January wrap up

One month of January has come and gone so I thought I would check in and report back how we fared in the Zyriek Zoo and how I am doing on my goals for the year.

Snow...sick of it. The girls had their first full week of school since Christmas last week and it made them sad. Gary and I were dancing every single day. We did get a scare on Tuesday night when it snowed for hours but luckily the streets stayed clear. I like it when we get an awesome snow that the kids can play in, but that came the first week of January when Gary and I were in Arizona.

Auburn...speaking of Arizona, Gary and I had a blast in Arizona cheering Auburn on to their first National Championship since 1957. See related blog post for pics. Gary has recovered from the stress of football season and has put his efforts into training.

Training....Gary is training for a half ironman on April 17th in New Orleans and I am training for a half marathon no March 20th in town. Both have us attempting to coordinate schedules to fit in all of our workouts. I feel great so far with my running and cannot believe that a little over a month ago I was not running at all and Sunday I finished 6 miles. Well on my way but glad there are 7 weeks remaining to build up my mileage. Gary is doing great and has my head spinning with his schedule and how complicated it can be to get in a two-a-day workout several times a week. He is a slave to the bike and pool and is improving greatly on the run. He runs circles around me as far as speed and distance and he is the one with the bad knees!

Caroline....visited Junior Kindergarten earlier in the month. I cannot believe she will be there in just a few months when fall rolls around. She thought it was big time and as long as they still have some fun and rest time she will be glad to be there. We have signed her up for spring soccer and are hoping that her team stays in tact. She has been asking why she does not have games since they ended in November. My biggest beef about Caroline these days and I hope this does not make me a horrible mom is that she still wears a pull up at night. Why can't she master this and what is going on in her body?? We limit liquids and get her up before we go to bed but still no success. It is hit or miss. We will get there...at least she does not wear one to nap in at school and has no accidents ever.

Anna....reading all the time. She increased her AR goal at school from 45 points the first semester to 75 points this semester. That is HUGE. She reads a lot and is enjoying it. She really wants to win the trophy this semester for her class but we just encourage her to do her best. She is consistently in the top 5 which makes her proud. She is joining a new soccer team this spring with some friends from school. So, if I am going to have a complaint about Caroline I have to complain about Anna as well. She needs to learn to brush her teeth better. Why, after almost 8 years on earth, can she not brush her teeth well?? We have found apps on the ipad, used a timer, had lessons and still, not good. No cavities but still...her report card from the dentist is that she does not brush well. We'll get there....always have a goal!!

Me....enjoying the running and the routine of school and work. Wishing I was not in busy season at work but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel. Birthday celebrations were fun and appreciated. I really don't feel 37...wonder when I will feel my age or when I will think I am old?? I used to think differently about age but now with older parents and my husband and I getting older, I have a renewed view. I have done well with my Bible reading and actually ahead of myself. I am enjoying pairing the readings with our Discipleship class at church. I enjoy this slow down part of my day. Patience has been a virtue I have focused on the most this month and am finding ways to calm myself down against the frustrations of raising two strong-willed daughters. Organization has improved and we are always finding ways to tidy up and organize better. I am in the midst of preparing for the various children's consignment sales around town, so my dining room is a staging center currently and cannot be held against me. At least I am working to earn a few extra bucks!! Family time has been great this month. We have each spent time with the girls on our own and together. Skating at the zoo was fun and new. A beautiful unseasonlike weekend last weekend was perfect for time at the park and we found a great idea for a birthday party for Anna.

Overall...crazy, busy month that could not be predicted weather wise. Still running and still learning!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Monday was my 37th birthday....however, according to Anna I should not worry because "you are not really old until you are 50 because then you are over the hill" and also Anna said I don't have any wrinkles!! We started the celebration early on Sunday night with my mom and Dan coming over to join us for chili and a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. Yum. Double yum!! Monday was a work day (boo!!) but it was fun because the audit team at my client brought in GiGi's cupcakes. Talk about a sugar high. That icing is great but it is a lot of icing. We had dinner with my Dad, Julie, Uncle Blair, brother Blair and sister-in-law Kim and nephew Bejamin. We dined at Memphis Pizza Cafe, a family favorite. Good times for everyone!! I have enjoyed the calls and the messages on facebook (that is definitely a way to feel the love!!). Not really feeling very much older....I'm truly blessed with great friends and family and loving all the attention this week!!

Rookie luck??

