Discount Tires

I had a flat tire on Sunday afternoon, and Danny had to put my donut on.  Monday morning I took the girls to school and then headed straight to Discount Tires to get my tire fixed.  I had to wait about 20 minutes for them to open.  I was 6th in line!!

I was expecting to be in that place for at least an hour.  I was wrong.  When they opened the door..they were fast and efficient and friendly!! I was in and out of there in 20 minutes and they fixed my tire for free!!

The tech who brought my car around the front was really friendly and I was extremely pleased with my Discount Tires experience this morning!!

Thank to them for having great attitudes and being nice to people who are having not so fun experiences!!!

Weekend Rewind

Friday morning I woke up and dropped Makaila off at school by 7 for clarinet sectionals.  We came home and little Ms. Issy wanted to look extra pretty for school, so we curled her hair and she wore a new dress.

I took the little beauty to school and then went back to bed!  I slept until almost 11!!!  It was so refreshing.  After that I got up and drove to Tarkington to get the scrapbook layouts for the evening.  I went to get a present for Abby's birthday party and then headed home to clean.  I ended up cleaning Isabella's closet and taking tons of pictures of some of my clothes and shoes that I have posted on Poshmark!  I posted tons of great designer items  (most new with tags) for sale!!

Later that evening Teresea and Amy came over and we scrap booked, enjoyed some wine and chit chatted!  It was 1 am before I went to bed.

Saturday morning I got up in time to take Isabella to her taekwondo class...after which she was insistent we go check out the new donut place!  I told her it wasn't open yet, and I was wrong.  We stood in line for almost an entire hour trying to get some DUNKIN DONUTS!!!!  We got a few donuts which were outstanding (however I was a little pissy about waiting in line so long and finding out the munchkins were sold out)!

We came home and did a little more picking up around he house until 12, then Makaila and I headed to class.  we had a good workout, then came home to get ready for Abby's party! 

A little after 2, we headed over to Monkey Bizness! The kids had a blast!!!

We played, and then headed over to Galena Park to drop off Makaila.  She was excited to spend the night with Alec!  Issy and I hung out with Tia Ceci for a few hours, and watched Glee....then headed home.

We came home and watched tv with Danny, did a little dancing and went to bed! Issy was having a tummy ache (probably because of all the dunkin donuts she had eaten earlier).

Sunday Morning I got up and Issy and I went to church alone.  (Danny wasn't interested in joining us today - I swear anytime I feel like we take a step forward in the right direction - he takes two steps back).

Church Notes as follows:
Part 4 of the Unshakable Series:
4th Commandment - Honor the Sabbath
Sabbath  - to rest
Have a SACRED MARGIN
 * Physical Restoration - it's not about the rules but the rest and inner peace
 * Emotional Restoration - Pray  - Give your emotional baggage over to God and trust him to handle it
 * Spiritual Restoration - Weekly worship is important.  But God first in your day, the start of your week - give him importance and see how you are blessed

Go to church and be surrounded by other believers.  His word says where two or more are gathered - I am there.....

Be Still and know that I am God - translates into stop worrying, stop over committing, stop running, stop doing - and just be still ans soak in his peace!!

SACRED TENSION -
* When tensions and trials and stressed come in - don't resent them; face them as a test of your faith and know that each one hold s a lesson to make you better.
* Some of your problems are not to be solved, but to help you organize and regroup to know whats important
* Keep the tensions in life as reminders of the good things that need to be balanced/ managed
* When you are at work be all there, when you are at home,m be all there

SACRED COMMITMENT -
What are you committed to?To what do you give your all?
* Stop being half heartedly committed to everything and make God your priority
* It's not about believing but accepting/ belonging. You are not alone!!!
* Join a church and become a part of it - share in the brotherhood and body of Christ
We make alot of commitments in life that later mean nothing.  The three most important commitments in life are: CHRIST, FAMILY, and CHURCH!!

