30 DAY LIST!

Well hellllooooo blog! Long time, eh? Life is still good, of course. I havent completed the surgery yet- but am re-regstering for the seminar and stuff at a place closer to home. Finally working for the adventure travel dept of my company. Pretty stoked for the opportunities it can present later. Kids are good, hubby is good. Its all good. HAHAHA, what did you expect?
Anyway... been feeling like I need to get on the ball! So, I decided to copy someone else and go with a theme. I promise to start today and to try really hard to keep it up for the next month! Heres the LIST:

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of our favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – Something you collect, even though you know it’s never going to be worth anything.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – Even though you complain about it, you still do it.
Day 31 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days.

I suck at pictures... so Im just going to blog blog bloggity blog about the topic instead. Stay tuned!

It Might Just Be Great!

About a year ago I attended a seminar for weightloss surgery. I entered a contest to have a surgery and all follow up done for free. I didn't win, and our insurance company didn't cover the cost. I did get some good information though, and gave the procedure a lot of thought.

I ended up on a mailing list and got an email about checking coverage again, so I thought "Well, probably not through mine- but maybe through my hubby's?" So, I sent it in.

Today, I got an email from the doctor- our insurance offers coverage now!!

I canNOT express to you how excited I was! I got the email and could barely contain the squeal building in my throat at even the THOUGHT of the future! As soon as I walked out the door, I called the doctors office and set up a consultation for next Friday!

NEXT FRIDAY YOU GUYS! I have to go to the consultation, followed by three months of preparation. And I can't wait to learn more!! Making that call today was the first step on my journey.

Life is good?! Well,yes, it is- but its gonna be GREAT!!!

Land of Jen Playlist

I love to load my ipod with a bajillion songs, hit random and then be shocked and excited when my "favorite song" comes on. You'd think I wouldnt be suprised, since, well... I put it there to begin with. But that got me thinking.... can I really pick just one?

Right now its that dang Selena Gomez (Selena Gomez... really?! Really) song "I love you like a love song". I know its cheesy  (and even worse tbecause shes probably singing about Justin Beiber) but I canNOT stop singing it in my head... or turning it up embarrassingly loud when it comes on the radio and singing like a fool. In fact.... excuse me while I download this little guilty pleasure.

OK, so with that out of my system, I can move on. 
To make it on this list, the song must not only be awesome in general but must also meet the following Land of Jen criteria:

I must either squeal or swoon EVERYTIME I hear it.
I cant imagine life without ever hearing it again.
I would willingly belt it out at a karaoke bar- SOBER.

Without further ado, in no certain order, I present my TOP TEN ALL TIME FAVORITE SONGS!!

1. Everything I Do- Bryan Adams
2. Centerfield- John Fogerty
3. I Want You To Want Me- Cheap Trick
4. The Chair- George Straight
5. Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison
6. Next To You- Buck Cherry
7. Pyromania- Def Leppard
8. You Shook Me- AC/DC
9. Constantly- Cross Canadian Ragweed
10. Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
11. Rockin Me- Steve Miller Band
12. I Told You So- Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood version

Ok, OK, I know I said TEN- but hey, its my blog and I'll overshare if I want to! (ha!)

So, what songs do it for you? Which songs take you back, bring you up, make your day?

 

Good Ol' Days

Well, if you know me at all, you know I am a sucker for the sweet taste of nostalgia. There is nothing I like more than looking through old photos, leisurely perusing my "treasure chest", reading old diaries.... ah, the good ol' days.

The good ol' days, the bad ol' days....

the dad will you take me on a walk ol' days
the mom can I please just stay out a little later ol' days
the he's was my whole world weepy depressed teenager ol' days
the laugh until we cry ol' days
the lets drink out of keg cups till we puke ol' days
the oh crap I have to get a real job ol' days
the "I do" ol' days
the the wow someone let us have kids? ol' days
the toothless smiles and baby toddling ol' days
the my baby is in kindergarten ol' days
the look out she's getting a license ol' days
the oh shoot I spilled coffee in the freezer and made a holy mess as I rushed out the door ol' days
(really, I did do that.......YESTERDAY).

