So Long Blogger!

I've been sick of Blogger for a while now...of not having templates that are less than 10 years old and not having a lot of freedom to do what I want with it! So, for those of you who read this regularly...it's time to update your favorites! :)

http://snapshots.rezer.com

Go there...I made it myself...and Jeff helped me...

Bubye Blogger!

Funny

Here's a fun game from my friend Deb...I wasn't going to do it, but then it got funnier and funnier! Hahaha

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car):
Shamrock Saturn

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe):
Cookies & Cream Flip Flop

3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal):
Blue Manatee

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born):
Marie Decatur

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first three letters of your last name, first two of your first name):
Rezsa (I have no idea where I'm from...perhaps I'm the Ukrainian embassador in Alderan)

6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
Green Sex on the beach (LOL LOL...I don't know what kind of kinky superhero I am)

7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers):
Gene Howard

8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy):
Vanilla Butterfinger

9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your fifth grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Lowery Las Vegas

10. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, flower):
Autumn Daisy

11. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now)
Golden Delicious Jeans

12. HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):
Herbalife shake dogwood (wow...that's a mouthful)

I think my personal favorite is my stripper name...Vanilla Butterfinger! HAHAHAHA

A proud mama!

So...what better use is a blog than to show off her kid, right?

ENT, new pics, and more

As you may have guessed, my ear infection ridden child will be seeing the ENT. It's that appointment we've been anticipating for a year. Seriously. It will be so nice to have the tubes and know that his little ears can drain all on their own instead of paying $30 a pop for every cold that comes along ($20 copay, $10 script). We've seriously been to the doctor for ear infections 4 times since we've moved here and it hasn't even been a year. This one (double ear infection this time) is pretty funny because he has this throaty voice going on...it sounds like I'm raising a mini mobster! So anyway, his appointment is April 18th. Happy ENT time. I'm so glad it's finally here. :)

Here are some of the pics that were taken this past weekend...some of the readers of this blog have probably seen them on my facebook already, but I figured I would post them anyway! SO CUTE! Bobbi Sawyer is the photographer...she's a friend of a co-worker of my mom's. She did a great job and we got a GREAT deal cause she's building her portfolio and we're getting stuff for CHEAP! She's awesome and we had a great time with her!













Ethan is REALLY blooming right now...maybe it's the spring effect. He's really just so intelligent it's crazy. He's already spelling (he can spell like 5 words) and he can read even more words. Nuts. And every time we go anywhere or see anyone they're just really taken in by his overall happy demeanor and talkative spirit. It's fun to be his mom really...and it's nice to know that I'm making that transition. Not that I haven't liked being a mom, but it was hard for a while. It's just one more sign that I'm settling in to life here in OH. It feels more and more like home every day and it's nice. The only thing that's missing are really close friends like in MD. I know that's how everyone feels when they've moved to a new place, but I really miss the great relationships I had in MD. I will always have those friendships, but it will never be the same. However, it is nice to know that we're getting more and more involved and comfy at Vineyard. I know that eventually there will be some relationships that come out of our service there. We have some friends, just nothing that has had the chance to develop like those in MD. Of course, I have known my friends in MD for a while now...so I guess I can't really expect it to be like that immediately. Although I must say, upon meeting Mandy we hit it off right away and were extremely fast friends. That's because she's just *sooooo special* hahahaha

Stuff at church is really great...I really love the Vineyard! We were on team for Easter this year (SIX services...ugh) and there were like 500 people (including kids in the Kids zone) who accepted Jesus! Awesome huh? It was a great weekend! I really like the vibe and overall mission of this church and feel really blessed to be part of it. Yay Vineyard!

In other news, Jeff got an AMAZING promotion at work that included a raise that was just under 15% of his current salary! That's after he received a 4% merit increase...which is a full percent above what the usual merit raise is at the place he's working! They REALLY like him...in fact, the VP of the company was telling Jeff's boss that they need to get him more exposure and get him involved in more stuff. They have a lot of confidence in his abilities and I've told him on more than one occasion that he's gonna run the company one day! The thing is that it's just really nice for Jeff to be in a place where he can REALLY move forward, receive recognition for what he does and what he's worth, grow in his field, and use all kinds of different skills that he has! It's just the best place and totally a gift from God! I have no doubt that God had this in mind from the beginning...whether or not I thought He did. :)

So that's what's up with us right now. Nothing too dramatic...a few things to celebrate and general good stuff going on. And the dishes are done. Who could ask for more?

