The Love Dare- Day 2

Well, day 2 went MUCH better than day 1!! Today's dare was to (again) not say anything negative to my husband, as well as do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness. I did a few, I'd say, but none of them were very amazing. I didn't gripe about him not wanting to go to church.. And even though I wanted him to stay home with me, I didn't whine about him going to play basketball with his friend. What else can I do? I ALWAYS leave for church in a bad mood because he won't come with me, so instead I was kind about it. I did a TON better with the no negative-ness too. I slipped up a few times, of course, but not nearly as bad as the day before. Hopefully the easy-ness will continue :)

The Love Dare- Day 1

I honestly meant to start doing the Love Dare for Lent. I gave up sweet tea, so I was going to do the Love Dare to better myself and my marriage.. But I forgot. I do have a million and two things going on right now, but when I was at the Family Christian Store yesterday, I saw it and remembered. I decided to start last night.

Day 1 was about patience. The dare was not to say anything negative to my husband.

For a full day.

An ENTIRE, full day.

This only is day 1.

Are you kidding me!?

I have no (zero, nada, zip, zilch) problem telling my husband what he is doing wrong, when he is doing it wrong, and how exactly he is doing it wrong. I'll tell him when he's being a douchebag or not listening to me. I also have zero patience. Okay, let me rephrase that: I DO have patience - but it's like all my patience is spent on the babies (Kylee, don't touch that; Kylee, stop yelling; Kylee, don't hit the dog, etc) so I don't have any leftover for him. When I ask him to do something, even if it's totally unimportant, I want it done RIGHT THEN. No questions asked, just flippin' do it. And when he doesn't.. Well, I like to act like Kylee when she's not allowed to have another cookie. Oy.

I knew this day would be hard. Kylee's been sick (so cranky) and Bentley's teething and colicky, so our house has been nothing but a cryfest lately. I'm not a very positive person to say the least.

But, I DID decide to do this and I DO want to better myself and our marriage, sooooo I said a little prayer begging God for more patience and positivity and it wasn't long before I was biting my tongue. I just kept reminding myself it was almost bedtime. I couldn't be negative if I was asleep so I could just work on this whole positivity thing in the morning.

Then.... It happened..

"Why are you such an idiot?!"

Yup, I said it. And not in a sarcastic, nice, I'm-calling-you-an-idiot-but-I-don't-really-mean-it way, but in a "you are an idiot" way.

All day today was a struggle. I actually never realized how negative I WAS being until I tried NOT to be, if that makes sense. I told the hubby about how I was doing the Love Dare and what my dare was for today, so when I would start being negative he would remind me. Good? Not so much. *sigh* I think I'll keep the dares to myself from now on..

Day 25, 26, 27, & 28

Day 25: A picture of your day

Day 26: Something that means a lot to you

My relationship with Jesus Christ

Day 27: A picture of you & a family member

Day 28: Something you are afraid of

Day 24

Day 24: A picture of something you wish you could change

Day 22 & 23

Day 22: A picture of something you wish you were better at



Day 23: A picture of your favorite book

Day 17, 18, 19, 20, & 21

Day 17: A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life lately

Isn't the Navy always impacting our lives in someway?

Day 18: A picture of your biggest insecurity

Day 19: A picture & a letter

..Leaving this one blank because I have NO idea what the picture and letter are are supposed to be of/about. D u m b.

Day 20: A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Platform 9 3/4 in London :)

Day 21: A picture of something you wish you could forget


More like a someone.

Days 13, 14, 15, & 16

I totally suck lately at updating this!! Trying to keep up with laundry, housework, homework, and the babies is exhausting. If I weren't breastfeeding, I'd be buying stock in Red Bull. Unfortnately, it would probably keep Bentley up for about a week, so that's out.

Day 13: A picture of your favorite band or artist

LOVE THEM!

Day 14: A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Day 15: A picture of something you want to do before you die

I want to record a CD someday :)

Day 16: A picture of someone who inspires you

Days 10, 11, & 12

And I think this will catch me up. Things have been bananas here lately.. Which can only be expected when you have a 1 month old and a 17 month old. Chaossss!! However, I think I have successfully convinced the hubs to have two more in a few years :) And in even better news.. Kylee pooped in the potty last night!!! Such a big girl! We haven't even ever tried before. She was pointing at her diaper and grunting.. So I asked her if she wanted to go in the potty and she ran to the bathroom. I was so impressed. haha.

Anyway, back to the blog challenge.

Day 10: A picture of the person you've done the craziest things with

Kizatelyn.. One of my BFFs from jr high & high school! Never would've made it through countless Honors classes without her.. Or been so close to being arrested. haha. Love her!

Day 11: A picture of something you absolutely HATE

No joke, this show makes me want to throw myself off a bridge.

Day 12: A picture of something you LOVE

Harry Potter of course! :)

Day 9

Day 9: A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

The hubs. :) I have been through SO much in the 4 years we've been together and I have nooo idea how I would've gotten through any of it without him. He's always there to calm me down, make me smile, and make sure I'm okay. He always knows when something's wrong or bothering me (which REALLY drive me crazy, btw) and then bugs me until I talk about it. I love him so much!!

