Falling off the Wagon

As much as I have been postponing this entry I know it's time for an update on my food recovery! I was hoping that I would be able to turn things around and then write something good but instead I have to report I have fallen off the wagon! It all started with my move back to the States. After not eating Mexican food for several months, I went on a bean burrito binge. That is not an exaggeration I literally ate bean burritos once or twice a day for 2 weeks straight! That combined with my lack of exercise made it very easy to put back on a few lbs. Fortunately, I started working out with my mom's trainer in June, so I didn't get too out of shape, but I have yet to get the eating under control. In a last ditch effort I joined Weight Watchers and while I lost 3.8 lbs the first week, I was unable to keep up the momentum and gained that back plus a few since! Part of the problem is my summer schedule, which means I don't have a schedule, and part of it is I have been eating all of my problem foods, i.e. diet coke and hot tamales, and that makes me just eat more problem foods! I know that exercise alone is not going to help me lose weight but I am happy to know that I am getting fitter (you just can't tell because I have an extra layer of padding covering my new muscles!).  One of these days I am going to get serious and go back to my "clean eating" ways but until them I am going to eat every peanut M&M in sight!

Our Newest Addition????

Even though we don't have the best track record with pets, we decided it was time to get a dog! The kids and Trent begged and begged and somehow convinced me we needed one! After Jack Woo and Delila (our last two dogs) I decided we should probably do a little research to find a dog that would be a good fit for our family (or at least one I could handle). I took some survey's online and go figure every dog that fit my profile was small and lazy! I knew I wanted to adopt and I preferred an adult dog, so I starting searching on Craigslist. I was surprised when after just a week I found what seemed like the perfect addition to our family...half English Bulldog, half Basset Hound or what they call a Bullhound! He was 4 years old, house broken and good with children...better yet he was free to a good home! I was sold! I called immediately, and was told by the dogs owner that there was a family that was interested but if it didn't work out I was next on the list! With fingers crossed, I patiently waited for the call to come so we could meet our new pup! I was smart enough not to tell the kids about the dog so they wouldn't get their hopes up too! I was thrilled when the following day I got a call that the other family hadn't made a decision yet so he was as good as ours! When we met Koby it was love at first sight! He is a funny little mix but that is what makes him so cool!

Our first night with the dog was ROUGH! I knew he would be a little whiny as he adjusted to his new home, but I wasn't prepared for a thunder storm to come and cause Koby to bark and jump around in fear all night long! Needless to say no one in our house got any sleep that night! Fortunately, it didn't take long before Koby felt right at home and everything was going perfectly.... UNTIL.....we had a major incident that caused us to question whether or not Koby was going to be able to stay living at the Bevier's. The previous owner had told us that Koby can get a bit anxious around men and to make sure we slowly introduce him to Trent and my dad and to always keep him on a leash when in public. The first few times Koby met my dad he would sniff his hand but wouldn't get to close and appeared nervous. I decided to take him over to my dad's house to see if he would be more comfortable around my dad in neutral territory. It seemed to help and he finally let my dad pet him! Thinking that Koby was finally getting used to my dad I let my guard down a bit and was completely caught off guard when a few days later he attacked my dad, biting through his jeans, causing a huge welt on my dad's thigh. It was very surreal as it was totally unprovoked. My dad was just standing there talking to me in my living room when Koby ran over to him and quicker than lightening latched on and wouldn't let go! My first thought was this dog has to go, there is no way I can have a dog I don't trust. But after the shock wore off and Koby turned on his adorable and loving charm I reconsidered as he is such a good and loving dog to the kids and I. I was also feeling an obligation to try to find a better solution than just giving up on him. Unfortunately, we had another incident just a few days later when on a walk a man asked to pet Koby and before I could respond Koby bit the man on the knee. UGG! I know it should be a no brainer and the dog has to go, but I'm not kidding when I say this is a seriously great dog (when he is not around big men!!!). I don't really like animals very much and I am totally in love with this dog. I am so torn on what to do. I am hoping that a Vet or a Trainer can help us fix this negative side of Koby...Otherwise we are going to have to place him in a shelter or worse put him to sleep...it seems like an awful thing to do but so is his being a threat to others! The kids are heartbroken that he may not be able to stay, thus making my decision that much more difficult! One thing I have decided is if he does go I will not be getting another dog anytime soon!!!!

look at how sweet he is with Paisley...

