It's a GIRL.

I'm pleased to announce that... IT'S A GIRL :) Okay, this is me after eating a huge dinner... I'm not prego, but my SISTER is!!! I'm so excited for the little one to come! Have you ever heard that it takes a village to raise a baby? Well, it also takes a village to throw a baby shower... and that's just what we did.

I did the invitations:

Brook did the food:

Janet and Cheryl did the decorations:


ReNae did the adorable cupcakes:


My mom was on crowd control (socializing!):

(Above is the absolutely beautiful quilt my Aunt Myrna made! Talk about talent!)

And Macy was in charge of the game:

We had to play this privately, by invitation only, in the back room!
(it was vetoed by my mom... she's a "fun-hater")

Overall, it was a great shower! Maxene has a lot of friends and family who love her. And we all think she's going to be an amazing mother!

My Life Metaphor...

Have you ever done sprints in a pool? This was one of our regular spring workouts for college volleyball. You sprint as hard as you possibly can, yet you barely move at all.

My life feels a lot like this right now. I feel like I'm working really hard, yet nothing seems to be getting done! Ugh :)

A Happier/Healthier Kelly

"The Best I Can Be" is the name of the healthy challenge I am participating in for the next couple months. There are about 65 women participating, and we all donated ten bucks to go into a pot. The winner will get 80% of the pot, second place gets 15%, and third place gets 5%. So how do you win? Everyday you have an opportunity to earn 10 points (70 points on the week). Whoever has the most points at the end of the challenge, WINS! Here is the daily point layout:

1. Drink 48 ounces of water (I do this before noon)
2. 45 minutes of exercise (no problem)
3. 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables (I'm getting better)
4. No soda or alcohol (easiest point EVER)
5. No sweets, fast food, or unhealthy snacks (you may as well take away my happiness)
6. No eating after 8:00pm (sometimes I can't wait to go to bed just so I can eat in the morning!)
7. Read 15 minutes (hard to schedule in, but so worth it)
8. Write in your journal (I started an electronic journal)
9. Express specific appreciation, love, or praise (don't even have to think about it)
10. Personal goal (sometimes a week long goal, sometimes 7 mini goals- right up my alley)

I've noticed a difference in my life as I've made time to read uplifting material, tell people what I love about them, and write in my journal. If only I could see the difference in my life for not eating after 8pm or not craving sweets all the dang time. I’m going to continue to work really hard to earn as many points as I can. At this point I don’t think it’s about winning, I hope that I can build some amazing habits, and that I will be a healthier/happier/balanced person in general.