MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL...CHECK OUT THIS PUPPY!!!

Easter Basket Photoshoot

We decided to have a little fun with Mckenna's first Easter basket. We are certainly not professional photographers, but we figured we could set up a white sheet, put her on it with her first Easter Basket, point, and shoot. Here are some of our favorites:

Thanksgiving Visitors!!

This week and into the next, we have the pleasure of having my dad and step-mom hang out with us and spend the holidays in our home. They came in from San Antonio to see Mckenna for the first time and we all thought Thanksgiving would be a great time for the visit. It's especially nice to have them here for Thanksgiving since this will be the first Thanksgiving dinner hosted in our home and to be frank, we really wouldn't know where to get started. Thankfully Denise is here to show us the ropes in the hopes that we may be able to do this on our own someday :)

We hit up the grocery store today to make sure we had everything we needed for the big meal on Thursday. Just off the top of my head, it looks like we'll be having: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, cauliflower, cranberry sauce, corn and pumpkin pie. Think that's enough for the 4 of us (and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm forgetting a thing or two)??? I seriously can't wait as the Thanksgiving meal is one of my favorites, although I always must remember not to eat myself to death...almost literally. Have I told that story on RSBR before? The time that my Thanksgiving meal almost killed me? That's a good one.

Anyway, the whole point of this blog is to welcome my dad and Denise to Arizona and let them know I'm extremely happy they are here (as I know they'll get the message since they read this everyday). I look forward to the next 8 days and can't wait to see what trouble we get ourselves into. Thanks for the help with the yard today and please, don't hesitate to think of other projects we can knock out while ya'll are here. I mean, we can't sit around and stare at Mckenna all day every day right? Right???

The Four F's of July Fourth

Everyone loves the 4th of July. Something about this holiday really embodies summer. To me, there are four F's that are a must on this day.

4. Food - Every holiday needs some good eats to nosh on. But this holiday begs for some of my favorites; from burgers, to watermelon, to potato salad, to s'mores. There is nothing like some good grilled foods and summer treats to fill your belly.

3. Fireworks - I'll be honest, I happen to think the build up and thought of fireworks is almost always better than fireworks actually are. But regardless of how dinky the firework show my be, or even if you're just shooting off fireworks on your own, they are always a must!

2. Family - Regardless how you're spending your holiday, if it's not with family (or at least friends) it's no fun! Activities are only as good as who you share them with.

1. Fun - This one may sound like a bit of a cope out. Obviously any holiday needs a bit of fun (shoot, every day should have a bit of fun), but I'll take this one a bit further. I think the 4th requires a different kind of fun than you can have every day. It requires a special activity of some sort; whether it's a bonfire, a picnic, a parade or a cookout.

Thankful Thursday - Martha Stewart on Steroids

We can't stress enough how important it is in our own lives to slow down when things seem to be getting "fast" and just think about the little things that we're thankful for. Many of you expressed a similar sentiment last week as 6 people joined forces with us and blogged about their own thankfulness. I have a little "Linky Tools" at the end of this post that you can use to join the party and link up your thankfulness post! Feel free to spread this around to anyone you know that may like to participate.

Mandi's List:

I’m thankful for a wonderful week (last week) with both my parents, brother and sister-in-law, and Ronnie in Whistler, Canada. We had such a wonderful time all together. We ended up skiing more than I thought we would (which ended up being fun) and dinners and breakfast in town were a blast. My favorite part was just relaxing by the fire between skiing and dinner. I was bummed, that my dad had to get back to work, so he headed back to Shanghai Monday morning. Not gonna lie, I shed a few tears...like a big baby!

I’m thankful that all of my diagnostic tests (for IVF) this week turned out well. Not only were the results good, but the tests weren’t all that bad. We did have one little scare, but it all ended up ok. I’ll write a long post about all the tests Monday, so stay tuned.

