Austin pitching

Above are two pictures of Austin pitching his first game ever.  I know the pictures are fuzzy and far away, but I couldn't see at all through the phone camera so I just took a guess at what I was shooting :) Anyway, Austin has been asking his coach for a chance to pitch in a game all season, and as luck would have it, his coach was away this past weekend so the assistant coach let him.  His real coach won't give him a chance to do anything.  We don't really like him much (well, Austin does, but I don't).  His pitches were pretty accurate, but also pretty slow so the other team was able to really hit off of him.  And, unfortuantely his team really sucks so they were not able to get many outs (even the easy ones). Poor Austin :( but he didn't let it damper his spirits and he talked about it for about three days afterwards.  He likes practicing and I think he may have potential to be a good pitcher if he keeps practicing. Good luck Austin!

Medical and Movies

I have recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and my blood sugars are in the prediabetic range (barely, but there). My blood pressure has not been easily controlled, but my doctor is hopeful that we may finally be on the right track with the new medications. I am hoping that I will start feeling better when all of these things are under better control.

On a different note, Austin and I went to see "The Hunger Games"today because all of his friends had already seen it. I was kind of dreading going (but the only other alternative was the Three Stooges). I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was really good and didn't feel like 2 1/2 hours at all. I did cry twice, but everyone knows I am an emotional mess. I would recommend seeing it.

I am also going to be an auntie again any day now. Good luck Krista and hopefully she will come soon.

Resolutions

As I do every new year, I reflect on the previous year and what I would like for the coming year. This year upon my reflection, I realized that I am not happy when I really should be. There is nothing in my life that is so abhorant that should make me miserable. I find myself being jealous of people (this hasn't happened in several years) and I'm finding it difficult to stop. So, I have been reading a book about a woman who took a year to try to be a happier person. While I am not a fan of the author's style of writing or her need to research everything in books, I think it is a great idea to try to make yourself more happy by thinking, investigating and developing a plan. My goal for this year is to develop my own happiness plan, which I have outlined for myself. Her model focused on adding one goal per month. I decided to start with my perceived problems that will take the longest to accomplish. My goal for this month is physical organization. It would help me immensely to declutter my surroundings and I think that might in itself, create a happier me. I have also decided that I need to lose weight and have already begun my journey, but I am not focusing on that area until next month. Wish me luck!

The Christmas trees

Well, I have finally downloaded the pictures of our Christmas trees this year. They have both been up since the day after Thanksgiving, but I couldn't find the cord to connect the camera with the computer. Anyway, mine is not as pretty as last year, but I think it's still a good one. And, my inventive little boy wanted to decorate his tree entirely by himself. I thought he did a wonderful job. He came up with the idea of using some of his Pokemon cards as part of the decorations. As much as I dislike Pokemon, I thought it really looked good.

The September/October blues

Not a happy topic today. I have the blues and can't seem to shake them. I am unhappy with myself. I have been insulted so many times over the last three months and its hard to roll with the punches anymore. And, Austin isn't adjusting well to his new school. He likes it, but he is not working up to his potential. The teacher told us that he doesn't pay attention at all. I hope he can pull it together before he loses a lot of information. That's all that is going on. Hopefully, my next post can be more positive.

My last few days before work

I start work again on Monday and I'm very nervous that I will be assigned to schools in north city. I hate that I have gotten so little done around the house. Even as I type this, I know I should be doing something else. But alas, I sit on my butt and do nothing. Today I am going to lunch with mom. Sometime this weekend, Krista and I are going to make cupcakes from stratch. Very excited to try!

Also, I hope to post some of Austin's baseball pics from this season soon.

Branson

So, a little late in posting this as we have been back for a while, but here is a summary of the trip. Mom, dad, Austin and myself headed down to Branson for a five day trip. The ride down wasn't terrible this year (no massive arguments, which is good because I had a fairly mean headache for most of the way). However, the bitching did start once we were down there. Between dad and Austin, I thought I may have a heart attack. The condo we stayed at was nice. (had a two person hot tub which was great) But I think I still like stormy point a little better. Anyway, we saw Dixie Stampede (I always enjoy it!), the Haygoods (a musical family), and Yakov dinner adventure. All enjoyable events. We also went to Silver Dollar City (one of my favorite things to do) and of course outlet shopping. This time, Austin wasn't nearly as whiny as I think he is starting to enjoy getting to pick out his own clothes. And, his taste isn't as bad as I thought it was. When skelatons are not a choice, he picks out some very handsome things. I was so proud in the Hilfiger outlet store, unfortunately, the shirts he picked out were for men so we could not purchase them. The trip home wasn't bad either because I think everyone was ready to be home so there was minimal arguing.