Uhhh

Woh...what the heck?  Am I here?  Well, yes, I suppose I am.  Blogging.

Uh, gosh. Well, hmm. I doubt anyone even reads this, which is probably good, because I think I started this more for me than anything.

If you are reading this, I dunno.  I am in a weird place.  Too weird to divulge online.  Soooo:

 I'd like to kill my Facebook, but can't b/c of the biz page.
 I am a happy person, but I have numerous voids.
 I like to make nachos.
 I wear size 9 shoes.
 People with good self esteem get on my nerves.
 I am 35 going on 72 going on 14.
 It's August, I hate August.
 If the Mayans were right, I'd be fine with it.
 My least favorite color is purple.
 I am angry.

That's all for now.  That's ok.  It's enough.

My favorite right now

This one's for the lonely
The ones that seek and find
Only to be let down
Time after time

This one's for the torn down
The experts at the fall
Come on friends get up now
You're not alone at all

And this part was for her
This part was for her
This part was for her
Does she remember?

It comes and goes in waves, i....

This one's for the faithless
The ones that are surprised
They are only where they are now
Regardless of their fight

This one's for believing
If only for it's sake
Come on friends get up now
Love is to be made

And this part was for her
This part was for her
This part was for her
Does she remember?

It comes and goes in waves,
I am only led to wonder why
It comes and goes in waves
I am only led to wonder why
Why I try

This is for the ones who stand
For the ones who try again
For the ones who need a hand
For the ones who think they can

It comes and goes in waves,
I am only led to wonder why
It comes and goes in waves
I am only led to wonder why
Why I try


Greg Laswell, Comes and Goes

Just Add Water

I've been an absent blogger.  Without spending alot of time here, here's what's up:

1. I'm down 64 pounds, wearing a 14 (almost to a 12), feeling like I'm in my 20's again.  Life is sweet...even though I'm STILL sugar-free. ;)

2. The photo biz rocks, BUSY! Shot a wedding in Florida in August, flying to Vermont in October for another...lots in between.  We are blessed.

3. Friends are cool, treat others as you wish to be treated.  Good rule of thumb there and everywhere.  Jesus likes this rule.

4.  Kids rock, Noah has all A's, Maya; A's and B's, and both are super funny, sweet, and seemingly well-adjusted. Love them, and they love me, all is well at the Coleman's, but shhhhh don't tell. ;) ha. (insider)

5. David is the coolest husband a girl could want, he has lost 74 pounds, looks like a hottie, treats me like a queen, and makes me laugh every day.  Marrying this guy is the best thing I have ever done.  Alot of the rest of my decisions pretty much sucked.

6. I <3 Frankie and Tatoes, EVERY single day I smile at these girls, a constant and unconditional supply of joy there.

7.  We have traveled more in 2011 than any other year in our marriage, I love it, I want to sell our house when the kids leave and move into a little shabby chic bungalow somewhere and travel 8 months outta the year, the other months I'll be floating, fishing, swimming, or boating...happy Sarah = just add water.

8. I have nothing to complain about....a dear friend of mine lost her unborn son today 7 and 1/2 months into her pregnancy.  I don't always understand God's plans, but I know He reigns supreme.  I love Him and I love that I can pray to Him for comfort and it's always given to me, even if I don't understand I will trust.

9. If you read this, chances are I pretty much love YOU in some capacity.  Consider yourself loved, hugged, and appreciated by me today.  That's all. :)  -Oh, and I LOVE FALL!

a Simple Truth

An old Cherokee told his grandson, "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It has anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, & ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, & truth." The boy thought about it, and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?" The old man quietly replied, "The one you feed".

Two posts in one day? Could it be possible? Get cracked.

Okay so disregard the language and a few ornery pictures...  This is WORTH the read, and the laugh...and then get ANGRY! ;)

http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-anger-management-tips-internet-could-really-use/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fanpage&utm_campaign=new%2Barticle&wa_ibsrc=fanpage

This is MY blog : updates and opinions

Oh, crazy Summertime.  It's so hot.  We are half way through our weddings this year, it's busy!  Our family trip to Colorado was one of the most memorable I can remember. Seriously good family times.  The kids each as they get older are so interesting and witty, ornery, hormonal, and most of all, hilarious.  We keep each other laughing.
We have have only had one Bridezilla so far this year, the rest have been completely sweet and fun.  That certain Bridezilla was surprisingly religious...but you would have never known it in the way she treated us, and her bridesmaids who were talking about her while she wasn't around.  How sad to let control-freak tendencies ruin your special day.  I always look at these types of brides with bewilderment.  What a waste.  As far as our great clients, we have seen so many magical moments already this year.  Vintage seems to really be in, and I LOVE this trend.  They DIY touches are beautiful and sweet, and make the day that much more meaningful.  I have witnessed some really touching moments and love to think about these couples pulling out their wedding photos on their anniversary and reminiscing.  What a cool job we have.  Our clients are so wonderful, and the overwhelming majority treat us so kindly as they realize their pictures have been trusted to us.  We care as much about their wedding photos as they do.  What a blessing to help capture and create something so lasting.

