Chips, Salsa, & Steve

Catchy title right? I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite loves. Recently, I've become obsessed with eating Chips & Salsa (it's like an everyday addiction), but not just any old salsa-- Pineapple Peach Chipotle! Yum -- so sweet & spicy! This everyday snack may stick around for a few weeks or for a few months. I may tire of it eventually but my other favorite love, I can never tire of --- Steve!

My last post was all about what's been going on with me, but I thought I'd let you all know what Steve's been up to. He's been working a lot and keeping himself busy with house and car hunting. At work, he's on a few different projects alongside other engineers. He's also preparing to give a big presentation to his boss's boss's bosses (or something like that). He has to present all the stuff he's learned during training and the different projects he's involved with. He even spends some of his personal time working on the presentation from home.

Next week, he will be headed off on a 2 day business trip to New Jersey. While he's there, he'll get to squeeze in a little visit with Nanny & Poppy. He's especially excited to hit the east coast again in order to stock up on TastyKakes & Birch Beer. I even think he's going to take a bigger suitcase in order to bring back TastyKakes with him. (While he's in Jersey, I'll get to squeeze in a little trip to Indiana!!).

New Year, New Me

This post probably should have been done on January 1st; however, all the decisions weren't really made until after then. I've decided (yet again) to get serious about getting in shape both physically and spiritually.

Physically:

Since October, I've been counting calories. In the beginning I was hard core about it and recorded everything I ate on an online website (caloriecount.about.com -- which I recommend!). The end of November and the whole month of December marked a lot of traveling, so I stopped using the online website (too time consuming). Even though I don't record everything that goes into my mouth, I still keep a mental tab each day of my calorie consumption. I also don't eat past 9pm (that way, I avoid "tv snacking") and have limited myself to 1 diet coke per day (which is EXTREMELY hard and I can't like that I break this rule a few days a week).

I've always done sporadic workouts & short lived diets but never something that sticks. For Christmas, my wonderful momma got me The Biggest Loser Cardio Max workout. It is a 6-8 week program that increases levels every 2-3 weeks (you decide). Right now I'm on week 4 - Level 2. I'll probably move on to the final level (3) on week 5. I do this workout 4-5 times a week! Even though I groan a lot about having to workout (ask Steve), I always feel much better after completing the workout. There's another accompanying Biggest Loser DVD that I left at my parents' house that I'll add to my regular workout.

I'd like to say that I've lost a bunch of weight, but I haven't yet. I've slowly lost some and have noticed that some areas of my body are toning up. It's a daily struggle for me to continue working out when I haven't seen much results yet. I know it's all about getting healthier and getting in shape is a slow process. I always feel great after an intense work out and that's what it's all about, right??

Spiritually:

Just like with working out, I've always been sporadic in being in the word. I'd go through spurts of having serious devotion time, followed by long "dry spells". Part of it was not having a devotion or Bible reading plan. Once I'd finish a book or devotion, I'd take forever to get into another one. Now, I've set a plan in motion and it's been going great! I'm reading the Bible from cover to cover for about 15-20 minutes per day. I've also set a rule that I can't get on fbook until I've read, which has become quite easy! I now read as soon as I get up & it has help me set my mind and heart on the right things throughout the day.

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Since I haven't been called to sub yet (well, I was called 1 day, but had previous engagements), my new life choices have been rather easy. Once my days are packed with work and other stresses (like packing up our stuff to move to a house once we've found one or travelling), my new lifestyle will be tested.

What lies ahead. . .

Most of the time on the blog, I tend to write about things we've done or places we've been; however, this post will be a little different. I want to let you all know where Steve & I are headed this year. (Now, keep in mind this is a tentative plan that can change any moment, especially if it's not in God's plan.)

