snapshots of life in pictures and words

Fitness Update

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:42:00 +0000

So Monday was a holiday, so I'm lumping it in with the weekend of bad choices. I'm still mad at myself for that. I was just so tired - didn't have any energy at all. I've been having that problem the last few days, actually. The first week of my healthy lifestyle, I had all this energy. But now I just seem to be tired all the time.

Tuesday I stayed within my calorie limit and did 30 minutes on the ellipitcal.
Today I stayed within my calorie limit and we walked the dogs (went around the block 3 times rather than our usual 2)

Mardi Gras - 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:50:00 +0000

I've never been to a ball before. This year, I will be working at the Mayor's Ball - which means I needed to buy a dress. I looked all over for one that would work for the semi-formal theme and had such a hard time deciding on anything. I ever created a pin board on Pinterest dedicated just to formal and semi-formal dresses. If you know me at all, you know I hate spending money on something I will only wear once. I even tried hard to find bridesmaid dresses that my girls could wear again because I didn't want them to buy something to wear only once! I found the solution in this dress. The 10-Way Dress! You can wear it 10 different ways - and I would wager there are even more once you start playing around with it. I ordered it (in the black on the top row, but my version is a little longer) yesterday and it is scheduled to arrive on Friday. I can't wait!

First Fitness Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:31:00 +0000

FAIL. Yeah, I didn't do so well over the weekend. I went to New Orleans with a friend to help her buy a Mardi Gras dress. That was fun, but I ate really BAD food. Let me rephrase that - the food was awesome, but it was very naughty.

We did get a lot of exercise, though. I need to work on weekends. These are my big weaknesses. It's easy to be good all week because there are not a lot of choices. But when the weekend rolls around, that's when the problem comes. That's the focus for this weekend - working on making better choices.

Fitness Days 4-5

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:28:00 +0000

Still managing to stay under the 1650 calorie limit. I've been working to get some exercise each day, whether that is yoga, aerobic, or elliptical. We are also walking the dogs more, which is making a difference in their behavior.

a healthy mindset

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:46:00 +0000

I have spent a lot of time since January 1 thinking about my feelings about food and exercise. Jon and I planned to focus on a lifestyle that includes healthy food choices and activities, and even though it was delayed for a week because we were both battling the aftermath of sinus infections, I have been thinking about it nonetheless. I have started diets and exercise programs. I have failed at Slim-Fast, Weight Watchers, diet pills, physician-assisted weight loss, and sparkpeople. I have lost weight with these programs, of course, but I can't ever maintain that weight loss. It's like my body wants to be fat. But that's not the way it works and I do know that.

In the past, if I had come across a journal topic that said "Food Is..." Here's what I would have written:
Food is: comfort, entertainment, happiness, pleasure, love, company, social, and the reason to live.

But that's the root of my problem. I know that now. Food can't be those things. And if it is, you will most certainly have a problem. The mindset I'm trying to focus on now is "Food is fuel." It is what my body needs to function correctly. It is what I need to consume to stay healthy and keep moving. Food is fuel. Food is not love or comfort. Food is not something to do when I am bored. Food is something to do deliberately and carefully. It is to be savored and enjoyed, not picked up and eaten without much thought while watching TV or surfing the Internet. This mindset has to change before real lifestyle change can begin.

So that's what I've been working on lately. Changing my mindset. Is that second piece of chocolate cake worth diabetes? A small piece won't hurt, as long as I have been making healthy choices otherwise. But a large piece, or a second piece - that's where we run into problems. I want people to look at me a year from now and say "I can't believe you lost that much weight." Not because I want to lose weight, but because I want to be healthy.

Fitness Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Calories Consumed: Just under 1600
Calories Burned: Just shy of 300

Exercise was 15 minutes of yoga and 30 minutes of aerobic exercise using the Wii Fit. You should have seen me trying to step when the little Miis stepped! I'm so uncoordinated! The good news is, I'm down 7 pounds from the first of the year.

Jon asked me tonight if I thought we could sustain this for the long term and I really think we can. I'm working hard to make sure I make healthy choices (the most important thing) and continuing to do moderate exercise.

It's still going well. I still feel great except for the neck pain, but even that seems to be getting better. The yoga last night helped.

Another sewing project

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:46:00 +0000

I used the same pattern as the first skirt, but used the mid-length rather than the short length. Obviously, the short one is too short for me. When I tried it on without the flounce at the bottom, Jon said he could see my backside! So I won't be able to make the short skirt, but the short with a flounce or the mid-length will be fine. So all I need to do now is the elastic for the waist and the hem and I can wear it! I love this fabric. We got it at Jo-Ann's on sale. It was $13 for all the fabric I needed for the skirt and some extra, which I'm considering making a purse with bamboo circular handles out of to match the skirt. I also have enough scraps to cover a headband if I choose to do so. The first time we went into Jo-Ann's, the rack of Asian-inspired fabric caught my eye. The material is beautiful and rich, and feels great. It's hard to cut, but not too difficult to sew. I do have to pin more than I have been because it slips a little, but that's okay. I love how this skirt is turning out so far. I'm excited about wearing it (and the other one, of course!)

