May 28, 2009

The Question M and I are asked most....

When are you going to have children?
 
 
People started asking this question within hours...okay maybe days.... of M proposing to me. While I was still trying to process that fact that I was going to get married and become someone's wife- riends, family, church members, and even random strangers wanted to know when I was going to create another life and jump feet (or head) first into motherhood. M and I managed to downplay the question during the wedding planning process, but once we got back from the honeymoon the questions started again. 
 
I suppose that a lot of it centers on the innate human inquisitiveness.....or in our town the fact that people are just plain nosey. Perhaps it is the fact that M and I got married later than many of our local friends and acquaintances.  M's brother and sister-in-law married in their early twenties, and most of the my high school friends married within a few years of graduation.  But in the realm of my college friends, I am the first to get married --- the others are not in serious relationships, and for a few of them they have no desire to rush down the altar.
 
M and I do want children. We love our role as Aunt and Uncle to our 2 nieces, 2 nephews, and the 1 that is on the way. And we can't wait to hold our on child in our arms, but why does it seem that people want us to do right this very second.  M and I think it would be better to take time to adjust to being a married couple and living together, before we add another human into the mix.  Reading over that last sentence, I wonder if that sounds callous or selfish - it is not intended to be.  M and I know that we will be better parents if we our stronger as man and wife.
 
Does that mean we don't know when we are going to start our family?  Not at all.  I am nothing if not a planner by nature. You who followed me thru the wedding process know that I like to outline my options, formulate a timeline, and work towards the goal. And in some sense, we've done that for our family but it is a little more organic.  I've have been on birth control since January as to ensure that we did not return from our honeymoon with more than dirty laundry.  But I am one of those woman who does not respond well to birth control - four brands in five months - and I am still getting sick every time I take the pill, along with other side effects that are bit too personal to share here.  After much discussion, M and I decided that on our 3 month anniversary, I would come off the pill, and we will being to just the natural family planning method for pregnancy prevention.  While NFP may not be full proof, the research I've read proves it can be used effectively if done diligently - and trust me I'll be diligent.  At Christmas, M and I will reevaluate our situation and decide them if we want to start trying for a baby, if we are not ready -- we will give it another 3 months, and reevaluate things on our 1 year anniversary.  We won't get obsessive about having a baby until we have gone a full 2 years without any luck.....and God willing, we won't have that bridge to cross.
 
So there it is, the question we are asked most, our responses, and our plan for starting a family. I apologize if this is more than you wanted to know, but I felt like it was a time in our lives that needed to be recorded and captured.

May 27, 2009

Scratches, Brusies and Scars

My legs look like I've either been beaten or in a really bad fight. But I haven't.....it just means M and I have been doing a lot of "mountain biking" since our purchase last weekend. I should say that I live in south Georgia, which isn't home to a single mountain. But we've got hills - and 60 plus acres of woods/farm land to explore. And we have been exploring it quite a bit.  I've been able to enjoy nature's beauty - and on occasion it's more vicious side - think tangling with a thorn thicket.
 
But I've loved every minute of it - my quads have other opinions - and can't wait for this rain to go away so I can go out again. :-)
 

May 20, 2009

Happy Being Me...

For those readers you followed me from my old blog , you know that one of the things I have struggled with is the eating disorder bulimia. Although, I have not had an episode in nearly 4 years, I have still struggled with the underlying issues that led to my disorder - obsession with what foods I eat, working out, feeling bad if I ate something unhealthy.

Since M and I have been together he has helped to me to shift my focus from a # of the scale or a size on a clothing label to just being healthy. And for him being healthy means not obsessing about the numbers, enjoying a piece of cake if he wants eat, moving more if his jeans get snug. I've been working to adopt his mentality, but haven't felt like I was getting anywhere close to that place, until yesterday.

The hospital that I work for opened our new 2nd floor addition yesterday, complete with ribbon cutting ceremony and lots of yummy foods. Pre-M, I would have calculated the calories in each hors d'oeuveres, avoided everything but the fruit and veggies, and not had a piece of celebratory cake. Instead, I had small samples of each yummy item, went heavier on the fruits and veggies, and had my piece of cake. The best part was that I ate and didn't feel bad about it afterwards. I didn't dash back to my office to tally the calorie damage and estimate how long I would have to work out to burn off the calories I had consumed. And I didn't skip dinner to offset the meal either.

Instead, I did the 20 minutes of step aerobics that I had planned on doing prior to the festivities, ate a reasonable supper, and felt good in my own skin. And that's a HUGH accomplishment for me!

May 18, 2009

Spinning Wheels

M and I had a wonderful Sunday together.  Waking up early, we were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast (I had another Green Monster and he had eggs and toast) while watching ESPN. Then it was showers, dressing, and off to Sunday school. Following our song service and presentation of a bible to our graduating senior, M and I left church and headed to Statesboro to meet up with my Aunt for lunch.
 
We dined at a lovely home style placed called Fordham's Family Farmhouse. I had a delish grilled chicken breast with greens beans and squash casserole. Aunt Gail and M both had pot roast with sweet potatoes and mac&cheese. After lunch, the three of us went thrift store hopping and scored some great deals. I picked up a pair of New York and Company khakis, four skirts, and a pair of Tommy Hilfiger khakis for M  all for the grand total of $25.00.
 
