SaintMom Blog

Merry Christmas!

I know I’ve been a missing person for a quite a while and I apologize. I promised Penny H I would start blogging again and I’m starting back today. They may be short because I’m short on time these days. I’m still working out any chance I get, so I’m not sitting around with time on my hands anymore! Not as easy to write.

I have some funny topics I plan to write about, like why they make women’s jeans the way they do…don’t even get me started on it tonight, but that, along with some other funny things are on the way.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. We had a great one ourselves.

Well, I have to make it short today…we’ve been traveling and I’m very tired…and my husband is yelling down here from upstairs that he is ready to go to bed.

Love you all and I will talk to you soon.

Today I am thankful that Christ really is the reason for this season that people of all religions celebrate.

I’ve now lost 25 pounds!

I’m still working out hard! I’m up to 25 pounds now. I really love doing the advanced step classes. Debi watched it a little today and said it looked like torture, but once you get it, it’s so fun…!

Aaron’s parents came in this weekend. He spent some good time with them doing things that they like to do. I just worked out.

Next weekend we go to KY for our big family Thanksgiving dinner. I’m looking forward to that. I’ll be staying at my Aunt Libby’s house. I am and have always been very close to her. Her family is literally like my family, my cousins being like a brother and sister to me, and their kids being like my nephews. I haven’t been there in a while, so it will feel good to see all of them. I also have lots of other aunts, uncles and cousins that I can’t wait to see. I have a huge family, my mom was the baby of 11 and my dad is the oldest of 6 I think….so, lots of cousins…but somehow I’m the only one that had twins!!! Go figure…

I’ve been reading the Christensens blog…I love reading her posts and seeing the pictures. She speaks so well!!!

Anyway, my warm shower and warm pajamas are calling my name.

Talk to you all later!

Catching up…

I’m so tired, this won’t be long, or conversational…sorry.

Carly made the basketball team, she is so excited she can’t even sleep. However, she is very sad for the girls who didn’t make it. She starts practicing tomorrow night…whew..here we go!

Casey will start cheerleading soon. She is also excited. I am excited for her, too, but I can’t handle the cheerleaders that do their moves while in a store in silence. It drives me nuts. I’m hoping she won’t do that!

Zach is doing 5 days of conditioning a week with basketball and of course busy with homework.

I am working out still like crazy. Also busy with work right now! Also, helping with the basketball team and cheerleading squad. Whew…ALSO, Debi and I just started a country line dancing class at the Oakwood YMCA tonight…it was FUN! And FUNNY! We had a good time. We did Zumba at the MJ YMCA tonight also.

Aaron is just working and fishing…and fishing, and shopping for fishing stuff, and fishing some more. At least he is working too, right!?

For those of you who have called or texted me and I haven’t answered, I’m sorry. My phone goes crazy all day long with ringing and texts, but I can’t answer them all and then I get overwhelmed with how many I need to respond to…so I apologize. It’s just a VERY busy time of year for me. I do love you all and I miss talking and hanging with you guys.

However, NOW, I’m going to bed…If I told you everything I did today, you wouldn’t believe it. I’m exhausted.

Love you all and I’ll talk to you later.

Today I am thankful for my friends.

Back from vacation in Gatlinburg…

We had a great time! We stayed in a GORGEOUS chalet with Hickory Mist. We stayed in Mountain Jewel Lodge in the Cobbly Nob area off of highway 321. It was a little further away from downtown Gatlinburg than we are used to, but it was still great. We went to the community center several times. If any of you have kids and you go to Gatlinburg, the community center is very nice and has a huge indoor swimming pool with diving board, a bowling center, a game room with ping pong, pool and air hockey, a huge double basketball gym, a workout area and lots of other fun stuff. I did aerobics there also.

The kids all had a great time on our trip. We did a LOT of stuff! And one of my favorite things was the sale at the Coach outlet store! Whew! There was a line to get in there, and a long line to check out. The line to check out was about 45 minutes to an hour long! They were having a great sale with discounts from 20 - 50% on their stuff and then on top of that you could donate a dollar to the breast cancer campaign and save an additional 25% off for anything in the store. I got 2 purses! One of them ended up bing $42 and the other one was $85. I also got a wallet and a keychain thing and a pill bottle thing that is really cool! My sweet husband came in and waited in line for me while I shopped some more. It takes a good man to be in line at the purse store surrounded by crazy women.

