My husband

I have got to be the luckiest girl in the world! My husband is everything to me and I am very thankful to have him. We met when I was only sixteen and we have been inseparable ever since. This man has worked every day of his life just to support me and our three children. I am very passionate about my husband because I know that he loves me and I owe him everything for making me so happy and giving me our three wonderful children.  Not a day goes by that I don't sat "I love you" to him. We do so much together with and without the kids like camping, canoeing, to going to music concerts, and gardening.

Gardening

I love to garden! I am not very good at it but I love it. My husband tells me that I have a black thumb for I kill almost every plant that we get. I really enjoy the getting my hands dirty and trying to make something beautiful. In my vegetable garden we plant tomatoes, bell peppers, banana peppers, green beans, squash, cucumbers, and so much more. I love the days that I get to go out and pick fresh produce to cook for dinner. In my mind I am thinking " YES, one less trip the grocery store and money saved!". This is something that I hope to do every year for the rest of our lives.

Canoeing

The first time I had ever been canoeing was when I was in high school and we went on a class trip. My best friend Stef was my partner and we were both scared because neither one of us has gone before. As we set off we learned that it wasn't that bad as long as we weren't leaning. The further down the river my attention was taken away from canoeing and I was sitting in aw as nature got the best of me. The sun shining through the tree's and the bluffs were dripping water as we passed by. I have been canoeing now for about 16 years and it is now the time I spend with my husband as a weekend getaway but not to far from home.

The things I am passionate about

I am passionate about:
my church
my children
my husband
my home
my family
arts and crafts
hula hooping
gardening
The Bible
photography
vacations
making memories
my pets
making people happy
giving to people in need
sports
sweet tea
eating healthy
food
keeping track of finances
cleanliness
coffee
baking
my community
my children's school district
hunting and fishing
hiking
canoeing
music
friends
board games
card games

Blog Reflection

When I had first realized that I had to completer an English class I had thought to myself "This should be one of my easy classes". All I can say now is man was I ever so wrong. This English class is one of the hardest classes that I have right next to Math. Life and school for me this semester hit head on and is one nasty mess for my 14 year old daughter started to have some health issues. Most of my has been spent in doctors office's and staying up late at night watching her sleep to make sure that she didn't have another seizure while she was sleeping. Now with my time I am trying to concentrate on my homework and get caught up with what I can and also helping my daughter get caught up for she has missed several days of school. My head and my heart are not into my schooling as they should be for the many distractions but I feel I have learned a lot already. My favorite part of this class so far is the Writer's Workshop we did in lesson 5. This lesson was full of information for anyone looking to become a better writer. Some of my favorites were relearning all about verbs and adjectives, the ladder of abstraction, how to tune your voice in your writing, and the list of helpful habits. I believe the one thing that I would struggle in the most would be taking criticism. I mean who likes being told they make mistakes or that someone disapproves their work or writing. I can say if a person takes it the way it was meant and not look at it as disapproval then I think a person could use it to succeed in whatever they are doing. I still have to admit though I am enjoying this class I am not one for writing or blogging but have learned to better express myself. I hope that everyone has enjoyed as much as I have.

Self Improvement

Are you one of those people who like to grow and improve yourself? I am passionate about my personal growth more now than I ever have been. My adult life has consisted of me raising my children, being a wife, and having good friends. Though my life has not been a bad one I realized shortly after turning 30 that I had not done much for personal improvement. I was stuck in a rut and needed to do something to get me out of it. At this time I had started reading more, learning new recipes, and trying new creative games with my kids. When I had started working on my self- improvement I started to notice that I was feeling like I was enjoying life more and not feeling like it was a chore. There is always something in ourselves that we can work to improve on if we think so or not. There are also many books and websites that offer great advice on how to start, it's not that hard I just started small with simple reading. It only takes a little each day to see big improvement. Or maybe have your significant other or other family members help with support. So what is self- improvement? Self- improvement is "the improvement of one's knowledge, status, or character by one's own effort". This definition tells me that the human potential is limitless, there will never be an end to self- improvement. One of my favorite quotes that I think of often is that of Earnest Hemingway "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man, true nobility is being superior to your former self". Improving one's self opens you to new possibilities so get motivated and focus on yourself and you will notice that change.  So what are you going to do to start improving yourself?

