Birthday, Pumpkin Patch and Halloween Fun!

Life at the Griffin house has been jam packed, pretty sure that is the new "normal" for us now.

We had a great October and ended it with Kyle playing in an alumni soccer game at Coe, a fun trip to Bloomsberry Farm and we had a blast on Halloween.  Bella dressed up as Clawdeen from the Monster High girls.  We went to Newhall for some yummy chili and went trick or treating with Missy, Lyla, Mindy, Evey, Papa and Grandpa.  Thankfully the rain stopped, it was a chilly night but not too bad, Bella got loads of candy and had so much fun.  She said this was the best Halloween ever :)

Bella Jean is 7!

Time is just flying by far too fast, Sunday was Bella's 7th birthday!  How can she be 7 already????

At the age of seven Bella is very sweet, caring, opinionated, energetic, a bit sassy, loving, oh my goodness is she loving!  She loves school, her friends, her family, her pets Tybalt and Luna, she would do anything for anyone and just loves life!

My life is so full with her in it, she makes me smile and laugh every single day, her sweet hugs and kisses are constant, I am so, so lucky to be her mommy!

We have so much fun with her, whether we are playing games at home or just coloring, taking walks, going shopping, reading, making crafts.  She chose Arby's for her birthday dinner, she just loves Arby's :)  We love you to the moon and back Bella Jean, you make life so amazing!

Her birthday weekend also included my first figure competition.  It was an amazing experience and I'm so happy I got to share it with my family and friends, especially Bella.  She did the kids pose off and got her very own medal, I was proud of both of us, she was just over joyed.  I will never forget this weekend, so many memories made in a couple of days :)

 

Cross Country Reunion

15 years ago I was lucky enough to be part of the cross country team that won the state title!  I ran JV so I wasn't one of the runners, I cheered on the team in an awesome bobcat mascot costume :)

I do remember that day and the feeling of intense pride as I saw some of my best friends accomplish a huge goal.  To be a part of it was so amazing, that year was the best year, it was our senior year and Benton won state title in cross country, track AND softball!

We met up in Atkins for the Bobcat Invite, so much fun to walk the course and cheer on the runners, Bella went with me and she had a blast cheering everyone on :)

When we were together it was like no time had passed, well besides most of us having our children with us, it was crazy to see all these kids running around and playing together.  The weather was perfect, it was a relaxing day and Lisa even brought along some awesome pictures, even the summer running plan that Thomae gave all us :)

First Grade!

I can't believe summer is over already, it feels like it was barely here!  Bella was very excited for school to be starting, I'm so happy she enjoys school so much :)

This year Bella is in first grade.  She was so excited to go to open house and see who was in her class, sadly one of her best friends is not in her class this year but at least they can have recess together :)

Bella enjoyed her first day, although she said they didn't do much and there was no homework.  I should have recorded that, someday she will not be wanting there to be homework ;)  She was so proud to tell us that when she went through the lunch line she did such a good job getting her pineapple that a teacher told her she could help teach the Kindergartners how to go through the lunch line :)

Bella has a wonderful teacher, she is new to the district and we just really, really liked her immediately.  I think this will be a really fun year for Bella!

Hiking in Palisades

I have been HORRIBLE at posting on this blog lately!  I can't believe summer is nearly over, Bella starts school a week from tomorrow.  She is so ready for 1st grade :)

We got all of her school supplies this weekend, she picked out a sweet Barbie backpack.  We got her some new clothes, she really grew over the summer and she was super excited because she finally hit 40 pounds :)  She got a lot taller too and is officially in girls size jeans, size 5 super skinny, that was a big deal for her.

We had the best shopping trip, first we hit a couple of stores for clothes then stopped for a treat at Starbucks.  Even though I'm not supposed to eat certain items right now due to my training I may or may not know how super delicious the toasted smores tart is there ;)  Bella said it was like heaven, she loved it so much.

Then we headed out for a hike on Sunday at Palisades.  It was a beautiful day, sunny, temperature was in the 70's there was a nice breeze, we couldn't have asked for a better day.  Our hike was just over an hour, Bella did awesome, that girl has so much energy!

Hopefully this weekend we can go on another little adventure before she starts school, she is growing up way too fast, we are enjoying every second :)

Missing Two Front Teeth!

Bella's top two front teeth have been pretty loose for a while now.  She has been trying so hard to pull them out, but they just wouldn't budge.  She was getting pretty frustrated and couldn't understand why they weren't ready to come out.

