It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Holy guacamole it's been a while since a blog has been published.  It could be because I haven't wanted to take the time to sit down and write one.  It could also be because Craig and I just got done traveling over 1,000 miles over the holiday break.  Or it could be because I have had no motivation to be inspirational or encouraging to our readers, simply due to life's events that have chosen to take place recently.  I am going to say it is a mixture of all three reasons, with reason number four being that I simply have no clue why I haven't written in such a long time!  We hope that everyone had a blessed time over the Christmas holiday, despite set backs or chaos and stress.  Sometimes it is hard to look past that all to see the real meaning for the season.  It was nice to be reminded of the Christmas story via Christian holiday radio stations, billboards, friends, blogs, and neighbors.  I caught myself with a negative attitude when hearing the famous chorus, "it's the most wonderful time of the year.  it's the hap, happiest season of all!"  As many times as I've heard that song and sung to the tune when it hits the radio, it created a bitterness in me this year.  Not because I wasn't happy or joyful but because this holiday can be emotionally or physically hard for some people.  Loved ones lost, families torn, friendships broken, and materials stolen [my heart goes out to you Mom & Molly].  I can think of other times throughout the year that were "hap happier."  But I am learning that attitude and heart break are what you make of it.  Do I chose to dwell in my sorrows and cry "woe to me" to my husband all the time or do I look toward the future and anticipate what God will do with unfortunate situations?  Shamefully, I venture toward the first response.  My poor husband! 

Our Christmas was very merry though!  We had a wonderful day with my Mom, Craig's mom Marian, and the Issaquah Smiths!  It was low key with the occasional plop on the couch to catch scenes of Ralphie in "The Christmas Story." 

Santa was good to us.  She got us beautiful new items for our house and I got a sweet rain gear running outfit, running pants, and a running shirt!  I think I'm set.  And mini Santa Molly got us an outdoor fire pit for our new backyard!  Everyone is welcome to come enjoy it!

We got to spend time with his side of the family and my side equally; with a quaint 1-night stay in his Mom's newly redone guest room and a luxurious 5-night stay at my Mom's.  We attended a crazy Hoffman family Christmas party and a smaller, yet still as crazy, Haskins family Christmas party.  We saw family near and far with little time to visit with friends.

"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” john 16:33

try this...

50 Questions to Ask your Spouse on a Date Night

By Zach Terry

Today I met at Starbucks with a few guys to discuss how what we have been studying on Sunday mornings at Capshaw practically applies to our lives. One of the big things we discovered was the need for very open communication and date nights with our spouses. To help with that I want to share this list of 50 questions that are to be discussed with your spouse while the two of you are alone. Don’t try to tackle too many in one setting. It’s actually best if you just get through a few but really talk in detail. Let me warn you that a couple of the questions are specifically only for married couples.