School

I find school to be fun and exciting, though I struggle so much to keep up I still like it. School to me is time to just sit back and try to do my best because it takes out of my comfort zone. I believe that it also helps my children to see me staying in my studies. My children could use all the encouragement they can as they do not like to study. We do it together mostly, they sit on the floor next to me sitting at the computer and we the work done. I like to do most of my writing late at night so I have to wait until they fall asleep so I don't keep them up. I find that it is to the point that I am too busy for my friends, but I think they understand. My friends want to see me succeed and I get encouragement from them as well as all my family. I get daily phone calls from my family asking how my classes are going and if there is anything they can do to help. I don't feel as though I would be able to do it without them. My husband is my number one supporter for school even though he is working twice as hard so I can stay home and take classes. I think he knows the benefits that school can bring when I have completed it so that is his motivation. School to me is difficult seeing as I have been out since 2001. I am enjoying learning new things though to me it is all moving so fast. As much as I like all of my classes I can't wait for it all to be over with so I can start a new career. I hope that others have an enjoyable time as I do with their schooling.

This I Believe Credo

"Not all days will bring me sunshine, so I will rejoice also for the rain"

 What is the meaning of rejoice? Rejoice is feeling great joy for something or someone. I feel as though I have learned the hard way when it comes to excepting the things that I cannot change. I mean why does everything have to be my way? I believe that things are done for the greater of our good even if they seem bad at the time. I mean how do we expect to learn and grow and become who we are supposed to be if we don't endure trials at times? I believe they help shape us into the people that we are meant to be. So we learn to try and find the silver lining in our times of darkness even though it may seem far beyond our reach. One of my favorite pieces of scripture says it all "We rejoice not because our circumstances are perfect! We rejoice because we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)". When I started to apply this to my life I was a much happier person, one who could see more clearly to the bigger picture and realizing I am just a very small piece to a very big puzzle. I would encourage anyone to just take a step back and learn to let things go and you to will realize that your days will bring more sunshine than rain.

Marriage

My marriage is a good one even though we put a lot of effort into it. Loving my husband is not hard for he makes it very easy for me. He is a very hard working man that is letting me pursue my dream of going back to school. He has let me stay home to raise our three children while he stayed away working just to make sure we had everything that we needed. I never hear any complaints from him which makes it hard for me when I think I have had a bad day. David is not only a great husband but a great father as well and he is loved dearly. Marriage is way more than signing a piece of paper it is being that other persons better half. Supporting them in their decision making and encouraging them when they need it. Marriage is two people growing together becoming one with each other. My husband and I grow spiritually together for we put Christ in the center of our lives. Following Christ has blessed us in so many ways that I could't even imagine a relationship without him. Marriage is a faithful bond and is the most intimate of any human relationship. Don't get me wrong even the most perfect marriage can have its ups and downs that is just the way it goes but it is the love that you have that helps you see through it. If you haven't found that one that is for you, just wait it is all in Gods timing. I teach my children to be so lost in God that whoever is meant for them will find them through him. That is how you know that they are for real and not only wanting you for something you have. I hope that everyone can find that bond with someone else and when you do hold on to it and never let it go because it is so special to have and share.

My Motivation!

What is motivation? Motivation to me is a reason that someone has to do what they do and how they do it. I have many reasons to be motivated in my life and I feel lucky to have them. Happiness for my family is one reason, though we don't need everything to be happy. Striving to do better so I can live in a comfortable state is what I long for. We don't need lots of extra things just because we can, but just enough to be content. So what is your incentive to being motivated? Think down deep and recover what drives you as we all have a reason for striving to do better. I want to see the face of God which is my main motivation for acting how I do. Being forgiving, understanding, and not judging. Living more Christ like every day is a struggle but I strive to be a better person. Can you even imagine meeting our creator? I guess if you think about the alternative place that should be enough motivation to want to seek Him. It would really surprise me to hear that someone does not have any motivation for we all have something. I know that we all get let down at times but should not be a reason to give up. I would love to help people who can't find their motivation find it because I love to see other people happy and to succeed in the things that they do. Motivation is a very important thing to have for it pushes us closer to greatness. We need to learn to stay focused without getting distracted or overwhelmed. Learn to enjoy pushing yourself and you will never go without being motivated and success will be there. So how did you motivate yourself today?