When I picked her up last night from Lily Pad she was so excited to show me one of her teeth had come out!  Apparently she was playing house with one of her friends and someone her friend got her hand on Bella's tooth and when she moved her hand the tooth popped out, she was so, so happy!

Bella just had to include Luna in the picture, my two sweet darlings :)

Later that evening I noticed her other tooth looked crazy crooked, like an ugly witches tooth that sticks straight out, seriously it was kind of freaky.  So Bella decided to try to pull it out, and she got it out!  She lost not one but two teeth yesterday!  The excitement in our house was just crazy :)

This time Luna wouldn't cooperate to be in the photo but you can see her tail in the lower left corner of the photo :)  How cute is our little princess with that big gap in her teeth?? :)

The tooth fairy snuck in in the middle of the night and left Bella $1 for both of her teeth.  Bella was beyond thrilled and so excited to show us this morning.

I asked her if she heard the tooth fairy and she said, "no mommy, the tooth fairy must be very small to be able to sneak in my room, like through the window or something, and take my teeth and leave a dollar, she is so sneaky."

I love this age and the innocence, makes me feel kind of guilty when someday she will realize the tooth fairy, santa, easter bunny, etc are mommy and daddy.  But hopefully we still have a few years before we hit that point! 

The Color Run

What a fantastic time I had this weekend at the Color Run!  I took off work early on Friday, got myself and Bella packed up, picked up my sister Mindy and headed out to my parent's house to head to Des Moines.  We picked up our sister Jenn there and my parent's drove separately.

We stayed at my brother John's house and went to dinner at Cosi Cucina, oh my goodness, it was amazing!!!  I had the mushroom lasagna, to say it was cheesy and rich is an understatement.  Seriously one of the best dishes I've ever eaten and I was happy to run Saturday morning and head to the gym Saturday night after eating that meal on Friday!  We enjoyed dinner with John, Liz, Larry, Elaine and Missy, it was a great dinner, besides our waiter having a small freak out at the end of our meal.  It was truly bizarre, he was "gracious" enough to remove the gratuity from our bills.

We stayed up and played a game of trivial pursuit before everyone headed home or off to bed.

Saturday morning we were up by 6:15, got our "gear" on and had my dad take some photos for us.  He was so worried about using my camera but he did a great job :)

We couldn't pass up the tutu's at the Color Run store when we picked up our packets :)

Of course Bella needed a tattoo as well :)

It was insane the amount of people that were there, I know quite a few people that were also running in it but never managed to find anyone.  They had Zumba beforehand for everyone to warm up, it was so much fun!  The atmosphere was phenomenal, truly the happiest 5k I've ever been too :)

They let large groups go in separate heats, we got to see mom, dad, Bella and John before we started.  It was a bit frustrating at first, our group consisted of mostly walkers so there was a LOT of weaving through people.  The color stations were so much fun, we spun through the line of people spraying us with color so were covered front and back.

I loved experiencing this with two of my sisters, we ran the entire race, Mindy did awesome for only running once before the weekend.  I would love to do another one in the future and have Bella do it with us next time :)

Finishing off with a bit more color :)

Bella Just Dance

Bella playing her favorite Wii game, Just Dance :)  You can't really hear the music but she is dancing to Dynamite.  We play this game every night, we have so much fun!  She starts her hip hop dance class tomorrow night and is super excited :)

Bella's Dance Recital Rehearsal

Here is the video of Bella's recital rehearsal, she is the very first dancer in back row marching out.

For the rehearsal she was a bit confused but at the recital she totally killed it :)  At the rehearsal all the lights are on and she can see everyone in the audience, at the recital she can't see anyone in the audience because the only lights on are on the stage.  I think that makes a difference for her, she still did good and looks so darn cute!

She starts her summer hip hop class next Thursday, she is super excited!

9 Years!

I adore this photo of Kyle and I on our wedding day, it has been 9 years already!!!  We look so young and happy, I love it.

To say we've been through quite a bit in these 9 years is more than true.  I couldn't have imagined some of the obstacles we've had to overcome and some we are still trying to find our way through.

We've had our ups and downs like most couples, but more happiness and love than anything.  Kyle still makes my heart flutter, is my biggest supporter and helps me to try to accomplish every dream I have.

I'm so lucky to have this man by my side every day of my life, he is the most amazing daddy, husband, friend.  I love you Kyle, more than I could ever express!