Stalking Made Easy

I am embarrassed to admit this but I can easily waste several hours at a time Blog stalking! My intention is to check out a blog or two for some new ideas and then I end up hopping from one blog to the next and the next thing I know 2 hours (or more) has gone by! I just can't believe how many creative and talented people there are on the world wide web and even better that they are kind enough to post their knowledge and tips for free! During one of my stalking escapades I came across a very cool site called Pinterest! This site allows users to "pin" things they find on the internet that interest them and then organize them onto different boards! It can be anything from crafts, DIY projects, home decorating, travel, gadgets, cooking..... and more! Now I just have to hop from one persons "pinboard" to the next instead of hopping sites! While this is just as dangerous, it should save me some time as now I can "pin" and "repin" things onto my own boards making it much easier to keep all of my obsessions and someday projects in one place!! So while I am still wasting time it is less exhausting and more organized!

My boards can be found at: http://pinterest.com/sarahalyson/. Happy PINNING!

Quote Crazy

I have a lot of loves and one of them is a great quote! I have always wanted to keep a notebook that includes all the great quotes I come across but I haven't ever done it. Then I forget them and that makes me sad. So I thought maybe I would post some of them on my blog and that way I will have them in the same place as my journal entries. Another obsession of mine is the Graphic Fairy blog! Her images are awesome and I have used some of them for craft projects. Her vintage frame images are going to be perfect for my new quote posts!

I just sat down after picking up the house for the umpteenth time today and opened up Women's Day mag. When I saw this quote, I laughed out loud...Coincidence?, I think not.... Here's my perfect quote of the day...

The next Michael Phelps?

Aiden, Brody, Case, Katie

Swim team just finished for the summer, and I am so grateful Aiden was able to participate! I thoroughly enjoyed watching him swim and seeing his improvement each time he jumped into the water! He has always been a little fish, starting swim lessons at 11 months, but there is a big difference between recreational swimming and competitive! My expectations for Aiden were that he would get some exercise, have a little fun, and maybe get a ribbon or two and he surpassed that by a mile! In order for Aiden to compete in the finals he needed to finish in the top 8 for his age group at the semi-finals. It was so exciting to watch him race in both freestyle and breaststroke and I was pleasantly surprised when he finished 6th and 4th! Not only was he able to race the following night in the finals he was guaranteed a medal in both events! Aiden also competed in the 100 IM at the semi-finals. I couldn't believe he was expected to swim four laps and I was a bit nervous he would exhaust himself quickly and then struggle to finish! Although, he didn't medal in the IM, he swam his butt off and beat his preliminary time by 22 seconds! The following night Aiden competed again and received a 5th place medal in freestyle and a 4th place medal in breaststroke!!! Pretty cool! I always assumed he would be an athlete, possibly playing soccer like his dad or football since he is built like a linebacker but I am now convinced that he could be a great swimmer too! And with a lot of practice, who knows....maybe the Olympics one day!!!

Remembering Granny

This last week has been emotionally draining as we have experienced a great loss in our family. My wonderful mother-in law (Trent's step-mom) Donna passed away last Sunday, very unexpectedly, and this has truly rocked our world. While I know some of the heaviness I am feeling is my own sadness I am truly burdened by what my father-in-law Dan, brother-in-law Brian, Grandpa Bud, and the grandchildren who worshiped her are going through.  She was a huge presence in all of our lives and therefore the void of her physical absence is significant.

Over the past week, Aiden and Anna have shared some incredible memories of their Granny and I am so grateful they have so many stories! They (along with their cousins, Brendan and Maddie) were fortunate to have a sleepover with Granny the night before her passing, and wow what a night! It started with a mani and pedi and ended with Oreos at midnight! In true Granny fashion, the kids stayed up way passed their bed time, playing video games, eating junk food and playing dress up with her jewelry and clothes! When the kids finally did go to sleep, the girls (encouraged by Granny) used every blanket in the house to make a bed on the floor next to Granny's! Could there be a better last memory?

I too have my own memories, which include awesome trips to Mexico, New Jersey and Hawaii, elaborate and over the top Christmas's and our once traditional Sunday afternoon dinners. I will treasure memories of us dancing around our husbands (since neither of them dance) on several occasions! Donna was truly the life of the party and it was impossible not to have fun when she was around! I will never hear a Jimmy Buffet song without thinking of Donna and I may just become a Yankees fan in her honor! I am grateful to have known her  and that she was apart of our lives. She will be very missed!

#1 Dad

Anna had it set in her mind that she was going to give her dad a Droid for Father's Day. She had seen a commercial about a dad daydreaming about his daughter buying him a new cell phone and she was convinced Trent wanted one too. Unfortunately, she doesn't understand that there is a little something called "new every 2" at Verizon and her daddy isn't due for a new phone until January. She was extremely mad at me when she ran in to my room Sunday morning at 7:15, demanding to know where dad's Droid was so she could give it to him when he got back from golfing, and I had to tell her I couldn't get him one. I didn't realize she thought I actually ordered it! She had even told all her Nana that she was giving her dad a Droid and that it was coming in the mail. I felt so bad!!! Even though I was a little irked to be woken up with so much drama I jumped out of bed and started searching the internet for ideas of Father's Day gifts she could give him instead! It took her awhile to get over the Droid but she finally consented to a BBQ apron! Nothing like a little last minute gift making! I spent the morning whipping up a denim apron and after church the kids painted it! It was ready just in time for him to use it! Our lucky daddy barbecued his own dinner as we were having over my family and had decided on bbq chicken! He was a great sport and wore his apron with pride along with a fancy paper crown Anna made him at church! That along with a little toolbox Aiden made him at a Home Depot clinic made for some pretty great gifts for a pretty great dad!