The perfect day

Is there even enough time in the day to have the most awesome day? I know that mine would be to sleep in first of all. I am not a morning person so I like to sleep away that time. Then to be pampered by having my hair done while having my feet massaged. Man I can almost feel it now, lol. I would love to have my friends and family over for a big cook out and maybe take the boat out on the lake. My favorite thing to do is to sit and watch all the kids playing together and making memories. I always have activities for them to do mainly crafts so they have something to keep. I love to be on the river so canoeing would be nice to fit into my perfect day as well. I have so many things I would love to do like fishing, pottery, shopping, or even just sitting outside on my porch swing enjoying the weather rain or shine. Having a personal cook to cook anything I wanted and not having the repercussions of eating it all.  My favorite time of year is the fall, I love the changing of the leaves and the cooler temperature after a nice hot summer. Maybe a day where I don't receive a bill in the mail or even have someone come to me on my perfect day to say they are paying all of my bills that month, man that would be the best day ever. Can you imagine what your perfect day would be like? Maybe a day of just lying on the couch with no distractions and watching your favorite movies or TV shows. However you picture it I be it would be perfect. But to me family makes it better no matter the circumstance.

Family

What is family? Does it have to be blood related? I don't think so as I have people who are just as close if not closer than my blood family. Family is the second most important thing to me right next to God being the first. I have a mother, father, and three sisters, one younger the other two being older. I was raised with a very close family and we all helped each other whenever someone needed it. I had a grandmother and grandfather on my father side but on my mother side they passed before I was born. I had many aunts and uncles that are spread from California to Florida but they visit often. So many cousins that I can't even try to count. Now that I am older I have a husband and three beautiful children ages 9, 10, and 14, two girls and a boy in the middle. With my husband I acquired a father in law and a brother in law. I couldn't have been more excited to have my brother in law for I only had three sisters and no brothers. Now with my husbands family they are just as close to my family as I am. I was defiantly blessed with a great family and not sure what I would without them. How close is your family and how did it impact your life? I know that I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for mine for they are my backbone in life and my cushion when I fall. We have our differences at times but we always talk it out to see other points of views, but I would not have it any other way. I believe that teaching my children the importance of family will help them with challenges they will face in the future and knowing that they have the support is always a blessing to have.

Music

I love music! Music is a way for me to relax and unwind for the day. It also helps me get motivated when I need it. I listen to all sorts of music from rap, classic, to christian music. Christian music being my favorite because it is always positive and uplifting to me. I can relate to music for we all have similar things we go through in life and I love it when someone makes a song about it. I have a friend that is going to college for music therapy and I thought wow, this really works. My family loves music as much as I do and it is always on in our house as we do not watch much TV. We make up dances to songs, we learn dances that are popular even though we may not be the best at it. Music is just fun and you can learn so much from it and you can also express your feelings through it. Even though music is a big part of our lives there is also " bad music", music that I would dream of letting my children listen to or even myself. I believe that we can teach our kids to listen and to express themselves with music without harming them with things they do not need to listen to. My girls and I love to hula hoop and we do this this to fast past pick me up songs. I don't think that I have a favorite song but I do love music in general. When we are in the car we dance, we are that family that people see dancing when stopped at a red light but that's okay because we are a happy family and we love to show it. So what gets you moving and motivated? Do you have a favorite song?

