I discovered today that excessive amounts of lemon juice make my teeth sensitive. I've never been much of a lemon eater anyway, so I would have never known. But, man I had to cut back on adding lemon to my juices. Ouch. Shooting pain to the teeth= no bueno.
I'm not gonna lie. Today was a little tougher than yesterday just because we really went hard with detoxing smoothies. The first couple of days, we eased into it with the usual 60/40 (veggie/fruit approach) and today we did 90/10. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I had to choke back a few. Shannon really thought he was going to throw up. So as if the taste of the drink wasn't bad enough, top that off with the fact that I made homemade, from scratch, chicken nuggets for Keshlyn for dinner! They looked divine. Click here for the recipe. And I made grilled chicken with one of my favorite glazes (balsamic honey) along with roasted asparagus (another fave) and took it over to a friend who just had a baby! Yay for baby Jorga (pronounced Georgia)! *Sigh. The house smelled so yummy and all we had to eat was stinkin' kale, ginger, spinach, brocooli, cucumber, and carrots! oh and an apple that you couldn't taste. haha.
The upside for my day was going to one of my favorite places ever...Goodwill! Seriously. Found some great deals today. It's so exhilerating when I find so many things I actually love and it's all dirt cheap. Got Keshlyn a couple of toys to clean up for her birthday. I have no shame in this! If they work and are in great condition, why the heck pay full price!? ha. I actually found one toy I've been eyeing for a bit now and originally it's about $30. Today I got it for a beautiful $4.99. Score! I even got a little something for Shannon. Thanks, Jen, for a day of shopping fun at Goodwill! :)
What's your favorite thriftshop/yard sale purchase? My mother in law just told me she bought a Bosch mixer for $10 this past weekend at a yardsale! What?! Those things are like gold! Seriously.
It's Monday. That means it was Grocery Shopping, laundry, and mop day. Mondays are always busy.
One of the perks of Monday: Costco day.
Shannon was so cute. He had to ask me a question this morning that seemed pressing: "so does this mean that we can't have samples at costco?!" This Juice fast is already cramping his style! haha. Well, good thing when we got to Costco there were no samples. Then as we were finishing up. At least one of the samples that we were able to get was a fruit and veggie smoothie made by the demo-guy for Vitamix. Sweet! And darn Costco has ruined Keshlyn's shopping experience everywhere else that we go because she always asks for the receipt and flips it over quickly. Just as quickly as she flipped it over the smile on her face fades and she asks, "where's my picture?" She RAN to the lady at the door with her receipt and asked her to draw her a picture as we're leaving Costco. It is cute, I must say. You know what else is cute? Sweet Kyden can click his tongue! It's pretty cute.
Juice Fast. Day 2- I feel great! Did a crossfit work out today. It kicked my butt. My lungs still hurt actually. lo. I think it's because it was still a little cold this morning in the garage when I did it. I feel very satisfied with all of the vegetables and fruit I'm taking in. However, I have to drain my bladder A LOT from all of this juicing! TMI? Well, what else is new? :) I must confess though...I had 4 single popcorn kernels today. Keshlyn earned popcorn this evening and so I made her my beloved homemade lime and sea salt popcorn in a brown bag. I had to taste a few times to see if it had enough lime juice. And you know what? Can you believe it wasn't hard at all to not eat it even though it was righ in front me!? Now that's crazy! Popcorn is my number one comfort food. I love it. I could eat it every day. Brownie Trifle and Pizza are a close second. I feel powerful right now. I don't feel restricted. I just feel like I am choosing to detox for the next several days. The fact that my mind is in control is a great feeling.
Shannon- on the other hand- just looked at me a few moments ago and said, "I really want a hamburger. What is the world coming to when it's 9:00pm and my late night snack involves broccoli?" haha. Let's just say he doesn't feel so in control and powerful. He's excited to eat some "real food."
Real food....let's talk about some real deliciousness. Last week, I made several paleo recipes. One of which was for breakfast. Listen to me. Run to the grocery store to make this as fast as you can. Seriously. I don't care if you're a health nut or no health nut. It's the best french toast I've ever had! You have to use banana bread. I added Enjoy Life chocolate chips (there's no dairy, no sugar....but trust me they're still good!) You top the french toast with banana slices and pure maple syrup. If you've never had pure maple syrup before with no fillers or preservatives, then you've never had a party in your mouth! Pure maple syrup is SOOO rich and tasty.
