Crossfit bootcamp....love it

It's hard, really, really hard. I want to cuss Channel, my instructor every time I do it. I am sore for days. I sweat like a pig...but I really do love it. If you know me, you know I am a bit competitive and if you know crossfit, you know it is centered around both competition and personal growth. Plus if you know me, you know I am busy and don't have hours upon hours to workout, but I want to stay in shape and healthy. So in 45 minutes to an hour, I can be in and out of my workout and feel like I have been working out for hours. I have been doing bootcamp twice a week for about 7 months now and feel like I am in better shape than ever. So if you are looking for a good workout, come join us. Channel (amazenbootcamp.com) has lots of times and locations available.

Fun times!

All my bootcamp buddies...looking strong

One of those days

Do you ever have one of those days where you just can't get your stuff together because you can't even imagine where to begin. I need to clean my house, I need to clean my closets, my garage is a freaking disaster, I need to write, I need to play will my son....oh the list goes on. So what do I do instead, I sit down to write about it....go figure. Okay, now I am motivated...now I will continue to clean my house and gather stuff to put in the attic and play with my son. Just needed to get that off my chest. Back to work.

15 Months

He's a funny guy!

Eli turned 15 months on Dec 26. So yes, I realize he is almost 16 months. But we just had his check-up last week.

Weight: 23.3 lb (28%)
Height: 30.9 in (35%)
Head: 19.2 in (86%)

Eli is learning all sorts of new things these days. His vocabulary probably includes 30+ words, although his favorites are still ball, no, night-night, and uh-oh. He has added outside, up, down, paw-paw, mimi, gigi, moo-moo, jen-jen, and now Jesus to the mix. Yes my child said Jesus today....I pointed at the cross, said Jesus, and he repeated. He is one mobile guy. He loves to walk. He started walking for reals during our time in Stratford, so just a few days after he turned 15 months and he hasn't stopped since then. He just walks around our house from room to room. It's hilarious. He will actually follow Ben wherever he walks...discipleship starts young friends. He is still super happy most of the time, although he is certainly getting his own little personality and will tell you when he doesn't like something. He will now kiss you if you ask and give you a hug (well sometimes). He has learned to take the tops of pens and highlighters and loves to draw on himself (last night he was covered in orange highlighter). He still loves his fruit and veggies. Not so much a meat fan, but still one hearty eater. He now has 12 teeth...he decided to cut 8 at once, fun times. Actually he handled it all really well. It is amazing how much teeth can change the look of your baby. He's a true toddler now and that makes mommy sad sometimes!! Where has my little boy gone. The truth is he is more fun everyday. Watching him learn is such a blast and he is always full of surprises. I love this little man.

New vocab!

Christmas/New Years 2010- A little delayed but what the heck

Christmas at the Blevins' was great again this year. The little guy was in the beginning stages of learning to walk and was so much fun. He wasn't so much interesting in opening presents, but once we helped him get them open, he loved his new toys! We didn't get any pictures from us all dressed up for church, but trust me, we all looked fabulous :). It was a small Christmas with just Gigi, Ben, Eli, and I her. My brother and the Taylor family came over for Christmas dinner which is a standing tradition. After packing up from Christmas Eve service at Anhalt on the 26th, Ben, Eli, and I made the 10 hour trek to Stratford to hang out with Ben's family. We spent 5 days there and it was so relaxing...except for the fact that Eli hates to sleep anywhere other than his bed. We played with the cousins and mimi, pawpaw, and even Aunt Vicki and TayTay from Florida. Then Eli and I got to fly home, while Ben made the 9 hour trek back to San Antonio. Fun times all around.

Learning to open presents

Uhmmm....bubble bath, it tastes so good.

Love my new toy gigi, thanks.

Is this what you are supposed to do with it?

The boys in the bath.
(sorry for the blurry photo, but this is the only one that didn't expose either of the boys)
ER, this soap is delicious, you should stop coloring on the bath walls with that terrible, looks like somebody got knifed in the bathtub crayon and really try soome

The cousins
So sweet!
Whatcha doing cousin??