Memories

I know we all have memories and not one of us are the same. My first memory that I can ever remember having is blowing my first bubble when I was 3 years old. I have friends that can remember events before they were 3 but not me. I can remember standing in the dining room with my youngest sister who kept trying to take the gum out of my mouth and me getting up on a chair where she could not reach me. At that time I tried so hard to get it just right and then it happened, my first bubble. I can remember having holiday get togethers with all my family as my family was very close. I can remember a time when my little sister has a 4 foot fiberglass rod throwing it up into the air and watching it come back down and landing in her eye where the tear duct is and no damage was done. Or when my older sister was burning the trash one day and catching not only the yard on fire but about 3 acres as well. I have had to get stitches several times from jumping on the counter and hitting my head on the open cabinet door to roller blading in my fathers garage and tripping over a pile of leaves hitting my arm on a newly sharpened boat prop. I can think back to when we first moved into a house when I was 7 and thought I was in heaven because we moved from a one acre lot to a 110 acre lot. We had so much room to play that we all started making club houses in the woods and we had even started hunting the wild game that was there. My two older sisters moved out after they graduated high school and that was trying times for me as I looked up to my sisters for everything. Can you think back to your earliest memory?

I want to travel

Is there anyone else who really wants to travel but is afraid to fly? Well surely I am not the only one. I really want to get out there and to see the beauty that this world has to offer. I have not been to many places as I became a mother at such a young age and had to support my family so that took up all my time. I would love to see the world and places like Fiji, Europe, France, and Finland. One of these days I will build up the courage to get on that airplane. I am not even sure to why I am afraid to fly, I have never had a bad experience or anything so I am at a loss there. I guess maybe I just feel safer on the ground and I do love road trips. I have taken my children to Florida a couple of times and they absolutely love it and they don't mind the car ride either so that makes it nice for me. I have been to Washington DC when I was younger we took a gray hound bus and that trip seemed like it took forever but we had a great time. I have been to Missouri's surrounding states and that is about it for me. I did go to Colorado one time for a week with my father on a hunting trip and it was so beautiful just seeing the mountains and to me they looked like a picture. My husband and I have decided that when our children move out that we will be doing a lot of traveling in the United States and maybe even further. I would encourage anyone who wants to travel to do so. I meant I know that we are all so very busy in life but sometimes I think we just need to step back and enjoy the beautiful world we live on.

I Believe in my Kids!

I believe in my kids:

My kids are my everything. I love them so much. I wish they would keep thier rooms clean more than they do. I have three children Haley is 14, Evan is 10, and Rylee is 9. My kids are very well behaved I do not have to get on to them very often except just bickering between each other. My kids are active not only in their school but in church as well. My oldest daughter lover photography and is good at it she has won several ribbons in compititions. My son loves sports he plays soccor baseball basketball. and then there is Rylee she is my youngest she does, and the other, bible studies and like to read. both my youngest two went to a bible drill competion and did very well I was one proud mama. My children respect us as parent and other adults in their lives. They have several cousins that they are very close with and one they dont get to see as often but loves to when they get the chance. My kids love to ride bikes, hulahoop, swim, camp, fly kites, and even painball. our family is veryactive and loves to be out doors as much as possible. In the winter time we like to go sledding, build snowmen, and to make forts to have massive snowball fights. I am very greatful that I have my children and feel very blessed they were give to me. They do well in school but we all have areas we can improve in. My son doesn;t like to read so i am trying to be creative to get him hooked. Well looks like i am out of time.

287 words

I Believe...

I believe I am good
I believe I like the weather today
I believe in God
I believe in my kids
I believe in my husband
I believe i need to do laundry
I believe in school
I believe in me
I believe I like food
I believe I like to shop
I believe I am already out of things so write
I believe in my husband
I believe learning is hard sometimes
I believe this is hard
I believe I am tired
I believe people mean well
I believe I love my church
I believe my church loves me
I believe in my family
I believe I like my animals
I believe I like to play board games
I believe I like to win
I believe reading is important
I believe in education
I believe I need to sharpen my pencil
I believe in naps
I believe I am thirsty
I believe I make mistakes
I believe it is ok to make mistakes
I believe we can learn
I believe that I will like this class
I believe in good
I believe in greatness
I believe everyone has a purpose
I believe everything happens for a reason
I believe I have faith
I believe I will learn
I believe in myself
I believe I am happy
I believe I am a good mother
I believe I am a good sister
I believe I am a good wife
I believe I am out of ideas
I believe I am out of time
I believe I am finished