Happy Birthday, baby brother!

Today I am wishing a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite baby brother, Landon! Today he turns 17 years old and I can hardly believe it. I remember when he was born. I was so excited to be a big sister after eight years of being an only child. I loved for my mom to bring him up to the Elementary School so that I could show him off to my friends. He was my real, live baby doll!

He may or may not want me to share this, but when he was a toddler his favorite movie was Toy Story. (That's not the bad part...) He also loved to dress in character for whatever movie he was watching, so when we'd put on Toy Story, he'd get out his cowboy boots (for Woody) and a baby blanket, which he proceeded to tie in a cape-like fashion (for Buzz Lightyear). And his favorite outfit was a diaper. That's it. Boots. Cape. Diaper. (Don't worry, we have pictures to prove it!) Things haven't changed much...tonight, at midnight, we will be some of the first to see Toy Story 3 in 3-D. Landon hasn't decided what he's wearing yet. :)

I love you, Landon Forrest, and I am so proud of the young man you have become! Happy Birthday, baby brother!

"...He will show you which path to take..."

Just when I think I have it all figured out, something happens in my life that turns everything upside down. This has always been the case, which is detrimental to a "planner" like me. I always have a "plan," a "goal," an "end result" in mind. Sometimes it works out, but usually, it doesn't. This morning while doing my routine Facebook checking, I came across a Bible verse my cousin posted: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Boy, oh boy, did this ring a bell. Ding! Ding! Ding! Got it. I'm working on it...

Avoiding the Blog & Moving Forward

I've been avoiding my Blog for a couple of weeks now. That is what happens when your heart is broken. You avoid life, you avoid moving on, you avoid the memories...But, it's time to pick up the pieces and move forward. I forgot how hard break-ups are. To put it simply, they suck, really. So I won't focus on that.

But, what I will focus on is that I am officially a Bobcat! Yes, you heard right, I have traded in the Mean Green for some cute, furry paws. (Ok, I still love my Mean Green...) I started Graduate School last week. I am pursuing a Master's in Public Administration and I couldn't be more thrilled about it. I have no idea how long it will take me (I refuse to "map" it out) but I know that in the end it will be worth it.

My life is a bit crazy right now. I go to San Marcos on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-10pm for class, Tuesdays I coach Lana's summer volleyball team, and Thursdays I play in a volleyball league of my own. Oh, and did I mention I still work full-time?! Crazy. Just crazy. Life has really thrown me in to a tornado lately, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Oh, except maybe the heartache. I could do without that.

I will try to stop avoiding the Blog. I was talking with my friend Amanda at work the other day about my lack of blogging, which she is guilty of, too! So maybe we can hold each other accountable. Look for a Blog very soon on Landon's 17th Birthday!

Baby, oh baby!

Speaking of naming babies...It seems like they are popping up (or out, rather) everywhere! Just yesterday two very important men came in to this world.

Yesterday afternoon Noah Thomas Mills (7 lb. 10 oz.) was born to my very dear friends Erin and Cullen Mills. He is absolutely perfect in every way! He has long fingers and big feet, so there's no doubt in his daddy's mind that he'll be a star receiver before we know it!

And, yesterday evening, Drake Aubrey Young Ballew (6 lbs. 10 oz.) was born to my cousins Jason & Kelly Ballew. He is their second, his big brother Julien will be two next week. I don't have pictures yet, but I'll try to post some soon!

Congrats to the new parents!

What's in a (baby's) name?

Please allow me to step on to my soapbox for a moment...


If you have spent even a small amount of time with me, chances are you have heard me ramble on about how irritated I get with people and the names they choose for their babies. I encourage everyone to pick up the book Freakonomics (Levitt & Dubner) and read Chapter 6: Perfect Parenting, Part II; or, Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet? It will really open your eyes to the fact that the name you choose for your baby will be with them for the rest of their life and it could have detrimental effects! This morning I came across the article Isabella top name for girls; Jacob No.1 for boys on Yahoo. It made me a little sick to think that the top names for children were copied from the popular Twilight series; however, at least Bella and Jacob are fairly common and no one will ever have to know that their parents were victims of the Twilight saga. The part of the article that really struck me, and that is usually my point is this: "don't make the name a burden on your child." Jennifer Moss, author of "The One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book" and founder of babynames.com also said, "Make sure the name can grow with your child and make sure they can live with it. Don't make it too cutesy because think, can it work in the board room? Can they be a CEO?"

I'm begging you, for my sanity (and your child's), please think twice before you name your child.

Pajamas at 5:30

On Sunday night I was playing volleyball, like I usually do. I dove for a ball, like I usually do. And when I got up, I said, "it's ok, I didn't need that hip anyway..." Again, like I usually do; however, this time was different. When I woke up on Monday morning I was suffering with severe back pain. Luckily there is a chiropractor that frequently offers his services to those of us that work for Children @ Heart. I called him up and said that I would like to come for a visit. I went Tuesday afternoon and he did an initial exam. He requested I come back yesterday morning at 8am for my initial adjustment. He also requested I come back tonight at 6:15pm to review my x-rays and discuss my plan for care. I'm too young for this!

But, I used this temporary injury to my advantage last night. I skipped yoga and I got home from work around 5:30pm and immediately put on my pj's and got in bed! I stayed there all evening and it was glorious! I watched the movie Up in the Air, which I highly recommend. I enjoyed ABC Comedy Wednesday with The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, and the final episode of Ugly Betty. I also watched Chelsea Handler on Chelsea Lately. I am so excited that tomorrow night at 8pm I will be seeing her in person with my wonderful friend Erin.

All-in-all I woke up feeling quite rested. Now if I can just get rid of this pesky back problem!

I almost forgot...

I have BIG news to report...

I completed my 50th workout last night! You might be saying to yourself, "50? That's it?" But that is 50 workouts in about 100 days. That's BIG for me. I am half way to my fitness goal of 100 workouts.

I must admit, I did slip once. I bought a blouse and a new pair of pants for work about a month or so ago...but I am happy to report that I bought a smaller size! If you're confused, you need to read My Non-Resolution Challenge.

It's paying off. Yoga, Cycling, Soccer, Volleyball, and Gym visits... 50 more to go!