I have lost 40 pounds, and David has lost 60.  There's no stopping us now.  It feels fantabulous.  I'm into clothes I haven't worn in years and have had to buy some new ones.  I wore leggings and shorts...IN PUBLIC this last week (not at the same time-ha).  What a trip.  Not that I looked "awesome" in them yet, but just to wear something that 40 pounds ago, would have been a completely repulsive notion, is pretty rewarding.

On another totally unrelated note I removed a ton of people from my Facebook friends list recently.  It was time to purge the negativity, the bigots, the ignorant, and people I just really have nothing in common with, or zero communication with; it was a good move.  I got so tired of people's silly copied (and no real thought put into) statuses about our administration, gays, and everything else under the sun, like purple leprechauns bringing pseudo-luck.  Some were just gossips, some old clients, and some barely acquaintances that will never even know they are gone.  It just all kinda got old, and it was either time for me to boot them, or open my mouth and tell them how uneducated and idiotic they sounded.  Sometimes I chose both.  If you know me, that's just me.  I'm not apologizing for it.

One issue that I get really tired of people getting all bent out of shape about is homosexuality.  Here's what I have to say here on MY blog:

1. Christians, if Jesus was here on earth, would he love and associate with homosexuals that believed in Him just like he did other "outcasts/minorities" during his short time on earth?  Would he LOVE them?  Would he condemn them to hell, even if they claimed Him as their Lord?  Really think about this answer, and then look to the NEW Testament for guidance.  I think the issue is quite clear.  Grace and love and mercy...salvation by way of grace, for every sinner that believes, for we are all sinners, aren't we?  Does it matter what our sins are?
If you are saying that homosexuality is a choice and therefore gays are going to hell, then you might as well say that because you "chose" to watch the Hangover 2 with all it's vulgarity and perverseness...then you are going to hell too.  It's all the same in Christ's eyes.  I don't even know that homosexuality IS a sin.  Jesus never addressed it.  The jury is still out in my mind, but really it doesn't matter, that isn't the point. What I do know is that we ALL sin.  Get over the actual act, look at the person.  If you get drunk, curse, lie, gossip, look at someone with lust, have had premarital sex...any and all of the above, then YOU by YOUR standards are condemning yourself to hell if gays are going b/c of their so called "choice".  Christians often make fools of themselves by being so sure about issues that aren't that clear.  Can you say that you will NEVER watch an R-rated movie again, or curse?  I sure can't.  I used to be a Christian fool.  Now I'm just a Christian.  --and by the way, as a side note...for MANY gays it is NOT a choice.  Yes, there are some straight people that do choose to date the same sex due to past hurts or experiences, but for MANY MANY (I'd say the majority of) homosexuals they cannot help who they are attracted to, just as we heterosexuals cannot help being attracted to the opposite sex.  Get outside yourself for a moment, hypothetically speaking, as a female, what would you do if you were an outcast for being attracted to a man and everyone told you something was wrong with you?  Would YOU switch to women?  I doubt it.  Until you have walked a mile in a gay person's shoes, don't judge, because you don't know.

2.  Gays, If you want to be taken seriously by the rest of our conservative portion of society, less shock value in Pride parades, and more professional, intelligent discussion are needed to represent your community of wonderful people.  I hate it when you see a stereotypical picture on a news article of the standard gay man and he has a half shirt with short shorts and is groping a partner...  This is NOT necessarily an accurate portrayal of all gays.  They are normal people that shop at Macy's and Walmart just like the rest of us.  Gays and Lesbians are not oversexed perverts looking to convert a straight person, they are just exactly like you and I...but unfortunately our media and Hollywood feeds into the shock value and America eats it up...and there you have it!  Conservatives recoil in horror from the "ickiness", Liberals cheer it on...and meanwhile the rest of us moderates, including moderate gays, just sigh and go about our business.  Human decency and morality knows no sexual preference.  Would I dress like a prostitute?--no.  --And we all know to be taken seriously as a female in this society you must have some sense of decorum in our behavior and our attire.  Same applies to homosexuals, and everyone else.

