Good morning everyone!

I’m off to work with my mom today.  We are getting ready for an upcoming yard sale we are doing together in a few weeks.  I am feeling really great today.  I have had so much energy in the last couple of weeks.  Now with the racquetball I am getting some good cardio and I feel great.  I haven’t felt this good in years.  Sad huh? 

I have my two month check up on Tuesday.  I’m kind of excited about it since this is the one where they will release me to normal life.  Fingers crossed. 

For those of you who want to know, I have now lost 56  pounds.  Yesterday when we were working in the yard I wore my fanny pack with my Walkman in it for the first time since the surgery.  (Yep I still wear a fanny pack.)  I couldn’t believe it.  I snapped it and it fell off.  I was so excited I had to measure it.  I had to cinch the sucker 7 inches!  Can you believe it?

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We had a good one, but you can read all about it below if you want.  I just want to ask for your prayers really quick.  For silvernicks who is starting her new job today.  For sulimb who is still a bit sick but on the mend, however her husband just stumbled in the door with the same case of the cruds she has had for the last week.  Please pray for hisgatekeeper, my hubby, who is testing for tech in about three weeks.  Okay I think that is about it. 

And with that I will leave you with my thoughts and prayers.  Hope everyone has a great day.  This feels like a good week.  Like koffeekween said, two beginnings in one week.  Monday a new week and Tuesday a new month.  Take care everyone.

Oh yeah I know the song doesn’t fit the post but the sound of it does.  I used to love this song in high school so for me it screams happy hot summer days with the windows rolled down just cruising along the highway.  Happy days. 

Courtney

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Well we have finished working on the front yard.  It took two days, a lot of blisters, broken finger nails, sore feet and hands, and a lot of hard work but we got it done.  We really love doing yard work but we haven’t had a chance in the last few months between my surgery and all the rain so this was really fun and oddly relaxing.  I promised I would post before and after pictures but it is just going to be after, I forgot to take some before.  Oh well.  Here you go.

Doesn’t Ryan look happy now that we’re done.  I love this pic since his head covers the huge junk pile on the side of the house waiting for bulk pickup day in two weeks.  Oh well you can’t have everything.

This is a side view of the house from the neighbors yard.

I took this picture just so you guys could see how massive the cactus in our front yard is.  It is called a Pipe Organ cactus and in the late spring and summer it gets these huge dinner plate size white flowers that bloom only at night.  I will have to take pictures for you in a couple of months.  This cactus has been here since this house was built and is now one of the largest in the state. 

This is my front entry way coming from the driveway.  I love having the raised planters.

This is what you see when you turn the corner in the pic above.  Ryan taking a break.

Here are a few of the boys being miserable since we don’t let them in the front when we are working.  Can you believe Yoda can get his whole head through the gate?  Actually last year he made it past his shoulders and then got stuck.  I’m amazed he still does this.

Gandalf going Kujo on us cause he wants out.  Can you see those claws?  Yikes!

So there are the pictures.  We had a great time but are now pooped.  We are going to go play racquetball again just to loosen up our muscles and then its movie and nap time.  Hope all of you have a wonderful day talk to you tomorrow.  Or maybe later tonight.  We shall see.

Courtney

*EDIT 2*

Okay everyone I fixed the links.  Sorry about that.  I forgot and tried to link to my private page so it wouldn’t work.  Now it’s linked.  Sorry what a thing to do.  Give you a shameless plug then not let you get to it.  Whooops.

Hey everyone, did you know that I write movie reviews?  I don’t even know if any of you care but I do write them.  I figure with a husband who watches, loves, collects, and memorizes all things cinema I should at least make a record of what I do and do not like.  I have put a link for it in the My Story module off to the left called…… Did you know I write reviews?  Feel free to stop by and critique my critiques.  Just thought I would let you know.  Have a great night everyone.  Hope you all are having a rad weekend.  Oops sorry spillover from the movie I watched (and reviewed) tonight.  What was it you might ask?  Well guess you’ll have to click on the link to find out!  How was that for a shameless plug?

Courtney

*EDIT*

Okay can I just tell you how much I love being able to change the song with my mood or to fit my post?  I love it!  The song currently playing is in honor of the movie I have just mentioned above.  Don’t worry I saved the httm code for my three part classical and I will go back to it eventually but right now I am having a bodacious time with this!  Ooops another 80’s throwback!  Well now you know my dirty little secret I kind of sorta think the 80’s are AWESOME!!!!!!

*ANOTHER EDIT*

Okay so that was a blast.  How did I do you might ask?  Let’s just say Ryan and I have something else to laugh about now…….  Talk to you all tomorrow.

*EDIT*

Okay a day of physical activity it is.  I am now on my way to the park across the street where my wonderful husband is going to attempt to reteach me raquetball.  I am really excited.  It has been forever and I miss it.  The truth be told though I think he only wants to teach me so he can practice often enough that he can beat my dad when they play.    Well off I go to break something…..  Have a great night everyone.

