Happy Birthday Hudson!

Hudson,

I cannot believe you are 11 years old today. You are becoming a young man! I have loved watching you grow up and look forward to the years to come. You may struggle at times, the next few years are not going to be easy as you grow and figure out who you are. But I want you to know how much I love you, how much your Daddy and I both love you. We are with you always, will support you and love you, no matter what decisions you make and no matter what else is going on in our lives. You and your sister are, and always have been, our #1 priority.

I pray that one day, when you are old enough, I will show you this blog, I will let you see a little bit more about me that you may be too young to understand just yet. But when that day comes, I hope you will understand that I love you and that everything your Daddy and I do is because we love you, and we want you to become the best man you can be.

You have such a wonderful heart, Hudson! You are so strong and smart! You can make up raps like no one else, and you are such a great dancer. I know you don't think so, but you get that from your Daddy. And your future wife will love that about you! You make me laugh and smile all the time. You are kind and gentle, and very thoughtful, such a sweet boy you are!

I hope you are having a blessed day at school, and I can't wait to see your smiling face this afternoon. I love you buddy! Happy Birthday!

Love,
Julie

Fun Friday

I have decided that Fridays here are now going to be Fun Fridays. I will post about only fun things, no whining, no sadness, no drama. Fun facts about me, random fun things, basically anything that I think is fun! Ha!

So today's Fun post is about my Top Ten websites, ones that I visit almost daily.

Top Ten:
1. Jacksonville Daily News, our local newspaper- www.jdnews.com
2. Radar Online, for all my celebrity gossip- www.radaronline.com
3. The Pioneer Woman, just check this one out, love it!- www.thepioneerwoman.com
4. Facebook- www.facebook.com
5. ModernMom, love this website, clothes, health, fitness, family- www.modernmom.com
6. Google- www.google.com
7. The Bible- www.biblos.com
8. Ann Taylor Loft- www.anntaylorloft.com
9. FedBizzOpps, a helpful tool for contractors- www.fbo.gov
10. TastyKitchen, a branch of The Pioneer Woman, but only recipes submitted by anyone- www.tastykitchen.com

Hope you enjoy and maybe even find a new website that you might like! Happy Friday!

2010 Goals

I do not like to make New Years resolutions. Each year Randy and I create a list of our goals for the year. I've decided to blog about them, because I can't find our list from last year. And this time next year, I think it would be great to come back and review the year, see where I've succeeded and where I've failed. Sometimes my goals for a year are more like bucket list items, things I want to do in the next few years, some are more like prayer requests. Whatever the goal may be, they are mine, whether for now or in a few years.

1. Get out of debt, both personal and business.
2. Grow my hair long, or cut it shorter.
3. Begin, and stick to, a workout routine.
4. Lose 5-10lbs.
5. Go on a family vacation, if #1 is completed.
6. Quit smoking.
7. Go to church on a regular basis.
8. Read one book a month.
9. Finish the quilt I started over 5 yrs ago.
10. Work harder at seeing the good in every situation.
11. Practice patience and gentleness with the kids, and spend more time with them.
12. Cook more than one meal a week.
13. Make more drastic changes to my diet and nutrition.
14. Reorganize my closet.
15. Take Dozer for a long walk at least once a week.

Can't wait till next year to see how I do! I'm sure I'll be posting more about each thing on my list!

I...

I am: a Wife, Stepmother, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Workaholic, Cook

I think: I put too much pressure on myself, and then end up miserable when I fail.

I know: that everything happens for a reason. The song "God Bless the Broken Road", fits my life perfectly!

I have: a lot of clothes, but don't always know how to put outfits together.

I wish: and pray that the next two weeks lead us in a direction to building a better future, for our family and our company.

I hate: that I have to work so much and miss out on a lot of Hudson and Lily's lives.

I miss: working out.

I fear: that Hudson and Lily will never realize how much I love them.

I hear: the air purifier and phones ringing.

I smell: coffee! Yum!

I crave: homemade herb bread from my Mom! Hint hint!

I wonder: what the kids will be like when they are older.

I regret: that I ever started smoking.

I love: my husband, children and our crazy maltese, Dozer.

I ache: in my neck and shoulders because I sit at the computer all day.

I am not: losing weight, even though I have drastically changed my diet.

I try: to see the blessing in every situation.

I believe: in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

I dance: with my husband in the car.

I sing: quietly, unless I'm alone, then I belt it out!

I cry: when I'm really mad.

I fight: to raise my kids with respect and honesty.

I lose: patience more often than I would like to admit.

I never: skip breakfast. It's my favorite meal of the day!

I always: drink coffee in the morning, I wouldn't survive without it!

I confuse: want with need.

I listen: to the kids laughter, and it warms my heart.

I can usually be found: at work.

I need: to spend more time with my family.

I am happy: when my family is together.

I imagine: what our life will be like in 5 years, maybe our own house, a truck that runs, teenagers (yikes!), and maybe less work!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We had a great time with family and friends, while ringing in the New Year! Can you believe it is the start of another decade?! Time seems to go so quickly with each passing year!