Still Cool ???

One of the advantages to moving back to AZ was that I had a fairly decent ride to come home too! After driving a clunky clown car around SA for several months, my Camry felt more like a Lexus in comparison! But after a couple of trips in the car with Aiden and Anna plus their friends or cousins double buckled in the back seat I second guessed my economical decision to buy a car two years ago.  Since I only have two kids I assumed a car would be sufficient, however, they are a little close for comfort and the constant "he's touching me" is annoying! This combined with the lack of room for extra guests prompted my decision to trade up (in size)!

If there was ever one thing I was certain of it was that I would never be caught dead driving a mini van! I am not sure what it is about a mini van that makes me shudder at the thought, but I am guessing it has something to do with the very blah exterior and the image of sliding doors with kids piling out. Mini vans just seem to be correlated with "dorky soccer mom" and since I still consider myself a fresh out of high school twenty something there was no way I was jumping into that abyss. Never say never! Thanks to some friends of mine who decided to break all stereotypes and bravely enter the mini van realm first, I was convinced that maybe it was worth losing a little piece of myself! Once you get past the exterior you find a roomy, comfortable, highly equipped interior! It drives like a car, is slightly better in gas than a Tahoe and is there anything better than pushing a button to open doors? So after A LOT of inner personal struggle I conceded and purchased a fancy Honda Odyssey! HA HA HA! The jokes really on myself, because I actually love it! It is fun to drive and because the inside is fairly nice and I can't see what I look like in it, I forget that I'm now a dorky soccer mom. I have also learned a little bit about good ole humility! While I still cringe at the thought of pulling up to some of my hipper friends houses to drive them out to dinner in my new ride, I realized that I am not what I drive! I learned a little bit about that in my Hyundai Atos in SA and finished the lesson in my new Odyssey! I don't know why I still, at this old age of 32, get caught up with appearances and letting material things define me! You would think after all I witnessed in SA I would get a clue! So the mini van has grounded me, but like Jodi Adam's license plate reads on her mini van, I'm still cool.....right?

Settling In

In just the few short weeks since returning to Arizona, we have settled in to our new house and right back to our old life. It honestly feels as if we had never left. I sometimes find myself asking, "was I really in Africa for 10 months?" Thank goodness for the pictures, as I have proof it was not a dream! I was watching Jack Hanna's Animal Adventure yesterday and it was surreal to see him on a boat headed out to Dyer Island, off the coast of Gansbaii, to swim with the great white sharks and to know I have actually been in that exact spot doing that exact thing! It is not until now as I am back in the "real world" that I can actually see how incredible our adventure was and appreciate the once in a lifetime moments we experienced on a daily basis.

I was afraid that I would be in a depression after leaving the foreign place where I felt so strangely at home, but instead I am content in my surroundings and truly comfortable. I love our new house and being back in my old neighborhood. The kids have a ton of friends and it is a beautiful thing that they can safely ride their bikes around the block to go and play. Anna has definitely found her better half in a little girl named Natalie. She is calm and sweet and patient and a perfect compliment to my sassy, bossy daughter! They get along so well and it makes our life with Anna a bit easier as she is only happy when she is surrounded by friends. I have decided that there is nothing better than having a basement! I have no idea what it looks like down there and I can have the whole neighborhood over without much bother!

