I have been absolutely terrible about blogging for the last couple months... I can tell you right when it happened, but I don't really know why... When we found out my grandma was sick in April I just lost my ambition to blog. It seems really silly, but it might be because she was the one who read the blog the most. She would always comment on our adventures and call me to tell me she loved the pictures I posted. Without her reading it just didn't seem as important. Sadly, as much as I don't want to admit it; life goes on... and on and on and here I am 3 months later, 24 posts behind and struggling to keep this blog/journal current. So here goes on an update about life in general and I will continue to work backwards to complete the posts from Paragliding, Easter, Father's Day, etc.
Sometime along the way it just got too sad for me to drive the S10 we bought from Grandpa anymore… the dash mat that said “Langs” and the faint smell of cigarette smoke (even after the 2 odor bombs we used). We parked it in the garage and after Grandma passed we sold it. I know it is just a ‘thing’ but it was sad to sell it (but too sad to keep it too). Luckily there were some other reasons I wanted to sell it too… like its age (1997) and the fact that we have a super nice newer truck just sitting in the garage costing us money. Between repairs and maintenance on the S10 the money we saved in gas just didn’t make having 3 vehicles worthwhile. Kenny wanted to keep the truck, but agreed we had other goals in mind and it was so nice to pay off some debt with the money from selling the truck.
That very same week we (when I say we I mean Kenny because he took care of it all) finally got the dogs in to the vet for their check-ups and rabies shots… We have seriously neglected getting that done and had to also pay a bunch of late fees to get the dogs back in good standing with the state ($140 total the licensing and $280 for the vet bill). They did a great job cleaning Toby’s teeth and still encourage us to get him in to have the baby teeth that never fell out pulled… I am reluctant to have a dog put under when it isn’t life or death. They noticed Hope’s eyes are getting cloudy, but said she was fine and joked that she just can’t drive at night.
We did splurge on this ridiculously awesome collar for Shelby…
We have been trying to save more, spend less, eat in- all that good stuff and doing pretty great at it too (well up until our little vacation up North for the 4th but vacations cost money…). I have been on Freecycle A LOT and got a huge bag of envelopes (great for card making) and a pedestal for the washer! I really like freecycle, but I can see how it is better for young families, because a lot of what is offered is children’s clothing, toys etcWe have also kept busy, mindlessly watching seasons 1-3 of True Blood… it is not the best quality show, but I really like it because it is like Twilight! Becky gave Kenny season 3 as a thank you for driving us to and from Durango. Season 4 started on 06/26 and we shamefully added HBO to our cable so we could tune in…We did get rid of the HD programming in our bedroom, since we never watch TV in there, and that balanced out the bill so we aren’t paying too much more for one show…
I have started a great exercised program called Ladies Fitness Boot Camp. My mom’s friend, Stargret has been doing these boot camp classes for 3 years and lost a ton of weight! I have wanted to try them out, but the program is so expensive I never signed up. Living Social advertised a deal for 30 days for $30 AND one of the locations is 6 mins from my house! I purchased 2 months worth. The class meets three days per week on Monday,Wednesday and Friday. The first two days were extremely hard and I almost threw- up both days… it has been so long since I have been in really good shape! Besides being extremely muscle sore I felt great! Even though the class is 5-6 AM and I get up about 4:20, I don’t feel sleepy during the day at all. I have not had a change in weight at all, but I do feel like my clothes fit better. I am excited to continue with the classes!
Kenny has been busy with work and travels a lot: mostly day trips to Yuma, Tucson or someplace up north. He is racking up the miles on his car and will probably order a new one by the end of this year.
One of my items on my bucket list is to read 100 New York Times Best Seller books. I set this goal mostly to see what the popular culture is reading and to just start reading for pleasure again. I am really good at missing the popular craze like Twilight or Harry Potter- I have never even watch a Star Wars movie! Anyway, I read a book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. The basic idea is Gretchen set all kinds of goals and resolutions to see if they made a difference in her ‘happiness’. At first I enjoyed the book and felt inspired to do the same things… then I realized what she was looking for; her purpose. A lot of the happiness people are looking for in life comes right down to the fact that they are looking for God. I finished the book only because I wanted to add it to my list of 100 books, otherwise I would have quit about ½ way (and wouldn’t have missed much). The other book I read recently is called Go Ask Alice. Its about a 15 year old girl who gets addicted to drugs… Blair recommended it to me because she thought it might give me some insight as to how my brother and Crystal think. It was a good, quick read, but hit a little too close to home for me. Oh I also read The Help recommended by Lora Jones. That was a fabulous book which has been made into a movie and comes out in August! I just love to read a book and then watch the movie so I can compare the two. I am a dork I know.
I am also working on CPCU again… I still have that one last part lingering over my head. My boss Doug asked, Jereme to help tutor me on this class. It’s kind of embarrassing to get help like that… I have never needed a tutor and I used to BE a tutor in HS…but I guess there is no shame in accepting help… although it feels shameful! We study Tues- Thur at lunch and I am actually learning a lot… Maybe 5th time IS the charm!
My dad is back at work and has been since his hospital release. He works long, hard hours using his body… He is tired a lot, but keeps going. Last night he said he is so lazy now… I couldn’t believe he thought that about himself! I told him he is NOT lazy he just doesn’t have energy to do all the things he used to.
My mom is doing okay. She is still in search of a job, but with the economy it is difficult. I know she misses Grandma every day. It’s hard to see her sad, but I don’t know what I can do for her.
My brother and the boys have been staying with my parents and Brian is working on getting into the National Guard. Sadly one of the steps he has to take is to take care of his back child support for his daughter Genna (being unemployed for 2 years doesn’t help the situation). He has decided to sign over his parental rights for her. It is heartbreaking, but probably a necessary step. They no longer have a relationship and someday I know they will reunite and build the bond they once had. Once the paper work goes through he should be able to get into the Guard. I am praying for a powerful change and fresh start for his life (and the boys).
Well, I think that is about it… except for the multitude of individual posts I will be working on.
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