Anyway, tomorrow is back to the grind! Back to work and back to the YMCA! I thought for sure I would gain weight in Gatlinburg because I didn’t exercise as much as I do here at home and I did eat a lot…(my favorite is the Peddler). However, I weighed this morning and if anything I gained a couple of ounces only. I really don’t even think I gained that though. THANK THE LORD! I had cheesecake, fudge, Italian food, steaks, everything! Aaron says my metabolism is up so it’s burning everything I eat…which is good, but I still need to lose about 35 pounds, so I’m back to the sweating and watching everything that goes into my mouth now that I’m home…

I sure missed all my friends. I missed my workouts. I missed my BED!

I will get my pictures downloaded and put them on my website as soon as I get a chance. First priority is to get caught up on all of my real work!

Gotta go, I’m at my parents house and I’m going to watch the rest of the Colts game…by the way, GO TITANS!!!! Woo Hoo, 6 & 0!!!

See you all this week!

Today I am thankful for God watching over us on our trip and providing us with ulitmate safety on the roads.

April Gammon’s thoughts for the day

Life just happens…..And so it does. Good days, bad days, happy times, sad times, exciting events, and scary situations–they all come in the course of life. But there is one thing you can do-you can stay faithful. Being faithful as a servant of God simply means doing what the Master would expect you to do.

Faithful is a biblical, perhaps even spiritual word. In the grit, grind, grace, and glory of contemporary life, perhaps commitment is the foundation for biblical faithfulness. Commitment in this sense is the binding allegiance to set a course or purpose in life, regardless of circumstance or consequence!

I have recently learned a valuable lesson. Real commitment is the automatic pilot when the wind has been knocked out of your sails.

A deadening blow hit me on a Saturday afternoon when Dustan passed away. It was one of my life’s greatest disappointments. I wanted life to stop. I wanted to go to sleep and wake up from this horrible dream. I was devastated over losing my son. Tears washed away my smile.

But life didn’t stop. Life insisted I go on. Monday came. Tuesday came, Wednesday came and each day thereafter. I didn’t know how I could do it or even if I could continue to do it. My wind was caught in a web of astounding despair. Alone in my home, I felt paralyzing pain and wondered if I could even meet people or even speak to people again. But commitment to the call of responsibility steadied me, strengthened me, and surprised me as the One who called me to be faithful worked through me in a wonderful way. I have no idea how I do it, I just know that I am committed to being faithful in doing as I should.

So what does it mean to be faithful? It is simple, but sure commitment to doing what is right when life just happens.

Faithfulness is the strength of character that compels us to do what is pleasing to our Master regardless of circumstance. Commitment is the determined mind-set that keeps us on course, binding our allegiance to the purpose.

We need to realize that we do not have to be hindered by circumstances. Those same circumstances can transform our lives through Jesus Christ, who has called us from glory to glory and who changes our countenance. When we have heavy hearts-we show it. But when we have the joy of the Lord-when He changes our hearts-we show it. We need to be a people not hindered by circumstance, but recognizing the reason God placed a difficult circumstance in front of us is so we can overcome it. We are not to be overcome by it, but are to overcome it through Christ.

Isaiah 61: 1-3

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord had anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Lord, as You did for Israel, so do for us. Console us as we mourn, give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. May we be called trees of righteousness that YOU may be glorified. Amen to Amen.

I pray each of you have a wonderful day in the Lord. It is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice in it.

Resting in His sweet comfort,
April

Today I am thankful that I have a heavenly Father that consoles my broken heart and pours oil of joy on my soul.

Woah, what a day…

So I got to the YMCA in Donelson at 7:45 this morning for my 8:00 step class. I love that class. Then I did Powerlift @ 9:00. It was over at 10:00 and I just strolled on the treadmill and watched TV until Debi arrived for the 10:45 basic step class. After that we did Zumba. THEN - we left and went to Applebees! Today is my cheat day so I can eat anything I want. It was good, and now I’m TIRED! We are about to get out our Halloween decorations for the outside of our house and then I’m going to shower and CRASH for the night! I burned 1551 calories this morning at the Y! I normally do not burn that many every day - just so yall know. It’s usually around 800 or so.

Anyway, WE WON last night! Last night was our football homecoming game and we beat Red Boiling Springs. Yesterday and last night was fun…I went to the pep rally to take pictures and then of course I took pics at the game! You can check them out on my website.

We are off to Gatlinburg next Sunday - YEE HAW! But what will I do without a YMCA!? Well, I’m taking a step and some exercise stuff with me…and also, there is a community center there where I can go exercise. I can’t skip a whole week, then I’ll just give it all up! That’s just how I am.

Well, I better go get these decorations up so I can get some rest. Talk to you all later!

Today I am SO THANKFUL for all of my friends and family at MJCA. I feel like we are all a family. I would do anything I could for any of you…I hope you all know that.

Yes, I’m still here!!