This effort took about 2 hours last night, from cutting to sewing the last stitch. What's left is putting in elastic for the waist and hemming the bottom. I also want to do something to each seam so that the fabric doesn't fray past the stitches, because frays pretty badly. I would hate for it to fray so badly that the stitches weaken and pop open while I'm wearing it! :o

Fitness Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:57:00 +0000

Calories Consumed: 1600
Calories Burned: 300
Water: 33 oz

Exercise was walking the dogs and 45 minutes of yoga and strength training via Wii Fit. Stretching seemed to help my neck a little. I'm hoping it will continue to help as I continue to exercise.

The goal is cardio every other day and yoga/strength training every other day. This way, I get some activity every single day, but I'm not overdoing either one. Of course, we will walk the dogs every day, so there will be a tiny bit of cardio each day. Except for days when I have to work late and can't be home in time to walk the dogs, of course.

The yoga poses felt soooo good. I haven't done it in so long that I wasn't very good at them, but they still felt awesome.

Fitness Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:47:00 +0000

Calories Consumed: 1173 (target range is 1500 - 1800, so I was too low)
Calories Burned: 700
Water: 33 oz.

The exercise was walking the dogs and 30 minutes on the elliptical. I did a moderate weight loss program on the machine, which felt pretty extreme to me, but that's just because I'm way out of shape.

I've had some odd neck pain for the last couple of days and can't really figure out why. My only thoughts are that either I slept badly on my neck one night or I pulled something while coughing like crazy. I'm going to do what I can to make it feel better, but it's not going to keep me from exercising.

I'm trying to stick with moderate exercise because vigorous exercise can apparently throw hormones off balance and I really want my hormones to be working correctly right now!

Church shopping - Week #1

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:59:00 +0000

We visited the Mobile campus of Bay Community Church this morning. It's a nondenominational contemporary church. They were so friendly when we walked in - greeting us and ushering us over to the special visitor's area, where we filled out some information and were given a gift. It's actually a pretty nice gift - a logo travel mug. I plan to use it at work for water.

The service was good. Worship was lively but the music was a bit loud. Praise and worship songs, most likely by Hillsong United (which I love) and some nice interludes of quiet and loud music and moments. And then it was time for the sermon. It was simulcast from the main campus. This is the thing that turned me off. I don't really like watching a sermon on TV. I want the person to be right there so my feedback means something.

We will probably not go back. Not because we didn't enjoy it, but because it's just not what we are looking for in a church. Jon was a little uncomfortable, I think, with the somewhat unconventional worship.

Next week, we are going to try a more traditional church and see how it feels to us. It's actually kind of fun visiting and seeing how we like different places!

Sewing a skirt

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:42:00 +0000

My first big sewing project! I started with this pattern that I purchased along with several others, at Hobby Lobby on sale for 99 cents. You could only buy 10 of them, so I bought 10. Some are way beyond my skills, but I figured I could grow into them! Anyway, I started with this pattern, which has a base skirt and several "flounces" to sew onto the bottom. I chose the one with the slit and the bow, but I eliminated the bow. For some reason, I just didn't like the bow.

So I cut out the pattern and pinned it to the fabric (Jo-Ann's Fabrics, on sale for $4 per yard) This was a fun task because I had nowhere big enough to pin and cut the fabric. The dining room table proved to be the best place for this, so we cleaned it off and used it!

So here are all the pieces for the basic skirt cut out based on the pattern pieces I was supposed to cut out. It was time to start sewing, the part that was the most frightening to me! Remember, I have never done anything remotely like this before getting this sewing machine in November, so I was a little bit terrified! However, it worked out okay, because when I was finished, I had this...

These are the two sides of the skirt. I then put those together to get a skirt-like structure, a tube of fabric, really, that was very, very short. I had originally thought of just doing the basic skirt to see how everything worked, but I knew I couldn't wear it like that - no seriously, it was THAT short. So I chose a flounce and cut those pieces out, put them together, and attached them to the basic skirt. And came up with this cute little thing that I plan to wear to church tomorrow! It's not as shiny in real life as it is in this photo, we had all kinds of strange light coming from everywhere - lots of lamps in the craft room. Overall, I'm really happy with it. There are some problems, of course. There always are when something is hand made. Of course, the machine did most of the work! So here's a pic of my very clothing sewing project. I hope it doesn't fall apart while I'm wearing it!

