Happy New Year!

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. -Anonymous


This year I just can't stop thinking about butterflies. Maybe because it's winter and they are hard to see, unless of course, you're at Eya's. I had to pull this old photo out of the archive from September 2008 - It's one of my favorites! Alyssa was four and rarely wore clothes AND we both had long hair. I've always loved starting over in January and having a "clean slate" so to speak. I have good feelings about 2011 and think this may be one of our BEST years ever. Santa brought me a new camera and the bumper sticker I have been craving since this summer, I guess now is the time - I get it, "Life is good." Seriously! : ) Oh yeah, I also added a bunch of quotes I've been holding on to but haven't had time to get on the blog, enjoy (on the right).

Happy New Year everyone, get ready for butterflies! : )

Another digital greeting by Smilebox

It's beginning to look a lot like . . .

I want to feel more like this




But somehow, I feel more like this

Thanks for the laugh and the cracked rib reminder. Come on, Christmas, I might be ready now : )

Our Newest Addition

Our home, via the Pettapiece home, has been enlarged by 4 small paws. We welcome Hunter Anderson, Alyssa’s first “real” pet, to our Roller Coaster Family! : ) Thank you Sara, Chip and Tyler for sending him our way. We promise we will take good care of him. Hold on tight, Little Buddy! : )

Hunter in the carrier going from the Pettapiece home to ours. Thank you so much, Sara, Chip and Tyler (who was being camera shy : )!

The first place we found Hunter napping alone was in the sun room in Alyssa's old, comfy, pink chair. He knows which silly, Sponge Bob girl he belongs to. High Five!

Everyone in our family has been excited about his arrival except for the Queen Huntress, Izzy Bizzy. Here she is pouting on the steps. Relax old girl, he'll be "hunting" with you soon. Until then, you can sleep with me and be my sweet kitty : )

Alyssa and Hunter playing with his new toys - catnip, yummmm. We were surprised to learn from the Vet that Hunter is probably two years old, he seemed younger to us. But he sure does love to play and C-L-I-M-B. A very curious cat - imagine that!

What a wonderful new addition to our family. He looked so much like our old Mr. Scooby, we just could not let him go. It's kind of funny, Scooby passed away about this same time a year ago, right before Thanksgiving. So much for our "No replacement policy." We're hooked little buddy! : )

The BEST Halloween EVER ! ! !

Just in case you missed the exciting headlines in my life - I'm back! God and modern medicine have come together to release me from the prison of depression I have been suffering from for the past six years, just in time for my favorite holiday - Halloween! Halloween 2010 will always be a date I remember. My crazy dog, Maggie May and I before we took "our walk" together, the first time in many years. Down the dirt road, through the woods, past the marsh, by the harbor to Sunrise Park. Maggie and I have been going to Sunrise Park together since she was just a pup, since 1999. It had been too long old girl, thanks for still being by my side. I have this whole thing about dog being God spelled backwards and a bunch of other theories about the holiness of dogs. I noticed that when I let you lead, we're fine. When I try to be in charge, I pick the route, we do it on my time, my schedule and my way, you pull and fight me and it is more difficult. Why is it so hard to just "Let go, and let God (or dog spelled backwards)?"

The love of my life and then some! Thank you for not giving up on me and staying even when I asked you to leave. I will always be thankful God put us together, we are a match made in heaven!

Oh, how I love pumpkins and my sweet girl. What an incredibly amazing person you are. I love you more!

Maggie May loves Halloween too, nothing like fresh, raw pumpkin.

Even butterflies love Halloween, this one by "Butterfly Girl" herself.

Yikes, a blue-haired vampire, the worst kind! Happy Halloween from the Anderson's, Life really is good. Thank you God for everything! I could not ask for more.

Just Because It's a Beautiful Day

So it's a beautiful October day, my sweet girl just had her best soccer game ever (she actually got a few kicks in), Drew is home from another week away, and life really is good - so I should post something? Right?!? I still don't know where this Blog is going - but that's the fun part, right, never boring? Here's a quick video from yesterday:


No, it's not you. I've tried three times and still can not get this video to play on the viewer side. If I do quit blogging it will not be that I did not have time, it will be that I just finally gave up on Blogger's slowness and quirks. Anyway, it was quite a marvelous day!

From Winnie the Pooh to Tesla . . .

"So much to do, so much to be!" -Winnie the Pooh

"Thank you God for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine." -Tesla (Signs)

So he sent flowers . . .