These first couple months contain some big steps to calling Jackson home. We have attended 2 of 4 membership classes at the church we've been attending. Meaning, after the last class, we will have the opportunity (which we are taking) to become members of Fellowship Bible Church in Jackson, Tn (fellowshipjackson.com for those of you interested). We're also attending Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University classes (13 week course!) through the church. Hopefully, these classes will help us in some of the big decisions we need to make in the next six months.

Steve and I sat done a month or so ago and had a heart to heart on our future as a couple and our future here in Jackson. Our ultimate goal is for Steve to be transferred to P&G in Cincinnati. The sooner this would happen, the happier I'd be-- especially since this means we'd be 3 hours away from my parents instead of the 9 hour trip (accounting for the time change). Realistically, we will probably be in Jackson for another 3+ years. So that being said. . .

We're buying a house! Or, at least we're researching and starting the house hunt. Our lease for the house we're renting now is up and June, which happens to correspond to Steve's start date with P&G. If you buy a house within the first year of working with the company, they'll help in the buying process & save you some $$$$. We've started creating a list of available houses, noting pros and cons from the pictures, and driving out to see the houses and neighborhoods. Our next step is to contact a Realtor and figure out bank loans and mortgages.

Another big purchase we will be making is a new car. For the past several months, we've been blessed with borrowing a car from Steve's parents. However, in a few months, we're going to be driving it back to Colorado, leaving us with one car. Steve says I've been spoiled with my freedom and we don't need another car, but then I remind him I can't go & sub without the freedom of the car. (I probably shouldn't mention the fact that I haven't been called to sub in well over a month. . . ).

With my subbing experiences, I've come to the conclusion that I will never want a full

time job within the Jackson school system. I do have the option of the school system in the next county (comes highly recommended) or find a private or charter school within Jackson. So I guess I need to crack down and get serious about job hunting in the next couple months (which means that I have mountains of paperwork laying ahead for me).

Back to the car purchase-- we're still in the early stages of researching cars right now. I know what I want (well, not the specific make, but I'm a huge fan of crossovers) but we're trying to decide whether that's the best decision. Then we have to weigh buying a new car versus a used car. Luckily, Steve loves doing all the research. He has started his spreadsheet extravaganzas and works on them daily. I get overwhelmed with all the options, and gladly relinquish the car hunt to him. I'll just keep sticking to searching for houses and critiquing their looks :).

A New Perspective

This week marked Jackson's first snowstorm for the year. All last week, the news reports were warning a "big snow" to start on Sunday evening. Our area was predicted to have 2-4" of snow. Back in Indiana, that didn't really mark a "storm" label. It would just mean a definite 2 hr delay and possible cancellation when I was young and a debate on whether or not to skip class in college. As soon as the snow started to fall on Sunday evening, school was canceled for Monday. I couldn't believe it!

We woke up Monday morning to 2" of snow. Steve went to work and said the roads were fine, just a little slushy in areas. Some of his coworkers came in late, but that's about the extent of his day with the snow. While watching the local channels, news blurbs kept popping up about staying at home and avoiding the roads. One family was interviewed on the news talking about how they'd stocked up 2 weeks of food, "just incase" and even some restaurants and businesses closed early. We were supposed to have our first "Financial Peace with Dave Ramsey" class, but it got canceled due to the "inclement weather." By 4pm, it was announced that school would be canceled for Tuesday. Again, this is only 2" of snow! Growing up, I would NEVER have been lucky to miss 2 days of school due to 2 measly inches.

Living in the South has given me a new perspective on snow. I now understand how Steve always viewed snow in Indiana. He'd always make comments about "well in Colorado. . . ", and here I just wrote a whole blog post about " well in Indiana. . . ". Maybe schools and businesses closed because people aren't prepared to drive on snow down here; however, I have a different idea. I'm pretty sure everything canceled so that kids could play in the snow and parents have a reason to stay in doors. I'll have to admit, I stayed in doors due to the snow (and again, it was just 2"!).