I want a gun. No, not a gun to shoot myself because the juice fast is THAT BAD, but a gun to protect myself and bust a cap, foo. You know, in case the big bad wolf knocks my door down. I would like to be prepared in whatever situation might occur. I've thought this scenario through. What would I do if someone broke in? First, I would run to the sink in my bathroom open the cabinet and grab my Pantene Hairspray! That's right. Bet hairspray to the eyes can't feel good right?! haha. And I got a Louisville Slugger next to my bed. You know, just in case I have some seriously bad dreams! Carrie Underwood ain't the only southern girl who knows how to use that bat! ;)
Green Smoothie Recipe of the Day:
1 cup water
1/2 cup pineapple
1 cup green grapes
1/2 bartlett pear
1/2 avocado
1 large handful of broccoli florets
2 VERY LARGE handfuls of spinach
1 cup ice
(I often throw in extra greens like kale or cabbage so it's not so heavy on fruit)
The juice fast is going great! Love me some smoothies. Drink 5 smoothies today. Done. And Shannon even discovered that we can stomach a whole heck of lot of veggies in a glass if lemon juice is added. Good to know for the rest of our week. Day 1 down. 6 more to go.
Side note: You must make homemade almond butter. Period. No oils added and no sugar. Use 2 cups of raw almonds and 1 cup of another nut (I used walnut). Roast them in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. Then you throw it in your vitamix or food processor with a few dashes of salt and lots of Cinnamon! Process until it becomes a nut butter. At first it looks like flour but keep going. Process a few minutes at a time and scrape down the sides. It is AMAZING! The roasted flavor makes it the most delicious nut butter I've ever tasted. Honest. You could add a squirt or two of honey into the blend or cocoa powder or.....
{I'm sorry. Keshia has drifted away dreaming about eating almond butter in a week}
After having Keshlyn I read as much stuff as I could about health and fitness. It became my addiction. I actually lost too much weight as I look back at pictures. But, it wasn't because I didn't eat. Oh boy, do I eat. All day long. Around the clock. Of course it's just snacking and picking, which I will forever do because the thing is: I love food. I love to try new recipes multiple times a week. I love to eat and constantly have food in my mouth. Unfortunately I'm not one of those people who just eats to survive. I wish. Instead, food and I have a love/hate relationship. I think I finally understand the Eminem lyrics, "I love the way you lie!" I've never understood real life relationships where men and women stay together yet they're very destructive for each other's emotional and even physical well-being. But if you liken this relationship to food and human. Ahhh. *Epiphany*. The sky clears and it all makes sense to me now. Food lies to me all of the time. In my head anyway. "Eat me. It won't matter for one night. Eat 5 cookies. Go ahead." But this sucks when food talks to me every night at 9:00pm. I wonder if I'll ever be able to give up my late night snack? Nope. Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen. I love the way my food lies. I believe it every night. It's not going to matter. And then I feel the bloating and then I don't see the results from my work outs that I want. Shannon is my partner in crime. The nights I want to be strong, SOMEONE (cough, cough) needs a cookie, or cinnamon toast, or some other sweet goodness. Then, of course, I have to cave so that he's not alone. (don't you just love rationalization?) As hard as we work out, especially my Crossfittin' Maniac husband, you would think we would have an amazing 6-pack. But, sweet Shannon comforts me at our late night snack rendezvous with, "6-packs are over rated. I'd rather have a snack." HAHA. I heart him.
Pause food rant.
I just finished Insanity. If you've never heard of this crazy workout program, check 'er out here.
