Walk the Line

There's a fine line when interacting with other people. There are some who tip toe and avoid confrontation. They never express their true feelings and concerns and then there are others. Joey on Friends said it best, "You are so far past the line you can't even see it. The line is a dot to you."

Where's the happy medium? In being pregnant I have seen an amplified amount of these types of interaction. For example, I have asked pregnancy questions on Facebook, very specific questions. I get a million and one different answers, some of which have nothing to do with the question I asked at all.

Another comment I made was about wanting a second bowl of cereal. Oh boy was that a mistake, I was bombarded with people who automatically assumed I wasn't eating correctly. Just in case you were curious, I keep a food journal (started this the day I thought I was pregnant) on any given day I get more than the suggested value of pregnancy foods (i.e. fruits, veggi's, carbs, dairy-I think I could single handedly support a local farm- and protein). I was baffled by the fact that making one simple statement that people automatically assumed that I was not of the mental compacity to take care of myself and eat well.

But then there are the others, the ones who so badly just want to touch my belly but don't out of respect for my personal space. These people are my favorite, I often offer for them to touch it and they get the biggest kick out of it!

All in all, everyone has a way of interacting with others. Stick to Johnny Cash and find the line and walk on it!

~Jamie

Dancing When the Stars Go Blue

Yesterday was a tough day. Tim's mom isn't doing well, so we made our way home to be with her. I don't want to go into too much detail but I will say that there was a bright spot in the night.

When we left his mom's side to go to bed we looked up and the stars were beautiful. There really is a difference from the sky that we look up at in Denver and the night sky down here. LuAnn, Tim's mom, used to love sitting outside with her husband until the stars came out. They were especially bright last night.

Enjoy your Saturday, hug and kiss the ones you love.

~Jamie

One Person

The difference one person can make is amazing to think about. Take today for example: My mother in law isn't doing well at all. Upon hearing this news from my husband, who's tone of voice said more than anything, I was very upset. But then, I look over and see a smiling baby face looking back at me. Had it not been for that little sweet boy I am sure I would have gone through an entire box of Kleenex. 

I made a trip to the store after my day was over and there I was finally treated like a pregnant lady, I've been noticing this more and more. People hold doors, let you go first, get out of your way and apologize when they are in your personal space at the check out (a far cry from last week when a woman was breathing down my neck). The woman who rang up my items even made small talk about my belly and told me that I was, "So small." Needless to say, I love her. 

But all of this got me thinking, if a smiling baby or a compliment from a stranger can change the outlook of a situation or how you feel about yourself, why don't we do this more often. I think we should treat everyone every day as though they are the pregnant lady who needs a little more attention. Sure, a stranger might think it's weird if you compliment them. But, I bet most of the time that person really might need to hear those encouraging words. 

As someone who spends most of the day with an infant and then comes home to an empty house I have learned how important interaction with others is. So, when someone asks me if the soda I have just picked up is good I take advantage of every second of the meaningless conversation. People like to talk and be talked to. If we all seemed a little more approachable (I am guilty of a "don't mess with me face") and were willing to go out of our way to treat everyone as though they were in need of a compliment then maybe we would have better days more often. 

My wish for everyone who reads this is to take the time to do a couple things. Number one, don't beat yourself up, you are beautiful to someone and you should see yourself accordingly. Second, if you are unable to achieve number one then do something about it. In my case this included buying new face wash to try and get my face manageable with all of these pregnancy hormones. I also plan to have my hair done on Monday. Life is too short to be unhappy with yourself. Last, pass along that feeling of worth. Compliment a stranger, smile at the baby who is peaking around the corner at you or simply hold open a door. 

It's the little things that can help make your day and everyone around you feel like today is just right. 

~Jamie

Shopping

Shopping while pregnant has proven to be not the best way to save money. What started out as a simple 10 item shopping list turned into a full grocery cart. Sure the majority of the add ons were due to the fact that I had coupons for items that were on sale. But, the two cartons of ice cream might have been an impulse buy.

I had planned to blog during the day today but was unable to use a computer. Yet again, I am pooped by the end of the day. I will be taking my computer to work tomorrow so I should be able to blog in full force!

Until tomorrow!
~Jamie

Rhyme

So many things that I want to talk about today but I just can't quite narrow it down ... So I've decided to do a conglomeration of them all in some what of a sing song manner.

