Ryan Andrew 5th Birthday

Recently we celebrated Ryan Andrew's 5th birthday!  One of the sweetest little boys I know.  If I could only get him to be nice to his sister, life would be so much easier. 

Birthday Boy!

He loves hunting!

(Makes this mom a little nervous)

Fiver Finger shoes and honesty

I have heard so much about the Vibram shoes that I had to try them for myself.  My first thought was a little goofy looking, but if they felt good on my feet then I was in.  I love good shoes and will pay the extra money to have a shoe that is comfortable.   Last week my goal was to find a new pair of shoes that I could run in.  So goal accomplished but disappointed with the Vibram!  I loved the look!! I know that sounds funny, husband thought they were UGLY!

Maybe I just set my expectations to high.  I couldn't find this color in a local store so I searched the web and was successful, but I needed to know that they were what I wanted before I spent the money.  A local shoe store in Carbondale sells many podiatry approved shoes so I set out to try them on.  I wasn't prepared for the lesson that I was about to learn though.  I went to the store where I was greeted by two nice men which appeared to be father and son.  I tried on a pair of the Bikala style and wasn't really impressed.  They were difficult to get on and didn't like the feel in between my toes.  As I was about to put my shoes back on and walk out I decided I would try one more style (should have stopped there and walked out).  I picked up the other style that was solid white and attempted to put this shoe on, but I knew that would be a challenge.   What I didn't realize was that I had tried so hard that I broke open a paper cut on my finger and it was bleeding.  I realized this as I was trying to get my toes into the slots by using my fingers.  YIKES!!!  Yep, I had now tried on a pair of shoes that I knew I didn't want and had gotten blood on the shoe.

What to do, Right?

 I knew the honest thing to do, but I didn't want to pay $100 for a pair of shoes that I didn't like.  So what did I do?  I put them back in the box and walked out.  The only problem with that choice was that I have a conscious!  I was distraught the whole way home.  I was a complete mess!  I picked up the kids and was short with them, Marshall came home from work and I was short with him.  I wasn't going to be able to let this go.  I know that it was an accident, but the owners of this shoe store shouldn't be penalized for my mistake.

I knew that I had to go back to the store and talk to the owner.  I was completely uneasy with that decision!  I had to go and admit my wrong, which never feels good!

So I did!  Marshall drove me to Carbondale and I did the right thing.  The owner was very nice and did't make me pay for the shoes.  He had some kind of cleaner that killed and cleaned just about anything.  He sprayed it on the spot and it was instantly gone.

So.......Honesty is always the best policy!

 I felt so much better by going back to the store.

No vibram shoes for me

Life is too short!!!!

I was recently reading an interview that was done by Rick Warren the Author of  The Purpose Driven Life and was touched by his words.  I found this interview through a blog that I read, Fly through our window.  Darby the author spoke of a friend of a friend( Montye) that had been battlling cancer.  This interview with Rick Warren is one that Montye had reflected on from time to time until she recently lost her battle to cancer. 

I thought I would share as I felt his words meant a lot. 

 We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.  If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.”

Faith makes us sure of what we hope for
and gives us proof of what we cannot see.
Hebrews 11:1

I am beyond blessed and so very thankful!

Running Schedule

First thing I need to do is set up a workout schedule.  I truly believe that you have to schedule workouts into your daily life.  I, like most other moms out there know that a calendar is a must.  I pencil everything in my planner.   To make lifestyle changes you have to take small steps.  I have learned over time that if I try to make too many changes at once I tend to fail.  I will be starting with a running schedule that Kara, a family member had posted on her blog a couple of months ago.  I feel like it’s a great way to get me started in the cardio area.  However, I need to incorporate strength training as well.

 Baby steps……Right?

What do all of you runner’s think about vibram five finger pink BIKILA shoes?

I LOVE Them!!!

10-WEEK TRAINING SCHEDULE
From Runner’s World-   Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday (30 minutes) Taking Monday, Wednesday & Sunday off! 

Run Week 1
Run 2 minutes,
walk 4 minutes.
Repeat 5 times.

Week 2
Run 3 minutes,
walk 3 minutes.
Repeat five times.

Week 3
Run 5 minutes,
walk 2.5 minutes.
Repeat four times.

Week 4
Run 7 minutes,
walk 3 minutes.
Repeat three times.

Week 5
Run 8 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat three times.

Week 6
Run 9 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat twice, then
run 8 minutes.

