Happy Birthday Meghan!

This is Meghan and Me at my Wedding.

This is my sister, Meghan. A LONG TIME AGO!

This is my sister, Meghan (on the far right), with me (left), and Rebekah (middle).

This is my sister, Meghan, NOW!!! AHHH!!! Just kidding... that's us having fun with face masks.

And here's us at Christmas.

Those are all the photos I have of her for now. Meghan is very special to me, and in honor of her birthday, which fell on April 25th (sunday), I decided to do a blog post talking about how awesome Meghan is. Noticing a theme? Everyone that matters a great deal to me gets their blog post. That's how it works.

Meghan is 26 now. I cannot believe how much she has accomplished in such a short time. Here are 26 things MEGHAN has done in her 26 years:

1. Graduated High School with A GPA of higher than 4.0

2. Graduated from UTAustin with 3 degrees.

3. Joined the Peace Corps and lived in Togo, Africa for 2 years.

4. Travelled to Thailand, Taiwan, France, and probably more countries than I can name.

5. Lived in Korea and taught children how to speak English.

6. Lived in Honduras and taught at a school there.

7. Worked at Whataburger despite being mocked for it. (these are not in order by the way)

8. Convinced me (as children) that her nerds candy weighed more than mine even after my step mom made it clear they weigh the boxes at the factory and it wasn't possible.

9. Always wins at Monopoly.

10. Got me to sit in the PEE seat everytime we rode in my Dad's Volvo (I was unaware of this fact until a few years ago)

11. Ate dog food once

12. Adopted a Korean Dog, shipped him back to the US, Rode-tripped it with me to Vegas to pick him up and bring him back to Colorado, and rehabilitated him for the last few months.

13. Left a dude on the highway because he threw a fit and threatened to walk home... she let him

14. Told someone she couldn't go out on a date because she had to "spend time with my cat"

15. Died her hair bright red like Bozo the Clown... it was hilarious

16. Told me she loved me when we thought the airplane was going to crash on the way from Taiwan to Hong Kong... we even held hands and giggled the whole time... don't tell anyone

17. After turning around and not killing us, they put us up in a hotel in Taiwan. She shared the honeymoon suite with me and I convinced her to try the Bidet... another hilarious moment.

18. Taught African women more nutritional ways of cooking for their families

19. Taught African people how to use condoms... sounds like an awkward convo to me...

20. Embraced Jeff into the family with open arms, and even defended him when I get mad at him...

21. Managed to astonish me with her ability to drive with Grandma-like reflexes and speeds... it's quite amazing to watch this woman consistantly drive at least 5 miles UNDER the speed limit

22. Also managed to astonish me with her ability to eat massive quantities of candy (ie. Sour Straws) and still maintain her girlish figure... it's impressive

23. Meghan used to be on the Debate team in high school even though I gave her tons of crap for it... it's served her well in life

24. Meghan was my Maid of Honor

25. Meghan has become one of my VERY best friends in this world, one of the few people I can call more than once a day and just talk about anything... something no one would have guessed when we were little and plotting each other's deaths

26. Meghan is a hilarious person, and made my childhood very entertaining.

So that's a little bit about Meghan. I wanted to add the very most important thing about Meghan last. Meghan is a wonderful sister. She takes such good care of me. I couldn't ask for a better big sister. She's loving, kind, and helps me sort through a lot of my weird, neurotic issues. She and I can laugh really hard, and I really appreciate that about her. Meghan is one of the most fiercly loyal people I know, and that is one of the very most important qualities a person can have in my eyes. She's a beautiful person, with a beautiful soul. I thank God so very much for giving me a sister that makes me feel as loved and makes me feel as much love as I feel for my big sister.

Happy Birthday, Meghan. You are Awesome.

I think I'm turning into who I've WANTED to be all along...

The past few months I've started seeing a change within myself. At first it was scary. Now I'm really excited! No, I'm NOT pregnant, for those of you reading between non-existant lines. But my sister, April, is.. and so is my sister-in-law Elizabeth! Liz is due in late August with a girl! I'm so excited to be an aunt again! It will be nice to have a baby around, though I am still not ready to have one of my own.

I've done a lot of soul searching. I wanted a baby so badly a few months ago. But now... I realize that it's not time for me to have one yet. My house is still not finished, my business is starting to take off, and Jeff is in the throws of a revolution at his job right now! Seriously... the entire business is about to change and Jeff's the one in charge now.

I'm so lucky to have a man like Jeff in my life. He grounds me. He takes care of me. Despite the fact that I may not deserve it.

So now is not the time for children. Now is the time for self improvement, to prepare myself to be who I want to be when I do decide to be a mother. I have to say, I'm definitely improving myself artistically. I'm on my 3rd and 4th oil paintings right now, and I'm absolutely in love with both of them. Next month I'll be entering the Phoenix and two other paintings in an art show. I won't be auctioning off the phoenix, but may auction the other two off if I can get a decent amount of money for them. I love the phoenix too much to part with it, seriously, I would have to be offered amounts of money that would pay my house off before considering selling that painting. Emotional attachment is a funny thing.

I'm doing well with my training. I love every single client I have right now. They are all such unique, fun people. They really make my life wonderful.

