What I Learned in 2013

Life would be so abnormal if we didn't have obstacles, afterall, it's overcoming the hurdles that make us stronger.  I am the type of girl who looks at her glass as being half full rather than half empty.  We get up everyday and have a choice to either allow things to impact us in a way that makes us negative or understand that while it's not our first choice of how we would like things to be, God has a better plan for us than we could ever have for ourselves.

In my little family, we've had quite a few changes in the last year.  I've had those closest to me become more distant, gained new friendships, grew a little older and wiser, got a little more comfortable as a mother and have been enjoying all of my time raising and watching my son grow.  I've learned that while motherhood is very taxing and exhausting, you can't neglect your spouse.  There has to be a healthy balance between who you are as an individual, as a wife, and as a mother.  I think I rocked 2013 as a mother, but I'd like to improve in the other two areas.

People have come and gone in the past year.  Friends I was once seeing regularly and now not at all unless it's through Facebook, and that is ok.  People change, we outgrow one another, lose interest or things in common and that brings distance.  It's all a part of life and growing into something better, I suppose.

I found a new motivation once I was introduced to a new product and decided to start my own Plexus business.  I can honestly say, it's been the best thing I've ever done because i'm meeting some amazing like-minded people who have the same ambitions as me and really bring a new perspective on my life.  I will provide another post about my business to explain a little more about what it is but if there's any interest lurking, my site is http://jenniferhymel.myplexusproducts.com  Whether you are looking to lose weight with a natural product or start earning supplemental income, this is a great company to get involved with.

After 10+ years with his company, my husband was let go from his job and that has been scary but a blessing at the same time.  While it's never fun and sometimes stressful to have change take place, again, God has a better opportunity waiting around the corner.  So we walk into 2014 with a lot of unknowns, but I'm keeping my faith strong in the Lord, knowing he is in control and has some amazing things in store for us. 

Things I'm looking forward to in 2014:

• New floors in our home
• New Job for the hubs
• Praying for career advancement for myself with Plexus or my current 9-5
• Always praying for continued growth and happiness for my son and our families
• Inspiring and encouraging others.  (Keeping the negative out)
• Losing some weight
• Praying for God to provide us with a larger home in the future at some point.

I may not know where I'm going, but I know where I've been, and If I can learn from my mistakes and improve who I am, then it was all worth it.  2014 is looking bright!

Back in the saddle

Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11484623/?claim=uze3s73vxmd">Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I've been on hiatus a while, so I'm trying to figure out this whole Bloglovin site and get back in order.  Stick around for updates on 2013.

My Funny Valentine

Valentine's Day....a day of love, flowers, chocolates, romantic dinner and a movie, and spending time with your sweetheart. 

Those days are slightly modified after having a child. 

I will be the first to brag that my husband is the world's best at recognizing and appreciating his woman...(clearing throat)...that'd be me!!!  I went to work after a long sebaticle during the first half of the week from staying home with my sick little guy (my son).  He seemed well enough by Thursday that he wasn't producing green nastiness from his nose and no fevers and such, which would normally keep him from daycare.  So off to work I go and daycare he went on Thursday.  I started to feel slight effects of a sore throat etc...that come from all the germies around the house with little man running every where.  After picking him up from daycare and getting a report that he slept twice and was practically falling asleep on all of the toys I felt like maybe i took him back too soon.  His energy levels were really low and you could just tell he didn't feel 100% yet.  This was our playtime once i got home.  He might look like he's feeling perfect, but it took a lot to get him to smile...hence all of the goofy looking faces i am making.    So here is my sweet little Valentine once we got home.

The hubs was very sweet and got me a day of pampering.  Gift certificates to my nail salon and a 1-hr massage, and after the exhausting first half of the week with all the illness going around....I'm really going to enjoy it.  I'm still waiting to take him to get his gift.  He's literally the hardest person to shop for!!!

Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day with those you love,

Jenny



Overwhelmed & under executed

Since my last post it seems like life has really offered up a brutal dose of reality. So much has happened.

- still waiting on the bank concerning refinancing (I swear I'll never do another home loan with BOA)! We are at the tail end though, so crossing my fingers we are completed in February.

- plumbing issue still not "fixed" but it's semi-working in that we don't have massive amounts of water spilling all over the floor.

-Donovan is part time attending day care. He loves it there. BONUS!!! The big downfall is we are now experiencing all the bugs and illnesses that come w/ being around large numbers of kids. He had a nasty stomach virus this past weekend and I don't know who hated it more. Me or him. He, being sick and not feeling well, or me being helpless at easing his pain. Either way, it was not fun.

