Fitness Kick Update

I have decided to start taking a multi-vitamin. I think that will solve all of my health and fitness issues.

Also, I'm going to take a Vitamin C because a friend (shout out to Lauren) told me it would make the knot in my shoulder go away.

I'm combining this vitamin regimen with yoga and potentially some random Tae-Bo. I just need to pick up the DVD (shout out to Chelle).

Just thought you'd like to know how healthy I am these days. Happy. Definitely happy.

Made it!

Not only did we make it through the weekend, we enjoyed ourselves so thoroughly that I would consider doing it next month! I would consider it, but I think I would decide to stay home with my baby.

Anyway, the weekend at the Lake was relaxing, replenishing, fun, beautiful, and did I mention relaxing? Don't ask me what we did because I'll have to be honest and say absolutely nothing. That's right. We had no goals and accomplished nothing. Except, of course, for the fact that while we played Spades, the girls dominated by winning three of four games. Mind you, this hasn't happened since before we were pregnant! So, it's about time we got our game back.

We didn't get on a boat or go fishing or anything. We ate and played cards. Not a bad way to spend a chunk of time. Oh, we sat at the pool for a while too.

Here are David and Michelle. Relaxed.



Here are the four of us. Relaxed.



Sophia had a wonderful weekend at Grandmary's too! I am pretty sure I'll be spending a day or two reminding Sophia that the word "No" exists in the English language. She was very happy to see us tonight, in spite of that fact. So, I'm ready to start this week. If I can't get a good start to a week when I feel this relaxed, I have some trouble. So, wish me luck!

Two Nights

When Sophia wakes up from her nap, I am taking her to Grandmary's house to stay for (choking) two nights. The only other time we have left her for two nights was for our trip to New Orleans last fall. Something about two nights seems like an eternity. I am completely and fully aware that I am being ridiculous. But I'm just saying. I am going to miss my baby. Look at her!

We are going to the Lake with some friends to - well, to do as close to nothing as humanly possible. I think we will care for ourselves at some basic level, but we may just hope for the best. So, yes, I am looking forward to that like you wouldn't believe. I'm not going to spend my weekend pining for my almost-3-year-old. But if I shed a tear when I pull out of that driveway, don't judge me.


(In the picture, my eyes are closed because I'm Sleeping Beauty, and she is Prince Charming. She's kissing me to wake me up. See what I mean?)

Why I Posted the "Why I Blog"

Someone asked why I posted this yesterday.

Sophia told a joke or a story or something, and I thought, "Oh! I need to blog about that." An hour or so later, I couldn't remember what story I wanted to tell. Then I thought, "If I had blogged about it already, I would have remembered." Then I realized the whole point for my blog is to help me remember stuff.

That's why I wrote this down. Well, not really.

Why I Blog

I don't know if I've ever posted this before, and that's my point exactly.

The Creach Spot isn't for you. I love the fact that there are a few people who read this to keep up on our lives and enjoy hearing stories about Sophia. I especially love when people enjoy my writing. But that's not why I write this. I write this stuff down because I have the worst memory known to humankind for a person my age. Well, one without a good reason anyway. I try really hard to remember things. I do not use it as an excuse, even when it gets me into trouble.

My bad memory and retention is definitely the downside of my "La-di-da" personality. Most of the time it's terrific to be laid back. It serves me well and helps me keep my friends. However, considering the fact that I can see faces that I know (from childhood or last semester at church) and have no idea how I know them or who they are tells me I need to write stuff down.

The great thing that has happened as a result of writing this blog is that I actually retain more information - I think. Writing is definitely how I learned and studied in school, so it makes sense that writing helps me remember life, too. I have tried journaling before, which would theoretically have the same effect, but I end up getting distracted and either writing nothing or only half of something. So, I guess maybe this blog is about you after all! If no one was reading this thing, I probably wouldn't write it. So thanks for reading it!

Quick Trip

Sophia and I made a round trip to Illinois yesterday to see my grandparents. I have been missing them, and we can never seem to find a weekend that will work for that trip, for some reason. Not to mention Sophia's trouble sleeping in a bed other than her own. So I decided to put the DVD player in the van and head up for lunch and a little visit.

Sophia was very excited to see Granny and Papa and their dog Duke. We didn't have time to visit the cows because we were busy in the kitchen. Sophia and our cousin worked on making cookies for a long while. Since there was no holiday in sight, Grandma just found all the animal cutters she could find. They had a great time making chickens, pigs, elephants, donkeys, and more chickens.