Cathartic Writing

This post is not about him...but he's so darn cute.

Well friends, it's been a long time since I have blogged. It seems that all of my writing energy these days is put into finishing my dissertation....a task that is frankly kicking my hiney. I am deep in the throws of writing chapter 4 and hopefully soon chapter 5, interviewing for jobs, fretting over where life will take us next, and thinking about the class I am teaching this semester. And today it hit me...a chapter in my life is about to be over; a safe, comfortable, although not easy chapter of my life will come to a close in May and I will embark upon a whole new adventure, one that seems dauntingly scary at the moment.

I have done well these past several months to trust in God or perhaps to ignore the looming reality that is headed our way. In May, Lord willing, I will graduate with my Ph.D, a feat I would certainly not recommend, but one I am proud to be completing. Actually, I have very mixed emotions about finishing. The last four years, while stressful to say the least, have afforded me the opportunity to be at home, to see my community during daylight hours, to eat lunch with my girlfriends, to have bible studies in the middle of the day, to work for my church and for my school at the same time, to go a matinee with my husband (well before Eli at least), and most importantly to raise my son. In 2007, God opened the door for me to go back to school full time, work as a graduate assistant, supervise student teachers, and serve as the programming director for our church. He orchestrated it all, He made sure that financially everything came into order, He made sure that my time was multiplied, He made sure I was equipped to do it. In short He was in charge and I knew that. Now as I ponder what is to come upon graduation, I want to be in charge. I want to be able to stay in my community, continue working for my church, and find a job at a local university. Yes, I want my cake and to be able to eat it too, icing and all. But the reality is, I'm not in charge, He is, and while that should provide me great comfort, I am still really nervous about what the future holds.

We have been in our house for 6 years, we love our house, we love our street, we love our neighbors. We have poured our blood, sweat, and tears into making this house our home. And while I will be sad to leave our house, should we move, it is not it that I will miss the most...it is my dear precious friends and my community that I will be heartbroken over leaving. It is the spontaneous dinners with the neighbors, the smore parties, the stroller races, the evening walks, talks on old wooden benches, sabbath dinners, acacia gatherings, and so much more that I will miss. It will be the friends who have laughed and cried with me, who have told me to get a grip, prayed for me, comforted me, stood beside me as I delivered my son, loved on my son, feed me, and acted as the hands and feet of Jesus that I will miss the most. It is watching each other's children grow up, make mistakes, and learn to grow from them that I will miss. It is the sense of belonging, the feeling of comfort, the shared sense of purpose that I will miss.

And for what....a job! Is it worth it...or could I just work at HEB or Home Depot? Do I really want to leave all of this behind. At this moment, I have an on-campus interview with Baylor University and St. Louis University in Feburary. I have had a phone interview with Texas State and will have one with Western Oregon University next week. And while I am fretful, I am also excited about Baylor...an opportunity for me to fuse my two passions together. A place to be an Academic and love Jesus at the same time. So while I had a sense of peace about this last week, frankly I am an emotional wreck at this point. I think reality has finally hit me...what if one of these universities offers me a job, what will I say?? How will I leave the people and community I love?

Here's the reality, I would love to stay home with my son and my future babies, but I have worked for 4 years to be a professor. Can I do both effectively? I feel like my first call is to my home and to my family, but does that mean I am to stay home? I wonder about the what-if's...what if i turned down a position, what if we can't afford to stay home, what if i miss an opportunity. What if's and doubts swirl in my head.

So here's where I need you guys...would you just pray with me. Pray that the sense of peace that has left me will return, that I will put my trust back in the only one who is wise enough to make this decision. Specifically, will you pray that God doesn't make me chose between community and a job (whatever that means). That God will narrow the possibilities so that His path is abundantly apparent to me. I apologize for the long diatribe, but sometimes one needs a good cathartic write (and not a terribly boring dissertation) to express one's feelings. So thanks for giving me that opportunity and thanks for praying.