I'm Back!! :)

Did you miss me? We were out of town, we left last Sunday and returned today. We went down to Garmish and stayed at Edelweiss (a military lodge and resort) we actually rented a cabin, because it was cheaper than staying in the actual hotel (as in half the price!). While there we celebrated my birthday (I have no problem sharing my age...it's 33 and can I just say I really love my 30's). Lets see what we did all week, we went to the hotel and swam every day and enjoyed the hot tub, now before you get all up in arms because I'm pregnant...it's not HOT, or I wouldn't be in there...it's like] the perfect bath with the snow falling on your face..oh yeah my face got wind burt on Tuesday (my bday) while enjoying and relaxing in the hottub, the snow falling hard, and the wind blowing like a maniac, but the water just felt so good, that until we got out of the shower I didn't realize there was an issue and my face was on FIRE! I'll just give a shout out to my beloved Renew lotion via Melaleuca! (No paid endorcement, just my undying love and unending use of this magic lotion among many other SAFE and nontoxic products!!). For my birthday I got 2 cookbooks and a maternity massage (that came on Friday, no available apts until then). I got the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, that I've wanted oh since I can remember, and while at the PX in Garmish saw they had the Pioneer Woman's cookbook and I was drooling over it and made a very tiny, HINT to Chad that I'd love to have it and that I read her blog from time to time, can I just say that although I have not been able to use it yet, so many recipes look so good, and I HIGHLY recommend getting it! Oh, but if you're going for healthy, low fat....yeah um not the cookbook for you I guess, but seriously get over yourself and just get it and ENJOY the food you'll be making for your family!! We went out to eat to our favorite German restuarant in Garmish-Partenkirchen (it's actually on the Partenkirchen side of town), the food is awesome, the atomosphere is wonderful, very Bavarian with Polka music, often they have 2 boys who dance there (although they were not there on Tuesday), but that's ok the food and company and music made it perfect any ways! After dinner is when we went swimming and enjoying the hot tub, oh and Emma, yes she's a girl after my own heart, she by and far prefers the warmth of the hottub over the supposedly heated pool that is rarely what I'd call heated (we've been there probably about 20 times in our 4 1/2 yrs here and I've personally only found it truly an enjoyable heated pool 3 times, 95% of the time it's ok, and a few times it's been down right COLD, which is fine with it's hot outside, NOT when it's in the teens and one day this week it was down right COLD, so I skipped the pool! Sorry shivering it just not up my alley when I don't have to...I'd rather shiver from snow than water).
So back to our week, we went sledding a couple more times, Chad and the boys took ski lessons on Thursday. It was Chad and Jackson's 1st time skiing and they boys did great and had a good time, although Chad defin. felt all the muscles he does not normally use and bought some rub (kind of like icey hot) and I rubbed his sore legs and knee's Thursday and Friday. Jacob had skiied before and he loved it, although he walked very painfully for a couple hours after he was finished too! Jack was the only one who didn't walk all bow legged afterwards and was RUNNING around afterwards! LOL It amused me to see the difference in a 6 yr old and a 9 yr old! I'm hoping next winter that we can go down and they can all go to ski school for a ski week (it's 5 days of ski lessons). We really just tried to enjoy ourselves and relax and honestly it was just what I needed and the break we needed from everyday life. I'm the first to admit I've been under a lot of unnecessary stress and this week I've spent it praying that GOD will make it clear to me what needs to be cut down and/or completely out and that he'd give me the wisdom, strength, and courage to do what needs to be done for me and my family and most of all in my walk with him and how I serve him. At this point I'm still in shock at what seems to be what he's calling me to cut from my life, well at least cut back on, it saddens me, but I also know that when something that is supposed to be encouraging my walk, is actually hindering it, something has to change.

Oh I forgot to mention how WONDERFUL my massage was on Friday. Now I love massages in general, I think every woman should experience the blissdom of having a professional work on muscles that you don't even realize are sore, tense, etc and work it all out. I think we should all experience that relaxation in our bodies. The one time I've never exerienced this blissdom is during my pregnancy's and well ladies....if you are pregnant find a place that does a maternity massage, and let them give you their best! Oh my mercy. I was able to lay on my stomach (and anyone in their 2nd or 3rd trimester understands that in and of itself is such a wonderful blessing and treasure) then to have them massage you, help you truly relax, work on that sore and aching back, shoulders, and what I discovered was my favorite...my fingers. Seriously the girl who did my massage, her name is Natasha did something to my fingers that just was so amazing and literally I felt it through my WHOLE body, oh and she massaged my head too (my 2nd favorite thing in general when done correctly). I've had quite a few massages over the last few years and this was hands down the BEST EVER, not just because I'm pg, although that was a HUGE added bonus, but she just was AWESOME. For those who have had at least 2 massages, anyone else have that spot on their back that seems to um open up the sinus's, even when you didn't realize there was an issue there? It's happened 3 times to me and the first time I was mortified, but this time I just asked for a tissue and she kept doing her thing! :) Seriously what's better than being able to breath better (especially when you thought you were breathing just fine!), feel more relaxed, and having those sore muscles not sore, oh and your skin oiled and silky (but not gross). I've yet to discover anything better (as far as a luxury items go).

So over all great week! I'll work on uploading photo's hopefully tomorrow, although tomorrow we're going to be cleaning and organizing so we'll see when I'm able to get to it!

To my new followers...hi and thanks for coming, reading, and I look forward to you getting to know me more and getting to know you!!