Who Dat! 30 Day Challenge

I thought I would combine Katie's challenge today with a "normal" post. Katie's challenge today is to share a picture of yourself. Not my favorite one so far. :)

Wednesday morning 4 of my coworkers and I headed out for New Orleans. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics held a conference there on Thursday and Friday.

It was a long drive down, but it was a lot of fun. We talked and laughed until we nearly cried. I am incredibly blessed to have coworkers that I enjoy being with.

We got into town Wednesday night around 7:30 and were exhausted. We grabbed dinner in the hotel restaurant and then went to bed.

Thursday morning we woke up and got ready for our first day at the conference. I attended some great workshops. They also had several exhibits there with different companies presenting their ideas/products. I purchased a few things that I'm really excited about. Teachers, you should totally check out Faceing Math. It's great! They have something for all grade levels. If you don't have math, they have something for you too.

One of my coworkers has an aunt who lives in New Orleans. She made reservations for us at a fancy spancy restaurant called Dragos for Thursday night. It was really yummy. I even got brave and tried fish.

Friday after the conference, we went to the aquarium. Oh My Goodness! It was so neat!!! My two favorite parts were where you walk through a tunnel and fish are swimming above you and around you and getting to watch them feed the penguins. I LOVE PENGUINS!!





We also walked through the Riverwalk several times while there. They had some great shopping and food.
On the trolley



Friday night Starla's aunt treated us to Beignets and hot chocolate. Beignets are French donuts. They taste a lot like funnel cakes.


It was definitely a great business trip! We had so much fun!! And I learned some too!

But, I was glad to be home last night. I stopped by to see Miss Amelia Earhart and then headed home to my furbabies. They were VERY happy to have Mommy home. They slept outside all week and my nephew, Pryce, came over to feed them every day. We were thankful to have him this week.

30: Nicknames

We are sharing our nicknames today over at Katie's Journey. I have had several nicknames throughout my life. When I was little my family called me Lainabug. Oh I hated this as I got older.

In high school some of my friends called me Lainer. My senior year of high school, I worked at Sonic and all my friends there called me Skinny or Slim.

My mother-in-law calls me her little one, which I like. :)

The husband calls me Wifees.

My Aunt Tammy always call Elaina Ann, and yes that is my name, but no one other than her really uses my first and middle name.

I always think about nicknames when I think about what we want to name our kids. Nicknames can be very cruel to a young kid in school.

30 Days: Something You Miss

Today we are sharing something we miss.

Tonight I'm missing the husband. He is out of town again.

:(

30 Days: Future & Regrets

I didn't spend much time with a computer yetserday so I missed Katie's challenge of sharing something I look forward to.

There are a lot of things I look forward to...family pictures, a trip to Branson with my parents, Christmas, summer vacation...the list goes on.

But I think the biggest thing I look forward to is the time when God will see fit to add to my family. God has placed it on my heart that now is not the time for us to add to our family. I also feel God has made it clear to me that I should allow my husband to lead in this area of our lives.

With that being said, I also believe God has given me a dream of being a mom. My Father knows the desires of my heart.

I dream about watching Drew be a dad. I think he is going to be the absolute best daddy to our kids. I've seen this with our nieces & nephews. He is great with them. And when I can get him to hold a baby, my heart melts.

I dream about how I will tell my parents that they are going to be grandparents. And yes I have some ideas. :0

I dream about finding the perfect name and about decorating a nursery. I dream about the traditions we will have as a family.

The memories we will make is what I most look forward to.

I enjoy looking forward to the future. Most of the time I enjoy looking to the past.

Today, Katie challenges us to share our regrets. I really don't have a lot of regrets.

God has allowed me to learn from the mistakes I have made. However, I did make a decision when I was 18 that I deeply regret. It was one of those things I knew wasn't right but I chose that route anyway.

It is not a mistake I am comfortable sharing with you at this time. I know at some point I will have to confess it, but I'm just not ready. I have confessed to my Heavenly Father and I know He has forgiven me. But I still struggle with forgiving myself and moving past the decision. Because of that struggle I still see the effects of this decision in my life today.

Shake Your Groove Thang! Yeah Yeah!

This past weekend the husband and I joined a local community center. They have a very nice gym with three full size basketball courts and a rubberized track above it that is 1/10 of a mile. They have all your workout machines like the treadmill, bike, and elliptical. They are opening an indoor Jr. Olympic size pool in the next 3 or 4 weeks. The pool has a retractable glass roof...pretty cool.

They also offer aerobics classes. I have always wanted to do something like this, but 1. have never known where I should go and 2. have never had anyone to join with me.

Well now I know where to go. I signed up for Cardio Dance, which I'm told is basically Zumba. As for who would join with me, I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone on this one. I don't know anyone else going.

Last night was my first night. It is 12 classes, 3 nights a week for the next 4 weeks. Oh my goodness!! I had so much fun. It was definitely a little embarrassing, but I felt better knowing I wasn't the only one who didn't know what I was doing.

There were about 13 of us last night. Women of all ages, color, shapes, and sizes. It sounded like most of us were more than willing to let go and laugh at ourselves.

It was definitely a workout. Made this girl sweat! I'm going back tonight for round two and am so looking forward to it. I've even been practicing my moves in front of the bathroom mirror. HA!!!

I am so glad the husband encouraged me to go ahead and sign up. It is going to keep me busy, which isn't a bad thing with all the husband's travels. I am already making new friends and I can get into shape which I am so not!!

30 Days: My Dream House

Awww!!! My dream house! Well anyone who knows my husband knows he is a dreamer and loves to design houses with computer software. This means we have a different dream house every 6 months to a year.

We like all different styles. It all depends on the location of the house. Our latest dream is a house on the lake that has large open rooms and a place for our parents to stay.

Of course most of the houses he designs are far bigger than we will ever be able to afford.

More important to me than the look and layout of the house is the atmosphere. I want my house to be a safe haven for my family. I want it to be a place where we long to be. I want it to be a place where my children want to hang out and where my children's friends want to hang out.

I want it to be a house where the Lord is glorified. I want it to be place that is covered in prayer. I want it to be a place my family can run to...and not just my immediate family, but all family.

My dream house is a home full of love. What it looks like really isn't important.

30 Days: Pictures & Scriptures

Day 14 (Yesterday) everyone shared a picture they loved. Like most, I couldn't just pick one. Here are a few of my faves!

This is the picture of Liam Bailey that was on petfinder.com It is the picture that made me fall in love with my little cuddly guy!


One of my favorite pictures from our wedding.



This was taken after Grandma Weaver's funeral back in June. I just love this pic! My husband sure looks good all dressed up!


Our family camping a couple of years ago.

This picture was taken on my 24th birthday. I just love this picture of my sweet family, mainly because it was such a great birthday. The husband made sure I felt very loved!!

Me & my girl meeting for the first time!!



And today we are sharing a Bible verse.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

I love this verse! It is such comfort.