I’m thankful that my mom is a VERY talented woman. She was nice enough to offer to sew curtains for me and Chrissy (sister-in-law). And man is she good at this kind of stuff. She has a good eye for fabrics, she knows how to measure and calculate how much she’ll need (factoring in the repeat (new lingo I picked up...apparently that’s what you call the reoccurrence of the pattern in a fabric, and you have to factor it in when you’re making curtains), she’s great at knowing what kinds of curtains will look best in a space, AND she can actually produce the vision we’re going for. It’s really incredible actually. She’s like Martha Stewart on steroids! I’ll post pictures when we get all the curtains made.

I’m thankful that we’ve been able to get back into the swing of things after the holidays. God’s given us a renewed vigor for work, exercise and eating right. Oddly, I’m actually excited about the increased working out and eating better (I’m a former - from 0-18 years old - couch potato who loved me some junk food)!

I’m thankful to be starting a new year with my best friend!!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful that I was able to spend so much time with family during the holiday season. When getting married, you don't quite know how the ol' "split holidays" are going to happen, but fortunately, we were able to work it out again this year :) We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Mandi's family and then Christmas afternoon with mine. It worked out well and we're just so blessed to have two families that love up on us.

I'm thankful that so far, Mandi is normal. Let me rephrase that as those of you who know Mandi know that is a bold face lie; When it comes to reproduction, Mandi is normal thus far. We've had a battery of tests this week (which I believe Mandi will catch you up on on Monday) and so far, so good. It's looking like God made Mandi with a proper baby maker and we're just praying that things continue to check out.

I'm thankful that I got to ski for the first time and that I didn't kill someone. If you read the blog from a couple of days ago, you'll know that it wasn't the easiest thing I've done, but I'm glad that I finally got the hang of it. I just hate failing. Now, don't get me wrong, I fail all of the time by standard definition, but true failure to me is not lacing up the shoes and trying again. I was bound and determined to ski down that stupid mountain, and by the third day, that's exactly what I did :)

50% is not going to cut it

Out of all my goals that I set out to accomplish last week, I'd say my rate of success was about at 50%. That's simply not going to cut it. If my ultimate goal is to be the absolute healthiest I can possibly be, knocking out half of my mini-goals will have me falling short every time. Good thing is that I'm able to look back and see what I can adjust from last week to try and make sure it doesn't happen again, bad thing is I can still feel last week this week. So let's go through my goals and see how I did and why I came up short:

I refuse to miss any treatments. My middle day treatments always seem to get caught in the crossfire when things get busy. When this happens, I generally feel like dookie at the end of the day and my lungs get super tight. Even with that foreknowledge I'll still put off my middle treatments for some reason. Doesn't make sense. This week, I can't afford to do that. I need to stay on my game by staying on top of my treatments.

I'd say I was 3/7 (42%) on this one. I REALLY wanted to do all 4 treatments every single day (which did happen Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday), but I ended up only doing 2 Thursday, 3 Friday, 2 Saturday and 2 Sunday. I wish I could tell you that "life got in the way" but I can't put it all on that. I did have the opportunity to squeeze in another treatment each weekend day, but I decided to put other things first. I could have brought my vest and compressor down to Tucson on Thanksgiving day, but I chose not to. Excuses 1, Ronnie 0.

I will go for a run everyday. My runs have been going well for quite some time now and I refuse to let this crazy week derail the train. Lately I've been running every other day to let my legs rest, but have been going on long walks or bike rides on my "off" days. This week, I want to run every single day. I want to run every single day to make sure my body knows who is in charge and even though he's not going to feel like lacing up his shoes and hitting the road, he's GOING TO DO IT!!

You'll see a reoccurring theme happening here. First three days of the week were good, last 4, not so good. I did not run at all after Thanksgiving until today. I still got in some bike rides and my morning walks, but that wasn't my goal. My goal was to run and that I did not do consistently. I can feel it this week as my mucus is thicker, darker and generally harder to get up and out. Excuses 2, Ronnie 0.