1.  What are your 5 favorite foods, with the most favorite first?
2.  What are your 5 favorite kinds of meals, with the most favorite first?
3.  What are your 5 favorite desserts, with the most favorite first?
4.  What are your 5 favorite restaurants, with the most favorite first?
5.  What is your favorite color?
6.  What are your 5 favorite hobbies, with the most favorite  first?
7.  What are your 5 favorite recreations, with the most favorite  first?
8.  What are your 5 favorite sources of reading, with the most favorite  first?
9.  What gifts do you like?
10.  What is your favorite books(s) of the Bible? Why?
11.  What is your favorite verse(s) of the Bible?  Why?
12.  What is your favorite song?
13.  What makes you the most fulfilled or happiest as a woman/man?
14.  What makes you the most fulfilled or happiest as a wife/husband?
15.  What makes you the most fulfilled or happiest as a mother/father?
16.  What makes you saddest as a woman/man?
17.  What makes you saddest as a wife/husband?
18.  What makes you saddest as a mother/father?
19.  What do you fear the most?
20.  What other fears do you have?
21.  What do you look forward to the most?
22.  How much sleep do you need?
23.  What do you consider to be your skills?
24.  What do you believe to be your spiritual gifts?
25.  What are your weaknesses?
26.  To ask wife:  What things (personal, home, car, etc.) need repairing?
       To ask husband:  What things around the home need to be cleaned?
27.  To ask wife:  With what chores and responsibilities do you like my help?
       To ask husband:  How can I make it easier for you to lead our family?
28.  What caresses do you enjoy the most?
29.  What caresses do you enjoy the least?
30.  What action of mine provides you the greatest sexual pleasure? 
31.  What other things stimulate you sexually?
32.  At what times do you need assurance of my love the most?
33.  How can that love be shown?
34.  What can I do that will make it easier to discuss and work on areas or problems that are uncomfortable to you?
35.  What concerns do you have that I do not seem interested in?
36.  What things do I do that irritate you?
37.  What desires do you have that we haven’t discussed?
38.  What do you enjoy doing with me, with the most enjoyable  first?
39.  What things can I do that show my appreciation of you?
40.  What varying desires (spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, social, worth, 
            appreciations, recreational, security, etc.) would you like me to provide? 
41.  To ask wife:  In what ways would you like me to protect you (physically, spiritually, socially, emotionally)?
       To ask husband:  In what ways would you like me to respect and reverence you?
42.  In what ways would you like me to sacrifice for you?
43.  What things do you see by my actions that I place first in my life?
44.  What implied or unspoken desires and wishes of yours would you like for me to
            fulfill?
45.  What concerns and interests of yours would you like me to support?
46.  How much time would be good for us to spend together each day?
47.  In helping family members to use their skills and develop their abilities, what
            motivating factors would be helpful for me to use?
48.  What can I do that provides the greatest comfort and encouragement for you when   
            you are hurt, fearful, anxious or worried?
49.  What personal habits do I have that you would like changed?
50.  What ways demonstrate to you that you are a very important person who is as important or more important than I am?

gadgets, whatnots, and 4:30am

My husband Craig and I had a very pleasant weekend.

pleasant: pleasing, agreeable, or enjoyable; giving

I have given you a definition above just so you can get a real feel for how our weekend was.  I got a running start into the weekend by working 4:30 mornings Thursday and Friday.  It just better prepared me to gear up for my alarm going off at 3:30am this week, Monday - Friday!  It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I am definitely a morning person.  The second my alarm sounds I am up and ready to go!  Of course a cup of coffee is necesarry within the first 30 minutes to keep the energy streak going.  I race up the steep hill with my mace in hand to make sure I get the doors open to the gym by 4:30 (and there are members already there waiting for me!)  Now it is a race against the clock to get enough coffee made and to keep enough coffee made :]  My first morning I was unprepared.  I only had one regular pot and one decaf with no backups ready to go.  Crankiness struck!  So, day two, I was proactive!  Two pots on the counter and two backups!

Friday evening Craig and I got to go see Toy Story 3 on ice at the arena.  We were surrounded by children [not to mention a pedophiles dream come true].  We felt out of place that we didn't have our own with us.  But, nonetheless, it was very entertaining.

Moving right along.  Saturday was a lazy day, despite my 6 mile run I got in :]  We got a lot accomplished -- including Christmas shopping, cards addressed, kitchen and bathroom cleaned!  We ended our day with some frozen yogurt and a stop into Carter's (a baby clothing store).  How I got my husband to go in with me...I'll never know!  One of the baby snow suits just swallowed me whole!  May the Lord bless me with small children because I am not too big myself.

these two outfits below are for Molly's first baby girl...!

Sunday, we got our church in, grocery shopping done, more Christmas gifts purchased, and a pizza made!!!  We also attempted to attend a Sunday night service at a church down south we enjoy.  We thought it started at 5:30, so with a 30 minute drive we were pushing it to get there on time.  We fly into the parking lot and race into the sanctuary.  Scooting and pushing our way to the middle of a pew, we sit down to discover that service started at 5:00 and they were well into the message.  So, without hesitation, we scooted and pushed our way out of the pew and drive home.  Gas wasted!  We laughed so hard!  Instead, we got to go home and play with our new gadget, an airpop popcorn popper!