Week 7
Run 9 minutes,
walk 1 minute.
Repeat three times

Week 8
Run 13 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat twice.

Week 9
Run 14 minutes,
walk 1 minute.
Repeat twice.

Week 10
Run 30 minutes.

My Health

I'm not sure where I'm going with this post, but here I go.  It's so easy to have an excuse for everything these days.  Lately the thought of working out is followed by a BIG FAT excuse.  I personally feel so much better about myself after a good sweat out from the gym. I can relieve so much stress and anxiety by dedicating myself to the gym for as little as 30 minutes in a day.

My whole world is wrapped around health.  I work in a hospital as a Respiratory Therapist and love the treatment aspect of health and in August of 2010 graduated with my Master's in Community Public Health.  I really like the prevention side!!!   Even though I haven't changed jobs since my MPH, I feel like I still utilize my degree in different areas.  The prevention side of health is truly my passion, and my long term goal is to be a Health Education Coordinator.  With that being said, I'm going to set some short term goals to keep myself in the mix of the prevention aspect of health.

Here we go:

1.  Workout at least 4 times a week.  -  I feel like this is important for my health.  I think that any Health Educator should set an example.

2.  Write at least 2 health related articles on my blog a week. -  This will help me stay connected with my health and up to date on current issues.

3.  Work on lifestyle changes with my eating. - I don't do to bad in this department, but I could make some changes.

4.  Subscribe to a couple of Women's Health magazines.  -  I enjoy reading health magazines and I think that they would help me gain some knowledge.

So........... here's my picks!

Wish me luck!!

I look forward to being held accountable!

Gulf Shores

Who loves vacation?  We do!! We recently spent 5 days and 4 nights on Fort Morgan beach in Gulf Shores Alabama.  I enjoy a very small amount of shopping and sight seeing.  Most of our time was spent relaxing on the beach, and I LOVED it.  You know us girls we like to pack everything we could possibly need for a trip out of town.  I had all of these outfits planned out and honestly wore one of them.  No, I didn't stay in the same clothes the whole time.

 This was the most  relaxing vacation I have ever had.  So goal accomplished!

The Norman's didn't travel alone this year.

 My brother Ryan, his wife Kathy and their son Noah joined us.

My brother Andrew, his fiance Anne and her son Kaleb joined as well.

My morning view!

Evening view!  See the stairs?  That's how close our house was to the beach!

See......They do love each other! LOL!

Baseball Time

Baseball season has started for the Norman's.  What does this mean for us?  Many days and hours at the park with 2 kiddos.  The last couple of years baseball has been very laid back. This year marks a new ball season for us.  We now have 2 kids that will be playing ball.  This means balancing 2 schedules!  WOW! Lot's of fun times, but one kid on one ball diamond and one kid on another ball diamond at the same time can be a lot.  However, we wouldn't change a thing.  We love spending time at the park watching our babies.

Ryan Andrew Pre-k Ball 2011

Audrey Faith Pinto Ball 2011

 

Easter

Easter is one of my favorite celebrations of the year.  I truly try and reflect the birth of Christ daily, but something about celebrating on Easter brings me great joy.  The message at our local church was AMAZING!  By the way, if you haven't found a church home and you live locally, come check us out.

Vine Community Church would love to have you!

The night before Easter the kiddos had some fun coloring eggs.

They were amazing troopers on Sunday morning.

We were up @ 5am to attend the sunrise service.

We do have an "easter buny" that comes to our house, but we make sure the kids know the reason we celebrate Easter.  We had a wonderful dinner @ my In-laws house, then it was easter egg hunt time!

Love her smile!

Ryan andrew and my nephew Noah!

Luke 24:1-12 ESV

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.   And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.  Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”  And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of Jame and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.  But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Celebration of Life

This post is for my BIG brother Mike.  He recently lost his dad unexpectedly (we share the same mother but have a different dad).   I was asked to take some pictures at the grave site of different things so I figured this would be the best way for his family to view them.

Mike's dad Randy was a veteran who loved serving his country.

He was given a 21 gun saluate and his family had an amazing vault designed for him.

Something about an American Flag @ a funeral will always give me goose bumps!

As death always seems so dark, I find great peace in knowing that there is a merciful God!  It's comforting to know that there is a far better place then where we are now!

Look at these fine gentlemen!

Always proud of our men and women that serve our country.

The folding of the American flag.

The vault was amazing!

