Happy New Years!!!

What a wonderful, blessed year 2006 has been. We had Preston William, got out of the military, Josh got an awesome disability rating (which means $$ each month), Josh's school is paid for, he got well over $10,000 in audio/ computer equipment from the VA, had wonderful health and just found out there's another bun in the oven!!! It's true!! I'm pregnant as pregnant can be!! I was going to wait to announce this exciting news but decided to spill the beans to all those who read my blog. I'm about 8 weeks along and am due in August. I have a doctor's appointment on January 10th - so I should get an accurate due date then.
The past few days I have been feeling really nauseous. My sense of smell is so strong. I was passing through the meat section of the store and just about lost it. I never had morning sickness with Preston so this time around I'm new to all this. This sucks!! Good thing babies are cute! Of course all this pain and suffering is well worth the end result. Just right now it's tough coping minute by minute.
So, hope you all have a wonderful and blessed New Year!!!

Get a hotel room already! ha we already did...

It's been awhile since my last post. This past week has gone by like a speed demon on crack. We had such a lovely Christmas with Josh's family. We spent it with his step-mom's side and at his grandparent's. In-laws - mine are great. The only problem is, I really really miss my family. Of course they are 'our' family but it's just not the same. My family really knows me and it's a very comfortable, cozy feeling when I'm around them. Thank God for my awesome husband. He insisted we stay at this awesome hotel that felt and looked like a log ski resort. We had our little hide-a-way from all the relatives. Why haven't we done this before? Getting a hotel room while visiting the family was the best thing we could of done. This fabulously peaceful place even had pool - which by the way - we had to ourselves since it was Christmas. Preston LOVED and I mean LOVED swimming. I swear he should of been a fishie. (which reminds me to get him swim lessons at the YMCA)

Here Me Roar!

I just painted my toe and fingernails bright, sexy red. I love this color. It's so seductive and makes me feel like one of those naughty secretaries. It's amazing how a simple color can change my whole mood- like it spruced me up or something. I went from blahhh to Grrrrrr!!! in 3 minutes flat. Sweet.

Chocolate makes everything better

Chocolate gooey warm brownies are the best. I just made a batch because I was craving them like a mad woman. mmmmmm..... just had to share that!

It's about time!

We are now the proud owners of an awesome, fully-loaded 2002 Black Dodge Durango - with only 52,000 miles. It has leather heated seats and a DVD/ TV in the back seats!! Sweet! There are even wireless headphones for when we don't want to listen to Barney for the 100th time.
What's even better? We paid $5000 less than what it's worth. (I'm doing back flips) Where we went right is buying from a private seller versus from a dealership. Those dealerships just stressed us out and just wanted to screw us over. Each dealership always claimed they were giving us a 'steal' and that they were offering us a deal that made them no money. Riggghhhtttt. We called Bull Shit on that one and moved on.
Thank God I stumbled across www.cars.com. This family desperately needed to get rid of this beautiful vehicle. So we happened to be at the right place at the right time - which means it's all meant-to-be!
I'm excited to finally have some leg room. For months, us three were crammed into our Dodge Dakota. I had to sit in the cab with my legs all pretzel-like. No more! Woohoo (again with the back-flips)
Merry Christmas to us!

Oh Target and Starbucks, You Complete Me!!

I love Target. Target is a place I can consume a large amount of time and well - money! Today as I opened my mail, I was very delighted to relieve my very own Target charge card. Wohooooo!!! Sweet!
What's the icing on the cake is that there's a Starbucks in this Target! So Josh, Preston and I go there - seriously - 4 times a week at least. Target and Starbucks are near and dear to our hearts.
We always get the same thing - soy chai lattes with no water added. It's incredibly delicious. I highly recommend trying it! oh and the cinnamon chip scone rocks too! I dip that into my chai and I think I'm in heaven. ( I know, I know...I'm easily amused!)

A new Tradition

One week and counting until Christmas. This year is a special one because it's Preston's first Christmas. He's so fascinated by all the lights, sparkles and presents. Kids are so awesome. They really make Christmas so magical.
Josh and I are going to start a new tradition for our little family. We have noticed that the focus of Christmas has shifted toward presents, and even more presents. But that isn't what Christmas is originally about. It's about the birth of Jesus and celebrating his life. We want Preston to know that. So, every Christmas Eve, we are going to tell the story of Jesus's birth. It was so cute - Josh bought Preston a kid's book telling of Jesus's story. I'm so excited to have our tradition and to focus on what Christmas is all about, Jesus and family.

And I'm the Kung Foo Typer

HOLY CRAP!

So Josh calls me at 4:35 pm today from school telling me how he forgot to write a paper that was due at 5:15 pm. Ummmm why didn't you do it sooner? His response? Well I was out busy diddling around with you all day! Ummm is this supposed to be my fault? Apparently so.
For the second time in this semester, I was forced to write a paper in less than 45 minutes on a subject I wasn't studying. Great. Good thing I can B.S pretty darn good.
So I put on Baby Einstein for Preston and started sweating bullets. I have about 10 minutes to research what this paper is supposed to be about, 30 minutes to write and 4 1/2 minutes to edit and 1/2 minute to send via email.
Crap.
So my fingers flew on this keyboard and away I went in the world of "Media Trends." I had to recap this article on 'The 8 Myths of Video Games and Violence.' Sweet. Recapping something is easy.
On the stroke of 5:14 pm, I sent this paper on it's way to an "A."

