New Beginnings

This morning I woke up to birds singing and the sun shining.... Could it be? Is Spring *thinking* about coming? (I know, the thinking process will probably be a month and a half long or more, but I can hope, can't I?)

The singing birds and bright sunny morning got me thinking about new beginnings. The fresh new start Spring offers is one of the reasons I love that season so much. I started thinking about all the changes we are going through in our lives... Our "new beginnings" if you will. J is back on second shift (he was moved to first for four weeks - *sidenote: That move had its own blessing despite the upset to the schedule and the lack of any overtime at all for the four weeks.... Those weeks were the exact same weeks that the bro, sil and little man were home on vaca from Italy. And our "time change" meant that the kids and I could go to W-town with J and spend the day with my family at my parents house while everyone was up! Had he still been on second shift, those visits would have been far more complicated. end sidenote*) and that move makes our life a little easier, although, this week we are definitely getting used to late nights and late mornings again... Retraining the kiddos.... 9:00 a.m. IS too early to get up.

Another change being made around here is me. Well, more specifically, I am embarking on a lifestyle change. It is NOT a diet. It is a "retraining" of my (mostly head, I think) body to eat enough.... Some days, "enough" means "more" and other days, like yesterday, it means "less". I used to scoff at those (well, really scoff is a strong word.... snicker and then say "no way!! Couldn't catch me counting my points!!!!") who chose this method... But really, the more I have watched, the more I have seen it work. And, I have finally accepted that I do not have my 16 year old metabolism and the ability to eat six hot dogs, buns and condiments included, and remain at the same "anorexic" weight. (*No, I was never anorexic... That just is how my body at 5'7" and 110-115 lbs was often described.) Hey, back then I TRIED to put on ten pounds.... Had I been a couple inches shorter, that weight would have been fine, but..... Oh well, I'm digressing AGAIN. Now as I am cruising toward 30 at the speed of light (that's how it feels anyway), I am finding that those ten pounds I so coveted twelve years ago have FIRMLY attached themselves to my body, plus a *few* friends, and they WILL. NOT. LET. GO. It is very disturbing. I've been watching my sil (no, not that one, one of the other ones... from the other side) and she has "joined up" and is doing a fantastic job of counting points and is gradually and steadily losing weight. Very good for her. I'm very proud. S, if you ever read this, high five. Good job. Sorry, I keep getting slightly sidetracked. Moving on.... So I've watched her, and realised, if she can do it, I can do it. And if it works, what is there to lose? (Uh, besides the weight.) So I called her up and told her to give me the low down. She helped me figure out my point scale and allowance and helped me figure our how many points I had just eaten for breakfast that day.... Two. Twenty-one to go. Crud.......... If you don't eat ENOUGH, your body is in starvation mode and it will store every ounce of fat you eat and start burning up your muscle. Ew. Can't have that. So THAT day I tried really really hard to reach my points. I actually had to *force feed* myself a small bowl of ice cream. Oh, the horror. Now, YESTERDAY, on the other hand, was a COMPLETELY different story...... For lunchsupperdinner, I blew all 23 points. In. one. meal. One serving (portions are important here, folks) of spaghetti, two meatballs and sauce with grated cheese on top and a slice of garlic bread. All my points. Gone. I almost cried. In fact, I might have... I can't completely remember... I kind-of blocked out that day from my memory... Thank God for those 35 flex points a week. All of that potentially over-share to say, I am making a change. I cannot do it completely on my own. And, while I am jumping head first into the points counting and portion watching, I am not attending "the meetings." (Heresy, I tell you.) First of all, they are on Monday nights, and I am still in class for EMT training on Mondays, and plus each week (going to the meetings) costs $12, and what can I say... I'm being cheap. So my "support group" is you... I vent, share, rejoice, cry, whatever, and, if you want, you read. :) Otherwise, skip that post.

But back to my thought track this morning, listening to the birds. Spring brings fresh starts and new beginnings. I am in a fresh start.... But fresh starts aren't limited to Spring, different schedules at work or lifestyle changes. Every morning we have a fresh start. A new beginning. God's grace grants us that.... What are you going to do with your fresh start today?

The Way to My Kids' Hearts

If the way to my husband's heart is through his a) stomach b) three wheeler c) motorcycle d) all of the above, (for the sake of THIS discussion, we will stick with the c) motorcycle -- or maybe that's the way to MY heart??), then the way to my children's hearts is definitely through their very own motorcycles as well.