I do wish that we lived closer so these visits weren't so few and far between, but it was definitely worth the time in the van. Sophia was a wonderful travel partner! This was the longest trip we've made without Erick, and she didn't complain one bit! She did cry for a few minutes because she missed her daddy, but then she started telling more stories. The DVD player stopped working when we were still two hours from home. I thought this would be a disaster. I was wrong. Sophia began quoting books and singing songs and we told each other fairy tales for the rest of the trip. Honestly, that was worth the entire trip right there. It was a really sweet time for me.

This was my view for the trip. Corn out the windshield. A princess in my mirror. Not a bad way to spend a Monday.

Another Saturday full of fun!

Erick's birthday was really a fun, fun day! It was full of activity but also very relaxing!

He wanted to start his birthday at the farmer's market for the fresh milk from the Mennonite stand. Sophia happens to love the milk too.



For lunch (after relaxing on Timbaz) we got Erick's favorite barbecue from Buckingham's. It's also one of Sophia's favorite places because they have blues over the sound system and fish in the pond. Note the Batman tattoo. Sophia chose Erick's birthday card based on the tattoos inside for her.



She also showed them to Daddy.




After more relaxation and some sleep, we got to celebrate another special guy's birthday. This is Blake. He was six yesterday.



All in all a really great celebration of my favorite person. Not a shabby way to spend a Saturday.

Happy Birthday Erick!

Today is Erick's birthday. Sophia and I have been looking forward to our chance to celebrate him all week! He's the one who works so hard to make our days at home together possible, and just shows up to make our evenings the very best part. We are really, really big fans.

Love you Erick

Electricity

We woke up this morning at 6 a.m. to no power. I wasn't sure Sophia was awake, but when I got close to her door, I heard, "Mommy?" softly. We don't always turn on the TV when Sophia wakes up, but if it's early we do. Not so this morning. I love electricity. I'm grateful for modern conveniences. Here's proof of my love.



I love the way you keep my house cool.
The power you send to Sophia's sound machine helps us all sleep soundly.

Food lasts much longer when you help preserve it.
So I don't have to cook as often or buy fresh food daily.
Not to mention the microwave. Ah - the microwave - provided by your faithfulness.
I am forever in your debt.

Sophia loves to watch Dora in the morning.
I love it when she does that, too.
Especially at or before 6 a.m.

I really like knowing what time it is.
That way I know when to eat my snack.
I also like coffee. I can't make (or heat up old) coffee without you,
and that sucks for all the reasons I already mentioned.

Showering and going to the bathroom just aren't as much fun in the dark.
Candlelight and open windows are great when it's cool,
but Electricity, you light up my life.

We had our electricity back by 8:30. Two and a half hours made me grateful. Imagine how I'd feel after a whole morning?! Just more groggy, probably.

Golf Pro

We spent the first part of the weekend in Springfield, visiting my mom and dad. We always hope to spend two nights, but because Sophia is a terrible sleeper at other people's houses, we never stay. (Suggestions are welcome) Anyway, Saturday was spent in a whirlwind of activity. Shopping, playing pool, eating, napping, chatting. We also made a stop at Erick's favorite Springfield establishment: Fun Acre Golf & Batting Cages. If you want to know where it is, we'll be happy to tell you how to get there. It's really a great place for little kids to play mini golf. It hasn't changed since Erick played it as a kid.

Sophia really enjoyed playing mini golf and actually focused and stayed closer than she ever has before. She seemed to really get the hang of having a golfer's mentality.

Dissatisfaction with a shot or hole location?



Doublechecking the placement of the ball:



Follow-through:



And finally, victory!!

Beautiful Mess

I am really amazed at how much I identify with the lyrics of this song. Sharp tongue. Crazy. A beautiful mess. Because of how much this captures my essence, I have to wonder if it doesn't capture the essence of every woman. I know I'm not the only crazy lovable bitch out there. Right?

At least I know how lucky I am to have found someone who loves to be submerged in my contradictions. Thanks Erick. And you're welcome. For what? Not sure, but I'm sure you'll let me know.

Girly

Sophia isn't exactly a girly girl - at least not yet. Her favorite thing is to get dirty and muddy. She can be a very scary dinosaur. She can be very loud when she so desires.

Every now and then, she lets her inner princess shine. I have been trying to get her to let me paint her toenails for a very long time. Just a few weeks ago, she finally agreed. On one condition. She had to paint mine first.

Here is her work in progress.



And here she is sitting patiently getting her toesies pink.



I love having a girl.

Smooth

Yesterday was my annual visit with my dermatologist. Ever since my bout with the skin cancer (read here), I have to have these little visits with Dr. Perry at least annually. What a highlight.