No-spend update: Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:39:00 +0000

Hahaha... it's not going as well as I would have hoped. Well actually, we are still following the rules, but we are spending more money than I would like. I'm still sick, you see. Remember that this illness actually started on December 12 and I went to the doctor that day, got antibiotics, and took them as directed. 10 days later, when the antibiotics were gone, I was feeling a little better and thought I was recovering but it hit me like a ton of bricks again a few days later. So back to the doctor I went, this time I got a stronger antibiotic and some other medication. I'm taking cold medicine too, but it's over the counter stuff. So the doc visit and meds are expenses I didn't really expect in January, but other than that, we're doing pretty well.

We haven't really spent money on anything "fun" this week, mostly because I've been sick. And the interesting thing is, we have A LOT of free entertainment coming up, so hopefully not a lot of spending in the next couple of weeks for that. My boss gave out free tickets to the godaddy.com Bowl on Sunday, so we are most likely going to that, and we got a gift card and some coupons for Olive Garden, so that's this week's date night. (Friday, yay!)

Can we keep it up? No-spend is harder than it looks, but I think we can do it!

To audition... or not to audition...

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:05:00 +0000

I love theatre. I really do. I became involved in theatre again after a 13-year hiatus in 2007 by auditioning for a play at Theatre 98. From there, I worked or performed in nearly every play produced at that theatre for 3 years. In addition to being on the board of directors and doing a play at another theatre at the same time. Burn-out... it's nice to meet you.

I started doing theatre because I was lonely and bored. I wanted to do something that would give me opportunities to meet new people and make new friends. I wanted to have something to do in the evenings that was more exciting than going home and watching TV alone in my bedroom. I was a few years out of school and into my career, and the job excitement was wearing off, so I needed something else - something new to stimulate my brain and my social muscles. (does that sound dirty? I don't mean for it to sound dirty, lol)

While most of the time, it was a beautiful and fun experience, there are, of course, some bad things about it. The long hours, the late nights, memorizing lines and blocking, getting yelled at by angry and stressed out directors, etc. And sometimes the social aspect of it is a little... seedy.

I feel like I should get involved again. It really can be a lot of fun and there's a great show coming up that I think would be a blast. But... I refer back to the bad things. I'm just not sure I have the tolerance for it right now. I'm very interested in eventually getting back to it, but right now, what I want most of all is to go home after work and spend time with Jon and the dogs. And our eventual children. I'm not looking for people to meet anymore. I have friends and I have the love of my life. That's really all I need at this point in my life. And theatre has been a problem with jobs I've had before, so I'm not really sure I want to do that again.

I do miss performing, though. I think I need to find a choir or something I can be involved in and get that performance piece without doing theatre. I'm pretty sure I just made a decision. I don't think I'm going to dive back in anytime soon. I want to give as much time as I can to my husband, my hobbies, and my home. I don't want to be exhausted all the time (which I always am when I'm doing theatre) and I'm tired of the self-esteem highs and lows that come with theatre. I want to focus on other things - writing, sewing, knitting, and doing other things that make me happy. So that's the decision. No auditioning for me this year. I am just not ready to go back.

My word for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:36:00 +0000

After looking at the words I listed in a previous post and realizing that making the decision was going to be difficult considering all the possibilities that are in store in 2012, I changed my mind and decided to use a word that has many facets and basically encompasses all the words I listed before. So my word for 2012 is going to be HEALTHY.

Yes, healthy. There are so many ways to be unhealthy and so many things to focus on when you are interested in being a truly well-rounded and healthy individual. This word will actually be a lovely way to focus on things without making actual resolutions, which I am hesitant to do these days because they just get broken. So rather than making resolutions, I'm focusing on being more healthy in several different areas.

I found this wheel and an amazing description of each aspect of it here. While it is a university website so geared more toward students, I am going to use it to design an overall wellness plan for me and for my life. In this year of new beginnings, I believe it is just what I need to do.

So here's what I plan to do with my word for 2012 - focus on these areas in different ways to truly become healthy. Each area needs some work and some attention. And altogether, these areas absolutely cover every aspect of my life. So this is what I plan to do with each focus area.

Physical
Regular exercise, eating more healthy and well-balanced meals, and paying attention to what my body is telling me. I am learning more about my body and am becoming more aware of everything it has to say about what's happening inside.

Intellectual
Exercise the brain! I am going to take some time to do brain puzzles and keep my mind active. Learning how to do new things is one great way to keep the brain active, and my newest hobby (sewing) will provide a great chance to exercise lots of brain areas!