When I first started the program, I was 5 months post pregnancy. I was driven and READY to get that weight off. I started with the fit test as instructed and I felt pretty good about it. Then I began the program as outlined and I definitely cried the first few days of it. It was so difficult especially for someone that had just been exercising lightly for a few months since cleared to work out. I couldn't finish the exercises. I truly thought in my head that I would never be able to keep up with the workout. Then, something happened. Even just after 1 week I noticed I was getting stronger. As time went on, I was able to keep up and breathe through the whole work out! I started to feel accomplished. Then month 2 hit. It felt like I started over. That's how difficult it was again. Now it was longer and more insane. I felt defeated again. But as I kept going, I improved. I could do push-ups before I had Kyden, but not too many. With insanity, I became capable of doing many pushups! My arms began to be toned and have shape to them. My legs became strong and my obliques started to pop out. Check out how much I improved. I was so proud of myself for pushing myself as hard as I could. I really did dig deeper. See the difference between the first fit test and my last!
*********TMI Story Alert: While doing my last fit test, I was determined to beat my previous scores. I got to power jumps and I wanted to at least get 65 since I reached 60 last fit test. Power Jumps (you may need to use google) are a movement where you jump using the power from your gluts and legs to spring vertical in the air while tucking your knees into your chest. You slap your knees as you jump up. You do this jump as many times as possible in 60 seconds for the test. I was so determined to beat myself that I went hard! I noticed after a few seconds I felt a little dribble in my pants. Not totally uncommon since having babies. I was fine and powered through. Usually a "little dribble" is all that every occurs. But, as I continued to jump I felt my pants becoming warm and damp. For a moment I felt like a toddler learning to be potty trained who got sidetracked playing with a toy and didn't make it to the potty in time. I was so close to my goal that I pushed the embarrassing moment out of my head and physically pushed myself harder. I was so focused and in the zone that I reached 70 power jumps in 60 seconds! I was SO stoked. The bad news? I looked down panting with exhaustion and feeling of accomplishment, dripping with sweat...but wait, did I sweat that much? So much there would be a puddle on my carpet in the living room? And streams of wetness down both legs? And soaked bottoms? Hmmm...accomplishment turned into shame and the need for a quick pause to change my clothes. I had to laugh. What else could I do? Hi. My name is Keshia. I'm a grown woman. And I peed my big girl pants. Now THAT's INSANITY! *****************
Love that my body definitely got tighter. But it was quite discouraging that I didn't lose any weight. Not one pound. I tacked on 2 extra weeks to the normal 60 day program. And it wasn't until the extra 2 weeks that I added when I completely revamped my diet that I lost 2 pounds. I still have a few pounds to pre-baby weight but I'm thinking I'll just let that go. (That's the food talking again! :p) I took 1 day off (meaning I did a different workout) after I completed the program and It just wasn't the same...so therefore, I started over with Insanity. Here we go....
Food Rant. Press Play.
Let's just start by saying that it always cracks me up when I talk to people about food. People inquire so I tell them and then it's not uncommon for me to get this response, "But you're so skinny. Why do you care about food?" See this is where the world has ruined us....thin is the goal. Do I care about being thin? Of course I don't want my love handles or muffin top, but for me it's not just about that. I don't focus on changing my lifestyle with food because I want to be a crazy skinny girl. Here's what I care about... HEALTH! I know that might be hard to believe that someone could actually be genuinely interested in health and not some fad diet to lose weight fast, but it's true. Listen to me when I say this: "THIN DOES NOT EQUAL HEALTHY!" I hate when people equate the two. I have a great friend who looks so stinking good and eats chocolate and candy every day. She is blessed with some good genes. I'm not gonna lie. Sometimes I wish I could eat that way and look like her. (Amanda, you know I love you and your junk food addiction!)