Test your commitments with two tests:
1. The funeral test - life for those people who will cry at your funeral and love you!!
2. The fire test - In a fire what matters most?  What would you grab first?  Whats worth going into the flames for?


After church we came home and while Danny watched the Texans game - Issy and I did some Halloween crafts Tia Teresa had left us on Friday.

After we finished making our decorations we played models - Issy came out in 6 different dressed while I announced her as a runway model.  Then after modeling for me - we both dressed up and played princess!  We took turns being Merida from Brave - She made a much better Merida than I did- that's for sure....but you be the judge:

Once the game ended - we drove over to pick up Makaila.  We stayed there and watched a movie - then headed home.  I fixed the patches on our uniforms and then Sammy and Tony came over.  They are headed to Puerto Rico and need to borrow some luggage!  We had to get a pic of all the Texan gear!!

We all headed out to have dinner at Applebee's and then hung out at the house watching tv.  Issy made them a Halloween tree to take home, so they could have a little Holiday decor.

Danny and I stayed up watching Revenge - It was good.

It was  good weekend - but I feel like it flew by!!!  I didn't get any laundry done, not much cleaning but we are all healthy, and happy.   Our home may be dirty, our laundry is piling up and we don't have any ice cream in the fridge - but we are blessed none the less!!  Have a great week ; ). 

Church Blessing

Yesterday after work I went to the karate school to meet the girls for their class.  Afterwards we came home to change and then headed up to the new building going up for our church. 

We have gathered in the high school gym for about 7 years now, and our church building is going up right across the street!  We are very excited for this new church home to allow us to grow, and reach more people.  They opened the raw (walls only) building to all the church members to allow us to pray in the future worship center and the kids were allowed to put their hand prints on the slab of the future children's center!  It was really cool to be a part of this event and to share it as a family.  Danny was at work, but the girls and I went together.  We prayed and the the girls put down their prints. 

 

The church provided us a Chick-fil-A dinner and then it was home to do homework!

 

 

 

I'm very proud to be a part of such a great church, and to have our back to school routine finally settle down.  Homework is a tad overwhelming with Makaila doing about 2 hours a night, in addition to our taekwondo classes, and dinners, and clean-up.  Feeling utterly blessed!

See you at the pole

Did you know that See you at the Pole is today?

Do you know what See you at the Pole is?

This day always causes me happy tears.  I love it!!  I drive in listening to kids gathered at their school (I listen to KSBJ on my drive into work) and standing proud in their faith and I LOVE it!!!

See you at the Pole is a day each school year in which kids gather at their schools and pray.  The prayers must be lead by a student, and it is completely voluntary.  The kids pray for their fellow students, their school and anything that weighs on their hearts. 

When I was in school, I remember attending See you at the Pole events every single year starting in 6th grade.  It didn't mean much more than a little extra time to hang out with my friends at the time, and while we prayed, I couldn't tell you what we prayed for - BUT I went.  I was proud to believe in God, and not at all embarrassed for people to see me pray!

Makaila has by her own choice attended the See you at the Pole events at her schools, and I love it.  As her mom, I am so proud of her and happy that she has faith, and that she isn't embarrassed by it at all. 

It really warms my heart and fills my eyes with tears when I see this event take place, or even hear it discussed on the radio.  It makes me so happy to know that our future generation has such awesome and bold faith driven leaders!  It is only a slim reminder that God is alive and real and that despite attempts to keep him out of certain places......God is everywhere!!!

Today - I pray for all those students bold and strong who woke up a little early this morning and went to school to gather at the flagpole with their friends and classmates to pray.  That they continue a growing relationship with God and they share that with their friends.  I pray that their bold act of faith be an example for others.  That God fill them all with blessings and peace in their hearts.  I pray for focus on their school work, a strong support group and cheer squad at home.  I pray that they would know and be proud of the example this small gathering has on others (makes me so so happy)!!! Amen

P.S. - I also want to pray for Makaila who has several tests this morning  - that she be focused and that the answers be clear to her. 

