One Week From Today....

Jeff and I will fly out of Nashville for a 9-day trip that's been months in the making. We will arrive in Orlando, FL for an overnight stay and then take a shuttle on Sunday morning to Port Canaveral where we will board Royal Carribean's "Freedom of the Seas" for a 7-day cruise to CocoCay Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Neither of us have ever cruised before and are really looking forward to discovering something new. We will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary on the trip.

I am so very excited but anxious at the same time because we will be leaving our boys for 9 days. I believe the most we've ever been away from home like this (without them) is two or three nights. They'll be well cared for by Grandparents and other friends/family who love them. It just seems like a long time away the closer we get to departure.

I will have lots of pictures to share when we return but, for now, I found some pictures of the ship online:

The Nester made me think

Here I go referring to "The Nester" again. I heart her.

Some time ago, she had a post that intriqued me. Well, actually, her posts ALWAYS intrique me but apparently this one came at a time when I didn't have the time (at that moment) to read it right away. Instead, I saved it in bloglines and, today, went back to it to read and ponder. And ponder I have.

The title of this post is "Perfect vs. Good" which actually falls right in line with a saying that I've heard my husband say more than once. And that is, "Do not let the perfect get in the way of the good." Funny, how when I've heard that statement in the past, I've always applied it to someone else. Love me anyway, people, I'm just being real.

So...today as I thought about this and applied it to ME....

Well, can I just say that if someone wrote a book about this, my picture should don the cover. Let's see....

• How many years have I been needing/wanting/dying to lose weight and get in shape? 20? And what has kept me from doing it? (Besides laziness) I'll tell you what...the fact that I felt that I had to do it PERFECTLY and if I wasn't going to do it PERFECTLY then I'd just rather not do it at all.
• And since I've begun exercising regularly, how many times do I think if I can't do it at that exact PERFECT time in the morning when I'm used to doing it then I just might as well not do it at all?
• How many times am I totally overwhelmed at my house and all that needs to be done? Uh...daily probably. But contrast that with the number of days that I could be accomplishing something and don't because I want it all done, all at once, PERFECTLY and if I can't have that, then I just won't do it at all.
• How often, as I'm planning for dinner do I want to make some extravagant dinner, something new and exciting but then I realize that my kids won't eat it so I just opt for some same old, same old. Okay...there's more than one issue here. First, apparently, my kids are entirely too picky and I should make them eat what goes on the table and, secondly, I'm immature and irrational because I decide if I can't do the PERFECT thing that I want to do then I will just settle for next to nothing.
• And lastly, for the big "OUCH" of it all...how often do I think that if I can't have a certain PERFECT amount of time (that I've decided upon) to spend in the Word, then I'll just skip it altogether?

As I read what I've just typed, I realize how completely selfish and irrational all of this is. I have absolutely, positively let the PERFECT get in the way of the good. And I didn't even realize I was an "all or none kind of girl".

What does 20/300 look like?

Yesterday my uncorrected vision, on a 20/20 scale, was 20/300. The example below is 20/200 (I couldn't even find a 20/300 example).

Today, almost exactly 24 hours to the minute, thanks to Lasik surgery I have 20/20 vision!!!!

I plan to spend the rest of the day reading everything I can find - ha!

Long time no blog

I really do want to do this "blog thing". I enjoy reading so many others' and now I have been REmotivated by my friend Jennifer to give it another try.

I was surprised when I logged back on to find out that it had been almost an entire year since I last posted. Time flies!!!

Our most recent news is that I am about to have not ONE but TWO surgeries. The first, Lasik, is something that I am so excited about. I have been wearing (and abusing) soft contact lenses for almost 28 years. I am EXTREMELY nearsighted and my contacts have always been near and dear to my heart. The first thing I do in the morning is put them in and the last thing that I do at night is take them out. I have definitely overdone it to the point that me and those contacts have a love/hate relationship. I have had infection after infection and just all around trouble. I am no longer wearing my contacts but sporting what my sweet husband refers to as "those dorky glasses" until surgery day which is scheduled for May 21st.

The second surgery is not so exciting but necessary just the same. During a routine (actually my first) mammogram, a mass was found. It is not cancerous (PRAISE GOD!) but is very atypical. Therefore, it is best for it to come out. I will be seeing a Surgeon on 5/12 to make further plans.

Baseball season has started so we can be found quite often at a ball field in Franklin. Jordan is playing this year and having a great season so far. He has been hitting GREAT and doing a great job at First Base and Pitching. Braeden is taking the season off and was heard this past Sunday telling his former SS teacher that he is no longer playing but that his parents "FORCED" him to play the last couple of years. He really wants no part of organized sports though he is an active and social kid.

Catching Up

So I'm not on top of this blog thing. It's still new to me and I'm not in the habit yet.

I did want to update from my last entry that I got that dreaded crown that I had mentioned. Actually, I have the temporary one and have to go back this week for the permanent. So far, so good.

We had a busy weekend. Jeff and Jordan were in "The Music Man" at our church's annual Dinner Theatre. They had 3 performances in a 24-hour period; one Friday night and two on Saturday. In the midst of it all, Jeff ran his second 1/2 Marathon and Jordan had a baseball game (he actually had a double header but we had to forego the second one because of the play). I don't know how they made it through it all; they've been practicing for WEEKS and practiced every night for seven days straight prior to the performances beginning on Friday.

I'm very proud of Jeff! He finished the race in 2 hours and 16 minutes. He has been very dedicated! I love that about him! Well, it's ONE of the things that I love about him. There are others...too numerous to mention. I think I'll keep him around. Way to go, Honey!

Lastly, we celebrated Tate's 2nd birthday on Sunday. Her actual birthday was Friday (the 27th). We are all so glad to have this baby girl....she's not going to be worth a nickel by the time we get finished with her.

The dreaded DENTIST

Here we are....three whole posts into this blog and I'm now going to share what a wimp I am. I am HORRIFIED of the Dentist. To be very graphic, I'd rather have a pap smear than a dental cleaning. I can't explain it. I have never had any bad experiences unless, of course, they were so bad that I have buried them deep within my psyche. I just don't like it. I think that it has something to do with someone being so IN.MY.SPACE.

I have gone to many different dentists trying to see if I could find just the right one. This last time (in September) I tried the Dentist of my dear friend LeAnn. She not only referred me and gave Dr. Bradley raving reviews but she also forewarned the office that I was coming and that I was a big sissy. Actually, knowing LeAnn, she probably put it much nicer than that. Anyway, I went in September and actually did well. It had been over a year since I'd had a cleaning and I actually survived (can you believe it?). But the true test came today when the 6-month-visit came due. Two cleanings at the same office within the 6-month period that you're SUPPOSED to see the dentist. Could it possibly happen? Normally, when that second visit comes around, I'm looking for a new Dentist which, lucky for me, takes a year or so. Anyway, I am happy to announce that I did it. The sweet hygienist, Debbie, is a life saver. I think that she may have cured me. Yay for me!!! Yay for Debbie!!!

Of course now there's this little problem that I have called a broken tooth. It needs a crown. My appointment is set for April 13th so everyone pray that I have the guts to actually follow through. In this case, I don't know if I'm more leary of the visit or the $644.00 that it's going to cost me.

Just when I was getting over my paranoia.....