"Been Working on My Fitness"

This weekend was so great. It began with me leaving work Friday in the best mood ever. The sun was shining and the air was warmer than it has been in a long time. I ran home, grabbed my dirty laundry and drove to Brandi's house. On the way, I chatted with my aunt and friend Jeana who desperately needed some cheering up. Both her dishwasher and her washing machine broke in the same day! Not to mention, her husband lost his job not long ago, they are financially tighter than usual. By the end of the conversation, we were laughing and she was telling me how happy my call had made her. :) That made my day!

A few minutes later, I arrived at Brandi's house. She graciously has offered us the use of her washer and dryer since we don't have access to them at our apartment. It's not so bad though because while the clothes were washing and drying, Brandi and I had the opportunity to catch up and laugh all evening! We are so much alike these days in regards to our marriages, our exercise goals and our massive sweet addictions. It's so nice to have a friend who understands. I thank God for her presence in my life.

I slept in late on Saturday morning, and when I woke up, I decided to go for a bike ride. The weather was perfect for a ride too. A half hour later, I came in and worked out to my pilates dvd. I really am working toward getting some ab definition. It'll take a while, but as James says, "consistency is the key."

My friend Ashley and her husband Brian were in town this past week from Colorado, and they had coordinated a get-together for Saturday night. I was so excited because I hadn't seen them since their wedding last August. I also knew I would get to see my friend Jenn and her husband Eli. I knew it was going to be a great night. It didn't start well though. James and I lost track of time, and I didn't give myself enough time to get ready. We were only going to be a about a half hour late, and the evening was intended to be flexible for everyone. Even with these truths in mind, I started to feel anxious. The entire car ride to Jackson, I struggled with my anxiety, but James, as always, supported me and did his best to help me remain calm in light of being "late". As expected, we arrived, no one even noticed we were late (why do I let myself get so worked up?) and everything after that was amazing. We had the best time reminiscing and updating each other. We ate dinner together and played "Catch Phrase." My favorite part of the night was when Tobey jokingly said something about praying together, and Jenn used that opportunity to initiate just that. So once everyone had the chance to share what their prayer needs were, we went around the circle praying for the person to our right. It was an amazing way to end a great evening with brothers and sisters in Christ. It made me realize how much I long to see the day when all God's people will meet in Heaven, and we'll all be together, enjoying one another's company (especially God's) for eternity. 

On Sunday I met with two friends from the night before and went to First Baptist here in Martin. I hadn't been in such a long time, so it was refreshing. The new pastor there shared a pertinent and applicable message about desiring God's Word and spending quality time with Him daily. That's a message every Christian needs to hear no matter how many times they may have heard it already. After church, I changed clothes and biked to Wal-mart and back. With the few groceries that I fit into my backpack, I struggled on the return trip, but it was well worth it! Needless to say, after the bike ride, I was ready for a nap. I woke up to James coming home from Paris (where he had gone the night before to drop off his truck which needs mechanical work done to it). We then enjoyed a relaxing evening together.

I woke up quite sluggish today, but the feeling eventually wore off. Have I mentioned that I love my job? Well, I do! After work, James and I walked/jogged around the track. When all was said and done, we had walked 1.5 miles and jogged 1.5 miles. I am definitely getting in better shape. It's about time too after a year and a half of laziness! When we got home, I found this website online called bodyrock.tv. Zuzana, the girl who created the site, is from the Czech Republic, and she has the body of a goddess. She posts daily work out videos that are pretty intense. I did one of the work outs tonight, and it kicked my you-know-what! I like her! A month ago I would have thought she was nuts, but as I'm getting more and more comfortable with exercising, I'm pumped about trying more of her muscle-building moves!

This is quite a long update. Thanks for reading it all the way through if you in fact made it this far! Have a great day tomorrow! Do something active!

Whoa! Have two and a half weeks passed by already?

I've neglected my blog again. I do apologize! With this NEW JOB and everything, life has just been so busy! Yes, that's right. For those of you who weren't aware (and I'm sorry for not updating sooner), I did get the job at UT Martin in the Engineering Department. In fact, I got the job within two hours of the interview and started the very next day at 8:00am.

Have I mentioned how much I love this job? I love it! It's perfect for me. The environment, the people, the work, the campus. God is so good.