Weather aside, we've had a very low-key week. I've not been called to sub yet this semester, so I've been keeping busy watching little Hadleigh. I can't believe how much she changes from week to week. I never know what new thing she'll do when she's here, like throw a fit over her diaper, growl (and laugh), or try to run. She's such a cutie & I'm thrilled to get to play with her! Steve is still recovering from his ear infection. He sees improvement each day, like (unpainful) popping, regaining some hearing, and no more coughing/runny nose. It's just a long process to have a fully decongested ear (doctor said it could take a week or so to start feeling better & we're just now at the week point). He's still got more antibiotics to go, so we'll see how it goes.

Reclaiming the House . . .

Even though we have physically been back in Jackson since Sunday, I finally feel like we are home. I spent the majority of the day reclaiming the house from sickness, Christmas, suitcases, dishes, laundry --- you name it! Steve and I came back from our Christmas travels sick. I bounced back pretty quickly; whereas Steve has been hit pretty hard. You know it's bad when he makes his own appointment to go to the doctor!

All week, I've been either lazy or babysitting little Hadleigh. When she's over, I can maintain the house as it is, but can't catch up. Which is fine with me -- I enjoy having the excuse of playing with a little kid all day! But today, I was finally able to put the rest of Christmas away & packed into the garage, unpack suitcases, and do a deep house clean.

Steve got Monday off, which helped him recuperate a little bit from traveling. He had hoped that sleeping in Monday, and taking it easy all day, would unclog his ear (which got clogged & became painful on the flights home) and bring his energy back. Tuesday, he went back to work & seemed to be about the same. However, Wednesday is a different story -- he came home sick at lunch & took a half day. For those of you who don't know Steve well, he is not one to use vacation days, so the fact he took a half day shows how sick he really is. This morning, his ear was pounding and driving him crazy so he ended up leaving work in the afternoon to head to the doctor. The doctor prescribed him a "heavy duty" antibiotic & medicine for ear congestion, diagnosing him with an upper respiratory & ear infection. Poor guy, he should be back to normal in a week (hopefully the ear pain dies down in the next day or two!).

Odd fact I learned tonight -- if Walmart doesn't have the medicine you need to fill a prescription, they'll have it filled at Sams Club & you don't need a membership to go get the prescription.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Steve and I have finally made it home from all our holiday travels. We somehow managed to pack Christmas with both our families in one week, which made for lots of traveling, and not much resting. We spent Christmas Eve just the two of us in Tennessee. Even though we were married last Christmas, this felt like our first Christmas together. Last year, we spent Christmas Eve at my parents house; whereas this year it was just us and the beginning of our traditions.

On Christmas day, we flew out to New Jersey to be with Steve's family at his Nanny & Poppy's house. While there, we went to a family Christmas on a farm in Pennsylvania, drove through a blizzard (18" of snow in the end), and spent lots of time laughing with his family. Steve got to have his Birch Beer, TastyKakes, Mack & Manco's Pizza, and Shriver's taffy (all things I hear about all the time when we're away from Jersey). We stayed until Wednesday, and then we headed to see my family in Indiana. Somewhere between saying goodbye in New Jersey and hello in Indiana, I came down with a cold-- runny nose, sore throat, ear ache, the works.

Even though we were in Indiana for only 3 full days, we managed to pack in 2 family Christmases, reigning in the New Year with Carl & Julie, and I packed in a nice visit with my friend April. I don't think I actually "sat down" at all in Indiana. Sometime while there, Steve ended up getting the same cold that I had, and he got to bring it home with him on our early early flight to Tennessee Sunday morning. My wonderful parents woke up with us at 3:30 am to drive us to the airport for our 6:30 flight. Thanks again Mom & Dad!

Since being home, I think I have successfully held down the couch & reminded the television how much it is loved. Steve has also helped in consoling the tv over our absence as well as reminding his desktop computer that it was not forgotten in our absence. All in all, we had a very busy, and yet very enjoyable, holiday trip; however, I am very happy to be back home in Jackson.