My day started out with an hour and a half long nap, not a bad way to start the day.
It continued to fly by with a walk outside, we enjoyed the beautiful blue sky.
If it's going to be this warm, I think it' needs to stay this warm. I do not want another winter snow storm.
Went to the post office and actually didn't have to wait, I even got great customer service and help with what I needed. Isn't that great?
Politics, politics, they are every where. Pick me, pick me, don't pick him or him ... goodness, I swear.

I am trying to wrack my brain for a few more things to talk about this time. But, you see it seems the third trimester is upon us and I only have enough energy for one more rhyme.

More tomorrow, perhaps I will try to write during the day so that I have a bit more energy! A commute home in the big city sure is enough to tucker a girl out!

~Jamie

Smile

I have come to realize that it is hard to find time to blog over a weekend away from home. Not only that but it's hard to blog when you are still recovering from the weekend! To appease my goal of blogging often I am going to leave you all with a quote as I head off to bed.

"So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about." ~Marilyn Monroe

I'll be back in full force tomorrow with a ton to talk!

~Jamie

Beautiful People

Today I learned that my mother-in-law had a rough day after receiving yet another blood transfusion. She has been battling cancer for 15 years. She continues to fight her battle even though it is no longer "just cancer."

I saw the quote below and immediately thought of her, I wanted to share it with you all. I hope that in reading it you are able to look within yourself to find the positive in all situations. It might not seem like everything is always "just right." But, I believe that it is. There is always a reason for every event in life, even if it doesn't seem true at that point in time.

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." -Elizabeth Kubler Ros

Money Tree

Today I have had plenty of time to reflect on finances. I am lucky to have been raised with the notion that debt is, well, bad. You shouldn't have it, it's not good for you.

Fortunately for me I have a husband who shares the same views on debt. We are blessed to not only have come to this realization, but to have it at such early ages. We know that the day that we are able to say we have no debt will be one to celebrate, it will be just right!

My day was uneventful to say the least. On the bright side the sun is out and the snow is no where near here! I had planned to go for a walk but despite the shinning sun it is awfully cold out. Not wanting to get Jake sick we have stayed inside, probably a good thing, he's been a little grumpy today.

I had time to write two letters, real letters, with stamps and everything. I am not sure what it is about mail but I love sending it and recieving it. Maybe it's the fact that someone took the time to go out of their way to do something for you or maybe it's just the thrill of seeing something in the mail box other than a bill!

Today I am working a little later than usual. This would put me trying to get home right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Rather than sit in traffic I plan to wash my car (it is beyond filthy), get some gas, and then go Ross shopping! I only need to occupy myself for about an hour, but I have a feeling that I may just get a little lost in Ross. I am always impressed with myself though, I can start with a full cart and put everything back but the one thing I am looking for. That one thing today is a summer dress to wear for our baby shower and maternity pictures. I'm hoping to find something that is longer but is still flattering. Maybe something bright and spring colors!

The sermon from last Sunday's church service is online now. I encourage any of you that have an extra hour to watch it, I promise it will be worth your time.
http://www.redrockschurch.com/sermon/relationships/

I hope you all have had a great day, tomorrow is Friday! We can do this!

~Jamie~

Ikea

Last night I finally got to have the Ikea experience! My first opinion, "This place is as big as an airport." I really do think it might actually be as big as the Colorado Springs airport!

I was pretty pleased with the store. I was unaware that it had so much more than just furniture. There were quite a few things that I want to purchase for a baby from their kids department. I'm hoping that we will end up with a few gift cards to Ikea from our baby shower that is in exactly one month from today! The only draw back to shopping was that I didn't grab a cart to put my purse in. It was quite a work out shopping for an hour.

After shopping I got to experience Swedish meatballs with jelly. Verdict, good! I really enjoyed the pricing on everything. Now, once I buy an object that my husband has to put together we will see if the price matches the frustration of the assembly!

Here's a list of the the things I liked the most. The one thing I do plan on buy eventually is a dresser that I will use for the baby and the top will serve as a changing table. There are also some canvas bins that I would like for the top drawer for dividing diapers, wipes, etc. The greatest bib ever is also located at Ikea! It has sleeves and is basically a baby smock! Love it, once our baby is eating solids I will need to get some of those! A long way down the line I would like to purchase one of their bedroom sets, bed frame, bed side tables and a dresser. There are also quite a few cute kids room ideas that would be nice at some point.