Social
Spending time with friends and family, not just on facebook, but in real life, is a hugely important part of social health. I will make a commitment to spend quality time with family and friends, and will work on making some new friends and developing new relationships, perhaps at our new church when we decide on one.

Environmental
This is a big one for me. My home is my sanctuary. While some amount of clutter is inevitable, especially with two adults who have big hobbies, two dogs who get into everything, and eventually children who pretty much destroy everything, (lol) I'm not a big fan of things getting too cluttered. I love for things to be organized and neat. If I could keep it looking like a magazine spread, I totally would. But really I am just shooting for the house looking nice enough for company at any given time. Organizing papers and making sure there's a system in place will help with that. Organizing cabinets and designating a place for everything will also help. Ensuring that we are both mindful of this and working toward keeping things looking nice is a huge step toward environmental wellness.

Financial
Budgeting and sticking to it. Spending responsibly and saving where possible. Paying off credit cards and not using credit irresponsibly anymore. Working toward a raise or a job with a higher salary.

Spiritual
Find a church to attend regularly. This one has been bothering me for awhile now. It's just so easy to fill up the weekend with activities and errands and chores. I miss my spiritual relationships and the renewal in my spirit that I receive when going to church regularly. I miss singing and praying and praising. I want to get back to that soon. I miss sharing things with people in Bible study and/or prayer group. I have been reading my Bible but it's not the same. I want to start really going to some different churches and seeing which ones we click with and which ones we don't. It's very important to me to have a church family before we start our family.

Emotional
Work on my response to stress. RELAX! Allow myself time to be creative and to play. Enjoy the moment. Write, write, write. Indulge in hobbies, both old and new. Read books for fun. Spend some time alone if needed. Try not to become devastated if things don't happen right away. Good things come to those who wait. :)

Wedding Photo Video

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:46:00 +0000

I made this primarily for our parents, so I could put it onto a DVD and give it to them for Christmas, but it turned out so nice I decided to post it here and on facebook so other people could see it too. I think it really captures what our wedding was like. Enjoy!

Word for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:10:00 +0000

My word for 2009 was Passion. My word for 2010 was Love. I don't think I did a word for 2011, but looking back on the year, I would say that the word would be Anticipation or something to that effect. So what should my word for 2012 be? There are a few contenders that I'm considering right now and I will come up with a winner before Jan 1, but here's what I have so far and the reasons behind them...

1. Relax - I get so anxious about things sometimes. Paranoid, even. And I always think I should be doing something productive, even to the point of feeling guilty when I'm just sitting around doing nothing. Of course, most of my current hobbies are fairly productive, so that helps. I find it pretty relaxing to sew, knit, and crochet, and they are productive because I'm making something! Maybe my word for 2012 needs to remind me to relax and enjoy life. To take it as it comes. To not get anxious or worried about things I can't control.

2. Organize - Pretty much the opposite of the previous word, right? I need to get organized and stay that way. I have all these ideas on how to organize our home and our lives, but they never actually happen because I'm too "busy" to keep it going. What's funny is, this is not a problem in a work environment, just at home. Perhaps I need to focus on that this year.

3. Family - I have my natural family... mom, dad, Gina and her family. And now I have Jon and the dogs. And Jon's family. Getting to know family members, some for the first time and some all over again, could be a great focus for this year. I realized I've lost touch a little at Christmas when I thought Hannah was two years younger than she actually is! I guess I missed the last two years. :( Well, I have been pretty busy. Lol.

4. Focus - Rather than jumping from project to project, from idea to idea... perhaps I need some focus in my life. I'm good at this at work, but not so much at home. I will start a knitting project, for example, and then see something else that looks fun and awesome and start it too. This leads to more unfinished projects than I have space for and a feeling of failure because I can't manage to finish anything! And now with sewing becoming another fun thing for me to do, I can already tell I'm going to have the same problem there!

So, any thoughts on which word I should choose? I'm open to suggestions for other words as well. For some reason, I'm having a hard time coming up with a great one.

Goodbye, 2011 - possibly the greatest year ever!

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:58:00 +0000

And now for my annual recap of the year. I feel pretty blessed to have had the experiences I have this year, and I am excited to see what will happen next. I'm in such a great place in my life right now, and when I look back on years past, I can see the path to this moment. And it makes me happy to see what all I've been through to get to this point. I have to thank God for bringing me through everything and blessing me with what I have now.

January - The year started with travel for CPSI. I was still very happy to have a job, but I knew the travel would become an issue before long. My first trip was to Bunkie, LA. We stayed at a super-nice casino and the hospital was small and friendly. The application didn't work, but it was still a fairly pleasant experience. Four of us went, two from our training class and two more seasoned employees. I learned a lot from the experience.

