Christmas Tradition

Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends. ~Margaret Thatcher


My Mom buys us a new ornament every year. This is what she picked out this year. The other side of the plane says '10 Year Anniversary'.

Me vs. The Christmas Tree

The opponent in its corner. Isn't this always the moment when you really stop and think 'Maybe we don't need to put a tree up this year?' No? It's just me then?

And then I pull it all out and I think 'Ok, there are ONLY three pieces. You can do this. It will be easy.' Yes, I give myself pep talks...often.

I spent a good 10 minutes fluffing all the branches on this section just to realize, after I was completely done, that it was not the bottom of the tree. It was the middle section actually.

This is what I get for my struggle with the bottom...er middle...of the tree.

The dogs were absolutely no help.

See, it's so pretty when its all up and fluffed. All worth it...it was all worth it.

I wish I had taken a picture of the glitter all over my hands when I was done. A glittery tree is a happy tree.

My name is Jinny..

“Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the circus has left town.” ~ George Carlin

..and I'm a recovering food junkie.

I know sometimes people don't quite understand my relationship with food. Or maybe they think they understand. OR maybe they think I'm kidding when I talk about my own 'recovery'.

I look at my previous relationship with food as an abusive one. It would lure me in, distract me, promise me the moon and stars. And then it would destroy my will power, my body, my self-esteem. But, for the longest time, I could not stop the cycle.

I once ate five donuts in one day. I had brought the donuts for everyone but the box was left by my desk...bad idea. All day they whispered in my ear. I swear I could SMELL them. And while I was sure no one would see me, I had five donuts...along with the rest of my 'normal' food.

I use to consume little debbie snacks after I got home from work, before Jeremy got home so he didn't see. And I would make sure to stuff the wrappers down in the trash so he wouldn't notice.

If I walked into the breakroom and another group was having a goodie day (pot luck), I would pick over their desserts and keep one eye on the door to make sure I didn't get caught red handed.

That was my life with food. It's like I KNEW what I was doing wasn't right and yet I could not stop myself. I've somehow, over the last several years, re-trained my brain and broke the cycle..thank God. I haven't had a little debbie snack in..I can't even remember how long and the thought never crosses my mind to buy them. But that doesn't mean that I don't still have a split second of indecision whenever confronted with a box of donuts left for anyone or a table full of sugary goodness. The voice is still in my head that I could have just ONE more (it's Christmas, your birthday, Saturday, President's day...after all).

I'm not sure the voice will ever be totally silent. It will probably be with me for the rest of my life. I have a roll of mental duct tape now, however, and I'm no longer afraid to wrangle that bitch to the ground and tape her big fat mouth shut.

Happy 8th Birthday, Mack

~ You said thank you for all your gifts without having to be asked.

~ You get a real big kick out of the fart app on Jeremy's phone.

~ You like to watch the Walking Dead.

~ You are a total goof ball.

~ You let me call you 'Baby'.

~ You still let me hug you just a little longer than everyone else.

Young Talent

When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said, "You mean they forget?" ~Howard Ikemoto

Because I need a smile

She makes me smile

Last Friday I had to take Duke to the vet. He's been having some itchy skin problems so it was time to get him looked at. Since we are a one car household sometimes getting from point a to point b can be tricky. And in rare cases, not possible, like Friday. So I called my Mother-in-law who was more than willing to give me (and Duke) a ride. Of course that meant my three year old niece, Dolly, would be along as well.

A child's mind amazes me. I can totally understand how being around a three year old (or a bunch of three year olds) all day long could be exhausting. But since I'm not around her all day I find her enchanting and hilarious. Oh the joys of being an Aunt.

So anyways, we are in the exam room with the vet and after a quick look-me-over, the vet decides to give Duke a shot of something or other. Now Dolly, who had been chattering along and moving here to there came close to the table and watched over the edge in silence as the vet gave Duke his shot. And once the vet left she looked at my Mother-in-law and says, in only a way a three year old could, 'He didn't even cry, Nanny'.

Bible Verses I Like

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37

"You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:14-16

"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13

A Photo That I Love

I love this photo because it captures my husband perfectly. Other than personality, which is great..y'all should be sad if you don't know my husband..he is a very good egg, this photo is everything that I love about my husband.

1. Red hair. It's sort of his signature and all natural. He's worn it long enough to put in a ponytail and cropped like a military cut. I like it in between. I swear he's been able to grow a beard since the 8th grade. He's been clean shaven a few times since we've been together, but the goatee is pretty standard.

2. T-shirts. Also signature. My husband owns just about every Metallica t-shirt there is. If it's not a Metallica t-shirt, it might be AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Ford Mustang, Marshall, ESP, or Gibson.

3. Jeans. You won't find him in anything else. He was wearing the 'distressed' jean before it was trendy..and expensive.

4. Converse. He wears a pair until they fall apart and then we MUST go out immediately and buy a new pair.

5. Tattoos. I love his body art. Every piece is beautiful to me.

6. Guitars. It's in his blood. Music is something he is so passionate about. He has been playing guitar for forever, self-taught. When we moved in together he had two, which turned into one, and now we are up to four (I think) and a bass. He always wants more but I keep asking him where he thinks we are going to put MORE guitars.

7. His smile. His happiness is my happiness. I love when I can make him laugh.

GGGGooooaaallllsss!

I like to keep things simple, people!

Goal #1: Buy a bigger house. I need a house that is big enough to have guests and to host holidays.