Manic Monday

We don't really have time to be addicted to shows at our house.  The evening routine is pretty packed as it is.

I'm off at 4:30.  The girls go to karate from in between 4:30 and 5:30 every weekday.  I make dinner, they do homework, read, study, take baths, eat dinner, pick up messes, and before we know it it is 9pm and time for them to go to bed.  I go to my taekwondo class at 8:15 every week night, then clean up the kitchen from dinner and take a shower, and handle whatever Rodeo, Close to My Heart, Scentsy and Pinterest business that needs attention. 

Last night was routine - the girls had lots of homework, and we ate leftovers for dinner.  There were several season premiers of some shows that I liked, so I DVR'd them all and started watching after my class.  The Voice was on, and I started watching it before the class at 7pm, and since Issy finished her homework, she came into the livingroom to watch it with me.

Isabella likes to play pretend alot!  While we were watching it she decided that during commercial breaks we were gunna play The Voice at our house too.  I was a judge and she performed...

Let me just say...I definitely pushed my judge button and she joined my Team!!  She is so silly sometimes...but she gets so into it..I love it.

When I came home from class Issy was already asleep and Makaila and I had a heart to heart about her grades and priorities.  She went to bed and I decided to watch a few shows.  I finished watching The voice, then the two episodes of How I Met Your Mother, followed by Two Broke Girls.  That show cracks me up.  That brunette is freakin hilarious!!

I got up and took a shower and checked Pinterest for some recipes and got the crock pot out and before I knew it...it was midnight!!! 

Let's just say- morning came way too fast..and I am sleepy!!  Glad I watched all the shows, but boy am I tired.  It's gunna be a long day!!  I think I have yawned about 47 times already! 

Have a great day...stay awake.....and laugh...and remember I love you more than cheese!!

Weekend Rewind

Friday was a very slow day at work.  I had a small list of to-do's which all were held up for one reason or another.  I was out of there by 3:30.

I went to Dillard to return two shirts, and to the post office to mail off some IRS forms.  I was glad to make it over to Dillard's to return those shirts becuase it was $48!!  That's way more than I care to spend on a top or two for that matter.  I don't know what I was thinking buying them.

I got home through some scattered showers and packed our bag for our tournament trip.  Danny headed out to work and the girls and I waited around for my sister to show up (she decided last minute that she could go with us - and I was glad to have the company - I hate traveling without another adult!).  There were major storms going on around the Houston area and we finally headed out at about 6:00.  It took almost two hours through all the storms just to clear past Willis.  There were those scary moments when its coming down so hard you can barely see in front of you!  But we made it through the storms and on our way safely.

By 9pm we were at our parents house in Teague for a late dinner.  We ate, chatted for a few minutes and then got back on the road.  We arrived in Mesquite at about 11 pm. ( I had my mapquest set - and it sent me past our hotel and into a shady neighborhood - which I followed and eventually had to call the hotel to get out of there - my sister had a field day laughing at me and my crappy map app) I think we were all worn out!  The beds were pretty comfy and we all knocked out! 

Wake up call came at 7 am, and we rushed to get ready, grabbed a bite for breakfast and the event center was about a block away.  The girls divisions started right away...by 11 am they  had both already competed and were wearing their medals.  They both did awesome.  I was extremely proud of them.  Makaila and Isabella are now in the same junior division and so they compete at the same time.  I went to Issy's ring and my sister went with Makaila.  Thank heavens they were put relatively close to one another and I had sight to both of them...

We had worked on the one-steps with Isabella on Thursday and Friday night (she had not learned them at all - so we practiced over and over).  Glad we did because she placed 3rd in that area.  Makaila was super excited about this tournament and determined to do better than the last time....and that she did.  My ninja received 1st place in forms and 3rd in one-steps!!  They were both pretty happy!

