Coach's Wife, Working Mom, Oh What a Life!

The House Was Delivered!!

2015-01-27T13:17:00.000-06:00

We are so excited!!! Our house was delivered last week, but it still sits there in 3 pieces....They were suppose to come out Monday but it was too wet, then they were suppose to be out today...still too wet, so they plan on coming tomorrow. I hope they come otherwise we will be in the same predicament because it is suppose to start raining on Thursday night. We got to sneak little peaks into the house through the windows and let me tell you I am most excited about my closet!!! It is going to be amazing to have our own space for our clothes and shoes. We will have to go back in the closets and put an extra set of hanging bars because it only has one around the top....of course I will definitely need that extra hanging space. We still have a ton of stuff that needs to be done before moving in but we are at least one big step closer by actually having the house on our land.

Here are a few pictures of the house:

I am not really liking the grey color with the tan

Inside my closet!!

This is the backdoor leading into the eating area

We also finally finished painting my workout room!! The picture below is the dark pink that I used on one wall, the other walls are more of a lighter pink. I am really loving it! All we need to do is get the mats for the floor, hang up my TV, get my workout stuff in there, and add little things.

This whole process has been super stressful and it is not easy to deal with. Many times I wanted to just give up because having to deal with this company and other people along the way has been horrible....but I have to look at the end result and hopefully the very end of February or beginning of March we can finally start to move in!!! WOOHOO!! Until then I will shop for new house stuff and work on my fitness!! I just started Insanity Max 30 yesterday so I will be posting about that soon!!

New Year!!!!!!

2015-01-13T15:25:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe its already 2015!! Where does the time go??? Bray is half way through his kindergarten year and I remember like it was just yesterday he was running around in diapers and his papi. I am really looking forward to this year because soon we will be in our house and we will be able to start making it a home!! It is super exciting to think about yet when I do I realize how much stuff we actually will need to done. It will be an adventure but so worth everything we have been going through the past 5 months.

This year I decided to not have resolutions but to have goals for myself. I feel like every time I make a resolution I never follow through...so this year it will be different. Some of my goals include keeping up my workout routine, trying to eat better, growing my Beachbody business so that I can help others the way I have been helped, get a better daily life schedule going, and enjoy life more!!

The house is coming along and the barn is finally finished so I hope to post some progress photos later this week or next.

Have a great week and make some goals for this year!!

Check out my facebook page for giveaways, motivation, free accountability groups, information on workout programs, and Shakeology!
www.facebook.com/marciesfitlifejourney

Shakeology!!!

2014-12-11T11:55:00.003-06:00

Have you ever heard of Shakeology?? I had never heard of it until a little over a year ago. It is a nutrient dense, super food packed protein shake!! I love it!! This shake is your daily dose of dense nutrition and it is super fast and easy to make. It comes in several flavors and has many ways to make it. They come in Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Greenberry, Vegan Chocolate, and Vegan Tropical Strawberry. My favorite is the Vegan Chocolate and Bray's is the Vegan Tropical Strawberry...yes it is even kid approved!! Perfect way for them to get in their fruits and vegetables without even knowing it.

Here are the Top 5 Benefits of drinking Shakeology every day:

(They surveyed nearly 3,000 daily shakeology drinkers, here is what they said)

93% of Shakeology users felt healthier since drinking it
81% felt it helped them reduce their cravings for junk food
86% experienced an increase in energy levels
82% reported improved digestion
97% felt Shakeology was a smart investment in their health

I love how this shake makes me feel, it really does help curb my sweet tooth. My favorite is to make it with dark chocolate almond milk, vanilla, and lots of ice. I also add some sprinkles to top it off and I have it for dessert. Yummy!!

Would you like more information on shakeology?? You can go to my website www.shakeology.com/marcieeubanks you can also go to my facebook page and enter in my two giveaways! www.facebook.com/marciesfitlifejourney

Here is a recipe that sounds super yummy for this time of year!

(if you have any health issues or concerns always contact your doctor first)

2014-12-08T12:42:00.001-06:00

Here is my giveaway!! Two packets of shakeology, Lenny & Larry's chocolate chocolate chip cookie, and Hip Hop Abs!! Go to my facebook page; like, share, and comment what your fitness goals are. Once I get to 400 likes I will pick a random person to win! Head on over www.facebook.com/marciesfitlifejourney

So Much Change!!!

2014-12-08T12:20:00.000-06:00

It has been way too long since my last post.....we have moved to Big Spring and are staying with Matt's parents in their home. We were suppose to be in our house by Christmas but that was a big joke! It is a super long story so I will spare you all the details and the language....but we "should" be in the house by mid February. I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and I am getting a little excited now to decorate and get new things for the house. The only thing I am NOT looking forward to is moving all out stuff back in the house and put everything together.
Brayden is adjusting pretty well but I can tell he needs his own space with his toys that he can go to. He has his own room but he is used to having his own toy room to go to and he does not have that. I can't believe he is in kindergarten and turning into such a little boy...he is definitely not a baby anymore. He is learning to read which is very challenging because he does not like to sit down and study with us..he would rather do math or talk about science. I know he does not get the math part from Matt or I...I think its from grandma.
Matt is really loving his new job but I will tell you its hard to get adjusted back into the coaching life. We are lucky to see him during the week and for one full day on the weekend....but it is fun to go to his games and cheer him on. I am so gad we took this chance for him to get back into doing what he loves. He was definitely meant to coach.
My new job is going well, I work at a rock quarry in the office doing billing, writing tickets, and normal office stuff. Its fun getting to meet new people daily and learning new things. I am also a beachbody coach and it has been a lot of fun. Over a year ago I decided I needed to change and become more healthy so I joined a free accountability group and I was hooked. I have met great people along the way and I now call them my friends even if we have not met in person. I now workout 4 to 6 days a week and try to eat clean. It has helped me so much with my body issues, I am able to accept myself more...I still have a long way to go but its a start. I plan to start blogging more about my fitness as well on here...especially because in our new barn I have my own workout room!! Right now I am having a free giveaway on my fitness page www.facebook.com/marciesfitlifejourney so go check it out!

