Sleep

UPDATE! I know last week I said that my goal was to get to sleep by 10:00 pm, but I'm sorry to admit that I just can't. I don't know why? In fact, I've being going to sleep even LATER since I've decided to make an early betime a goal. On Sunday night I went to bed at 4:30 am...I woke up at 6:30 am and then got to bed last night at 11:00 pm (<- which is not THAT bad I guess). I'm tired though...I don't really have problems getting to sleep once I'm in my bed...aside from all the thoughts racing through my BRAIN! AHHHHH! What is wrong with me?

Anyway, how important is sleep anyway??? Is it really THAT important? This is what I read about the...

Benefits of sleep:

Sleep is an important function of good health. Just as cholesterol and blood pressure are good indicators of overall health, so too is healthy sleep.

Research shows that the body restores itself during sleep. As we sleep, tissue grows and repairs itself and the immune system is strengthened. The brain may also repair itself during sleep and researchers believe sleep is critical to healthy brain function. In fact, researchers also believe the brain performs actions vital to learning and memory during sleep. Sleep can also affect the levels of hormones and other important chemicals circulating in your body

Do you know what happens when you sleep?

A good night's sleep actually consists of different stages and levels of sleep. In sleep clinic studies, people have been connected to an electroencephalograph (EEG) machine that measures electric brain activity. An EEG allows us to see when there is a lot of brain activity and when the mind is at rest.

From recording brain activity and monitoring other bodily functions, scientists now divide a night of sleep into two general phases. Together, these two phases form one complete sleep cycle that lasts approximately 90 minutes. You go through two to five of these cycles in a typical night's sleep.

PHASE 1 - The first general phase of sleep consists of 4 stages and is called Non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep, or NREM.

Stages of NREM Sleep:

Stage 1: When you first fall asleep, you enter the lightest stage of sleep. It's really a bridge between wakefulness and deep sleep, and you can be easily awakened during this time. Your senses are muted, so you won't be bothered by light sounds. However, loud noises - a car alarm, slamming door or crying child - can wake you up.

Stage 2: Since no loud noises woke you up, you now travel into a deeper sleep. During this stage your heart rate evens out and your body temperature drops. This stage accounts for roughly half of an average night’s sleep.

Stages 3 and 4: Stages 3 and 4 are the deepest phases of non-REM sleep and represent about 15% of a total night’s sleep. During these combined stages of sleep, your blood pressure falls, your body temperature continues to drop and your breathing slows. The noises that might wake you during stage 1 sleep do not rouse you during these later, deeper stages of sleep.

PHASE 2 - Most people have heard of the second general phase of sleep - Rapid Eye Movement sleep or REM.

REM Sleep:

After approximately 30 minutes of deep sleep in non-REM stages 3 and 4, we begin to cycle back through stages 2 and 1 until we enter the period of REM sleep. The brain activity during REM sleep is similar to brain activity during wakefulness. Dreaming is common in REM sleep.

So then...

What is a Good Night's Sleep?

When you get a good night's sleep, you wake up feeling restored, refreshed, alert and ready to face the day ahead. Good sleep is restorative. It allows us to be more effective and productive in our jobs and daily lives as well as in our personal relationships. Good sleep also enhances our quality of life. It helps us to feel good and have a sense of well-being throughout the day.

You've probably heard the magic number is 8 hours a night. In truth, different people have different sleep needs. If you wake up feeling refreshed, then you received the correct amount of sleep.

Just as we all recognize the benefits of a good night's sleep, we all know how it feels to have slept poorly. For most people, even a few nights of reduced sleep can have a dramatic impact on their well being. In all, more than 40% of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities. Additionally, long term sleeplessness has been associated with depression, obesity and other mental health disorders.

Just Having Some Fun

Aerie and I celebrated our 7th Year Anniversary on September 18th. We went to our favourite restaurant - Lonestar. Here are a couple of videos we took while we were eating.

Something New...

