“Where could I be? Believe it or not, I’m not home!”

So I have some very busy months coming up here, and then hopefully several relaxing, yet still exciting, months. 2009 is going to be a crazy year. I can’t believe it’s almost March already! Where has the time gone? I have a six-month old!

Speaking of which, I didn’t reach my goal of getting to my prepregnancy weight by 6 months, but I am still trying my hardest. The scale is not being very nice to me, but I can see a real difference in my clothes, so hopefully the scale will catch up soon. My plan was to start trying for another baby this November, but we’ll see what happens then… At this point, I can’t imagine trying again that soon, but maybe I’ll feel ready by then.

We are just about halfway through our no sugar/fried food challenge, and I can say that I’ve done well. I haven’t caved yet, and I have been tempted by cake and cookies and candy and french fries almost every day! I’m definitely going to make it to the end, and I’m just hoping that I’ll also see a change in my body. I’ve been working out just about every day, for about 50-60 minutes, and there’s just no way I could keep that up without seeing some serious results.

Some changes I know I need to make are to drink more water and to cut down on salty foods and fattening foods (anything with cheese!). I’ve been turning to those foods instead of sugar, and that’s not the best thing to do. I need to eat more fruits and vegetables, most definitely.

So I’m going to indulge my rat-racer self and talk about what I have coming up to look forward to in my life!

Only another two and a half weeks until our show choir competition trip to California, where we’re hoping to win another giant first place trophy! The show choir is better than it’s ever been, and their show is pure musical genius, written by my husband. Oh, and it’s also choreographical genius- mostly done by me! ;) It should be a really fun trip, and I’m so excited to see them perform.

Next week I start teaching dance classes at the gym in Benson. We’ll see how that goes… I’m interested to see how many kids actually sign up, but it definitely has the potential to really take off. The only thing I’m not excited for is the fact that I’m currently set up to be teaching three afternoons a week, and I already have other classes I teach on Fridays, plus my own class in Tucson on Wednesdays, which means I have something every night of the week.

I’m not excited about how much that’s going to take me out of my home, but I’m willing to give it a try, make some money, and see how it goes. Those classes will go until May, and then if I’m here for the summer, I will probably do some summer classes, and if I’m not here, I will help them get set up with some other teachers for the summer.

In May is my birthday, and I told Daniel I thought it would be fun to host a murder mystery party. He is taking it one step further and planning the whole thing himself, instead of buying a kit with a prefabricated storyline! I think it will be so much fun. I suggested the idea of having it in Tucson and including driving around to various places, but he had already planned on that… I always ruin his surprises!

Then this summer, assuming my parents’ house in Maine has not sold yet, we’ll be driving out and spending probably about two months there. We’re going to take our time on the road and make some stops on the way, driving the southern route one way and the northern route the other way. I want to stop in Nashville and Memphis, since I’ve never been there before. There are a lot of other big cities we’ll pass through, so we’ll have to decide what we want to see. Should be lots of fun though!

And while we’re in Maine, we’re definitely going to be taking at least one trip to NYC. We’re also looking into getting involved with some local theatres while we’re there- either performing or putting up shows or summer camps or whatever we can. There are also some local dance studios offering adult classes, so we might take those while we’re there. So many possibilities! And of course we’ll get to indulge in our favorite Maine foods (see entry “Alex’s Pizza and Pier Fries”), and Carter will enjoy the beach! My mom is very excited for that, and she’s already bought him his first pair of flip flops.

And as for the fall, at that point I will probably up the number of hours I’m working for my dad, but concentrate them into 2-3 days a week working in an office that he’ll rent in Tucson. My mom is going to watch Carter during those days, so it will work out really well for us, I think. That way, instead of trying to fit in my hours around watching the baby and housework, etc, I’ll have a regular work schedule and can use the rest of my week to be with Carter and take care of things at home. I think it will be a much better arrangement, and I’m really looking forward to it!

And lastly, we’re planning on making some long term decisions in the relative future- namely, where we’re going to be settling down and buying a house. Rumors have it (last time we heard) that the music teacher at Ironwood Ridge High School in Oro Valley (where Daniel student taught) is going to retire after next school year, and Daniel is interested in applying for that job. If that happens, at that time we’ll probably be deciding whether we’ll be moving to Tucson or staying in St. David long term. Either way, we’ll be buying a house in whichever town we decide on. It’s been an absolute blessing to be able to live in our current house for free, but I’m ready to move on and have something of our own. Looks like we’ll be making those decisions in a year at the earliest, and probably three years at the absolute latest.

Well, I did not intend on this entry being so long, but I am excited for the rest of 2009, and those are our plans! Oh, and I WILL weigh 125 pounds this year. No question there. Then we can talk about more babies…

Enjoy the last week of February, everyone! Warmer days are ahead!