Hair change?

I am contemplating a hair change.  Not super drastic and I've had a similar cut in the past, but it's still different than what I've been wearing lately.  I have a tendency to pull my hair back into a pony tail which is dumb and doesn't really look all that great.  But I don't know what else to do with it so it's easy.  So I'm thinking of cutting it to a medium bob.  See these photos for examples of what I am wanting:

It will never look as good as it does on those two beautiful women, but I think it will be better than what I have going now and hopefully make me feel and look younger and sexier!  Ha!  :) 

Here's a picture of pretty much how it looks currently (maybe slightly shorter on the longest layer) although usually up in a stupid ponytail or half ponytail:

So what do you all think?!  :)

Motivation

Since my surgery in January, I have really needed the motivation to work out since my stomach is all fluffy and poochy and not bathing suit ready.  It's tough because I had to take 6 weeks off post surgery and was busy with work, etc.  And then of course I ate and drank way more than usual on vacation last week (oops!) ;)  But I am trying to motivate myself to get active because it will help with my health, my confidence, and my looks. 

After reading a posting by Outside Oklahoma, I checked out the Couch to 5K training program online.  Now my hubby is obviously good at running and enjoys it.  He just finished his 3rd half-marathon this weekend and runs about 5 miles about 5 times a week.  I don't want to be like that nor do I think I will ever do a half marathon.  But a 5k is doable and would give me the start to run a bit each day.  Each session is only 20-30 minutes long which is definitely possible, so I started the first session of the first week this morning and I SURVIVED!  Hopefully, I can be like GFF and run my own 5K soon!  And if nothing else, it will give me some good workouts 3 days a week. 

I've also been doing videos with some friends at work 2 times per week.  We start around 5:30 in the big conference room in the back and work out for 30-60 minutes to a workout video.  It is pretty cool because we are accountable to each other to attend and also can b!tch and moan together while it is going on!  :)  I am definitely grateful for the friendships I have made here at work if for nothing else and they are additional motivation for me to get back in shape.  

Last week, I wore a 2 piece tankini bathing suit the whole week which didn't look terrible but it's old and not my favorite.  But I refuse to buy another tankini because I really want to fit back into my regular bikinis by swimsuit season.  So here's hoping this motivation for running and videos will help me make it!

I'm Back!

I can honestly say that this is the first trip in a REALLY long time where I actually enjoyed myself 100% and had a true vacation.  It was so wonderful not thinking about the bs of life on a daily basis.  I didn't worry about money or work or Cooper's school or any of the things that cause me stress on a daily basis.  I just enjoyed time with my two guys and my family and it was great.  We relaxed most days going shopping and then to the beach and pool, and the weather was awesome every day except for Friday which is pretty great!  I wish every vacation and day could be so carefree and fun. 

Of course, we got home on Saturday night and were slapped with reality on Sunday with cold, rainy weather, Austin injuring himself a bit (luckily just a minor sprain of his calf) on his half marathon, and the $$$!!! bill at the pet hotel from putting the dog up for the week we were gone.  Oh and then grocery bills at the store and Sam's...and now this morning back to the craziness that I call work. 

I tried not to think about work much while I was gone and it was nice as it has been consuming my life in many ways lately.  Of course, I have come right back to the time which will be rough as I will be likely getting my review and piddly raise sometime in the next two weeks.  Also, I'm just not sure what to do and I hate this helpless feeling.  I don't think I'm being treated fairly here and have no opportunities for advancement and have an annoying boss who doesn't care about my career at all and lets the whole office steamroll us without ever pushing back.  And yet I have some of the best benefits you can imagine with our insurance and vacation and things which will be hard to find somewhere else and are very important to our family with my hubby's Type 1 diabetes and my endometriosis.  It just sucks to be stuck.  I would be fine if there was something here that I can move into or some change I could consider, but as of right now, there is nothing.  So I either have to just deal or try to find something else which is equally as good and will probably take forever to find.  What a mess!  

The weather is kind of crappy here this week, but I'm looking forward to this weekend as I get to meet up with Allison & the Architect for dinner on Friday night and some other friends on Saturday night.  Lots of laundry to do too but it was worth it for the fun we had last week!  :)  

I need some motivation.  I wonder what classes I could take and get the company to cover this year!  :) 

It's Going to Be Okay

Update to my earlier post today - just got a call from my son's pediatrician and the xray was okay.  He does have a mild curve to the right but it is only 7 degrees which isn't bad (must be 15-30+ to be considered scoliosis), and hopefully we can just watch it once a year to make sure it doesn't get worse and hopefully as he grows again, it will get better.  I haven't been able to think of much of anything else the whole day, so I was relieved to get that call.  The pediatrician is going to talk to his orthopod friend just to make sure that he wouldn't recommend anything else, but I think we are out of the woods for now at least!  :)  Thank God for everything He does great and small - we needed this good news!