Officially Graduated

Our little princess officially graduated from the Tiny Dancers program at Dancer's Edge on Monday!  She was so, so proud of herself and is ready for Level I dance classes.

This is a big week for Bella, it's recital week!  She had her final class on Monday night, dress rehearsal is Friday night and her recital is Saturday.  To say she is excited is an understatement.

To see how far she has come in dance these past three years is just amazing, she really does love to dance.  When we are cleaning the house and have the music blasting she usually just makes up her own dances while we clean, then we have to take a break for her show, she is quite the little performer.

We are so proud of you Bella Jean!

Bella Swimming

Bella is at the end of her first session of swimming lessons, she really has worked so hard but we will have her do Level II again.

Bella literally can't float, she just sinks.  Her teacher said it isn't very often that she has a student that can't do the back float, but that's fine and we'll just keep at it and hopefully by the end of summer she will be floating away :)

Happiness

 Life has been good for our little family.  Sorry the updates on this blog have been few and far between!

We had a wonderful Easter and spent it at my parent's house, so much love when we all get together, the egg hunt was a blast even with the crazy winds and cold weather.  Bella got lots and lots of candy that will probably last her until next Easter!

She likes to pose like a ballerina when she wears dresses, she picked this one out herself.  Quite a change from her normal pink or purple!

I turned 32 this year, we had a wonderful night out with my family, can't believe I'm 32 life is going by way too fast!

We got to help my niece Lauryn get ready for her dance recital photos this past weekend.  My sister Laura helps her friend Jill who does the photography so I got to do Lauryn's hair and makeup and get her to the studio.  Bella loved watching me of course, she is really getting into fashion.

I'm thinking we're going to have a girly tomboy on our hands, we're so happy for that :)  Yesterday was a beautiful day and we live a half mile from Bella's school.  So we decided to head to the playground there and Bella wanted to run.  It was awesome, my first run with my daughter and she did great.  We ran all the way to the playground, played on the equipment and had some soccer practice with daddy, then we ran all the way home.

I already know we have a little runner on our hands and I couldn't be happier. One of the biggest positives that has come out of the changes we've made at home to eat healthier and consistently exercise is seeing Bella watch the changes in us and making better choices herself to live healthier.

She truly enjoys the protein smoothies I make at home, having a good protein and veggies for dinner, exercising.  I made some progress this week, I can finally do more push ups than Bella :)  She may be small but she is strong!

Tiny Dancer No More

Monday night after dance class Bella got her official notice that she has completed the Tiny Dancers program at Dancer's Edge!

Bella is so, so excited!  In Tiny Dancers she learned tap and ballet, now she will have the option to take Ballet I, Tap I, Jazz I, or Hip Hop I.  We will keep her in ballet for sure, it is universal and she needs that if she ever wants to do Lyrical or Jazz.

We were discussing the classes and she wants to do Ballet of course and when I asked her what else she would like to do she said:

"Well mom, hip hop of course!  I mean, I can break dance and Lauryn (her cousin) and I always do hip hop dances together."

Geez, how the heck did I not know my little girl would want to do hip hop? :)

So we're thinking she can do hip hop for the summer, if she really does love it then our little Bella will be performing in Ballet and Hip Hop for her recital next year.  I love her ambition, she can do anything and I'm so proud that she feels that way herself!

Next year could prove to be very exciting for Bella, Theatre Cedar Rapids will be giving a performance of Les Mis next fall.  My sister Mindy volunteers for them as a make up artist, Bella and I got to go with her while she did make up for the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz last Friday.  Bella LOVED it, she was amazed by the dressing room area, the makeup, the transformation, just had a great time.

So Mindy mentioned to me yesterday that they will be looking for a girl age 7-8 to play the part of young Cosette.  Ok so this musical is one of my FAVORITES, Mindy is really wanting Bella to try out for the part next spring.  I talked to Bella about it last night and she is already starting to learn "Castle on a Cloud".  She sounds so cute right now singing it, she is very excited and happy she has so much time to learn the song and learn more about singing.

I'm one happy mommy, my little princess is growing up so fast, I am so, so beyond happy that we are able to have her do these things that she loves so much.

Bella can do anything she puts her mind to, now if only we could get her to get the hang of holding her breath under water :)

Swimming Lessons

We finally got Bella started in swimming lessons, she goes every Tuesday and Thursday night.  She has been so, so excited to get started this week!

Bella is smaller, we all know that, height is not her strong point and there is nothing wrong with that.  Although when you can't quite touch the bottom at the 3 - 4 foot end of the pool where your lessons are, it can make things a tad difficult.