Excited to get this blog back up and have some fun!!

Life Changes!!

2014-08-02T22:57:00.001-05:00

We have had a major life change!! I am excited to announce that my blog title is finally true again! My husband got a high school coaching job and we are moving!! We are so excited for this change but I know it will take some time to adjust. I feel like everything has happened for a reason because everything seems to be perfectly falling into place. It is stressful but it could be worse if things were not going the way they are. I am sad to leave everything I have ever known, my friends, and my family but I know we will visit often and we will all keep in touch. It is like a new journey that we will be on which is exciting to go from the city to the country. Life will be more laid back and not so crazy with the hustle and bustle of city living. Don't get me wrong life will be crazy with work, Matt coaching and never being home, and Bray starting kindergarten....but we will be by Matts parents and some of his family so everything will work out.

I am hoping to blog more and share the crazy life of being a coach's wife. Plus I am now a beachbody coach after deciding to take control and get in better shape. Living a healthier lifestyle is my goal so I have a facebook page that follows my journey and I also have my own beachbody website. Feel free to follow me on facebook and check out my website!

www.facebook.com/marciesfitlifejourney

www.beachbodycoach.com/marcieeubanks

I was THAT mom....and I am proud of it!

2014-04-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been that mom that got onto other kids when they were not following rules and were about to hurt other children?? I was so that mom this past weekend at a minor league baseball game and I am not ashamed to admit it.

We took Bray to the bigger playground because he has been wanting to go but he has been too young (technically he is still too young but he will be 5 in a couple months...not a huge difference). Now he is normally the kid at the playground that wants us to go play with him, not slide down the slide, and would rather just walk around than play.....but this time he was super excited and off he went to play! Well....he tried too....It was like a circus in that place! Children are suppose to be supervised by a parent but I can guarantee that was not happening! They were also way under staffed to have that many kids playing in that area. So all these kids were running around (not suppose to be running), climbing up slides (while kids were trying to slide down), hanging off slides, pushing kids, and jumping off slides. When Bray finally got to the little slide he couldn't slide down because of course kids were climbing up, so I told them the slide is to slide down not to climb up....ok they listened and let the kids slide down. Then this one kid (little brat!!) started climbing up again while other kids were trying to go down so this time I yelled at him!! It was funny because he said to me "your not my mom", then I said " well then where is your mom?!?!"....ya he ran away. Then there was a huge kid jam up in the playground where the tallest slide is because kids were blocking it and it was crazy!! So the ONE playground supervisor, whom is about 70, has to climb up in the play area to control the kids and even then it was ridiculous. Kids continued running around into each other, jumping off slides and climbing up. It got so bad Matt had to physically remove a child that jumped and tried to climb up a spiral slide as another child was trying to slide down. Now if you don't know me you wouldn't know how bad my anxiety gets and I don't deal well with situations like this because I tend to freak out a little...I mean who would let their children act like this....well obviously these parents (some that weren't there didn't know how they were acting)....I finally was pissed off and went to get someone in charge of the supervising of the playground. I was directed to someone and had a talk with him telling him my concerns about how some child is going to get hurt and how crazy that play area had gotten and that it needs more supervision. I was very nice to him and he understood my concerns. I walked back to that area to get Matt and Bray because we were done playing there and before I knew it like 6 people come to that area and they got everyone off the play equipment and made the kids and the parents make a big circle. They then went over all the rules and let them resume playing with more supervision. I felt bad for them having to stop everyone from playing but that made me feel good to know that he took my concerns seriously. The only thing that I still wonder about is when that man was trying to get everything under control he was also talking into his walkie talkie so I know that he was trying to get some help and no one came over to help him. I mean really....what kid is going to listen to an older person when they are that hyped up??? The only reason why I wonder is because I ran in to that man again that I had talked to and thanked him again for taking action and he said "thank you for telling me about it and I know we should have shut that down earlier"....so it seems like he knew it was that crazy but did not do anything about it.

Would you have done the same thing?? I feel good about what I did because someone was going to get hurt...there was already a child crying because of something that happened while he was up in the play area. As a parent I would not want my child acting like these other children, I would be embarrassed....especially if Bray had hurt someone acting like that. I want my child to follow the rules of the play area just as I did...I was there watching him unlike others that were not there....

We will definitely go back and let him play there but I hope they have it more staffed and under control.

Life has been way too crazy.....

2014-04-13T21:18:00.000-05:00

It has been way too long since my last post. Life kind of got stressful and overwhelming, then I had a major change in my life. I loved working at the vet but had a great opportunity to work closer to home and have an awesome schedule so I decided to change my job after being with the vet for almost 7 years. I am now working at a hair salon close to home and I have known the owner for years. It was the change I needed in my life to get rid of a lot of my daily stress and feel somewhat normal. When I got to work I do not have to deal with drama which is awesome and I do not have the physical illnesses I suffered with from all the stress. I work with a great group of ladies now and we all enjoy working together.

Matt is still not coaching but is always looking for a coaching job. I am just glad all that crap is over with and the bad people at his school are no longer there. He is actually appreciated by the staff and gets that acknowledgement. He did get a job offer for last school year but even with coaching it was not enough money to be able to change jobs. I do feel like this year could be the year he gets a new coaching job!! It is what he loves to do and I feel bad that he has not been able to do so for the past 2 years.