Things are good in June

Sometimes you look at the glass half empty, sometimes you look at it half full, and sometimes you realize that your cup runneth over; it's really all about how long you stare at that glass.
-Me

Life is good, Maya is coming into her own, Noah is a funny adolescent, and David and I continue to get smaller. I feel great, have lots to say, but lots more to do right now than blog!  See you soon.

What it wasn't...

These large birds, [cranes] who fly great distances across continents, have three remarkable qualities. First, they rotate leadership. No one bird stays out in front all the time. Second, they choose leaders who can handle turbulence. And then, all during the time one bird is leading, the rest are honking their affirmation . That's not a bad model for the church. Certainly we need leaders who can handle turbulence and who are aware that leadership ought to be shared. But most of all, we need a church where we are all honking encouragement.
-Bruce Larson

STILL

Ah, this week sends me yet again into reflection.  I'm going to celebrate my 15th sobriety birthday here in a few days.  15 years without a drink or drug.  Getting clean at 19 was tricky, as you might imagine, but I wanted it, I still want it.  And while I could blog about my story, what got me there, and how I made it through the last 15 years...I'd rather not.  Instead, I am focused on the future.  By the grace of God, I'm clean...STILL, and to Him goes every ounce of the glory.  I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for my blessings.

All I can say, is presently I'm in the process of shedding the old baggage, guilt, shame and hurt, STILL.  You might think when you get clean, that poof, everything is all better.  The reality there, is there are reasons that you used...and hurt yourself.  Those reasons do not magically go away.  They are there, because your family, your past, your circumstances, do not change.  It's you that must change.  ...And so, I've changed and continue to change--all for the better.  I quit smoking in 2003.  I then turned to food...yet another addiction.  My romance with food has grown into an all out lurid affair...until I felt and looked awful, and something had to give.  I've lost 21.5 pounds as of last Friday.  I STILL have lots to go, but I'm doing this.  It's time to live my life without the guilt, and the hurt inflicted by myself and others.  It's time to enjoy the blessings of our business, and my great husband and kids.  I'm not allowing the pain to rule my emotions anymore, and I feel good.  I am a very happy person, and really for the most part have been for 15 years.  But, the inability to let go of the past, and present personal hurts, was eating my soul--and in turn, I was eating everything in sight.  STILL another vice to grapple with taming.  So, 15 years of "one-day-at-a-time" has worked and I am clean STILL.  Now I am deciding to give up my addiction to shame, and letting others shame me.  Shame was the needle, and food was the heroin inside, and I "shot up" way too often.  This may not make sense to alot of people, or maybe you are struggling yourself, I don't know.  It always seemed others had it all figured out, way ahead of me.  The reality is, we all have hurts and family baggage, it's just how you choose to cope.  I now know if I cannot find a healthy way to cope, I will do something subconsciously destructive to myself.  Knowing this, I am choosing peace and really re-learning a new way to look at food.  It's difficult.  But after 50+ days of shedding fat, emotions emerge...and I want this weight loss, STILL.  You realize why you got fat, why you smoked, why you used...and it hurts, STILL.   I always thought I was overweight because I just loved food and was a foodie.  I was hiding, afraid to succeed, afraid to not self-soothe with something.  I feel better today, than I have in years, maybe ever?
I am married to a wonderful man, STILL.
Jesus loves me, STILL.
I am clean, STILL.
...and I'm going to be a smaller, better version of Sarah...because I actually deserve it.  I've come a long way.

{David is taking me to to a Foo Fighters concert in Little Rock, AR for my sobriety birthday, I have so much to celebrate.  Can't wait!}

Anyway

 Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable,

illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,

you will win some false friends and true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

people may cheat you;

Be honest anyway.

What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,

it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them ANYWAY.

Her Beauty

When your child's heart hurts, so does yours.  Period.  Without going into great detail, my Maya-girl has had a rough week and we have done lots of talking, I have done lots of consoling, and she's been mopey and bummed.  I remember 9th grade...no fun.  My lovely step-daughter is so great, most of the time not seeing how amazing she is, I just wish she could have her 30+ year old self, give advice to (almost) 15 year-old Maya; ah, the wisdom she would have.  My s-kids have never seen my blog (and am wanting to keep it that way ;), so I'm praying for Maya's heart, and I hope you will too. I heard this song today, that reminded me of sweet Maya's beauty and just wanted to post...for anyone that might be having a rough time.  "You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His."

