Hello strangers

Sorry to say that it has been a super duper long time since I last blogged. December 19th! DO you know how much has happened since December 19th? Some of you may, but alot of you probably don't since I haven't been on here in ages.......

Christmas was exceptional. The only thing that would have made it better is if my daddy could have been here to share it with us. Of course I am selfishly saying that because I want him here with me, but he is where we all want to be one day, and what could be better than that. WF received almost a foot of snow on Christmas Eve, and it kept us confined to our houses. All church services were cancelled, and I know God was ok with that. I truly feel He gave us that snow for a reason. For everyone to just stop....stop running from here to there, stop shopping, stop everything and just Be Still. To pause and remember why we celebrate Christmas. Psalm 46:10 states, "Be still and know that I am God." That is exactly what we did, and it was truly amazing. Thank you God for that beautiful Christmas day and most of all, thank you for Your Son.

January started off with a bang and it's already gone. Crazy how time flies when you are having fun. Kate is growing taller by the second - she is already in size 6 clothing. It's hard to find sweet little girls clothes in a 6. It's like some of the clothes for little girls are preparing them to be tweens, and I don't want my four year old to be subjected to that quite yet. She is still in dance class, and she is wrapping up her last year at School for Little People. It makes me really sad to say that because we absolutely love the program at SLP. I truly feel that there is not a better preschool in WF than SLP. We are so happy with everything they have done for our daughters there. It will be bittersweet when Kate leaves in the summer, but she will be starting a new chapter in her life when she goes to a new 4K class in the Fall at Notre Dame. We are going to try to get her into Boehm Ballet in the Fall as well, and I don't know if we are going to attempt soccer, piano, or just wait another year until she is 5.

Mary Clare was released from her therapy with ECI at North Texas Rehab Center in December. I am truly grateful for Lacy and Barbara with ECI. Christmas 2008 Mary Clare was 9 months old and could only roll in one direction. It was hard for her to sit up without falling over. My precious child went from that to running, climbing, singing and talking in a matter of 11 months. I know Mary Clare had a lot of people praying for her, and I know God's hand was not only guiding Mary Clare every step of the way, but her therapists and her teachers at SLP as well. She turns two at the end of March, and I am already thinking of birthday party ideas for her. Mary Clare will be starting the 2K program at SLP in the Fall, and we are so excited. It's going to make for long mornings and evenings driving to drop off and pick up both girls every day at different schools, but it will be absolutely worth it.

As for Tim and I, things are going well for us. We couldn't be more grateful for all of the abundant blessings God continues to grace us with every day. Tim will be busy going back and forth from here to Phoenix (yes - ARIZONA!) for a big project, and who knows what else they have in the works over there. I am will be getting busy with Junior League commitments here pretty soon, and well as helping out at SLP and church. Probably one of the biggest changes Tim and I have made together is our commitment to a healthier lifestyle. You would have thought that with the unexpected passing of my dad in 2007, we would have jump-started our weight-loss goal earlier, but I guess it took me longer to accept the fact that my dad was gone. I needed to come to terms with myself that no one was going to be able to change my life for me but myself and my trust God. So, since mid September, Tim has lost over 50 pounds just by changing his eating habits. Can you believe that? He has 20 more pounds to go to get to his goal, and he is going to start working out with our neighbor. Our neighbor is a coach at Rider so Tim is going to meet him at Rider twice a week (when his schedule allows him to) to work out.

I on the other hand have lost 20 pounds since September with 9 of them coming off this past month. Two of my incredible girlfriends and I signed up with Weight Watchers. We have a "date" every Wednesday and go to a meeting together. I have also been waking up at 4:30 in the morning to go get an hour workout in at the gym. Now some of you know that I have been going to the gym at the crack of dawn for a while now, but I wasn't consistent. AND, I would sabotage myself by eating whatever I wanted - especially on the weekends. SO, here I go! God satisfies me more than the richest of foods (Psalm 63:5) so when you see me at the gym, you can pretty much bet that I am working out while listening to Christian music, and I am studying more scripture. Nothing is healthier for my soul than studying His word. I know that I am very excited about the weight-loss I have seen on myself this past month, and I can't wait to see what the rest of this month will bring! (or take off! :) )

Tim and I are heading to NYC and Washington DC next month, so I hope to lose another 9 pounds before we take off. We are also planning on taking a trip to the Virgin Islands with some friends in June, so that in itself is a huge motivator. I think the main motivator for me is that I want to be in excellent health for my daughters and I want to set a good example for them. Also, by God's grace, I would love to have another child, and I need to get this weight off to help my chances of having a healthier pregnancy.

That is it for now. Tim brought home a laptop for me so I need to figure out how to download pictures on here. Once I do I'll post some of my precious pretties. They are super and make me laugh everyday! Wow....I didn't realize how long this is. It's amazing how much time I had this morning with just Mary Clare home. Kate spent the night with her cousins at Grammy's house so I bet Grammy is tired! I need to go to get Kate so thanks for stopping by to read this and I'll post pics soon!

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3