The only set-back about the job is this: it's temporary. I got this job by placing an application in the school's temp pool. I'm going to apply for the permanent position once it's posted on the school's online employment website, so until then I must wait for permanency. When (and if) that happens, I will get benefits. The best benefit of all? FREE classes each semester! Hello Master's Degree! Plus, James will get 50% off from his tuition. Score!

God has been so gracious to us. When we first moved here a month ago, we began to doubt our decision. There were some financial burdens we weren't expecting and other things that make us wonder. Within the past month though, God has showed us with certainty that He brought us here for a reason. Praise His holy name!

A Weekend of Firsts

Despite the weather this weekend, James and I spent Friday at the hospital. We and his family were awaiting the arrival of his sister's second baby boy. Much to my surprise, Tina didn't mind one bit if we stayed in the room during the delivery. At first, I wasn't so sure about it but decided to stay and watch the process unfold. Truth be told, it was the most amazing event I have ever witnessed! Words could not describe what took place in that delivery room, but I will never forget the experience.


Logan Matthew was born on Friday, January 28, 2010 at 4:30pm. He weighed 8 pounds and 1 ounce and was 20 inches long. 

Matt, Tina, Oliver, and Logan are now at home, happy and healthy. We visited with them tonight. It's so amazing how small Logan is compared to Oliver, who is about 18 months old. It won't take long for Logan to grow as big as his brother! They grow up so fast!

With the snowfall we had this weekend came snowball fights, snowman building and snow mobile riding. That's right, friends! I got the chance to ride a snow mobile! James' dad has had it a few years now, but neither of us have ever been around to ride it until yesterday. What's funny is how James' nearly 80 years old grandpa rides faster than anyone else!

What I have to say next is certainly not the best part considering my sister-in-law brought a new life into this world on Friday, but this is exciting news nonetheless. Someone finally called me and set up a job interview! The engineering department at UT Martin needs a temporary secretary, and they asked that I come in for an interview tomorrow! Hooray! Let's all be praying!

And lastly, I hit the 10 pound mark this weekend! Only 6 pounds to go before I'm at my goal weight!

Mystery Solved!

Steve and Adam, two installers who work at Cole's, solved the "wall crawler" mystery! They found two mice trapped in a vent above the door of the guest room. Unfortunately for the mice, freedom from the little wall prison only led to their demise. Thanks to Steve and Adam, I'll be able to get some sleep tonight!

Lexie vs "Wall Crawler", Part 2

That animal in the wall at my cousin's house is still going strong. I'm starting to feel bad for whatever it is. It's been in the same spot in the wall/in the attic (not really sure which) for at least two days now. I wasn't there all weekend, so it could have been there since Friday for all I know. One of the installers at Cole's took my copy of Christie's key so he can do some work on her house today. I told him about the little "wall crawler" and he said he would check it out. Maybe he can solve the mystery. To be continued . . .

So much for one blog a day!

Well, I wrote a blog every day for three whole days! :) No offense, my dear readers, but I had other things to focus on this weekend like . . .

. . . spending the weekend in Martin with James! After visiting Zach, Emily and Jonah Cook for an hour or so Friday night, I drove two hours to be with my husband. It was so good to see him again after being apart for a week. Honestly though, I haven't missed him as much as you would think. I suppose I'm really focused on our goal here. That is, James go to school and Lexie make the money.

On Saturday, James and I went for an hour long walk down a new (it's new to us) trail. We went at the perfect time too because not long after we finished, the weather started to get bad. On Sunday the weather had cleared so we went for another walk. This time our intentions were to walk to Movies-to-Go and Wal-mart. The girl at the movie store informed us that we could only pay with cash or a check, and we only had a debit card. We started to walk toward Wal-mart thinking after we made our purchases there, we would get cash back in order to rent a movie. Mid-way through the (movie theater/rental store) parking lot, James decided that he was hungry, so we started to walk toward the Dragon Star Buffet. We changed our minds, turned around and backtracked toward Los Portales. After seeing how full the parking lot was, we changed our minds again and walked back to the Chinese restaurant. After a satisfying meal, we walked to Wal-mart, made our purchases and walked back to the apartment. This all took about three hours to accomplish. It was actually a lot of fun, and we laughed practically the whole time.

On Monday morning, I drove back to Millington so I could work at Cole's. Around 1:30pm, I went to the Millington Police Dept to report a fradulant check writer, and at 2:50pm I picked my brother Eric up from school. After work, I went to my parents, ate dinner, watched tv and walked a half hour on the tredmill.

