A New Journey

I know I am horrible the past two years at posting on my blog and I have no excuses.  But I am committed to post more on here as I have jump started my journey to find the real "Alexa". 

I decided that I AM READY to get serious about my nutrition. I have made a lot of changes in my kitchen over the past several months  and I can honestly say that there is no junk or bad foods in my house. I switched out milk for almond milk about 6 mos ago, added more salads into my diet and chose to go organic as much as possible. I buy only cage-free organic eggs, chicken that is not jacked up on steroids and hormones and eliminated soda products altogether. Actually I also downsized the amount of coffee drinks as well. In fact I am now 4 days NO caffiene from any source to include tea.
Now don't get me wrong... the smell of coffee brewing is intoxicating, but I am commited!

Here is a before pic taken on 09/15/2014 (much to my horror of everyone seeing it... not a flattering pic AT ALL!)  I feel this is one way that will help me stay accountable to my goals and dreams. 



I know I know.... not good. But I will also be posting pics ever 30 days to show my progress.

My goal is to be a healthier me, with less poundage, to be off ALL medications, be able to exercise routinely without feeling all the wrong pains and to be here longer for my children.  A dream of mine on top of this is to travel to Europe once I have reached my goal weight. There are so many places in the world I want to see in person and other than hopping the border to Tijuana to go clubbing with my sis and friends back in the day... I have never been outside of the U.S.  Time I did!

So here I go... wish me luck and I will take any and all support, prayers and energy for this journey. 

Peace and love to you all!

It's been a long time...

It's been a long time since I have posted here... Life has been really busy!  So much has changed.

My 15 y.o. son is away on his summer vacay up in Oregon with  my other famile. He is having a blast with his cousins and I'm having a nice break too!  He has changed so much in a small amount of time. He is taller than me and his feet are bigger than mine. His voice is very deep and he has hairy legs like a man. His personality and opinions are expanding at a rapid pace. I have always known that he is a very intelligent boy but that could be an understatement. He is such a fact man!  And even with his teenage mouth and attitude he surprises me with his compassion that he has for animals and children. I am quite sure he would be an amazing veterinarian. Only problem is that he is emotional about animals too. We lost a rescue dog this year and it broke his heart. So we shall see. 

He has is also fallen in like with playing his acoustic guitar and electric. I had signed him up for freshman guitar class much to his dismay, but now he loves it. That makes me very happy as this is something him and his Papa Reed share in common. My dream is that he continue to practice to become as good as Papa.

My 10 y.o. daughter has finished up 4th Grade and has officially moved back home with me!  She is growing up way too fast. She is changing so much and is on the fast track to going from kiddo to a young lady.   Not digging this at all!  What happened to my baby girl?!  This is just happening to soon for me. Heck I was 13 when my monthly visitor knocked on my door.  The God/dess is not slowing down for my comfort level with Miss V's journey in life. Alas I must adapt to all these changes. 

I know I'm not alone in this. One of my beloved sisters sent her baby boy (reluctantly) to the other side of the states to become a man and soldier in the Army. He is doing exceptionally well but still!

My other sisters daughter is the same age as my daughter and has just welcomed her monthly visitor this week.  She is so proud of her but why couldn't we have more time with them as kids?!  Accept and adapt to change... My lesson in life right now. 

She is such a sweet girl and is quite diva-fied! She is a girlie and loves music, make-up, fashion and talking!  She is like Speedie Gonzalez at the mouth!  And she is goofy like Jim Carey. She makes me laugh!

So as my kids are growing up and being more independent than ever I am really having to really look at me and my health. Today was the first time I tested my blood sugar in I don't know how long. It was not good...not at all! High enough to freak me out. My eye sight has been getting worse too. I have to make serious changes now before I end up in the hospital or worse. 

So on that note I bid you goodnight and will check back in later. 

Peace and love to you all!!!

Tag...I'm it!

Yes, you have heard correctly, I have been tagged, and by my lovely friend, and fellow up-and-coming artist, Janet Forrest from Tattered’nWorn – Thank you so very much, Janet!!! I am just tickled pink!! In turn, I am going to “tag” some of you too, and hope that you will play along too!
The Rules
…you must post the rules
…answer 11 questions the tagger posted for you
…create 11 questions to ask the people you tag
…tag 11 people
…let them know you’ve tagged them
Here are the questions I was asked:

1. What would be your ideal morning? Sitting with my sisters and mothers with freshly brewed Starbucks coffee and our choice of creamer and homemade crumb cake. Fresh cool breeze outside, windows opened and all of us around the table laughing and chatting it up.
2. What is your favorite way to unwind? Pandora playing in the background, candles lit, sipping yummy coffee and reading a great book.
3. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? let's see.. a cop like in C.H.i.P.s, a teacher (WTH?! What was I thinking) or a veterinarian
4. What was the scariest thing you did today? Ask someone for financial assistance
5. If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you need to have with you? Fishing pole with all supplies, life time supply of matches or lighters and my besties
6. Do you have an electronic gadget that you just cannot live without? What is it? Does our cell phone count?
7. If you could have a maid come to your house for the rest of your life, but they would only ever do one chore – what chore would you have them do? Dust every inch of the house up and down
8. If you boarded a jet in 10 minutes to go wherever in the world you wanted to go, where would you go? Italy
9. If your best friend asked you to go get matching tattoos with her, right now, would you do it? If so, what would the tattoo be? ABSOLUTELY!  I would want a hummingbird
10. If you and your best friend were to ever end up in jail for the night, what scenario would have caused the trouble? AKA, how would you have ended up there? We would have gotten to handsie with the gorgeous brothers out there at the night club and ended up in a cat fight with the chics there that didn't like it. LOL!
11. If you had the choice to be reincarnated as a cat or a dog, which would you choose? Why? A kiki because they can lay around all day and no one complains about it. And if they chose to be active no one would complain about it. LOL!

Now, “Tag! You’re it!” I hope you’ll play!

These are the lovely ladies I’ve tagged! I hope you’ll visit them, whether they play or not!

1. Christina Basso-Lenz http://christinaville.wordpress.com/
2. Tajie Maxedon http://urbangypsy.typepad.com/ma_vie_quotidienne/
3. Cristal Overcash
4. Brook Michalek
5. Doe Daughtrey
6. Kellee Johnston
7. Andrea Price
8. Lynette Nikkhah
9. Bryhannon Natale
10. Mattie Mills
11. Camille Obert-Goralski

Here are my 11 questions for all of you…

1. What would be your ultimate vacation to where and with who and why?
2. With the $500m lottery looming over our heads right now... if you won... what would you do with your winnings?
3.  I liked this one... if you knew the end of the world was to

I hope you have fun playing!!!

Good afternoon,

It's Sunday afternoon and it's a lazy day for me. Sorta. Have to ride my son to get all his homework done, run a couple of errands and watch a movie I ordered from Netflix, "To Save a Life."

This weekend I have been feeling ansy to get out of this hotel and move into my own place. I was doing some searching on the internet through different websites and did not find much. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of houses out there, but I don't want to pay over $1,000 a month on it though. Might have to bite the bullet on that though. I am in the need for Mr. Moody to have his own room again. He needs his space as much as mom does.

Not too mention the kid is in a 13 yr old boy that is going through puberty and has a low tolerance for mom. Oie Vey.  I need to get that boy into Big Brother Big Sister's club. He needs some adult male influence in his life. Because clearly I am not making the cut.

Single parenting is much tougher than I realize. There is something to be said about having a mom AND dad around. They help balance stuff out.  Unfortunately some of us don't have a choice in the matter.  Someone is gonna end up front page news. LOL!

I am also feeling the need to get down and dirty with the extreme couponing. That is my dream of mine to do the best shopping I can and save tons of money. Then with the excess going to troops abroad and low income and homeless families.  I need to hound my sister and get rolling on this sooner than later. But that also requires me getting out of this hotel room. So back to the house hunting.

Well off to running some errands. I will be back later tonight to post again.

Peace and love to you all.

A Quiet Moment...

Good evening,

It's Sunday evening and my daughter is back with her daddy and my son past out on the floor watching TV.  So it's been quiet finally for over an hour.  This gives me the chance to read up on my sister-in-law's blog and her blogs the past two days have touched my heart and reminded me of something that I miss terribly in my life.

What I am referring to is the women's retreat that my girlfriends that I call my sisters and I used to do twice a year. During the Spring and Fall season we would load up our cars and head north to the a wonderful place up in the wooded areas close to Heber-Overgaard.  A place of contemplation, meditation, and tapping into our selves through group studies, meditation and a craft project. (I believe I still have all mine.) 

Going on a nature walk, listening to the sounds of nature...the birds chirping, a slight breeze flowing through the leaves on the trees, watching squirrels scurry up trees and chase each other. The sun rays bursting through limbs and open spaces and seeing the butterflies or little flying insects above the grasses.  Sitting on a fallen down tree and taking it all in. There is something quite remarkable and calming to one's soul when you sit there quietly and just listen.  That was probably one of my top favorite parts of the retreat.

We would make most of our meals together and enjoy each others company and conversation. Walk the labyrinth on the property. I had never done that before, but it was a great experience. By the time we left to go home, our souls felt rejuvenated.

