One of the brightest lights in music went out today--Whitney Houston. I am so sad to hear of another HUGE loss in the music world. Such a gift gone too soon. I hope the Lord comforts those who are left empty by her loss.
I watched her interview with Oprah after her attempted comeback, and I was so moved with this song. So beautiful. I find I don't know my own strength either. I am stronger than I think, and I wasn't built to break. Neither was she. And neither are you. So inspiring.
I could go on an on. But HERE is another favorite of mine, too. Thank you, Whitney, for sharing your one of a kind, God given, gift.
This past Friday, Travis had a date with the other girl in his life, Miss Sage. Sage's school hosted their annual Father-Daughter dance, and she was so excited to go. Here's a few pics of the pretty couple before they left.
I curled her hair and put some lip gloss on her, and she was set for the night. Proud.
Such a pretty girl.
Why yes, it is terrifying to see her look so grown up.
Sage and her hot date
Jaggar had to get in on the fun. Why yes, I do let my child go out in the cool temperatures in nothing but a diaper. He's pretty obsessed with being naked these days. Don't ask me.
So sweet. I am SO glad that HE was her date. I can't even think about the many MANY years ahead when the face of her date will be that of someone else. Like 25 from now.
I hate to brag, but I'm going to brag. :) I have run for 3 days straight now--each day pushing myself further and further. You saw my thoughts on the first day: "NO thank you," and when I woke up the next morning barely able to walk from soreness, you know what I did anyway? Ran again. Further. Then I went inside and played Michael Jackson for 20 more minutes. I am actually really liking it. It clears my head. It's a rare time of just me, God, Britney Spears, John Mayer, Beyonce' and Justin Timberlake, to name a few. I find when I want to quit, I go further. Life lesson, maybe? Today is Sunday, a day of rest, and I had all intentions of it being just that...but when the kids laid down for naps, I changed clothes and went for it. I went over 2 miles in my neighborhood. There are some serious hills in here, too. I don't know what, if anything, this will turn into, but I just have to warn everyone that I could be a possible 15 on a scale of 1-10. ;)
Well, January was not our month for any type of fitness. I'd say December was a better month for me in that than January. BUT...today, Travis went for a RUN. He ran solid for over a mile, which I'd say is a great start. I laugh at Travis a lot in talking about fitness, but he was a serious athlete: soccer, wrestling (which required daily to the POUND weigh ins)...he's a black belt in karate. So he knows how to get in shape. Me? I can't really say I'm OUT of shape because I've never been in it. I haven't an ounce of tone other than some natural God given abs. Crazy but true. So...it occurred to me that I wonder what I could look like if I tried. I'll be out of my 20s this year....and I want to age well...AND I will not be outdone by Travis. So I took Chanel and ran through our neighborhood. Um....it was not an instant love. I know some are addicted to working out, but I don't think I'll have a problem in that aspect. I can't even say that I will keep it up, but who knows? Actually, I can pretty much say I won't do that regularly. If I do, I'll be pleasantly surprised. My issue will be if my legs get bigger. I don't care if it's muscle. I don't want anything getting bigger.
Chanel was excited. Initially. And so was I.
Travis thought he'd record me getting back. Funny. I totally run like a girl.
THIS was what Travis ate for lunch. He's an athlete. He is NOT a dietician. If we could merge our two strong points, we'd be perfection. OR...the perfect couple. ;) jk. I'll keep running if I look like this by next week. When I went to the gym FIVE days a week, this was always my goal. Never happened, btw.
Our newest entertaining video diary. I realize I look like crap in the majority of these. Oh well.
In my solitude this evening (Travis is shooting a basketball game in Birmingham), I found some comfort in my favorite singer, Celine. She is the epitome of what every singer and performer wants to be, but few are. I'd give anything to be like that: amazing, flawless voice EVERY time its used, tall, skinny as a rail, kind and giving to her fans...but I'd settle for a wind machine. That's as realistic as any expectation I could hope to have out of those. I love this song. It was actually what was played (her slow version, which is perfection...and I'd never seen this video till now. Idk why those half naked people are in there but whatev.) right before I walked down the aisle, and I have to say it was beautiful. Isn't she? Love this song.
THIS one is also really fun. I hope to see her show in Vegas one day. Travis, make that happen.
Celine plus my main man, MJ??? YES please! One of my favorites.
I'm getting lost in youtube, and THIS song...oh, I don't know what it is about it, but I fell in love with it the moment I heard it, which was in 7th grade on her "Let's Talk About Love" album. I still find myself singing it at random times when I'm alone. I think it's so pretty, and the melody just gets me as well as the lyrics. I've always related to them. Lovely.
