Ryan Andrew 5th Birthday

Recently we celebrated Ryan Andrew's 5th birthday!  One of the sweetest little boys I know.  If I could only get him to be nice to his sister, life would be so much easier. 

Birthday Boy!

He loves hunting!

(Makes this mom a little nervous)

Fiver Finger shoes and honesty

I have heard so much about the Vibram shoes that I had to try them for myself.  My first thought was a little goofy looking, but if they felt good on my feet then I was in.  I love good shoes and will pay the extra money to have a shoe that is comfortable.   Last week my goal was to find a new pair of shoes that I could run in.  So goal accomplished but disappointed with the Vibram!  I loved the look!! I know that sounds funny, husband thought they were UGLY!

Maybe I just set my expectations to high.  I couldn't find this color in a local store so I searched the web and was successful, but I needed to know that they were what I wanted before I spent the money.  A local shoe store in Carbondale sells many podiatry approved shoes so I set out to try them on.  I wasn't prepared for the lesson that I was about to learn though.  I went to the store where I was greeted by two nice men which appeared to be father and son.  I tried on a pair of the Bikala style and wasn't really impressed.  They were difficult to get on and didn't like the feel in between my toes.  As I was about to put my shoes back on and walk out I decided I would try one more style (should have stopped there and walked out).  I picked up the other style that was solid white and attempted to put this shoe on, but I knew that would be a challenge.   What I didn't realize was that I had tried so hard that I broke open a paper cut on my finger and it was bleeding.  I realized this as I was trying to get my toes into the slots by using my fingers.  YIKES!!!  Yep, I had now tried on a pair of shoes that I knew I didn't want and had gotten blood on the shoe.

What to do, Right?

 I knew the honest thing to do, but I didn't want to pay $100 for a pair of shoes that I didn't like.  So what did I do?  I put them back in the box and walked out.  The only problem with that choice was that I have a conscious!  I was distraught the whole way home.  I was a complete mess!  I picked up the kids and was short with them, Marshall came home from work and I was short with him.  I wasn't going to be able to let this go.  I know that it was an accident, but the owners of this shoe store shouldn't be penalized for my mistake.

I knew that I had to go back to the store and talk to the owner.  I was completely uneasy with that decision!  I had to go and admit my wrong, which never feels good!

So I did!  Marshall drove me to Carbondale and I did the right thing.  The owner was very nice and did't make me pay for the shoes.  He had some kind of cleaner that killed and cleaned just about anything.  He sprayed it on the spot and it was instantly gone.

So.......Honesty is always the best policy!

 I felt so much better by going back to the store.

No vibram shoes for me

Life is too short!!!!

I was recently reading an interview that was done by Rick Warren the Author of  The Purpose Driven Life and was touched by his words.  I found this interview through a blog that I read, Fly through our window.  Darby the author spoke of a friend of a friend( Montye) that had been battlling cancer.  This interview with Rick Warren is one that Montye had reflected on from time to time until she recently lost her battle to cancer. 

I thought I would share as I felt his words meant a lot. 

 We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.  If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.”

Faith makes us sure of what we hope for
and gives us proof of what we cannot see.
Hebrews 11:1

I am beyond blessed and so very thankful!

Running Schedule

First thing I need to do is set up a workout schedule.  I truly believe that you have to schedule workouts into your daily life.  I, like most other moms out there know that a calendar is a must.  I pencil everything in my planner.   To make lifestyle changes you have to take small steps.  I have learned over time that if I try to make too many changes at once I tend to fail.  I will be starting with a running schedule that Kara, a family member had posted on her blog a couple of months ago.  I feel like it’s a great way to get me started in the cardio area.  However, I need to incorporate strength training as well.

 Baby steps……Right?

What do all of you runner’s think about vibram five finger pink BIKILA shoes?

I LOVE Them!!!

10-WEEK TRAINING SCHEDULE
From Runner’s World-   Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday (30 minutes) Taking Monday, Wednesday & Sunday off! 

Run Week 1
Run 2 minutes,
walk 4 minutes.
Repeat 5 times.

Week 2
Run 3 minutes,
walk 3 minutes.
Repeat five times.

Week 3
Run 5 minutes,
walk 2.5 minutes.
Repeat four times.

Week 4
Run 7 minutes,
walk 3 minutes.
Repeat three times.

Week 5
Run 8 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat three times.

Week 6
Run 9 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat twice, then
run 8 minutes.

Week 7
Run 9 minutes,
walk 1 minute.
Repeat three times

Week 8
Run 13 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat twice.

Week 9
Run 14 minutes,
walk 1 minute.
Repeat twice.

Week 10
Run 30 minutes.

My Health

I'm not sure where I'm going with this post, but here I go.  It's so easy to have an excuse for everything these days.  Lately the thought of working out is followed by a BIG FAT excuse.  I personally feel so much better about myself after a good sweat out from the gym. I can relieve so much stress and anxiety by dedicating myself to the gym for as little as 30 minutes in a day.

My whole world is wrapped around health.  I work in a hospital as a Respiratory Therapist and love the treatment aspect of health and in August of 2010 graduated with my Master's in Community Public Health.  I really like the prevention side!!!   Even though I haven't changed jobs since my MPH, I feel like I still utilize my degree in different areas.  The prevention side of health is truly my passion, and my long term goal is to be a Health Education Coordinator.  With that being said, I'm going to set some short term goals to keep myself in the mix of the prevention aspect of health.

Here we go:

1.  Workout at least 4 times a week.  -  I feel like this is important for my health.  I think that any Health Educator should set an example.

2.  Write at least 2 health related articles on my blog a week. -  This will help me stay connected with my health and up to date on current issues.

3.  Work on lifestyle changes with my eating. - I don't do to bad in this department, but I could make some changes.

4.  Subscribe to a couple of Women's Health magazines.  -  I enjoy reading health magazines and I think that they would help me gain some knowledge.

So........... here's my picks!

Wish me luck!!

I look forward to being held accountable!

Gulf Shores

Who loves vacation?  We do!! We recently spent 5 days and 4 nights on Fort Morgan beach in Gulf Shores Alabama.  I enjoy a very small amount of shopping and sight seeing.  Most of our time was spent relaxing on the beach, and I LOVED it.  You know us girls we like to pack everything we could possibly need for a trip out of town.  I had all of these outfits planned out and honestly wore one of them.  No, I didn't stay in the same clothes the whole time.

 This was the most  relaxing vacation I have ever had.  So goal accomplished!

The Norman's didn't travel alone this year.

 My brother Ryan, his wife Kathy and their son Noah joined us.

My brother Andrew, his fiance Anne and her son Kaleb joined as well.

My morning view!

Evening view!  See the stairs?  That's how close our house was to the beach!

See......They do love each other! LOL!

Baseball Time

Baseball season has started for the Norman's.  What does this mean for us?  Many days and hours at the park with 2 kiddos.  The last couple of years baseball has been very laid back. This year marks a new ball season for us.  We now have 2 kids that will be playing ball.  This means balancing 2 schedules!  WOW! Lot's of fun times, but one kid on one ball diamond and one kid on another ball diamond at the same time can be a lot.  However, we wouldn't change a thing.  We love spending time at the park watching our babies.

Ryan Andrew Pre-k Ball 2011

Audrey Faith Pinto Ball 2011