Brayden is getting so big and I can't believe he will be 5 this year! Where has the time gone?? He loves playing with legos, cars, trucks, he loves to sing and dance, and still likes to snuggle. Last year for his birthday we all took a trip to Disney World for a whole week with family and he had so much fun. It was great to see him meet all his favorite characters and also get to spend time with family.

I am hoping to post more often to help me with my anxiety and getting life in order. I feel that we get so busy and have so much stuff I get overwhelmed then kind of have a freak out moment. Posting helps me get my thoughts out there and makes me feel better. I am reading a great book my mother gave me called "finding your happy" and I am already loving it! I am hoping this can help me get more control and prioritize my life so I can stop having so much anxiety and just be happy and positive. Don't get me wrong I love my life but tend to focus too much on the negative and material things and that has gotten me to worry too much and be overwhelmed with everything we have. I need to have a major purge of the whole house. Our house makes me have anxiety because we have too much stuff and do not always put everything away in the correct places so it get cluttered. I understand having a 5 year old there are going to be toys everywhere but he has got to learn to pick up and if we are not doing it I can't expect him to. Things have got to change!!

Well...it felt great to get this all out and I hope to post a couple times a week. Now that I typed that I hope it will keep me on track. Now I am off to watch some videos for work and then read some more of my book. Goodnight!

Hospital stay and a crazy 2 weeks!

2012-10-16T13:57:00.000-05:00

Poor Bray has been sick off and on for the past month. He was throwing up some nights which is very random and he also complained of a headache, so we decided to go to the doctor and have him checked out. When we got there she said his throat was red and we would test for strep even though he did not have the normal symptoms. Of course the test came back negative so they did blood work and ordered a CT scan of his head. This really worried us because we knew they were looking for a tumor, mass, or swelling of his brain. Luckily it all came back normal with just some swelling in his sinuses. So forward to last thursday after soccer practice he started getting some allergies, coughing, stuffy nose, and watery eyes....that continued through friday but it was not bad at, normal for him. Well friday night he was up at 10pm and coughed non-stop ALL night!! We all had no sleep...at 6am Bray woke up for good and poor guy was miserable. He was coughing still, having a hard time breathing and he was very fussy. His pediatrician's office was closed saturday morning so we were trying to decide what to do because all the other places did not open until noon and we knew we could not wait that long. I called mom and she got us in at her work at 9am!! We met her there and immediately the dr new he was not doing very well and was concerned with him having pneumonia or bronchitis, he ordered chest x-rays and then ended up sending us to the ER for breathing treatments and possible IV fluids. He was so wheezy and was straining to breath so they got us back right away (thankfully they were not busy), started his treatments for every 20 minutes and then gave him and IV to give fluids and IV meds. After having I think 2 or 3 treatments they decided to admit him since his O2 stats were between 90 and 93. His stats were good but at the lower end of good and they thought if he went home still wheezing that he might relapse or get worse. So we got a room and they started doing his treatments every 2 hours and started him on another antibiotic and oral steroids. It was a long day and night! We got no sleep and Bray was up all day and most of the night. At around midnight they finally said he sounded good and was not wheezing anymore (he got around 10 total treatments while we were there). We got released sunday around lunch time and he was sent home on a ton of meds and treatments 3 to 4 times a day. I stayed home with him monday and today because he still not well, his cough sounds horrible and he gets tired so fast. Mom took off tomorrow so he did not have to go to daycare all day, but he will go back on thursday and I am hoping he does well.

All of this has been really hard because he got so sick so fast that now I am a little paranoid. We never really got a diagnosis of what he had/has so it scares me a little. They think he could have asthma and it may just be seasonal but he is going to stay on his inhaler for a couple months and then we are also going to a follow up appointment with the dr that took care of him at the hospital. As of right now we just monitor him and keep him calm with no running around going crazy. His dr did say that he can play soccer for just a little bit on saturday since he had to miss his game last week and he was upset but he is not allowed to practice on thursday.

So today has been a lazy day, we went to Walmart and bought his favorite movie "Move it Move it" (Madagascar), and some new Sponge Bob pj's. Here is a cute picture of him with his doggies!!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Alzheimer's Walk 2012...Info and Facts

2012-09-15T20:25:00.001-05:00

Our team "Walking for Memories"

Warming up!!

High kicks!!

Today was the day we did the Alzheimer's Walk!! We had soooo much fun and we raised over $1,000 and got a medal. This year there were so many more people there which is awesome because that means there are more and more people helping to support the cause. I am so glad that I started doing this walk because it feels so good to know that I am helping even though I am one person, that is all it takes. It starts with one person!! Before the walk they always play music so we can warm up and they talk about Alzheimer's. This year they did something new that was so nice, they had flowers in different colors that had different meanings; yellow was supporting the cause, blue was you were diagnosed/living with the disease, orange you are caring for someone with the disease, and purple was you knew someone who lost their battle with the disease. We were able to write on the flowers and when we did the walk they put them out and made a garden, when we were done with the walk we were able to pick our flowers and take them home.

The Garden

My Grandma Iris and Margie passed from this disease and Horace
Tubb is Matts grandpa who has it, My Grandma Genie also has it.

Our Team!!!!!!

Did you know???

5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease.

One in eight older Americans has Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.

More than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care valued at $210 billion for persons with Alzheimer's and other dementias.

Payments for care are estimated to be $200 billion in the United States in 2012.

(Alzheimer's Association. 2012 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures.Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association. March 2012; 8:131–168.)

It starts with one person, and that person can be you!!!!

Life's Changes....

