Weekly Mantra - I have sucked at blogging

This weekend I felt like garbage thanks to this laryngitis/ear ache business that I've had going on.  Friday night I spent time with my husband and brother, Saturday I got my hair cut and did a little shopping with my mom and Sunday I tried to get things done around the house but my body had other ideas.

This week will be busy, but thankful not as bad as last week.  I missed two days of work to travel to PA for my grandma's funeral and felt like I never caught back up. 

I believe in trying as hard as I can to be healthy this week.  I have got to stop giving in to the junk.

I’m excited that the hubby and I are taking another trip out of town this weekend.  We're headed to Detroit for his work awards ceremony.  I'm hoping that he takes home mechanic of the year!

I’m addicted to cough drops, tea and sleeping, thanks sickness!

I’m wishing for spring!!!  I saw so many signs of the warmer months this weekend: a crocus in bloom, my flowers coming up, robins in our front yard, the buds growing larger on my star magnolia, the sun shining on my way to work - spring is on the way!

I’m happy to have an amazing family.  Last week was hard on us, and I'm just so thankful that we all stick together through the good times and the bad, always supporting and loving one another.  I'm also really thankful for my pets, I know it might sound silly but my cat and dog provide a love to me that is just so wonderful and was just what I needed last week!

Weekly mantra: Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going!  I must make a healthy lifestyle a habit, I can't keep giving in and giving up!

What is your weekly mantra?  Link up over at Its a Hero!

weekly mantra - the power of three

 

I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers Rachel @ Itsahero for my weekly mantra.   Let me start by saying that this weekend sucked, big time, and bad things do happen in threes.  1) My brother got laid off just three weeks after closing on his house 2) My step-grandmother passed away on Saturday 3) Andrew and I hit a deer on Saturday morning and my car is pretty screwed up, thankfully we are okay and the car isn't totaled.  I'm still pretty shaken up though, considering we live in the country and it could happen again any time.  

This week is probably going to be insane, I am so busy at work, will have to take time off to go to a funeral, my car is wrecked and I feel like things are just going to spiral out of control at any moment.

I believe in believing in myself and trying not to be so negative all the time.  I've had a rough few weeks in many areas of my life.  I know I can be happier if I start eating healthy again and work out at least three nights a week.

I'm super excited to get my hair cut this weekend and spend some quality time with my mom.

I wish that I wasn't so emotional all the time, I've been a hot mess for days!

I'm happy to have a husband who puts up with my insanity and my emotional breakdowns.  

My weekly mantra: The moment before you are ready to quit is usually the moment right before the miracle happens.  Don't give up. 

A few pictures from over the weekend for you as well

Bluebirds at my mother-in-laws house over the weekend.

My poor Honda.....

Our long weekend together

I had my first four day weekend since Christmas and I was not ready for it to end!  Thursday I spent running errands and taking the dog to the vet.  Turns out she still has an ear infection but is healthy otherwise and got her shots for the year.  I left her with Andrew's parents since we were leaving for Hocking Hills in the morning.

Friday morning we headed to the west side of Columbus to film a TV segment for 10TV about falling in love at the metro parks.  I'll post the link when it airs around Valentines Day.  It was really fun and I can't wait to see the final result.  We headed down towards southern Ohio afterwards, stopping in Lancaster for a late lunch at Waffle House (I totally blew my diet this weekend, but it was worth it) and stopped at the antique mall in Rockbridge, OH and found some neat things in the store.

We got to the cabin around 2:45pm and checked in, immediately got in the hot tub and relaxed till dinner time.  I cooked steaks, but the stove/pans were not working my favor and they got slightly overcooked.  Its never easy cooking somewhere new. 

Cabin in the Woods

Saturday morning we were up with the sun, I cooked breakfast and we headed out to Ash Cave to do some sight seeing.  There has been some weird weather in Ohio over the last month, snow, 65 degree days, more snow, rain, another warm day which means lots of melting and re-freezing.  Needless to say the untreated trails were nothing but ice and we had a really hard time walking around.  I do have ice cleats but they weren't even doing much good on the really slick ice and since Andrew didn't have a pair, we were screwed.  We made it through one of our other favorite places and decided to give up on walking the trails after lunch. 

Ash Cave - stop one for the day

Ice formation at the bottom of the falls

From the back of the falls

Cedar Falls, the second and last hiking spot

Falls at Cedar Falls, most powerful falls in the park

 

We drove about 15 minutes north to Logan, OH and did some more antiquing and found a great discount glass outlet that sells seconds of lots of Ohio made glass.  We came back around dinner time, ate some amazing Chicken Cordon Bleu and sat in the hot tub for hours talking, having a few beers/glasses of wine and just relaxing.

I could not have asked for more, it was wonderful getting away from the world, no internet, a TV that only gets 5 channels (your basic ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and WOSU) and cell phones with no service.  Its always an amazing time for us to reconnect.  I have been in dire need of some time away from life and technology so this weekend was just the ticket.  I was not at all prepared to come home on Sunday morning, though its nice sitting here snuggling with my kitty, catching up on the DVR and drinking in every last drop of this wonderful weekend.

We get another long weekend in about 3 weeks when we head to Detroit for Andrew's work awards ceremony.  He's up for mechanic of the year and I am so proud of him!

5 years = 1,826 days

My dearest Andrew,

Five years doesn't seem like all that long ago, time has gone by so quickly.  It's hard to believe that you were 25 and I was 22 when we met, we sure didn't seem that young.

I knew then that we were meant to be together and over those next three years our relationship really grew and blossomed.  You bought a house, we moved in together, we not only feel deeper in love but we developed a great relationship with each others families, something I've always dreamed of having in a relationship.

You helped me reach my goal of finally graduating from college, you took me camping for the first time, taught me how to fish with a bait caster, made fun of me for not being able to walk up an ice covered hill, let me cry on your shoulder more times than I can count and finally one day you asked me to be your wife.  Second to meeting you and our wedding day, that was one of the best days of my life.

You've been there for me through some of my darkest hours (my dad loosing his job, me hating my job, school, my grandpa's two years of cancer treatment and his slow decline till he passed away) as well as some of my biggest joys (finally finishing school, getting a job where I could use my degree).  I just can't believe it's only been five years and we have accomplished so very much.  You can make me laugh when I am ready to loose my mind, listen to me when I sound like a fool and make me feel good about myself when I am far too negative for my own good.

This weekend we will go back to the place where it all began, that cute little cabin in Hocking Hills.  It was that dreary March weekend that I knew I wanted to marry you one day and now I am finally your wife!  So here's to a lifetime of joy and happiness together.  To our love and watching it grow and blossom as time goes on and to the years past (year 4, year 3, year 2 and year 1 which I never wrote a blog about.....my bad).

With love always,

Amanda 

Recent favorite quotes about love:

Sometimes love isn't firecrackers, sometimes love comes softly.

I have always known it was you.

 

My brother, my best friend

My brother cried more than I did on my wedding day.

His nickname for me is Sandbag because he say's I'm as useless as a bag of sand.

I know when I need someone to talk to, he is always there to listen.  When I need to complain about something he doesn't care how much I cuss and he totally understands how insane our family really is....

He adores Andrew.

He will make a total fool of himself with me, like when we sang a duet to Jackson at my wedding reception.

He's hilarious.

I spent a lot of time with Adam this weekend, he just closed on his first house and I am so proud of him for all he has accomplished at the young age of 23, almost 24.  He's getting married in May and it still seems like yesterday that we were just little kids.