Okay I’m changing the song again, as I’m sure you’ve already noticed.  Here’s why…….

I woke up this morning to a beautiful day.  At first I was a little upset because this was the day the construction was supposed to start and it would have been the perfect day for it, but I decided to take my own advise from yesterday and  I changed my mind. 

Today I am going to garden.  It has been along time now since I was able too and so I have decided to take my husband to Home Depot get some plants and tackle my yard.  I am really excited about it.  It is one of my favorite things to do.  I have raised planters that need new seasonal flowers.  I missed rose planting season last year and there are a few spots I am just dying to put rose bushes in.  I have a tree that needs replacing.  I need a rose vine for a trellis in front of my house and a few of my planters need replacing. 

While I am doing all of that my husband is going to clean out and wash both cars and maybe do some reorganizing of the tool shed and garage.  We have decided to take this day which started off as disapointment and turn it into opportunity.  I can’t wait to get my hands dirty.  I think I may be brave and even plant a few bulbs this year.  I have some hybrid red and gold tulips I have been saving for just such a day as this…….

Hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend.  I am going to post some before and after pics a little later.  Thank you all for you encouragment and for your friendship,  I know I have been a bit of a bum lately but things are going to look up whether on their own or if I have to force them…… lol Everyone take care and enjoy your weekend. 

And so without further ado….. IT’S MY LIFE, IT’S NOW OR NEVER……..

Courtney

So this is my song of the day.  I have told you before that I will make peace when peace is needed and make war when there is need for that.  I am sick and tired of being beat down in life by all the little things that happen.  Sometimes I can focus so completely on the little things that happen (and don’t matter) that I lose sight of the things that truely need my attention.  So today, this is my song. 

Bring on the Rain.

Another day has almost come and gone
Can’t imagine what else could go wrong
Sometimes I’d like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost but not the war (‘cause)

Tomorrow’s another day
And I’m thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

It’s almost like the hard times circle ‘round
A couple drops and they all start coming down
Yeah, I might feel defeated,
I might hang my head
I might be barely breathing – but I’m not dead

Tomorrow’s another day
And I’m thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

I’m not gonna let it get me down
I’m not gonna cry
And I’m not gonna lose any sleep tonight

Jo Dee Massina and Tim McGraw

So what happened today you might ask?  Just what I said, nothing important.  You have heard me grouching the last few weeks about the rain we have been having and how it has delayed a home project that we have been planning for for almost a year.  We finally had the money for it and it was delayed by rain for three weeks.  So tomorrow was supposed to be the first day, and the weather is beautiful, no rain.  I have been so excited all day.  Then I got the call that our contractor is backing out of the job due to some isues at work.  Not his fault, just life, no problem we hadn’t given him any money yet.  It’s just frusterating.  So now we are back to square one and have to find another contractor and I really don’t think we are going to be able to find one for as low as this guy was.

There are other little furstrations that have been rearing their ugly little heads.  We have been planning a camping trip with my grandparents for the last two months.  It is in two weeks and we have been so excited about it.  I have been the kind of excited that makes the time creep by.  I feel like a kid getting ready for Disneyland.  We replaced some of our old camping gear and bought an air mattress.  We haven’t had a good camping trip in over a year and this would be the first one in years that I would be feeling good and have enough energy to take hikes and just have fun.  Today I got the call.  It has been cancelled due to our record breaking rain.  Lake Alamo is full and the washes are so full that the acess to the lake is all but cut off.  We are going to still go out to the White Tank Mountains about an hour from here but it won’t be the same. 

There are other things.  Too many to name.  Too insignifigant to talk about.  For example my new fish tank has a problem and I have lost half my fish.  My whole computer has crapped out in peices so I have reformated a total of five times in the last four weeks and we have spent way too much money replacing parts and upgradding.  My dog has an ear infection.  A thousand little things and nothing at all.  Just life.

So here is the deal.  I am sick and tired of letting these little things get to me.  I am a woman capable of making war.  God has given me strength, might, and a very strong will.  I will not stand here, a strong woman fully clothed in armor ready for a battle and let a few chigger bites bring me to my knees.  Like the song says “A single battle lost, but not the war.”  I am not gonna let all this junk bring me to my knees.  I will not.  I am going to move on find another contractor and smile.  I am going to go to the White Tanks and have the time of my life.  More mountains to climb anyway.  I will medicate my tank and replace the fish I have lost.  So I spent the money, the computer is better and faster now anyway.  I will buy meds for the dog.  I will deal with it.  I refuse to let these little thing ruin anything for me. 

So what it really comes down to is this.  I am being attacked.  I have been fighting off the attacks for years I think the devil just figured out that the big stuff won’t shake my faith so he is using the little stuff to distract me so here is my attitude….

Tomorrow’s another day
And I’m thirsty anyway
So BRING ON THE RAIN!

