Scatterbrain

I'm not sure what my deal is. I have several half-written posts, but they seem like a bunch of mumble-jumble. They're too wordy and boring so let's go for short and to the point highlights instead, shall we?

* It hit me the other day that the girls are almost in junior high and that means YOUTH GROUP at church. What?! That seems so old. And they seem so not old. I'm really having a hard time wrapping my head around this. 

* Speaking of junior high, Baylee had a mini breakdown about 7th grade last week. We drove by the school they'll go to next year and she was on the verge of panic. It's big. Really big. And she is already overwhelmed. In fact, she was ready to move back to South Carolina and go to school at our church's private academy. You know, with a class size of like 20 for an entire grade! Bless her overwhelmed heart. 

* Caylee is still taking guitar lessons. She's doing quite well, but was struggling in the practice department. Brandon came up with an awesome solution to encourage her to practice. So far it's working like a charm!

* The girls are obsessed with the show Finding Bigfoot. Obsessed. For Christmas Brandon ordered them two FB shirts. He paid for two day shipping and it's been a nightmare. First off, they sent a Honey Boo Boo shirt. Umm, no thank you. Then it was late. Then they sent the same shirt twice. It's been one thing after the other. We were supposed to get two grey shirts and two black shirts. As of yesterday we have two Honey Boo Boo shirts, eight grey shirts, one black shirt, and a credit to reorder the other black shirt because they are tired of messing with us. It's been ridiculous. But the girls love their shirts! They were them all. the. time. 

* We are all still adjusting to Annie, our goldendoodle puppy we got at Christmas. She's a little love. Here's the quick backstory how we got her... I was reading a blog one day in November and I saw this sweet baby. She lived in Russia, had down syndrome, and needed to be adopted. My heart went out to her and I just assumed B's would too. Wrong. I actually tried to have a serious "can we talk about something" talk and he wasn't having any part of it. In his words, "I'm not going to fund terrorism" and the discussion was closed. And I was mad. (And now Russia won't allow us to adopt anyway, so I guess it was for the best.) Then a couple weeks later we were leaving Petsmart and man was walking in with his golden doodle, my dream dog. We got in the car and I looked at B and said "Will you get me a goldendoodle for Christmas?". By the end of the day he had set up and appointment to go look at puppies the next day. So, I didn't get a Russian baby, but I did get a puppy. 

* I am about 30 pounds away from a HUGE weight loss milestone. I can't wait to hit it and share with you all my journey so far. I remember starting this almost a year ago and losing 10 pounds seemed unattainable. And now I am so close from my first major goal. Baby steps every day...

* Washing machines should never be taken for granted. I've been without mine for 11 days and counting and I'm about to pull my hair out. The water that won't drain is nasty and STINKS. Laundromats are expensive, but friends are sweet. Thankful for those who've opened their washers to us! 

* Jehovah-Nissi, God our Banner, never ceases to amaze me. The way He goes before us in everything astounds me. We've had a glimpse this week of some things and it's reminded me that He is always in control... even when I want to be. Ha! ;)

* Brandon bought some Valentine's peanut M&Ms the other day. He had them on his nightstand and the girls saw them before we left for school the other day. I took them to school and when I came home I noticed the M&Ms were missing. Initially I thought the girls had been silly and hid them. And then I saw the bag peaking out from under my bed. The culprit? Molly. She ate almost an entire bag of peanut M&Ms and had absolutely no remorse. I hope she enjoyed her entire day in her crate for that little escapade!

Alright, that's all I have for now. I have bounced from here to there. Welcome to my brain. Ha! 

Looking back, moving forward

Our Christmas cards this year turned into a Christmas package. It was kind of ridiculous. Bran and I found some pretty cards after Thanksgiving and I thought I'd simply sign them and send them on their way. But then I started thinking about our past year. It needed to be documented. So I decided to write a letter. The wordy person that I can be tried to relive our year month by month. And then I realized going that way would result in a Christmas novel instead of a letter, so I scratched the idea. I still wanted to personalize our card so I ordered a family picture to stuff inside. Done. Not what I wanted, but it would work. But then as I laid my head down late one night I couldn't sleep and it hit me. I had asked each family member their top 10 moments of 2012 (up until December) and somehow managed to piece together a short and sweet letter incorporating our top 10's. I had some fun Christmas paper I bought years ago so I printed a few and waited until the next morning to show Brandon. And then I remembered the pictures I ordered. And all I could do was laugh. Our simple card turned into this crazy package. It was probably Beaver overload, but it had been a few years since we had sent anything out. I guess I was overcompensating. ;)

With the new year here and Brandon and the girls back at work and school, I can't help but think about our past year and those top 10 moments. 2012 was packed full of memories and will forever go down as one of my most memorable years. We had so many new adventures in South Carolina to discover, as well as moving to Arkansas (again!). Brandon and I both turned 30. The girls experienced their first true friendship. Life was one wild, unexpected ride in 2012. I am so very grateful for every moment -- yes, even the hard, I have no clue why things are happening this way moments.

Without further ado, here are our Top 10 Moments of 2012...

Baylee

1. Hannah

2. Finding Bigfoot

3. Shark fishing

4. Mrs. Billy's animals

5. Date night with Daddy

6. Beach trips

7. Tex

8. Meeting Mrs. Dykema

9. Pirate's Voyage

10. Petting Niko

Caylee

1. Hannah

2. Mrs. Billy's animals

3. Getting Beau

4. Finding Bigfoot

5. Shark fishing

6. Mrs. Dykema

7. Summer at Grammy & Grandpa's

8. South Carolina Aquarium

9. Going horseback riding on Rosco

10. Petting Niko

Brandon

1. Beach trips

2. Ghost tour

3. Charleston fine dining

4. Shark fishing

5. Thriller 

6. New house

7. PGA Championship

8. France trip

9. Cathedral of Praise

10. Summer date nights

Cari

1. The beach 

2. 30th birthday weekend

3. Cabot graduation weekend

4. Shark fishing

5. Charleston fine dining

6. Getting healthier/losing weight

7. New house

8. Summer date nights

9. Falls Creek

10. Friendship between Baylee, Caylee, and Hannah

I have to be honest. Looking back at these lists, as well as all the other wonderful memories that didn't make the top 10, I can get overwhelmed & find myself sinking into the pits. I still struggle with the "why did we move to SC only to move right back". But over and over I hear the words of a very wise woman (that's you, Terri Kern!).

"Looking back has value; but I'm convinced pressing on has more."

So as this new year begins I will press on. In the words of our church in Charleston, it's my prayer to "have clarity that allows me to hear God's voice above all else; maintain focus on goals set before me; not get overwhelmed about what lies ahead, but instead rest in God's peace; and walk in God's will with absolute purpose".

Brandon and I have set a few goals for this year. While we were talking about our "resolutions" Bran kept reminding me that goals had to be "measurable and attainable", so I did my best to stick within those guidelines. I won't speak for him, but for 2013, here are my goals.

1. Be more content. As B reminded me, "Don't let your mood be based on circumstance."
2. Continue to focus on my health and lose 80 pounds.
3. Run at least three miles of the Arthur Ravenel Jr bridge in Charleston in July.
4. No phone policy from 6-8pm Monday-Thursday.
5. More one on one time with the girls.

Bring it on, 2013. Let's see what you have in store for us this year. We're ready!