean two posts some days, but I will try not to get off track!

So Day 1 is today and the challenge is your favorite song, so lately my favorite song is Martina McBride's song "I’m Gonna Love You Through It". Every single time I hear this song it brings tear to my eyes, this is exactly how a relationship should be and if for some reason something like this every happened to me I know my husband would be the man this song speaks of :)

Link to song and video

The-30-day-tumblr-challenge

Is it for always or for now?

So last night I got a text message that sealed the deal for this post. She is a beautiful amazing and talented women but every so often she let's someone in and they take advantage of her kindness and understanding. Who all has been there??

In every relationship there is a breaking point where you just have to say I have had enough and I am done! Given there are many types of relationships whether it be a friend, child, spouse, fiancé, boyfriend, or family member! Each person has a point in which they have been crossed and its beyond fixing! Obviously this may happen a million times with your child and you forgive them but with other adults it's just not that simple!

Relationships are challenging and sometimes the people on the receiving end just take advantage over and over again. Someone wise said fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, and this is so true! In uncommitted relationships there is only so much that you can expect of a person to understand before they say screw it! There is no harm in throwing in the towel when you have tried and tried and the same result always comes and expecting it to change in most cases is a waste of time.

Everyone has someone out there that is perfect for them, I know this for sure because I know god didn't put us on this earth to be alone! That search is hard and often tiresome though! I have been married for 3 years and I have thought I had reached my breaking point many times only to find that god gave me the strength to stand by the commitment I made to my husband, but that doesn't mean that one day he won't do something unforgivable that I can't move past! 


That doesn't mean that every relationship is granted that much strength, there is a reason it ends! You must continue on your journey to that person who completes you! That person is completely worthy of you, excepts you for who you are, and would never intentionally make you cry because of their bad manners!


So for those of you who have reached your breaking point, I am sure it is for good reason! Don't question it or let your heart be bitter about it! There are better things in your future! As for those of us who reach it time and time again and find a reason to make it work obviously there is a reason for that too, god has granted us the patience apparently!

Missing you too!

Sorry to those of you missing me this weekend! We will be back tomorrow for the whole week :)

How about a preview and something to think about, is there a breaking point in every situation?? Thoughts from you??, comments welcome....

There is no way to turn back time, but what if there was?

We can’t turn back time, but we can learn from the past. If you could change 1 thing about your childhood or past, what would you change? Now for some of us there may be more than 1 thing but you have to pick just one. For some they will choose to change a choice they made and others will choose to change something that happened outside of their control and others actually wouldnt change anything.

I can honestly say that I would not be the person that I am today without every single thing I have been through. Each thing has shaped me to be the wife, mother, daughter, and friend that I am today. I may not be perfect and I obviously make mistakes but everytime I think about this question the first thing that comes to mind is having my mother in my life again even if she had been gone for all of these 13 years instead of dying. I very well may be a very different person if she were still alive but I dont think it would be for the worst.

Given there is no way to turn back time and have my mother back in my life, no matter what I do she will have always passed away almost 14 years ago. Though I honestly am ok with the way things turned out for me. I have a beautiful family, a roof over my head, a college degree, and a support system like no other. So since I can't change this one thing, I really dont think there is anything else I would have done differently. Each decision I have made may not have been the right one but it is the decision that got me where I am today and this place is somewhere that I am happy with and very proud of myself. I feel my mother would feel the same way, ok well at least I hope she feels that way!

So here is my challenge to you. Comment one thing that you would change if anything at all and why?? Im interested!

This blog post was inspired by Lisa Graf
Photo credit to http://artsytime.com

Impossible??

Create an inspiring post based on this quote: “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt. What is something you’ve done that you thought you couldn’t do? Write a post to inspire others to try what they think is impossible, too


I myself was inspired this morning by this quote. Have you ever done something that you thought was impossible, unimaginable, and even scary??


Almost 3 years ago I married the man I love but that also came with a huge move and a big change for life as I knew it. I can't say I was scared but I had my doubts for sure. I moved 1600 miles away from everything I had even known with my car packed full, and only my new husband and my pup, Lucy! The trip to North Dakota from Virginia was exciting but as we hit the North Dakota state line reality set in and I panicked! I actually cried over my Quiznoes sub because they made it wrong. We ended up spending two weeks in a very sketchy hotel room bc the temporary lodging gave away our pet friendly room :( So 2 weeks later we finally got things straight, and if during those two weeks you had asked me how long my marriage would last I would have said days.....


Here we are almost 3 years later and we are happily settled into our home in North Dakota and hoping to be moving to another duty station soon, we have a beautiful 6 month old baby boy, 4 dogs, and a very special kitty! Who would have known?? I have come to love the North Dakota skies and have even acclimated to the very chilly climate! So today I use this story to inspire you to believe that all things are possible with a little faith in yourself :)

What is your word of the year?

I was recently asked what my word of the year was, something I am striving to do everyday this year. So I have choose the word UNDERSTANDING and I strive everyday to be more understanding in every aspect of my life this year!


Now what exactly does that mean?? That means that when my husband does something that I cannot fathom I make my best attempt to remain calm and understand that it was something he felt he needed to do. When my son cries constantly all day bc he doesn't feel well I have to remind myself that frustration doesn't get me anywhere and that I have to understand that he is just a baby. When my animals bark and wake up my sleeping child that doesn't feel well I have to find a way to understand that they are just animals!!!


Now did I say this was an easy task?? No I did not! From personal experience I can tell you that it is very difficult but that there is nothing more rewarding than a more understanding and harmonious home!!


Now let me challenge you to choose a word that you want to strive to apply to your daily life and find a few examples in your daily life that could apply! You may be surprised how good it makes you feel :)