February - What an eventful month! February brought with it a ring and a house! Jon proposed on Valentine's Day after a lovely dinner at Macaroni Grill. He did it at our apartment, where we exchanged gifts. There was a cute teddy bear in my gift bag and I loved it so much that I didn't even see the little box at the bottom of the gift bag! He got down on one knee and proposed. Kaylee was our witness. It was exactly as it should have been. Shortly after the grand proposal, we moved to a house. Renting for the time being, but planning to buy. We painted some of the walls, which was actually a lot of fun, and are planning to do more at some point. Hopefully. I also took a trip to Texas in February. Fort Stockton was a neat little town and I actually enjoyed some of my time there. Travel was beginning to wear thin, however, and I knew I would need to be home more for wedding planning.

March - This month took me back to Texas for another week. I went wedding dress shopping with my mom, my sister, and Hannah. It was so much fun, but a little overwhelming. I have photos of me in a bunch of different dresses, but they are currently on a computer that I can't access. My laptop cord bit the dust and I haven't been able to purchase a new one yet. :( I ordered a dress online, one I hadn't tried on, so I was pretty nervous about it fitting correctly and everything. I also started working on my wedding wrap because I knew I would need something to go over my arms since the dress was sleeveless. I went to Oregon this month too - and endured the worst travel experience I had ever had. The hotel was nasty. I mean seriously nasty. Dirty sheets, smelled of pet urine and moth balls, and the carpet felt greasy on my feet. I slept in my clothes and put a hoodie over my pillow. Slept on top of the covers, too. In addition to the nasty hotel, I also caught the flu while at the hospital training the doctors. I knew it was the flu, but our primary (the person in charge) kept saying it wasn't. I got sicker and sicker, and his excuse for it not being the flu was that I would be in bed and unable to get up. I told him I would rather be up and at the hospital than in that nasty hotel bed. Oh, and someone banged on my door in the middle of the night one night, screaming for Joe to come out and face her. I told her through the door that there was no Joe in the room. She didn't believe me - kept screaming. I threatened to call the police and that's when she stopped banging on the door. Seriously. This was a crazy place. Oregon was beautiful, though, and I got to see my first REAL snow - you know, enough to actually stick to the ground, enough to build a snowman. I didn't build one, though. I was too sick. (it was the flu, by the way - I went to a doctor when I got home) After getting over the flu, I got on the plane and went to Oklahoma. It was interesting. Not much to say about that trip other than that we had fun and went to a cool winery. I bought a bottle of wine that I intended to drink on our wedding day, but it didn't happen. So I still have it! :)

April - Jon traveled for work during April and May. He came home on weekends, but it was still very hard. Had a work trip to Florida and spent the evening at Panama City Beach. That was pretty fun. This trip was only a couple of hours away from home, so that wasn't bad.

May - Probably my favorite trip of all, I went to New Mexico. It was beautiful out there. The hospital was not so bad either, although there were some issues getting the application working. We drove to Roswell one day and spent some time in the UFO Museum. It was fun. We settled on bridesmaids dresses in May, and everything started to feel VERY REAL for the wedding.

June - I knew I wouldn't be able to keep traveling like that, so I looked for and got a new job in May/June. Back in my field, although not exactly ideal, this position allowed me to do what I needed it to do - I was at home every evening with my love and the dog! We started talking about getting a new puppy for Kaylee to play with, and at the end of June, we adopted Simon from the Animal Rescue Foundation. It was so much fun having a new dog in the house, and he is still so much fun to have! They play together so nicely. And sometimes not so nicely, lol. We also went fishing with my parents once during June, on the same day that a wildfire consumed a large portion of the Gulf State Park. I took some photos showing the plume of smoke. It was sad to see all those beautiful natural wetlands burn. Oh, and right at the beginning of the month, I fell through a rotten board on our back porch. Trip to the ER, x-rays, etc... all for some bruises. I really could have just stayed home. Oh well.

July - We went to Bellingrath with my parents and my sister's kids, took our engagement photos, took Noah to see Harry Potter, and got our passports!

August - We did so much wedding stuff in August. Got the website finished, recruited victims... er... people to do stuff for the ceremony and reception, reserved the tuxedos, shoe shopping with bridesmaids, flower girl dress, etc. We also paid off my car! YAY! Oh, and we ordered our wedding rings, which was super exciting. Near the end of the month, we sent out invitations.

September - This month brought our 3-year anniversary of first contact. I located his first words to me and my first words to him. It was interesting finding those messages and seeing how we've grown in our relationship and what it has become. I'm so happy I decided to return that message! It led to the bliss I felt throughout our relationship and especially now. We did a lot of final wedding stuff during September, and started getting RSVPs from guests. I started freaking out a little about the upcoming wedding and all the stuff we still had to do.