So Drew sent Alyssa and I flowers. They were beautiful! They were supposed to help us feel better about him spending a week in Las Vegas without us. We were comforted but still a little bummed he was pursuing his love of photography at a Photoshop Conference while we had to fend for ourselves and get each other to school on time. Alyssa and I survived, we actually had a pretty good "Girl's Week" but we missed him and how much he helps out around our home. We were really tired by the time Saturday rolled around and we picked him up at the airport. Thank goodness for Labor Day weekend and a chance to rest and be grateful together.

I am thankful for the incredible summer we had and I am also sad that it's Labor Day, the official end of Summer. I have not blogged all summer, my last post before this one was June 23rd, pretty close to the first day of summer. Maybe one day I will get around to it, but if I don't that's OK too. We captured all the memories and milestones, we have hundreds of photos to prove it, but this summer was different, we really LIVED it! It went by too quick and my girl is growing up too fast. We had Summer Camps, watermelon, popsicles by the pool. We went to the Beach, spent time with our families, Alyssa had her first sleepover at our house. All good, all so fleeting.

Tomorrow, school starts for me. The economy has bounced back and I will happily greet 15 new shining (probably crying) faces before my next weekend. Alyssa has been in 1st grade since
August 18th and loves her teacher. And Drew is going back into the real world. So goodbye Summer, you were fantastic, undoubtedly the best one ever! Thanks for the flowers!

Life is Good

It maybe too hard to read but the sticker is a butterfly and it says, "Life is Good!" - I love this sticker, I need one for my car. This one was spotted on our first evening at Eya and Poppy's - a good sign for the fantastic time we had.

You can't have too many noodles!

The water was still a little chilly but that did not slow Alyssa down.

She had the pool to herself and enjoyed every minute of it!

What is she thinking now?

Taking a ride in Eya's new car, in ten years it may go to Alyssa - we'll see, anyway we love it! Here's Alyssa doing her new favorite saying, "Peace out, suckers!" At least she is promoting peace, right?

Alyssa and Eya in "their" car - probably not the last time I will see her head sticking out the sun roof!

Alyssa and her Poppy checking out the river - let's hope she did get her height from him. Yes, Life is Good!

My Daughter Grows Up

My Daughter Grows Up

Life is fleeting, years rush past...
and little girls grow up so fast!
Let me take time out to be
glad that mine's still here with me.
And though I'm busy through the day,
let me take time out to play...
Let me take time out to smile,
to linger with her for a while...
To invite her under the table for tea
and dress up silly as can be.
Let me take time out to sing
and dance and skip
and twirl and swing...
To splash in puddles when it rains
and make her fancy daisy chains.
Let me take time out to hear
about the things that she holds dear.
Let me tuck her in at night,
hear her prayers, turn off the light.
And for one more moment let me pray
and thank God that we shared this day!

I do not know the Author, I read this at our last Daisy meeting for the year. The top photo is from Alyssa's First Day of Kindergarten this last photo is from the end of Kindergarten at her new favorite store, Wonder Works. Another year done gone!

School Memories

Wow - this year has flown by! I can't believe it is time to fill out Alyssa's School Memories Book again. Well, here goes Kindergarten . . .

My teachers: Mrs. Holly Browder and Mrs. Anne Patterson

My favorite story: Judy B. Jones, First Grade at Last

My favorite activities: Swinging on my disc swing, flipping on the couch and exercising

My best friends: Kayla, Isabell and Jamiah

My favorite TV shows: iCarly and Phineas & Ferb

My favorite movie: Honey, I Blew Up the Kid

My favorite game: Hungry, Hungry Hippos

The best thing about school: Doing classwork

Here is how I write my name: Alyssa - This year it's capital "A" no more all caps with backward "s" 's

Why do they have to grow up so fast? : (

Teaching Toddlers

Teaching Toddlers for the past two years has taught me many things – here are some of them, inspired by Robert Fulghum . . .

If you fall down, get back up, quickly, dust your hands off and keep on moving.

If it takes more than five minutes of my attention, it's too long.

Express yourself.

No hitting, kicking, pinching, pulling hair, pushing, throwing sand, or BITING! No crashes.

Sing, dance and color every day.

If I like it, it's mine.

Say "Bless you" when someone sneezes.

Whatever you ask, the answer is "No!"

You should say "Please" and "Thank you." It's not always required, but so darn cute!

Take turns and share, share, share.

When you don't know what else to do, wash hands.

Tissues and wipes – you're going to need an infinite supply!

If you make a mess, clean it up.

Always say a blessing before you eat – "Thank you Lord, for this food" – is a good way to start.

Ring cookies RULE!

We love to play outside and will be fascinated by the simplest of things: ants, leaves and airplanes in the sky.

Hide and seek is the BEST. I'll say, "I see you!" when you're found.

