I feel like I am slacking in the blogging category. so here goes

1. jason got a job in sales at terminix… he starts on monday. the minimum pay is much more than what he was making at the stupid bank, so this is great. but hopefully he will make more of the mid or upper end pay with sales, so we shall see.

2. i have an add in a local paper and have been getting 2-3 calls a day for the past few days. jason heard me take a call last night and told me that i sounded a little nervous and that instead of telling them to think about it and call me back, that i need to just tell them to sign up.

3. my mom is here, which is great. she has been sleeping with alivia, which i just decided, is bad. that means when mom goes home alivia will probably be up a few times a night wanting someone to come and lay with her. no good.

4. today me and mom are going out exploring virginia beach together, leaving the kids home with jason and we will be going out to lunch as well.

5. i read the BEST nicholas sparks book EVER last week. Its called THE LAST SONG and it is also  a movie that will be coming out soon. Miley Cyrus plays the lead and i think she is perfect for the character. i just hpe she does a good job with it. i cried for hours while reading the end. and then i had to write a long letter to my dad after. lol.

6. we are going to what this church calls a CELL GROUP tonight. mom will stay home with bryson, since it starts past his bedtime.

7. the church that we have been going to is absolutely humongous. u feel like you are walking into either a concert studio or into an extra large movie theatre ( like 5 combined). i dont like the size. i have only gone to 2 churches in my whole life and this one is nothing like either of those.

8. I really really miss northway. i thought i was ready for a change….but im not. i want northway! i want northway to move here!

9. we are going to try this church out a few more times and if we still dont feel excited about it, we will try a few others….i dont really like church shopping.

10. bryson is cutting 2 teeth at once right now.

11. bootcamp starts in just over 1 week…..i have a list of all the people who have called me with questions and on monday, i plan to call all of them again…. and offer them a better deal for the first session just to get it going. i need to have this class run.

12. i need coffee………….

13. i am really starting to miss my friends. i have my sis in law- kari- here which is great. but i still miss all of my friends and i really wish they would all just relocate here. lol. i need to make some new friends.

since we have been here , jason and i take turns getting up with the kids in the morning since neither of us are working. the other morning i was  really tired, and livi was up and b was still sleeping. so i was laying on the couch with a blanket….the tv was on and livi was watching martha speaks.

the next thing i know is alivia has climbed up to one of the stools at the kitchen counter and was facing the tv eating from a big can of peantuts, just chillin. lol. then a few minutes later i hear the sound of my camera. lol. the kid was sitting there taking pictures. so funny!

and yesterday i was getting her ready to go to the park with jason….and i said i love you livi. and she just looked at me for a minute and then in a very matter of fact voice said…. I LIKE DADDY BETTER!!!

LOL

that little stinker. jason of course was sitting in the living room, and over heard and loved the whole thing. lol.

so then we went back and forth over who we liked, didnt like, loved and loved better for the next few minutes. so funny. i love that crazy kid.

tonight i tried a new recipe. from kraft kitchen online. this is like my 3rd or 4th time using a recipe from them and its like the 3rd time that i have no liked it. this is by far the worst case though.

i am trying to cut back on groceries, and i love tuna fish, so i saw a ” budget wise” meal ( thats seriously what they are called) that had tuna, so i thought i would try it.

its basically 2 cans of tuna, a sttuffing mix, some mayo, some relish , a shredded carrot, and some water. roll into large balls and pan fry. well my cakes stuck to the pan like crazy. i had to “scramble” it like an egg just to get it to heat through.

It looked like S%@! , so i had to scrape the pan clean and start over. same thing.

in the meantime i had some brown rice cooking…i cook brown rice…all the time, for YEARS….  well something went wrong and all the water was out of the pan and i could tell just by looking that the rice was notr even close to being cooked. i added another cup of water to try to salvage it. and the bottom of the pan was black and burned like crazy.

i told jason that it was a dissaster and that him and livi should just eat cereal for dinner. and i stood there cracking up looking at my dinner gone wrong.

i like to think i am a decent cook and have no problem whipping up a meal and having people over for dinner. i also know that i can not cook steak well, or pork chops. i can cook anything welll in a slow cooker, chicken, whole chicken, pork loin, ribs etc etc…..

i know when my food is good and i know when my food is bad.

tonight was the worst ever,,,,LOL

i should have taken a picture, i have no clue why i didnt.

so anyway….with this being the 3rd unsuccessful dinner from kraft…i am not using there site anymore.

nothing worse than repeatedly not being satiusfied with a recipe…..