Hola. What a week it has been. Sickness. Sickness. Sickness. My every other night of 4 hours of sleep has continued. On Sunday when we got home from Classic, Travis told me that Sage had a headache. We were going to take her to church with us, and at the last minute, I decided to let her stay home. I'm SO glad I did that because I knew that headache meant one thing: fever. Instant. Just like with Jaggar. By that evening, it was 102.9. I called the dr's office on Monday and told the receptionist that Jaggar had just tested positive for strep a few days ago. I KNEW that she had strep. Instant, high fever. Refusing to eat or drink. Could they just call in some medicine for Sage? She told me probably not. They'd need to see her. She didn't have anything until late in the day. Did I want to see the nurse practitioner? Ha. Um (hell) no. I told her to give my message to them in the back and have them call me back. Dr Dela Cruz told me the last time that if I had a problem to tell them to just give my message to HER and not take whatever random thing they had to say. So that's what I did. And a few hours later they called to say that they'd called her in a Rx. Thank you, Jesus. Here's our stash. Did I mention that we have to mix Jaggar's medicine in gingerale because he acts like a rabid dog when trying to give it to him? Kicking, screaming, hitting, SPITTING. Yeah, it's been awesome. Thankfully, after two days of Sage missing school, they both seem to be on the upside of things. The whining level (ESPECIALLY Jaggar) has been through the roof, and that seems to have subsided, too.
Happy times. Before she got sick, she was able to use her gift card from Kaci and Amber to Claire's at the mall. She chose these fake nails.
So today, I've been pretty lazy. Sage came in my room at 3:43 this morning to say that her throat hurt. Since she didn't get a shot, the results from one dose of medicine weren't instant, so I expected that. Because of that, she stayed home again today, so we did NOTHING all day. Thankfully, Mom and Mema didn't seem to mind. But when Travis got home, he said that his family invited us to....Western Sizzlin.' Do I need to share my thoughts on this place? I hate it. But for the good of the group, I sacrificed myself and my body yet again. :) I'm generous like that. Photo attempt number 1.
And photo attempt 2. Congrats to Sage, who was ready in both.
This was my fork. Do I need to say anything else about it? I read something the other day like if you pretend that you don't struggle in any area of your life: financially, emotionally, mentally...a lot of other "ly's" then you leave people feeling like they aren't spiritual enough and ultimately defeated. I think it's clear that I struggle mentally;), so let me help someone out here and say that I totally blew it tonight. Our service wasn't great. Everyone noticed except FOR me, really. I don't expect much when I go to Western Sizzlin' anyway, but I personally never really lacked for anything. But 20% gratuity was added because of our party size. So...I went up to Travis at the register WHILE he was paying and said, "That is ridiculous. She didn't do anything. That's why we didn't get good service because she knew she already had her tip. It's a buffet..." just acting in a way that is not really what I'd like to consider my current character. And Travis came back and said that the girl at the register took it off--her tip. The waitress came in and apologized to Travis. They were just understaffed. I was not nice, to put it mildly. And I felt instant conviction. Travis was thrilled that I actually CARED that I acted like that. That's a big step for me, I guess. But I REALLY felt terrible to give someone a hard time that I know probably gets one pretty regularly in her job. Waitressing is no joke. I'm so sorry about that. I won't forget it. But you guys can get some better silverware. You have to admit that's funny.
Okay, so what else? We've really enjoyed having mom and mema here these past (almost) two weeks. We've had a home cooked meal every night, and it's been so nice. The food is G-O-O-D. And so convenient because I've been eating all of my many emotions lately and I've clearly had a lot of them, so this has been nice. Sage specifically requested peanut butter fudge, and she helped Mema to make it. Cute.
One last picture of them before they leave tomorrow. We've enjoyed it, ladies! (Little J has enjoyed it, too, though he was in bed here. He sat next to Mema earlier and said, "You're so cute.")
Also, today is the last day of January! Can you believe that? Have you wondered how Travis' resolution has gone? Well, wonder no more! Something tragic has happened to ME though. Maybe it was my smugness in having it all under control as far as eating right goes. I've gotten fatter, too. I was fine over Christmas, and I gain weight in January. How does that even happen? And Is Jaggar not the cutest thing ever???
Today was a weird day. Jaggar is still not feeling well, so he was up at 4 am. Thankfully, I did not have to sing today, but I thought I should still go to church in spite of that. Call me crazy. I struggled with staying awake this morning. My mom said that my eyes were bloodshot, and they are. That would be because I've gotten 4 hours of sleep like every other night this week. So anyway, after dozing for a few on the couch, I got up and decided to get ready for church. Travis was going to stay home with Jaggar, who is covered from head to toe in a red, speckled rash from the strep virus. His face is also raw from wiping his nose nonstop. Good times here. I decided to let Sage stay home as well, so it was just me, Mom and Mema going to church. Mom said, "We should go to Classic for lunch." Nice idea. Only the 11:00 service doesn't let out in enough time to get there before they closed. So, being with sinners, we went to church for the music and then slipped out. How terrible is that? I told them that I hope their meal was worth going to hell for. I think it was.
Not pictured is my other dessert plate. Today is a day that bulimia would've been a good choice. I'm kidding. Kind of. I blame that on my lack of sleep and 20 lb weight gain this week. Thanks, sinners, for getting me to go. It was yummy and a lovely time to spend it with these ladies AND without children.
