Thursday Thirteen....

13 life defining moments.....

1.) My ongoing relationship with God- I like to think that I'm a pretty good Christian. I attended Catholic school for 13 years and loved every minute of it. I hope to pass on a lot of the values that I learned to my children. They will not attend Catholic school, but they will know God and be attending church with me. I pray with them nightly and will teach them as much as I know. I will try to answer all questions as best I can. I want them to know that God is always there for them even when it seems like nobody is. I want them to pray and feel comfortable with their relationship with God. I want them to know that God has helped me out through difficult times and He can do the same with them.

2.) My mom's death- My mom died when I was barely 14. My sister was barely 11. Our world came tumbling down. We were broken. We had a hard time believing that all could be ok again. We had to teach ourselves to do many household things that my mom did. It was tough, but we got through it. We are stronger because of it.

3.) Meeting Richard for the first time- I do not believe in love at first sight, but I do believe that when you meet someone that you have a connection to, you'll feel it immediately. And I did. I'll never forget that night in April of 1995 when this "kid" in jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes came knocking at my door. My life was forever changed.

4.) Joining a gym- My friend Shannon encouraged me to do this in February of 1994. I was never one to play sports or do much of anything through high school, so I was a bit hesitant. But this was something that my body needed very badly. I'm so glad that I got active and even tried a few step classes. The music seemed to motivate me and soon after that, I became an instructor.

5.) Getting married- I watch our wedding videos time and time again and each time I watch them, I pick up on something new. They are timeless. So many people on the videos I've lost touch with. Some have gotten divorced. Some have died. It's really strange to think that it was just 8 years ago. I'm so glad that we got married when we did so Richard's dad and my Granny were there to witness it.

6.) Richard's dad's death- When my mom died, it was only my Granny and my aunt at the hospital with her. My dad was on his way home to get us girls. I will never forget the moment that the phone rang. My heart sank. I knew she was gone. I lived with guilt for 8 years. I felt guilty that my dad was not there with my mom when she died. Richard's dad got sick and we were there for him when he passed away. It was an exhausting day. I did have a huge revelation that day. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I realized that there's no way a 14 year old and an 11 year old could see their own mother die right before their eyes. So it was then that I firmly believed that God took my mom when he did to lessen the pain. Richard's dad also held my hand a lot that day and told Richard and I how much he loved us and to live life to the fullest. His expression was always a peaceful one. He died without pain. And for that I'm thankful.

7.) Getting a dog- About 2 months after Richard's dad died, we got Mia. Richard left one day and left a note saying that he was going to get a dog. I had never had one before, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It turns out that it was one of the best decisions that we'd ever made. She is a constant light in our lives. She's taught me how to be patient. She healed the both of us. And now 6 years later, she's still our "baby". I can't imagine my life without her.

8.) Kyra's birth- Emotionally, I had a very hard pregnancy with Kyra. I should have seen a lot of "red flags" during that time, but I attributed it to just hormones and being miserable those last few months. I had gained so much weight and ate everything in sight. Kyra's birth wasn't so bad. It was coming home that was horrible. She cried and cried and screamed and screamed. I "tried" to breastfeed, but gave up. She was "colicky" and no formula would keep her from screaming. We finally resorted to the expensive stuff. After my mother-in-law suggested it, I saw a therapist and immediately went on antidepressants. Ahhhh...then life was good again. I learned a big lesson here. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help. That's what professionals are there for. I was embarrassed to admit that something was wrong. I'm so glad I got the help that I needed. It made life a heck of a lot easier. I was able to finally enjoy my first born, my Kyra. She's quite the character and I think all of you know that. I'm so happy that she came into my life.

9.) Getting Body Flow certified- I did NO research on this class, but decided to take the certification. I was not prepared for the module at all. I didn't even bring a Yoga mat the first day. What the heck did I get myself into? Well, it was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life. Teaching Body Flow has been a joy. I've learned a new way to work out and better my mind and my body. There are so many benefits to this class that there's no way I could list them all here. You get the picture. ;)

10.) Moving away from the city- Richard came upon this house in May of 2003. He drove me out here and we looked at it. I liked it a lot, but I was hesitant. See, I don't like change. I like my own little world of comfort and routine. I wanted to live IN AUSTIN. I soon found out that Austin isn't that far away from where we are now. I still consider myself to live there since we are just down the road. So many good things have happened since moving out here. I'm not afraid to go outside at night. I don't freak out if a door is left unlocked. I can live with a car being unlocked. It's the little things that have made living out here totally worth it. Oh, and the girls will go to wonderful schools. I'm very happy about that.

11.) Going on the South Beach Diet- Within a period of about 8 months, I lost 30 lbs. I was very unhappy with my body and wanted to do something about it. Exercise was never a problem, but my eating habits were. This diet taught me how to read labels and make better food choices. I'm not 100% on the diet right now, but I might go back to it in the near future. All I know is that I've never felt more healthy and vibrant like I did when I was on this diet. It truly changed my life.

12.) My Granny's death- Nobody saw this coming....not even her. It all happened so fast. Granny was our rock, our foundation. I still can't believe that she's gone. She went fast, but she was so ready to go. She wanted to leave this Earth and be with the Lord. She wasn't scared. She embraced it. She prayed every single day and read the Bible every single day. She loved her family and friends. I live my life by her example. We all miss her so much.

13.) Maeve's birth- Since Kyra's birth was one that was more traumatic than I wanted it to be, I was determined for Maeve's to be different. And it was! I had a repeat c-section, but I really educated myself with breastfeeding. Richard and I took a 3 hour class before her birth and I bought books. I felt like I was ready. I was more relaxed and at ease and ready to enjoy my baby. Nursing was hard at first, but we got through the rough spots and I'm happy to report that almost 11 months later, we are still nursing! Maeve is such a joy too. Her expressive eyes light up a room. I can't believe that she's almost a year old! *sniff, sniff*