BOOOOOOOO to Kraft!

its between 50 and 60 today. the ocean is calm. jason decided that he was going to run down and jump in.

alivia gets really nervous if we get to close to the water and she was screaming the whole time. lol. i was of course taking pictures……….

BURR!

time to feed bryson and then hopefully do at least a small workout before i eat lunch…and then a bigger one later…..

tonight jason took alivia to the movies to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squequal ( or however you spell it) it was sweet and spontaneous!

He is such a great dad. he sent me a picture of her in the theatre booster seat with her popcorn and a big drink and she had the biggest grin on her face ever.

i cant wait to talk to her about it when they come home! i love them!

and of course, me and bryson got to have some QT here as well, and i could feed him on the couch with no noise and hug and love up on him. He is getting so big. Sitting really well, and rolling over, both directions and scootching all over the place. and his lil tooth and showing more.

i just adore my family!

ive been leaving my empty slepnda packets on the counter for years

jason pees on the toilet seat wether he has lfted the seat up or not….hes been doing it for years

json has to tuck me in and pray everynight…… hes been doing it for years

we will be home together for hours and wont ” talk” much…but when he comes to tuck me in, he wants to talk about everything…. hes been doing it for years

when jason doesnt want to do something, he just starts to do it really badly in the hopes that i wont ask him to do it anymore…..hes been doing it for years

i make messes,,,,, ive been doing it for years ( more like my whole life)

there were more….we were talking about these last night. i told him to come and write it all iun the blog bc we were laughing so hard… i know there are more that i do….just cant think now. maybe he will actually come and write it later….

doubt it. but its still fun to say…

weve  been doing it for years,.,

I just read this book. My mother in law had it, hadnt read it yet and recommended i read it. She also said my sister in law  had said it was one of her favorite books. I did not read the back cover to see what the book was about. I just picked it up and started reading this really really really thick book, with no idea about what i was getting into.

The first 60 pages ( 1 chapter) i read at once. I had such a hard time reading it.  there was a little girl named sarah……. her mother and her lived in a cottage and she was the mistress of a well known married man. he hated sarah and only saw her a couple of times. one day she over heard him telling her mother how he hated her and never wanted her to have been born and she should have been aborted.

then the mother sent the girl away with her housekeeper for a night or 2 so that she could be alone with the man. the girl she was with made her sit at in a bar with her all night while she got wasted and then she brought her up to their hotel room with a really mean man who made her go and sit in the hallway, which was cold and dark and had rats skurrying around, and he told her if she ever told her mother what was happening he would cut out her tongue. She stayed in the hallway till morning, listening to the aweful sounds of them having sex. Sarah was 8 years old.

this made my stomach turn and i couldnt not beleive it.

then the mothers boyfriend dumped her and kicked them out of the cottage. they had no where to go and no one would take them in. they ended up living in an abandoned shack by the docks. the mother turned to prostitution and made the daughter wait outside while she did it. she ended up getting sick and dying. a man she came to know as an ” uncle” was a drunk and didnt know what to do with sarah.

He met with a really powerful wealthy man who said he would see her and if he liked her he would ” adopt ” her. sarah was beautiful and he bought her from the man, and then killed him right in front of her. so….she was sold into prostitution at 8 years old. he raped her that whole night and for many many many more nights.

8 years old.  her mother was dead, her father didnt want her, no family, no where to go and sold to prostitution. the story took place in ny and Sacramento in the late 1800’s.

She was the highest paid prostitute for the next 15 years.

Then the man wo would become her husband, a good christian man, saw her walking in the street one day and knew instantly that he was to marry her.  The man he was selling produce to at the time told him her name was Angel and she was a prostitute. He couldnt believe it. He prayed and prayed and prayed and knew he was supposed to marry her. he wasnt rich, but he used all the money he had to go and see her 3 or 4 nights in a row. he told her he was to marry her, and he would just sit in the room and talk to her. She said he was crazy. She hated him, but she could not stop thinking about him.

He went home. Alone. He had a crazy dream one night that told him to go and get her. He did and when he got there he knew something was wrong…he broke into her room and she was so badly beaten she was almost dead. He took her, they got married, that night and he took her home and cared for her for months. She had walls built up all around her and was very cold, hard and empty.  Once she was well enough, she ran away and went back to the brothel. He came found her and took her back home.

