Girlfriends!

I have lived in GA going on 3.5 years now and I am extremely grateful for the relationships I have formed.

I have to admit it hasn't been easy. Not when you have lived in one place your entire life and you move away in the middle of your 20's. However, God is slowly answering another desire of my heart--to bring authentic, trustworthy women into my life. Trust--HUGE deal to me.HUGE.HUGE.HUGE. Understand? :)
Lets face it ladies we aren't exactly known for being saints. Our mouths like to move.A LOT. Know what I mean? You do. Don't lie. ;)

So, I am thankful for those ladies who I know respect and love me enough to keep those things which I hold so dearly a "secret." You know those things that if you say them to just anyone they will look at you strangely or will have SOMETHING to say. I know you know what I am talking about.
Thankful for the girlfriends who don't judge but share the TRUTH (God's Word) in every situation I face. I have 3 of those ladies in my life and I am truly thankful for them. I literally can call them up even if we haven't spoken in a while and it is like a breath of fresh air to my soul.

You are probably asking, "how do you know they don't divulge your business?" Simple. If there is a girlfriend in your life who has no problem telling you about their friend or best friends "dirty" business then the likelihood of them sharing your "dirty" business is HIGH. Just a friendly FYI. Totally free of charge.This time.
Mind you, I realize that we ALL fall short of the glory of God and we are far from perfect, especially women, but the Bible is clear when it says in Proverbs 18:21 NLT, "  The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences." EEKS. If that doesn't make you wanna shut your trap then I don't know what will.

That certainly is not the friend that I want to be...and therefore, I look for girlfriends who desire the same thing.
Let me be clear in this blog as to not confuse anyone...but I once was in high school and guess what? I did these things...and it didn't make me look good either. BUT I'm an adult now with a family and I don't care to do those things anymore. Being a wife and a mom takes the energy out of me, leaving me no room to talk about someone else's drama or issues.

If you are the girlfriend that can be confided in, YOU ROCK, there are many a women in this world who would love to call you friend. God smiles down on it too; I know it. If you still have to work on that area of your life; it's ok just take steps to being a better friend and maybe this calls for a little confession time and I don't mean just before the Lord. :) God will honor you for that; I know it.

I celebrate my 3 girl friends tonight for honoring the Lord and respecting me. I am pretty sure they will have a diamond studded crown when they get to heaven. Can I just say that I get to hang out with one of them next week!!!! Totally excited. She has been "incognito" for a while due to a move and lots of working but I am totally excited that our babies will get to hang out and we will laugh and maybe even shed a few tears together. Who knows. I seriously think we were suppose to be blood sisters but God got confused and gave us separate mom's. I love her. I cherish her. I value her A LOT.

God calls us to authenticity in our walk before Him and in our family and friend relationships! Walk that out. Tomorrow is a new day!

Here's to TRUSTING and being TRUSTED...and to those of you, ladies, who desire the same pray that God would specifically bring a friend into your life who is that woman. They are out there. I believe it. I know it. He still answers prayers!

14 months old!

Yep. February 9, 2012 we celebrated our son who turned 14 months old. He's such a cutie-pa-tootie! He makes me & Trey smile everyday and he is our biggest blessing.

Just a few things:
-The funny face

-He likes to excuse himself from the table by pushing against it so his chair slides back. Needless to say, the high chair is coming back down stairs!

-Can walk but chooses to still push his walker and everything else you can think of. 

-LOVES chicken. Enough said.

-Recently gave him grapes, apples, raisins, craisins, salad w/ ranch dressing, peanut butter, strawberries, cereal bars, watermelon & cantaloupe...

-He's been teething lately. Not surprised since I feel like he has been doing so since he was 7.5m old. His bottom molars are taking FOREVER...his top molars cut through and I didn't even know it until one day he just happened to tilt his head back with his mouth open & there they were. 

He most definitely is our pride and joy and we are blessed to call Bear our son! 

Marriage.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord does NOT ever give us more then we can handle. I believe it.  I rest in it. I find peace and comfort in it. So, I am pretty confident that what Trey and I walked through the last 3 years of our lives didn't catch God by surprise.