 

Popsicles make everything better!

 

-Haven't been to the gym in weeks. Got a call from a friend early one morning (Jan 31st) that her dad took his life. That hit like a ton of bricks. Life suddenly sort of went on hold other than the bare necessities that are required from day to day. This friend is my gym buddy and close friend of many years. It breaks my heart and is also quite sobering to realize that our parents are now entering that age of potentially not being here.

My mind and body are so exhausted. My body needs a swift kick in the ass to get motivated and get itself in shape but the war between my body and mind are constantly a struggle. My mind tends to over think and I so badly want to keep things simple. I know it's all in how you look at it, but Lord it's never a "normal" day lately. I can't help but pray. It's all there is to turn to these days. Jesus take the wheel!

Lots of Love & Happy thoughts,
Jenny


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crossing the START line

....And i'm off!   Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time.  My work out plan hadn't started off at all as I had hoped because JD had to pick up extra on call shifts since there were some major changes at his job.  So this week has been a bust!  So i only went one time this week, so far.  I'm hoping to get in another work out tonight.

My workout was brief because I asked if my mom would be willing to sit with Donovan for a bit longer.  Traffic was a nightmare getting home, but was a blessing in disguise because the sun set was an amazing thing to take in.  I was rushing to get to the end of Harborside so i could catch several pictures before it completely went down ...yes, i'm that crazy woman on the causeway with her camera as I drive.   Here are some shots i took.  The sun was HUGE....just absolutely enormous!

 I was running on E with diesel in the hubby's truck.  So I had to stop and fill it up.  I really dislike when you pull in at the ONLY diesel pump and the person parked at said pump isn't even pumping diesel fuel.  So I sat and waited for the guy to get his corner store hot dog and soft drink, pay the lady inside, and then proceeded to come pump his fuel while he decided to talk on the phone as he stood at the pump.  Geez, man don't you see the warnings about electricity and pumping gas while talking on your phone?!?!? 

I finally got enough gas to get to the gym, but had to stop home first to change.  Made it to the gym and got in a really strenuous workout ...at least strenuous enough since i haven't been to gym in forever.  Since I ran late getting to the gym from when i originally planned and didn't want my parents watching Donovan longer than they had to, I only got in a 30 min workout.  It's better than nothing, right?

So big pat on the back for me.  I'm going to be far better prepared next week so that I can really maximize my visits.  I was pleased with the updates the college has made to their facilities.  Very nice for the price i paid for a semester membership, and it wasn't all that crowded either!  BONUS!!!!!

Here's a few shots I took before I left to head home.

Here's to knocking off some major (lbs) this year,

New Year hurdles in 2013

As everyone does, I've set some goals for myself. I really dislike the word "resolution" because it just makes me think of the typical trend everyone follows for setting resolutions in the new year.

Maybe the word GOAL won't be so easy to let slip thru my fingers or not follow thru. 2013 is already starting out a little overwhelming. We've had plumbing issues, which have made washing clothes a bit of a chore (already more than it is).
Then I have my GMC that decided to start leaking water inside and turns out its from the moon roof in the passenger row of seats (which is conveniently not covered under warranty).

Donovan will be starting daycare pretty soon because my mom will be unavailable due to surgery and recovery. We've been trying to get him used to some minor adjustments that the day care requires for his age group. If all goes planned and we can get enrolled, we should be starting at the beginning of February.

I know God says he won't give us more than we can handle, but lately the obstacles just keep on a comin'. I'm ready for it to slow down, unless that means the rest of my 2013 is smooth sailing (over optimistic, perhaps???) haha.

Things just feel different & weird for some reason. I am super proud that I can say I have a husband I can depend on and shares in the burdens we have to overcome. Doing it alone would be quite overwhelming and he balances me out.

Here are some of my GOALS for 2013: since the PPD is somewhat behind me I want to refocus on getting healthier. This includes my mental being. 2012 was a bit gloomy for me and I want to be able to focus on positive things rather than negative.

I know God allows things to happen in his time, so I'm holding strong believing that God didn't open doors for me last year because he has something better in store.

Big bear hugs and wishful thoughts in 2013,
Jenny

Test blog

I've been having trouble with my blogger app on my iPhone. I was up at 1am the other night listening to the snoring sounds of my love next to me so I thought I would catch up on a few posts. I typed one up and it seems it never went thru. So this is a test to retry from my app.