This was my rookie season in the fantasy football arena....and I loved it!! It definitely brought out my competitive nature but it was mostly just fun. I got really lucky when my two drafted QB's failed to do much of anything (Jason Campbell and Vince Young) and I picked up Michael Vick. NOt the most liked person these days due to his dog fighting conviction but he was every fantasy football player's dream. He even earned 57 points one week which was a huge deal!! I had a fairly even record during the regular season but brought it on during the playoffs. Due to some lucky breaks (Adrian Peterson not playing against me in the 2nd round of the playoffs) and some strategic moves I prevailed. The group met for lunch today so that Rachel could hand off trophy she has held for the past year to me and to generally just catch up. This group of women are so nice and sweet and genuine. They mostly go to church together with Rachel who invited me to the league (do you think she is questioning that move now??) and they are competitive for sure. The second place finisher couldn't make lunch...I think she was intimidated by me (just kidding...busy kids' schedules on a Saturday). Looking forward to next year where I am sure I will be 3-10 or something like that!! Fantasty football definitely changes the way you watch the NFL games but it is awesome!

can't you just feel the excitement of rachel handing over the trophy??
the champion!!
7 out of 10 of the players in our group enjoying lunch at huey's

Not-so-much-snow day

The girls were so excited on Thursday morning because "the sky looks like it is about to burst open with snow" according to my 2nd grader and "I dreamed we were going to get so much snow" according to my 4 year old. I was dreading the words "snow day".....the girls were out of school on Monday for MLK day and I stayed home with them. I was having flashbacks to last winter when between Christmas break and President's Day I don't think they had a 5 day school week for one reason or another. Snows days, while fun if there is a lot of snow and everyone can freely stay home, are a hassle when a) there is hardly any snow to play in and b) it is a work day for me!! I knew it was bad when we dropped off Caroline for school Thursday morning and the secretary said "Can we get a phone number to call you if we dismiss early"....uh oh. Was this "storm" really going to happen?? Well....about 11am we got the dreaded notice from Anna's teacher that Harding was dismissing early due to the "threat" of bad weather. Only in the south, when it is 42 degrees and raining with snow projected do the schools dismiss early. Turns out we did get 1-2 inches of fluffy snow (no sticking to the sidewalks or streets) but no issues before rush hour. We knew that there was no way the kids were going to go to school on Friday. Anna had me refresh the school closings on the WMCTV5 website every 2 minutes and then about 11 am the message she was waiting for....no school on Friday.

The roads were a little icy on Friday morning and most offices opened late. By 10am...nothing on the roads!! I stayed home with the girls. We got out a little bit to avoid going nuts. Caroline wanted to know if she could go to Target and get a "snow day souvenir"...of course that answer was a quick no. The girls lasted for about 30 minutes in the snow....made some snow angels....had a fluffy snowball fight and then ran around in it for a bit. I think it took us longer to get ready to go outside than it did for all the snow to be used up with fun. Hopefully next snow day we will get the surprise 6 inches we did one day last year.

Let's just hope we go on Monday!! P-L-E-A-S-E!!

caroline trying out the snow

bundled up girls with their self-selected outfits

anna in her auburn colored snow pants making an angel

Zoo on Ice

Friday night we decided to try out the new Zoo on Ice temporary ice skating area at the Memphis Zoo. We were so glad that we did. Anna had a friend over for the night and they both did really well. Caroline was a little shaky but ended up doing well herself. We even got her a 30 minute lesson with a trainer (for only $5!!) and she could exit the rink by herself after that. Gary and I never fell down but saw many that did. The kids had great attitudes and smiles were all over their faces. The main advice I give to anyone that goes ice skating before it closes on January 31st is to dress warmly....gloves, hat, warm jacket and thick socks. We really enjoyed and will welcome it back next year!

gary was a great skater, of course!!
anna and emily were all smiles all night

trying to stay upright!!

caroline loved her skates

caroline with her teacher during her lesson

BCS Success!!

Gary and I were so very fortunate to travel to Glendale, Arizona for the BCS National Championship game to watch Auburn vs. Oregon for the coveted #1 ranking. This has always been such a dream for Auburn fans....unable to compete in 1993 when they were 11-0 due to probation and not chosen in 2004 to compete when they were 11-0 because they did not impress the computers enough....finally it was our chance in the spotlight. This trip started to take form after we won the SEC Championship in December. This is all we asked for as Christmas gifts from our family. Gary was very worried about tickets and it turns out he had a right to be worried. According to reports, this was the #1 selling event in StubHub history with ticket prices reaching unmatched amounts and climbing into the thousands for a single upper deck ticket. We were lucky to win an auction on ebay the week before Christmas for awesome lower level tickets in the Auburn section. We were on our way!! We flew out of Little Rock, AR on Southwest ($750 cheaper per ticket than Delta from Memphis....not even a chance Delta!!) direct to Phoenix. The kids stayed with mom and Dan and were packed and ready to go on Friday night.