After attending the ACSM Training Conference a few weeks ago, I learned a lot. I have been trying to apply that knowledge to my training, and have realized I have so much to learn still! I really enjoyed my time and hope to take away from it a thirst for more knowledge! Next year is in Anaheim, you better believe I will be there, swimsuit packed and all!

Akira is doing well. She got her 1.5 year old shots a few weeks ago. Poor thing. She's been extra cuddly and I adore her so much. We also solved the litter box issue by purchasing the biggest bin we could find, building a ramp for her. Even when she tries, she can't shoot her pee out of the side of the litter box ANY MORE! *sigh of relief*

After my conference, I realized something. Jeff needed to start cardio training. Even though he's naturally low in body fat, he still needs to take care of his heart. The studies show it LOUD AND CLEAR... if you aren't getting enough cardiovascular exercise, your quality of life in all areas is significantly and negatively effected. So we started going on walks as often as possible, for at LEAST 30-60 minutes. Not only are these walks doing great things for both of us, they are bringing us closer. I really enjoy the (usually) distraction free time we have with each other (stop calling my husband while we're walking, people). I think it really makes huge difference to make the time, to shut the tv off, and to just TALK to each other. I recommend walks with your spouse very much!

In other news, my bootcamps are also going well. Jake and I have achieved a nice symbiosis, and I seriously love the people in bootcamp. It feels like a big family now. I secretly hope the Round Rock camp doesn't get started TOO soon because I would miss my peeps.

I've also been really happy to have Meghan, my sister, back in the country. She and I talk regularly and that makes me really happy to have a sister I can be so close to. Her birthday is coming up, so look for her in my spotlight this weekend!

All-in-all, I feel like I'm finally achieving something I have never achieved before in my life. Peace. I'm so at peace with where my life is right now. I'm so happy. I feel productive, like I have a niche, and very very lucky. I think the key to happiness is all in how you look at life and the people in your life. Don't dwell on the negative, just enjoy yourself and love the people in your life for who they are and how they enrich your life. To those of you who have been good to me, and made my life just a little better, I'd like to thank you.

Happy Birthday To JEFF! (sorry this is late)

As many of you already know, I have been extremely busy since my mom was here for a week, and then I had a personal training conference right after she left. Well, I'm behind on my blogging, and one of the things I neglected to do was Blog Celebrate Jeff's birthday!

Jeff turned 25 on Sunday, April 11th. I can't believe he's already 25!!! When I married him, he was 22, and I just can't seem to see him at any other age. :).

Jeff is an amazing person, he brings so much light to my life, and I wanted to showcase Jeff today on my blog, and talk about all of his WONDERFUL qualities. I will also be including many photos along the way.

Let's see... where to start....

1. Jeff... Jeff is a very handsome man. He has beautiful blue eyes, but more importantly, there is a smile behind those eyes that melts my heart. He is a genuine, loving, kind-hearted man. Truly, there is not a mean streak in his nature at all. He is 100% love and kindness.

2. Jeff works really hard (notice his bulging biceps.. hehe). He works so hard, in fact, that sometimes he doesn't take enough care of HIMSELF... he worries about others a lot more than he does himself. He's a giver. He always takes the time to take care of me first, whether I need a back rub, or help getting something opened... or reaching things... he stops whatever he is doing and helps me. He's amazing like that. He still opens my door everywhere we go. Even on his days off, he takes the time to go help his mom or dad or siblings with whatever they may need, and I think that speaks a lot about his character.3. Jeff is a really good friend and confidant. He has never broken a promise, or spilled something I've told him in confidence. He never will. He is one of the most loyal and trustworthy people I've ever known (and that's really important to me). He is my best friend.

4. Jeff is really SMART. Seriously. I am jealous of his brain. He can build/make/fix anything, and learn anything by reading a manual or book pretty much instantly. His brain works like I wish mine would. His debate skills are also some you don't want to go up against unless you are well prepared, Jeff has a wealth of knowledge and knows how to use it.

5. Jeff is really FUN! As you can see in the photo below, he doesn't take any situation too seriously unless he has to. He always jokes around and tries to keep me from getting too intense or serious about life's little mishaps. His ability to see the lighter side of life is something that helps me in a lot of situations, and also keeps us having fun. I can't imagine Jeff being too serious ever... I mean... he's just always enjoying himself.

6. I don't know if ya'll know this, but Jeff is kind of a big deal. He can rock climb, sail a boat, sodder, install flooring, install cabinets, fart butterflies, I mean... this man can do it all. I know one of the first reasons I fell in love with Jeff was because of how amazing he is. There are so many qualities to him that are impossible to put into words. I am so lucky to have a man of his caliber in my life... and I thank God for giving him to me (and at such a young age!). I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with Jeff... and I am so grateful to his mother for bringing him into the world 25 years ago.

I love you, Jeffrey... Happy Birthday!!!

Painting

So I finally finished my Phoenix painting! It was especially exciting because my MOM came to visit me, and therefore, got to witness the final touches!!! She also got to start a watercolor painting of her own! Can't wait to have her here this summer to paint with me :).
Here are the progressional photos! Enjoy :)


The Beginning...

And of course, before I finished my Phoenix, I had to create an awesome "one-day" painting out of a still life... so I chose this awesome stuffed flamingo, posed her sexy, and painted it!

Hope you enjoyed... I'm proud of myself :)