Melvin Randy Casey " Randy"

Melvin Randy Casey

1955-2011

He served in the United States Navy.

I love the eagle design on the sides of the casket.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

¹⁶ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! ¹⁸ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

31st Birthday

On April 10th I celebrated my 31st B-Day!  Oh my..... did my girlies have fun with this one.  I'm the first of the girls to turn 31!  Kit loved this!

It was beautiful outside.  We had some good food from the grill and enjoyed the day. It was fun to spend time with those I love!  I couldn't imagine my life without them.

Love these girls!

My Kittie!  I heart her! (BTW....She's 31 now) :)

My favorite man!

Mr. Freddie!  Love him!

Love her!

Great Americans Project

Every year the 2nd graders at my daughters school have

 "Great American Day"!

The kids pick from a list of historical people and research that individual. 

They spent about a month researching and writing a paragraph on their character. 

Audrey picked the one and only

"Babe Ruth"!

Babe Ruth was born on February 6, 1895.  He was most famous for being a great baseball player.  He played for the New York Yankees, and was known as the “Sultan of Swat.”  Ruth was the first player to hit 60 home runs in a season.  He also hit 714 home runs total.  When he played for the Yankee, Ruth won the World Series four times.  He died in 1948.  I think Babe Ruth was important because he was one of the first great baseball players

She loves baseball! 

One of her assignments was to dress like her character.  We did have a little trouble with this, but we did the best we could.  

Audrey & Mr.T

I'm Alive

I’m back!! After a long couple of weeks I am able to think again.  On Saturday, March 26^th I developed a horrible headache that seemed very different to me.  I had been under a lot of stress that week so I figured stress headache.  Right?  Everyone’s had those a time or two in their life.  As the week went on I started to develop some more symptoms that were kind of worrying me, but I’m pretty hard headed.  Not to mention I work in a hospital so it really takes a lot for me to go to the doctor.  At this point I was having trouble staying awake, was very nauseous and I had no energy. The headache was now so bad that I couldn’t bend my neck towards the ground or from side to side without horrible pain.  I’m not one to call in to work so I stuck it out.  By the end of the work day on Wednesday, Marsh 30^th I was in pretty bad pain.  I thought what the heck I’ll see if I can get into the doctor tomorrow since I’m off work.  My doctor is pretty hard to get into so I thought for sure I wasn’t going to get in to see him, and I’m not a PA (physician assistant) fan.  Luckily he had a cancelation the next day at 9:45, so I left work about 30 minutes early and went to bed as soon as I got home.  I slept from 5pm that evening until 2 am Thursday morning.  When I woke up I was face down on my pillow and could barely pick my head up off of the pillow.  I really wanted to go to the emergency room at this point because I knew something was wrong, but once again I’m hard headed and knew that if I could go back to sleep I had an appointment with the doctor when I woke.
Now I’m on day 6 of the worst headache ever and I made to the doctor.  As I’m explaining my symptoms to my doctor he instantly says you need an LP (lumbar puncture) and a CT (CAT scan).  I started crying!  Maybe because I was physically drained and sick, but more than anything I didn’t want anyone sticking a needle in my spine (LP).  Working in a hospital and seeing many LP’s you just never know how it’s going to go.  I asked if there were any other options before we went to this, but he informed me that he would be a bad doctor if he didn’t order this test to be done.  This procedure needed to be performed at the hospital, so I headed to the ER.
After many tests and an LP it was confirmed that I had viral meningitis, which is exactly what my doctor thought.  The positive note to this test was that it wasn’t bacterial meningitis, which can be deadly.  The negative news was that I just had all these test ran and was poked in my spine to be told that it can’t be treated.  They were nice enough to send me home with some pain medication and something for the nausea.
The big question I’ve been asked through all of this is how did you get viral meningitis?  Well I’m not exactly sure.  It’s just a virus like any other virus you can pick up.  It’s just like getting a virus and having the flu.  I did do some reading on viral meningitis that helped me understand what exactly I had.  If you are interested in information on meningitis you can find information on the CDC’s website.
So…….after 2 long weeks I feel like a new person.  I would like to thank everyone for all their kind words and prayers. I’m so glad I feel good again!

Oneinevery Color

This week I would like to share some work from a close friend of mine.

She is very talented and I love what she does.

CHECK out her work!

Individual letters!

Chunky letters that can sit on a shelf!

I love the names for kiddos!

Or you could do initials!

