A Date With My Favorite 6 Year Old

About a month ago Ada was invited to a friends birthday party at the water park in Grand Forks so Emily and I decided to have a little girls day. First we played Wii and then went out for pizza and ice cream at Happy Joe's. It was so fun to just get to sit and listen/talk with her. Being the youngest and quite timid, she doesn't get to be the center of attention very often.

We've Got Mail

When I was a kid I loved getting mail. It didn't happen very often but I would get very excited when it did. As an adult, getting mail has lost it's spark. Usually it's bills or junk mail. Nothing too exciting. However, since moving to Crookston we have gotten several care packages from family and friends back in the cities. It is always so exciting to find a box at the front door and to see the look on the girls faces when they see that it is for them.

So, if I have not said so yet to the people who have sent us fun things, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

A New Habit

According to several websites on the internet it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit.

Here is what I am going to do and I am bringing all 6 of my followers with me. I am going to form a new habit. What is it? Exercise. Why? Because I want to be healthier and be a good example to my kids.

I have realized lately that exercise has to be a part of my life. Not just a quick month or two to lose a few pounds but an actual part. This means that I have to form a habit of exercising.

Here is my plan. I have committed myself to exercising 6 days a week for 30-40 minutes a day (the Department of Health and Human Services suggests 30 minutes a day) alternating strength and cardio. I hate exercise but I will do this for at least the 66 days that is the average to form a habit. I started on January 4 (no this is not a New Years resolution. I don't believe in them) and I will be checking in periodically on my blog to let you know how I am doing.

Here is what I have done so far. As of January 4th I have worked out 10 times and have done a total of 400 crunches. I have also gone from barley being able to do 3 or 4 push-ups to doing 9. I know that might not sound like much but for me it is huge.

So, wish me luck. Keep an eye out for my updates and send me a message every now and then to keep me going.

The Happiest Place On Earth

Taking a family vacation has always been very important to Kelly and I. Every year so far we have gone to Disney World and every year we have just as much fun. The kids love it and every year we have managed to see or learn something new.

One of my favorite things about vacation is eating out every day. This year we wanted to try all new restaurants. Thanks to the World Showcase at EPCOT we where even able to eat in different countries. We had Moroccan, French, African and Greek/American. We also ate at a few American restaurants that were wonderful.

The weather was a bit cool for Florida but it was still much warmer than Minnesota. The girls got their faces painted, we did a family caricature, saw all of the Disney Christmas lights and just had a really good time hanging out together.

Happy Anniversary Golft Terrace Motel

January 1 marks the 1 year anniversary of us taking over the motel. It has been a year of growing pains. Some good, some hard, some funny. We have grown so much in the last year as people and as a family.

One of the biggest things that I think we have learned is that no matter how we try and control things God is the one in charge. We can try and tell him how to run our lives, give him our opinion on what we think is best, but in the long run it is all up to Him.

We have been so blessed by this little motel over the last year and every month (even the slow months) it has met our needs. We have met some very interesting and fun people as well as been able to help a few people in need.

I am so looking forward to what God has planned for us and the motel in the next year.

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of some of the things that I have been thankful for this year.

I am thankful for (in no specific order):

A loving God who always knows what is best for us even when we think we do.
A motel that provides our family with everything we could ever need.
Kids that make me laugh every day.
A husband that gets my weird sense of humor.
A house that got re-sided and re-roofed right before we bought it.
Family that has supported our crazy adventure here in Crookston. Even if the support was after a bit of, "Huh? You're doing what?".
Kids who are very well behaved, smart, independent, creative, loving, funny, caring, generous. . . . . I could go on forever.
My dogs.
Plumbing that works and great water pressure in our old house.
A husband who can fix above said plumbing.
Radiators that keep our old house warm.
The snow falling outside right now (it is beautiful!).
Old friends, new friends, and future friends.
Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino Light. I know that is a weird thing to be thankful for but I really am.
A dry basement.
Thunderstorms.
Faith. Without faith I would have nothing.

My Sister, My Therapist, My Friend

I have been blessed to have one of the most beautiful, talented, fun, caring sisters. If not for her advice to "stay calm" I would be in a hospital right now curled up in a ball crying (that's where her therapist side comes in).

My sister and I did not always get along. She was the older sister who I looked up to and wanted to be just like. I was the little sister who annoyed her by using the phone in her room and stealing her sweaters.

We only shared a room until I was 3 and then after that our parents made sure that we had our own space. However, when we had guests spend the night (grandparents or friends staying from out of town) then we were forced to share a room for the weekend. One of the things that my sister loved to do to me during our sleep overs was scare me. As soon as mom tucked us in and turned out the lights Missy would whisper, "Debbie, there's someone at the window." Now, had I thought for just a second I would realize that would not be possible. Our bedrooms were on the second floor. However, it scared me to death

Having our own rooms was very helpful in keeping the peace at our house. Unless Missy would come into my room. I was the youngest and quite territorial. When I would tell her to leave my room she would drop to the floor and say, "I can't move. You'll have to carry me out." Did I mention I am 6 years younger than her? Carrying her out was not an option at that age.

I don't know at what point we realized that we had much more in common than stealing clothes and trying to scare each other.

I am happy to say that today she is truly one of my best friends. She talked me through the first few days of being a new mom. She talked me through helping Ada deal with a bully on the bus in kindergarten. She let me know ahead of time that my kids were going to ask questions that I was not ready to answer and I just needed to stay calm. And it worked.