And last but certainly not least . . .

"Jesus loves me, this I know."

Important Words

The SIX most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."
the FIVE most important words: "You did a good job."
The FOUR most important words: "What is your opinion?"
The THREE most important words: "If you please."
The TWO most important words: "Thank you."
The ONE most important word: "We."
The LEAST important word: "I."

A new one for me under the category of occasionally, even teachers need a review. This was included in today's devotion from Daily Grace for Teachers. I think we all could use these words more often - Go TEAM!

Happy Mother's Day!

My two absolute favorites, STILL. If you have trouble with the link just click on the Motherhood Label on the right side. God Bless all you Moms out there - you are amazing!

http://theateams.blogspot.com/search/label/Motherhood

Double Rainbow Day

It is hard for me to look at a rainbow and not speak the word "Promise." So what does a double-rainbow stand for? Apparently it is a very rare occurrence. I'm so thankful we had one on Tuesday evening right after Alyssa's Kindergarten performance of Nursery Rhymes. Tuesday was such a great day, the double rainbow topping it off was really cool - Life is good!

Obedience is the KEY

I have learned that for me, obedience is the key. When I am not obedient to God, I sin, feel shame and lose my reborn closeness to Christ. I do not like this, it feels flat and like I'm really missing something wonderful about each moment. So what is sin for me? At this point in my life, my biggest sin is choosing to not follow a diet/exercise program.

Being overweight did not happen overnight, it started when I was nine as I crept up over the "normal" curve of one of those dratted growth charts. My weight issues in high school had to do with control or lack thereof, did I mention I was a teenager?!? In my 20's my weight issues came from beer/college. And my most recent weight gain came from a troubled marriage. I have not been "chubby" since I was nine. I have known God's Love before and looked my finest in Junior High School (I was a Cheerleader), at Lenoir-Rhyne (I was in the Dance Company and on the Homecoming Court) at East Carolina and most importantly, in 2000 when I met Drew. We used to joke with each other about each being a "Total Package."

I can tell you that now, or starting last week, the troubled marriage has been exposed and is being worked on. I don't know how long it will take us to work out our issues but I hope it is less than the year it is going to take me to lose this extra 60 pounds. I have struggled with my weight and dieting for what feels like forever and I can finally say that I am not enslaved anymore and this baggage will be shed. I can be better.

I am following Dr. Joel Furhman's Eat to Live Diet (basically Vegan), because it has worked for me twice in the past two years and came recommended to me by one of my favorite doctors and people, my brother, Dr. Brad. Chantel Hobbs is another person I will be following. It's funny, I thought I "got" her book. Giving your weight issues over to God. I even had a new theme song! I really thought I had let go of my food issues, but the scale kept climbing. I was so anxious recently because as long as the Girl Scout Cookies were in my house, my weight kept going up. I love my Daisy Girl Scouts but someone else will be the Cookie Manager next year! What Chantel says that really hit home with me is that "HE just loved ME." She also said, "I will be better" and that "God wants more for you." Her husband responded to her madness with "Do it then talk, babe." So she did, she lost more than two hundred pounds, and has written two really great books for those of us who struggle with our weight: Never Say Diet and the The One-Day Way. Now I am going back and reading them again - funny, now they make really do make sense!

I know that God won't do everything. I am going to have to do it the boring, old, tried and true hard way - diet and exercise. It's just that God has finally provided the motivation I have been lacking.

So OBEDIENCE is my key - what do I have to do to be obedient? Take care of myself, eat healthy, drink lots of water, drive safely, listen to HIS radio, read my devotional Daily Grace For Teachers book, love and pray for my kids, and be the best wife, mother, teacher, daughter and friend I can be, care for my coworkers, listen to Focus on the Family, read my Not Religion Devotions, do things I love to do each day, attend marital counseling, go to Overeater's Anonymous, find a sponsor, do the steps, surrender this whole eating thing to God, exercise each day, go to Church to get recharged, and live the best possible life I can, giving God the glory.

I also know that this weight is not going to just fall off. It's hard to lose weight at 40, especially compared to 9 or 15 or 20. Today I did 36 minutes on the treadmill that btw is in the middle of our living room floor! Poppy, I think I'm finally ready to hear about your diet - I already like Pomegranate Juice and 1 square of Dark Chocolate a day! So my toenails don't look perfect anymore and if I'm coming to your house, hide the cookies!


Here's an oldie but goodie from the last time I was the "right" size, December 2004. Because I must have a photo, right?!?! Alyssa was just a babe and we were all really happy. I can be better and I'm on my way.