Like I mentioned above some amazing work.

You can give her your ideas and she can put something together for you!

Price:  Chunky Letters $20

Letters:  $15 for 1, $12 for 2-4, $10 for 5 or more.

They would make great gifts!

Like Oneinevery Color on facebook!

Contact Information/email:  oneineverycolor@ymail

I'm Alive

I’m back!! After a long couple of weeks I am able to think again.  On Saturday, March 26^th I developed a horrible headache that seemed very different to me.  I had been under a lot of stress that week so I figured stress headache.  Right?  Everyone’s had those a time or two in their life.  As the week went on I started to develop some more symptoms that were kind of worrying me, but I’m pretty hard headed.  Not to mention I work in a hospital so it really takes a lot for me to go to the doctor.  At this point I was having trouble staying awake, was very nauseous and I had no energy. The headache was now so bad that I couldn’t bend my neck towards the ground or from side to side without horrible pain.  I’m not one to call in to work so I stuck it out.  By the end of the work day on Wednesday, Marsh 30^th I was in pretty bad pain.  I thought what the heck I’ll see if I can get into the doctor tomorrow since I’m off work.  My doctor is pretty hard to get into so I thought for sure I wasn’t going to get in to see him, and I’m not a PA (physician assistant) fan.  Luckily he had a cancelation the next day at 9:45, so I left work about 30 minutes early and went to bed as soon as I got home.  I slept from 5pm that evening until 2 am Thursday morning.  When I woke up I was face down on my pillow and could barely pick my head up off of the pillow.  I really wanted to go to the emergency room at this point because I knew something was wrong, but once again I’m hard headed and knew that if I could go back to sleep I had an appointment with the doctor when I woke.
Now I’m on day 6 of the worst headache ever and I made to the doctor.  As I’m explaining my symptoms to my doctor he instantly says you need an LP (lumbar puncture) and a CT (CAT scan).  I started crying!  Maybe because I was physically drained and sick, but more than anything I didn’t want anyone sticking a needle in my spine (LP).  Working in a hospital and seeing many LP’s you just never know how it’s going to go.  I asked if there were any other options before we went to this, but he informed me that he would be a bad doctor if he didn’t order this test to be done.  This procedure needed to be performed at the hospital, so I headed to the ER.
After many tests and an LP it was confirmed that I had viral meningitis, which is exactly what my doctor thought.  The positive note to this test was that it wasn’t bacterial meningitis, which can be deadly.  The negative news was that I just had all these test ran and was poked in my spine to be told that it can’t be treated.  They were nice enough to send me home with some pain medication and something for the nausea.
The big question I’ve been asked through all of this is how did you get viral meningitis?  Well I’m not exactly sure.  It’s just a virus like any other virus you can pick up.  It’s just like getting a virus and having the flu.  I did do some reading on viral meningitis that helped me understand what exactly I had.  If you are interested in information on meningitis you can find information on the CDC’s website.
So…….after 2 long weeks I feel like a new person.  I would like to thank everyone for all their kind words and prayers. I’m so glad I feel good again!

Undivided Heart

Ezekiel 11:19-20  “I will give then an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh…and they shall be my people, and I will be their god.

I recently was honored to spend sometime with 260 women at a women’s retreat in St.Louis, MO.  It’s really cool to spend time with a group of women that love God. The retreat had 4 different sessions where women spoke about different topics that can divide your heart from a relationship with God.

Honestly, I never really looked at my heart as being divided.  I feel like I have a good relationship with God, but I see the division now.  I am divided in the sense that I have been choosing to let issues get in the way of my relationship with him.  One of the biggest issues of my division is my caring of others opinions.  I don’t want to care about what other’s think about my relationship with God, but our society has formed this opinion of what a follower of God is.  I think I struggle with this so much because I have been the one judging others who follow God.  You are either the person who has felt the judgment, the one that has done the judging or in my case both.

