Need some inspiration

A girlfriend of mine recently emailed me that she had started a blog and wanted me to check it out. Of course I did as soon as it was physically possible for me to do so, and I am so glad that I did. You can check it out here, A Journey Toward Wellness.  I think she gave me the bit of the inspiration and motivation that I need. I am hoping maybe we can keep each other in check.

A bit of background on the two of us. We have known each other since her freshman and my sophomore year of college. We have been through ups and downs together and the most recent has made our friendship the strongest it has been. She has been there for me in so many ways even though she lives about four hours away. We now can compare notes on our boys since they are about 7 weeks apart.

Found on the beach in Corolla, NC

Since having JP I have had my fair share of healthy issues going on. Finding time for myself to do the things I need to do to get back on track has not been easy even when I was home for the summer. I have been struggling with high blood pressure and have been on medication. When I was weaned off of it my blood pressure spiked. I would like to be off of it again, but I need to get the BP under control. The latest bit is that my joints have been aching. I was convinced it was some kind of arthritis. It is mainly in my hands, but I ache at night. My blood work came back normal and my doctor and the rheumatologist seem to think it could be some kind of virus. So, now I have to wait it out. In the meantime the rheumatologist told me that I need to get exercise and plenty of rest. I told her, "You do remember that I have a 7 month old." I can't do much about the rest part because if he needs me in the middle of the night I am not going to sleep, but I need to take control of the exercise.

I am going to make an effort to do something at least twice a week for right now. I did take DVD's out of the library and I did do one of them, I need to continue to do them.

Thank you Annie for helping to motivate and inspire me to take some time and get myself back on track.

Carved in Stone

 

This is my first weekend home after my first full week of work.  It feels so great to be able to spend the whole day with my two loves.  We had such a great day today.  It started with morning snuggles in bed with the family and then a great cup of coffee.  I spent some time with my little guy while my husband went out for a bike ride.  When he got home we spent the early afternoon in a town near our house.  I took some photographs, and browsed the shops.  We had lunch outside in a cafe while the baby napped.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  

I haven't had much time for myself and today felt like I did even though we were all together.  I was able to do a little bit of something on my own.  As much as I want time to myself I want to spend every minute that I can with my little one.  Right now I am thinking that the weekend needs to always be at least three days long.

Here's a few of the photos from today.  I loved the purple leaves on that plant.  I have no idea what it is.

The daily Grind

I am back at work and let me tell you it is not easy. I did however like getting a paycheck today. I miss JP all day long and I only get to see him for a little bit of time. He is often tired and a little cranky by the end of the day which makes it difficult. He is getting used to his new schedule too I know. He is with grandma and grandpa who I am sure spoil him. I am hoping the school year goes by quickly so that I can enjoy another summer with him. I also hope next summer isn't quite as hot as this one.

I haven't had much time to do much for myself the past two weeks, but I am hoping that once I get into a good routine that I will be able to do some small things. I would like to take some more time for photography and maybe going to flea markets and thrift stores. I have some stools that I'd like to refinish one day too. I want one for the baby's room, but I am afraid that he will climb on it. We'll see....

Crack your heart wide opened

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this shell that I found on the beach in Corolla, NC.  It looks like a heart with a heart inside of it, at least to me.  My heart was cracked wide opened this week as I had to leave my little guy and return to work.  I knew that it would be difficult, but it was even harder than I thought.  He did great, it's his mommy who is having a tough time.  I definitely did not survive the two days without tears and a million phone calls and text  messages to my mother.  This week was only two days!  How will I manage five next week.  His smile melts my heart though, and he was so excited to see me when I got home.  I know that I have to work for right now and that it will provide him with everything that he needs.  I do this for our family and I have to remember that.  Although winning the lotto still sounds like a really good option to me.

The weather here today really feels like fall and I welcome that because it has been so incredibly hot here.  I loved the summer, but at the same time wish I was able to do more things outdoors.  I am hoping to get some good activities in on the weekends this fall.  There should be lots of fall festivals going on.  JP loves to be outside and I have a feeling he isn't going to mind the cold too too much.  He wasn't a fan of the heat that is for sure.  I am definitely looking forward to the cooler weather. 

I haven't had much time to get much creating in recently, but I have some ideas that I want to try.  We'll see if I can find the time.

Toes in the sand

Sandy little toes

I didn't get to the beach as much as I would have liked this summer.  It was just too hot to go with the little one, but I did get to spend a week at the beach which helped to make up for it.  The first two pictures were from a beach in the Hamptons.  We spent the day there visiting with my sister-in-law and her family.  It was fantastic to see the kids and I got to relax a little bit.  The last is my toes from the Outerbanks prior to my toe injury.  I thought that I broke my toe slamming it into the stroller, but it isn't broken, which I still can't believe.  I can't even say that I did it doing something "cool" like playing 3 on 3 basketball or in the family volleyball tournament, but walking with a stroller is cool enough for me.  Next summer I will get to the beach more!

wear your heart on your leave

Open your eyes and hearts will find you.

I have been keeping my eyes opened for hearts in the world.  I have been seeing pictures of hearts from various places in stones and trees and all over and well I decided that I wanted to find my own.  I actually have a heart rock that I found years ago with my boyfriend in high school.  I just found it again recently, but now have seemed to misplace it in the transport from my parents home to mine.  I have found lots of hearts lately all over the place.  The beach was a good place to look, but those photos aren't downloaded quite yet.  I have been a bit lazy since my return from vacation.  I guess I am just trying to relax in preparation for the weeks to come.

When I find them out in nature they make me smile.  I get a little excited and snap a picture.  This was from a tree in Heritage Park in Corolla, NC.