2012-09-11T11:46:00.000-05:00

Life has so many changes and this year has been filled with them. My blog title really doesn't fit our life at this time...unfortunately Matt is not coaching at all this year and it sucks. I am not going into all the detail because we are still appealing it but it came as a surprise and it should not have happened. He loves coaching and thats what his passion is so I feel bad, but there is a good that came out of it...He is actually home at normal hours!! Bray is absolutely loving his daddie time he gets. He got spoiled this summer with him being home and getting stay with his Grammie, Paw Paw, and Grandma. It has been a stressful year with Matt losing his coaching position and having back surgery during the summer. He was laid up practically all summer but we had tons of family time which was awesome!!!

I also got new hours at work which puts me home earlier and cut some hours. I am hoping this will help me be less stressed and have more time for fun things in life. I have been in a "funk" lately and I really need to find a way out and I think I am doing that. I have so many crafting ideas, sewing projects, and maybe a new business adventure that is making me have a more positive outlook for the future. Sometimes you have to take chances and I am ready to take them!! I have a very supportive family and friends!!! Hoping this adventure we are about to take will be fun and a way to make some extra money. I will blog more about the adventure as it happens at a later time.

There are so many things happening or that have happened I just have not had the time or felt like blogging. I am going to change that because last year when I was blogging it made me feel so much better...it is like a way for me to get everything out even if no one reads it...lol. Bray has been getting so big! We are working on potty training and he does really well except at night time and if he gets too busy. He will finally go potty in public, all it took was Grandma to get him to do it. He would go to daycare and hold it all day, thats almost 12 hours and it was making him sick. He is working on counting and his alphabet, he is obsessed with being a fireman, he loves to play with cars and has a million hot wheels, he pretends to take your order then fixes your food, he loves his dog Zoie but not Tuffy because he is mean, he loves to draw and pretend to write. He is one awesome little boy and I love him so much, I could not imagine life without him. He does have a temper but he is only 3 and I know he has so much more to learn.

So...this weekend is the Walk for Alzheimer's and this year we have a team and we raised $1,000 this year and I am so proud. I am so excited for the walk, last year Justine and I had a blast and I cannot wait to share this experience with more friends and family! We got shirts made again this year and I will post pictures next week or this weekend if I have time. I just made Bray his own shirt today that says "Stop Alz!". Another cool thing is that next weekend I am going to my Grandpas 100th birthday!! How exciting is that!!??? He was bound and determined to make it to 100 and he did!! Im excited because my mom and I are going so its like a little girls trip...even though we already had a girls trip this year which was the best thing ever!! Justine, her mom, my mom, and I went to Galveston and had the best time, we have decided to do it every year.

Anywho....now that I have rambled on and on I gotta go get some lunch for Bray and I. Plus I think I may have gotten some good news!! We will see!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2012-05-13T21:35:00.001-05:00

Wow!! It has been way too long since I have blogged!! I really hope to change that now that I am getting back into the swing of things again. Sometimes its so hard to balance life and figure out how to get everything to fit in. I am really going to try to blog at least once a week. Life has been crazy and hectic since I last blogged and Bray has been growing up way too fast. He pee peed in the potty for the first time last saturday, but he is not too interested in going all the time he would still rather have his diaper on. At least it is a start to potty training, he has his own potty chart that he earns stickers to put on and will earn prizes.

Today was Mother's Day and it was a great day! We went to my brothers house and had brunch, the kids got to play and we all got to catch up. It is really crazy how busy we get in our lives because we realized we had not seen each other in about 4 months even though we live like 20 minutes away. We are going to change that and try to see each other more often. Bray really loves his auntie, uncle, and cousins. I hope all the mother's had a wonderful day today!! I know I have the best mom and the best mother in law in my life and I am so proud to have them!!

Well I am off to bed to start off the work week, but I am going to get caught up this week with my blog and life!! Goodnight!

Walking Day!!

2011-10-22T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today was finally the day that I walked to support Alzheimer's and it was the most rewarding thing that I have done. My friends and I were so excited but poor Kim got sick so she had to miss out but she was still able to raise money. Justine and I wore our shirts we got made and wore our purple shoes...we were the best dressed there..lol. It was a fun and emotional morning seeing everyone there and hearing stories about others struggles with the disease. It was so awesome to see that some people suffering from Alzheimer's were there and having a great time. They had a DJ there playing music and before it started we did some dancing to warm up....it was so cute to see the older people dancing. We started the walk and Justine and I passed everyone because I really wanted to burn some calories but also wanted to be first. If we did not get first it was not a big deal because I know it was not a race but it was something to strive for. It felt so good to know that we were a part of helping to raise money for the research of Alzheimer's and we were also there walking for those who have passed from the disease and who have it now. I have 3 family members with this disease and it is one that I do not wish that anyone would have to suffer with or experience it. It takes a lot out of the person with disease but it also takes a lot out of the family members and caretakers.

This year was the first of many years that I will be walking to end Alzheimer's. This walk raised about $113,000 which was amazing!!! I raised $400 this year and hope to raise double that amount next year. I am hoping to get more people to walk next year to help support this cause. This is something that I am very passionate about want to spread the word to everyone!!! You can donate all year long, just go to www.alz.org. Thank you to everyone who donated or just shared my blog to get the word out about Alzheimer's.

Here we are before leaving for the walk:

Family Time!!

2011-10-07T22:49:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we had so much fun going to the Arboretum, it was beautiful. Bray was in love with all of the pumpkins everywhere!! It was great because he could run around and play so he could get all of his energy out. I got some great pictures that I will post at the end of my blog. I also wanted to mention that I did reach my goal for my Alzheimer's walk but anyone is still able to donate so you can go to my last 2 posts and click on the link to donate. I am so excited to do this walk with 2 of my friends, we got shirts made and they turned out so cute!!