I will not forget to remember all that I am thankful for. This shouldn't be too difficult to stick to as Mandi and I have made this part of our daily lives, but out of any week of the year, I want to make sure this isn't the one I forget to be thankful. If I started listing everything I had to be thankful, we'd be here until next year, but I definitely want to be more vocal about it his week. I want to make sure the people in my life know how thankful I am for them.

I'd have to say that I nailed this one. I don't think a day goes by that I don't voice how thankful I am for my wife, family, friends and life. I was able to reflect even more on that this holiday weekend, but in general, I'm a very thankful guy. Excuses 2, Ronnie 1.

I will not overeat on Thanksgiving Day. Now, I don't want you thinking that I'm watching my weight (although I probably should be); Thanksgiving Day and I have some history. I had my first ever full intestinal blockage in 2003 on Thanksgiving Day and it was not pretty. I won't go into details right now, but I'll try to write about it this week. Long story short, know when to say when when it comes to turkey.

I'm proud to report that I did not overeat. I had seconds, but they were a small seconds. I even managed to throw away some dessert after I started feeling full. With my history of stomach blockages on Thanksgiving, overeating is not something I can afford to do. Excuses 2, Ronnie 2.

They say a tie is like kissing your sister, but I'd rather that than be shut out 4 to nothing versus Mr. Excuses. It looks like I'll have something to work on for this next holiday week coming up shortly. I can only hope that I do better.

'Tis the Season!

First things first - Thank you guys soooo much for all of your love, comments, and prayers with my carrier test. We couldn't be more thrilled that I am not a carrier and that we can possibly make "Rondi" babies!! We'll keep you posted once there's actually news to report. For now, we are just thankful for our options and we'll continue moving the ball forward. We scheduled a December 21st appointment with a doc to start discussing options. But I'm bracing myself for the long road ahead. I think the fact that the earliest appointment available was December 21st is a good indicator that it will be a LONG process! We'll keep you posted!

Now onto current events - As you saw in Ronnie's post on Saturday, we had an awesome Thanksgiving! His family does holidays up right. All 30+ of them get together at either his mom's house or one of his aunt's houses, and there's always a lot of food, a lot of games and a lot of fun. This Thanksgiving was no exception. There were kids all over (even a baby that most people couldn't pry from my arms), so much food I couldn't even think of eating a little of each (and I went into the meal with my game face on and an empty stomach...still no go), and the annual cousin bake off (in which each cousin brings a dessert and then all the desserts are judged...winner gets to take the traveling trophy home) went really well. We came in second - a shame, but perhaps next year we'll have to focus on looks AND taste. Our dessert looked awesome, but tasted not so awesome.

Thanksgiving got me into the holiday spirit. I had told myself that I couldn't decorate for Christmas until AFTER Thanksgiving, and it didn't take me very many hours into Friday to start getting the itch to decorate. So Friday night we went to Hobby Lobby (does anyone else have a Hobby Lobby by them? It's the best store EVER) to buy Christmas decorations. I kicked off the holiday decorations by making my first ever wreath...that's right, watch out Martha, this girl is getting domestic!! It turned out pretty well (said while patting myself on the back)...I may or may not have had my mom on video chat walking me through the process, but hey, you gotta start somewhere! I also set up a little tree on our kitchen island (we are doing a big tree too, but we won't do it until the end of this week). After the wreath and mini tree, I had run out of decorations, so I wrapped up my decorating for the night. But I got an early start Saturday morning with a another trip to Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx and Walmart. I came home with a car full of Christmas cheer! After a full day of letting my creative juices flow, our house was turned into a winter wonderland...with only one tiny hitch - we bought about 1/4 of the lights required for our house...so right now we have the most pitiful looking Christmas lights outside, covering the side of our house, and the garage. The lights we need we couldn't find at any of the 15 stores I went to today. So that will be Ronnie's job tomorrow :)

All this decorating really got me into the Christmas spirit. I went around all weekend, singing my thoughts in the form of christmas carols (awesome for me, terrible for everyone else). I just can't help but be merry! I love this time of year. Everything has a warm and cozy feel. Everyone's more friendly. Everywhere you look there's something "jolly" feeling. Everywhere you are there is Christmas music playing. Everything is buzzing. I absolutely love it. But my favorite part is to come: My parents will be coming home from Shanghai (where they are currently living), so we'll get to spend a ton of time with them; everyone will be taking time off of work to just sit around and enjoy each other; we'll head down to Tucson so celebrate another Christmas just like we did Thanksgiving with Ronnie's HUGE, awesome family. I LOVE this time of year.

