First Day of School

Today was the first day of the school year and this summer went by very quickly! The day started out a little stressfully but as I told the story to a couple of co-workers, I couldn't help but laugh. Brad almost got out the door without his backpack containing all his school supplies, Drew sent me a txt message about 10 minutes after he got to school that said, "I forgot my schedule. Can you txt it to me?" And I... accidentally set my toaster oven on fire! I popped an english muffin into the toaster and by the time it completed toasting, I walked over to the counter and saw flames coming out of the appliance!

My initial thought was, "Where's my phone?! I need to take a facebook picture of this." Then I thought, "I need to throw water on these flames!" But then I thought, "Wait. If I throw water on the flames, it'll ruin the toaster!" I ended up just letting it smolder itself out. Apparently something had fallen from a previous use and I didn't see it before I put the muffin in the toaster. Anyway, mess fixed, boys off to school and everyone had a wonderful day. Can't wait to see how this year unfolds!

Summer's Almost Over

And I have returned from my blog hiatus. It'ss been a ridiculously busy summer. I have worked non stop and spent a lot of time with the boys. We've gone to water parks, movies, grandma's house, great-grandma's house... it's been a wonderful summer and I've even enjoyed all 17+ days of triple digit heat! The boys go back to school on Monday so we've been working hard to get back onto a regular sleep schedule. Truthfully, I'm happy to be back into the swing of things. I have a lot to look forward to in the coming months and I especially love to see how the school year is going to unfold!

It's Summertime!

Well, Friday. The boys are out of school Friday and we're already on the go all the time. My parents are taking them to Iowa next week to visit our family and I'm a little upset that I don't get to go but c'est la vie. I have to work. I don't really have much of interest to say. I've done nothing but work. I am still alive and kickin, workin out a lot and just livin life. Thanks for your patience at my lack of blogging, readers. Soon I will post updated pictures (I'm going to Austin Friday).

I'm Still Here

Summer is on its way. I have been really busy. I've been working out quite a bit and have some amazing motivation for the first time in a long time! The boys are almost finished with school for another year; I will officially have an 8th grader and a 2nd grader. Where does the time go? Trying to plan a QUICK trip to Seattle for the wedding of one of my oldest friends (July 17). My parents and the boys are heading to Iowa next month to visit the fam and I'll have to miss out b/c I can't take the time off work. Not much else has been going on. I am working a lot. Still loving the job. Anyway, that's all I have for now. Sorry, boring post but I am still here.

Updates

I'm a little late in posting these pictures and this video but better late than never. Drew turned 13 at the end of March and... being the completely "wonderful" mother that I am, we took him to Hooters to celebrate. I know, I know. But hey, the girls aren't naked, he wasn't drinking beer and we had a really good time! I can't believe my oldest "baby" is 13. Time is going by way too quickly.






Also, Brad was baptized about a month ago. He accepted Christ as his Savior about a year ago after an extensive discussion about Heaven and love for Jesus. I will never forget the way he told me that he'd professed his love for our Savior. He'd been playing a video game and all of a sudden, came to me and said, "Mama, I quietly asked Jesus into my heart." Here's the youtube video of his baptism.

I Can't Sleep

I'll admit I've slept really, really well for the last two nights and gotten up early to enjoy the day. This morning, however, I am still awake at 3. What is that? I guess I've just had a lot on my mind lately. Mostly daydreams and thoughts of things I want to do with my life but every day goings on as well which I will not discuss on this blog.

*My weight's been on my mind a lot lately. A lot. I have stopped my figure training and put that dream on the back burner. Not because I don't think I can do it--I know I can. There are just so many factors that have made it an impossibility at this time in my life. It makes me really upset because I've been dying to do it for the last 2-3 years now. I am not eating right when I do decide to eat and it's a vicious cycle of bingeing (binging?). I have completely warped my body by not eating at all or over-eating. I hate what I see when I look in the mirror and there are times when I don't look at myself in the mirror at all. Sometimes I wish that cutting the fat off my body were as easy as cutting the fat off meat. It's a daily, sometimes hourly frustration for me.

*I wish I could travel. I wish I didn't have to stay in one place all the time. I could die happy a year from now if it meant I could travel the world. There are so many places I want to see and I have wanderlust like you wouldn't believe. My personality is such that I get bored easily with everything. There are very few things I've done in life (I don't like admitting) that I have actually followed through with. The best way I can explain it is this--once I've gotten all I can out of an experience and once I've learned all I can, I know it's time to move on. I don't mean that to sound like I'm a bitch, it's just the way I'm wired. Always moving on. Do I really want to live in TX for the rest of my life? Will I be content not having been able to do what I want or see the places I want? No. I have to see the following places in the US: Boston and Salem, Mass; Portland, OR; NYC, Maine, Nantucket Island, Seattle (again), Washington DC and I want to see the following places in the world: Vienna, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Poland, and Bavaria.

*I really like the person I am at 30. The 30-year-old Marissa is headstrong, (somewhat) confident and doesn't need to be around anyone 24/7 to be happy. I understand that I need time with friends, time for myself, definitely time with the family and I am smart enough to know that I cannot and will not make any one person my entire life; I don't want to be anyone's entire life either. I am through asking for permission to live my life. I have one shot at this whole existence and I don't want to wake up tomorrow, 50 years old and with regrets. That being said, do I regret anything to date? No. Every challenge I have faced has been an enormous opportunity for mental and spiritual growth. We live and learn every single day and I am. I have. Sometimes I get a little disheartened because I have such a zest for life--I want to live my life as an exclamation rather than an explanation and right now I just don't feel like I'm reaching my potential. Talk about an epic frustration! There's no worse feeling knowing you want something but you can't reach out and grab it.

Anyway, that's what's going on in my full and racing brain lately. So much thinking, so little action being taken...

You Can Fly

I'm so happy I've had time to blog a lot lately! I haven't had much of anything to say, but it's nice to be able to unload random thoughts and events that are swimming around in my head. I've mentioned before that I love when I fly in my dreams. Last night I had one of the coolest flying dreams I've ever had. I don't read much into these dreams but there's such a sense of freedom associated with the flight. There's no fear and such an exhilaration; those dreams make me so happy.

In the dream, my parents and I were on a ride at an amusement park and it was a very, very high ride. We were on this wooden beam that was completely open and our only security was a leather belt that we fastened around our waists. We straddled this beam and fastened the belts and as soon as the ride began to move, we were airborne on this beam and the sky turned dark like night. The stars were so bright and it felt like we were high enough up to be able to touch them. We dipped all over the sky and I saw some wonderful things. Large sculptures, brightly lit in vibrant colors--purples, hot pinks, yellows and deep greens. One of them was a large arch with flowers and vines carved into it. When we came upon that archway, the beam dipped low over a black body of water. We were low enough for me to be able to lean back and look up at the stars while skimming my fingertips through the cool water.

The dream ended with us back on solid ground in a room like a movie theatre. It was if we had been in a virtual reality movie. I don't share my dreams often but I love to share my flying dreams.