October - One of the best things we did this month (besides getting married, of course!) was to take some time out to take the dogs to the botanical gardens for an afternoon. We took photos and walked through the gardens, and didn't talk or think about wedding stuff. It was so great to get away from the insanity for a moment and just be us. I finished knitting my wrap about 2 weeks before the wedding, so that was nice. I was so glad to have it finished! And now I don't want to knit anything for awhile! I ordered a new dress to wear for the Halloween party on our honeymoon cruise, and to wear at the Renaissance Faire. It was gorgeous and I was so excited to have it! There's a huge recap of wedding weekend, so I won't reiterate any of that here, but I do want to mention... we got married in October! Also went on a cruise for our honeymoon - a first for both of us! It was awesome - both wedding and honeymoon - and I am so glad we did it exactly the way we did it. No regrets at all.

November - The cruise lasted into November, and when we got home, there were wedding gifts to open! That was fun. We finished out our registry with gift cards and cash we got for the wedding, and I got on the thank you notes right away - wanting to get that done before holiday insanity started. Our photos were going to be delayed because our photographer was having a family crisis, but we did have a few shots from friends and family members to tide us over. November brought my 35th birthday, and for my birthday Jon got me a sewing machine! I have had so much fun with it! And I think he is having fun watching me make stuff. He just sort of randomly wanders over to my sewing area and watches me for a few minutes. He also helps sometimes. He likes to cut fabric and sometimes he will press fabric for me too, which I think is very sweet. I got a book and some notions and a couple of small pieces of fabric and started practicing. By the end of the month, I had made two pillow covers for our couch pillows, and an eye pillow filled with rice (to soothe tired eyes) I got some patterns for skirts, tops, dresses, and a few costume patterns that will need to wait until later! (a Renaissance dress and an Elizabethan dress) I'm starting with the skirts, lol. We went to the Renn Faire, which is a yearly tradition. It was awesome, as usual. Thanksgiving was nice. Splitting time with different families was interesting and a little difficult, but we figured it out. We got our first Christmas tree together and put it up - and decorated the house. It was so much fun, and really nice when we were finished.

December - We both spent most of this month dealing with sinus infections, ear infections, etc. But that didn't stop us from enjoying Christmas as much as we could! Our first Christmas in our house, first Christmas as a married couple, etc. It was awesome. And so ends the year 2011. Engagement and wedding year. The best year I've had in a very long time. Maybe ever. I don't remember ever being this happy.

Looking forward to seeing what's in store for 2012!

Nostalgia

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:05:00 +0000

I'm feeling very nostalgic this Christmas season, which you could probably tell from my "Christmas Memories" posts. Maybe nostalgic isn't quite the right word. I'm not yearning for the past, but I'm trying to remember it as much as I can. I think I put my finger on the reason this morning while driving to work. At this point in my life, I am closer to that time in the lives of my parents than I have ever been. My memories of childhood are the memories my parents have from their thirties and forties. Being 35 now, and married, I feel closer to them than ever, simply because I remember them at this age and what they did for us. Being married and talking about the future, the family we will have one day, is making me want to remember my past and the family I came from, so that I will never forget what my parents did to make my childhood so warm, loving, and special. I always felt safe, always felt protected, and never felt unsettled. I never felt like there was a crisis or a problem, even when we had lean years on the farm and there wasn't as much money as there normally was. When my mother was 35, I was 7 years old. I remember thinking she was the most beautiful person on the planet, and my dad was the smartest.

I am making myself remember these things because I want to be the same kind of mother my mom was to me. And when we start trying to have children (and when we do, we will NOT be telling people because frankly, it's nobody's business until the stick shows two lines - or a plus mark or whatever those sticks say these days, lol) I want to keep in mind the lessons my parents taught us through simply being good people.

Lessons I carry with me to this day:
- Be kind and compassionate with everyone. You never know what someone may be going through at any given time.
- It really is better to give than to receive. Give more than you get, because you will be happier in the end.
- Keep God in your life and talk to Him often.
- Family is important. Keep them close to your heart, even when they can't be close to you physically.
- And so many other lessons I can't even repeat all of them.

So I want to take this moment to thank my parents for being so great. Not everyone had parents like I did, which makes me even more grateful for my childhood. I want my children to say that about us one day on their blogs or whatever they do in the future! I truly believe they will.

No-Spend January

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:35:00 +0000

I’ve been seeing a lot about having a “no-spend” month online lately, and Jon and I have made a commitment to this challenge in January, 2012. We are hoping it will help us jump-start our credit card payoff plan and help us take charge of our budget a little better. Our goal is to buy a house for each other for Christmas next year, so we want to do everything we can to make that happen, which means getting the debt GONE! I will be blogging about this just to keep track of our thoughts and feelings, as well as the progress. I think an exercise like this is exactly what we need, as we have both always been pretty free with our spending - if we have it, we can spend it - and we really need to focus on saving right now.