Challenged by Deb

I have been tagged by my friend, Deb. It's time for THE MIDDLE NAME GAME!!


Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.


2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name).

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)


My middle name is Marie...the same as half of the female population...then again, Sarah isn't all that unique either. It's a good thing I'M unique. hehe

M is for Musical - Duh...I know, it's a little obvious, but it's true. I would be lost without an outlet for singing. I love it soooo much. And I love listening to music (usually singer/songwriter kinds of stuff). And I REALLY love that Ethan loves James Taylor, Heart, Styx, and Michael Buble...and Veggie Tales. Passing on the love of music is a lot of fun!

A is for Adventurous - There is little that I like more than trying something new...food, travel, etc...anything goes. I'll try anything once and I love surprises, even though my husband has a hard time surprising me. haha

R is for Reader - I stole this one from Deb...I really love getting lost in a good story. I don't read to make myself better or more healthy. I read to escape from life, motherhood, wifely duties, etc. Not that my life is in bad shape or anything, I just LOVE getting wrapped up in a story that had nothing to do with me in the beginning but becomes what I think about. And no matter what you're reading, you can always learn something from a story whether or not it's written by a spiritual guru.

I is for Influencing - This comes straight from a personality test (and those of you who are as geeky as me about personality tests will know of what I speak). I basically means that I am a people person, through and through. I test OFF THE CHARTS in this area (although I think I am settling in my older age...30 is just around the corner you know). I think this word sums up what moderate leadership abilities I have, the love of being around people, and my love of helping to guide people and provide what I hope is sound advice.

E is for Empathetic...oh wait no...I mean Emphatic. If there's something to say I probably say it loud...and if there's something that I really need to communicate and I'm not getting through I get more and more emphatic...just ask my 2 year old.

OK, Now I tag...
Jeff (because he was snubbed by Deb...haha)
Jen C
Tracy
Jason
Sara

I hope to hear all about you guys! :)

What Time of Day Are You?

Got this from my friend, Deb's blog...I thought it was cute!



You are breakfasty, like a pile of pancakes on a Sunday morning that have just the right amount of syrup, so every bite is sweet perfection and not a soppy mess. You are a glass of orange juice that's cool, refreshing, and not overly pulpy. You are the time of day that's just right for turning the pages of a newspaper, flipping through channels, or clicking around online to get a sense of how the world changed during the night. You don't want to stumble sleepily through life, so you make a real effort to wake your brain up and get it thinking. You feel inspired to accomplish things (whether it's checking something off your to-do list or changing the world), but there's plenty of time for making things happen later in the day. First, pancakes.

It's official!

I have IBS...Irritable Bowl Syndrome. Good times for me. At least that's the diagnosis for now. The doc said I have all the classic symptoms of IBS but says that it seems to be a fairly mild to moderate case since I can function normally (in other words, I can work, it doesn't keep me down, and there is no lasting pain). So, except for the occassional attacks, it's pretty mild. This means that I will most likely be able to control it by making some diet changes. Super. For all of you who know me, this next part will be hard for you to believe.

I have to give up cheese.

And ice cream.

But really cheese is the kicker.

Again, for those of you who know me, you know that I would rather have a block of cheese with some crackers than have a whole bowl full of ice cream. Cheese on salad, cheese on pasta, cheese on cheese...cheese on...everything. So that's my bad news of the year. But it's not so bad. Because I have a mild case of it I'm not gonna blow up if I eat a little of it. I just have to be prepared for the consequences. And in order to live a healthy lifestyle I need to cut back on stuff anyway. Aside from the cheese and ice cream, I also need to cut out milk (the other item in the dairy trinity of pain)...fast food (cutting that out anyway) caffeine (don't have much of that anyway) and spicy foods (duh). I need to increase my fiber intake as well (which I was trying to do anyway) which is good for anyone and isn't that hard to do if you just increase fruits and veggies and eat a fiber rich breakfast (like cereal with *sigh* rice or soy milk). So that's my story. There is another chapter in this crazy story about my body, though. Ever since I was pregnant I have been plagued with heartburn. When I was pregnant (THE WHOLE TIME) it became steadily worse...as I expected it would...and by the end of it anything I ate would cause problems. Well since I had it for so long I am now more susceptible to it. So they gave me some free samples of Prevacid for that and I am supposed to stay away from acidic foods, chocolate, and carbonated beverages.

Let's just say that I will be making a lot of changes...changes that I hope will help me on my road to weight loss as well as being an overall healthier individual.

Note: I just bought my first half gallon of rice milk. Let's hope it doesn't suck.