So...as usual we have been pretty busy working and doing daily life things but this weekend is great because we are both off and we get to go to the pumpkin patch!! We are going to get up tomorrow and go then come back to watch Texas beat OU!! Go Texas!! This coming week and weekend are going to be busy because Matts family is coming to town so that we can go to the State Fair. I am excited to go and eat a Fletchers Corn Dog....and maybe I will eat some fried food. Just not a lot like I did last year and got sick. So it looks like we will be busy for the rest of the month!! I guess I need to start a list for Christmas shopping so that I can get started.

This is short but I hope to write back soon!! Here are some pictures from last weekend, hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Busy, excited, and great weather!!

2011-09-30T13:47:00.000-05:00

We have been busy lately with life especially with this weather being so nice. I have been able to take Bray on walks and to the park. Today he had a picnic lunch out in the backyard, he thought that was pretty special. This week we were able to go to Matts game and Bray had a great time!! At first he did not understand that he could not go out on the field with daddy but he got over that and had fun. Then after the game he was able to go on the field and join daddy in the huddle. He did not understand that he had to stand there and be quiet so he was running to me and yelling. It was so funny to see him to excited, he also distracted the football players but o'well!! The only bad thing about going to the football games is that we do not get home until really late and he has to get up so early that he has a hard day the day after.

This weekend I think we are taking him to he Dallas Arboretum to see all the pumpkins and so I can practice taking pictures!! I finished my photography class and I was sad to see it end, I am hoping to be able to take some more classes and now that it is so nice outside I want to go places and practice. I am so excited to take pictures of my friends nieces, and that shoot is taking place next weekend. I have gotten some props for this shoot because one is an infant so I have been doing a lot of research. I made a tutu, got flowers, headbands, a hat, very pretty deep purple blanket, and some sheets for a back drops. I am really hoping to get a lot of practice and for this to become more than a hobby, we will see what happens in the future and until then I will have fun with it!!

I am getting really excited because The Walk for Alzheimer's is coming fast!! I still need some donations to meet my goal and would appreciate any donation. If I can get 25 people to donate $1 it would help me meet my goal. We got shirts made and they turned out awesome!! Here is the Link to my page for donations. If you donate $100 you will receive a free tshirt made by Ton Tons Gifts. You should go check her out she makes some awesome things!! She just made me a cute shirt and Bray a cute shirt. Here they are:

Please feel free to spread the word about Alzheimer's and my blog. Hoping to help raise awareness and make my family proud. Thank you to everyone who is reading my blog!! Feel free to leave comments and follow my blog, I would love to read other blogs so feel free to leave your link in my comments. Have a great weekend!!

My Inspiration to Raise Awareness for Alzheimer's

2011-09-16T17:24:00.001-05:00

My Grandma Iris Kepner is my inspiration for raising awareness and walking to support the Alzheimer's Association. I have had first had experience seeing what this disease does to someone. My grandma was an amazing person; she was caring, smart, loving, loved to travel...I could go on and on for days. She loved to play the piano, she was valedictorian of her class, and she was a nurse. My mom and my aunt followed in her foot steps and also became nurses. I always loved to go visit her and my grandpa when I was younger. They would always have deer in their backyard, I loved their house, and I got to see cousins and my moms side of the family. My cousins and I would always go down in the basement to find old toys to play with, I would always be scared going down there because it was dark but we had a lot of fun. Every year we would go to the Ozarks at then end of the school year and stay in a cabin on the lake. We would all look forward to this trip every year. We stayed at the same resort every year and we would go fishing, play games, and just spend time together. I have such great memories and I am glad that I can share them with everyone.

I still remember when she was first diagnosed with Alzheimer's and she knew she had the disease and it would make her so frustrated. She would try to remember something and get upset because she knew why she could not remember. It was very hard to see her go though this. My grandpa took great care of her and he made her have the best life possible while dealing with this disease. She started to forget who people were, where she was, and how to do daily life tasks. He still tried to make her life normal by taking her to my high school graduation and still going to the Ozarks. As the disease progressed she was unable to travel or be left alone; she needed help with everything. My grandpa hired a lady to help take care of her and she eventually became like part of the family. She helped take care of my grandma until it was too much and she had to be taken to a nursing home. I hated to see her losing her battle with Alzheimer's but she had it for over 10 years. When we would go visit her in the nursing home she was unable to talk but we would still talk to her, we would wheel her around the nursing home to go see the birds, we would attempt to play the piano for her....she loved everything we did for her and you could tell. I would always talk to her and even when she could not speak or remember she would also whisper "Mercy Marcie", this was the nickname she gave me. It always was so exciting to know that she knew we were there with her. She would always perk up when she would hear the piano being played and when she could hear the birds chirp. I hate having to remember how bad she was during the end but I love having those memories of visiting with her, brushing her hair, and putting lotion on her face. She finally lost her battle with Alzheimer's and is not suffering anymore.

If I can do anything to help spread the word about this disease, raise awareness, and raise money to help research more about this disease I am going to do it. Watching this disease is horrible and no one should have to die from it. From now on I am going to walk for Alzheimer's and try to raise as much money as I can and walk in memory and honor of the many who have this disease and the many that have passed away. Unfortunately my Grandma Iris is not the only family that suffered with this disease; her sister, my Aunt Margie passed away from it and my Grandma Genie is currently living with it. I also have many friends that have or had family members with it. Please forward this blog to anyone you know to help spread the word, if you would like to donate to help me raise money I would appreciate anything. Here is a Link to my donation page. I know not everyone is able to donate so please pass this to anyone you know to spread awareness. ***Thank you to my awesome friend at Ton Tons Gifts on facebook for helping me out. The first 5 people to donate $100 will get a free t-shirt from her!!!*** She does amazing work!! Go check her out on facebook and tell her I sent you!!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Here is a recent picture of Bray and I love it!