After a long night of shopping I was toast today. Thankfully the snow that was supposed to come in today did not. So, my drive to work was just a little misty. My morning flew by, I guess that happens when you get to take an hour long nap! Unfortunately (and fortunately) my pregnancy has been text book! Today my pregnancy app was talking about how to ease back pain, low and behold I woke up all night and during my nap with back pain. Tim and I are astonished, this is probably the fifth time that I have mentioned a symptom and then looked at the app and that was the symptom that it was talking about for the day. At this rate I would not be surprised at all if our baby was born on it's due date!

Today I was able to get a few little errands done. I payed a silly photo enforced speeding ticket and on the bright side rescheduled our hospital tour! We get to go in the middle of April, which will work out just right with our due date!

I got to leave work about twenty minutes early, my boss had an appointment, what a nice treat. Who knew twenty minutes could make such a big difference in traffic, my drive home was almost enjoyable!

I did have a few goals for this evening, but I think that painting my toe nails is sounds quite a bit better than those things.

Fingers crossed that the snow stays away tomorrow as well!

Have a great night!
~Jamie~

Sunshine

Today was yet another beautiful day!

This morning I decided to take all of the essentials with me today so that I could sleep in for another 20 minutes which was fabulous. After getting ready I felt great, I was well rested, my hair and make up was done!

We went on another walk today and the weather was great! After getting Jake down for an afternoon nap I even got to read outside for a little while.

Not a whole lot to report today, just a nice relaxing day. Oh, Tim got to go golfing today upon my request. There is a golf course that allows Coors employees to play for $13...well worth his sanity and for him to get a little vitamin D!

This evening I am finally going to check out a store that I have been wanting to visit for quite some time. I'll have a full report tomorrow!

Hope you all had a great day.

~Jamie~

Slow Down

What a beautiful day!

I was so pleased with the weather today, we're not even going to talk about the silly winter temperatures and snow that are supposed to come back on Wednesday.

Today was nice enough for me to take Jake, the sweet baby boy that I nanny, for a walk today. First of all, jogging strollers are amazing! I love his stroller, it was so easy to push and to get around! I am going to have to search the thrift shops for one of those for our baby. We had a nice 25 minute walk around his neighborhood. In just the short time that we walked we found three parks! Tomorrow I plan to dress better for the weather so that we can enjoy one of these parks for a little bit longer.

Sense I wrote early yesterday I'll have to catch up on what happened the rest of the day. We made it to church, there was a guest speaker. I have never been a fan of any of the guest speakers that I have heard at a church. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I not only liked our guest speaker, but loved him! Once the sermon is on the church website I plan to share it with you all. If you have an extra hour I encourage you all to listen to it, there's no way that I can even begin to describe how wonderful the sermon was.

When we got home I was finally able to appease my desire for pancakes, I had wanted to make them for three days and finally did! After the pancakes the real cooking began. I had this great idea that I wanted to make two meals yesterday so I wouldn't have to cook as often this week. It all worked out fine, I made lasagna and beef stroganoff, both were very good. However, I learned a lesson: slow down. When Tim realized how warn out I was getting from being on my feet cooking all day he came into the kitchen and informed me that he is really capable of taking care of himself sometimes. That I didn't need to worry about his dinners all of the time. Little does he know that I know that his idea of fending for himself does not quite meet the nutritional guidelines that it should. Never the less, he was very insistent that I stopped what I was doing to listen to him. He informed me that I was going to need to slow down and he held my stomach as he said this. Do you think he was trying to tell me that at some point in the near future that being seven months pregnant might keep me from moving as quickly as I want to? Not only that but soon my hands will be busy taking care of a baby? Not only will I need to slow down but I am now realizing that I would have had more time to spend with Tim had I not been so concerned about meals. He mentioned that I would be upset today because I miss him and he is right. So, even if he has to eat a sandwich for dinner sometimes that's ok. The time that I get to spend with him is few and far between so I need to take advantage of it.

Other than a walk with Jake, my day was relatively uneventful. This evening I will make fried rice for Tim and I to have for dinner tomorrow. I think I will also work on finalizing the address list for our baby shower that is in one month and two days! Other than that, it should be a relatively relaxing evening, just right.

~Jamie

Letting go!