We flew out early on Saturday morning and got settled into our hotel by the early afternoon. My suitemate from Freshman year in the dorm had invited us over to her home for a BBQ that night. She and her husband attended vet school at Auburn and hosted quite a few friends that had made it into town for the game.

Sunday was the pep rally. We met up with Gary's fraternity brother and friend Skip. He had a group that traveled together. We atteneded the pep rally with 20,000 - 30,000 of our closest friends. The organizers had no idea how rabid these Auburn fans were!! We had a great dinner on Sunday night and tried to sleep anxious about the big game on Monday.

Monday was all about the game....we were so anxious from the moment we woke up. We worked out at the hotel to try and calm our nerves and then ate some breakfast and then headed over toward the stadium. We arrived 5 hours early but were nowhere near the earliest arriving fans!! We once again met up with friends and bought souvenirs and programs and put them in our car. Thank goodness we had a good location parking pass!! We entered the game about 2 hours early and were thrilled with our seat location. Gary was pale at this point and so worried. The game was awesome. Auburn's defense stole the show and with a last second (literally) field goal, we beat the Oregon ducks. We were #1 and so excited. We stayed in the stadium for quite a while...took pics and bought very overpriced National Championship apparel. Could not find anywhere to eat after the game except Denny's. YUCK, but at least it was something. I guess only the places in Memphis stay open past midnight. Maybe that should be a clue about our obesity rankings??!!

Gary is now calmer than I have ever seen him....he says he can rest easy for another 8 months. We know we will not be very good next year as our Heisman trophy QB and lead defensive player plus all of our offensive line will be either gone because they are seniors or they have declared for the draft. At least we had a great season. We really enjoyed our trip and are so glad that we went and that so many of our family members helped make it happen! War Eagle!!

we made it!!!
the very crowded pep rally

one of our favorite signs

another fun sign

the great scoreboard

under armour was all over the place!!

this guy was hilarious...dressed as the heisman trophy and taking pics with fans. he had front row seats in the end zone. should have charged $$...he would have been rich!

fun picture with the cheerleaders

we are #1!!!

outside afterwards with the litle rolled tree!

2011 preview & goals

Here I am on the last day of the Christmas/New Year's break. I am home with the girls as they are building all kinds of contraptions and playing fully on their last day before school starts. I had a great break. Gary's mom was in town for a full week surrounding Christmas. We all enjoyed having her in town and know that she enjoyed being here, even if the weather was a bit strange. I have enjoyed getting organized to start the new year. I have been able to clean out several closets, including my own and have dropped off bags with charities. My playroom is organized and all the kids' new toys and gifts have found a new place. Christmas clothes and a few gifts have been purchased at after-Christmas sales and I have even started getting things prepared for the next round of kids' consignments sales. The finances are up to date and budgets are in place. The freezer and fridge have been cleaned out and organized. This still leaves plenty left to do but glad that I got a head start.

As I think ahead to 2011, I have some things I would like to do and some goals I would love to reach.

