When Mom's Away the Shorties Will.....Draw?

This past weekend I was blessed enough to visit Wilmington with 10 of my closest friends and 152 8th graders. [Yes, I was dropped on the head and kicked as a child.....who in their right mind would go across the street with 152 8th graders, much less Wilmington? This chick!!] We had a blast! This is my skating weekend. Our first night there we always skate and I ♥ it! I am three for three - haven't fallen down in 3 consecutive years!! [Shocker to some of you that know me well and have seen me fall down while walking...or standing.] We asked the DJ [who was a tad old to be hangin' at the skating rink on a Thursday evening...just sayin'] to play some stuff from the 80s and it was fabulous!! J. Geils + Centerfold while skating = Awesome!! [I so became an even bigger dork in the eyes of some 8th graders. They will get over it.] We ate at Golden Corrall two nights in a row [Yum.], did some bowling [I would bowl a strike then knock down one pin. I am a fantastic bowler.], visited some historical sights, had a dinner cruise [Totally enjoyed the Cupid Shuffle but the creeper watching the bathrooms sort of made me want to jump off the boat or just pee in my pants], went deep sea fishing [and I caught a cool fish], and simply had a fantastic time. I work with some really wonderful people and this is one of my favorite trips with some great friends.


Poor Short had to handle the house all by himself. And, in classic Short fashion, he dun real good :) He fixed homemade lasagna on Thursday [Some of you just hit your husbands and asked them why they can't fix dinner] and took the whole crew to the Merry-Go-Round Festival on Saturday. Then, it happened:

I was on a boat [I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat. Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat....] with the entire group, gettin' my dance on, when Craig sends me this picture and this text:

This is what Gabe does to the walls when he finds a sharpie! We need our mommy at home!

I laughed [as in horse laughing, doubled over and snorting] when I opened this text. I am quite sure Gabe really wanted me home after his Pops yelled at him. I told him we would put a frame around it and consider it Gabe's homemade art ~ Short did not agree with me.

Lessons learned from this:
1. Keep all Sharpies under lock and key. [Otherwise, you'll find fine art and tattoos]

2. Never, EVER leave Gabe alone. For any reason. At any time.

3. Don't sweat the small stuff :)

As always, even with Sharpie on the wall, life as a Short is good.

One Small Step

So I love IgniterMedia.com! My first experience with them was a video during the Overflow service at First Baptist Church of KM. [FYI ~ The COOLEST and MOST AMAZING church EVER. We are so very blessed to be a part of a such a wonderful place. We've met the most amazing people, made some of the most amazing friends ever, and are truly thankful to God for leading us to join.] Igniter Media has some of the coolest videos ever. Some are specific to holidays, some are specific to problems people face, and some are just about church, religion, Christ, etc. I found this one today while on Youtube and it really spoke to me.

I am struggling with running and weightloss and preparing for these triathlons. My amazing mother has lost 42 pounds and she looks fabulous. She rides and swims almost every day. My awesome sister has lost nearly 15 and she is kickin' rear and taking names when it comes to the swim, bike, run thing. She has a little over 3 weeks until the Iron Girl in the ATL and she is going to do so great! I am so proud of both of them. They are so dedicated and they have really worked very hard since we started this triathlon thing. What about me? Hmmmmm....well let's see. The last bike ride I took was in November? The last swim I took? September 26 - the day of the Ramblin' Rose. The last run? Hmmmm.....April 2nd across the Cooper River Bridge. I haven't been to the Y all week. [It has been spring break and all but...] I have worked in the yard all week with Craig and the kids so it's not like I've sat inside and watched TV. [We didn't even turn the TV on until late at night to watch the news and weather - just like Granny ♥] I slung mulch and planted flowers and hauled the wheel barrow full of stuff all week.

I am disgusted with me. I am a busy person - just like mom and Summer. I have four kids going in four different directions, a full time job, a part time job [that is feeling way too full time these days] and a husband that is the head softball coach that is in the middle of his best season at KMHS. Throw in cleaning the house, cooking dinner, buying groceries, and the other every day things that parents have to do and time is precious. Not to mention finding time to spend with 4 fabulous children and one fabulous husband.....it ain't easy. I cherish the hour, each day, that I manage to squeeze in a work out at the Y. 25 - 30 minutes on the treadmill, 25 - 30 minutes lifting weights and I'm done. I want to do Zumba and yoga but right now I just cannot. [I could do the Zumba two days a week, @ 5:30am but so far I haven't had the energy to drag my fat butt outta bed to get there] The yoga class is on Thursdays and Saturdays mornings but again, I'm always somewhere else on those days.
I have to MAKE the time.
I have to MAKE the committment.
I have to MAKE the effort.
So on Igniter Media I found the above video and it made me think. It is small steps that are going to get me there. The mountain seems really huge right now. But, with effort and committment, I will get to the top [or at least the top won't seem so far away]. And, to quote RENT, no day but today :)