At the end of last year we were both at our breaking points. I had 2 nights away with friends that did my heart good. One friend introduced me to 'The Love Dare' and the other said this, "Are you willing to fight for it?"

All I can say is watching 'Fireproof' and doing "the Love Dare" are two TOTALLY different things. I did it. I completed it and I am thankful for the journey I was able to walk through. Thankful for my girlfriend who held me accountable and would check on me through out the dare. There were times when I told her it's going great and then there were times when I wanted to scream.
You know because us women are emotional beings! :)

Early on in the dare I learned that so often God reaches out to us, embraces us, welcomes us into his arms and we push him aside, put him on the back burner and attend to him when we need something. I thought about how he loves us despite our faults...yet he still expects us to change...but in the process his love never fades...it never gives up on me (us).

As I set out on the journey, I knew going in that it had nothing to do with Trey...it wasn't about whether he responded kindly or not to certain gestures that were done...it was more about what I was asking God to do in me and through me in our marriage. I certainly was not and am not the perfect wife. However, I am on a journey called marriage and as many of you know it is not an easy one. We have been through hell and back and I truly believe God is smiling down on the both of us right now as we have chosen to keep our covenant before Him and each other.
I believe with all my heart that we will one day stand before other married couples who may be going through trials in their marriage and their only source of hope is to hear our story. A story of two very flawed people who were willing to die to themselves in order to see God's hand of grace and mercy at work in their lives--in their marriage.

Thank you to those who supported us through. Thank you for not pointing fingers or pointing blame. Thank you for being more concerned about the solution then anything else. Thank you for praying me and Trey through it. We are a better couple today because of it...not perfect but better.

Here's to the past 3years babe....and the next 60 we have ahead of us!

S-L-E-E-P!

It's one of the things that I need to stay sane and happy. I.mean.it. How Trey and I got through Bear's "insomnia" stage from 6-12months of age I have no idea. It was down right hellacious. I can honestly say if it hadn't been for friends who were with us the night we started letting Bear cry it out we would still be sleep deprived and irritable. Bear would still be waking up 2-3 hrs. during the night and our lives would  be miserable.

I'm very thankful for those friends and for the strength that God gave us to resist going into our crying, no wait--screaming child. Oh it was SO painful. Seriously.it.was. However, at the end of the day we were doing more harm then good for Bear. We realize that now. Selfishly we would get him because it was easier then hearing him cry. I'm just being honest...BUT, thankfully, we stuck to our New Year's Plan and as a result we have a baby who sleeps uninterrupted for 12hrs through the night. PRAISE JESUS!

As painful as it was, for all of us, it was well worth it. Bear is getting plenty of rest and so are we! It's BLISS. He is a happier baby and our home is better because of sleep...as crazy as that sounds.
Sleep is a vital part of our lives and our bodies require it. I read about the benefits of people getting at least 8 hrs. of sleep a night. Y'all sleep affects our health in so many ways. Research it. You will be amazed at what you read.

There you have it...my short story on sleep and how it changed our lives! Who would have thought! :)

Happy Super Bowl Sunday...and to the calories I'm NOT counting today! ;)

~Jenni~

I'm SOOOO Excited!!!

Many of you will ask "WHY?" BUT after I tell you the MAJOR perk you will see why...

DRUM ROLL...PLEASE

I will be going back to WORK...not teaching but at a place where I know I am going to love. The women are super sweet and are so excited for me to join them. The biggest blessing in all of this is that I get to take Bear to work with me!!! Umm...don't be jealous! ;) Sounds like the best job on Earth to me. I won't be making 6 figures but the fact that I get to take my son to work with me is priceless. I'm just thankful that the Lord answered my prayer and opened up a door for my family; that's a blessing if I do say so myself!

I actually will be working in the kids room at the gym that Trey and I workout at. Totally thrilled about it because it's a great environment, fun kids, and I get to wear workout clothes (if I want) and tennis shoes. It doesn't get much better then that people...and did I mention that I get to bring my son with me?!?!? :)

Sounds like a great start to my weekend! To top it off, Trey and I are celebrating our 3rd Wedding Anniversary a little early! Bear will be staying the night with Gigi & Poppa and mama & daddy will get to have a FUN night out together...a little dinner, a movie and some yogurt!