She eventually, very slowly, came to love him. She was scared by it. She ran away again. This time vowing to never go back to prostitution. She worked in a store for a few days, he heard about it, and came to get here once again.

After that, she grew to fall in love with him. She couldnt have children and when it came time for that, she left him again. This time saying she would never go back. 3 years went by. In that time she worked as a cook, and then her old “owner” saw her on the street by the place she worked which just burned down. He took her, he held her hostage and was going to force her back into prostitution.

God stepped in, again, like He had been threw out this whole book. ( her husband was a strong christian and he prayed for her and read the bible to her all the time, and talked to her about God and His amazing love…..she did not beleive – basically bc she did not feel worthy)

at this point she finally started to open up and talk to God and trust Him….. he brought forth a man,( on the the night she was introduced as the new prostitute to a bar filled with drunk men), from the crowd to save her and take her out of there.  He took her, and 2 other girls that were kept there, 1 was 8 and the other was 13. He took them home to his wife and children……..and took them in and found homes for the younger two. ( he was a wealthy bank owner, who had never stepped foot into a brothel, but God was telling him something all day but he didnt know what…so he went out for a long walk…walked by the place and heard all the commotion inside. he knew he had to go in and within minutes…he saved angel from her ” owner” who was about to beat her…due to a song she sang and then for telling everyone there they should be ashamed of themselves for being there…..this banker hated the man who owned the brothel and referred to him as the devil….. well the bad man was afraid of this man….. so he stood back and let him take the girls….)

Eventually sarah- who went by angel and amanda at this point- came to realize that what she wanted to do with her life was to have a home for girls and women who wanted to get out of prostitution and teach them different types of trades so they could make money working in other ways. She did this for 3 years. She became a Christian and loved God.

She was still inlove with her husband but did not wantto go back bc she knew she could not have children……… it broke her heart.

eventually an old  neighbor who hated her, but his wife  loved her, made him come and look for her. He found her….. he learned the truth about her……….and she came back with him.

She told her husband her real name……sarah…and he knew then that it was all perfect….. she was a barren woman, but God was faithful and she became pregnant and they had 4 children…..and pretty much…lived happily ever after.

The book was based around the book Hosea from the bible. i have never read that book. I will now.

When I first read this book, i said i would never finish it bc i did not want to read about all of the horrible and sad things that were happening,. My mother in law, said that there must be a bigger picture and point to the book. I knew there was bc at that point i had read the back cover to find out. I knew it was going to be all about Gods Redeeming love…….. but i didnt know if i could handle all the sadness.

I know that God works in amazing ways, and that God loves us even if we dont love Him……. but i didnt want to read the book. I did,, obviously…since i just told you what it was all about.

I cant say that i loved the book. but i can say that i could not put it down and that i would read it for hours each night. but theni could not stop thinking about it. i cant imagine how it would feel to be in that life.

it made me so thankful for my own life and how i was brought up in such a loving family. it made me so thankful that my children are safe, healthy, happy and taken care of. It made me ache for those who arent.

made me think of this older man i was friends with back at the Y at home. Rocci. He once asked me a question about politics. i told him i hate politics and would never be interested in them or get involved. He told me that I never know and that i should not say never bc someday something might change my mind and i would want to fight for a casue, or fight  against something.

I keep thinking about that conversation…..

and then bits of the book where there was another 8 year old girl, kept prisoner in a locked room, dressed in the finest silks and satins, kept all done up to satisfy the sick and twisted fetishes of a grown man and raped on a daily basis, crying the whole time.

i dont know if i could actually get involved in something like that. but right now my heart is aching for children who are hurt like that. for children who have no where to go.

maybe God is trying to teach me something……. maybe he is knocking on my heart trying to open a door that i dont yet know what is behind it.

I didnt love that book at all. but i will never forget it.

I can see why my sister in law thought it was one of teh best books she has read…….. and i will make sure my mother in law reads it soon. but i will never read it again. i dont need to. it is permanently etched into my mind.