Walk to End Alzheimer's

2011-09-08T22:03:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that this year I am doing the "Walk to End Alzheimer's" with my two girl friends. This is very important to me because my Grandma Iris (my moms mother) suffered with this disease for close to 10 years, Margie (my Grandma's sister) passed away from it, and my Grandma Genie (my dad's mom) is now suffering with this horrible disease. It is a horrible thing to have and it is also very hard on family of those affected. I am wanting to help raise money to fund research and was wondering if anyone would love to donate to this great cause! If you are unable to donate I understand and I hope that you would at least pass this on to people you know so that we can spread the word about this disease. I set my goal at $200 but I would love to go way beyond that goal. Here is a Link to my walking site and you are able to donate any amount you would like. I would truly appreciate anything that anyone may be able to do, if you are able to I would love people to share my blog with friends, family members, or fellow bloggers to get the word out. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for your support.

Mini Vacation!

2011-09-05T21:49:00.000-05:00

I love it when we can go to Big Spring for the weekend and visit with Matt's parents because it is always nice to get away. When we go it seems like it is a break from the real world because I do not have to worry about anything. Last week was a great week because Matt's parents came in town and took Brayden back with them so we had a couple days without him. It was such a crazy week with working and doctors appointments that it was so nice to be able to have a girls day on friday with some of my most awesome girl friends.

I first had to go to my endocrinologist appointment to get the results back from my lab work about my thyroid...it was not the news I wanted to hear. My blood work had changed but not in the way that I had hoped. I found out that I have Graves Disease (click here to read about it) and that leads to a hyper active thyroid so I am also hyperthyroid. Good news is that it can be taken care of with medication or some type of radioactive iodine therapy. The doctor said that I have a very mild case so that I should be able to take the medication for year and it should put it into "remission", if the medication does not work then I have to get that other treatment that he said will "kill it". The only down side is that I could be allergic to the medication I have to be on and there are some pretty severe side effects. This medication can cause liver damage and a really low white blood cell count which can cause me to get sick a lot and if I get sick I can get really sick. If any of these things happen I would have to do the iodine therapy. I know that many medications have side effects but this one has to followed closely with my doctor. The funny thing is that when I went to go pick up my medication I ask the pharmacist what it was because I forgot to ask the doctor, and when she told me I just laughed. I am on methimazole which is what cats take for there thyroid!!! Another good thing is that I am on the smallest dosage, one pill once daily and he said that when I get my blood work done again to see if the meds are helping that I might be able to go to every other day. So I will start these meds tomorrow night or wednesday when I am with people in case I have a reaction to the medication which is likely because I am allergic to a lot of medications but at least I just generally get rashes and so not have a severe reaction. I am happy to finally have a diagnosis because I knew that I have not been feeling right but it seemed like no one understood how I felt and chalked it up to being a mom and working. Well....haha...I was right, there was something wrong!! Now that I am getting it treated I am hoping it start to feel better and can get back to normal.

Anywho!! After my appointment I went to lunch with Heather and Kim at Cozymels!! I ate way too much!! It was nice to be able to go out and be able to talk during lunch about what all was going on and just catching up with each other. I did not have Bray kicking, yelling, and whining. After lunch I went home to pack, rest, and clean up the house before going out to dinner. I then met Justine and Dana at the mall and we ate at the Cheesecake Factory. We had a great time chatting it up and being able to spend time together outside of work which is nice. We had a great dinner with some red velvet cheesecake for dessert. So.....I obviously have been slacking this last week with my weight watchers (I am back on track tomorrow)!! After dinner we went to Claire's and Justine and I got our ears pierced again. It is so funny because I was so nervous even though I already have three holes in each ear. All in all it was not bad but my ears are still very tender but it does not help when Bray has hit them a couple times. As you can tell I had a great friday thanks to my wonderful girl friends!!! It feels great to get out and have some ME time and I am hoping we can do it more often.

Saturday morning we got up and were on our way to Big Spring!! We got there and Bray was so excited to us but he was having such a great time with Grandma and Paw Paw. We were able to just relax and spend quality time together. Of course we got to drive around and see the animals. Bray just loves seeing the cows, buffalo, llamas, emus, and horses. He always wants to get out of the car and try to pet them but this time we stayed in the car because they were so close to us. I was able to practice my photography skills once again and if I do say so myself I took some great shots but I still need to do some editing.

Sorry guys but your stuck seeing my pictures!! Hope everyone had a great weekend and got to enjoy family time!! I am hoping to be able to blog more once school ends and we get into a routine.

All Over The Place!!

2011-08-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

My life seems all over the place sometimes but I love it!! This weekend was hard because Bray got sick on Sunday so we had to take him to CareNow, and he tested positive for strep throat. Poor guy got so sick he would not swallow anything so he was drooling everywhere and we were unable to give him his full amount of medications. This made a for a very rough night, he was up every hour complaining that his throat was hurting. This has been the sickest he has ever been and I feel so bad for him because there was nothing I could do but hold him. So this morning consisted of me holding him and trying to get ahold of his doctor. I waiting all morning for them to call and when Matt called me at lunch time he said he would call the doctor back and see why they have not called...I would have done that but I did not want to bug them because they said they were busy. But guess what??!? Somehow I missed the phone call at 9:45 so I had been sitting and waiting the whole time but the phone never rang or showed a voicemail. I felt so bad that I let Bray feel horrible all morning. So we went to the doctor and they gave him a penicillin shot and a tylenol suppository and he finally starting to feel better. He still will not take his tylenol so we will have to figure out how to hide in his drink or something. Since he was sick I stayed home with him since it was Matts first day back as a teacher he could not miss it.