Goal #2: Pay off debt. I don't want to make more money, we make plenty. I just need for us to free up more of that money. We are working on this now.

That's it...that's the list.

No No No

I do not have time to be sick. I have things to do, blogs to write, Christmas gifts to wrap, dogs to tend to, books to read, birthdays to celebrate, closets to go through, and grandpa's turkey to daydream about.

You see...no time to feel puny. So it just cannot happen.

What I Believe

Dang, that's sort of intense.

I have struggled with the definition of my faith for years now. I knew what I believed, I just wasn't sure what to call it since it didn't align with any of the mainstream religions. I've thought about writing more about my faith several times but always decide against it. I don't want to worry anyone and I definitely do not want anyone to tell me what I believe is wrong and try to convince me to feel otherwise. I am respectful enough of other people's religions and believes, it's sad that I cannot trust them to be the same.

I believe in God. I believe in goodness. I believe in love. I believe in light. These things are the foundation of my faith. My faith is my own. It is deep and it is strong. I pray and I know my prayers are heard and answered. I acknowledge and recognize all the blessings that God has given to me (sometimes not until later). I believe that we are imperfect beings and that God does not expect us to be perfect but to be wonderfully human. I believe that God wants us to be happy and to love each other. I do not witness by my mouth, but I try to witness by my life.

And that is about all I have to say about that.

A Girl and her Swing

TV shows I watch

I don't watch a lot of TV. I've never really been into Gossip Girls, Entourage, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Gilmore Girls, Vampire Diaries, The Hills (or any of the original/spin offs), Jersey Shore...etc, etc.

There are only three TV shows that I watch faithfully:

1. America's Next Top Model "Reality" TV at it's finest...meaning there is nothing 'real' about it. The photo shoots and challenges are ridiculous. And Tyra's head is so big I'm surprised she isn't knocking over the other judges. But, it's ssssooo good! To see these crazy ass girls (all very pretty in their own ways) trying to live together and do their best on these far-fetched challenges is very entertaining.

2. The Biggest Loser I don't care if it's fake, rigged, actors for trainers..it's inspirational. At least, it always inspires me.

3. Destination Truth The crew is hilarious. My favorite parts of the show are when they are trying to actually get to their destination. The interaction with other cultures and their rental vehicle troubles have me laughing.

Fear

1. Deep water. I've always had a fear of water. It took me for-ever to wash my own hair in the bathtub. I'm not sure why I'm so scared. It's not like I have ever been close to drowning. I was sort of born with it. Once, when we were in Florida, I just about refused to get on a speed boat to go to an island.
2. I mentioned that I was claustrophobic. Yeah, crowded spaces are NOT for me.

3. I'm afraid of getting fat again. It's sort of an irrational fear. I have an eye on the scale (and it hasn't budged in months) but I still worry that one morning I might wake up and be 200+ lbs again. Totally irrational (but that's fear for ya).

'Cause You Gotta Have Friends

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse



1. My husband. He really is my very best friend. He knows me inside and out. There is nothing I have to hide from him. There isn't anything I can't talk to him about. He makes me laugh. I love just being with him.

2. My seester. Friends and friends, but my sister is my blood. I know she will ALWAYS be there. She is family. She gets where I am coming from (because she came from there too!).

3. Jennifer. My SWB 4 life. She is the first friend I made as an 'adult' and it turns out we went to elementary school together...small world. We get each other on so many levels. Being friends with Jennifer is easy. We have a blast when we are together, but don't sweat it if we haven't spoken in weeks. She and I have the type of friendship that we don't have to tell each other what all we would do for each other. If she called me up and 2 AM and needed me to come and watch her kids because of an emergency I would TOTALLY do that for her...and she knows that. She trusts me with her dog..hey, that says a lot!

4. Julia. We have a lot of history. A lot. Mucho. Oh the stories we could tell. She cracks me up. And no matter how much time has passed we just pick it up like we just talked yesterday. We've been friends since junior high. There was a year in there that she wanted to kick my ass. I've been searched by police for her. And there is always Mexico.

Places I've Been

I've traveled a little within the USA. Oklahoma, California, Minnesota, Florida. But there are three trips that stick out in my mind.

1. Colorado. This is the vacation we talk about most. We visited Colorado in May of 2007 for a week. This was the trip that I finally was able to met my friends face to face. Let me explain, for years I've been part of a very close online community of wacky, wonderful women. I 'speak' to these ladies every day online but have yet to meet all of them in the flesh. This trip to Colorado was a chance to finally hug their necks and see their faces. Colorado is a beautiful state. The weather couldn't have been better while we were there. I am aching to go back (especially now that I've lost weight..I have hikes to tackle..that tackled ME last time).

2. Hawaii. Jeremy and I decided to go to Hawaii to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. If you are going to celebrate, might as well go big..right? Hawaii had it's ups and downs but it was still a wonderful vacation with my husband. I don't know if I will ever get a chance to go back...I hope so..especially for the summer. It was SO windy while we were there that we didn't really get to enjoy the beach and the water like I wanted. So...here's to next time...hopefully?!

3. New York. It truly was the trip of a lifetime. Even though I got sick while I was there, I was a little paranoid about being mugged on the street, and I was TOO fat..I am so thankful I had the chance to go to New York with those three young ladies. It was...a whirlwind. It was...freakin' cold, y'all! I want to go back (do I sound like a broken record?) in the spring when Central Park is alive with color..with my husband so I can kiss him while riding in a horse-drawn carriage.