Her teacher thought Bella would be able to touch the bottom, but Bella told her she didn't think she could, Bella was right.  She had to hold onto the side of the pool through the lesson while the other kids jumped around in the water and Bella tried not to get splashed.  I could see the fear in her eyes when the teacher would be helping another student while the other kids were jumping around by Bella.  But then Bella would look at me, I would smile and she would smile back and put on her brave face.

I put on my brave face too as I sat there watching my little peanut and making myself stayed seated rather than grabbing her and running.  Ok, a little over dramatic I know, but honestly my anxiety was through the roof through the entire lesson.

I'm so, so proud of my girl though, she proved to me yet again that she is so brave and willing to try anything.  Her teacher was so supportive and whenever Bella said she thought she couldn't do something Jessica was right there to assure her that she could with some help, then Bella would trust Jessica and do the exercise.

At the end of the lesson they went to a deeper part of the pool, because all the other kids are fairly tall, so the kids could jump in one at a time.  Bella was scared, but with some assurance from Jessica that she would catch her in the water, she did it!  The first time Bella went under, she didn't freak out, the second time Jessica made sure she didn't go all the way under.

I was anxious to chat with Bella when we got to the car and she said, "oh mommy, I loved it and wish I could go back tomorrow instead of waiting for Thursday!"

After a few lessons I'm sure my anxiety will go away, I'm just so, so proud of Bella!

Tybalt

After a rough few days with Tybalt he is finally back to his old self.  I must admit it was pretty scary over the weekend with him not eating, vomiting constantly, only wanting water or to go outside and try to eat snow.

I ended up taking him back to the vet Saturday morning, he had lost seven pounds in two days.  Two of those pounds were from the lipoma, but a five pound loss was quite a bit for him, he is down to 102 pounds.  He got a shot of anti nausea medication and thankfully that seemed to do the trick.

It took him until late Saturday night, but when my big boy walked over to his dish and ate the little bit of hamburger and rice, we could have had a party for how big that celebration was!  Slowly but surely he has gotten back to normal with his eating and drinking, we mix his antibiotic in with his food and it doesn't seem to be upsetting his tummy at all.  The vet is pretty sure he was so sick from the anesthesia, he had never been put under before.

He still has to wear his tube until the 21st when they take out the staples.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I can't wait until next weekend when we get out on our first walks, no big lump to worry about, and helping him to lose maybe a couple more pounds the healthy way :)

Bella has been a wonderful big sister, so worried about Tybalt, making him notes and staying by his side, we love our big boy!!!

Our Big Boy

Tybalt has had a growth on his side for over a year now.  We knew it would be costly to have it removed so we've had to wait, but we were finally able to do it.

We decided to go to a different vet because over the past couple years the vet we used before had just gotten rude and their service was terrible plus extremely expensive.  They told us Tybalt was overweight at 90 pounds and tried to have us buy their weight loss food, they told us Tybalt's teeth were terrible and he needed their expensive dental cleaning.  So we wanted another opinion.

The vet we are now using is wonderful, the staff is amazing, we just love them.  We didn't tell them anything about our previous experience, we wanted to know what they thought of Tybalt without knowing that.  Tybalt weighed in at 109 pounds, it is winter and he usually puts on some weight, but I was shocked he weighed that much.  We were told he isn't necessarily overweight, yes he could lose about 10 pounds but not much more than that, he is just an extremely large boxer.  We told them we wanted his teeth cleaned and they asked us why.  On a scale of 1 to 4 Tybalt is maybe a high 1, there is no need to have his teeth cleaned.

Can I tell you how happy I was we went somewhere else????

We made the appointment to get his lump removed, thankfully they are 99% positive it is not cancer.  He has never exhibited signs of being sick and would have by now if it was.  So he got that removed and another one that was on his front left leg, that one was much smaller but since he had to be put under anyway why not remove that one too?

When I picked him up yesterday, he was a sad site, he was pretty drugged up.  His neck is too big for the "cone of shame" so instead he got this inflatable tube.  Poor guy, I feel bad for him, he has to wear that for two weeks until he gets his staples out.

He was pretty wobbly last night, he has to stay upstairs because he isn't supposed to go on too many stairs, we have to take him out on a leash to make sure he is careful and doesn't mess anything up.  Bella has been very sweet and protective, she is very happy he doesn't have to wear the "cone of shame", that was her biggest concern :)

We love you Tybalt and can't wait for you to be back to normal!