Here are the rules we created. You can feel free to make up your own.

No spending on items that are not groceries or other necessities.
No going out to eat except for one weekly date night.
All entertainment should be free, or if there is a charge, it has to be under $10 for both of us and can only be once a week.
Write down ALL spending and categorize for future budgeting.
No unnecessary car trips to save on gas.
No online shopping.
Plan meals and stick with them - allow leftovers for lunches so that there is no “going out” for lunch.
Emergencies, doctor visits, vet visits, do not count. If something comes up that needs to be taken care of, it will be - health is more important than money.
At the end of the month, evaluate feelings and thoughts about the process and make a new budget for the year based on the findings.

As you can see, this will also help with weight loss goals, as meal planning will include healthy meals rather than restaurant food which is always pretty high in calories, etc.

Any money saved will go toward the payoff of the credit card we are working to pay off right now.

So who’s with me? No-Spend January? Anyone??

A Knitter's Night Before Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:11:00 +0000

I saw this on Ravelry.com and had to share. It's absolutely adorable. I didn't do any Christmas knitting this year, but the year I learned to knit, I made washcloths for each of my aunts and wrapped them around a little bottle of bubble bath. They are crafty people themselves, so they appreciated the gift. I am sorry I don't have the author or an original blog post to attribute, but after about 45 minutes of google searching to find these things, I gave up. So it's "Author Unknown" for now, and I would like to say, if the author happens to read this for some reason, it really made my day. Thanks!

A Knitter's Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren’t hung by the chimney with care
’cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
but I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn, I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both dad and the boys.

And though I was tired, my brain was a bit thick,
I knew in a moment, it must be Saint Nick.
But what I heard then left me perplexed-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I had expected
“move, Ashford; move, Lopi; move, Addie and Clover
Move, Reynolds; move, Starmore; move, Fraylic–move over”
“Paton, don’t circle round; stand in line.

Come now, you sheep wool work just fine!
I know this is hard semi, it’s just your first year,
I’d hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer.”
I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight woolly sheep on my lawn all a’grazing.

And then,in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa’s feet coming across the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned round, Saint Nick, I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were handknit from above to below.
A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
and his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.

The scarf round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable,
And suddenly on one I spied a small label.
SC was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
and I asked “Hey Nick, did you knit all this stuff?”

He proudly replied “Ho-ho-ho, yes I did,
I learned how to knit when I was a kid.”
He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself for I’d thought up a plan.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I’d laid my needles and yarn for a cap.

He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two;
For the first time I thought I’d really get through.
He put heels on the stockings and toes in some socks
While I sat back drinking Scotch on the rocks!!

So quickly like magic, his needles they flew,
That he was all finished by quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon
“Next year start your knitting sometime around June.”

-Author Unknown

Christmas Memories (kindness)

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:57:00 +0000

Just after I turned 14, my dad had an accident. He was at work and something very heavy fell on his leg, breaking it in a few places. He had to wear a cast and was unable to work for several months. Being self-employed, he didn't have vacation or sick time to spend. We didn't have very much money coming in at all during those months, and we knew it was going to be a small Christmas. Being 14 and 16 years old, my sister and I were old enough to be okay with this, and we all decided to just focus on spending time together and not worry too much about gifts. We went to bed on Christmas Eve expecting nothing to open in the morning. We were so wrong! Sometime during the night, a church member came to our house. They brought all the food needed for Christmas dinner. They also brought gifts. When we woke up on Christmas morning, there were more beautifully wrapped gifts under our tree than there ever had been! Beautiful gifts like bracelets and earrings, useful things like clothes, and fun items like albums for popular bands and other entertainment. And gifts for our parents - some nice things for my mom that she never got to buy like expensive lotions and bubble bath, and some fun things for our dad - I think I remember a fishing rod and reel or something like that, which was very exciting for him! When I saw that amazing pile of gifts and found out where they came from, it made me realize that there were people who cared about us. We were never "needy," but they knew we wouldn't have much of a Christmas that year and they wanted to give us something that would make us happy.

I will never forget that as long as I live - not because of the gifts themselves, but because of the feeling we had when we woke up that morning and realized that an entire congregation cared enough to plan this special surprise for us.

Every year since then, I have adopted an "angel" from an angel tree. Whether it is through work or by myself, I have always done this because I remember what it feels like to be a kid and receive an unexpected surprise on Christmas. It was a special feeling that I want to make sure others experience too.

Pro Wedding Pics!