We waited around and waited and waited some more...my division was towards the end.  Finally I told Erica and Makaila to leave back to the hotel to relax for a bit while me and Issy waited.  You know how that works..about 15 minutes after they left...my division was called! LOL

I competed and placed 1st place in forms.  I was happy with that.  We left and were done with the competition.  We headed over to the Mesquite Thrift stores.  I have a cousin who lives in the area, so we got some good references and headed out to shop.  We hit up two pretty good stores and spent quite a bit of time and money.  We all found great things. Issy found some good dress-up/costume finds for 99 cents each.  Check out these cheerleader uniforms

Isabella and Abby are rocking our 99 cent uniform finds and little SJ is wearing an old costume of Makaila's....sorry Sean - I tried to keep him out of it but he really wanted to cheer with the girls! Issy loves playing dress up - so when I find cute things at the Thrift store its well worth my dollar! (Most of the clothes hanging on the mantle is Thrift store finds for Makaila and myself...we washed as soon as we got home)

I found several nice suit jackets for Fall, some brand new Jessica Simpson heels, a Juicy Couture jacket for Makaila, and even an Atascocita High School hoodie! LOL (amazing the things you can find)

After a solid 3 hours in the second store we headed over to the Mesquite mall for dinner and a Dillard's run.  We enjoyed some pasta dishes at Buca.  It was good.....I hadn't realized how hungry I was - too excited with all the shopping.

After dinner we went to the Dillard's and walked off some of our dinner.  We bought a new phone case for Makaila and a t-shirt and I got a couple bracelets.  We picked up some Sonic shakes for dessert on our way back to the hotel. 

We were all tired.  Showers all the way around and bed time.  I stayed up watching The Best Man, and then knocked out.

My sister was up and going by 7 am.  What an early bird!!  I'm glad she did - we were up and dressed and had breakfast and were out of our hotel by 8:30 that morning.  We made a pit stop in Huntsville to clearance shop at Target.  That Target always has wonderful mark downs.  We each finished filling the trunk of my car up with more Must have finds and then headed home. 

Being home was heaven.  I spent the afternoon doing some laundry (washing all our Thrift store finds so we could start enjoying it all) and lounging around.  Danny headed out to work and Makaila made a nice macaroni and hot dog dinner! LOL It was delicious.  Issy played dress-up and then later that evening Makaila played hair dresser with me.  She curled all my hair in tights curls...I looked like an old worn out Mexican Annie! LOL

Wow - that pic is horrible - I look pregnant ( I promise I am not - I can't even get pregnant anymore - It was just the angle of the wide dress).

The huge head of curls was kinda cute - but I slept on it and this morning I looked like a ragging Madussa  - so they had to be washed out.  

Our weekend was great overall.  We did great at the tournament, we spent some fun time with my sister Erica, found some great finds at the Mesquite Thrift stores and laughed and laughed and laughed! We were happy and I'm very glad we all went and had a fun time together.  Happy is a great result!

Morning Treats

I'm not home in the mornings when the girls head off to school.  I am blessed with a good job that lets me come in early and get out early.  But I miss out on the morning chaos (that's a good thing), and the morning beauties (not so good thing). 

In case you are new and or haven't noticed...my life revolves around two beautiful girls, my babies Makaila and Isabella.  I don't like missing them each morning.  I liked to praise them when possible and send them off to school feeling beautiful and confident and blessed.  I think this has weighed on my heart a little more lately (thanks to all the tragedies taking place in school - no place feels safe anymore - it's scary).

Every other Friday, when I am off of work and have the opportunity to take them to school - I make sure I tell them how pretty they look, and pray for them before they get out of the car (don't judge me - my goal is not to raise them in vain, or feel an importance on beauty; but rather to raise them to love themselves and be confident; and not dependant on the approval of others).  My prayers for them are as simple as " May God be with you today, may he give you grace, focus and love to share with others.  May your actions be a reflection of his words, and may you have a wonderful blessed day", but I know I feel better sending them off to school in a good way. 

All the other days, I miss the morning routine with them, so I decided I should get some morning treats.  I have been having them send me pictures of their morning looks.....

