I'M BAAAAAAAACK

Don't take my title literally... maybe.  I haven't blogged in almost a year I'M SORRY!!!  But I actually have a full time job now and it is hard to justify blogging when my house is so dirty, T.J. is here or the pets need to be fed!  I have missed it though... and I think one reason I WOULDN'T blog is b/c I thought "BUT I HAVEN'T BLOGGED IN SO LONG!!  I would have to update on everything... I will when I have time!"  Hmm.. I have now realized I will never have "time" so why not just post a lil somethin somethin? ;)

It has literally almost been a year since I last posted!  I see my last post was my HUNDREDTH post and that I was just coming back from being in NC with the Werner family... funny enough b/c I'm just about to go see them AGAIN! :)  This time in Flo-RIDA! :) So let's do a little play by play on this past YEAR so I can just get it over with!

August 2010- I finally was DONE with the crazy doctors office I had for some reason subjected myself to working for... I had a vacation in NC and interviewed at Chesapeake among a few other places.  AND WE GOT GOLLY OUR KITTY :)

September 2010- Started an accounting job b/c Chesapeakes hiring process took forever.  Oh and I ran a half marathon with Debbie, Suzy, T.J. & Mike- IT WAS A BLAST.  Best 1/2 for sure.  (Only my 2nd but hey) :)  Oh and T.J. turned 25!

October 2010- Had a great 25th bday... T.J. surprised me with a fun dinner in a little town 40 minutes away with carving pumpkins after! (I had never done this before and he felt very sorry for me!) LOL

November 2010- PUERTO RICO BABY!!!  T.J. and I went to PR to have an AMAZING vacation with Susan and Christian.  Then I came back and started my job at Chesapeake with a sunburn.  Oh, I guess I quit the earlier job in October. :)  We also had a great Thanksgiving with our friends here in NY.  Oh my word, I almost forgot :) I shot the buck of a lifetime!

December 2010- I become a coffee addict.  We have Christmas in NY (T.J.'s family came up) b/c I couldn't miss 1 day of work for the first 3 months of my new job!

January 2011- I hate the cold.  I hate winter.  I hate snow... I hate the cold.  That pretty much sums up January.

February 2011- Valentine's group date.  Fun!  Still really cold... still a lot of snow.  This makes for some snow days at home and still hating the cold.  Oh and I'm officially a Chesapeake employee- I made the 3 month probation period (phew!)  AND MOST IMPORTANTLY!  My brother in law Troy proposed to my future sister in law Kaley!!

March 2011- NYC trip.  Still cold!! (Seriously).  Looking forward to warmer months.

April 2011- Cody and Emily come out!  Yay!

May 2011- Andy and Jen come out!  Yay!  Finally getting some warmer days at the end of the month!

June 2011- here we are guys!  Celebrating 3 years with my hunny on the 28th!



Wow, that truly just bored me out of my mind so I'm sorry to put you through that!  All in all it has been a great past year and I'm looking forward to this fall b/c T.J. will start JOB HUNTING!  This is super exciting for me!  We will pray pray pray and ask that you stand with us in prayer while we ask the Lord WHERE DO YOU WANT US!?  Obviously, Oklahoma would be great it is just hard b/c the job possibilities there are looking a little bleak at this point.

By the way, on a totally different note- just stating the obvious here but I feel like everyone is getting pregnant!  No... I am definitely NOT pregnant and you won't be hearing that statement from me anytime soon!!  (Right God?) :) But really, 3 of my good friends are totally preggers- some in secret :) but I.LOVE.IT.  Keep it coming guys!  Aunt Kelly is ready!! :) 

Lots of exciting things coming up though!  A trip to FL, Mike & Debbie are coming up in August, THE WEDDING a month later and then T.J.'s papa and mom will come up this hunting season.  T.J.'s papa will get to hunt with T.J. in NY!  This is super exciting b/c T.J. LOVES IT HERE and since Huston, T.J.'s papa showed T.J. everything there is to know about hunting it will be super cool to see them hiking around upstate NY together. :)  T.J. is super pumped and ready to "beat me" with a bigger buck... We'll see if that happens!!! :)

Love all my blogging friends and I have still kept up with you!!  I will try to do this blogging thing more frequently!!

I think all in all I can say this past year God has really worked through me and T.J., binding us closer together even though I didn't know that was possible!  And showing us how much HE can do THROUGH us.  I love the Lord with all my heart and I can only pray He will use me for His glory and plan!!!!