Get my point? Every moment in the past is the "ol' days". So, why should every past moment be relived, rehashed, dwelled upon and "what if-ed" to death?

There is no sense living in the "what if". Because "what if" is not reality. Reality is that we are where we are because of the choices we make along the way. Every little thing we've ever done has lead us to this very moment in time. And everything else is the past.

Luckily, I have had a pretty sweet life. And, I have a lot of good times to remember. I do love to look back, but I dont want to GO back. I try to remember that every moment that wasnt then is now. Every moment is a new beginning. Every moment is the beginning of a new memory.

So, I think that I will take these moments to go out and live life, forgive those who have wronged me, focus on the positive, make great memories and take every new moment that comes my way for the gift that it is.

Es You En.

What is going on with me? In a funk, I guess. I think it might be the weather. Yep, pretty sure. The weather and my pants not fitting right.

Here is the thing:
The Land Of Jen cannot exist without SUNshine, blue skies and a 75 degree high temperature for the day....(and daffodils, lilacs, reeses, popcorn, ribeyes and carmel...but I digress).

I hate the heat, but I would deal with it happily if only the SUN would shine! I am the girl who used to spray lemon water in my hair so that it would look like the girls on the SUN-in bottles! My twitter name even has to do with SUNshine!
Mother Nature, hear my plea!

For the love of all things shiny, warm, glowing and marvelous, send us some SUN!!!!

Stupid Pink Shirt

You ever wake up in the morning, yawn, stretch and think "this is gonna be a good day!"? That was me around 6:30... then I went back to sleep for a couple hours. That was me around 8:30 too! But not for long.

I woke up to the sound of my husband hammering and sawing away in the garage. This was not unwelcome at all, because he's an early riser and he likes "making stuff", so I know he was enjoying his time. Ike and Kayla were sleeping, I could hear Jake watching cartoons downstairs. I decided I'd bring my hubby a cup of coffee, so I got up and dressed. Threw on some exercise pants and an old pink tshirt, pony tail and glasses.

Made the coffee, went outside to chat... sun was shining, birds were chirping. All good in the hood. Then, I sat down on the step and was suddenly aware of my tummy hanging out and it made me feel instant disgust.

Instant disgust, instant disappointment, instantly my good mood was gone and I hate being me.

I cant seem to suck it in, cover it up, paste a smile over it and pretend I'm happy today. So, I went for a drive, buried my nose in a book... about to take a bath and hope to wash away my self loathing.

Ive got plans to laugh my ass off tonight and I cannot let this ugly pink shirt and ratty sweat pants ruin my day.

Whats Another Word for Spoiled?

My youngest sister Sarah is 13 years younger than me and 10 younger than Alecia. Between us and my mom, I'm not sure the poor little thing ever had chance to sleep or sit without being held... she was always being fed, coo-ed at, played with. At one point she started crying non-stop. Coincidentally, she seemed to cry harder when we set her down. It was so incessant, that my mom took her to the doctor. The doc did his check up and gave his grim prognosis: she was simply "well loved".

Turns out, we'd been giving her so much attention and meeting every need so well... she just needed some space. Needed to live a little on her own. Basically, we were spoiling her.

Shes a good girl. Grew up just fine and is working out the fun stuff of life these days... (Hey Sarah, you grew up goooood, grew up slowwww. HAHA)

Anyway, this brings me to my point. Which is that sometimes giving someone too much doesn't really help them at all. Such is the case with children.

As parents, we want our kids to have everything they "need" and to be happy. "Need" is in the eye of the beholder. "Mom, I need food, shelter and clothing" is far different from "Mom, I need Applebees for dinner, a nice house in a subdivision and a North Face jacket". We are quickly learning the error of our ways, as our kids have recently begun to walk around with their hands out and eyes peeled for a silver spoon.

Of course we want them to be happy. But we also want them to grow up to be strong, independent, reliable, hard-working contributors to society.

So, we make them do chores. And homework. And get jobs when they are 16.

From the sounds of it, you'd think we are torturing them. I really hope that one day they look back and say "Damn you, parents! I'm happy, well adjusted and successful! You raised me right, how could you!?!"