Category Archives: Uncategorized

16 Wonderful Years!!

November 9, 2014 Kim 90 Comments

Jordan - 3 days old — Jordan – 3 days old

Today my first born turns 16!! Just thinking back over the last 16 years makes my heart full!! I can’t imagine my life without this sweet boy/young man!!!

Jordan is one of those kids who has always been very even tempered and rarely ever upset for very long.

These days I rarely have to ask him for help – he just steps in and helps me around the house – especially in the kitchen.

I love when he does some of the exercises I like to do even if he can do them better than me!!

Pictures with the boys are always fun – Jordan is silly a lot!!!

Since starting high school Jordan has developed a huge love of band!!! He loves to practice his trumpet and I enjoy hearing him play.

Jordan is in ROTC at school – I know Chris loves seeing him in uniform.

I love that Jordan and Hunter get along so well – they are good friends even if they don’t claim to be!!!

Jordan has loved history and all things related to history for years!!

3 years ago - just starting to run — 3 years ago – just starting to run

He tried cross country in middle school and enjoyed the running but not really the competing. Now he just runs because he loves it.

Jordan as a 2 year old with my favorite people in the world!

Even when he was little – always smiling!

He taught Hunter many things including the “correct” way to use sidewalk chalk.

Look how Hunter looks up to Jordan!!!

Now he is 16 – now he has more freedom – now I let him go just a little more.

My wish for him is that he will always be this free and willing to dive in to new things!!!

Nov. 10, 1998 Happy Birthday, Jordan — Nov. 10, 1998
Happy Birthday, Jordan

Happy 16th to my sweet boy!! I might always consider you my baby because you were my very first!!!

Happy Monday!!!

Kim

Uncategorized

Friday Is for Fun and Favorite Things

November 6, 2014 Kim 64 Comments

I feel like I’ve been way more negative than I really want to be on here lately so today is all about fun and some of my favorite things!!!

I could spend every day just like this!!!

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned a time or 500 that the beach is my favorite place!!!

If I can’t be on a beach then a pool with full service and one or more of my favorite people is the next best thing –

see - a tan is always a good thing!! — see – a tan is always a good thing!!

I might have mentioned that I collect cookbooks. My favorite cookbooks are the Taste of Home books –

Taste of Home & hick Cooking — Taste of Home & Quick Cooking

My other favorite cookbook is the book that our MOPS (Mothers of Preschool Students) group put together years ago –

This is the book I go to when it is after 5:00pm and I still don’t have a dinner plan!

I also collect martini glasses. I had a hard time picking a favorite so I went with 3 of my favorites –

Five O'Clock Somewhere Texas Decisions (shoes) — Five O’Clock Somewhere Texas Decisions (shoes)

Even though summer is my favorite, I also appreciate the beauty of fall –

Pretty sure that I have talked about how much I like the wine Chris brings back from Germany!!!

My favorite way to workout will always be running!!!

Patriot run – Hunter was a great crew member!!!

And, the fact that both of my boys like to run now makes running even better!!

before the 4th of July race around the lake

Some days I look out my kitchen window and feel overwhelmed by the beauty of the lake –

And, lately my boots have been making me happy many days!!! It is hard for me to pick a favorite pair (I’m not saying how many pair of cowboy boots I have!!!) but here are a few:

maybe I like these the best... — maybe I like these the best…

Boots and dresses are my favorite thing to wear if I’m not wearing workout clothes!!!

What are some of your favorite things?
Do you wear cowboy boots?

Happy Friday!!!

Kim

Uncategorized

Family Dinner

November 4, 2014 Kim 80 Comments

I know that a traditional family dinner doesn’t work for everyone but it is something that we have always done and I look forward to it every day (well most days)!!!

I don’t set a formal table

but I do set the table (or the boys set it for us!!) every night.

Not fancy but it works – we use cloth napkins because I grew up using them and I like them at dinner.

Most nights I put the meal on the table and we self serve or pass bowls around.

We have had some of the best conversations ever during dinner. Everyone is happy because they are being fed and it is a great time to talk about the day.

We had the boys at the table with us when they were still in high chairs. (When it was just Chris and I we didn’t always eat at the table – the couch worked perfectly fine!!!)

Some nights we dish the food (soup in this case) from the stove and just have any sides on the table.

I try to keep things simple so that it isn’t an ordeal because I want it to be something that we all enjoy and look forward to.

We used to have a rule that whoever cooked didn’t clean. When the boys were really young I changed it because working in the kitchen cooking and cleaning was my quiet time (Chris would play with the boys downstairs). Now the boys usually handle most of the clean-up!!

I know that if I’m not home for dinner Chris and the boys usually watch TV while they eat which is fine. Some nights we have to watch important stuff – the end of The Masters, part of the NCAA basketball tournament……but mostly we leave the TV off while we eat.

Some nights we can’t all sit together because of different activities. But, the majority of the time all 4 of us (or 3 if someone is gone) sit down and eat dinner together while we share things about our day and/or solve all the problems in the world!!!

The carton isn’t typical for our dinners but it made me laugh!!!

Do you have family dinners regularly?
Do you use cloth napkins?

Happy Wednesday!!!

Kim

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Do You Know Your Purpose?

November 2, 2014 Kim

Purpose – the aim or goal of a person : what a person is trying to do, become, etc. (Merriam-Webster)

There have been many times in my life that I have questioned my purpose. I spent years going to school, college and grad school. I basically have a small collection of degrees that I’ve never really used.

My BS is Chemistry & Biology.
My masters is Sports Medicine.
Then I took graduate classes to get my teaching certification.

I actually used my teaching certification for a few years to teach middle school science. Then I had Jordan and pretty much overnight became a stay-home mom.

And I struggled trying to find my purpose.

I know that taking care of Jordan (and later Hunter) was/is important but I always felt like I should be doing more.

I grew to love my years staying home with my boys and feel blessed that I had the opportunity to be with them every day.

When both boys were in elementary school I took a job as the head secretary/book keeper (still not using any of my education!!) at their school and loved it!! I made a decision to enjoy all parts of the job and be the best secretary I could be to help all of the teachers/staff and students.

After 5 years I knew it was time to move on because I was bored and not putting 100% into the job anymore.

Now we own a business and because Chris is busy (now more than ever) with his job, I pretty much run the business – the good and bad parts!!!

But, there are many days that I still struggle with knowing what my true purpose is.

I know that the roles of being Mom to Jordan and Hunter, wife to Chris and business owner are all important and I love that I get to do all those things.

But……sometimes I still feel like I don’t have a purpose. When I was young I thought I would do something to make a difference in the world. Now I just hope that at some point I make a difference in someone’s life.

For some reason, this fall has been one of those major times in my life (sort of like when I became a new mom) that I feel like I’m sort of searching around trying to make sure I have a purpose and that I’m fulfilling that purpose.

Who knows?! Maybe this is my mid-life crisis!!

Or maybe I just need to run again!!!

Do you ever struggle with knowing and/or living your purpose?

Happy Monday!

Kim

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Turning a Negative into a Positive

October 30, 2014 Kim 63 Comments

Sometimes I let the little things drag me down but I’m working on turning negatives into positives.

Negative: It’s supposed to be really cold tonight. Actually the whole day will be cold with a high in the 40s and down into the 20s.

Positive: Is there one?! Just kidding!! We have heat, I have a seat heater in my car and the football game will be a fun time to catch up with friends. (I’m really trying on this one because cold is not my favorite!!)