Journey to Excellence

Photo Credit My workout journey has been topsy turvy over the past few years. I have gone to early morning classes at the Y or other local gym, done home workouts either with television shows or dvds or off the internet, run outside, run on the treadmill, and ridden my bike. In November of 2017, against my better judgment, I allowed a Beachbody coach (who turns out had stalked me on Instagram for the sole purpose of signing me onto her "team") to talk me into signing up to be a coach. For several months, for my own accountability, I had been posting my workouts on Instagram. That is where she found me. I hate direct sales. I hate pyramid schemes. I always SWORE I would not do it. But, she made it sound great and, hey, I would be helping people get fit! If only that was the true intent behind Beachbody. They can say it is all they want, but what they really want is to make money. And you need to know that. And you need to know that you are only a dollar sign. And you nee...

Happy 2019! It is that day of the year where everybody is up extra early starting their new exercise routine, eating only healthy foods, cracking open the pages of a new planner and Bible study, and debuting their Word for the year. You chuckle or roll your eyes, but you are doing at least three of these things. By the way, so am I. So let's start with the Word of the Year. Mine this year is Lagom. It's the Swedish word for "not too little, not too much, just right". It's a concept of being, doing or having just enough. So let's rewind to last New Year's Day. My Word was Might. And that's how I planned to tackle my year. And, I did. I worked out hard, I mommed hard, I traveled hard, I worked hard. And it was a good season. It prepared the way for this year. I accepted the Challenge I set for myself and succeeded. But, I don't need to keep up that pace. I am at a place in my life where I can kind of sit back and enjoy my life without f...

Being a mother is my most cherished accomplishment. I have made so many mistakes. I have failed my children, sometimes when I was doing what I thought was right and sometimes because I was being selfish and stubborn. I look at my four children and just swell with pride as to the good humans they are despite my many failures. Whether it's one child remaining true to herself when those around her are conforming to the world and just thriving with humor and dignity no matter what she does, or whether it's one who has suffered through heartache and betrayal again to be in the right place at the right time to receive accolades for just being who he is and to keep putting one foot in front of the other toward his future, or whether it's one who loves her husband and little boy and future baby so very much and has stood her ground to be the best wife and mom she can be, or whether it's one who daily faces his fears and weaknesses and anxieties with integrity and dignity and...

Welcome back! It's a new school year for us here at Journey to Excellence and lots is happening around our house. Two weeks ago Dawson graduated from the Air Force Security Forces Academy and is now Airman First Class Suhr and a Defender in the United States Air Force. Kyndal, Brynne, Bennett, and I took a trip to San Antonio to be at his graduation. We are so very proud of him and his accomplishments! While we were there, Brynne turned 13! We spent her birthday at the San Antonio Zoo where she got to feed the giraffes. The morning started out stressful waiting for Dawson to get his Orders, but once we got the call that they were in hand we were able to relax and enjoy our day. Bennett LOVED the hippos! We had to go see them twice, and he always asks me to watch the hippo video I have on my phone. We were able to bring Dawson home with us for two weeks of working in the Recruiter Assistance Program (aka FREE LEAVE). We have been so glad to have him home. Un...

The Wednesday Hodgepodge is something else I have missed doing. The questions are always fun, and the community at From This Side of the Pond is great. I feel most energized when I ... have a day equally laced with productivity and relaxation. Where were you ten years ago? It's easiest for me to think about what my kids were doing then. Kyndal was in the 7th grade. Dawson was in the 5th grade. Eli was 4 and attending the developmental delay preschool. Brynne was getting ready to turn 3. We had been in our recently built house in the swanky neighborhood for just under a year. We had "arrived". It was a busy time for us. This was also the beginning of the end ... when things were getting ready to take a drastic turn. We were not where we should be. We were not doing what we should be doing. We were trying to be people we were not. I would have done things so differently 10 years ago, because this is the time that I can pinpoint when things went all wrong. ...

Many, many years ago I started participating in the Simple Woman's Daybook . It was here that I made friends, shared my soul, and started my consistent journey of blogging. I desperately miss blogging. This morning I felt pulled back to the Daybook. So, for today ... Looking out my window ... This past weekend I moved my bedroom around, flip-flopped my sleeping area and workspace. Now when I sit in bed sipping my coffee in the mornings I can look out the window. Since I am upstairs, all I really see is a tree across the street, which is perfect! It gets me into nature first thing in the morning. I am thinking ... about so. many. things. I'm a thinker, an internalizer. This is why I really need to get back into a consistent habit of blogging. I am thankful ... for my life. That is truth. I have a home I love, a job I love, children who fulfill me, the most amazing and entertaining grandson ever, books to read, wine to sip. This is a good life. One of my favorite...