UPDATES

Although my passion is to write inspirational and encouraging posts (hopefully you all feel the same way), from time to time, I do like to update you on what is going on in our personal life as well! :)

KEVIN & ELIZABETH

We have been extremely busy. I know, what is new. We decided it was about time to start the interior painting at the Coutu Residence. We started with our kitchen. Let me tell you it takes forever to tape and prepare than it takes to do the actual painting. The kitchen looks really nice. A HUGE difference then what it used to look like. When we had the house built, to keep our costs down, we had the builder paint the interior just one color. I believe the costs to paint each room a different color was approx. $500. Our house isn’t little, so it would have cost us more than we wanted to pay to have the builder do it for us. But now looking at our massive walls and all of our windows and all the prep work that we need to do to paint the rest of our house, we are thinking about hiring the work out. We are beyond exhausted and tired. The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is to paint or do clean up! We have other things to attend to! :) But life is good. Like I mentioned in the last post, we still both have our jobs and we are blessed beyond belief.

My spiritual, emotional and physical journey is going well. I am currently on Day 30 and going strong. Spiritually, I have learned tons. Reading the Bible in 90 days is definitely a challenge, but well worth it. The Old Testament has always been a struggle for me but this time around, I am “digging” it. As far as my emotional journey is going, WOW. I have learned A LOT about myself. Such as how I internalize a lot of things. I don’t like confrontation or conflicts so I usually don’t say anything. I have learned that I complain about very few things in my life but the few things I do complain about I REALLY need to work on! :) The physical part of my journey has been good, not great, but good. I am finally on fire with it although in all honesty, it has taken me awhile to get it together. No worries though, I know how to kick it up a notch or two and that is precisely what we have done. We started the P90X program and I must say if you want a challenge, buy the program! HOLY SCHNIKES, it will kick your fanny! :)

SCOTT

He is doing exceptionally well. He, of course, is ALWAYS busy. Ha, must have learned a thing or two from us. He is still in school, his last semester of school (YIPPEE) and working at Costco. His social life is insane. The young man refuses to be still for more than 15 minutes at a time. :) He definitely has grown up the last few years. Matured in more ways than I could ever describe but I must say I am very proud of him.

He recently had to make a decision about his vehicle. It is 7 years old and has well over 125,000 miles on it. To get it fixed it was going to cost him about $2500. He was on the fence about getting a new vehicle, but decided that he was going to see if he could put away a car payment each month for at least six month and if he could do that then he would be able to afford a car payment. So in six to seven months, he will be able to start looking for that new vehicle. Smart dude. :)

His choice of workouts is running! He loves it. I think it is a great stress reliever for him. Trust me he doesn’t need to lose weight, but running is good for his heart and I know he gets a lot out of running. I know he definitely can out run his lil’ ol’ Mom!

REMY

Aaah, what a little cuddle bunny he is. He is so adorable. He is now 5 months old and just a pure joy to be around. He is constantly trying to impress us and when we need a few minutes to do something by ourselves, he is more than willing to play with his toys. This Friday, we are taking him in to get micro-chipped, groomed and give him the last of his puppy shots. Does this make him officially a “dog?” I don’t think so. :) We are delighted and thrilled to have him in our family!

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

While the past remains part of our lives, it doesn’t have to determine our future. With God’s wisdom and the forgiveness He offers (Ps. 130:3-4; Acts 13:38-39), we can focus on the future with hope.

So how are you doing? Really? All three of us have, thus far, held on to our jobs. We know what a blessing it is and are grateful. Blessings in our household do not go without prayers of thanksgiving.

I know in this day and age and with the economy failing us, our future can look dim. We all have periods in our lives where we face the uncertainty of our future and this puts our emotions (anger, fear and even insecurity) in high gear. Once our emotions are set in place and we allow them to take over, we find ourselves in a power struggle. This power struggle is inside us, forcing us to try and control the issues of our lives. It is how most of us survive, a survival instinct if you will. We simply have to know what is going to happen so we can be prepared. But as most of us know, life does not always work that way, now does it?

We cannot worry about what tomorrow will bring. We just can’t. We have to have hope and faith in God. As humans, we repeat what we already know. Why? Because we think it is the only way to handle situations. To change this takes conscious effort. It is easy for us to fall into the habit of the way things were, but this will lead us down the road of living in the past. We can't change what happened yesterday. We can only learn from it and apply it today and lean on God’s understanding, not our own.

The one thing you have control over is yourself. Your emotions and the way you react to those emotions is entirely in your hands. Your life will unfold according to your reaction to it. Remain focused on the emotions of today. What are they telling you? Why are they present? What happened in the past that makes you react the way you do? Does it help your situation? Chances are, the answer is no. So let it go! When you let go, you will feel better than you have in years. It took me a long time to recognize this and to embrace it but once I did, I never felt better.

The heart of your attitude brings you everything or nothing. The choice is yours. A new attitude today, means a new way of life tomorrow. Try it! ;)

ONE OF MY GOALS.... :)

This is what I hope to do in 90 days, once my hardcore training is complete. I am well on my way! Trust me when I say I can barely lift my arms up to answer my phone or to even eat my yummy oatmeal in the morning.

All I have to say is ROCK ON! :)

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE

Lately I have been wondering how many of us really stop and listen to what other people are saying to us. Do we even stop and take the time to hear their voice? Their pleas? Their needs? I believe we should encourage each other daily. If that means picking up the phone, or sending an email to someone just to say hi, well by golly, then that is what we need to do. We need to ask God daily, who can we encourage or reach out to today? I think it is really important during these economic times when people are feeling lower than ever before.

