Welcome 2009!

Though 2008 was a pretty good year, I can't help but be glad to see it go. The Christmas season was busy, but definitely fun. Santa was good to all of us, and for whatever reason, I just have a good feeling about 2009! So bring it on!!

Cooper on Santa's lap at a family Christmas party! They saw Santa so many times (malls, home parties, even Pet Smart that they began to question! :)

Gracie telling Santa she wanted Snow White Earrings. He brought them, and they're already broken. :(

Tons of stuff going on around here!...

*Our new family addition is getting BIG! She's growing up so quickly already. :) When she first came to the house, she was really easy going and sleepy. Well as it turns out, she had an upper respiratory infection and a skin infection. That information was learned on vet visit #2. After almost a week of medication and only signs of getting worse + my Rocky pug had apparently caught the cold as well, we went back for visit #3. A gazillion dollars later, I came home with pills for both dogs, a spray for Lucy that she hides from and some ear drops for the pug :)

The puppies Christmas morning. You can just SEE their excitement! And Santa did visit them as well, but I guess maybe it was just a little too early! :)

Shortly after that, both of my kiddos got sick. Another case of strep, Gracie also had the horrible rash to go with it. So.... that meant medication for 2 kids + 2 dogs twice a day! Let's hope I kept everything straight! :)

*December was a little strange for me. I decided to go on "the pill" after Clearwater. Sorry gentleman readers.... this part is a little girly! :) Honestly, didn't do it for the kid factor. It actually had more to do with the fact that I've hit 30, and apparently, things change for women roughly every 5 years and get worse for the most part. So, I was told that this particular pill was like a wonder drug. You know, the kind that keeps your face clear, doesn't cause any weight gain, makes you feel normal or even maybe good all month long. So of course, I was like, "give me, give me!" Well... for whatever reason, those pills and I did not make a good pair. :) I went from being "unpleasant" to say the least for maybe 3 days/month, to being REALLY unpleasant for 3 weeks! I was definitely not myself. I lost all motivation to do really anything, much less workout. I gave it a month and during the week of the fake stuff, things felt pretty good again. I decided to give it one more go-around to see if things settled, but shortly there after, I could see myself headed down that BIG cliff, and stopped taking "the poison" as my nurse put it! :) It honestly isn't really funny, but I was talking to my sister about the whole thing, and she is someone who can very much relate. We got to cracking up at ourselves at the emotional swings. One moment you HATE everyone, the next you're crying for no reason. The next you're ready to knock someone's face off! It's not good, but in the aftermath, in looking back, it can be funny! Just glad I'm done with all of that! :)

*Here's a good part to mention I have a new favorite tea! Celestial Seasonings had this whole holiday line, and it went on sale right after Christmas. I picked up the Sugar Cookie flavor, and OMG... smells just like a freshly baked sugar cookie! Ok... no, doesn't taste like one of course, but still, the smell is NICE!

*Back to school today!! Yippee!! After two weeks non-stop together, we were all pretty much tired of each other! Everyone was ready. And Gracie was particularly excited because I actually moved her to a different school program beginning today. At first, I was concerned about the decision, but Gracie is such a friendly little person, she can make friends with just about anyone! I did it for several reasons, none of which had to do with the school that she was previously at. I really loved that preschool. We'd been there since Mother's Morning Out, but some new opportunities arise, and I decided to take them. Gracie was previously in private preschool, which can be pretty pricey. I moved it to a Georgia Pre-K program, which is "free" except for the cost of food. But still, a lot cheaper, and the food is included. I honestly can't even believe a spot was available. It was kind of like fate I felt. And by moving her, the timing of her new school matches up so that I would have the opportunity to do some teaching. I found out about some openings in the Spring, that I have a good chance of getting. Would be more like a permanent-sub instead of full-time teacher, but cheaper, longer school AND I could earn money during it... sounded pretty good!

It's kind of funny too, because a year ago I was contemplating all of this. I LOVE coaching, and definitely want to continue developing my business with it. I will still continue to coach, but honestly, it's more of a part-time thing right now which allows me plenty of time to teach if I wish. The money would be nice, especially since I am in love with a really expensive sport! Summers off, and being on the same schedule as the kids, it just kind of works out. We'll see if it actually pans out, but in the meantime, I am in position to take it if it does! :)

*It has rained pretty much non-stop in Atlanta recently. We need the rain, and I like the rain, but Ok... I admit that I'm ready for a break! :) Although, when it let up for a few hours tonight and all the neighborhood kids got the chance to play outside in like 65 degree weather, that was a lot better than 40!

*I'm in test mode right now with training. Time-trial bike test on Sunday, 20 minutes of suffering of running today, and my 10 x 100's of all out tomorrow in the pool. Whoo! My body is in shock!! :)

*And on another body-related update :)... My cute little ear piercing that I got a year ago, up and decided to not look so great ever since late September. I've tried poking at it, leaving it alone (something I'm not good at!), I've visited two different "piercing people", you know, the kind that have them all over thinking they would know about this sort of thing, and have taken different advise from both, and for whatever reason (probably because I won't leave it alone :) it won't get better. So after months of pressure from Adam, I'm finally going to see a certified Dr. about it on Thursday. Someone that might not know about piercings, but will at least be able to tell me if my ear will be disfigured until the end! :( Let's hope not. The lesson here kids... stick with the single studs at the bottom of your ear. Other ear holes, tongues, your face, and many other not so "piercable" places... I would suggest you let them be! :)

Ok... so I've written the equivalency of about 3 posts to make up for the fact that I've been a slacker. Trust me... you will be glad I didn't blog during "pill season!" It would have probably just been a B$$%! fest about absolutely nothing! :)

Hope everyone's New Year is off to a great start!