Woooooweeeee! Josh owes me big time. A massage sounds good right about... NOW!

The best things in life are the simple things

It was finally nice enough outside today (like 55 degrees and sunny nice) to take Preston for a long walk. We headed down to our park. It's exactly 1 1/2 miles from my front door, to the park, around the park loop and back. I love taking walks. It's my time to thank God for all the beautiful things in my life and to really appreciate how beautiful life is.
Preston fell asleep as I was swinging with him. He is so precious. I don't want him to grow up.
So yes, I fell so much better today. Amazing what fresh air can do! ha

Darn sugar cookies

ugh.

Right about this time each year I feel fat, bloated and just blah - more so this year. I haven't fully lost my pregnancy weight and have noticed that my hips have widened due to pushing my darling Preston out with all my might. I just feel like I'm hungry all the stick'n darn time. Perhaps it's because I'm still breastfeeding? Who knows.
All I know is that I need to do something about all this excess fat. I'm starting to feel darn right disgusted with myself. It's to the point where I don't even want to see my naked body in the mirror.
I want my old body back.
OK. I need to form a plan and stick to it.
1) Exercise
2) Cut out all the crap in my diet and start eating less breads and sugar.
3) Start feeling better about myself
Good luck to me.
By the way Internet,
Is there a point where a woman really is fully comfortable in her own skin?

Bust out the bubbly, the word of the year is...

So the word of the year is......"truthiness."

According to cnn.com:
"Truthiness" was credited to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as "truth that comes from the gut, not books."

I like this word. In fact I LOVE it. What book can define what's right or wrong? I think everyone can find their own truthiness within themselves. I've always followed my 'gut instinct' and have found it to never fail me. It's where I ignore it or try to convince myself out of it - is where I take the nose dives.
So here's a toast to having lots of 'Truthiness' !!

Christmas Shopping Anxiety

As I was look at my bank account, WOW. We've spent heck of alot of money this month and it's not even over yet. Crap. Majority of that spending went towards Christmas gifts, very nice ones. So far we've spent well over $100 in postage alone. Why am I freaking out? Probably because I hate spending so much money. Even if I was rich (which we are not) I'd be very frugal with money. I grew up living in a yoyo. One second we'd be well-off and in the same breath, poor. I never had that stable financial life growing up. I've seen my mom stress and cry. There was this one moment I'll never forget. It was a week or two before Christmas and I was 9 years old. My mom was sitting on the kitchen floor, crying with her hands in her face. I sat down beside her, wrapping my arms around her. I asked 'mommy, why are you crying?' "I don't know how we are going to feed everyone for Christmas." All our relatives decided to come to our house for the feast. Apparently no one knew how poor we really were. I'll never forget that moment. My heart was so sad for the pain my mom was going through. I never wanted that for my children. So perhaps all this spending anxiety stems from that moment.
All I know is, money isn't everything....but honey, it sure does help!!!

I'm just cold.

It's cold outside. I"m talking 0 degrees cold. The kind of cold that reaches your bones. I have to admit, I wasn't ready for all this freezing weather. I spent last year in hot as hell Phoenix and 3 years in Los Angeles. I got spoiled. Last year at this exact time, I had a tan and was laying by the pool.
I should really be used to all this. I mean, after all, I grew up in South Dakota and in Denver. I'll stop complaing. I'll take the beautiful season changes versus living in the desert any day!
We live in this apartment that has super cheap rent. Now I know why. The windows are super cheap. Through each window I can feel a cold draft. All our heat is literally flowing out the window. Hmmm...perhaps we can get those plastic that seals windows? After looking at my electic bill, we have to do something.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Last weekend Josh, Preston and I braved the cold to go help his parents and brothers find thee perfect tree at this local tree farm. As we pull up into the farm, there were acres and acres of all sorts of breeds of trees. Of course the day we picked to go, it was 20 degrees out and windy. But as Josh's mom puts it - 'It feels more festive this way!' rightttt....





So we grabbed a saw and started our trek through the hundreds of trees. I thought this was going to be somewhat of a quick process. I'm not too fussy about my trees. Those minor imperfections are what make a tree's character, right? Tree after tree, one member of the family found a million flaws. Of course my husband kept picking out those 'Charlie Brown' trees. He said he felt sorry for those half dead limbs with deer scrapes on the side.
We walked through the snow, up hills and down hills and not thee perfect tree in site. The sun was heading down in a hurry and Preston and I's noses were on the edge of falling off. I had to take charge and do something fast. So, we took off ahead of the crew. Suddenly, out of no where, (this is where the Heavenly music chims in) Preston and I saw a light from the heaven above shine down on the '2006 Ray Family Christmas Tree.'
Our tree is to the left in this photo:


Throughout this whole adventure, Josh and his brother, Corey, kept throwing their 11 year old brother, Dalton in the snow. Poor kid was soaked by the end of the day. Needless to say, this kid was pissed. In this picture, he had on a forced smile...can't say that I don't blame him!

For the past several days, Blogger has not let me login. So frustrating! Today I'm happy to say that FINALLY I can get on this crazy place! Now off to blogging....