Yum!

Now it's 3:30am Monday through Friday.

Oh joy!

thanksfulness

I think that Jillian Michaels says it best [yes I subscribe to her emails and blog posts]:

"Today [yesterday] is Thanksgiving, and I want you to take a new twist on it this year. Be thankful for YOU, and how far you've come so far in your journey. Give yourself some props! If you're like me, you spend so much time throughout the year struggling with the day-to-day stuff. Then, come holiday time, when you should be celebrating, we're so tired we can barely get through the day! Listen, you know how much I love pushing you guys to the max, but the whole reason I do what I do is so that people can realize their full potential and be the best that they can possibly be.

So I'm going to keep this holiday note short and sweet (well, to the point at least). Today, and for these next few hectic weeks, look past the calories and exercise for once and focus on the real stuff. This is your life...your life! How far are you really going to go with an amazing body but zero confidence? Start working on the attitude to match the effort you're putting into this."

Well said.  If I am the fittest person in the world (HA!) but don't have confidence, I am, well, not enjoying the hard work and effort I put in at the gym everyday.  AND I may not be too fun to be around.  Therefore, the body ain't everything and being thankful for ME is a concept hard to grasp sometimes.  Thank you Jillian Michaels.  But I am really trying to enjoy this holiday season...treats and all...without shame and disgust as I usually spend most holidays.  But balance is important.

We had ourselves an amazing Thanksgiving...filled with four friends, football, fun, food, and frost.  I was hoping for some snow but that isn't scheduled until this weekend.  Some of our closest friends came over to share in the special holiday.  Mayhem only broke lose when we discovered the turkey had been in the oven for two hours and it hadn't been on.  **Correction**  The oven had been on, the timer was set, but low and behold, when the timer goes off the oven turns to 'warm' so that the food won't burn.  Ingenious invention, but it would have been a good question to ask before we started house sitting.  So, in our defense, we were operating a completely updated version of an "oven" that wasn't even ours.  But everyone was fed and happy by 7 pm...before the women turned nasty towards the men...well...nastier.

A short list for what I am thankful for:

• my husband and the marriage we have
• our one bedroom apartment
• craig's amazing education he is receiving
• our family who loves and supports us
• the church we have found in spokane
• our churches we still hold tight to back home
• our jobs
• the small amount of time we do get to spend with each other
• our friends near and far
• coffee :]
• the ability to run!

Happy Thanksgiving

Love, The Haskins

Out of Town-Bound

Sometimes I wish I had a transporter machine that would instantly transport me to Federal Way, McMinnville, and back within the hour or day.  Both places hold so much meaning to me and encompass a lot of my history.  They have been places of growth, heartache, tears, and treasures...always with bittersweet reunions.  I have had the privilege of living in a lot of different places.  As a towheaded youngster I lived in Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, and Federal Way.  From there I went on to spend my summers in Carnation, some of my school weeks in Olympia, and family visits to Ohio and Kentucky.  And as I approached college I chose to spend four solid years in McMinnville.  Now we reside in Spokane.  They are all places of uniqueness with qualities that attract visits back, but Federal Way and McMinnville hold so dear to my heart.

Last weekend Craig and I drove 800 miles EXACTLY to McMinnville, Oregon to visit friends and family and to cheer on the wildcat football team!  It had been two years since I had been down there for a visit.  The Linfield campus looked the same, the trees were still in full bloom, and the atmosphere still felt like home.  Seneca and Jordan drove over to go the the game with us and Cassie met up with us afterward for Thai Food and Frozen Yogurt!  While wandering through town I ran in to the family I used to nanny for...their two little girls, Lila and Opal!  And got to visit with one of the ladies I had worked with in the Registrars Office all four years.  Sunday, Colleen drove over from Salem for a quick coffee date and a stroll through the campus.  It reminded me of the times we used to have "pre husbands."  We found our goofy sides and pretended like we still lived 30 minutes away from each other.

