In the Summertime...

Oh my word, I cannot even begin to tell you how bad I have caught Summer Fever! By the look of the new background, I'm sure you have an idea. I've got my Summer playlist ready. Now I want the heat & endless sunshine. I want coconut sun tan lotion, along with the tan, of course:o) I want the pools, the lake trips, the Salt River trips... Most of all, I want the BEACH! Haha Summer is my favorite season & this will be my first one that I will NOT be pregnant during since Shane & I have been married!:o) And we are taking full advantage of it... And we have quite the Summer lined up! Here's what our schedule is looking like right now:o) Maybe then you'll understand why I am so amped for this wonderful season!!!

It usually kicks off on Memorial Day for us. We'll be going to the Mesa Cemetary with all the Hunsaker's to visit the grave sites of family that has passed, as we do every year... I love this tradition & it's something I want to continue with my kids as they grow older. This Memorial Day, we'll be celebrating my big little brother, DP's, high school graduation with a pool party and lots of friends which should be so fun!


Theeeeen.... On June 3rd, I get my Mother's Day present- TIM McGRAW & LADY ANTEBELLUM CONCERT!!!!!!:o) My husband spoils me, what can I say? I must be a dang good Mom!;o) Just kidding... But yes, I am SUPER excited for this! I have loved Tim's music since I was little & I have fallen in love with Lady A this last year or so!!! And Shane hasn't ever been to a concert, so he's excited for the experience more so than the music, I think:o) We're taking my younger brother, Jase, who is a hillbilly at heart (He swears he was supposed to be born & raised in a small Southern town:o)) and his friend. It'll be Jase's present from my family and Shane & I for his 14th birthday on June 5th, yet another exciting thing going on.

The morning after the concert, bright & early, we get to leave for St. George, Utah for a Fabulous Forbes' Family reunion... It's a crazy time when we all get together nowadays! There's my Mamma, 14 of my Aunts & Uncles, 37 grandchildren-including Shane & Miss Kamree, AND now 2 GREAT granchildren:o) I love seeing them though and getting together like that. We try to make it an annual thing. This year my cousin, Miss Gracie Mae, is getting baptized too, so it'll be nice to be there for her! It's definitely going to be a party.

We'll come home on Monday, the 7th from Utah. We'll stay home and get some laundry done on the 8th & pack it all up again so we can leave for CALIFORNIA on the 9th!!!! Crazy, I know... But we are so excited!!! Shane hasn't been to the beach since before his mission. I haven't seen a beach (in the daylight at least) since I was 15 so we are due! We're going to stay with Shane's awesome Aunt Terry & Aunt Michelle who live in San Diego... And we plan on being Arizona beach bums! Not all the time- just most!:o) While we're there, Shane'll turn the big 2-4 on the 12th!:o) I'm sure we'll be celebrating at some sort of sea food restaurant. We're going to Sea World one day which should be really neat with the boys. Haha I've been prepping Drake for it by watching some of the shows on youtube... All I can say is it's going to be so cool to see it in real life!

Speaking of real life, after we come home, that's what we'll have to look forward to for awhile afterwards. But we have a D-Backs game at the end of June, brothers' baseball games as well, a few friends' babies being born, and LOTS of weddings!

Then July. My favorite month!:oD

We don't have anything planned for the 4th. So... if anyone is doing anything fun, PLEASE give us a call!:o) I am planning a babyshower for some time that month, which should be so fun (Details about that for those of you it involves later when I have the details:o)) THEN, of course, the 17th is a big day... My birthday!!!! Which I also share with Shane's little sister, Kirsten! I have nothing fun planned for that day either so, again, give me a call if you have any suggestions. They will be greatly appreciated!;o)

THEEEEEENNNN... The biggest wedding event for our family this Summer, My brother-in-law Kyle & my soon-to-be-sister-in-law Kelsie are getting MARRIED on the 23rd!!!!! So obviously that's going to include a bridal shower, parties, and a couple Temple days as well!:o) We are so excited & happy for them. Kelsie will make an oh so lovely addition to The Hunsaker Fam! And they really are the cutest & some of the best babysitters we know!;o)

After that, things are gonna start winding down again. Except our Mr. Drake Man will turn 2 on August 8th!!! I can't believe how fast time goes... So as emotionally traumatizing this day will be for me, I'm sure a party is an order. Stay posted for that one too... Then my Mum's birthday is that month & that is pretty much when Summer draws to an end.

*SIGH*

Yeah... do you see why I'm excited now? It's going to be crazy but it will all be very much welcomed with these arms wide open!!! I will update along the way as well.