Fear

This morning I took our son to the pediatrician for his 5 year old checkup.  He was so excited to go because he knew he wouldn't need any shots and just was ready to be a big boy!  Everything was going smoothly until his doctor had him bend over and touch his toes and noticed a slight curve to his back.  He asked us to go over to the imaging center and get an xray of his spine just to check and make sure he didn't have scoliosis.  Scoliosis?  It hit me like a ton of bricks - how could he have scoliosis? 

He said it might just be the way his ribs grew to his spine or something and not to worry, but I am a mom and I'm worried.  We sat for an hour waiting for the 5 minute xray and it's done now and I'm at work but waiting waiting waiting for the doctor to call this afternoon to tell us the results.  Did I mention how much I hate waiting?!  They pulled the xray up to show our son and he was so excited to see his bones, and I did notice a slight curve when I looked at it but I don't know what to look for.  I called my dad who was a pediatrician for nearly 30 years and he said not to worry and that he would be surprised if he had it so young and even if he did, it was easily treatable at this age.  But I'm scared. 

We are so excited about his new school and him turning 5 and everything else and now one day later, I am worried about what will happen if he has to have surgery or wear a brace all the time or a number of things.  I'm praying and hoping that I am just worried for nothing and it is just something we can watch and that it will correct itself as he grows.  But I'm scared.  So I'm posting because I don't know what else to do and I don't want to start crying at my desk at work.  I know it will be okay.  I just need time to pass by more quickly!

In positive news, he is doing great otherwise - hearing and vision were great, he is 4 feet tall already(!), and very healthy.  We might take him to do a little speech therapy just to make sure he talks a little slower and more clearly (I think I talk pretty fast too so he probably imitates me!), but that's not a big deal at all and is more a preventative than a necessity.  I just hope that this xray business was just for nothing this morning too.  Please let us get good news this afternoon!

5 Years

Today is my little man's fifth birthday!  Where oh where has the time gone?  I know that before I know it another five or ten years will go by, but for now, I can barely believe he is already five.  I still remember preparing for his arrival, meeting him for the first time, bringing him home to meet his furry brother and sister, and all of the many memories from his first few months and years of life.  He has been a wonderful blessing to our family and has made me a better person just by being around him.  I may not be a perfect mother, but he loves me unconditionally and makes me feel good even when I'm feeling down.  He is the best, and he is growing up way too fast, but he will ALWAYS be my baby! 

Perspective

Yesterday morning, I woke up refreshed and decided I needed an attitude adjustment and that I just needed to let things take their course and that everything happens for a reason.  It isn't easy for me to do because I'm a PLANNER by nature, but I need to let go and let live and just do the best I can with what we have and be thankful for that. 

Yesterday around mid-day, I got an e-mail saying that our son had been approved for admission to our 1st choice elementary school.  This was such a relief!   We had really struggled about where to send him for kindergarten this fall because of money and multiple factors.  We really wanted to send him to private school, but we just can't afford it right now, so our plan was to find an alternative for elementary because we had more options for elementary, and then by the time he hits middle school, we will either hopefully make more money/save more money to send him for middle & high school and/or move to a better school district at those levels.

We did a lottery for a charter school in the area, but he was #3 on the waiting list and we haven't heard anything further.  Plus, I'm a little worried because it is located by my work which is convenient now, but if I ever change jobs or even if I stay, our office plans to move towards the downtown/uptown area by 2012 so it might be tough on all of us to have him have to commute as well.  So then we started looking at options in our school district.  The school we are directly assigned to is okay but its ratings have been slipping and I wanted to see what other options there might be.  I found out our school district allows you to apply for intradistrict transfers, so I chose the best school that was not too far from our house and applied.  And yesterday, I found out he got in!  I couldn't be happier, and he will now be a "Gator" for his mascot which makes me happy since I'm originally from Florida!  :)

So yesterday turned out to be a pretty good day and I know that He will provide for us when we need it - just need to keep myself more positive!  Of course this morning, I woke up to the news about the horrible earthquake and tsunamis and it gave me even more perspective.  I felt like a complete @$$ for complaining about my job.  Life sure has ways of reminding you to make the most of each day and don't taking anything for granted because it can change so quickly.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan as well as those in Hawaii and the west coast although it seems like they have dodged a bullet some.  We will see still I guess! 

I am excited for the weekend because we have lots of fun activities planned to celebrate our son's 5th birthday on Monday and lots to do to get ready for our vacation in a week!  I can't wait to have some time off!  :)