Here are some pictures of the decorations we have so far:

The pot is always there - so I just tweaked it to make it Christmasy

On the right and left are glass jars will cranberries and candles. In the middle is just a bowl of ornaments - quick and easy!

A grapevine wreath that I stuck berry-type things in. On the right and left are glass jars with cranberries and candles again..you'll notice a running theme.

A mini Christmas tree on the far end, and a cluster of glass things with cranberries and candles (told you there was a running theme!)

The wreath I made...super proud of the bow (thanks mom for walking me throw how to make a bow like that out of ribbon!!)

A glass jar with bead-like things stuck in it...same as what's stuck in the grapevine wreath. Wish I knew what they were actually called!

And now that I've shared how we're getting in the Christmas spirit, leave a comment to let me know how you are. It's our first Christmas living together, so we're starting all new traditions...I'm working overtime to make my hubby feel like his home is set for Christmas. So hook me up with some tips of what you do around your home - so I can steal your ideas and maybe get a wifey of the year award for my outstanding holiday performance :)

Happy Birthday Brother!!!

So today is the 4th of July and I plan on spending it with my wonderful wife and family. My brother Grant has been staying with us all week and was joined yesterday by my other brother Andrew. We're going to be having a BBQ at Mandi's parents' house and hang out by the pool. 4th of July is cool for fireworks, independence and all, but I think what really makes it special is that it's my brother Grant's 18th birthday!! I'm so proud of the man he has become and I can't wait to see what life has in store for him. I love you Grant with all of my heart and I'm so happy that I can spend today with you in celebration of the big 1-8!!!

Tis the Season (but we can still workout)!!

My posts this Christmas season will probably be a bit different than many of you are used to. Here's the reasons: One, I don't expect many of you, nor want you, to be here on my blog instead of with your family. Two, this time of year is also crazy for me. Three, it will give us all a chance to relax a little more and catch up on previous posts. What I'd like to do is re-post blogs or videos that you all found either interesting or which received a lot of "action". How does that sound?

I do however want to encourage you guys to make sure to stay as active as possible during this time of year. Believe me, I know it's hectic and the weather can stink, but that can't stop us from doing 100 jumping jacks in our living room :) Just because you can't take 30 minutes to walk or run, doesn't mean you can't take 5 minutes to do push-ups. Anytime you increase your heart rate, you're most likely also having to take deeper breaths and probably coughing a bit. Even if you can only squeeze in 5 minutes a day, it's still better than doing jack squat!

Make sure to watch this video if you haven't before, then, let me know what your excuse is!

Alright, let me have em...why can't you commit to at least 5 minutes of real exercise a day for the next 5 days? Actually, tell me why you couldn't commit to 15 :)

Set Me Free!!!

I am free, I am free, tell the world that I am free!!!! I'm so thankful for the time I spent in the hospital as I have increased my lung function and I am back to the point where I can start kicking CF's butt OUTSIDE of these walls! Starting Monday, I get to start in on my routine and I am so so so thankful for that. What are you guys thankful for today???

Some people work (for me) on Labor Day

Wouldn’t you know it! It is my big day to chat with you and Ronnie steals my thunder. After all, I am the one writing on Labor Day, and Ronnie chooses the day BEFORE Labor Day to tell you all about it.