BLOG #100!

Who would've thought I would  have enough things to fill 100 blog entries!! :)  Well here it is!  Blog 100!

Nothing too interesting...

Still loving life here in NC :) I literally LOVE living the everyday life with the Werner family.  I truly feel a part of the fam and just enjoy every minute of being here.  Definitely a GREAT vacation.  Pool days, yummy meals, lots of laughter with the kids and GIRL TIME with Susan.  I love Susan so much!!!  We just had a great talk on Cade's boat bed (where I get to sleep) :) and I just am thanking God for such a wonderful example Susan is to me as a wife, mom and friend.

So I just had a HUGE glass of chocolate milk.  How bad is a full glass of skim milk with 2 heaping spoonfuls of Nesquik?  Is there anything better?  I'm scared I just started a nightly routine...  The worst part is I don't drink it slowly... I stood over the sink and drank it in NO LIE probably less than 45 seconds.  Just GULPED THE WHOLE THING DOWN!  Oh my word it was so good though I couldn't drink it slowly!  It was better than Gatorade.

I'm feeling really sorry for all the Oklahomans that are running in this heat right now- I have some MAJOR respect for you guys.  I ran in a heat index of 101 today and thought I was going to die!  Of course there were some hills and NO SHADE but OH MY WORD it was brutal.  It was one of my worst times for 4 miles.  If NC is bad I CAN'T IMAGINE how bad it is in OK.  I am thanking NY for their "mild summers" YES it still gets hot but when I run at 6 in the morning its at least more like 70 which is so doable and nice.  I have LOST my heat tolerance.  I might end up being a crazy NYer that complains that we are having a "heat storm" when its over 90 for 3 days straight! ;)

SOOOO I know I haven't blogged about my job situation lately BUT I am currently looking for a job... and I have an interview with a company I am excited about so PLEASE pray for me and God's will with my job search!  This is a crazy time in our lives right now but I want to GROW from these experiences and lean on the LORD in these times and not my own understanding!

Off to bed! ;)  Okay or "off to read" 1/2 way through my 1st book on my book list!

Here are some pictures of ice cream night with the kids the other night :) Please look at Alexa's face in the last picture... this is the face she makes if she isn't very happy :) Is it bad that I burst out laughing every time I see it?! :)  

Haha LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

ANOTHER August book list

I guess I read the last 3 books in 12 days... I didn't really mean to do that!  Sooo on to 3 more books!  All still from the community book sale.

 "Goodnight Nobody"- Another Jennifer Weiner book.  I have read a couple chapters and realized there is a MURDER in this book?!  What?!  I was NOT expecting this so hopefully it will be good.  Um HUGE change from "The Kite Runner" though!

"The Scarlet Thread"- this will be another Francine Rivers book :) YAY!!!  OH PLEASE PLEASE PUUUHLLLLLEASSSE suck me in immediately unlike "The Sin Eater"!!!!!!  No idea what this is about... unless it has to do with Rahab in the Bible???  Just thinking by the name...

"A Painted House" YAY a John Grisham book :) I am excited about this one.  Change of pace from the usual I read.




Have you read any of these books?!

Book Review #2

"Litte Earthquakes"- it was a good read.  Jennifer Weiner is a very creative writer and I had fun reading this book.  Each chapter switched characters which I like.  There are 4-5 girls in this book with VERY different lives all suffering "little earthquakes"- this book is "real" and you really feel like you're a struggling mom or a not loved wife or a workaholic, etc.  I would advise this book for a good "break" out of your normal routine of books.  I kinda flew through it!

"The Last Sin Eater"- hmmm...
Oh sin eater.... I really DON'T know if I recommend this book or not.  I am NOT LYING when I tell you it took be OVER 1/2 way of reading this book to actually be interested in what was going to happen!  The book is based in the 1850's and so it has HORRIBLE grammar, etc. so it was hard to read their vocabulary, grammar and so on.  Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors and I was surprised by this book.  But also bravo to her b/c this is (to me) unlike any of her other books.  I have NEVER (that I can recall) not finished a book (NOT including college books) :) If I start it I HAVE to finish it but I think 70% of people would've stopped trying to read this book 4 chapters into it.  It had a GREAT message in the end and I guess I'm glad I read it?? :)  This is more a book that is great for group discussion and should be assigned to read if you go to a Christian school (my lil sis Julia said at her school she was required to read this!) so anyways... I probably wouldn't have gotten through this as fast as I did except I was in the Catskills with T.J. and I had nothing else to do while he worked all day!