Lifestyle Changes

Over the past couple of years life has seemed to be never ending bad news, shocking news, just so many bumps in the road.

We had decided that 2013 would NOT be like the past two years, we went into it with a positive outlook, knowing we would not take on others problems, and try to fix them, we would put more focus on each other, we would work hard to make it be OUR year.

I can report so far so good :)  I'm not saying there haven't been bumps, of course there have been, but we've gotten over them pretty smoothly, calmly and with a positive mind set.

We have changed our eating and are really trying to eat much more "cleanly". It is going well, thanks to Pinterest I am able to find recipes, yummy ones at that, and not run out of ideas.  I can say that for myself I have noticed a big difference, but I know that is also from my other lifestyle change.

Kyle is back in at a gym, he is loving it and I know this is the right place for him.  Personal training is what he truly loves, he will be doing that along with different classes and possibly have a big role at the gym once they open in their new location on April 1st :)

This is the year that will be competing in a figure competition in October.  In January and February I did the P90X dvds, which were great but I get bored easily with it so we began my training in the gym with Kyle.  Yes, my awesome husband will be my personal trainer on this journey, I will also have a posing coach but I won't start working with her until May/June.

This is a big deal for me and something I've been wanting to do for a long time, this year I was just ready to go and I've made amazing progress so far. Today was our first day with a 5am workout it, we did it and I need to continue to do that.  

From eating better, exercising daily, drinking a lot of fluids I can say that I have had NO dizzy spells, I never feel light headed, my heart feels great.  I knew the changes would have a positive impact, but it has been better than I could have anticipated!

The other night Kyle had me watch some YouTube videos of figure competitions and Bella was watching them with me.  She is very excited for mommy to be doing this, she was watching it and she said to me, "but mommy you are already really skinny so you don't have to work out."

Ahhhhhhhh, such a sweet little angel!!!!  I had to explain to her that mommy doesn't quite have the muscle tone yet to walk on stage in a bikini.  Watching that seemed to make it more real for Bella even, she now realizes what I will actually be doing and she can't wait to cheer me on :)

Bella the Tiger

There she is, the cutest little tiger ever!  Mindy, Evey and I headed to Newbo City Market to check it out.  I'm in LOVE.  So happy that Cedar Rapids has such a neat new place, we ate dinner there, watched a juggling show, listened to the band playing, Bella got the best face painting job ever (and now I think I know what we will be doing for her birthday party this year, can't pass up this awesome artist offering such a great deal for birthday parties) and saw some old friends.

Of course the best part for Bella was getting her face painted, seriously the woman that did it was AH-MAZING!!!!  Bella was a bit shy at first while we walked around and people tried talking to her about her cute tiger face, eventually she would growl a little and tell me she was a real tiger :)

The Dirty Pearls

So I went to high school with this awesome guy Tommy Mokas, such a great friend, very talented, funny and he had a dream.  Well his dream has come true, his band The Dirty Pearls are currently opening for Lady Gaga on her tour.

On their way from the Kansas City show to the Minneapolis show The Dirty Pearls stopped in Cedar Rapids for a free show!  I was so excited and there was no way I missing it, even on a Tuesday, thank goodness for vacation days because it took me most of Wednesday to recover :)

I've been to a few concerts, this one beats them all, sure it helps knowing the guy playing lead guitar, but it was just such an awesome show and everyone in the band is so damn nice!  They seriously ROCK and it was an honor to be watching Tommy rock out, check them out, I have a feeling they will be around for a very, very long time.

Myself, Tommy and Brienne

3 of the 4 of us from our volleyball team :)

My beautiful little sisters!

Tommy doing what he does best, rocking out!

Girls Are Mean

Tonight I noticed that Bella was acting "off".  We are lucky in the sense that she is a very laid back child, loves to sit and color, play games, read books, watch Scooby Doo, play Barbies, she has some sass but not too often.  She is always very happy, laughing, playing, just being silly, not so much tonight.  She seemed sad and just wanted to snuggle.

Immediately I thought she was sick, but no temperature and she told me she felt ok.  At that moment she said nothing was wrong and she didn't know why she was feeling sad.  So I dropped it and let her snuggle with Papa watching some tv.

When it was bedtime, that was time for us to have a talk.  Bella has had problems with a girl in her class since the first day of school, as a mother it has been heart wrenching to see her go through this.  I notified her teacher immediately and she has been wonderful, the counselor as well.  It seemed like things were getting better, there have been some issues here and there, but nothing too major.