I’ve just been really busy! With work and working out and my family, I barely have time to do anything else! But I have fixed my laptop finally so now I can blog from my bed again! I will try to blog more.

Well, not a whole lot has been going on with me. Same ole stuff - working, taking care of kids and working out at the YMCA 7 days per week. In addition to April coming with me, I now have Debi, Penny, Jan & Carol coming with me, too! I’m so excited to have my friends join me! We have a lot of fun - ESPECIALLY IN ZUMBA…oh my goodness. I told Penny last night that I needed to video tape it so we could humiliate our children. They would be so shocked to see us doing that kind of dancing. I am laughing so hard right now just thinking about it. It is so fun, and SUCH a good workout! I’m still enjoying my step classes and powerlift. I am down about 18 pounds now. I am wearing clothes I haven’t worn in a long time. I’m proud of myself and now that I’ve been doing this for about 8 weeks, it’s HABIT. If I miss a day (which I’ve only skipped one day in about 5 weeks) I feel guilty and lazy. I love my instructors and the way they teach so differently…keeps things interesting. Saturday is a BIG day for me at the Y - I start out with an 8:00 class (STEP) then do powerlift at 9:00, then when it’s over at 10:00 I do machines and then I have the option of doing another class of basic step and yoga at 10:45 and Zumba at 12:00. Saturday is one of my favorite days. I burn like 1400 calories each Saturday!

And, an update on Zach - we had to go to a neurosurgeon on Tuesday. He said that Zach did not need to play contact sports - mainly football - for at least a year and maybe indefinitely. The tackling could lead to his syrinx problem advancing and he even said the words “in a wheelchair for the rest of his life”…and you know I was scared after that. He said he could play basketball once his fracture heals, and then soccer if it doesn’t get too physical (yeah right), but NO FOOTBALL! So, for the parents, players and coaches that have been asking me or Zach if he was going to play football next year - probably not! Anyway, he has to have another MRI in the spring to compare to this recent one to make sure the syrinx hasn’t grown. Zach’s pain level is down and he seems to be doing much better which makes me so happy. I keep remembering the day or two where he was in so much pain he could barely move. OH - I hated it. No matter how big he gets (or the girls, either) they are still my babies. I thank God for them all every single day. We are so blessed.

Well, after Zumba last night I ran over to the Middle School Coming Home game for halftime to do pictures. I literally did pictures and then left to come home - I was so tired! For those of you who have been begging me to be there tonight for pictures - I’ll be there.

Alright, gotta go, going into the office for a little bit. Thought I would take a break and drop you a few lines to let you all know I was still living and breathing.

Today I am thankful for the energy God has given me to continue my workouts. I have prayed about it, and He has come through for me. I feel lighter! Feels good!

My picture of the day is of Carly & Casey last year in Gatlinburg - we are heading there for our 5th annual family vacation next weekend…I can’t wait! I love this time of year! Aren’t my babies gorgeous???

OK, here’s the deal on Zach

He has a fractured vertebra called clay shovelers fracture. He also had some bleeding of the ligaments and a detached apophyseal…? Anyway, he hurt his back pretty good.

As far as the syrinx thing - it is nothing real bad. It does have to be watched so that if it grows, we can act on it. So, Zach will have another MRI in 6 - 8 months to see if it has grown any. For now, he just cannot do any big physical activity like sports. He can get up and around and just has to watch his pain level. He will be on pain meds for a little bit until the healing of his injury takes place and decreases the pain.

SO - in summary, he is ok for now except for his back injury. The “other thing” we will watch through testing to see if it grows.

Now - I’m tired, SO TIRED, so I am going to lie down for a few minutes and try to go to the football game tonight.

THANK YOU GOD! (tears again)

About to leave to get Zach for MRI

Why am I so sick at my stomach? I’m about to vomit! I can’t concentrate on my work or anything, I just keep googling the word syrinx. His MRI is at 12:30 today and I am NOT leaving the dr’s office until I get results from the scan. I’ll post whatever happens on here this afternoon when we get home. I’m sure it’s nothing, but as a mother, it’s always SOMETHING even when it’s nothing!

Thank God for friends. Patricia emailed me and wants to pick the girls up from school and take them to dinner tonight. Moms just know when moms need help! And I’m sure I’d be done in time to get the girls, but I’m just not all there right now and it’s no fun for the girls when I’m not mentally here.

If you are reading this, please just stop and say a little prayer. Love you all, update later.

blogging from the eagles concert

I’m the youngest person here! I love their music. This is the age I am mentally. Penny cracks me up. Don’t let her fool you she is a wild one!!! The man next to us won’t stop giving us his binoculars! Its like he is shoving them @ us every 2 minutes!! Anyway, just saying hi!