Life can be so aweful for some people, or at times for everyone…but God is good and He will always shine through.

weve been busy over here…..

trying to get postcards made, flyers made and printed, business cards with the bcc logo…. all that good stuff. i am pretty sure…like 99% that we have a place to teach and as soon as papers are signed, i will say where it is. i am so excited.

today i did a workout right outside our house on the beach jamming to my jay-z and miley cyrus..lol. it was great. jason took a few pics, and i did some squats with livi on my back and some tricep dips with her there as well. all good stuff.

i am cutting brysons nighttime feedings out cold turkey. last night was the 2nd night. the first night he cried about an hour and 1/2, then last night he cried for about an hour between 3:30 and 4:30 am. no fun. during that time, jason actually got up and slept upstairs in the loft/ playroom.

i just covered my head with my pillow untill i realized he was no longer crying. hoping tonight will be 30 minutes or less…..

jason needs to get on here…i will post again soon.

i love virginia beach,

ok, so now we have been in our beach house for 3 nights. My inlaws left yesterday so last night was the first night that i didnt feel like i was just on vacation. It was the first time that i just sat on my couch with a blanket and relaxed. It was the first time that my family of 4 ate dinner here, alone but together. it was great.

today i spent some time on the phone ( the house phone….bc my cell phone reception SUCKS in and around the house, and the old house phone sucked so we had to go out and had to buy a nice cordless phone with answering machine. )… calling gyms and newspapers.

Tomorrow i have a meeting with an account executive from a local newspaper and then before that, i have a meeting with a local gym owner. She was very excited about meeting me, having me teach for her, and talking about bootcamp challenge. So i am sooooooo excited for that!

I pray that this will work out and i can start to advertise WITH a set location.

We also went to a place called Mount Trashmore today……….its an old landfill that they covered over and turned into a huge play ground and running trails, with several sets of long stairs going up the ” mountain” i did a few sets of stairs today and about died. And tons of lunges and squats and jumping jacks. I have been eating pretty well since we got here and we dont have any junk in teh house. however, my F-I-L brought over 2 bags of chips and a nasty but semi yummy canned dip the other night before dinner and of course, i had a bunch of that crap. Thanks Alan.

Jason and I are so excited to begin this adventure. Se are here, we arent living with any of our parents, lol, its great!

People here are so much nicer than people in new york. For example…. a maintanence man came here today to take a look at our water heater and our fire place, and i asked him if he knew of a good mechanic. He gave us the name of one that he said was honest. A while later, he came back and knocked on our door…..he went to the mechanic and got a business card and brought it back to us. It was about 20 minutes away!!!!!!! So nice.

ALivia LOVES to play with her cousins Brenna and Caleb and they wrestle and tackle each other and fight and hug and kiss and laugh and its a big bunch of crazy fun. I love it. I took a bunch of pictures and i hope to put some up on facebook later today.

Ok!!!! SO that is about all for now…… please keep us in your prayers. Jason still needs to get a job and i still need to secure a place and get CLIENTS!

…..Bryson has cut his first tooth and he turned into a completly different kid while it was happening. My poor baby had a really really runny nose, lots of sneezing and then a tooth coming out. Top left side tooth. So for 2 days he was completly miserable.  The 2nd night we were here he just cried for hours and hours. Nothing would comfort him or seemed to help ease the pain. At 2:30 am, i brought him down  to Jason and then shortly after Carolee got up and then she took him for the rest of the night. Poor baby.

He was pretty cranky and wanted to be held all day yesterday too… Carolee got up with him all night last night, which she said he did much better but still got up a few times.

Today he seemed so much like  himself, and he went down for a nap at 1030 and he didnt wake up for 3 hours and 15 minutes. YAY! Then we went out to lunch at olive Garden ….. good stuff.

Now he is back down for a nappers.

Tonight at 6 me and jason will be going out to Fairfax to meet up with some old friends, i will be meeting  my old high school friend Kelly V and he will be meeting his old hs and college freind Richie. We will be going to a place called Coastal Flats.

Jason looked online for summer rates for Ebb Tide, the beach house we will be staying in….$4300 a week. LOL. We are staying for 1050 a month for 3.5 months……what a deal!

Well, Alivia is really cranky and whinning and i need to go out there and take care of her……

oh!

and we met with jasons uncle for 2 hours yesterday…he will be our attorney for our business here…and he helped us with alot of stuff and we are working on the LLC right now.

We are thinking JABB Fitness ( jason, alivia, brooke and bryson) as our name.

livi is screaming….gtg