On Saturday we ignored our knock-you-flat-out-and-make-you-wish-for-the-raptureRIGHTNOW-week- long-sickness and started with a fantastic lunch with good friends and family. (Don't feel bad for the family.... they are the ones that shared the ..... sickness... to begin with.) Then we made our way to a hockey game (and if said family will get pictures of said game to me, perhaps there will be a post on that as well....) then off to shop for new motorcycles for very deserving and cute little children. The motorcycle shop intitally only had ONE bike and just about went to another city to retrieve it for us then found another, then realized that an employee had mismarked the second motorcycle.... By two hundred dollars. I love saving money that way. :) The manager of the store was nice enough to just say that her employee had messed up, congratulations to you, I owe you a large chuck of money and refund us the "overcharged" portion. Yay!!

T's bike is running,

daddy is prepping B's bike

and they are completely prepared to test them out. And also praying that God will send more weird warm Western NY weather our way so they can do some serious riding up in the gravel pit rather than try them out in head-to-toe-stay-warm-and-un-frostbitten snow gear up and down the road once. Hey, you have to start somewhere, though. Both adorable children have been found sitting on their bikes with wistful expressions on their faces. Wistful is better than devious. Safer, too, I hope.

Random thoughts...

... heard today over dinner with the in-laws (not to be confused with the outlaws):

*Disclaimer: Blog owner does not endorse or imply an approval of any particular comment made tonight. I just freely admit that I laughed my rear end off (too bad that isn't meant literally) and had tears streaming down my cheeks at various points over the course of our shared meal together.*

Yes, mom, I'm going to hire a prostitute.

There's too many fat people on this plane.

We're going to need more than a c-pap and ear plugs tonight.

I think I just lost five IQ points.

You're giving me a complex!

I don't get it, what's so funny??

Interesting....

J and I were just watching the History channel and heard an interesting quote:

"We (referring to the human race) are intelligent enough to save ourselves from an asteroid crashing into our planet, but we are not intelligent enough to save ourselves from ourselves."

Hmm.......... Um.......... Huh.

Knowing

Recently, J and I have been having conversations about things we just "know." No questions asked, no second guessing, just knowing deep down. There have been a handful of things that I have "known" recently, ranging from simple things like our tones going off that day (which has the department thinking I am "jinxing" them) to knowing and calling a particular person's action and reaction to something that was tossed in our laps recently. I started thinking about all of the times that I feel a certain way about something, whether it is good or bad, and I question myself. Is this just me? Is this just my thoughts or my opinions or is this God giving me insight on something? How many times does this happen to you? Do you ever meet someone and, normally you get along with everyone, but this person just really grates something in you? Do you question your feelings? "Is it just me or is there an issue with this person?" Then perhaps weeks or months down the road find out that the feelings you had about them or that situation but you couldn't explain were in fact right on the money? Sometimes it can be as absurdly simple as the little thought to cover that baby up so you don't get peed on and sure enough, 30 seconds later, you are getting peed on. Was that a "common sense thing" or a "still small Voice"? I have been praying for God to speak to me more and that I would have ears to hear His voice, but sometimes, I still question some of what I hear. I'm going to keep praying that too, and I am going to keep chasing after God and getting closer to Him. I'm also going to be quiet and listen more because He rarely uses a neon sign in the sky to speak to us. What are you going to do?

"God said, 'Go out and stand in front of the LORD on the mountain.' As the LORD was passing by, a fierce wind tore mountains and shattered rocks ahead of the LORD. But the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But the LORD wasn't in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire. But the LORD wasn't in the fire. And after the fire there was a quiet, whispering voice." 1 Kings 19:11-12 God's Word translation

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." John 10:27-30 NASB

(I really like this one) My sheep give ear to my voice, and I have knowledge of them, and they come after me." John 10:27 Bible in Basic English

"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Luke 14:34-35 KJV

And the Doctor Says.....

"I'm fit." HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...... Oh, sorry, did I get carried away there??

I had my .... annual.... physical (ok, ok, so it took seven years for me to go get it done, but I THOUGHT about doing it every year...... Isn't it the thought that counts???) yesterday and I was asked "do you know what your blood pressure is?" "Yeah.... 112/90 I think....." Nope. 98/60. Wow. Yep, I have a good pulse, not dying here.... Just "fit." To take my darling sil's response, *snort*. "Fit"..... puh-leeeeeeeze. Apparently the elliptical is working. Dr.'s advice to me.... "Don't stop using it!! It's working!!!" I guess so.... that or I was EXTREMELY stress free yesterday. *cough* *snort* *cough* Or not.

New Year, New Song

"Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.
The beasts of the field will glorify Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I have given waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My chosen people.
The people whom I formed for Myself
Will declare My praise."

Isaiah 43:19-21 NASB

Happy New Year.