Back at Christie's around 9:30pm, I had a bit of a freak out moment because I heard noises in the attic or walls or something. James reassured me over the phone that there was not a person in the attic, just some animal. That pesky thing actually kept me awake too! It moved around in the wall (of the room I'm staying in) for hours (it seemed). I even woke up to it moving in the wall! That crazy thing needs to either die or get out and go live in the wild where it belongs (preferably the second option).

That concludes my weekend! I do hope you all had a great one and an even better week!

Healthy Habits

What?! Two blogs in one day? Shocker, I know. I just wanted to share this piece of good news with you!

James and I got married nearly two years ago. Within that frame of time, I gained about 20 lbs. Ever since, I've fought the discouraging thoughts that plague me about my weight. Most people have told me that haven't even noticed a change (thank goodness). Throughout the past two years, I have tried to work-out and eat healthy, but after a week or so, I'd revert back to my old habits. At one point before we went to Thailand, thoughts about my weight consumed me. I ate whatever I wanted and never exercised. I was not happy at all. I was losing control. Finally, after some confession time with God, I regained focus.

These were the truths I needed to accept:

1. I'm not fat.
2. I have lost control of my eating habits.
3. I need to regain self-control in a healthy way.
4. Weight doesn't matter; my health does.

Thankfully, with God's help I changed my tune about how I felt about my weight. I've been able to spend my time enjoying life as opposed to feeling "weighed down" so to speak about my weight (which wasn't even that bad in the first place).

The Memphis VA gave James an I-pod Touch to help him with his memory. There's an application he downloaded that allows you to log your food and exercise to help you attain your goals. I've been using this handy little app for a few weeks now, and I'm already seeing a difference in my eating habits. I no longer just grab whatever I want to eat without thinking; I know I'll have to log those calories later. I'm more conscious about what I'm putting in my body. This tool has even motivated me to exercise. In only a couple weeks, I've already lost somewhere between 7-10 pounds! What a self-confidence boost! I'm feeling better overall.

Now let's all just pray I can keep this up! As I said in one of my previous posts, Brandi and I hope to work-out together when I get to Martin. I'm definitely looking forward to it!

A Cole Family Minute

My dad's complaining because he has to drive to Germantown. Eric has a soccer game at 9pm. In my opinion, that is too late to be playing soccer on a school night. As they walked out the door, Britt's cat, Jack, got out and Eric had to track him down and make him come back inside. He's strictly an indoor cat. This boggles my mind because growing up, we were NEVER allowed to have animals in the house. Now they have a rabbit and a cat. Every once in a while my mom lets her basset hound come in as well. He was in the house when I walked in tonight.

Mom's trying to find a movie to watch because their Dish Network box went out and they had to order a new one. She choose CSI: Miami. I'm seriously about to head to Christie's house and go to sleep. I stayed up way too late last night and I am beyond tired. Uh-oh, Mom's dvd remote has no batteries so she can't choose the episode she wants to watch, and there are no batteries in the house to speak of. That's funny because five out of the six people in this family work at a hardware store which has a plethora of batteries. Oh the irony!

This one's for you, B!

Someone (not naming any names...Rebecca Ann Shelton!) accused me tonight of not blogging enough. Naturally, I have to blog now. It's after midnight and I'm sitting at my parents' house. My mom got home late from work so after hanging out with my friends, Becca and Becky, I knew she'd be awake even at 11:00pm. I haven't really had internet access, but since I do have it here at my parents' house, now's as good a time as any to update everyone (or just Becca) on my life these days.

James is in Martin now and classes started today. He found out that he won't actually be able to get into the nursing program until next year, so until Fall 2011, he'll be taking pre-requisite courses. This could seem like a set-back, but in fact, he'll have more time to take his time. His course loads will be lighter and he'll be able to focus more on doing well instead of rushing through things. Once he is in the program, it will take him two years to complete it. That means he should have his nursing degree in about three years which that is exactly what we estimated in the beginning.

I have still not gotten a job in Martin. This is somewhat of a problem because that means I'll be living in Millington with my cousin and working at Cole's until I do get a job. The living with my cousin part doesn't bother me. She's out of town until the last week in January, so I technically have her house to myself until then. Even when she does come back, I think we'll get along great. She's an officer in the Navy and is real easy going. She just moved back home for the first time in years, so it's nice to have her back. Working at Cole's doesn't bother me either. I actually wouldn't mind staying there for good this time around. It's definitely crossed my mind to make that my career. The part that gets to me is the living two hours away from my husband. I just keep thanking God that he's only two hours away and not across the ocean fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan though. I truly am blessed. That thought keeps me focused and grateful.

