I'm BACKKKK!!!!!!!!! College updates, boys, & redneck dates

Okay, I know I haven't blogged in a REALLY long time. I think I bit off a little more than I can chew this semester. I'm taking Pre-Cal, Survey of American Lit, US History II, and Music Appreciation. My goal is to be a nurse, however, with 4 kids, and husband who is married to his job, it's taken me a while to achieve this dream. Let me back up, and give some quick updates...

How cute are these boots? They were my birthday gift from my awesome Texan mother-in-law! I wore them to the wedding!

In October, I attended my girlfriend's wedding in Kansas. I was the made of honor. Notice how tight my dress? And how "lovely" my hair looks? I custom ordered the dress, and guessed on my measurements. Suffice to say, it took Mr. Man with one knee, and two hands to zip me in. (No, seriously, knee on my back!) 

 I'm on the left, trying not to bawl, but I did anyways, in between gasping for air. As soon as the ceremony, and pictures were over, I slipped on my jean jacket, and Mr. Man unzipped my dress a bit so I could breathe. Mom came to stay with the boys while we were away. It was the 1st time we have EVER gone away TOGETHER and left the kids. My mom rocks!

 This Fall was a very rough time in my life...  I won't go into the details of it, in fact, I originally wrote it out, but decided to go back and edit.. it was hard, but the Lord brought me through..

For Thanksgiving, I drove to my Mom's in Virginia. This 9.5 hr trip turned into a 14 hr trip. Half way through, I stopped to get gas and noticed my engine was smoking. Mr. Man suggested that I disconnect the fan. Have you ever opened your hood and tried to do ANYTHING in there? He tried talking me through checking things in my engine, but it was freezing cold, pouring down rain, and I had a dog, and 4 kids with me. I ended up buying radiator fluid, and having a nice guy top me off.
Two hours later, the van was still smoking, and I decided to stop off and have it looked at. The entire trip, I had driven through torrential downpours. I was exhausted, the kids were cranky, and my van smelled of wet dog. A VERY sweet guy at Firestone tires in Virginia looked at my van, and allowed me to bring Abby inside their waiting room. The van was fine, and we never did discover where the smoke was coming from. Luckily, the rest of the visit at Granny's was great!

This about sums up the month of December. I baked and baked and baked some more. Mr. Man asked me if I minded baking some cookies for guys at his work. "Sure! How many?" He said, "18." Yes, 18, and he gave me 2 days notice. I made cranberry and white chocolate chip, peanut butter and Hershey kiss, brownie bites, and sugar cookies, and put them all in little tins. (Who's the best wife EVER!?!?!?!) 

I ALSO went to a "Sip and Stroke" class with two of my girlfriends. This was the biggest bunch of crap I've ever seen in my life. Don't be fooled, if you're not artsy, you will not come out with a sweet little picture. We were supposed to be painting a peacock. I'm not too sure WHAT mine turned out to be, but it wasn't pretty. I told my friends next time I wanted to pay $30 to embarrass myself, I'd do it on my own terms. ;)  
 Below if my friend Bethany's. Show off.

In my random category, I redid my bedroom, and rescued a dog to be adopted out. I'm just going to bunch these two together, because, well, it's my blog. 

 The bedding is from IKEA, curtains are from Target. I don't know why it looks purple in this picture, but it's not. I was very thrilled to get rid of the florals!

Here's doggy. He was wondering around our neighborhood, and followed us home from a walk. We bathed him, gave him a flea treatment, and posted found ads on our SPCA and other websites. No one came forward, so we found a great home for him! The family sent me pics after he had been to the vet, and gotten taken care of. He looked great, and is well loved. 

Now, we're all most up to date. February flew by, and I've bitten off more than I can chew with school. I'm on Spring Break right now. (I know, right? Who wants Spring Break in MARCH!?) I started a 14 day clean eating cleanse today. No particular program, I just want to drop some weight before our BIG cruise in June. Please pray for me! I've ballooned over the past 4 years. I'm currently 45 lbs over weight, and decided to really take this seriously, I need to start off with nothing but fruits and veggies and proteins, and ease my way back into eating. I was getting ready for a date Sat night, and I could NOT find anything that fit. Even my "fat" clothes were tight. This Winter, I've gotten away with big poncho sweaters, cardigans, and drape shirts. I want to do this for me, and for my health. I will say, while Mr. Man has his faults, I still feel like the most beautiful woman in the room when I'm with him. He's seen me at my lowest weight (126 after Kieran April 2007) and at my highest weight (Today, 174), but he's never treated me differently. Mr. Man still tells me I'm "super hot" and how I don't need to lose any weight. Bless his love goggles. I'm 30 years old this year. I've spent the past 4 years overweight and unhealthy. I'm ready for a change. I want to feel young and energetic again. I've been using 4 kids, and school as my excuse, but, there will ALWAYS be one unless I make a change. 

Lastly, I leave you with the pictures from our last date. When Mr. Man and I met, we were VERY different. I was more of a city girl, and he grew up on a ranch in TX. I wore high heels, and loathed the outdoors. I guess 8 years in the South with change you. Maybe it was his plan all along? Move the Yankee to the South? hmmmm. Anywho, we went to a shooting range for our date. Mr. Man showed off for me, and I impressed him with my shotgun skills. I felt like Harry Potter picking out a wand. The moment I picked up the Remington 870, 20 gauge, I knew we were a match made in Heaven. (oh my word, I sound like such a redneck..) I named the gun "Big Mama." By the end of our date, I could load her, cock her back, and hit my target-- which isn't really that hard with a shotgun, but still. It was nice to spend sometime with Mr. Man. Until next time!

 <3 Suzzy