But, I also want to feel good and prevent from poor health in the future due to my eating habits. I truly believe that the way we eat and what we put into our bodies can help prevent and even reverse symptoms of sickness and disease. If you've never seen "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dad" go watch it! Right now! It is inspiring and can absolutely change your perspective on food. For you Netflixers, it's on Instant Cue. How did it change my life? Well, we went out and bought a Vitamix. It's not a juicer like they use in the movie but we've always known we would get a Vitamix. We just weren't sure when. But, after watching that movie, we knew the time had come. Since we bought it 3 weeks ago, we have replaced every breakfast and lunch with a green smoothie. The rule of thumb is 60% vegetables and 40% fruit. Can you believe that I haven't bought a box of cereal in 3 weeks? Even though I would only eat Kashi or Fiber 1, I have cut it all out. Do you know that we used to go through 4 gallons of milk a week!? I haven't bought milk in 3 weeks either. Now we go through about 1 quart of Almond milk a week. HUGE difference. I feel lighter. I have more energy. You should see my refrigerator. It's pretty ridiculous how jam packed it is with produce. The majority of my grocery bill each week is produce. Did you know that in one week we went through 2.5 lbs of Spinach, 6 pounds of grapes, 1 pound of blackberries, 4 pounds of strawberries, 3 pounds of bananas, 3 pounds of broccoli, 2 lbs of carrots, 2 lbs of cauliflower, 1-2 cucumbers, kale, avocado, 15 apples, 3 peaches, a couple oranges, 1 bunch of celery etc... We are eating more vegetables than I've ever eaten in my life! I feel great! I've always loved vegetables and fruit but I've always had way more fruit than vegetables. But now, I'm eating a ton of veggies.
I actually have had a hard time when researching what is the best lifestyle of eating to encourage the best health. Isn't it confusing? Low fat, count calories, good fat, no carbs whatsoever, whole grains are good, no sugar, only fruit and natural sugars, no sugar including fruit sugar, zero-calorie sweeteners, absolutely no artificial sweeteners or artificial chemicals/preservatives. My head began to spin as I read so many conflicting articles and information. After much research I began to really believe and support the Paleo/Primal diet. I truly believe that we shouldn't eat processed foods and all of these ingredients in packaged foods that are chemically man-made. I also have learned about "crap" that can appear in dairy and meat products. Paleo cuts out all dairy but is very pro meat. I liked everything about Paleo except for the heavy reliance on meat and the absolute zero grain policy. I definitely think that we as a nation eat WAY too much grains and carbs. But is it really necessary to not have any ever? Some say yes. Paleo says never eat it. I had a hard time believing that a pure grain from the earth could be so detrimental. So, I began to think, "how did God intend it? He created this earth. He placed food here for us to eat. So I looked to the scriptures for guidance. Some would think this is silly. Me-I thought it necessary. Whatever "God's diet" is...sign me up! It will certainly be the best one for our bodies. :)
Those of you who have a testimony in modern revelation and believe in the Doctrine and Covenants- in section 89 it states, "12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field..."
Meat is to be eaten more sparingly and grain is to be used as the staff of life! We're supposed to sustain ourselves predominately with vegetables, fruits, and grains. Hmmm... Verse 16: All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
So I choose to do "paleo-style" eating 3-4 days a week and the rest of the week I allow myself to have some grains. Mostly though, my diet is made up of vegetables and fruits.
So with all of my research and new direction with eating, It's about to get serious!!! I have decided to embark on a detox through a juice fast. Shannon and I are starting on Sunday and will juice fruits and vegetables 5 times a day for 7 days. (Portions will vary depending on if it is a snack or meal) Nothing else. Who's with me? Anyone?
I will post each day to let you know how I feel and if I'm surviving. I already know it will be great. I've been replacing 2 meals with juice for the past 3 weeks and I'm loving it! You want to know how powerful a juice fast is? Watch "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead!"
P.S. It's 9:30pm and guess who did not have a late night snack!? That's right. This amazingly strong-willed gal! lol. Guess why I can do it so easily? That's right. Because my partner in crime is saving lives tonight. :)
Previous Post Answer: BBT= Big Bang Theory. Love it.
These are a some of the Mr's quirks and pet-peeves that make him, well, him. Therefore, things I love about him:
HE
1- takes a "field trip" every day to the mail box. It's "his thing." He is disappointed when I rarely take the time to get the mail and beat him to it. (My "thing" is that I check the weather every day on my phone. I often tell him what the weather is in Las Vegas, Kentucky, and Honolulu. haha)
2- corrected me and so sweetly taught me that under no circumstance am I to ever again leave the scoop handle down in the formula powder. Handle always up. Always.
3- finds it 50% cute and 50% annoying that at night I leave a trail of clothes as I make my way to get into bed.
4- MUST Facebook stalk before falling asleep.
5- Gets LIVID a little upset if I happen to wear his sunglasses and forget to leave them in the car when I get out.