Anyway, somehow visiting the dermatologist is more awkward for me than visiting my lady doctor (and he's a man too). Let me give you an example. Yesterday, as Dr. Perry was checking me over for more spots, we're having some small talk, etc. He checked my back and said, "Your back is perfect." That statement wasn't awkward, and it would have remained so if I had responded with, "Good" or "Ok." Instead, I said "Thank you." Of course the doctor didn't say anything, but I wondered to myself if that was the response he was expecting. I realize he wasn't giving me a compliment, but then again I do have a nice back, so. . .

Clean bill, by the way. No more spots for now.

And another thing...

You know what else is just a number? Weight! Yeah, right. Anyway, this week I'm getting back on track for real. Eating healthy, working out - even if I can't make it to the gym and just being a little bit smarter.

I didn't weigh myself, though. I've found that the numbers don't mean anything in my mind. Can you tell that I'm not a numbers person? So this time, I decided to take a picture of myself - sports bra and shorts. All my summer of decadence glory. We'll see if that doesn't do the trick. No, I won't be posting it here unless I have a dramatic "after" shot to follow it. And since even my best shape is not really a dramatic "after" shot, I wouldn't get my hopes up.

Wish me luck. I'm really not going to be giving it too much thought - I hope. So don't plan on seeing too much more about it here. I promise not to bore you with the details of my headaches and grumpiness, but keep that in mind. Just thought I'd share yet another disdain for numbers.

Cliche' but true

It's my birthday. I was born on this day 29 years ago. I love celebrating my birthday. Although I don't feel bound by the day as much these days, I still like to celebrate the beginning of another year in my life. Fresh starts are my favorite thing.

Still, this blog is about the nothingness that is age. The only reason I almost didn't write this post is because I know that some of you with a bigger number will be tempted to say, "Well, you're only 29. Sure, it's nothing to you." But hear me out on this one.

My being 29 does nothing to increase my maturity, intelligence, wisdom or reliability. Nor does it make me a better friend, wife, mother, companion, confidant. Age does nothing for me. The only true benefit that age has to offer is that it gives us a timeframe for the usefulness of our bodies. Even that is more of a range than an exact science.

Maturity has nothing to do with age. I believe that the greatest factor in one's maturity is teachability. All humans have a rich life experience, whether an individual's life has had great or little drama, maturity is gained in our reaction and responses to it. Two people can experience the exact same event and come away from that experience with an entirely different story. It wasn't the event that created or destroyed maturity and growth, it was the individual's response. I'm not going to get into examples, but I hope you get what I'm saying.

I'm not going to get into a complete discussion of maturity, but I do know that a person with a high level of maturity can also possess a high level of child-like qualities. I think that is part of it. We all tend to get wrapped up in words. Immaturity and child-likeness are not necessarily related. What I mean by being more like a child is to have a higher level of freedom in enjoyment and a greater deal of confidence. If I could live life more like Sophia, I would exponentially increase my joy. Dancing in a fountain or making silly faces are not immature, but they are child-like. So to combine that freedom and confidence with what I have learned in responding to life, and I could have a great life at 29, with much of the wisdom and maturity of many people decades older.

Just so you know, this is coming from absolutely nowhere. Maybe I was hoping to feel more mature at 29 than I really do. I used to view threshhold from the 20's to the 30's as some sort of portal into adulthood. Imagine the anticlimactic realization that I've been an adult for a long, long time.

Wow, that was a long diatribe. Fortunately, it's my birthday, so you have to put up with it. Now that I think of it, it's my blog, so even if it weren't my birthday, you'd just have to suffer and respond accordingly.

The Cat

Some people say that their pets are like children to them. I can honestly say that Sophia is like a cat to us. That's because for the last four or five days, the first thing we hear over the monitor in the morning or after nap is . . . "Meow!" This typically lasts for at least thirty minutes into the day. I'm not a morning person. Have I mentioned that? That is part of the reason I don't have a real cat. So, while you may think it's funny or cute, imagine what it is really like to wake up to a 36'' tall cat pawing at your legs with a constant "Meow, meow, meow." Ugh.

She sometimes reverts to her feline ways throughout the day. That part actually comes in handy. When she isn't coming when it's time to go, all I have to do is crouch down and call, "Here, kitty, kitty!" Like a real cat, she just can't resist.

I was hoping the cat thing might actually help with beginning a potty training discussion, but she seems content to be the cat who wears a diaper. I'm not pushing that because, knowing her, she'd probably wind up asking for a litter box, rather than the toilet.

In the picture above, she is, in fact, being a cat. She was meowing and rubbing against the camera. . . .

Illness

I think I have been healthy too long. I have a sore throat and feel slightly achy, and you'd think I was suffering from some long-term illness. I'll snap out of it. I'm sure I'm just tired. Anyway, hopefully you can help keep me honest. Don't let me get whiny in my old age. Oh yeah, and I have a birthday this week. I'm working on a post for that. Just not sure I'll get it posted. After all, I'm very sick....