Day 7 & 8

Day 7: A picture of your most treasured item

It's the only picture I have on my facebook, but my engagement ring. My engagement ring was my grandma's, who passed away when I was in 2nd grade. She was an amazing, beautiful woman and I miss her everyday. She & my grandpa had a marriage and relationship that I really look up to and hope that the hubs & I can even love each other half as much as they did.

Day 8: A picture that makes you laugh



Christmas Eve '09 - They're so silly :)

Day 6

Day 6: A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

I'd LOVE to trade places with Natalie Grant for a day :) I absolutely ADORE her!! She's a fabulous singer, has great stage presence, an inspiring faith, and is a faithful wife and mommy. She's so sweet & kind in person and, really, just a woman that I look up to and aspire to be like.

Day 5: A picture of your favorite memory

Well, I have too many for just one picture! :)

The Goobies/Church camp

I love these girls!! & I miss them so much. We had some of the BEST times at SYC & Fall Workshop.. And other times too!

Choir trips/Chamber

I spent most of high school with these people because of our ridiculous choir schedules. I would've hated choir had it not been for them! :)

DnA times :) Really.. That's all that needs to be said! haha.


Our Wedding Day
12-08-07 was the day I married my best friend! I have no idea what I'd do without him.

Our First Homecoming!!! I waited 6.5 long, lonely months for this day. And it was a direct result in the next picture.. bahahaha.

My first BFP. We were SO excited to be pregnant with our very first blessing!

Meeting my pretty princess for the first time.

Kylee's baptism.

"It's hard to stand on shifting sand,

It's hard to shine in the shadows of the night

You can't be free,

If you don't reach for help

And you can't love if you don't love yourself

But there is hope when my faith runs out

Cause I'm in better hands now

It's like the sun shining when the rain pouring down

It's like my soul is flying though my feet are on the ground

So take this heart of mine, there's no doubt

I'm in better hands now"

Meeting my little prince for the first time.

Day 4

Day 4: A picture of my night

After the babies are bathed & sleeping and the living room is picked up from Kylee's disasters, I catch up on facebook & a miliary wives forum that I'm on. I also watch any of my many shows and hang out with the hubs :)

Day 3

Day 3: A picture of the cast from your favorite show

I have soo many favorite shows!! But lately, "Ghost Adventures" has been one that we can't miss in this house :)

Day 2

Day 2: A picture of the person you've been closest with the longest

Ashly.

This one makes me sad, because we are no longer close like we used to be. We both grew up and apart. I'm sure the distance didn't help any either.

However, I wouldn't have made it through my teenage years without her & her family.. Definitely not without killing anyone. haha. We have 10 million inside jokes, even more secrets, even MORE pictures, & know each other better than we know ourselves sometimes. We fight like sisters, drive each other crazy, & go months without talking for no reason.

Even though things aren't how they used to be, I still know that I can count on her for anything, and I hope she feels [and knows] the same about me. She was the only person there for me through sooo many huge things in my life (like my parents' divorce) and I really don't know what I would've done without her. Who else would go to the mall every. single. day. just because there wasn't anything else to do, or sit on my porch for hours at a time making fun of people & making up names for the frequent drive bys? Exactly - no one. Boyfriends, heartbreaks, midnight movies, living together, walking to Hardee's in a blizzard to get milkshakes, the cruise, 16th birthdays, first day of high school, sneaking around, skipping school, more boyfriends & heartbreaks, road trips, graduating high school, the summer after high school [go fish, cigarillos, & boones farm], and sooooo many more - that was my life. She was there when no one else was.

Maybe [I hope] someday we'll be at the same place in our lives & able to be as close as we once were. Maybe when our kids start lying to us like we lied to our parents. haha.

New 30 Day Blog Challenge

Since Bentley's decided that night time is the best time to be awake, I need something to do besides schoolwork (something that doesn't take much thought, haha) so I'm stealing this blog challenge from Tiffany! :)

Day 1: 15 Things About Me

1. I hate being called "Darlene."
2. I love being a wife and mommy.
3. I miss West Virginia sometimes.. But I know that if I didn't have to, I wouldn't live there ever again. The one thing I wish I could pick up and take with me everywhere, is my church. I miss my church (and church family) almost more than I miss my actual family! ;)
4. My favorite color is green.
5. I hate rollercoasters.. I have a need to be in control (and not feeling like I'm going to die..) so they just don't work for me.
6. I sing too much and too loud.. But I love it.
7. The hubs and I have a slight obsession with board games.. Especially monopoly!
8. I miss having people to hang out with all the time.
9. I miss who my parents were when I was a child [so I guess who my child-mind thought they were].
10. I HATE cleaning the kitchen.
11. I've gotten like 6 hours of sleep in 3 days. I'm exhausted.
12. I can't wait to be done with school, even though I'm still not sure if teaching is really what I want to do.
13. I could eat Olive Garden every single day!
14. I LOVE to decorate cakes! I'd love to open my own bakery someday.
15. I love Jesus. The end.