6- Wants to barf when he sees skinny jeans on boys.
7- Will never wear a v-neck t shirt even though I would quite like it.
8- Only wants to eat his chocolate frozen
9- Has confessed that he loves when we all run to the door to greet him in the mornings when he gets home from work.
10- Looks forward to going to Costco to have "lunch" (AKA SAMPLES!) every Monday.
11- is peeved when I get to the bed first at night and just hop in without turning his side of the bed down as well. If he walks in and sees that scenario, he will start to clear his throat with ridiculous obviousness to remind me! haha It's a little joke we have.
12- Loves to have Keshlyn "knock him over." He squats down on one end of the hall and Keshlyn runs as fast as she can towards him from the opposite end of the hall to give him"run hugs" which knocks him over. So adorable. And then "Super Keshlyn" comes next. Of course.
13-needs anything placed on the dashboard which then reflects in the windshield to be removed immediately.
14- Flosses his teeth like there is no tomorrow.
15- Has zero self control when sweets are in front of him. (we really are soul mates)
16- Is literally addicted to Crossfit. I think he would explode if he ever missed a day.
17- Detests being late. In this way, we are not soul mates. haha. I often remind him to listen to the song, "Waiting on a woman" by Brad Paisley. He doesn't buy it. :)
18- Lives for his annual Moapa Valley High School Alumni Baseball Game! He would love to play more baaseball. I hope he is able to in the near future.
19- has a "toy" that he must play with while driving in the car. He has to be able to twirl and fidget with it in his fingers. He cracks me up. I often tease that I'm going to throw it out the window. He always looks very sad when I say that. haha. If he doesn't have a "toy" he'll use a pen to flip through his fingers. He surely cannot sit still.
20- always makes me smile with some really great quotes like the following one which came from a serious and quizzical Shannon: "what's the big deal? why do actors get put up on a pedastal? The get paid to pretend they're someone else!"
21- Likes to shorten everything. Couple of quick examples... His work: LVFR (Las Vegas Fire and Rescue). B Cubed (Bed, Bath, and Beyond).
His latest is "BBT." We quite enjoy a little BBT together every day for our entertainment. Can you guess what this abbreviation is for?
Hope everyone enjoyed the Week of Love!!!! I know I did. Valentine's Day is a funny thing. I've had several conversations with different people about this day. Many think it's dumb and pointless. And some boycott it altogether. I will admit that some have grand expectations for the day that sometimes leaves them with disappointment. I agree with many that Valentine's Day is kind of a silly day to officially declare a holiday and the commercialization of Valentine's Day has caused women to have unrealistic expectations of what their significant other should do for them. Some dislike the holiday because they don't want to receive something just because their spouse feels like he/she has to. It's unthoughtful to just send flowers because it's what is "supposed" to be done. I agree. Some say that observing this holiday is not going to save a marriage just by doing something nice once a year for their better half. True. But, what's wrong with celebrating those you love? I enjoy celebrating anything! And I certainly love celebrating my love and happiness for my husband. So, I say, I think it's a great reminder early in the year to take some time to think about the one you love and to express your feelings whether it's through a gift or through your actions and words. I say, "can it hurt to take more time to be thoughtful about your marriage?" No way!
The history of Valentine's Day is quite interesting! "One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death..According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "Christianize" the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival... The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat's hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes." (For the article in its entirety, click here.)
Does it surprise you that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines!? HAHA
Well, to all you Valentine haters out there...If you're already a very consistently thoughtful spouse, then I'm sorry you aren't inclined to take an extra opportunity to express your gratitude and affection for your love. And if you struggle in the "thoughtfulness" department, now is a great time to try a little harder! A little thoughtfulness goes a long way. That's what keeps marriages fresh and fun. Shannon and I are living proof of that...
I love this photo from Kandylane Photography (kandylanephotos.com). It's silly and it truly captures how we feel for each other. Crazy in love!
We started our Valentine's Day with these: Red Velvet Pancakes with berries and chocolate sauce!
Shannon presented these to me: They were gorgeous and fragrant hot pink roses!