Do you like the new look? I was looking for a festive Christmas look, but couldn't find one, so...I ended up with this. I will try it for a few days and maybe go back to my old look. I'm not sure yet, it's nice to have a change though. I would love to custom my own blog, but I have NOOOOOOOO idea how to do that. Anyway!

Tracy

A little Bit About Me...

Name:
Tracy Lee Biafore

About Me:
About 7 years ago I married Aerie – and God could not have blessed me with a more perfect person for me. We have two boys, Ethan (4 yrs old) & Titus (2 yrs old). Almost two years ago I took a leave of absence from my job at Correctional Service Canada, and I have been privileged to be home with my boys ever since. I am running a home daycare and will continue to do so until the boys are in school full-time.

What else would you like people to know?
Hmmm…Well I never answer the telephone when Aerie is home (I’m not really a phone person).

Passions:
There are many things that I love like; being with my family & friends, everything to do with fitness, nutrition, health and natural medicine. I love shopping, fashion, decorating, photography, e-mail, and doing crafty things like making cards. But my biggest passion is making people feel loved–special–encouraged. I am completely content as I take time to make someone a special card – I cannot even put into words how fulfilling that is to me. Blessing someone with a special gift, ah, I could do that all day. That would be my dream job. Like, when Oprah blesses her audience with tons of stuff on her “Favorite Things” show…I cry & cry…I would LOVE to do that! (I wouldn’t mind being on the receiving end too, he-he!) Or I would totally love to be one of those people on the show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, where they bless hurting people or less fortunate people with such GRAND things! I’m thinking big here, but in reality, I believe that the littlest things make big differences too. I like to believe that my simple little cards or little acts of kindness make people feel special and loved in a big way too. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning!

One lesson life has taught me:
A special person one told me, “Life is too short to get angry.” I used to be a pretty bitter woman; easily angered, very impatient, self consumed, controlling and bossy. My husband, Aerie, is the complete opposite of those things. Aerie is the most patient, kind, easy-going, simple and selfless person I have ever met. He’s got a longgggggggg fuse. We’ve been married for seven years and I can count on one hand the number of times he has blown up or lost control. I truly believe that if I would have married someone other than Aerie – somebody who was more like me – I would have driven that person away a long time ago.

I used to like to push Aerie’s buttons, pick fights…I was a tough one to live with. I can remember hurting him with my razor sharp words. Aerie always turned the other cheek, he always loved me, and he never got angry or raised his voice. And you know…that used to really tick me off! So I would try harder to upset him. He always responded in love – “I love you Tracy – I’m going for a walk.” This one day I said, “Aerie – get mad at me!!!!” He said to me, “Trace, life is too short to get mad. Really, what’s the point? What do we gain from getting angry?” Then he went on to tell me how he felt and how much I hurt him when I said those things to him. Hearing him verbalize that really opened my eyes. I think that all of this happened in our first year of marriage. There were a lot of adjustments we both had to make and one of the hardest for me was having a new ‘step-daughter and ex-girlfriend’ to accept. I realize now that one of the reasons why I was so easily angered back them was because I didn’t know how to properly communicate and share my feelings – this was the only way I knew to express myself.

Aerie and I developed awesome communication and to this day that is one of our strengths as a married couple. We have our disagreements, but we talk things through, we don’t harbor bitterness or keep things pent up inside – and we always try to do this before our heads hit the pillow.

Something not many people know about me:
I’m a “flossaholic”! This all began a few years ago - that unforgettable moment when my dentist told me that I had 15 cavities!!! Yes, ‘1-5’ – fifteen.

What are your thoughts on plastic surgery?
It’s such a personal choice and I would never judge someone for choosing that route. But, as tempting as a tummy tuck would seem sometimes, I personally would not consider plastic surgery. Aerie & I were actually talking about physical appearances recently. Yeah, we’re not in the same shape we were in 5 years ago - love handles, saggy skin…you know. But as Aerie said, “Physically, we’re only getting uglier & we’re going to get uglier together J” Aerie loves my heart – he loves what’s inside….we don’t care about each others’ wrinkles and bulges. I’ll be the first to admit that I work hard on trying to “look” good. I work out regularly, I eat well and you know…makeup & hair dye really do wonders. Although I do want to look good for my husband, essentially I’m doing all of that for me. When I am confident in who I am and how I look – no matter what size I am or how many wrinkles I have – that makes me feel great (and look great to my husband). Plastic Surgery only fixes the outside – true beauty comes from within.