"The Kite Runner"- a surprise.

I did NOT know what I was getting myself into let me just tell you that right now!  I literally thought I was going to be reading about a boy and his kite or something!  LOL boy was I wrong.  This is a GUT WRENCHING, fist clenching, eyes squinting kind of book.  As in I am twisting my body and making "noooo" noises b/c I don't want certain things to happen!!!  This books has some insight of what life was like for Afghanistan kids before their land was destroyed and after.  I would advise on the strong ones to read this book.  I'm GLAD I did, REALLY glad but it was HARD to read some of the stuff and I would NOT read this book lightly... This book stirred my heart to pray pray pray.  Thank you Kendi for sharing this book with me!

The Werner family and North Carolina

I'm here! :)  Kelly is "back with the fam" living and loving life in NC.  Things just feel right!

After arriving at the airport in NC (with greeting cards and running hugs from the kids and Susan) Christian treated us all to On The Border, one of me and Susan's favorite Mexican restaurants!  It is actually the restaurant that we had our "goodbye" dinner 3 years ago.  We  had a great time catching up and then took the kids to their last night at VBS.

Yesterday we had a fun time exercising as a family and pool time, followed with a great Italian dinner.  Today is Sunday, the Lord's day- we went to church (had a great time!) and now are relaxing after our bellies are full of Steak and Shake... which btw I might be gaining 5 lbs while I'm here!!! :)  Off to run tomorrow for sure.

As I type Elle is playing with my hair.  I have never been so pampered!  Elle told me this is what I deserve for coming out here, Elle, Cade, and Alexa massaged me feet, legs, back and face last night with lotion and put me right to sleep.  Lesson #1 with children, teach them to pamper you!!!! :)  You can disguise this as "salon" "barber shop", you name it! :)

Things are going AWESOME, I have missed the Werner family SO MUCH and this trip was a huge gift from the Lord.  Thank you Christian for making this possible and thank you Jim and Suzy for taking care of the pets that also make this trip possible! :)

Here are some pictures we have taken so far...

 The pics of me and Susan in the sun was a hilarious scenario- our poor pupils couldn't dilate in time and we were blinded by the light! ;) How precious are these kids btw?!?!?!  I will post more pictures later b/c I don't have any of sweet Cade!!!!

Coffee time

As many of you know I have recently become an avid coffee drinker.  This has progressed from 1 cup of coffee every other day in the winter to know 1 or 2 cups a morning :) and if we're out for dinner maybe even a cup for "dessert", it is actually sick I know.

Something that made my friend Suzy laugh and me question how weird I'm becoming...

Where do you drink your coffee?  The couch as you read?  The dining room table?  On the patio?  While you run around chasing kids?  In your bed? In the shower?

IN THE SHOWER?!  What?!  Oh I guess that would just apply to me :)

So lately I took my mug of coffee with me in the bathroom while I hopped in the shower, the other day I thought, "Why not just bring it IN the shower with me?!  I could just place it where the shampoo goes and take a sip every now and then!"  Brilliant right?  No really it was!  I have started a new routine.  So yes ladies and gentlemen I take my cup of joe IN the shower with me :) its GREAT!

So... where do YOU drink your coffee?  Or tea, etc.

Try it... I DARE YOU!

Catskill weekend

Our friends Claire and Brian did T.J. a HUGE favor and helped him do some fish tracking this past weekend as T.J.'s technician was out of town.  They got a lot down and worked HARD.  I literally just laid out and read all day- I felt so bad!  But I did take a lot of pictures :)

Doing what I do best- reading and laying out! ;)

 T.J. with the backpack shocker!

 Oh just my gorgeous view...

WHAT A CUTIE!!!! :)

These views never cease to amaze me

The sweet couple- Brian and Claire

I spy two snorkelers!

I'm attaching a video of T.J., Brian & Claire shocking the fish (this does not hurt them, just stuns them so T.J. can get a good reading on them, etc.) It's a really cool process and fun for T.J.  T.J. is LOVING it out there.  He's outside every single day (as you can see by his tan) and just loves being outdoors.

Here is T.J. turning over rocks- he's never stopped doing this!

After a hard day at work (the others.. not me) we had an AWESOME dinner (we ALL got a guacamole salsa burger at a yummy place nearby followed with ice cream!) and played NERTS all night long!  Thanks to Debbie and Mike we are now addicted to this game!!