Life

• so many possibilities
• full of promise
• full of change
• rapid in it's pace
• subjective
• fulfilling
• disappointing
• varied by perception
• unpredictable
• spectacular
• surprising in it's gifts
• gives back what is put in
• passes by whether you participate of not
• provides infinite lessons for those willing to learn

The Beach

I am fascinated that my husband made more friends in one year at UNC- Pembroke than I did in 4 years at UNC-Charlotte. We are at the beach this weekend for Pea-Dad's fraternity beach weekend and it is BEAUTIFUL. We have an awesome ocean front room for a great rate. One snag, Cole is not a big fan of the beach. I hadn't really thought too much about it, but this is Cole's first visit to the beach since he was a baby. As soon as the sand hit his bare feet, he started crying. Whose kid is he??? Pea-Dad and I both love the beach and hope to someday have a house at the beach. I love putting a low chair right at the edge of the ocean and letting the water hit my feet while I soak up the sun. I like the wet sand squishing through my toes and I like making sand castles. It's just so foreign to me that he doesn't like it. He has spent the bulk of his time with Pea-Dad in the indoor pool while Clay and I have been out on the beach.


Tonight is a big shrimp boil which I can't wait for. NOT! I am not a big fan of shrimp, but the corn on the cob and the potatos should be good. We will most likely leave early afternoon tomorrow, so I am going to try to get up early and soak up the beauty of the beach.



Caution, random thought. Why don't people talk a whole lot about how hard it is to be a parent? Are people ashamed to admit that being a parent isn't always a blessing or a joy?? I think there should be classes in high school and/or college that teach patience, sacrifice, creativity and organization in parenting.

Embrace Change

Embrace change is a phrase I believe my mother taught me and it has served me well. Through out my life I have referred to this phrase often. My work environment is changing, people have been let go, positions have been moved around. Although I feel that I adapt to change well, I still have a headache. Change can be stressful. I joked with my boss recently that I am working on developing a hard outer shell. I am know as the emotional one, which I don't think is a good perception for people to have of me. It is however, who I am. I am an emotional and empathetic person, maybe sometimes to a fault. Although I don't think I want this to change, I do want to do a better job of controlling those feelings at work. We'll see what happens...

Post Easter

A nice Easter weekend has come and gone with only one causality. Poor Coley took a face dive on Sunday and now looks like he went 12 rounds with the pavement. We went to church on Sunday, had a spaghetti dinner (yes, I cooked) and colored Easter eggs.

Now, on to Gratitude....Cole is in the midst of potty training and it is going OK. He is having some number 2 accidents and it has been a bit frustrating. I have not shown my frustration to Cole, but it has me worried. He moved to his new room at school yesterday, so he is now in the red room. His teacher does not seem to be worried about the potty training, so I am trying to have a relaxed attitude about things. I called Dr. Morton's office yesterday and talked to Kathy the nurse. She said that what Cole is experiencing is completely normal for Hirschsprung's patients. The mind body connection is usually not in place until about 4 years old. So, I am trying not to lump him in as the same as all other kids but I also want to know what to expect. This brings me to Gratitude. Mentally I am trying not to spiral into a worry pit about what Cole is going to have to go through. The nurse mentioned that some kids that start school with this problem have to have an enema every night so they don't have accidents at school. Again...spiraling. This is when I really need to have a grateful mind and heart. When did I lose sight of the fact that he no longer has a colostomy bag. I am grateful for every bit of poop that comes out of the right spot. Grateful mind and grateful heart....always!

My Nike + Challenge

I LOVE my latest gadget. I bought a new pair of Nike's and they have a sensor in the bottom of the left shoe. I then take the partner to the sensor and plug it into my iPod Nano. Once I plug in the receiver, the Nike+ menu appears on my iPod and can track my running/walking workout. Once I am done, I plug my Nano into my computer and my workout is uploaded to the Nike+ website where I can track my progress. I HATE running, but this little gadget might just get me to run/jog on a regular basis. I even joined a challenge on the website to go 20 miles in one week. I started yesterday and completed 2 miles. I better get going if I am going to accomplish 20 miles by next Wednesday!

Check it out:
http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?sitesrc=uslp

Art that happens to be my life

This is the title of a 12 week online class that I just started today. I am so excited to explore my creativity in the class. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am on the verge. Of what you might ask, and I can not say. There are so many wonderful things going on in my life and I am trying to focus on those things instead of "sweating the small stuff". Here is a quote from my class that spoke to me today:

That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved. - Ralph Waldo Emerson