It's definitely a nice treat for me to get a glimpse of these two beautiful girls in a happy mood looking fabulous!!  I love them more than words can say!!!!!!!!!

If your are lucky enough to see your kids off to school each morning or be home with them when they get off - appreciate it.  I know we get caught up in our routines and the hecticness of life (it's very easy to do); but tomorrow is not promised and you should work to make the people you love feel loved. 

I know there are way too many days when I am focused on the chores, the to-do's, the must haves and I don't focus on my kids or my husband the way I should.  There are so many people watching loved ones die, sitting in hospital waiting rooms not knowing if they get another day with their kids/ husbands/ sisters/ moms/ dads/ grandparents/ best friends; and I am pretty sure they aren't worried about getting a load of laundry in before bed, or sweeping the game room.........there minds are filled with memories of the good times and or regrets of the lack of those good times. 

Love the people in your life....take pictures (even silly morning before the 17th day of school pictures), laugh, make a mess (without staying up late to clean it up), sing off key, sit on the couch holding each other, pitch a tent in the living room and play, make a memory that's unforgettable and will bring a smile to our face years from now. 

Let the people in your life know they are not alone.  Love them!!!  I hope you have a great day today and know that you are beautiful, awesome, smart and important.  That I love you (more than cheese and chocolate cake-- that's ALOT)!!

Tournament # 2

It's official - we are headed to our second ATA Tournament this coming weekend in Mesquite, Texas.

As you may have read here, Makaila didn't have a great experience at our first Tournament trip a few months back, so as I expected - she was highly reluctant to do it again.  I honestly wasn't pushing it either.  Things can get a little hectic in our household, and so I was just not trying to bring much attention to the upcoming tournament in hopes that we just wouldn't go.  I had asked Makaila last month and the answer was NO, so I left it at that. 

Monday night however, she came home (with all three stripes- which means she is ready to test for her next belt) very excited about her class and eager to convince me to take her to the tournament this weekend.  I was not expecting this.  On one hand I was happy to see her having changed her mind, and confident in herself to go out there and do it again, and on the other hand I was cringing to think I would have to dish out all the registration money, the hotel money, and have to take the girls out of town on my own (I am highly independent; but I hate driving - being alone in new places and just going places without Danny in general). 

Danny and I talked about it and decided that this needed to happen (to show Makaila that giving up is not an option, and to encourage her in her new found confidence (this is a big step for her)).  We even came to the conclusion, that before we headed to this tournament we needed to register Makaila into the Leadership program at ATA.  This means that not only can she take her regular Taekwondo classes, but the creative weapons classes, and the leadership skills classes as well.  Also - it means that in tournaments she can gain points to accumulate to participate in state, national and world championships.  We had been holding off on this  for several months simply because of the cost factor. 

We went to class last night with the girls and I registered the three of us for the Tournament, and started the registration forms for Makaila to join leadership.  Well, as luck would have it, Master Henderson received a flyer just that afternoon promoting Leadership registration for $99 (instead of the usual $199), so I figured I would sign up Issy too (2 for the price of 1 - you know I can't pass up a good deal); well I started form number two, and Master Henderson casually mentions that after the first two members all other family members can join for $25.  So why not!  We are all three officially registered into the ATA Leadership program!!! 

This will be the second tournament under our belts, and the first in which we have the ability to accumulate points.  Makes this trip kinda exciting.  Makaila is beyond prepared..she has been practicing like crazy.  Isabella is still working on memorizing her new form, so this will be interesting.  We will see how it goes this weekend for her.  I just got my first testing stripe on Tuesday night, and have some major work to do as well, but I'm excited to go. 

Hotel is booked, registration is paid, and Leadership is done....Mesquite, Texas here we come!!!!

Weekend Rewind

It was my Friday off - so I got up early on Friday, took the girls to school, and came home to try my stab at Tax papers again. ( I spent a few hours trying to figure some stuff out Thursday - unsuccessfully) I didn't get very far, so I decided to start ticking off my to-do list.  I went to Target and looked around for a bit.  I went to TJ Maxx and got Lucas's baptism gift, then headed over to Ross to return a dress, and then headed home. 