I know our lives have become crazy busy hectic, but I think it is high time for another road trip. So I will have to reach out to my dear sisters and get the idea planted in their heads.  Because I don't know about them, but I am more than sure that I could use the healing powers of our adventure. I wonder if our secret place is still there. And I mean hidden from the buzzing and goings on of life in the cities. Traffic, errands, kids fighting... OUR PRECIOUS PLACE...Our Secret Garden.

I love you, Doe, Brook and Denise! And miss you all so much!

Peace and love to you all!

Getting Back on Track

Good morning,

I know it has been such a long time since I have posted.  Life has gotten busier and kids are now back in school. I think of my blog often and have a dear friend and sister who doesn't let me forget that it's out here. Thanks sis!

I just finished reading my last post and a comment a stranger sent me. I have approved the post and appreciate her kind words of encouragement. Isn't that what this is all about anyway?  Putting myself out there and hearing others take on a situation or life.

There has been a lot of change since my last post. I am not seeing any men at this moment. And I am completely okay with that. The nice guy I talked about in my last post, is still a very nice guy. His life is so full with work, community activities, and church...it simply wasn't meant to be.

I have to say that I really do like my independence.  When I talk to friends and family and listen to what is going on with their relationships...LOVE LOVE LOVE my independence! LOL!  Now don't get me wrong; there is value in a good relationship and all the learning and growing that takes place in them. But when the learning and growing has ceased to exist and there is not value in the relationship...  just ends up sucking the life force out of you.  I love my friends and family and pray that they find the right answers for themselves. I will always be here for them.

The kids are back in school (YAH!!) and I am back to working with a great team at the job I had prior to exiting Arizona in the middle of the night back in 2009.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job and the people I work with.  There is so much excitement brewing and so much learning to go with it. I am very excited.  I have found that I am dealing with a little bit of insomnia with work and the potential running through my mind like a Mac truck. 

Chris and I have been living at an extend a stay hotel closer to work and Gilbert (where we are looking to rent a house).  Pulling together enough for move-in costs.  It's not bad. It's like an adventure right now. My place is cleaned weekly, I dont have to worry about all the other bills, electricity, garbage, water/sewer, etc...  Right now...that is just fine!

Time to get ready for work and get Chris into the shower. Who knew it would be so hard to get a teenager into a shower! GEEZ!

Peace and love to you all and I will be back again..hopefully tonight!

How Does A Fish and A Bird Co-Exist?

Good Evening,

I know it has been some time since I have posted on here but life has been very hectic.
Since my last posting, I have informed both guys that we are not meant to be. The older guy there just was no chemistry. I thought he was a nice guy, but he either wanted a love relationship with me or nothing at all. So adios amigo!

The other one evidently has a lot happening and not willing to be part of a relationship that most women want. When I feel like I am the only one making contact, it starts to feel as though I am chasing him. Did not like that. He response was why does it need to be serious...can't we just take it slow. Well that would not necessarily be a bad thing, but I need to know that I am on my man's mind. He needs to reach out and say good morning, how are you doing baby, or something. Does that make sense?

Well, so I actually had a really nice gentleman answer my ad out of Craigslist. I did not think I had any left out there. I thought I shut them down. But be it divine intervention or sheer luck..he squeaked through. I am really glad he did. He is very much a well-mannered gentleman. He treats me like a lady and is very concerned with my virtue. I am not used to that, so I find myself nervous like a school girl with a crush on some boy in her class and not sure what move to make next.

This past week, he took me to dinner and a movie...get this.... at a drive-in! How long has it been since you have been to a drive-in?! It was great and the weather or shall I say temperature cooperated. Turned out to be a wonderful date. And I do find myself with butterflies in my tummy and like him.
Here is the thing and why I titled my post as I did. He is a very devout Pentacostal and I follow a different spiritual path than most. He has questioned me a little about my "God Goddess" references and I know that our beliefs are on complete ends of the spectrum. I have just explained a bit to him my thoughts and that this is a private journey as is everyone's.

But I also know that my path is difficult for him and I wonder if he will be able to let me continue my path and just respect me and care for me enough that he will not let that get in the way of his feelings that will grow for me through our times together.

I know that I do not judge him for what his calling is and will be there to respect and support his choices and path in life. We discuss his calling and I have many questions for him in regards to his position in his church. I am there to hear him and listen to him. But I leave my position or judgement out of it because it is not for either of us to say one is right or wrong over the other. Right?! That's how I feel.

So how does a fish and a bird co-exist? I am interested in your thoughts.

Peace and love to you all,

Alexa