40 before 40

Reflecting on Forty

A year ago I turned 40.  I struggled with the number.  I wasn’t ready to be 4-0. Almost suddenly it seemed like I had a lot of changes related to turning 40.  My hormones went berserk! The grey hairs seemed to appear overnight. Additional rolls around my middle appeared and were harder to remove.  My…
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40 Before 40 Complete….Sort Of

Tonight my 40 Before 40 project is over.  I will be 40 tomorrow.  I have been working on achieving 40 items during this, my 39th year.  Even though I didn’t accomplish all of them, I feel really good about the ones I did accomplish. I would like to think that in the next year, I…
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Scenes From Our Week – Week 52

Well, it has been one year since I started my goal of posting Scenes From Our Week….snippets from our little corner in Iowa.  I’ve been sharing photos of our family, friends, and scenery throughout the last year.  I hope you have enjoyed seeing them as much as I have had taking them.  This project forced…
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Scenes From Our Week – Week 51

Last week I forgot to post a special photo.   We had a double date night with Pat’s sister, Julie and her husband, Bill.   We had such a fun time visiting and enjoying wine at our local winery, John Ernest Vineyard  and then a delicious Chinese meal in a neighboring town. Last week was busy…
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My 5 Week Challenge Update with Peak 313 Fitness

Today begins my 2nd week of the Living and Active 5 Week Challenge.  I was surprised how easy last week was.  I was able to fit in 4 workouts into my week which was a new thing for me.  I was usually happy if I got one or two times in.  But, I made it…
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Scenes From Our Week – Week 50

Like I mentioned last week, Bennett won the election for Student Body President.   Here he is with his campaign poster. We had our first week of After School JAMS.  JAMS is a program that we started at our church on Wednesdays after school.  Our goal was to reach out to kids in our community…
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I’ve Joined the Challenge

In my 40 Before 40 Challenge, I had stated that I wanted to lose 20 pounds.  Well, I don’t think I am going to make that goal, but I’m going to give it one last good run.  The perfect opportunity popped into my regular blog reading and I decided to join in. PEAK 313 FITNESS…
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Scenes From Our Week – Week 49

We had a fun Sheltered Reality performance last Sunday night.  We were able to perform with some of our friends and get them up on stage.  Everyone had a great time! Patrick had his first Cross Country meet on Tuesday.  Yes, Tuesday, if you remember was HOT.  It was still 95 degrees with high humidity…
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One Month Left

One month from today I will turn 40.  FOR-TY.  That is tough to say.  Why?  I’m not sure.  I know that it is better to be turning forty than the other option, but it just seems like half my life is over.  Have my first 40 years gotten me ready for the next 40 years?…
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Scenes From Our Week – Week 48

If you know me at all, you know I am amazed with the glorious sunsets we see here in Iowa.  Here are some of the shots I got this week.       Patrick is participating in Cross Country for the first time this year.  After running the 5K in June in our town, he decided…
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Stacie's bookshelf: read-in-2023

The Lazy Genius Kitchen: Have What You Need, Use What You Have, and Enjoy It Like Never Before
Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D'
The Royal Governess: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II's Childhood
Food Fight
Spare
Foster
This Time Tomorrow
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings
Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge: Intimate Confessions from a Happy Marriage
Save What's Left
Remarkably Bright Creatures
The Galveston Diet: The Doctor-Developed, Patient-Proven Plan to Burn Fat and Tame Your Hormonal Symptoms
Golden Hills
The Girl with the Louding Voice
The Favor
Small Things Like These
This Is How I Lied
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
Audrey L and Audrey W: Best Friends-ish: Book 1
Audrey L and Audrey W: True Creative Talents: Book 2
Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish
The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life
In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It
It Is Well With My Soul: My Story
Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember
Book Lovers
A Girl Called Samson
Finn and the Feline Frenemy
The Levee
The Golden Spoon
Only the Beautiful
Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories
The Sisters Sweet
Fish in a Tree
This Tender Land
Intermittent Fasting Transformation: The 45-Day Program for Women to Lose Stubborn Weight, Improve Hormonal Health, and Slow Aging
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar
Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine
The Great Gilly Hopkins
BenBee and the Teacher Griefer
We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship
Blue Highways: A Journey into America
Beyond the Point
The Family
Hamnet
The Bookstore Sisters
And Finally: Matters of Life and Death
The Cactus
Black Cake
Ban This Book
Passing
I'm Glad My Mom Died
These Precious Days: Essays
Evidence of the Affair
The Night Travelers
Out of the Corner
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
One Day in December

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