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:52:00 +0000

We got our professional wedding photos this week. I'm happy to say I love them very much! Here are a few of my favorites so far:

Christmas Memories (bikes)

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

I remember the year my sister and I both got bikes for Christmas. I'm not sure which year it actually was, but I remember going out to the tree that morning and there were two bikes sitting beside it. We were so excited! Because we lived so far away from everyone, and because it wasn't too terribly cold outside, I remember that we went straight outside in our PJs to ride our new bikes. We had so much fun that day, and for a long time afterward, riding our bikes down the long dirt driveway that led from the road to our house. We would go on adventures with our bikes, all over the farm land that we owned, even through the areas that our dad never farmed. They were not our first bikes ever, but they were our first "real" ones. And our first new ones. It meant so much to have that kind of freedom and to have something so nice. Our parents always tried so hard to give us everything we wanted. What's funny now is the thing I remember most is now what we got, but the looks on their faces when we so obviously enjoyed a gift. I hope I never forget that happy look as long as I live.

Sick

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:59:00 +0000

We are both sick right now. Sinus issues, etc. I went to the doctor yesterday and Jon went to the doctor today. We actually got the same antibiotic and everything. Funny how we ended up sick at the same time with non-contagious stuff. Kind of sucks to both be sick at the same time, but on the other hand, it's also nice that we are both getting the illness out of the way so that when we start feeling better we can both feel better. If that makes sense!

So yay for antibiotics and cough medicine that sometimes makes me hallucinate! Hopefully we can start feeling better soon.

Christmas Memories (traditions)

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Powell) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:31:00 +0000

Christmas was always magical for us. Not because of Santa or reindeer or whatever, but because Christmas was a time filled with traditions that made our time magical. My dad wasn't as busy during that time of the year, so he was able to spend more time with us. We baked cookies and cakes and took them to people we knew from church. We spent time at the nursing home with our "adopted grandparents." (residents who didn't have family that we would go visit once a month and on special occasions.) Spending time with elderly people who were lonely because their own family abandoned them was a great way to put things into perspective. I always loved going to the nursing home and singing to the residents, or just bringing a wrapped pair of socks or a bathrobe to a lady or man who needed a gift.

And we would take part in Christmas activities at church, including a drama/music program and caroling the weekend before Christmas. I loved caroling. We would all load up in cars or vans, dressed in sweaters, scarves and mittens (even if it was 70 degrees out) and we would visit certain people and sing carols for them. Everyone had some kind of treat ready for us when we got there, and we ended the night with hot chocolate and doughnuts at the church fellowship hall.

A few weeks before Christmas, we would go over to my grandmother's house (on my dad's side) and help her decorate. She had the coolest silver Christmas tree and this rotating light that she pointed at it, which would shine different colors onto the silver tree. It looked like Christmas in outer space. I loved that tree, and would just sit there and stare at it for hours. After we helped her decorate, we would go see the other grandparents. They had a massive real tree every year, and all the local grandkids came to help decorate it. We each had a ceramic angel ornament with our name on it. Mine had brown hair and green eyes, and wore a light pink dress. We would each be allowed to hang our own angel ornament onto the tree. It was always so special to unwrap that angel and pick the perfect spot for her to sit on the tree. The grandkids who had to come from far away got to hang theirs on the tree on Christmas Eve when we would gather to celebrate.

We spent Christmas Eve at the grandparents houses. First on my dad's side, then on my mom's side. Everyone always did something small for each of the kids, so we left with lots of candy, cookies, handmade items and trinkets, and of course, toys. As we got older, the gifting stopped, but the spirit was the same. There was always love and happiness in the room whenever we gathered. On my mom's side, someone would always be able to play piano, so we would sing carols and read the Christmas Story from the Bible before opening gifts. And of course, we had lots of amazing food! A Christmas Feast!

Christmas morning at our house was always an exciting event. Since Gina and I were so close in age, we often got the same gifts. One year we both got bikes, one year stereos, etc. There are so many photos of us in our new Christmas pajamas surrounded by our identical gifts. Our parents always tried to make sure everything was equal. :)

After all my grandparents passed away, the traditions changed somewhat. We don't go over there on Christmas Eve anymore. We actually meet up with my parents at their house. Gina and Rob bring the kids and we all open gifts together after eating the same Christmas feast. This year, I have a new family member to contribute - Jon. Maybe next year we will have another new family member. (fingers crossed!)

Just because the traditions have changed, that doesn't mean they are not still magical and wonderful. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Not because I get gifts, because honestly I could do without gifts. But because everyone seems a little happier, a little more peaceful, and a little more generous than they normally do. Because Christmas is a time of singing and spending time with people you love. Because you have days off from work to spend with people who matter to you. Because there is an important reason for the celebration - the birth of Christ. It's just magical.