Aiden jumped back into a typical summer by starting swim team this past week. We decided to do it at the Mesa Country Club so that he could also play golf and be with his cousin Brody. I was reluctant to sign him up at the club as it has been 2 summer's since he last participated on a swim team and he hasn't had any formal lessons in years. While I am always preaching to him that winning doesn't matter and all you can do is your very best I must admit in the back of my mind I was fearful that he would be laps behind the other swimmers and that he may be devastated if he always lost. I think he was a bit worried to because it took some convincing to get him to do it and he only agreed as long as he didn't have to do the swim meets. I was so relieved when he came home after the first session and loved every minute of it! He was so excited about it that he actually said he was going to swim in the meet just 2 days later! On the way to the meet his nerves kicked in and I think he began to second guess himself. I too was worried and got caught up in my own insecurities about competition. As I watched him dive into the pool as the first swimmer on his relay team (swimming backstroke of all the strokes) I was literally holding my breath. I couldn't believe my eyes, while his stroke wasn't perfect, he was a pretty decent swimmer! He surprised me so much and I couldn't have been prouder. His team finished 3rd out of 3 groups, but he was so excited to get a 3rd place ribbon he could have cared less that they lost! In his next race, he swam freestyle and came in 2nd! He was beaming ear to ear and it was a great moment! I learned a lot during that meet. There were some amazing swimmers and then there were some that weren't so great. Some of my favorite swimmers were the ones who struggled so much I honestly didn't know if they would make it, finally reach the finish! You really have no choice in that situation but to keep on swimming! And while I am sure it would be more rewarding for the coaches to have a team full of champs, they shouted encouragement to their swimmers urging them across! Another great moment was when one little guy won first place, solely because he was the only swimmer in that heat! He was so thrilled with himself and his first place ribbon the fact that there was no competition was meaningless! And most importantly I watched Aiden prove to me that he can do anything he sets his mind too! That was the best moment of all!

I left my heart in Africa...

Our time in Africa has come to an end, and although Arizona will always be home, it was very difficult to leave and a part of me will always remain there. It is difficult to feel sorry for myself as I know that I am blessed beyond measure to have had the opportunity to live in that beautiful country, nevertheless  I still felt there was so much I could do there and I HOPE that I have a chance to go back someday...

Now that we are home it's fun to be back in the familiar surrounded by our family and friends. As I compare my life here with my life in SA there are definitely things I miss as well as some things I don't! This probably isn't a complete list, here is what I have come up with so far. . .

Things I will MISS most about South Africa:
* The abundant amount of time I have had to focus on being a wife and mother.
* Our incredible new friends and the beautiful, friendly people we met on a daily basis!
* The amazing kids at Aurora Primary School! I will be praying daily that they receive the happiness and blessings they deserve  and I can't wait to witness (from afar) their success and achievements...
* Visiting some of the most beautiful places in the world, i.e. Capetown, The Garden Route, Kruger, Drakensburgs, Vic Falls, Zambezi and Chobe to name a few.
* Seeing lions, elephants, giraffes and zebras roaming outside of cages!
* Shopping malls on nearly every corner!
* Holding sweet, innocent, perfect babies! If they would let me adopt in this country they would all be coming back with me!

* Terrance, my arch nemesis who became my friend and who has forced me to get strong and fit, if I could get him a Visa he would be coming back with me too!
* Tea time with biscuits!
* The pancakes with strawberries and mascarpone at Home Bru, the salads and freezos at Tashas and the filet at Farenheit's!
* Receiving the whitest most perfect smiles I have ever seen!
* Watching children laugh and play without tv’s, videogames or store bought toys! It’s amazing how creative these children are...
* The incredible service I receive everywhere I go!
* Gas attendants...not nearly as painful to stop for gas when you just have to roll down your window!
* Pretty, my hard working friend and house cleaner! If I could get her a Visa she would be coming back with me too!
* Watching mother’s walk around with babies on their backs and women balancing things on their heads.
* My sewing machine…not because it’s fancy just because I have time to use it!
* The best lightening and thunder storms ever!
* Flowers so cheap, Trent brought them home to me weekly!
* Living in the largest man-made garden in the world! During the Spring and Summer it is sooooo GREEN here!
* Kid friendly and cheap fine dining! What a concept... fancy restaurants with play lands in the back...brilliant!
* Woolworth's!


Things I won’t miss about South Africa:
* The unequal human development.
* Really slow Internet!
* Seeing barbed wire and electric fencing around every single building and house.
* The terrible attempt at Mexican food
* Driving among the world's worst drivers
* Never finding what I need at the grocery store, and having a clerk look at me like I’m speaking Greek when I ask for something.
* No Target.
* Not having A/C or central heating
*Sketchy law providers
* Sales attempts at every stop light (except for the guys with the knock off Louis Vuittons on William Nicol Ave).
* Carrying groceries up three flights of stairs and the insanely high altitude that makes it nearly impossible not to hyperventilate by the time I get up them!
* The Pollution! (vehicle emission testing and recycling programs would be a great start Joburg!).
* The Afrikaans language...sorry but it's just not a pretty sounding language.
* Waking up at 5:30 a.m. everyday to the world's most annoying bird.

I know it will be a quick and easy transition back to our old life and while in some ways that is comforting it is also disconcerting! Living in SA was a life changing expeirence and we learned so much about life, blessings and happiness during our time there. While it is my intention to be forever changed by those lessons I am aware that memories and feelings tend to ebb and flow over time due to new experiences and surroundings. It will be a busy and interesting couple of years as we settle in to a new house, school and jobs. After I finally finish school, the sky's the limit and only Heaven knows where we will end up next...