Until then!!!:oD

In other news...

1. Jaxon is OFFICIALLY mobile!!!!!!

Not quite sure what to think about this yet:o) He doesn't do the conventional crawl, it looks more like the worm, haha... But it definitely is an effective way to get him from point A to point B! And the little stinker is everywhere, boldy going where this baby has never gone before:oD Mainly, the kitchen. At least for now... Here's some photos of the little mobile munchkin.

I had a little bit of deja vu with this next picture... Top one is Jax in our kitchen. Bottom one is Drake in the living room at our old house. Haha About the same age & wearing the same shirt!

2. Whoever made up terrible 2's LIED!!!

More like terrible toddler... This is how life has been with Drake for the last couple weeks or so. If he doesn't get his way, this is what follows... The screaming & crying, the throwing himself on the ground, the hitting, the "NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!"........ *Sigh*....... Ah, I can't wait for this phase to be over!

3. I have lost 5 lbs. since Monday!!!

:o) BUT today is my "treat day" and I got my Dr. Pepper (LOL, as you can see in the pic!) & now I am wanting a cheeseburger from In & Out so I'll probably have gained it back by the end of tonight. But it's most encouraging! Maybe soon I won't even need a treat day. Maybe...

It's crazy what a little more water, less soda, more healthy foods, less fast foods, & a bit more activity will do for you, Haha! Who woulda thunk?:o) But honestly, it's so weird because there's probably not a whole lot of difference physically, but I just feel good! Today was the first day in awhile I really felt cute... Silly, I know, but it seems like that doesn't happen too often. Welcome to motherhood & all the hormonal stuff that comes with it right?

So I am loving this 60 day challenge! And I'm doing pretty good so far! I have all my points still so far this week. The one thing that didn't go as planned was the P90X... We messed up the schedule so we only got to do it one time, even then, I didn't get to do it for the full time because of the boys (another thing we learned, we gotta do it either really early or really late when they're asleep!:oS) So we've just been taking long family walks at night for our exercise. But we are getting serious with the P90X next week, which I am stoked for!!! Hahaha I like it when I can feel results from working out, and that's exactly what I got from doing the bit of work out I did the other night. Especially in my abs........ :oD That's a big smile, incase you were wondering! I can't wait to start seeing the results, and not just on a scale!

Excuse me... I have something to say.

I was driving home from my family's house with my babies today. One of the roads we were on merges from 3 lanes down to one in less than a mile. As I merged, I watched 2 cars ahead of me try to speed up so they could get ahead or not let the other in. The car trying to merge ended up cutting the 2nd car off. Then the 2nd car switched in to the other lane & blasted by the 1st car, but not before laying on his horn & throwing a finger in the air...... Nice.

I witnessed an altercation in the parking lot of Wal-Mart last week very much similar to this... There must have been a little road rage going on prior to this but while I was loading my groceries, I heard a lady start yelling. And using some very colorful language, might I add. When I looked to see what was going on (Yes, I am one of THOSE people. But, in my defense, if I had to get loud like this lady, I would hope there'd be more of "THOSE" people too!:o)), this woman was being blocked off by a man who was getting in her face. I have to say I might not have used some of the words she chose, but I would've been getting loud too because she had kids with her & this guy, that she didn't even know, was trying to intimidate her/threaten her... She finally threatend to call the cops if he didn't get away from her (little did she know, I was already getting my phone ready!) & he backed off. But it was scary...

Anyway, I've seen lots of stuff like this lately. And I've been feeling this tense/irritating/angry/just plain bad feeling a lot, too. I don't like it. And I just wanna know why do we have to be so angry? Over stupid things! "Bird Man"- Did you get that much further ahead after you sped by the person who cut you off? & would it have been that much of a hassle to just tap your brakes & let them in in the first place??? Or "D.B. from the parking lot"- Did it make you feel like a man to intimidate a woman? Or did it fix anything that had happened prior to that????? NO.

My area of tension... Politics. (If you know me, you should know my thoughts on this. And if you know we don't see eye-to-eye on things, then feel free to skip to the end.) It started last year with the elections, the Prop 8 or 102 or whatever it was... I wrote a blog saying something to the effect of being tired for having to defend what I believe or feel like they can say whatever they want, how they want, but I have to walk on egg shells & choose carefully the words I choose incase it's not P.C... Well feeling very much the same about the SB 1070. I don't think I am obnoxious about letting people know where I stand with things but I do let them know, as I have with my support of this bill. I am tired of some of the things being said about supporters of this in general & have been steadily getting upset about it the last few days or so. And since this is my blog, I am going to take the opportunity to stand up for myself for a second, get it off my chest & hope that by getting it out there, I will allow myself to let go of the irritation & tension I have been feeling.