So I ask Bella to tell me about her day, how school is going, how Lily Pad was after school.  She gets all excited and is telling me about her day at school and then she pauses and gets this sad look on her face.  She tells me that her timeline material got put on the wrong table and the girl she has issues with grabbed it and was very rude and pushy in giving it to Bella and trying to make her take it away.  Bella said she went to tell her teacher right away, but the girl was pretty rude the entire day.

Bella then goes on and says, "mommy, I just don't know why she doesn't like me."  OMG, talk about heartbreaking, to see my little Bella all teary eyed, holding back the sobs and being strong, wondering how someone could not like her.  I told her immediately how wonderful, amazing, strong, sweet, caring, loving she is, I mean it was serious diarrhea of the mouth!

Then Bella hugged me and said, "I know mommy, you tell me every day how special and strong I am.  I know that and I have way more friends than "the girl" does because she is bossy and mean to everyone.  She gets in trouble a lot and I just wouldn't want to be her friend."

WOW.  I could not be more proud and in awe of my six year old daughter, seriously.

We have long road ahead of us, there will be mean girls throughout her life.  I hope we continue to help Bella grow into a strong and confident young lady, I know from personal experience how tough it can be to not have the confidence to face the mean girls.

I love you Bella, you teach me more than you could ever know and make me want to be a better person every day.

Say A Little Prayer

Pam Mohwinkle passed away on Friday, January 18th.  She was a bright light for so many people, a rock for her family, such a very special person.

And He will raise you up on eagle's wings, Bear you on the breath of dawn, Make you to shine like the sun, And hold you in the palm of His Hand. And hold you in the palm of His Hand.

Rest in peace Pam, you will forever be remembered and in the hearts of all you have touched with your beautiful life.

LOVE

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides. ~ David Viscott

Hug your family, tell them how much you love them, don't take anything for granted.

A tough week in this life, a very dear family friend that has been battling cancer for years is facing her final battle.  I pray for her and her family, watching a loved one lose their battle to cancer is one of the hardest things anyone can go through.

I pray for peace for her family, and peace for Pam.  God please wrap her in your warm embrace and carry her to your Kingdom, give peace to all those who love her and give them the strength to say goodbye.

Changes in 2013

Life is just full of surprises!

After an interesting journey for Kyle he decided to resign from his sales job right before Christmas, it just wasn't a good fit, he wasn't making any money and was very unhappy.

Kyle has been bartending at a Japanese steakhouse, Osaka, he loves it there and is happy to be bartending again.  We are grateful that he had this job while the sales job was obviously not working out.

He had applied for a position as a Business Coach with Jimmy John's, he was the perfect candidate and they were very excited to have him join their team. That was until he went in for the face to face interview (which was a six hour drive round trip), wearing a nice long sleeved button up and he was asked if he had tattoos.  Yes he has tattoos, he showed they guy his tattoos and was told he would get a phone call later in the day about the job.  He was told he would have the job as long as their tattoo policy worked out with his tattoos.

Rather than a phone call Kyle received a very short email from Jimmy John's letting him know they do not hire people that have to cover tattoos.  It was a joke, we went on a rampage and found out there are numerous employees that have tattoos that are visible.  Jimmy John's in this area will have lost some business, the tattoo community is pretty large here and we're a tight group.  The support has been overwhelming!!!  

There are some that want us to file a lawsuit, but really what would that give us, other than bills for a lawyer and a big headache.  No thanks, we just choose to never give Jimmy John's our business again.

We went through all of this and the Saturday after the Jimmy John's debacle Kyle is now going to be a personal trainer and class instructor for the biggest 24 hour gym in Cedar Rapids.  Too say he is excited is an understatement!  He has wanted to get back into a gym for a very long time.

How funny life is, it seems everything has worked out as it should.  I get a free gym membership and we have an amazing gym to use for my training for the figure competition that I WILL be doing this year in October.  That fun is all being documented on my fitness blog :)

We have decided as a family to cut out as much negativity and drama as we can.  I know it is just the beginning of January but man are we taking this seriously.  It is amazing how much better it feels to leave others' drama to themselves, ignore any negativity, and choose to be a more positive family for us but mostly for our beautiful daughter Bella.

Speaking of Bella, she is rocking at school, reads like a champ, can add and subtract, LOVES school, I could go on and on about our angel who gets us through everything and teaches us to just be happy and enjoy our life together.