Welcome to Blogger

So Drew has started his new Blog, check it OUT!

http://drew-getbusyliving.blogspot.com

The Search is Over - Survivor

Just in case you don't remember the words to this 1980's song by Survivor it goes "The search is over, you were with me all the while." That is what I am most thankful for today. This has been a LIFE CHANGING week for our TEAM. But we are happy to announce that we are BACK and life is only going to get better and better! We are excited about this! This blog will change somewhat too - more talk from me and I will be linking to Drew's new Blog, coming soon. The TRUTH is that our marriage was in trouble and we wound up at a Couples Workshop where we met Terry Real (The REAL Deal) and Mary Raymakers, a modern day Shaman. They were honest, helped us discover our full God-given potential, AND find our passion/spark again. "It was with us all the while." LIFE is GOOD and not only that but makes sense too! We do not know what our future holds, but God does and we're happy about that, He will show us the way and it is going to be quite a ride - pay attention, many good things will be coming. I want to say a very sincere Thank You to our families and friends, some of you may think this sounds like crazy talk but when you see us you will notice the change. Thank you for being "with us all the while."
Not the greatest photo we have ever taken, but the smiles are real, the sparks are back in our eyes and this was taken at the Holiday Inn in Mount Pleasant where we left to start our new life together as husband and wife on June 1, 2002. The Couples Conference was held here as well. Funny how things come back around - "You were with us all the while."

Thank you God for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine.

A Few from Drew

Our girl just a swingin'


Vuvva the Goatherd

Down on the farm blowing "puffballs"

In Morganton, Easter Sunday in her new swimsuit from the Easter Bunny.

"The BEST Day of My Life"

As adults we typically say the BEST day of our life was our wedding day or the day we gave birth to our children, but yesterday was Alyssa's. What did we do? Well, we got up early and she came to work with me. She hid Easter eggs for the children in my class to find, helped my kids color some paper eggs with markers and enjoyed our small, non-catastrophic Easter Party. She spent the three hours bouncing back and forth at our school in different classes, helping out all the teachers, playing on the "Big" playground and alerting us when the eggs we have been watching for more than 20 days were about to hatch. I saw some maturity I usually do not see at home, but where does that bossiness come from? :)

After one last swing on the Tire Swing we headed to the Nail Salon - pedicures for us both. She was a little impatient while we had to wait but LOVED her First Pedicure. She wanted to get her nails done too, but she and I have terrible fingernails, so we're going to wait and do that later this summer.

When we were finally done with our beauty treat we headed home and I swung her as high as I could on one of the neighbors Tree Swings. This is when she said it - many times, "This is the BEST day of my life." Funny how much I used to love swings when I was little too. I couldn't help but to repeat "The Swing" by Robert Louis Stevenson over in my head.

It was a fairly simple day, but one I will always remember because she was so happy, and I was there. Isn't that what parents live for, to see their children happy. Life is good, Spring is here and Alyssa and I have pretty toes!

Girl Scouts

I haven't posted a blog on Girl Scouts yet but being a Daisy Girl Scout and a Daisy Leader has been occupying a significant amount of our time since November. I have taken many photos but do not feel comfortable showing other Daisies besides mine on our Blog. Here are just a few photos that show just how darn cute Daisies really are!

Jenny - my very brave Assistant Leader - we share responsibility for our Troop and meetings. We have 12 girls and meet twice a month. Lately we have been focused on Cookie Sales - yes, Daisies sell cookies too and our Troop of 12 sold more than 2,000 boxes!

Alyssa with her Cookie Form ready to sell those cookies - Drew sold more than anyone!

A Daisy tired of working at her Cookie Booth. I'm also currently having a difficult time with Picasa and Blogger uploading photos - that is limiting Blogs to only 4 photos each. More Girl Scout stuff to come Alyssa and I are both enjoying Daisies and also share the same love for Tagalongs!

Lordy, Lordy

I hate having to blog about turning 40, but I guess it's a significant milestone. Drew decided to use this old photo on a few signs announcing to the neighborhood I was now one of the over the hillers. This is a classic - in my red-head days and covered in fresh throw up from Alyssa. Thanks Drew for pulling this one out of the archive!

Eya and Alyssa icing my 40th Birthday "Cake" - Yummy Pumpkin roll.

I still can't believe it - My brain apparently stopped at 14. I clearly remember when not only 40 but 30 was old!

Dinner at Moms - me trying to get the new numbers right. Thanks Mom and Dad for such a great dinner party, thanks Drew & Alyssa for the embarrassment and thank you Lord for letting me enjoy this year. "Grow old along with me, the BEST is yet to be!" - Browning