Motto

(Charlie showing his hurt feeling, but this really expresses a lot for me... lol!)

"Someone's opinion of you does not have to become your reality!" ~Les Brown

This is my new motto. I have spent most of my life trying to be what others wanted me to be. Sometimes it worked out for the best, but usually I just get lost in it and become miserable because I don't know how to express myself.

Lucky for me, my husband reminds me regularly that he loves ME. He only expects me to be ME and to do MY best. He doesn't care what others think of me, so neither do I. It is a whole new experience. I have had to many people, family and friends, who expect me to be something I am not, or not loving the real me. From now on I will not bend. If they love ME, they are welcome to. If they don't love ME, then I will be sad, but I will move on.

So with this new frame of mind, I have written down reminders to myself, goals to keep in mind, and things I am truly thankful for in my life. I shared them with Joel, and we are taking it one day at a time until I truly love all of ME. Not just loving me because someone else says I am great, or because my friends accept the me they wanted, but to love the real me and share that with others!

(Joel teaching Charlie to golf on our day at the hitting range)

In other parts of life, its HOT! Hot and humid, but Charlie and my neighbors granddaughter, Riley, have gotten to play in the house and with squirt guns a lot, and that is so fun. I dont want to see our water bill for this month, though!

We are heading to Missouri this weekend to hang out with our friends, the England's, who are having their third kid tomorrow. I am so excited to see little Jaimee, and my friends, and I know Charlie is excited for his friends -- and Joel to go fishing with Jason!

My mom and step dad come up next week to see us, and to load up all her stuff on a truck to move back down to Mississippi. We will miss having her close, but know she is happy to be back with him!

Joel is working a lot, which is great. We are just hoping and praying that another job comes up for this company soon since this job will be done in the next month or two. We cant afford for him to be off work too long, especially during the summer when I cant sub. We have faith we will be ok, though.

Charlie continues to grow and surprise me. He has been counting in spanish, speaking quite clearly in english, making decisions, learning to dress himself, and just all around learning and becoming such a big kid. He is so fun! He loves to cuddle, and will even turn around while sitting on my lap to randomly give me sweet kisses. He also started saying prayers (with some help) and singing along to the hymns I sing at bedtime. It is all so sweet!

I have made friends with a great neighbor. She is a little older than my parents, but can't really weed eat her own yard, and watches her 2 granddaughters during the week. So Joel fixed her old weed eater and will do both yards, and I get to use her new riding mower since I can't start ours, but do both lawns. Her 5 year old granddaughter spends a lot of time here with us playing, too. And as a thank you she is going to teach me how to quilt and let me use her machines and supplies. I am SO excited. I always wanted to know how and she used to teach. She said I could come over a couple evenings a week and spend an hour or so working. It will make for a great project, and teach me a fun skill I can use a lot. If I enjoy it as much as I think I will, I will invest in a sewing machine and start making them!