Danny and I got into a fight cause he can be a real ass hat sometimes.  Despite me trying to help him with tax stuff, he said I didn't do anything and gave me a big giant "Thanks for nothing," now despite that giant pisser offer.....I went with him to get the tax papers looked over and figured out.  We came back home and he tried to act like nothing at all, and ignore the fact that he was an ass hat and not apologize...we'll that wasn't gunna fly...so I ate lunch and then headed back out to tackle more items on the list. (giving him the silent treatment - in case you weren't aware of this Danny - I was ignoring you) (Although now that I think about it - he probably likes that - so note to self: don't give him the silent treatment - it is not effective when reversed) I went and filled my car up with gas, went out to the new Micheal's out by our house (not impressed) and then over to Kohl's to cash in yet another free $10 gift card I receive that day in the mail!! 

Check out the sandals I scored for a whole 53 cents!!!

Now that's my kinda shopping!!

I picked both of the girls up from school, and we headed over to Sonic for some Friday afternoon treats!

We came back home and I was at this point holding a grudge with Danny and decided I was going to demand an apology (cause demanding them makes them that much more meaningful and effective- NOT).

He invited me to dinner, and I opted out deciding I was not going anywhere with him until he apologized.  so he went without me! LOL (Note 2 to self: Not eating doesn't help either) He tried to apologize very sarcastically and un heartfelt like before he left but I wasn't having any of that crap! LOL

We eventually went to bed mad, with me telling him he was not allowed to go to any of the parties we had planned tomorrow cause he was an ass.  I didn't tell him the ass part....it was one of those unspoken understandings...those truths that are said without being said kinda deals!

I woke up Saturday morning and started to get ready.  After I showered, I decided (forget this - he isn't gunna get a day at home alone to relax and do nothing (finally I was thinking straight)), so I woke him up and told him, that him not going wouldn't change how he treats me so get up...your going!

We made it a little late to Lucas's baptism.  It was really pretty seeing the church filled with everyone in white.  I liked it.  We headed over to Brady's Landing for the breakfast party after the ceremony and I was able to get a few good pics...

 Freakin adorable isn't he.  He is the cutest little boy ever...and his sister is pretty awesome too!

After this party we headed over to Jimmy and Marian's for Elizabeth's baptism party in the heights.  We hung out there for a little while chit chatting with Marian and Christy.  Isabella played with Sydney and then we headed home to celebrate Ms. Gracie's 1st birthday.  Gracie is our next door neighbor/sister friend. 

The girls and I hung out for awhile, then headed back over to the house to get ready for party number 4.  We cleaned the house up a tad before we headed out to Jamie's house for Anthony's girls birthday parties. They were celebrating Cami turning 3 and Ariah turning 1.  We loaded up some presents and headed  out.  Makaila was very excited to see Anthony (who is in the military - and stationed in El Paso), so she misses him ALOT. We hung out there for awhile and had a good time.  

 The highlight of this party was Isabella confronting Anthony to complain "Hey your baby stole my daddy".  My little jealous girl was not liking Danny holding baby Ariah trying to put her to sleep.  She was trying to get that taken care of ASAP.  Let it be known she is  a jealous little booger. 

We headed out of there at about 7:30 and back home to shower and get ready for party number 5!  We all showered, got dressed and headed over to Pasadena for my best friend's Letty's nephew Alex's 15. 

We had a great time.  The music was good, the company was better and as an added bonus they had the fight going too, so we didn't miss anything.  It was an action packed Saturday!!!

At some point through the day I forgot I was mad! LOL  Funny how that works.  I do pray for me and Danny regularly (trust me we need it - ALOT).  I almost always ask God to love him through me because it's hard to do it on my own.   Now don't get me wrong.  I love the man to pieces.  More than is healthy actually....but sometimes I just want to smack the crap out of him! 

