Random Updates

So I know this blog is mainly about Mary Beth but every now and then I have a few other things to share so I hope you don't mind. Since MB will be 10 months tomorrow, I will be back to posting about her in no time. Especially since 10 months has been a big month for her.

- House update - We have had our house on the market for over a month now. We have had eight people come to see it and all of their feedback has been great. They love the house but are concerned about the busy road. I guess everyone wants to be nestled in a quiet cul-de-sac these days. I have found the process to be especially tiring. The thoughtful (I say this very sarcastically) people who have wanted to come see our house, have given us only an hour or two notice. We have had two people give us one day advance notice but everyone else wants to come immediately. This puts me in a panic since it's either during my work hours or early enough in the evening that Dan is not home to help me get ready for them. Mary Beth has been a trooper and has gotten used to watching me vacuum and put all of her toys away in a very rapid pace. This probably wouldn't bother me so much if I was okay with showing a house that is lived in. However, I want it to be perfect every time someone sees it so I put extra pressure on myself. We have had one offer that came within the first week of having it on the market but that one didn't work out. We are sad that the end of April is here because we were trying to capitalize on the first time home buyers credit that is ending this month. We are going to leave it on the market until August and if it doesn't sell by then, we are going to take it off and wait until next year. The reason we are selling is to move closer to Dan's job (Marietta area). He is commuting over two hours a day and this is crazy to us. We also would like to have another bedroom and a little more separation between my home office and Mary Beth. We are in no means desperate but are hoping that it will sell this year.

- Since Dan is traveling more with his job, MB and I are going to get to tag along on some of the trips. We went to Huntsville last weekend and had a great time seeing Daniel and Karen Chandler, good friends of ours from college. We are going on a trip to Bonita Springs, FL in the next few weeks and I'm excited to have another long weekend, especially since this one will be on the beach.

- We have been challenging ourselves this year to increase our giving and give above and beyond our tithe. We are reading more and praying more about this and it's been an exciting thing. It's interesting to think about giving as a spiritual gift because I don't know if I have ever met anyone who has said that they have the spiritual gift of giving. Most times you hear people say that they have the gift of teaching or serving but few talk about giving. We have enjoyed thinking creatively about where to give the money above our tithe and we feel that it is important for us to give to organizations that are doing something for God. There are so many great organizations out there but we want our giving to be in Jesus' name and feel like that is the best thing for us to do.

- I am about to start a get healthy campaign. I have lost most of the baby weight but things didn't bounce back like I had hoped so I am going to have to put some effort into getting things back to the way they should be. I know better than to start this weekend since we are going to the Saunders' family reunion and this is in the top five best meals of the year. I would be putting myself through unnecessary torture to attempt starting before then. My goals are to eat more fruits and vegetables and lean meats as well as exercise 3-4 times a week. Also, I will not be partaking in any desserts until Mary Beth's first birthday. We will both be stuffing our faces full of cake! If anyone would like to join me for this campaign, please let me know as I could use the support. I have Dan's support but he already is in great shape so it's hard for him to understand my point of view. :-)