I think if he is feeling better tomorrow we will take a trip to Lowes and Hobby Lobby. This leads me to another crazy idea I have!! I am now starting to paint and decorate my laundry room! Crazy huh??? I have no time as it is but I want to finally paint it and get it done. It is the only room in the house not painted and organized, but of course this led me to more ideas of things to do and create!! I now want to paint a couple walls in my kitchen, make some wooden blocks, make some fabric boards for my bookshelves, create vinyl decals....I am hoping that this will fill my time for when Matt is out scouting. Oh and this is on top of growing in photography and learning how to use Photoshop Elements since I just bought it on sale this weekend. I am kind of glad to have all this to do because it makes feel like I have things I can do and not be bored. I will do one thing at a time so that I do not get overwhelmed and have my anxiety come back. This is something fun to look forward too and I will post pictures of my laundry room when it is done!!

Anyone have any fun DIY projects??? I am loving the website www.Pinterest.com for some of my ideas. If anyone is on there I would love to follow you! It is easy to set up an account and if you want an invite just let me know and I can invite you.

I am off to bed so I can hopefully get more sleep than I did last night.

School work!

2011-08-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

Since I have been taking my photography class I have been practicing editing and better shooting techniques. I wanted to show off some of my pictures, so here they are!! (keep in mind I am still practicing and I need to purchase a good editing program hopefully photoshop elements 9!!)

San Francisco!!

2011-08-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

We had a blast in San Francisco!! Matts parents kept Brayden the whole week so we could have our first vacation with out him. I thought that it was going to be really hard leaving him for a week but once I saw that he could have cared less that we left I felt better. He always has such a great time with his Grandma and Grandpa that I should have known it would take him 3 days before he would wonder where we were. He asked about us and then went back to playing, that funny kid!! So while in San Francisco we stayed with Matts older brother and Tim. Let me tell you walking up like 4 flights of stairs with heavy luggage is a chore, I was sweating!! They live on the two top levels of their building, it has a gorgeous view!! The weather was great, warm during the day and very cool at night. It was great to be able to just open the window when it was warm and it would cool the room down in like 5 minutes...why can't we have that weather now???

Matts brother Jeff is a great tour guide, he took us any and every where you would want to go when you visit. We went to Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, Carmel, Alcatraz, Berkley, Union Square, Cable Cars, Ghirardelli, Lombard Street, Bay Bridge, Twin Peaks, Golden Gate Bridge.....I know we did a lot more but I just cannot think of everything this late at night...lol. It was such a great experience and to see how people live in the big city. It really amazed me to see so many homeless people on the streets. They were all just laying on the sidewalks, sleeping, pushing their carts, etc. It made me realize that I am very lucky to have the life I do and to not take anything for granted because I could have it a lot worse. It did make me laugh some of the ways people try to make money on the streets; there was a guy just standing on a milk crate holding out a cup pretending he was a statue but the only problem with that was he could not stand still. Then there was another guy who sits in the middle of the sidewalk hiding behind tree branches so when people walk by him he moves the branches and scares you. It is kind of funny because there are no trees near that area yet people get spooked by him. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Here is a picture of him, it is not a good picture because we were across the street and it was busy with people walking every where.

There was also a lot of shopping there!! We went a little crazy and almost had no room to pack everything that we bought. Speaking of luggage, it is crazy how expensive it is to check it!! They wanted us to pay $100 more dollars because Matt's bag was 4 pounds over the limit. Luckily they let us transfer some items to my bag, that was interesting to do in the middle of the airport! Anywho...we did a lot of walking which was great since we ate a lot, especially some chocolate. I also got car sick because we did so much driving, but it was worth it. This place is so gorgeous!! I would love to go back some day!

My favorite parts were; shopping (got a Coach purse for $75!!), Alcatraz, spending time with Matt and his family, going to the Bars his brother owns, seeing the city, the Aquarium in Monterey...too much to list! I know there is a lot more that I did and experienced but this is just a short recap so I do not bore you!! lol!! Now here are some pictures of my vacation!!

Short Update!!

2011-07-24T21:22:00.000-05:00

I have been gone for too long!! We have been so busy and now school is starting so I am having to get into the "single mom" mode..lol!! This summer has been great and I am sad that is coming to an end tomorrow.

So here is a quick update and I promise to blog more and to add some photos from our summer! We had a family trip to San Antonio for Matt's brother's wedding, then Bray went with his parents back to Big Spring while we went to San Francisco with Matt's oldest brother, the weekend after we back we had Bray's birthday party and I started school on that same day! My life has been pretty crazy lately but I have had a lot of fun and I am really enjoying school.

I promise this week I will write a blog and show some pictures!! Hope everyone had an awesome summer!

All About Bray!

2011-06-26T21:39:00.000-05:00

I thought that I would write this blog and dedicate it to Bray and what all he is doing now. He is 23 months and in a couple weeks will turn the big 2!! It is so crazy to think that he is almost 2, I feel like I just brought him home from the hospital. I miss the baby stage when they depend on you for everything...now he is walking, talking, and throwing tantrums...lol.. I guess you could say we have hit the terrible 2's. It is his way or he will throw his tantrum know matter where we are, and I know this is normal but sometimes it is hard to deal with.
He is talking so much now and his new phrase is "I want that" or "I want more that". His other favorite word is "mine"!!

We are working on sharing his toys with his friends and learning to play nice.

He likes to call me "Mawcie" and not mommie because of my father in law!! He thought it was funny to teach him my name and now he will not call me mommie.

He also likes to pretend to be daddie and sit in his chair. Since Matt is home in the summer and watches Bray he is very attached to daddie. Every time I go in his room to get him up he is always asking "where daddie?" with his hands out looking around.

He loves to go to the pool and drink the water...lol. I tell him to keep his mouth closed but he thinks it is funny to drink the water...YUCK!!

He is obsessed with animals...dogs, cats, monkeys, horses, cows...etc. The only problem is that he calls just about any animal that is in a field a "oofalo" because he loved the buffalo at his great grandpas.

He calls airplanes "choos choos" for some reason.