I'm not sure if it was that he went to 5 parties in one day and didn't even complain, or that he wore all white to Lucas's baptism and didn't complain, or that he helped clean up the house before we headed over to Jamie's, or watching him play with the kids there or share his food with me cause I was too lazy to get my own plate of food, or watching him hold babies (which reminds me of what an awesome daddy he is), or that he took silly pictures with me in the photo booth at the 15, or danced with me, but at some point in the day I got over it! LOL

Sunday morning we all slept late.  I woke up with about 15 minutes left to make it to my regular service at church, so I hurried up!  Got dressed, brushed my teeth, and pulled my hair in a bun and headed out. 

Church notes are as follows:

                          Part 2 of Series Unshakable- 10 truths for a Rock Solid Life

Life is like a wheel.  It has a hub (the center - the balance- the base) and from that spokes.  The spokes are a representation of all the things important in our lives (marriage, kids, work, finances, hobbies, dreams, etc.) and the hub is God.  He is the power that keeps our wheels rolling.  He needs to be the bases of our lives, our center - the most important thing and a part of each and every spoke of our lives. 

The biggest problem for us to deal with is the issue of control.  We try too hard to control situations and people when we should be giving that control over to God to handle. 

* If God is at the center than all your priorities will fall into place. 

Don't settle for good - strive for God's best. 

* Obedience brings blessings - good intentions brings nothing

LET LOVE BE YOUR HIGHEST GOAL  1 cor. 14:1

I went home after church to feed the kiddos.  Issy and I made some sprinkled pancakes, and they were yummy.  We ate breakfast and then I headed back out to church for the second part of the marriage series. 

Ironically - the subject was Solving Conflict.  Here are the notes:

Most people approach conflict in one of 5 ways:

1. MY WAY - in which there is a one way street to resolution.  The kinda situation where one person always has to have the last work and will even stoop to bringing up past issues to win the fight! (FYI - this is my way - although it is almost never effective)

2. NO WAY - in which the person shuts down completely.  ( be careful here - when you step away from the table - who steps in?) (FYI - this is Danny's way - and it's not EVER effective)

3. YOUR WAY  - in which a party gives in just to move past it.  The YES DEAR solution.

4. HALF WAY  - in which the parties are willing to take on some of the blame , yet stand their ground and fight over certain heartfelt issues.   A compromise can usually be reached. 

5. OUR WAY - Both parties own 50 % of the blame, you acknowledge your faults, and strive for compromise together.  (this is obviously the goal of where we need to be)

Conflict isn't a bad thing.  Fighting actually is good - it means you care enough to do something about it.  But when fighting you have to loose your pride and selfishness.  Also its important to remember that moving past the conflict doesn't mean it is resolved.  You can't just pretend everything is okay - you need a resolution.

Here is the plan:

 Face the issue

 * Take it to God  (God will give you clarity, frame of mind, patience, humility, and understanding).  Go to him personally and together.

* Stay at the Table - Keep talking - DO NOT SHUT DOWN.  Do not use your anger as fuel for revenge.  Talk it out, and do not give Satan that type of foothold in your home.  Remember when you walk away from the table (who steps up)?

Attack the Issue, without attacking each other

 * No verbal abuse - Remember why you are mad and do not focus on who you are mad at.  Verbal abuse of any kind is unacceptable!

 * Rage - using intimidation; over the top manipulations

 * Malice - being intentional about hurting someone with words, cutting their character

 * Slander - cutting them down, judging them 

 * Abusive Language - Foul language, tones

Judging is powerful - especially when it comes from those we love.  When you are the one person I care about the most, your judgement hurts me - what you think of me matters.

Resolve the Ultimate Issue!!

 * Learn to APOLOGIZE (Danny this is for you in case you are reading this)

 * Understand where the conflict comes from and not who it comes from. 

 * Come to the table with humility, ownership of your faults and selflessness. 