1. Be content- Love what has been given or earned. I often find myself in the comparison mode and need to realize that is totally not necessary. I read in a Lysa TerKeurst book last year that before we covet what others have, we need to realize that we only know a percentage of what their life is really like. We may think they have everything under control, but who really does?? If I don't like something about myself or my circumstances, I need to have the strength to make the change, as hard as that might be to get out of my comfort zone.
2. Be more patient - This is a daily request. I pray for a "perfect portion of patience" every day and hope that I can be more patient with everyone in my life, especially the girls. This includes thinking before speaking and trying to keep a sense of calm in the household.
3. Be more organized - My kitchen counters become a vast pit that seems to accumulate throughout the week only to be organized on Fridays when my house is cleaned. I would like to keep the important papers organized and within reach so I don't find myself wasting time looking for things all the time. Also, this fall I realized that the more I do the night before the kids then the more smoothly our morning routine goes.
4. Eat more healthy - If you live in the Zyriek house, you find yourself comparing your eating habits to that of Gary. Gary is very disciplined (he claims he is not) and does an excellent job of eating a balanced diet. I want to continue to take my lunch to work most days so that I can control my intake. I would also like for Gary and I to continue our quest to eat at home most days a healthy, balanced dinner.
5. Find ways to praise my situation, even when it is not the best - The message at church yesterday was to give praise, even when in the valleys of life. Everything will pass much easier if I take this approach.
6. Make and meet my fitness goals - My first goal of 2011 is to train for and run in the Germantown Half Marathon. I have started my training and really want to do well. I have not run a half in several years and with Gary training for a half iron-man in April, I find it is the perfect time to train and be encouraged to stick with it.
7. Realize perfection is never attainable - I have major issues with trying to be everything to everyone. This is never going to happen and the sooner I realize that I can only give what I have and nothing more, then the happier I can be. I will never be able to be everywhere I need to be. I will have to miss events or parties or other things but that is ok and I will be ok. I also don't want to put out an image that our family is perfect. We are definitely not. We have our challenges and our conflicts but hopefully we can work through them one at a time.
8. Put my family first - spending more time with just the four of us sounds great to me. We need to not find ourselves so wrapped up in being on the go all the time. Sometimes the best memories are made at home being together.
9. Spend less money - We do really well meeting our budget but it would be great to even beat it. We save well, think before making large purchases and don't take extravagant vacations. We don't carry a balance on our credit card and only have our house and car as debt. I would like to do an even better job of keeping our finances in order.
10. Celebrate more - I would like to celebrate the "small stuff" such as good conduct at school or doing well on a test or a project or just having a good day. Building up our self worth is very important, especially to the children.
11. Grow spiritually alone and with my family - I have a goal of reading my Bible in a year. I have done this twice before but would really like to do it again. I also am enjoying our Real Discipleship classes at church and hope to keep attending and learning. Finally, I would like to grow the faith of the girls. This can be as simple as having a family verse of the week or reading devotions before bed. It is so important for the girls to see our faith in action so that they can include that in their priorities as well. They are taught so much at church and school but it is our responsibility as parents to nurture those lessons and to continue to put our faith in action.

Lofty goals....I know. It does not hurt to put it on paper to remind me of what I would like to do. I'm never going to be fully organized, patient every moment of the day or the best mom/wife/daughter/sister. I can only hope to do my best!

2011 will bring many highs and lows. Gary and I are headed to Arizona on Saturday to cheer on Auburn in the National Championship game. I will turn 37 this year and Gary the big 4-0. We will face challenges but also celebrations. Here's to the best year yet!!

New Years stats

Anna
Age: 7 1/2
Grade: 2nd, Mrs. Kolznak
Weight: 60 pounds
Height: 54 inches
Clothing size: 7/8
Shoe size: 2/3
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite toy: Kit (American Girl)
Favorite gadget: Ipod Touch
Favorite place to go: DisneyWorld
Favorite thing to do: Read books
Favorite color: Orange & Blue
Favorite sport: Soccer
What I want to be when I grow up: Teacher





Caroline
Age: 4
Grade: EC3, Forest Room
Weight: 38 pounds
Height: 41 1/2 inches
Clothing size: 4T
Shoe size: 9 1/2 or 10
Favorite toy: Go-Go Walking puppy
Favorite food: Chips and Dip
Favorite place to go: Moe's
Favorite thing to do: Play games
Favorite color: Pink & Purple
Favorite sport: Soccier
What I want to be when I grow up: Nurse

New Year's Eve--Family Style

With our Christmas break nearly over, we realized we had not spent a lot of solo time with the girls. Gary's mom was here for a week and we loved having her. We are headed to Arizona next weekend for the Auburn game and so we wanted to make sure we had some down time with the girls. Caroline requested to go bowling and so off to the bowling alley we went. We bowled 2 games....the highlight of which was my turkey (3 strikes) to start the second game. We had a good time indeed. We then headed to an early dinner and home for Wii Dance games as well as some board games and a movie. Anna was convinced she was going to stay up until midnight. Caroline had no idea what that even meant. Anna did last until midnight watching the countdown on her ipod as well as on TV from New York. Caroline asked to go to bed at 11:45, so she ALMOST made it. The girls had a good time....we all slept in on Saturday morning and are ready for a great 2011!!!

fun at the bowling alley

anna had some great style

anna playing the wii dance game

caroline dancing to "who let the dogs out"

my excited girls!

mommy and anna ready to ring in 2011