Happy Friday Y'all! Enjoy the weekend with the ones you love most.

~Jenni~

"IN IT...TO WIN IT!"

My last post was about the 12 week challenge Trey and I are doing at Gold's. Once again, so proud of his dedication and early am workouts he is putting in!

When Trey signed up to do it I had no desire...just being honest. It wasn't that I had no desire to get healthy I just wanted the competition to be all about him and supporting him along the way...until he looked at me and said, "have you seen the girl that won last year? She is bigger then you are currently, and I really think you could win it." Me: "Really? Nah." Well, I guess my husband believed enough in me that I said ok.

I brought out a few bikini's and decided on the one was I was going to "model." And I say "model" very humbly because boy was it a sight to behold. The REAL humbling part came when I got an email with all my measurements and then there was me in my little teal bikini--front side and back side...I think I screamed in horror!
Mind you, the last time I wore a bikini was pre-Bear and pre-Trey, so like 4 years ago....and I really don't care anything about wearing a bikini now...BUT, if after this 12 week challenge I look like a new woman physically you betcha I will be proudly wearing my little teal bikini! I even say that modestly because I certainly will not be wearing it for the wrong intentions or so that I can plaster pics all over the place but more about the accomplishment. I CAN DO IT! Sometimes you just need to give yourself a pep talk. For real.
Well, actually, my pics may be plastered all over Gold's gym when I win this thing! ;)

At the end, of these remaining 11weeks, my goal is to have shed 20lbs.--that doesn't include inches lost and muscle gained. I have already lost 45lbs. and 20 of that came off pretty quickly after having Bear--I call that 'The Bear Weight..and then some' & then there's 'The Trey Weight.' LOL
So, you do the math... a total of 65lbs gained over the last few years. YIKES.
I'll never forget when a member of Trey's family noticed with in months of me living here that I had already gained weight. I laugh now because I was like maybe 5-10lbs. heavier...and then it started adding up. What can I say love and the south did something to me! :)

On a serious note, I really hated that I gained some serious weight only because I knew it was a struggle for Trey. I didn't help in the least bit like I said I would and for that I have carried around some guilt. However, I am thankful that times have changed and that's not the case anymore. Our lives have changed for the better and we are taking back our health & our bodies!

Here's to another New Year's Resolution and the 12 week challenge....

~Jenni~

P.S. I have been blessed with a coach at Gold's who is also a trainer and teaches the Turbo class I take along with the ab class and a few others. She technically wasn't assigned to me but the other lady is pregnant and, well, not sure how much of a help she's going to be, ya know? I'm "IN IT...TO WIN IT," and need a hardcore coach. Extremely thankful that Natasha has taken me under her wing! She actually did my weigh in on Monday and before I got on the scale I asked her how much she thought I weighed. She preceded to grab my arms/shoulders and my legs and said her guess. I chuckled but thought I sure hide my "junk" well. She was off by 10lbs. That's totally ok because those 10lbs will be off before I know it.

By the way, I totally realize that I am super transparent and I don't hide that. I have nothing to hide and believe that someone will read this blog and need the encouragement to know that they can "lose it" too. If that's you...YOU CAN DO IT!

The MOLARS.

Well, Bear's 1st set of molars have cut through up top; poor guy. That explains the fever Saturday evening and the fussy boy we've had on our hands for the last few days. As much as I hate him being in pain Hurricaine gel & some extra cuddles for me make for one happy momma and hopefully, a some what relieved Bear.
However, I totally hate it for him, but it's one of those things that has to happen. You know, because walking around toothless would be pretty odd and would REALLY gross me out. Sorry, I have a thing about teeth.

So, here's to 10 teeth for my, going on, 14 month old. He may be pushing 12 real soon as his bottom gums have been hard for a while now, and I am beginning to feel those little suckers start to make their appearance as they begin to penetrate his tender gums. Bless him. I say, "HURRY UP."

Happy Monday!

~Jenni~

P.S. My poor husband is serving at jury duty today. I'm praying that he doesn't get picked like a friend of ours was. He is in superior court which is where all the murderers, rapists and crazy people go. Needless to say, I'm saying a few extra prayers for him today.