He will only watch "hot dog" aka Mickey Mouse on TV. This is the theme for his 2nd birthday party!

He loves to run!! He thinks it is funny to run away from us and run into the street. I get so freaked out when he does this and it is hard to get him to see it is not safe. We are working on that one though.

He will only wear his croc shoes or his vans....he does not like to wear his nike shoes.

He loves trucks!

He loves his special night night blanket.

He no longer uses a papi and I will admit I am a little sad because he looked to cute with one in...lol. It just means he is growing up way too fast!

He loves to clean, he normally always has a wipie or a clothe cleaning the furniture.

He is down to one nap a day and still likes to sleep in some days.

He can count 2, 3....lol he forgets 1!!

He loves babies and I know he will make a great big brother when we decide to have another child.

It feels so good typing everything about Bray at this time because it makes me proud of how he is growing up and what he is learning. I am going to start doing more of these to look back and remember what he was doing and at what age. I cannot wait until his party and I am excited to start school soon to learn more about photography! Hoping to get some practice soon and post some new pictures! If anyone out there would like to share what programs they use to edit photos I would love to hear from you!!

A Little Frustrated!

2011-06-24T21:50:00.000-05:00

I have been having some health issues and I want to be fixed! I have had some stomach problems again so I went to the doctor and they did some blood work and found out that I have hyperthyroidism!! What the heck??!!?? So they told me to go to my regular doctor and get it treated...I went today and thought I would get some pills and fill better but of course that sounded too easy. I had to have more blood work done to determine if I can be treated there or if I need to go see an endocrinologist. I thought that this may be why I have been so exhausted and not feeling well but the doctor said that is probably not the case. This is what makes me frustrated...I do not have that many signs of hyperthyroidism, I have more of hypo than hyper...I am just feeling lost and want to be fixed. I feel like I have no energy to do things and that affects how I take care of Brayden and what we do as a family. I always want to nap, my stomach hurts, I am sick to my stomach, or I just feel like crap. I feel bad because I always complain about something but I do not feel anyone understands how I really feel. I am exhausted by the end of the work day and don't want to do anything when I get home but go to bed. I want to workout but I have no energy to do it. I want to take naps but that is not always possible. Today I was very tired and when we got home from the doctor I took a 2 hour nap!! I felt really good after my nap but then we went out to eat and it made me feel sick so we ended up not taking Bray to swim and I felt bad. I hate that we plan things around how I feel and my naps...I want to be fixed!! So I am crossing my fingers that the blood work comes back and we can get a plan together to fix me. Hoping I do not have to go to the endocrinologist.

Sorry for the frustrating blog today but it feels good to let it all out, I know it could be worse but I hate that this is hurting how I live day to day.

Party, Work, Stress...Lots Going On!!

2011-06-18T22:02:00.000-05:00

WOW!! It has been awhile since I have written a blog!! I have had so much going on lately that I have not had time to sit down to type my blog. First of all one main reason I was not blogging was that we were throwing my mom a surprise birthday party so I had been getting ready for that and I did not want to blog about it which was hard because I was so excited yet stressed about it. My aunt flew into town and so did my moms best friend from high school. My aunt came in on a friday and the party was not until saturday evening so we had to keep her hidden so we did not run into my mom anywhere. The party was such a success, she was surprise and mad at first because she said her house was not clean enough to have company..lol...I wonder where I get my cleaning anxiety from, thanks mom!! Anywho we had tricked my mom into thinking she was going to my brothers house to do presents then they were going to go out to eat. Well, when she got to his house my aunt opened the door and my mom was so shocked. She then walked inside the house and saw Matt, Brayden, me, and Matts parents. Her friend then walked down the stairs and asked for some more margarita...mom could not believe that they both flew in to see her. Then about 20 minutes later people started showing up and we had mom open the door for everyone. She loved her party and was excited to have everyone there. I was relieved to have the party done because it was stressful getting everything planned out and worrying about letting something slip to her about the party. It was nice too because I got to spend time with my mom, aunt, and her best friend on Monday...we had a little girls time that was much needed!!

Everything else was going great because we are getting ready to go on vacation, then we have Brayden's party in July, and I start my photography class. There is a lot to look forward too.....BUT...and yes that is all caps because Matt hurt his back yet AGAIN!!! Of course he can workout to P90X but he can lift Bray into a cart and hurt his back. So this past Friday after my stomach doctor appointment (thats a whole other issue going on), I had to take Matt to his back doctor for an injection. We get there thinking they are going to give him an injection which is what he normally gets to help his back but that was not what happened when we got there. The doctor saw how bad his back was and wanted an MRI before injecting him. So off we went to get an MRI and now he has to wait until Wednesday to get the results to determine if his back has gotten worse which would mean surgery or that he is ok to just get an injection. We are hoping for the injection but I know its only a matter of time before he needs surgery. His back was so bad it took him about 30 minutes to get out of bed and he almost fell in the kitchen because his back and leg was cramping. So having this happen is stressful because he cannot help me with Brayden and now I will have to take him to daycare while I am at work. Too much going on at once stresses me out way too much!! I still have to buy everything for Bray's party and get stuff done before we go out of town. I feel like I need to clone myself just to get everything done!

I am hoping this next week goes well...I know I am excited to get my hair done on Tuesday and get it more blonde!! I love my hair color now but I want a little brighter and then I will go darker again in the fall. Getting my hair done always makes me feel better! Plus I was able to order some new clothes and they come in this week...just crossing my fingers everything fits because it is so hard to buy online since you cannot try the clothes on. I am also hoping to figure out my tummy problems, I have to go get some bloodwork done on monday and see if any of the tests tell us anything...

Well I am off to bed...hoping to write more often but I cannot promise anything....here is a picture of my mother and I at her party!!