I’m choosing to not be divided in sharing my faith.  I enjoy sharing stories of my walk and my trials, but it’s not the easiest thing.  It is a struggle for me to put my thoughts and feelings out there.  I love to write and I love to learn, but I worry too much about how it’s perceived.  Writing this blog has helped me in many ways but has pulled me into this uncomfortable zone.   I’m a people pleaser and I don’t want to worry about what about others think of me.  I question myself on my writing and I have thought about quitting because of the worry of what others might think.   I’m sharing this struggle because this has divided me from being who I want to be.  I have heard some wonderful stories from women on how my stories have encouraged them.  I’m not saying this to be prideful at all.  My writing is for God’s glory not mine!  This just gives me encouragement to continue writing because we all go through theses struggles in life.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a believer, the issues I talk about relate to most people at sometime in their life.  So, if I can help others by sharing my stories than I’m choosing to continue writing.  I’m not going to let my pride stand in the way.   I have spent too much time in my life worrying about things that don’t matter when I can put my focus on what really matters.   This is so hard for me because I can’t handle stepping out of my comfort zone.  A relationship with God is not an easy one.  My relationship has brought me great trials, but also great joy.

I grew up knowing that there was a God, but I wasn’t a follower.  I never really had the complete desire to read the bible and understand it.  I still struggle with reading the bible, but I have the strong desire to understand it.  I have the desire to gain the knowledge of God’s word, but I have allowed my heart to be divided in this area.  I say allowed because I let my insecurities and the everyday living control a big portion of heart.  I want to control the situation and I have been more concerned with my comfort level.   I don’t want to people to think I’m CRAZY!  Well I kind of am, (LOL) but I’m not a loud mouth Christian trying to push God down peoples throat.  I understand that we all are different and at different places in our life.  I’m a good person with a good heart and just want others to see how God has changed my heart and how he can change your heart.

I know this is so bad to say, but sometimes I feel like it would much easier to walk away from my faith because of the hardship that it can bring at times.  I would never do that because I have truly felt the presence of God and know that he is real.  I have built some amazing relationships with several women.  I have an awesome church family and our small group is AMAZING.  God has even given me my best friend to share this journey.

So what divides your heart?  I shared a few areas of struggle, but I assure you there are more.  At the retreat one of the speakers spoke about us all being under construction.  I LOVED it!  So guess what guys, I’m under construction.  Are you? Do you want to be?  It’s ok if the times not right for you, but your missing out!

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lack of anything.

Captivating

A girlfriend of mine and I have talked lately about the BIG 30.  I really dislike putting numbers with things in my life, but for some reason I feel more challenged now than ever. Maybe it’s me, but I’m having a hard time transitioning myself into this new area in my life.  Should I have already been here?  I think so, but I don’t feel like I really got to pick.  I believe that we all go through these stages at different times in our life and we all deal with them differently.  So far 30 has been very challenging!
Is it that leap from what I thought was womanhood to what being a woman is all about?  I recently started reading “Captivating”, a book for women.  What I love about reading is that I never know where it’s going to lead me.  You and I can read the same book, but walk away with a different feeling.  I remember walking into the book store to buy this book and the cashier expressing her opinions of it.   I didn’t really know the woman who was selling me the book, but I did leave the store with that little voice in my head saying “I hope I can read this boring book”.  What I didn’t realize was that this book would lead me on a new adventure.
This book has opened my heart to so many things.  Most  women I know want to be seen a s strong.  We don't need any help!  We have things under control and we will be just fine.   In the book she refers to that women who applies some lip gloss just before arriving to an event, the closer she gets the more times she applies the lip gloss.  That was me, I saw myself in those words.  The one constantly worrying about if I was in order before I arrived somewhere.  I’m that woman doing the continuous applying in so many ways of my life.  How many times do you do this very same thing?  I’m sure if you examined your life you could find different areas where you worry to much.
Who is responsible for shaping a woman's soul?   I believe that a lot of things play into the shaping of someone, but parents are the BIGGEST shapers.  I’m the women that my parents shaped as a little girl, and I've grown into this woman through all the good and challenging times I've had growing up.   What mattered most was that I always knew that I was loved and needed!  My parent’s always gave me that feeling, and I hope that I give my kids'  that feeling.  I’m sure I do, but I think it’s easy to get caught up in everyday life that I sometimes lose sight of what matters most.
When I first sat down to read this book I thought that it was for me, but really it’s for my daughter.  This book is teaching me about who I have become and how big of an impact I have on her soul.  I love her  innocence, and I want so badly for her  to keep that for as long as she can!
P.S. I've only made it through 4 chapters, so I’m excited to see what else is in store for me!  So stay tuned, I truly believe that God placed this book in my hands for many reasons!

Is spring really here?

How did everyone spend the first day of Spring?
The Norman’s spent the day with some friends at Giant City State park.
A little picnic lunch, some hiking, and some baseball with the kiddos!