Are you ready?

What a crazy week it has been! It's been tiring trying to adjust to Chris going back to night shift. It's awful, and I am really praying that God will open up some more job opportunities for him. I'm glad he's sticking with it though. It's hard, and he doesn't get to see us much, it's hard for us to do a lot as a family, but I'm doing my best to be that encouraging wife that he needs. I'm thankful that he is being responsible and sticking it out for us. I hate that he misses out on the Gator games or the afternoon tv time with Maddison, and dinner as a family. He misses Sunday night church as well, and I know he doesn't like that. It's the little things that are most important to us a family, and I'm just praying that God continues to give us the strength and the encouragement to get through. I'm very thankful he has a job though. I'm thankful that the job provides enough for me to be able to stay home, I'm thankful that he works in a facility that isn't as bad as some of the others, and I'm thankful that they hired him on. Once again, I'm trying to focus on the blessings in the trial. :)

      On a happier note, we took a quick little trip to the beach! I felt bad because we hadn't taken Maddison, and we needed a little family get away. It was nice too. We when got there we went down to the beach for a little bit, but then spend most of our time in the pool...or pools, I should say. The outdoor pool was nice, it had a huge curvy water slide. At first, I was completely nervous and worried about Maddison going down the slide. So, to help ease my worries, Chris asked the lady if she thought Maddison was old enough to go the slide, if it was safe for her. The lady said, yes, so we gave it a shot. She LOVED it. My little dare devil tried wanted to go again and again. The time she went down with momma, was a little scary though. Some how, I managed to always go faster down the slide than Chris, so both me and Maddison, ended up under the water. I knew I had ahold of her and she wasn't under for more than just a second....but it scared me. She a coughed a little, caught her breath, and said "again"! Lol. Needless to say, after that she just went down with daddy. We enjoyed the time together, and Maddison is getting to be a great swimmer. I love hearing her say "kick your feet, kick your feet". She is growing so much, and it's crazy how smart she is. :) Anyways, our hotel was very affordable for our budget, and we had a great room! We had a wonderful balcony that had a beach view. I've never seen the sun rise at the beach, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to see such a beautiful thing. Well, I was reminded why I've never seen the sunrise at the beach....I don't get our of bed that early. :p I tried to wake up, but it just did not work, so I have yet to see the sunrise over the beach....Lol We tried to enjoy the beach a little before we left to come home, but it was disastrous! Maddison is not a beach baby, and I told Chris not to be surprised it I never wanted to go back. All she did was cry...she didn't want to sit in the sand, she didn't want the water to touch her sand toys, she didn't want her daddy touching the sand toys....she just did not want any part of it. I tried being patient, I didn't get frustrated, i sat with her, showed her how to build a sand castle, held hand while we stood in the water....but all she did was pitch a fit the whole time. Finally I was done...I took her to the car, put a pull up on her, and said we're going home. I was over it. I'm not that big of a beach person to begin with, and that situation did not help.( I just don't like that sand, the stickiness of the water, the rough waves..I'm just not a fan of it.) After we left and she was snoozing peacefully in the back, I changed my mind and said I definitely want to take her back...but not for a while. And I'm taking her Nana, or Marema with me. Mom said just to give her some time, and she should be ok with it, but if she doesn't want to go get all sandy and sticky...I'm good with that too. I'll just take her to the lake. :)

    Being at the beach, made me want to get in shape...more than I already do. I really want a baby, in the very near future, but I also want to be healthy. I want to be in shape, and I want to stay in shape. I have to take care of myself so I can take care of my husband and children. I have to be healthy, so I can raise my children to be healthy and I have to show them that they have to take care of themselves. So, my first step is getting some help. I'm going to start going to the weight loss clinic, and the gym. Ugh, the gym. I dread it, but hopefully with help from the clinic, I'll have the energy to go, and then hopefully I'll develop a love for the gym. I'm tired of being tired and unhappy. My weight has had a huge impact on my life, and my marriage and my relationship with Maddison, and I'm tired of it. I've let it run my life for long enough. I want to be happy and confident in myself. Thankfully, my parents, in laws and husband support me 100%, and I know I can do this. It's going to take hard work, and a change in my lifestyle along with a lot of prayer, but I'm ready for the challenge. I'll be sure to keep you updated as well, and I'll be sure to share my struggles and victories with you. I hope that one day someone will read my blog and be encouraged to take the steps to get healthy as well.

    Well, being that it's midnight, I better get some sleep. I hope you enjoy the pictures. The first one is self-explanatory, the second one is the view from our room, and the third is a picture of Chris and Maddison on the curvy slide....I love how she's covering her eyes! :) Goodnight.