I’m so tired my grammar has left me! We spent a solid 12 hours in the car. From about 10 pm to 10 am. Well, technically, I’m typing this at 10:50 am still in the car because we can’t check in until noon. I have such devotion. Or just need a way to kill time before lunch.

I handled the drive much better than anticipated. Rocky patches still came up, but we survived. Peter drove the first four hours while I attempted to sleep. Key word being attempted. Who knew there were so many distractions in the car.Peter has a cough that would wake me up. My body froze because we had to keep the A/C turned up cold so the person driving would stay awake. I contracted an even more serious case of ADD than normal and kept popping awake from the songs that played on the radio. “Hey Peter. Did did you know Heather (my sister) had no clue Adam Lambert sang this until last week?” “Eminem still sings!? When did he come back?!” And so on. I reached that crazy, silly, happy tired stage relatively quickly.

Wow! Camera flashes are not friendly. Since I was awake, I drove for 2 hours while Peter napped, allowing tunes from the 80s and 90s to energize me. If you like Pina Coladas…and getting caught in the rain. If you’re not into health food and like the taste of champagne. Perhaps I shouldn’t blog on so few hours of sleep? My apologies for torturing you with the most random mumble jumble known to man. And for using words like mumble jumble.

The remainder of the drive went smoothly. I managed a decent amount of dozing. We stopped for some breakfast. I had a very lackluster bowl of fruit and a biscuit. I learned that Northern toll roads are insanely expensive. And that pumping your own gas is not allowed in some areas. Who knew? I wish I could actually SEE Philly for all this traveling. That’s right. We’re starting a new trend to drive 12 hours to the suburbs of an amazing city and not get the chance to go in. 🙁 I made the executive decision to scrap our 5 year wedding anniversary cruise plan to travel instead to somewhere nifty in the US. It bothers me I’ve seen more foreign countries than states.

Back to the day. Since we weren’t able to check in until noon we hit up an early lunch. I grinned when we came across a Panera. Yay for the half and half combo – strawberry poppyseed salad and chicken salad sandwich. Deliciousness.

Upon checking in, we quickly headed up to our room, dumped our bags, and climbed in for a 2 hour nap.

A chorus of angels opened up and sang at that moment. Now, I am about to leave for tonight’s wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

I have a feeling I’m going to miss wine. At least there will be dessert. And then bed. Ohhhh….bed!!!!

• What is the least amount of sleep you have had to endure? I think last night left me more tired than the first few weeks after having Makenzie!! I know I had a lot less sleep back in my party years, but that was different.
• What is your favorite part about weddings? I love the actual ceremony, but as for the rehearsal and reception I admit to being all about the food! LOL Unless I know a lot of the people and then it’s about letting loose and having a good time laughing.

Please click HERE for my next Examiner article. It’s an important one.

Oh, I love the TV show Friends. Remember the episode with the New Year’s Resolutions and Ross wanting to do something new everyday. The scene of him in the bathroom in those leather pants with the baby powder always makes me laugh. I HAD to include a clip from it – even if it is poor quality.

Well, today I took Ross’ advice and tried a bunch of new things. I like to get one big dose of new instead of spreading it out to one a day. You know…because I’m wild like that. 😉

This morning, I woke up to some strange feelings in my stomach. At first, I groggily thought the body aches from yesterday finally manifested themselves into some form of illness. Not the case at all. You know what it was? BABY! Rolling about in my stomach. I have thought I felt baby a few times before but this morning was undisputable. The feeling reminds me of being tickled, just from the inside out. I could feel him (since I’m sure it’s a boy) moving from one side of my stomach to the other. What a fabulous way to start the morning!

In other new news…I signed up for something new to me, but old to many of you. I finally joined FoodBuzz. I’m not really certain what kept me from doing so sooner, but now I’m part of the community. I really have very little clue what to do with it, how to find people, what types of things to add, or anything else related to the site. So if you have any advice or guidance for a newbie, hit me up in the comments section.

More new came to my day with a visit to a pool I've never been to for playgroup time. We met up at a local pool which boasted its own toddler play area AND a water slide. Awesome! Makenzie & I had plenty of fun splashing around. Splashing around and chasing after her served nicely as my workout for the day too. Every bit of activity counts. You don’t always have to complete a formal workout. I knew there would be no time for one today, so my pool activity suited me very well.

I also discovered a new found sense of confidence. Perhaps it stems from all the Operation Beautiful talk or seeing Caitlin on the Today show . Maybe it is simply from my own personal growth and what God is working in me right now to share here soon and the learning that comes with it. Whatever it is, I felt more beautiful in a bathing suit today than I think I ever have. Even with more cellulite than normal thanks to pregnancy. I’m not perfect, but I’m beautiful. I have to believe that to be a positive role model for Makenzie. And she deserves it. After all, she changed my life for the better. Which is why my 30 Days of Insight letter is to her.

Dear Miss M,

Thank you for being you. From the moment I knew you existed inside of me, you sparked a change in my life. Before, my life revolved around thoughts of food, workouts, looking better, and being the girl others wanted to be. I may not have admitted it. I may have hidden behind veils of deceit.You tore those down. It was you who taught me that my body had more worth than simply how it looked. It was you that showed me beauty is in the heart - how much love you have for someone or something – instead of in the mirror. It was you who forced me to respect my body with a balanced diet and adequate exercise, not too much or too little of anything. It was you who brought me to my knees and turned me to prayer to begin to love myself again. That journey shaped me in so many ways and I may never have ventured on it if not for you.

After your birth you continued to teach me. You exemplified what it means to love life. Simply and fully. You help me to laugh every day. Stay positive and be content with being me. Nothing else required. Your eyes show me my worth and what I can bring to the world. You gave me everything. I pray you never stop being you. And that I never lose the precious gifts you have given me. I love you baby girl.

Love, Mama

Okay, okay. We must move back to the standard stuff if I don’t want to short circuit the laptop with my tears. For lunch, leftovers sounded perfect. I needed a quick fix meal. Last night, I made a different take on my favorite chicken enchiladas. I followed the recipe but used beef instead of chicken…and added some extra peppers + onions to the filling for flavor and crunch. I still prefer the chicken, but these satisfied my Mexican tooth. With some fruit on the side for the sweet tooth.

Now, I must say goodbye. Around 10 pm we will head out on our driving adventure from GA to Philly for my friend’s wedding. I’m trying to focus on being able to wear my new dresses and see an old friend marry the woman of his dreams. I think that is more positive than focusing on the new acts of driving overnight and leaving my baby girl behind for 4 days and 4 nights. 🙁 I’m going to miss her!!! Too bad she can’t read yet. Because I will be blogging. So I will see you all tomorrow to let you know if I survived!

• What is your favorite TV show of all time?
• Who would you write a thank you letter to for helping change your life for the better?