When Shannon walked through the door that morning, I met him in the garage with a hug as usual and there was a little gift bag on the door with some Hershey hugs for him and some new chap stick that informed him they were for kissable lips and that now he needed to make out with me! haha. Have you tried the new Blistex Raspberry Lemonade? You should. It makes for yummy kisses! :) Then when he opened the door there was a trail of Hershey kisses and rose petals leading through the house, up the stairs, and into the bedroom. There he found a Can O' Dates for both of our use (for more details click here), a love coupon, and this sign:
(click here for this awesome site where I get a lot of my ideas)
Then, because I jacked Shannon's phone a couple days before to program in several "alerts" in his calendar, there was a reminder that popped up every hour from 10:30- 5:30 telling him to check in different areas of our house. In the different places I had hid the cards above with memories of us on them: the "ABC's of us" (idea from here) I left 3 blank for him to write down a few memories of us too and I will combine them altogether and put them in our memory box so that years down the road we can re-read them and laugh. Most of the memories were silly/fun ones.
For example: "C" said: "Care Bear Cups. Remember when you surprised me (while we were engaged) with a picnic. You even got some "bubbly" cider and care bear cups bc you knew I loved them. Too bad our cider slipped, dropped on the ground and broke!"
or
"L" said: "Lingerie: Remember one time I came home from school and I caught you lighting a candle in some jean lingerie contraption where the back pockets hung over your butt cheeks but the rest of the jeans were missing? I was relieved to find that this was all a joke for me and not some weird thing you do alon. Phew."
or
"P" said: "Phone Messages: I will always remember the voicemails you would leave me on my phone when I was at Murray. Once you sang, "good morning Beautiful." I never erased it. Then, you would frequently tell our story on a message. Like, "You remember when this returned missionary fell in love with this southern gall?..." When I'd answer the phone, you'd always say, "Can I talk to the prettiest gal in Kentucky, please?!"
It was so fun for me to write these down and reminisce of so many fun times. Shannon thought it was fun to read through them and he got a kick out of it. Keshlyn enjoyed helping hide the cards around the house.
Later that evening, Shannon took me to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory where we shared one of our favorite meals and then we shared some Banana Creme Cheesecake. Then, he took me bowling! It was so fun. The first bowl for me I knocked down 9 and got the spare. I thought I was gonna be on fire, but every turn after that I blew! HAHAHA... Shannon bowled 136 and me...a BIG OL' 41!!!!!!! This 4 year old boy next to me bowled a 50! I got beat by a 4 year old. In my defense though, he got to use the bumpers! :)
We spontaneously decided to go to one more place before we went back home but I'll leave that unsaid and the rest of the night was wonderful. That's all I'll say about that! This is a PG site people! haha.
In honor of the blessing of my wonderful marriage, I wanted to share excerpts from my journal. Shannon has never even read this. If you don't keep a regular journal, I encourage you to start. I can't express how special and dear it is to me to be able to go back 7 years ago and read about mine and Shannon's first valentine's day and the feelings that I had. As I read through my entries, my heart is overwhelmed at the realization of my blessings and the words of Brad Paisley's song rushed through my head: "We'll look back someday at this moment that we're in and I'll look at you and say, "I thought I loved you then..." Tonight, I dedicate this song to you babe:
February 15, 2005.