P.S: I wouldn’t want to get older and “uglier” with anyone else besides Aerie : )

Hmmm...

Someone told me that my profile picture is goofy. I won't name any names...but you know who you are :-) !!!! So anyway, this person suggested I change my pic. So...I don't quite know what to do. I mean, I like this photo. The chocolate brown sweater I am wearing totally matches the brown bar at the top of my blog page...(anyone notice that????)

This person ALSO said they didn't like the puke green background colour on my blog. Green. I was like, what green? This is not green. Do you think this is green? I think it's more of a sandy, camel colour. Maybe it's my computer...I can't really say for sure. I didn't think I was colour blind.

What colour is my blog page????????

Dealing With It

A few ways that I have learned (and am learning) to deal with the stress in my life:

. . .

• Quiet time with God praying & reading
  
• Quiet time on my own just doing something little like sitting somewhere with a cup of tea and a magazine.
  
• Deep breathing
• Exercise
• Talking about the things that are overwhelming me with Aerie or the people in my life that I am close to.
  
• Lifegroup - just going to our group, laughing & talking with new and old friends gets my mind off of my own problems. All the laughs I shared last night with Lori, Sarah, Susie and Cory were so therapeutic. I hadn't laughed that hard in a very long time.
  
• Listening to music - especially when the words ring Truth. I am listening to this one song by Jonny Lang...and I listen to it over and over and over. It's called On My Feet Again. I really love the words and it has an amazing beat.

. . .

I'm always searching for ways that I can deal with my stress, but these are some of the things that I have been doing regularly that help me a great deal.

Just Do It!

My focus has always been on the “eating right” and “exercising” aspects of health. I have never really seen the big picture…until now.

When I learned that I had Candida, I sort of felt like, okay, I will do the Candida diet, get better and then go back to living my life. I have failed over and over again; the whole binging and fasting cycle. I have felt like I had hit rock bottom and that there was no hope for me, I have felt isolated and frustrated beyond measure. Thank God! Literally – I thank God because I could not be doing this without Him and the special people He’s placed in my life. I could never do this in my own strength and I am reminded of that daily.

In the past year I’ve been dealing with food issues – why do I eat? Why do I binge? Why am I so extreme?…and my self-esteem is a big one! I realized that if I want to live a healthy and fulfilling life, then I need to make some life changes. How much does that cheesecake or chocolate mean to me? I mean, it tastes like heaven ; ) BUT it brings out the worst in me. Eating that way makes me unhappy, it makes me do and say things that I regret – it makes me depressed. I’m not saying that I won’t ever be able to eat sugar, but at this time in my life, I am choosing LIFE. And simply making that decision makes everything else easier.

Eating right and staying away from many of the foods that I love is one huge factor in getting rid of Candida. In fact, it’s a must. Herbs, antifungals and probiotics have become a regular part of my Candida protocol as well. But did you ever think that STRESS or LACK OF SLEEP could contribute to our physical ailments? Absolutely!!!! I am a big worry wart. Seriously, I worry about everything and I hate that I’m like that. I am always thinking, and sometimes I even have trouble sleeping because I can’t stop thinking about everything. I go to bed really late and I’m up early; 5-6 hours of sleep every night doesn’t cut it for me. I admit that I have a hard time dealing with the stress in my life.

My personal goal over the past month has been to get to bed by 10:00 pm. I have not accomplished that goal – not even once! I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to just put myself to bed. As for the stress, like many people, I am a shallow breather, so I have recently been learning about deep breathing, which I've started doing. And another little tidbit of information…did you know that Candida (and other ailments) cannot survive in a highly oxygenated environment? So anything that increases the amount of oxygen in the body will help. This includes deep breathing and aerobic exercise. Exercise is not just to burn calories and work our hearts!!!!