Following our shopping excursion at the thrift store, we headed to the mega-store mecca Wal-Mart.  On Saturday, my SIL and I had attempted to purchase bikes at our local Wal-Mart. She managed to score the "beach cruiser" model that she wanted. But the mountain bike I wanted was not in stock. So M suggested we look at the Statesboro Wal-Mart. Not only did I find the bike that I wanted, I managed to convince M to purchase a bike as well. Now we will be able to bike together - since running is out of the questions thanks to my knees. :-) 
 
Now it is a rainy Monday and I am headed to work. The forecast calls for wet conditions all week. Hopefully, there will be a few spots of sunshine in the mix, so we can test out our new wheels.
 

May 16, 2009

Lazy Saturday

M had to go into work (he's real job not the farm) so I have an entire Saturday morning to myself. I was lazy and slept in till about 8:15 a.m. Then I got out of bed, slipped into my robe and settled in with my laptop to do a bit of blog reading. After catching up on my favorite blogs, I decided that I was hungry. So I decided to be brave and make a Green monster . Up next is a shower and rumaging thru my closet to find a cute summery outfit to wear for my shopping excursion with my sister-in-law.

Hopefully M will be done with work around lunch and he can meet up with us to grab a bite. While I am not happy that I had to spend my Saturday morning alone, it has bee nice.

May 14, 2009

Staying Fit Together

Over the year and a half that M and I have been together, a large portion of our conversations have centered on health and fitness. We have watched our parents struggle with weight loss and our grandparents battle health issues. We have always said that we wanted to adopt a healthy active lifestyle. And at times we have made great attempts - we ran a 5K together last June, played a little tennis, and sporadically lifted weights. Things haven't stuck. It seems that life always manages to get in the way. But the turning point came in December, as M and I stood in my father's ICU room. He was hooked up to a vent having just undergone 5 bypasses. I will always remember looking at M, tears in my eyes and saying "I never want to do this again. I never want to be in this situation....".

While I know that M, myself, or a family member may someday have heart issues - I also know that there is a lot that M and I can do to offset the chances of that happening. Since our wedding we have been eating at home more often, cooking healthier/lighter meals - thinks salads or yummy turkey burgers. And now that the weather is warming up, we've taken up tennis again. We've made "dates" to play with another couple so that we are less likely to flake out. I know that we still need to incorporate more cardio and weights, but I feel like we are finally making our fitness a top priority - and not letting small changes in plans derail all of our efforts.

I wonder, do you readers, have tips/tricks/suggestions on how you and your significant other can pursue a fit lifestyle together? What about your whole family???

May 13, 2009

Things I'm thinking about today

  • Should I seperate my blog into multiple blogs - one for the things related to married life and one related to fitness/health
  • Why are my knees hurting today?
  • Thrift store shopping can turn up some very good bargains.
  • Do I really need the items that I bought today?
  • Turkey bugers for dinner sounds yummy --  but do I want to clean up the mess???
I realize my list is very random, so I am wondering readers, what are you thinking about today???

May 11, 2009

Happines is....

  • Sharing breakfast with my husband and his parents.
  • A birthday party for my oldest nephew. It is hard to believe that the baby who made me an Aunt for the first time is now 4 years old.
  • Water slides, wading pools, sprinklers, and cold water from a deep well. (Can you tell my nephew's birthday party was "water-themed")
  • Spending an afternoon in the glorious sunshine.
  • Eating hot dogs, cake, and ice cream after the afternoon in the sun.
  • Dinner out with my parents, M's parents, M's grandmothers, M's aunt, M's brother and sister-in-law, our nieces, and my sister-in-law's family
  • Steak cooked perfectly
  • Telling stories and jokes, and celebrating our mothers
  • Making milkshakes with my nieces on Sunday afternoon.
  • Playing tennis with my hubby and one our favorite couples (Steph and Rusty)
  • Birthday party leftovers for supper in front of the t.v. on Sunday night.
  • A wonderful weekend spent with the people I love most in the world.

May 05, 2009

A little bit work, A little play, A little bit of life

I apologize for the delay between my last post and this one - life has gotten busy for M and I. Now that spring has sprung, farm work is kicking up a notch. M is not only working with his blueberries on Saturday, but most afternoons as well. In another month, we will start harvesting our crop which means M will work to dark most nights and every Saturday. However, I am learning to love farm life - and all the chores that come with it, so most times I can be found side by side with M - whether it is riding the tractor, walking the rows to ensure the irrigation is working properly, or tinkering around the barn.
 
In addition to working on the blueberries, we have started (along with M's father) planting our spring/summer garden. Hopefully, we will have lots of yummy fresh veggies to eat in the coming weeks. We have planted corn, squash, zucchini, green beans, peas, tomatoes (2 or 3 varieties) and a myriad of peppers. I can't wait to use them!
 
When M and I aren't working on the farm or the garden, we are usually lounging around the house - which is a nice thing but isn't very healthy as we tend to munch mindlessly while watching t.v.  So M and I have decided to try and get back into our workout routine. My knees seem to be holding their own as long as I brace them, and ice them down after my workouts. No major pain in a week or so - and that was after 2 step aerobic workouts and tennis with M.
 
Ah yes, M and I are once again picking up our racquets and playing tennis. Well, playing might be a stretch. I am more apt to describe it as hitting the ball back and forth, and then chasing every third one since it doesn't stay in the court.  I think we are going to incorporate tennis into our Friday night date nights, and again on Sunday evenings. :-)
 
I think that is all that's going on in our world - of course I am probably forgetting a lot. It's a busy life, but it is a full life and we like just that way.