A Day I Won't Forget

Today started out like any other day. We don't really celebrate any holidays but we aren't completely against little ones like V Day. I usually enjoy buying lots of on sale candy a day or two after the big day is over.

Today I was home cleaning like a maniac because I felt like my house was full of flu germs. Just for fun I made some cake mix cookies. Oh and I downloaded a new app. It's a collage maker and I might go overboard using it for every post so just bear (or is it bare?) with me until it's newness wears off.

I'm such a newbie collage maker but it makes me smile because I feel more up-to-date with cool apps.

Our little Kate has the flu so I did a lot of coloring, drawing, and painting today. Oh and I made another collage..

I painted that sweet whale.


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After finally sitting down to relax, I got the phone call I've been dreading. My grandpa passed away today at the age of 79. I'm in sort of the shock stage although I knew it was coming. With funeral services to come and whatever else that comes with the loss of a loved one, I won't be online much for a while. Thank you to those who have shown your support during this extremely difficult time.
I said this before, he was an almond farmer and today the almond blossoms were in full bloom. They smell so good.

Live Life To The Fullest

Death has a weird way of making our minds wander. I have made up my mind that I want to drain this life dry of what it has to offer.

I want to experience life.

I don't want to just exist.

I want to leave an impact.

When dealing with death some people allow the "nothing matters" way of thinking trap them into never stepping out of their comfort zone. It prevents them from living life to the fullest because it won't matter in the end.

But it WILL matter! It will matter to the ones you leave behind. Your legacy will be told for generations if you leave that much of an impact! My grandpa never did anything spectacular but just by being the loving, hard working, dedicated family man he was, he is leaving behind all of those great memories in us-his family. I want to leave this world knowing I lived and didn't just exist.

And since this post was a bit too serious, here's something that made me laugh. Which I need to do more of.

How was your Thursday?
Are you going to choose to live or just exist?

Have an awesome Friday!

A little hello from my part of blog land

I've been a little bit of a hermit lately but don't worry, I still found time to at least read new blog posts. I should be back to my old blogging self sometime soon..hopefully.

First things first: my grandpa's Dr. turned his pacemaker off today. It was shocking his heart so this was a huge sign that his heart is losing strength. Since he is under Hospice care they are supposed to do whatever they can to keep him pain free. If he lives through the night I will be there first thing in the morning to see him...

On a tremendously lighter note we started a garden!

Since the weather isn't quite "springy" yet we're starting the seeds inside. We have our own seedlings! It's like we have tons of growing babies without the crying and poopie diapers. Kate is so excited and loves to check every day to see if they've grown. Daniel hates veggies so he's not too interested. He'll be happy if the watermelon grows.

Lots of goodies to come in a few months!

I made a really good chicken noodle soup yesterday but I went a little overboard and made a little too much. So I've been living off of soup since yesterday and I'm sure I'll be eating it tomorrow too. :-/

Tonight called for some frozen yogurt. I almost wanted seconds..

I haven't run in a while and I don't plan to until my knee is completely healed. I have been strength training and doing some toning exercises. I've also gone on a lot of walks on our canal. Today I pushed Kate in the stroller (she was having a lazy day) about 2 miles. I broke a good sweat and the best part was smelling all the almond blossoms. My grandpa was an almond farmer when I was little and the smell of the orchards brings back such great memories.

How's your week going so far?

I hope everyone has an amazing Thursday!

Oh! I almost forgot! Stephanie @ Catladyruns is giving away two race entries for the Miami, Florida Biggest Loser 5k run/walk! Go enter before Friday! Her blog can be found under the "blogs I follow" tab. 

Saturday Sharing

In case you were dying to know, here are some of my favorite things that I'd like to share with you.

1. Almond butter. I finally took the plunge and bought a jar instead of buying the single serving packets. Justin's is the best that I've tasted but Walmart wanted 10 bucks for a small-ish jar! So I moved down the aisle a bit and found this:

I'll never eat peanut butter again

It tastes very similar to Justin's but it's about 4 dollars cheaper.

2. I love this pita bread. Melted mozzarella cheese, avacado and garlic salt tastes quite nice on one of these.

3. Cereal makes a good dinner or late evening snack.

4. This documentary is very good. It is based on the question: "why do bad things happen?" It's a "Christian" film but doesn't "preach" at you. I had a few "wow!" moments. He explains something that I think of often, so well.

5. My absolute favorite song right now is Oceans by Hillsong United

 

6. I went to visit my grandpa today. He's changing fast and every day that goes by I'm trying really hard to prepare myself for his passing. It made my whole life better when I walked in his room and he looked at me and smiled.

7. I wrote a guest post for Stephanie @ CatLadyRuns 

It's called "How to Keep the Flame Alive After Marriage..and Kids."

 Check out her blog, it's one of my favorites.

 

8. I follow quite a few amazing blogs and I'd like to share them with you. If you're already following some of them, then that's great, if not then go check 'em out! 

Go to my "Blogs I follow" tab and you'll find the list there. Most of them are on Bloglovin'. 

 

9. I'm really loving this new shampoo & conditioner I bought a few weeks ago. It smells so good and I can already feel a difference in my hair.

 

10. My husband makes THE BEST Clam Chowder. I'll be eating happy tonight! I'll share the recipe if he says it's ok.

  

How's your weekend going so far?

Do you like Clam Chowder?

Do you spoil yourself and buy nice shampoo? (I know L'OREAL isn't really a "fancy" shampoo, but it's a step up from what I used to buy!)

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!

Run a mile or two for me please!  

 

Thursday Thoughts

I have a lot on my mind right now but I'll keep it short.

 1. We're finally getting some rain here in Central Cali so after my workout I laid around a lot under one of my favorite blankets, catching up on all the blogs I follow and even found one or two more. I really like days like this.

It has a wolf on it..but I don't like it for that reason.

2. I've been asked to write a guest post for Stephanie @ CatLadyRuns! I am so excited she asked me! I actually wrote up the post today but it's up to her when it gets published. I'll create a link on an upcoming post as soon as she has it up. It was a fun topic too!

3. I stumbled upon an awesome fitness app today! Nike club training. It is the coolest app I have on my phone. You follow the prompts and pick what you want from the workouts.

Then pick your level of experience or intensity.

Then browse the workouts, customize them, add RUNNING if you'd like then start!

What's awesome about this app is that it creates a 4 week program for you, it includes days with just yoga to help stretch your muscles, and it talks to you while you're working out and counts down your time. I used it today. I did 1 mile on the treadmill then "wipeout".

4. Some of you may know that my grandpa is very ill. He has been taken off dialysis. It is putting too much stress on his heart. He keeps getting infections in his body so dialysis isn't doing what it should. My family and I will be visiting him tomorrow for what may be the last time. I knew this was coming but nothing could prepare me for his death. He's still alive so I don't even like saying that word. I haven't had someone so close to me pass away. This man holds our family together. He started the Goucher family. (No I'm not related to Kara or her husband..although I haven't checked for sure) I might disappear from blog world for a while so if I do, don't worry. I'll need to come back.