As a matter of fact, I should not be working at all today according to the history and information he shared with you yesterday, so I won’t. Instead of sitting down and beating out an informational tidbit, I will share with you the some of my joys about today. I can sum it up in two words, family and fun. We are in Florida and enjoying some time with some of my Mom’s side of the family and the Florida beach and sunshine. The latter is a hope for, as in Florida any day can include both sunshine and a downpour all within an hour of each other, only to have the sun pop out again and just makes things a bit steamier. Yes, that is something that is a bit hard to get used to, for Arizona is not exactly the steam bath area of the world. We have been joined here by my brother and his girlfriend, both also from Arizona, so we are all smiling and sweating together.

My Grammy's house in St. Augustine Beach, FL

The beach has been a great place to get that morning walk/run in and the scenery is just a tad different than that we see when we do our “daily” at home. Somehow it doesn’t seem so much like exercise as an adventure. We walk, jog and run on a strip of white sand that is so packed that cars drive on it as if it were a paved road. One of the nice things is…we are only two of many that are doing the same thing. Misery loves company! When the exercise portion of the morning is done we limp home wearily and wet with sweat. The latter describes Ronnie, for being the lady I am , I perspire. We head for the pool to cool off and let me tell you, that is a shocker. At home we get into a tepid if not just plain warm pool to loll about. Here, we jump in, gasp, have second thoughts an even third, but it is delightful once you get used to the feel of ice cubes surrounding you. Florida nights are getting cooler and so is the pool water. St. Augustine is in northern Florida and yes, they do have seasons, so it is not balmy breezes the year round and the temperature of the pool water is testimony to that fact.

A relaxing stroll down the beach

Strolling down St. George’s street in the oldest community in the USA is another way of giving our new sneakers a workout. Fudge and French pastry makes those morning jogs a necessity not only for clearing the airways, but for taking off the bulge that could appear in one heck of a hurry. Because my Grammy is not in love with the kitchen and her stove, we are also walking off the effects of too many evenings of eating out and not always choosing the most lean item on the menu. Getting back in the groove when we get home will hopefully take care of that. Don’t worry about Ron’s weight dropping this week.

St. George Street in downtown St. Augustine

Since it is my day off and Ronnie has already told you everything anyone would ever want to know about the holiday, and since the beach and family are waiting, I will just say….Happy Labor Day. Enjoy the time with family, friends, and the fact that the alarm clock did not have to go off this morning for most of the working force. If you do have to work today…Thank you for being there for us.

Ronnie's getting old...

I promise to be back on the job next week and Mandi’s Monday Musings or Meltdowns will be more like the usual thing.

Now for true confessions… I will have to be very honest with you…Mandi didn’t write this at all! She is in bed sound asleep, for after all it is Labor Day, and being the loving Grandmother that I am, I am filling in for her. If it seems a bit different than her regular notes to you just factor in the difference that 57 years makes!

From left to right: Mandi, Josh, Chrissy, Susan (aunt), Grammy, Ronnie

Note from Mandi: ...when I woke up this morning, my Grammy gave me this little surprise! She is one of RSR's biggest fans and reads every day. There is no place like my Grammy's home and no one sweeter than my Grammy. This is one of my favorite places! And since we can work from anywhere, we decided we'd work from FL for a few days and then spend the holiday weekend playing with my brother and his girlfriend, Chrissy. It's been incredible to catch up on some sleep and enjoy a weekend solely relaxing...

Chrissy and Josh

Tell me what you did on your day off...

We're obviously super excited to be here :)

Why Don't We Work on Labor Day???

I wanted to do something a little different for this Spotlight Sunday. Instead of spotlighting another blog/person/article, I wanted to put the spotlight on a holiday. I bet you can't guess what day I'm referring to...ok, maybe you can. If you were thinking Labor Day, you'd be correctomundo. To be honest with you guys, I had no idea why Labor Day started, when it started or who started it, so I dug up some info and thought I would share it with you guys. I've got to assume that I'm not the only person that was confused as to why this is a holiday.

The History of Labor Day

For other Labor Day information, visit our Labor Day 2009 page.

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

**All information presented is from http://www.dol.gov/OPA/ABOUTDOL/LABORDAY.HTM

So did that clear things up? I hope so. Now go enjoy your extra time off.