Now I know some of you might think “hey E, I listen to people talk and sometimes all they want to do is whine.” Trust me, I understand your annoyance with people like that and it is annoying as you know what; however, I am not talking about the office whiner or your friend who constantly makes bad decisions (knowingly) or puts themselves in predicaments that eventually make them have to face the music (and of course, then they whine about that and what people to feel sorry for them).

I am talking about your family and friends who are desperately reaching out to you. Sometimes people (including our family and friends) don’t know how to ask for help and the only way they know how to convey their problems is well …… to communicate with you. And what if you totally ignore them and blow them off? Sometimes all we need to do is STOP and LISTEN. We don’t need to give advice but perhaps fully giving them our attention would help them in more ways than we could possibly imagine.

I don’t know about you folks, but I want to make a difference. I want to go out into the world and make a contribution. But more than that I want to teach others to do the same thing. But in order to do that I need to encourage them, support them and help them to succeed without judgment.

Maybe you will get a word of thanks, perhaps you won’t. It really makes no difference because in the end, you will know in your heart that you have done the best you can and that your own personal light is shining in this big ol’ world. Something that I know you and I will most definitely see eye to eye on.

THINGS YOU MIGHT KNOW.....OR NOT! :)

1. Can you cook? Yes but Kevin prefers that I don’t. :)

2. What was your dream growing up? To be a “Career” Woman.

3. What talent do you wish you had? To be able to pick out wall color! ;)

4. Favorite place? Anywhere that Kevin is.

5. Favorite vegetable? Spinach

6. What was the last book you read? A Dog Named Christmas

7. What zodiac sign are you ? Libra

8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Yes, two. Belly button and ears.

9. Worst Habit? Who Me? I have a “worst” habit???? ME? ;)

10. What is your favorite snack? It used to be peanut butter pretzels but now plain ol’ air popped popcorn. I can’t stand the microwave stuff.

11. What is your favorite sport? Football to watch, Softball to play

12. Negative or Optimistic attitude? Definitely optimistic

13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? Go nuts…EAH GADS!

14. Worst thing to ever happen to you? Someone I loved very much died. ;(

15. Tell me one weird fact about you: Weird??? Hmmm, can’t think of anything.

16. Do you have any pets? Yes our precious puppy Remy

17. Do you know how to do the Macarena? Of course. Will I, is another story.

18. What time is it where you are now? 4:00

19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary? Scary.

20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? My butt

21. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience? conscience

22. What color eyes do you have? Brown

23. Ever been arrested? No

24. Favorite fictional character of all time? Too many to count.

25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it? Put it towards my mortgage

26. If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To know other people's intentions (heart)

27. What’s your favorite hangout? Home with Kevin

28. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes

29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time? Spend time with the family (besides that photography and anything fitness)

30. Do you swear a lot? No, never

31. Biggest pet peeve? Fake people (and close second, people who text while driving)

32. In one word, how would you describe yourself? Genuine

ARE YOU.........SEARCHING?

Do you love your life? Or do you sometimes feel dissatisfied, certain that you would be a lot happier if you had a bigger home, better relationships, more money, more leisure time, more friends…

A lot of us keep striving for happiness, convincing ourselves that more money, going shopping, a pay raise or a vacation, will somehow bring us closer to that happiness that we crave. Many of us equate happiness with success and success with money. Trust me, a lot of rich people are not happy. They are still searching for that “something” that will fill that void.

On the other hand, you will often find people who seem to be happy, cheerful and positive against all the odds, all the time. Perhaps they know exactly what “adversity” means or perhaps they have little to no money to spare for non-essentials… but they are always smiling, and they are uplifting to be around. They are living their life to its fullest. (as we all should).

So how can YOU start loving the life you have, rather than making yourself miserable striving for one that you don’t?

I think for starters you have to stop living in the “grass is always greener on the other side” mentality. Many of us have a tendency to think that other people have it better or that our current circumstances are not as good as they were in the past. Just because your neighbors or friends LOOK like they are well-rounded, does not mean they are.

If YOU want to be happy, you have to start with yourself. Ask God for guidance in your life. Trust me, if you are humble in asking Him, He will open up a whole new life that you never knew existed. You just have to believe! :)

I know this to be true, I asked Him to guide me five years ago and my life has never been the same!

HUSTLE & BUSTLE OF LIFE & TIME CHANGE

In the few free minutes I have to articulate my thoughts in writing, I stop to comment on the insane business of LIFE. I am not anywhere near the busiest person I know, at least in terms of hours of time spent "free" from the demands of work, family, finances, social causes, etc. Just this weekend, our friends were telling us about all the running around they do with their small children (baseball games, karate, etc.) which made me say the fastest prayer of thanks ever that we do NOT have any small children at home. Where would we find time to take care of them? (KIDDING). I can remember being a child and not having a whole lot of worries (although I do remember thinking I was ALWAYS a grown up) (picture attached). :)

And with that being said, I do find myself in times like these lamenting the absolute speed at which life seems to rush past me, and wishing that I could somehow step outside the clock and just live. You know, get around to doing things that most people consider frivolous indulgences like getting massages, reading fitness magazines and just plain ol’ doing nothing.

Who invented the time change, anyway? These past two days have been exhausting for me (and no I am not complaining just merely stating a fact). The time change has also been hard on Remy. He hasn’t been his usual bouncy self in the morning. He just looks at us like WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING UP SO EARLY? :) (attaching a picture of Remy's 1st snow)

Well my few minutes are now up and I must return to the ceaseless bustle of my task-list existence. Perhaps when I finally find the person who invented this crazy time change schedule, I will be able to pause for reflection. That is, if I can squeeze him/her into my schedule. Woot, woot! :)