LET LOVE BE YOUR HIGHEST GOAL  1. Cor. 14:1

That's some pretty good stuff huh! LOL All kidding aside - its great to talk about these things and get reminders like this.  I know some of this stuff is common sense, but from time to time I need to be reminded of what I am supposed to be doing.  I think we could all use a swift kick in the right direction every now and then. 

We discussed this in our small group for awhile and then headed home to work on it. 

When we got out of the session - it was pouring down rain.  I ran in the rain and headed home! Makaila was watching the Texans game and Issy was bored, so we played Doc McStuffins.  She was not impressed with my diagnosis.  When it was my turn to Be the doctor, I checked her tummy which hurt and asked a round of questions.  Next step was to draw a picture in the diagnosis book, and come back in to talk to her with my solution.  I told her that she needed to go poop and drew a picture of a girl with food and poop pebbles in her belly.  I laughed and laughed about it - but Issy didn't think it was all that funny!  Needless to say my diagnosis was ripped out of the tablet, and I was no longer the doctor! I wish I would have taken a picture of it (it was very nice - you would have laughed I am sure of it). 

I got up and made some quesadillas for lunch.  The kids ate and went outside to play, while Danny ate and then got ready for work. 

Danny headed out and the girls headed in.  It started raining again, so we all lounged around and watched tv for the rest of the afternoon.  My friend Cynthia dropped by with a gift for Issy.  We talked for a bit and then back to the couch for me.  I am sure it was the weather, but I was super drained of energy.  I sat on the couch and was falling asleep by 8pm!  The girls took showers, and we were all in bed by 9pm. 

Overall it was a good weekend.  We party hopped till we dropped!  We fought, got over it, took some notes on how to fight better! (Kidding - I'm only kidding) and we did no laundry, no deep cleaning, no real thinking...just had a good time and enjoyed the moments together.  Our Little Limon tree is pretty awesome.  We enjoy being happily imperfect people with semi-chaotic routines of life.  It's fun - try it sometime!

We are to blessed to be stressed, to fulfilled to be annoyed, too happy to act crappy! :)

I hope your week is a good one.  Work hard, play harder.....Live like tomorrow isn't promised (it really isn't) and know that I love you more than chocolate cake (and I really love chocolate cake)!!!

Tony's Birthday & Rodeo Meeting

Yesterday after work I headed over to Papasito's by Reliant Stadium to meet with my leadership team for rodeo.  Our general meeting is coming up in October and we need to choose our final theme and start our planning and buying for this particular shindig!

We hung out and chit chatted for a good while, caught up on some important stuff and then headed over to Reliant to knock out another round of recruit interviews.  Things went fairly smooth.  We have about 100 people show up and I believe I added at least ten new members last night to our Roughriders team if not more!

That reminds me - I need to log into the website TODAY and pay my dues!! I am the captain and I keep forgettting myself! LOL


As soon as the interviews finished up I went to meet Danny at PF Changs to celebrate Tony's Birthday.  I wasn't informed of any details, so I wasn't sure who to expect...but it turned out it was a nice little party.  Tony and Sam, Erica and the kids, Danny and our girls, and several of Tony's friends! 

I got ther at about 7:30 thinking they would be well into the meal, but they were still waiting on a table....so I enjoyed some great food!  Our waiters were excellent and the manager even gave us nice little discounts on our checks (to make up for the long wait)...so overall a great night.  We even managed to get in a few great pics of the evening out.  Check it out:

It was a nice little mid week treat to get to see my sisters and have a nice dinner out!  Don't get me wrong we eat out a lot - too much honestly -but this was a birthday celebration- and those are special.

And I really like seeing my sisters too.  We have fun together and laugh alot - and laughing helps you loose weight....so win win!

The only bad part was we didn't get home until after 10:30 and that is not good on a school night.  Makes for cranky kids in the morning!! Good thing I am at work by then! LOL

I was nice and layed out Issy's school clothes complete with bow, socks, shoes and signed forms, etc. - so hopefully there is no late night afermath for Danny to have to tackle this morning!