Linfield was a place where I spread my wings a bit...a place where I experimented, failed, experimented, succeeded, experimented, graduated!!!  I met my bestest of best friends there (not including my husband) and I felt free to be myself...something I never felt able to do in High School.  Overall, it was a warming feeling to be back down there for a weekend!  

And today I just returned from a visit to Federal Way!  Ah, so sweet of a ghetto place and how it still holds sentimental value despite the shootings, homicides, vandalism, breaks ins, loitering, littering,  j-walking, etc.!!!  Moms and Pops flew me home so that I could spend some quality time with a quality friend...and it was QUALITY!  It is encouraging to have friends that I can go without seeing for a year or two at a time and then pick up where we left off.  Let's be honest.  I am lonely here in Spokane.  I am not alone, just lonely.  I lack the deep, rich, friendships that reside in Federal Way.  I thrive off of one-on-one's, coffee dates, and time well spent.  Here in Spokane I work, workout, eat (sometimes), sleep, and then do it all over again!  But when I lived at home with my Mom I made time for so much more!  And whenever I pop over on that side of the state for a visit I am reminded of what I long for.  It hurts sometimes to think about.  

I got to visit with some of my closest friends this weekend!  And I also got to spend precious time with Mom, Dad, and Molly!  Craig and my prayer is that we can find that here in Spokane.  But it was nice to have the reminder that there ARE people who genuinely love and cherish their friendship with me...they just live across state...or across Earth!

Unfortunately, no pictures were taken this weekend.  I was too wrapped up in heart-to-hearts to pause for a quick cheesy pix.  OH WAIT!  I did take three!  Here they are...

What I wore on Friday...

I had to send a pic to Molly to make sure it was okay I borrow her shirt...

She of course said I could!

My furry husband for the weekend...

My Sister Michelle Rock and I at the BIRD...

Running Update

I am up to $52.80 in running since Sept 1, 2011...!

September = 64.69 miles/$0.50 = 32.345

October = 62.22 miles/$0.25 = 15.555

November (thus far) = 19.6/$0.25 = 4.9

Reality Strike

So, a good friend once pointed out to me that all the blogs she reads always make her feel like her life is not as good as other people have it.  I thought about it and now believe that this is very true.  As I look around facebook at the statuses and read other blogs that I subscribe to, they always have the most positive spin on life.  Don't get me wrong, I think life is what you make it!  You can look at the dark or bright side of things.  But not everyone's life, all the time, is peachy keen.  And if a blog or status IS posted about something negative, there is usually a positive twist to it.  For example, "I can't stand my life right now! (negative)  But I know God will use this to make me stronger! (positive)"  Is that really what the individual is thinking or telling themselves at the time, or do they just write it to make themselves sound good?  It is hard to tell, but I completely agree that blogs and statuses CAN be used as a cover up.  They can always be used to make the individual feel better about situations they are currently in.  It is easy to write with words what we wish we were feeling or how we wish we could view a situation.  Making sense?  All I know is that I don't want my blog to leave a reader feeling crummy about their own life.  I don't want them walking away thinking, "gosh!  Craig is so good to Megan!  Why can't my husband be like that?"  Because the truth is, Craig and my marriage is probably just as rocky, if not rockier than theirs!  I want my blog to be inspiring and encouraging.  I want it to be an inside to our first few years of marriage -- the ups and downs.  And I challenge myself to not put up anything "spiritual" or profound if it is not genuine.  If I am mad at God, I promise not to post, "I Love God right now!"  :]

Thank you good friend for that insight!

On a different but the same note, that good friend came and surprised me for my birthday!  She showed up on my doorstep a week ago today!  I was beside myself!  She flew here from Oregon to spend the weekend with us.  What a neat surprise!  The only downfall is that her immune system decided it wanted to crash and catch strep throat while she was here.  But she was a trooper!  It kept us from running and walking 100 miles while she was here because God knows that is what we would do!  It was a nice time of relaxation and homemade chicken noodle soup!!!

getting ready to tie die...heck yes...!...

...while Craig is waiting on us hand and foot.

Nonfat Latte Please!  With Foam!

besties for life

till death do us part