Beautiful, by Mercy Me


The days will come when you don't have the strength 
When all you hear is you're not worth anything 
Wondering if you ever could be loved 
And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much 


You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are made so much more than all of this 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His 
You're beautiful 


I'm praying that you have the heart to find 
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight 
For all the lies you've held inside so long 
And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross 


You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are made so much more than all of this 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His 
You're beautiful 


Before you ever took a breath 
Long before the world began 
Of all the wonders He possessed 
There was one more precious 
Of all the earth and skys above 
You're the one He madly loves 
Enough to die 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
In His eyes 


You're beautiful 
You were meant for so much more than all of this 
You're beautiful 
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You're meant for so much more than all of this 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

On My Way~Shedding the Old

My father and mother may abandon me, but the LORD will take care of me.
Psalm 27:10

The Wisdom to know the DIfference

Many people spend their whole lives pursuing what other people have concluded happiness is, or what the media has told them that happiness is, or what companies that sell things have advertised happiness to be. Our mission should be to break those lies and to find our true happiness. Then, we won't end up working hard all our lives to accomplish things that never bring true happiness...
-Sharon Janis


 How do you define happiness, and how has that changed since your 20's, since your expectations in life didn't meet up with your circumstances?  Today I am grateful, happy, blessed, amazed and humbled to be living the life I've been granted.  God hand-picked me for this life I'm living.  Through prayer, knowing  I'm exactly where I'm meant to be for now is very calming.  True happiness comes for me when I LIVE the Serenity Prayer and apply it to my life and surrender to it.  


God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

April 25

Having been a targeted victim of parental alienation, as well as my poor kids as "targets" along with my husband, it's wonderful that there is now National recognition of this type of abuse.  Educating ourselves on this issue has really brought to light so much, and given way to much understanding for the children and how they cope.  Praying for all victims out there, as well as the perpetrators.  Hope everyone will join me on April 25th!  Thank you in advance--hugs!


http://www.familyalienation.org/

Yummy stuff this week

I made a smoothie from the above ingredients today, and while it may seem hodge-podgely thrown together (and it was), it was mighty tasty and healthy!  David and I kept seeing these catchy, artistically done commercials for this yogurt that was talking about "plainly plain" and "samely same"...you may have seen them?  The commercial just made me want to try it. Ah, the genius of marketing...

Well, this Greek yogurt is pronounced [Fah-hey] Fage, and it's the best yogurt I've ever tasted.  I even made Mr. Coleman (who loathes yogurt), try it, and he agreed, creamy goodness.  So I blended all the stuff together, green stems and all on the strawberries, because I heard they were chock-fulla nutrients and it was DELICIOUS!  The Acai juice I can barely choke down by itself (just not a fan of the taste, but love the anti-oxidants), but the light version blended with all these yummy ingredients was super great.  Just thought I'd share.  I never really cared about healthy ingredients a day in my life, but in my old age, am learning it's time to take care of  'ol Sarah...and 'ol David too. ;)

Track list and album art is here...Cannot wait!

Tracklist:

1. Home Is A Fire
2. Codes And Keys
3. Some Boys
4. Doors Unlocked And Open
5. You Are A Tourist
6. Unobstructed Views
7. Monday Morning
8. Portable Television
9. Underneath The Sycamore
10. St Peter’s Cathedral
11. Stay Young, Go Dancing

oops

Dear friends,

I quickly threw together a playlist that I liked for my blog yesterday, and I didn't actually listen to all the songs I added.  To my dismay today, I came to my blog and there was a REALLY explicit version of a song on my playlist...oops.  Very sorry.  My bad, all is fixed now. ;)

Back to the Future~Great Scott!

Sometimes you stumble on things worth sharing...this is so great, love it!
~Beware, there is a very small amount of adult content on this link...
Click here to go BACK TO THE FUTURE!

My New Favorite Product

Since kicking soda over a month ago, it's been a shock to the system to just drink water, tea, and coffee. The biggest part of kicking soda was getting rid of the diet products, we loved diet pop! I refuse to use artificial sweeteners anymore, not even Splenda. I've read too much and decided that there's too many bad risks for our family with buying these products. What's interesting after doing my homework on the web, is that Truvia, made from Stevia leaf and it's extracts is tasty and all natural. The sweetener companies pumping out aspartame and sucralose aren't jazzed about us all getting on the Stevia bandwagon because it costs them too much to produce en masse. Truvia, Sun Crystals and Stevia, are now my low-cal sweeteners of choice. I started buying bottled water and adding these Crystal Light Pure Fitness drink mixes to my water. It contains a mixture of Truvia and cane sugar. It's 30 calories per packet (a packet is enough for a 16.9 oz water) and aids hydration through electrolytes. Tasty, not too sweet, and a nice way to sweeten up my water! To throw out a timely quote from Charlie, "Winning!!"

For the SMoms...Couldn't have said it better myself

~~~What every step-mom should know!!~~~~Click Me!