Good morning everyone!
Last night was an interesting night around here. First and foremost, let me start by saying that I got everything that I wanted to get done yesterday accomplished.
On my way home from the grocery store I stopped and picked up our mail. When I looked inside I saw two identical letters that held the answer to a financial question that we have been waiting for. I wanted to open the letters right then and there. But, decided to get back to our apartment, put away the few things I bought and then open the letters. I couldn't avoid them any longer, I sat down and opened the letter addressed to me. I could hardly focus, I had to make myself read and reread the letter. I quickly ripped open the letter that had Tim's name on it to make sure it said the same thing, it did. What a blessing, our prayers had been answered and we were going to be able to move forward with out this looming over us. 
These two letters taught me a lesson yesterday. A lesson that my husband has been trying to teach me for quite some time, the power of letting go. For those of you who know me, you know that I always have a plan and I like things to go according to that plan, or at least I used to. Tim has helped me to realize that everything is "just right" even when it's not. You have to, "Go with the flow," is a sentence I used to hear often. When we sent off the information for those letters we prayed that it would be taken care of. That was it, it was out of our heads and out of our hands. There was nothing else we could do, so why worry about it. In being able to let go and give this up to God we were able to enjoy ourselves and receive an answer that is a big positive for us. 
Letting go, some say that it's easier said than done. I urge you all to let go. Know that there is always a bright side and that when something is out of your control there is no use in waisting your time worrying about it. 
I was up most of the night feeling our sweet baby as it pretended that I was a punching bag. Can't complain, feeling our baby move is one of the greatest pleasures I have ever known. Plus, when it moves, I'm not worried about it not moving! That being said, I'm a bit sleepy today but we are notorious for lazy Sunday's so it all works out. We are going to church today, we absolutely love Red Rocks Community Church. After church we will stop by and pick up a Sunday paper, have to clip coupons you know! On the menu for tonight is lasagna, cesar salad and garlic bread, this a favorite around here. I'm a big fan because it makes for a few nights of left overs. Make sure to jump over to the "Menu" tab for the recipe.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Jamie

First Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog, Just Right, By Jamie Reed!

As I mentioned in the "Our Story" tab this blog is an outlet for me to discuss my goals and ambitions, as well as my day to day life! The idea for Just Right, By Jamie Reed came to me when I realized that I want to use my strengths and degree to promote businesses, causes and people. I started with a company name, and as a numbers nerd I loved that both "Just Right" and "Jamie Reed" have nine letters, it appeases my OCD side. Now, the plan is to use this blog to help me focus in on what it is I want to do and how to turn my business into a reality. But, that's just it, maybe my business will be this blog. Who know's but whatever it comes to I am sure it will be "Just Right" in some way or another!

So, I guess I'll just jump right in. My day today started out with a bang, I actually was able to sleep for a long period of time! A rarity sense Tim and I work opposite shifts. It's quite frustrating to love someone so much and to just want to spend time with them and to only get a few minutes every day to see them. As it is I get up and leave for work at 6 A.M. and get home at 4:30 P.M. In the mean time Tim goes to work at 2:30 P.M. and gets home at 11:30 P.M., as you can see we just miss each other. But, today is Saturday, so I was able to sleep in and wake up next to my husband and wait for him to wake up to spend a few hour together. Unfortunately, this is a Saturday that he has to work, but we try to find the positive in every situation and today it is that he gets paid time and a half on Saturdays!

I made it a point to go to the grocery store last night to avoid having to spend any time apart today. With a stocked pantry we had a large choice for breakfast, we settled on french toast!

After breakfast, we watched a few movies on TV together, one of which is a favorite of mine and my mom's, Overboard! Come to find out Tim actually really likes that movie as well.

I make it a point to have dinners made for Tim to take with him to work. I feel it is my job as a wife to make sure that he eats well. I plan a main meal, today was one of his favorites, chicken and dumplings, a few snacks (fruits, veggi's, cheese sticks) and a few drinks. Fortunately for me he is willing to always eat what I have planned for him. He says he is the fortunate one and that the guys he works with are always jealous of his meals! I'm glad, could you imagine how much it would cost for him to go out to dinner every night!

So off he went, despite the fact that I told him I would prefer if he stayed. He is such a good guy, always so willing to head off to work to provide for us.

Now what to do with the rest of my day. Well first and foremost I wanted to get this blog up and running. Next, a bit of organizing, I need to write a few letters and clean. The best part about living in a one bedroom apartment (for the time being) is that it only takes about an hour to clean. I almost forgot, I also need to make my way back to the store. Try as I might to only go to the store once a week it seems as though that's near impossible, especially when two stores are out of the face wash that Tim uses!

I do believe that is the extent of my day!

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed my first blog. Please feel free to leave comments!

Jamie