First of all, I think it's disgusting, shameful, & insulting that this has been compared to The Holocaust & that Gov. Brewer is like Hitler!!! Not even close! I don't see anyone rounding up all the illegals like cattle, torturing them, or committing a genocide against them... And I am NOT racist. Anyone who knows me and/or my family knows that I am a "vanilla amongst the chocolates and the twists" as my Mom calls us. Infact, I'm pretty sure there's a couple of them that could be asked to show proof of their citizenship if they ever get pulled over. Not to mention, some of my favorite people that I've known throughout my life are of Mexican decent or ARE Mexican! This isn't even about race... it's about ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. For anyone who is confused, this would pertain to ANY foreigner who has enteredor resides in this country unlawfully or without authorization.

Does this mean I am against immigration, period? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Duh. Not when it's done the right way- the lawful & legal way. My own children are the most recent decendents from Great-Grandparents who immigrated to this great country from Puerto Rico, then Czechslovakia, & New Zealand! And they did come the right way, as did the countless generations of immigrants that came to this country. I realize too that it's not as easy as filling out a few forms and calling it good so I am all for figuring out a better way to become a citizen. But until then, you do what you gotta do because, well... it's the law. So if you want to be here, act like it! Quit your whining & throwing out the race card, become legal & contribute to this great country! And I will welcome you with open arms.

I realize that everyone has an opinion, and that is mine. I hate feeling like sharing these kinds of things are going to be so offensive to those I know who don't agree with me. I've had the feeling lately that because I have joined a couple of groups on Facebook showing my support for this bill or for the other political issues I mentioned earlier, it's affected mine & my family's friendships with some people, which is a true shame. If I don't agree with you, that doesn't mean I am going to think differently of you, call you names or take it personally, for that matter. And that's all I ask in return...

*BIG DEEP BREATH*

That said, going back to the title of this blog, what it is I really have to say is: Everyone just needs to CHILL OUT!!! Myself included. And I will!:o) I'm telling you, I am feeling a heck of a lot better already... Seriously though. This world would just be such a better place!

In closing, here are a couple scriptures that I think would solve a WHOLE lotta problems.

Romans 12:10 (KJV)-
"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another."

1 John 4:7, 11-12 (KJV)-
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."

Mosiah 23:15-
"Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there be no contention among them."

60 Day Challenge!

So today is Day 1 of this 60 Day Challenge one of my gal pals started up....... It's basically a challenge to implement balance in our lives- physically, emotionally, & spiritually. How it works is there are 10 things we need to do each day, each thing worth one point. Things like drink 64 oz of water, NO SODA, 45 mins of exercise, write in your journal, read for 15 minutes something spiritually uplifting... etc. Happily there is a free point for each thing per week... and I am going to save those free points for a "Treat Day!" Then we send our total in at the end of the week... Oh yeah, and there is a little bit of money in it for the winner!:o) Nice healthy motivation there.
I have a few mixed emotions about this... I'm excited, but on the other hand, I am dreading it too...

It's going to be hard work & I'm not quite sure I've prepped myself mentally enough to really commit, ya know? For instance, it's not even 9:30 AM & I would really, really, REALLY love a Dr. Pepper! But then again I think of my motivations & that kind of goes away. Haha I just count down to my treat day!

I am ready to shed the pounds I gained since becoming a wife & mommy! I am ready to have that body I had back in high school:o) I just feel....... YUCKY, for lack of a better word... And to top it off, I got asked the horrid question every non-preggo woman wants to hear: "Are you pregnant???" No, no... I'm just fat. In this lady's defense, I was wearing a dress that I wore when I was pregnant. But I bought when I was 19 so it wasn't a true maternity dress! I thought it was safe to wear. But no. So I would like to never do that again.

When I told Shane about it, he said he'd do it with me to support me (I know he wants his 17 year old body back too though;o)) so that's going to be more motivation too. We bought P90X last week for the exercise part. Haha another thing I'm excited/dreading! It's gonna kick my butt because... well, I've not done anything REALLY physically demanding on a regular basis since Summer School P.E. back in 2000 when I met Shane!!!!!!

Wow... I just read that last statement out loud.... Then LAUGHED out loud! Pathetic. So that right there tells me the need for change has been here waiting with open arms. And here I go, ready or not. Bring it on. BOOYAAAAHHH!!!;o)

I'll keep ya updated on how this goes. Supportive & encouraging words are most welcome!:o)