Good morning everyone.  Hope everyone is doing really good and you all are feeling better.   Seems like everyone is sick lately.    There is not too much going on in life lately. 

It is raining again.    Crazy weather for Phoneix, Arizona.  Just to give you an idea of how bizare this is.  The 30 year average rain fall per year in Phoenix, AZ is 8.14 inches.  We have been in a drought and last year our total rainfall was 7.14 inches.  So far this year in January and February we have had 4.75 inches.  More than half of our average rainfall in two months.  So far this year we have surpassed Seattle in rainfall.  This time last year they were saying that one more year of this drought and we would be on water rationing for the next five years.  This moring they were showing pictures of the mountains right here in the city and they are so green it looks like pictures of Ireland.  Amazing.  As much as I have been gripeing about the rain because it is delaying the construction on my house,    I am so grateful.  We needed this so badly.  We have forcasted rain every day this week except for maybe Saturday and Sunday this week.  (Fingers crossed)  They are saying that as of right now there is no end in sight for this pattern of rain.  God is just pouring out on this city after so long.

Last night my husband and I got into bed and turned on the news.  Normal nightly routine.  Then Ryan looks at me with this horrible grin on his face.     I asked him what was up.  (To be honest the look was a bit scary in the dark.)  He didn’t say a word just started tickling me.  Of course the only recourse was to tickle back we ended up having a half hour long tickle war.  We were laughing so hard that at the end of it my stomach hurt so bad and my face felt worn out from smiling.  The unfortunate part of this little war was that at the end of it I was wide awake but Ryan fell right to sleep.  So I was laying there awake listening to my husband snore and I started thinking.  We laugh so much in our marriage   no matter how much we have been through there is always laughter.  We are so blessed and so happy.  I was looking through some pictures this morning and found this one of us when Ryan came home from Germany last year.  This is a typical picture of us.  We love to laugh. 

I think that this is one of the ways we have made it through all that we have been through.  I think we have somehow found a way to live by my father’s words of wisdom at our wedding.

“May your life be filled with the three F’s.  Faith, family, and fun.  May your faith be as strong fifty years from now as it ever was, may you always remember that you are a family and stick together, and may you never forget to laugh and have fun.”

Now looking back I realize that these three things, in this order have been my strength through it all.  My God   first and foremost, my husband second  , and our ability to have fun through all of it.  I am always saying on here, that life is in the journey and not the destination.  Last night I began to realize just how true that is.  If we had gone through all we have been through without laughter what would have been the point?  If you life and have no joy in it what are you truly accomplishing in life?  If I die tomorrow and never hold a child in my arms I will always have had this wonderful, and truly joyfull, five years with a man I love completely.   

Okay so my post about rain took a little turn.  I have tried to catch up on all of you.  I hope you are all feeling better today. I have changed my song for the day.  (Don’t worry Tammy I will bring back the classical later. )  This was mine and Ryan’s early marriage song.  Still makes me give an “ah sweet once upon a time memories” sigh and my heart beats a little faster.    The thing that’s cute is that he picked this song because of my hair.  It’s so long when we are in bed it gets all over his face.  He wakes up choking on it.  The guys at work pick these huge long hairs off his uniform and he says he won’t walk on the carpet barefoot no matter how much we vaccum because there is a chance my hair will get tangeled around his toes.  (And you wonder why I don’t really mind having a dog that sheds.  I already had to sweep everyday anyway.)  Pretty romantic reason to pick a love song huh?  I love my husband. 

Courtney

Hey everyone,

Sorry it has been so long it has been an interesting weekend.  The computer crashed again.  This time it was a problem with the hard drive which as far as I know has now been resolved and we shouldn’t have any more problems.  So this booger is up and running again for good this time (here’s hoping)  Thank you all so much for your comments about my house.  I didn’t intend to leave that as the top post for so long but I’m glad you all like them.  

For those of you who asked me.  Yes I have thought about doing interior decorating however, there is schooling involved.  I like the decorating part but not the background stuff so really I am content with doing it for myself and helping with friends and family when I can.  There are so many things that I like to do but when I think about turning them into a career it takes the joy out of it for me.  The other thing I do is mural painting.  I specialize in kids rooms and nurseries.  I love doing them and I do work for money once in a while.  I know I have mentioned this before and some of you have asked what I do exactly so I’m going to post a few pictures.  These are of my sister in laws room when we first got married.  It is a beach scene that goes from day to night.  All the stars glow in the dark.  It was a lot of fun to do.

This is the day side.

This is the fade from day to night in the corner.  It’s weird the fade looks much better in person and there is no purple the pic is just old.

This is the night side.

The closet sunset.

Thats only one room.  There are other things I have done but I don’t have pictures of them.  I need to go get some though. 

The guy who is doing my door didn’t come this weekend.  Too much rain.  Next weekend God willing.  I would really love to get this done.  I don’t do well with the waiting thing.  Have you noticed?  Hope all of you are doing good.  Talk to you soon.
Courtney