I'm reading That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis every night before I go to sleep. In the morning, I read the One Year Chronological Bible. I'm actually kind of behind on the daily readings, but I'm trying to get up to date in it. I've been reading through it since November and honestly can't get enough!
In case anyone was wondering, we did find a new home for our cat, Orange. James' sister Tina took him and her son Oliver just loves him! That makes me very happy. Tina is due to have her second son, Logan, next Wednesday! Logan will be the fifth grandchild born to James' parents. Including the soon-to-be born baby, we have four nephews and one niece. I'm certain they're waiting on James and me to get started, but they'll have to wait. He's got to get that degree first!

I would like to send a shout-out to my dear friends Brandi and Zach. They live in Dresden which is only about 15-20 minutes from Martin. Brandi and I lived together during my last summer in Martin. God has blessed us with a tightly bonded friendship, and we are both so happy that we'll be "neighbors." In addition to the fact that we are close friends, our life situations are similar. She and Zach got married two months after James and I. Zach and James are both working on getting their degrees, and Brandi and I both graduated from UT Martin around the same time. Neither of us are quite ready for kids, but we do have a strong desire to get in shape! That's something we both hope to work toward this year. Maybe together we can achieve some goals!

There you have it. I can't really think of anything else just now. It is nearing 1:30am. It's crazy how difficult it is for me to get to sleep at a decent time when away from James. Confession: I need to be a more disciplined person.

The End.

It's really too late to be blogging...

...but here I am all the same! Today was probably one of the worst and best days I've had in a long time. This morning, James and I woke with the intention of going to the Wolfchase area to get our last minute Christmas shopping behind us before the new week begins. Before we left the house, he kept trying to put our cd cases in my car, and I kept saying "Why are you taking the cds? I don't have a cd player in my car." He wouldn't answer me. I could not understand why he wasn't responding. Finally, he said he never heard me. All along, he was trying to be secretive, but I was being nosy and highly suspicious.

Well, as my Christmas surprise, he installed my old cd player into the Grand Marquis! You would think this was a good thing, but as fate (or sin nature) would have it, I am a total jerk who cannot handle change. I sort of made a big deal out of the fact that I wasn't used to it, and I questioned whether he could reinstall the radio system that was original to the vehicle. Oops. Why do I always open my big mouth?! This obviously hurt his feelings. He had been planning this surprise for a long time now, and here I was being ungrateful. Honestly though, I hate surprises. I'd much rather be in on it. I'm so particular about things. You could say I'm slightly (or greatly) obsessive compulsive. I took back what I had thoughtlessly said and apologized for my ungratefulness. He, being the patient and gracious man that he is, forgave me. Around 9am, we went to Ihop (his favorite breakfast restaurant) and enjoyed our meal together. Alright! Things are looking up!

Or so we thought...

We drove to Wolfchase (or Cordova or Bartlett or wherever the mall is), and as we get out of the car to begin our shopping trip, I realize I forgot to deposit my paycheck. Crap. Now we have no shopping money. We then embark on a wild goose chase to find a way to either get it cashed or deposited. We finally (after several different stops around town) find a solution. Okay, we're doing good. Let's go shopping!

But wait! James then proceeds to inform me that we have a flat tire. Grr. Thank goodness there's nearly a dozen tire retailers and mechanics on Stage Road. We wait an hour while the tire is repaired. It wasn't even very expensive. Thank you for how you provide, Lord! If only I had been more focused on Him all along, then perhaps things wouldn't have been so hectic in the beginning. We live and we learn...most times the hard way!

After that, we truly did start our shopping day. We hit up the mall as well as Target and many other stores around the mall. Around 9pm tonight, we decided we're done with what little shopping we needed to do today. With the crowds, traffic, and our delays this morning, it turned out to be a long day, but it truly was a good one. James and I needed a day like today. We even got a free meal at Chik-fil-a (thanks to SB and Pete for the coupons)! What could be better? Now I get to wrap all the goodies and prepare for the Christmas dinners coming up this week. I love this time of year!

I am so thankful for my loving husband, my family, our safety and health, and the opportunities God gives every day!

(Oh and by the end of today, I totally got used to the cd player! How fickle I can be sometimes!)