I've alternated nights of good sleep to not nearly enough this week. On Wednesday night, I left my house to go to church. Jaggar was screaming and crying, but Mom and Mema were here, so I figured he just wanted me to stay. We had just been playing in the yard, and he had been running around. So I was shocked when I got home and Jaggar was still awake and hot with a fever. 101.9 What?! Just totally unexpected. Mom said he never stopped crying, and when he wouldn't eat the popcorn she made (his fave) or play in the bathtub (he loves a bath), something was definitely wrong. I didn't really know what. Shortly after Travis laid him down, he was up crying and saying, "I want my mommy!" He was still so hot even with medicine...so I prepared myself for the night to come. I put him in my bed. Obviously, he was in pain. He never slept soundly. I watched the clock so that I could give him more medicine at the right time, which the heat his body left on my sheets was a reminder as well as his constant cries of pain. So sad. This morning, he acted better, but he was still hot. And as he watched a few movies, I looked at him.
He was like this. Still so sweet.
And trying to smile for a picture.
But his eyes weren't right. He was still running a fever. And he wouldn't eat. So I made the call to the doctor. They called me back and asked if I could be there in 30 minutes. We flew since it's a 30 minute drive, but we made it. He sat next to me the entire time...another sign things weren't right. He still hadn't asked for anything to eat, so it wasn't a HUGE surprise (I suppose) that he tested positive for strep.
She said that his throat looked horrible. She is very against shots unless it's absolutely necessary, but with the way his throat looked, she thought it was best along with an Rx. I couldn't believe how it got that bad so fast.
The shot was pretty traumatic. I know it stings, and we had to wait another 15 minutes to make sure that he didn't have a reaction. For the rest of the day until bedtime, he couldn't and wouldn't walk (the shot was in his leg). He cried in the bath. When he did try to walk from the couch to the chair, he limped because he said his leg hurt.
So our day was spent like this. Hopefully a good night's rest will do ALL of us some good and that that mess doesn't go to anyone else. TGIF, right?
I guess this is better late than never. Sage and I love to play the Michael Jackson game. I can actually score all but the highest star, which is crazy because I still suck and look nothing like MJ...but that would require talent on my part. SAGE comes a lot closer than I do. It's a fun game to play and get a lot of exercise at the same time. Double bonus. God knows I need all of that.
Sage's party was a sweet celebration of who she is, and I'm so thankful for all the people that came to help us do just that--celebrate her.
Group shot of her friends, minus Grayson
Fire chief Jaggar making an appearance
There's Grayson
My man on the side, Nick. He says that he tells people that we're having an affair. Good to know. Seriously, I was getting lab work done at the GYNECOLOGIST'S office, and the girl goes, "Don't you know Nick Mundy? I've seen you on facebook." I told him it was so sweet that he thought so highly of me that even nurses know who I am. Seriously, though, Nick is a good guy. But don't tell him I said that.
Travis' dad is so good with kids, especially my wild boy.
Sage was having him do some kind of trick he'd taught her on Christmas Eve. SO cute.
Saying goodbye
Sweet hugs from Kaci
My princess
Sage and Lydia. Suzanne was so kind to invite Sage to go skating with Lydia after the party. She had a BLAST.
Our girl (Jaggar is always M.I.A. I gave up a long time ago trying to capture moments that don't really exist in reality. ;)
After cake, ice cream, and painting, it was time for every birthday child's favorite thing: presents. All the kids gathered around Sage while she took in her moment. I think it's so cute to see their expressions as she opens her gifts. They are so excited for her to open what they chose for her. Sweet.
Not pictured in this, but she got money from Travis' dad and step-mom.
She also got a gift card to Claire's from Kaci and Amber.
It's still kind of odd for me to see her sitting here reading her own cards, but she most definitely can. She is an EXCELLENT reader. FYI: They had reading and math assessments at school for winter to compare to when they had it in the fall. Sage has more than doubled her scores. She's above a 2nd grade level in math. Her oral reading fluency goal was a 36 for winter, and she scored a 92. Genius.
So cute
This was from Lydia, and it's a gym set for her American Girl dolls. It came with way more stuff than I could see in the box: cheerleading outfit, gym bag, water bottles, books, ipod....needless to say, Sage loves it.
This was from Cailin, and I loved the bag more than anything. Hello Kitty as a mermaid???! Jill remembered that Sage chose a hello kitty cake 2 years in a row and knew it said "Sage." And "Julie."
It's the American Girl pet, Coco, and Cailin wanted Sage to have one just like she did. Sweet.
This was from us, and if you haven't seen this movie, it's a must see. It's based on a true story, and it is touching and fun. We ALL loved it.
This could be something I live to regret, but Travis is more of the crafty one, so I think he and Sage will love doing this together: a pottery wheel. Maybe one night, he and I can use it with Unchained Melody playing in the background. Just a thought. ;)
LAST but not least...
Look at the girls' faces. "American Girl" logos do that.
It is the BATHTUB...or the hot tub, as Sage called it. She has wanted this for a while.
So thrilled.
She loves it with all of its pink bubbles, and it holds both of her dolls at the same time.