"Dear Journal,
Oh my goodness! I have sooooo much to tell! So, I was in the best mood ever on the day of picking up Shannon at the airport. He lights up my life. Just the presence of him makes me shine. It's amazing what he does to me. It's amazing how love brings out the best in a person. So I drove o Nashville on Thursday after class and didn't have much trouble finding the airport and I anxiously waited Shannon's arrival. I was so excited I couldn't stand it! I right away noticed his legs when he was coming down the escalator and then slowly his gorgeous face was revealed. He turned the opposite direction of me and then I yelled, Shannon" and he automatically turned his head and I ran over to him and he picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him and he kissed me. Time stood still. I am so much in love. Even more now than before. After leaving the airport we went to grab a bite to eat. We then went to walk around the Opryland Hotel which all of my friends told me was awesome. As we were leaving the hotel and roaming around outside around the pretty scenery, we just embraced and swayed as though we were slow dancing. It was awesome.Even though it was freezing cold outside, I had never been more warm inside and out. He pulled me onto a bench with him cradling me and he told me that he had no words to describe how much he loves me. And he also asked me, "so remind me again how I am so lucky to deserve a gal such as yourself?" I don't understand this question because it is me that does not deserve him! We then giggled and held each other and then he pulled me up from the bench and kissed some more and then he went on to say how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and then knelt down on one knee and asked me to marry him for eternity! I cried and was so choked up I didn't even look at the ring. While he was trying to put the ring on my finger (the wrong one too haha) I was trying to pull him up to hug hi and kiss him. It wasn't until he asked me did he do alright with the ring that I looked at it. It was beautiful! I was so impressed that he picked it out himself with no help... After this we walked back to the car where he showered me with gifts for Valentine's Day as though he hadn't already done enough! (NOTE: This was the "officially official proposal with a ring. If you're new to my story, read the journal excerpts here for the unofficially official proposal) ...
...we headed back to Mammy's where we were staying. We stayed up quite late cuddling. On Saturday night (while we may or may not have been kissing :) I heard something, I stopped and said, "do you hear that? It's raining." He looked at me and grinned and said, "let's go." He got up and jerked me up and then walked twards the door...he walked outside and said, "come one!" I yelled back that I was putting on my shoes and he yells back, "no shoes!" So I hurried after him and then he picked me up in the cold rain, spun me around and kissed me. He is such a sweet and romantic person. It was 3 AM and all that was going on it in the world was the rain and us. I told him that I has always wanted to kiss in the rain. We were soaked.
( Shannon had flown home to Vegas as I wrote this last part. )
I don't know what I would do without Shannon.
Shannon and I are going to read the scriptures together tonight over the phone. I can't believe I beat him with the shower deal! (we would often get off of the phone to race and shower and then call each other back. Apparently I was much faster this night!)
If I have never expressed just how much I am in love with my baby boy I must make it quite clear now that he is THE cutest little chubby baby with rolls EVER and I am so glad he is mine! And...the best of all...he's such a good baby. He is quite content with playing on the floor with toys while I run around getting things done but he also will cuddle me whenever I want to as well! YAY for me! Keshlyn was NEVER a cuddler...(takes after her daddy.) :) I love him to pieces and can't get enough of his happy cheeks! Take a look at how much he's changed. I didn't have the idea to take month to months until he hit 3 months. Bummer. But, I love it anyway. At 3 months he was just a roly poly/butterball with no hair. He balded early! Haha. But he's growing it back now. Ky-boy, please always give your momma big hugs and let me kiss your cheeks! :)
And just because I can't get enough of him..here's another cute pic. He was wriggling so much that I cut the "6" out of it, but isn't he darling?
*********TMI Story Alert: While doing my last fit test, I was determined to beat my previous scores. I got to power jumps and I wanted to at least get 65 since I reached 60 last fit test. Power Jumps (you may need to use google) are a movement where you jump using the power from your gluts and legs to spring vertical in the air while tucking your knees into your chest. You slap your knees as you jump up. You do this jump as many times as possible in 60 seconds for the test. I was so determined to beat myself that I went hard! I noticed after a few seconds I felt a little dribble in my pants. Not totally uncommon since having babies. I was fine and powered through. Usually a "little dribble" is all that every occurs. But, as I continued to jump I felt my pants becoming warm and damp. For a moment I felt like a toddler learning to be potty trained who got sidetracked playing with a toy and didn't make it to the potty in time. I was so close to my goal that I pushed the embarrassing moment out of my head and physically pushed myself harder. I was so focused and in the zone that I reached 70 power jumps in 60 seconds! I was SO stoked. The bad news? I looked down panting with exhaustion and feeling of accomplishment, dripping with sweat...but wait, did I sweat that much? So much there would be a puddle on my carpet in the living room? And streams of wetness down both legs? And soaked bottoms? Hmmm...accomplishment turned into shame and the need for a quick pause to change my clothes. I had to laugh. What else could I do? Hi. My name is Keshia. I'm a grown woman. And I peed my big girl pants. Now THAT's INSANITY! *****************