So my challenge to you is this. How do you think you can move toward wellness? I challenge you to make a goal...just one goal and see where it takes you. Every little change makes a difference. Do you want to quit smoking, stop overeating, stay away from fast food, eat more fruit and vegetables, drink more water, get more sleep, laugh more, build a sense of purpose in your family or personal life, run a marathon!!!! Anything! There is only one thing stopping you from achieving your goals and becoming healthier in all three dimensions - and that is YOU! You need to make the decision. Sometimes we just have to put our foot down and say, NO! I'm not going to self-destruct - I can do this and I will!

This is a lifetime process, but now is the time to start! Remember, on the wellness continuum there is no standing still. Each day either you are moving toward wellness or toward illness.

How WELL do you think you are?

Sorry to leave you hanging like that. I have been struggling with this whole Candida story that I’m blogging on here. I have come a long way, but I am not there yet and part of me feels like I should wait until I am actually all better to talk about it.

I have learned a lot about Candida through the years, and it excites me when I learn something new every day. Health and Nutrition have become a passion in my life. I read about health issues every single day and I just can’t get enough of it! But really “health” is not just about eating right – health is a combination of many things.

There are three key dimensions in our lives; physical, bio-chemical and psychological. The Physical dimension is basically how we use our bodies; strength, cardio vascular system, lung capacity, exercise, chronic conditions, and even sleep habits. The Bio-Chemical dimension is what we Do and Don’t put into our bodies – what we put into our bodies is important, however what we don’t put into our bodies can also be very important; water consumption, smoking, alcohol, drugs, food addictions, protein and carbohydrate balance, balance of fruit and vegetable, processed vs. whole foods, skipping meals, things that we don’t have much control over like chemical exposure, as well as your body fat percentage level and your BMI (Body Mass Index). The third dimension is the Psychological Dimension; Mind/Body Connection. Many people don’t realize how psychological stress will translate into physical ailments. How do you react to stress, your feelings of anxiety and your feeling of control over various parts of your environment? Some aspects of the psychological dimension are; Defining your purpose, creating a healthy family, healthy relationships, career, self-esteem, eliminating anxiety, relaxation techniques, organizing your home, your time and your finances.

We could be doing pretty well in, say, two of those dimensions, but if we are lacking in another dimension then we are not living in overall wellness. Health (wellness) is a lifetime journey...it is something that we have to work on for the rest of our lives. Each day we are either moving toward wellness or toward illness.

How well would you like to be?

Part 2: The Beginning Of My Journey With Candida...

So here I was given this idea that I could have Candida. I wanted to know more about this, and so I began doing some research. Within a couple of weeks, I was tested to see if I had Candida by a having simple blood test (Candida Stain). I also had the VEGA Allergy Testing done. I was given a detailed list of all of my food and environmental allergies. I found out that I was highly sensitive to ALL the things that I loved to eat; sugar (and artificial sweeteners), cheese, wheat, all dairy products, cocoa, vinegar, tomatoes, yeast, oranges, grapefruit, broccoli, cantaloupe, plums…just to name a few. Having this list was great because it gave me some direction. I knew that my first step was to avoid these foods that made me feel so ill. For all those who know me well, I am a chocoholic, and I love pizza! Like, I love those things. I have craved these foods for as long as I can remember.

So once I had my testing done, which confirmed that I had Candida, our chiropractor put me on an ultra strict anti-Candida diet, which consisted of egg whites, oatmeal, Whey Protein Isolate, fish/chicken/meat, almonds, and vegetables. That’s it. I also had popcorn (not the microwave stuff) for a snack. I was taking digestive enzymes, an antifungal (caprilic acid), a good probiotic, and vitamins. It was difficult, but I did this for almost 2 months. I felt SO good - better than I had felt in a long time. My mind felt clear, I no longer felt irritable or depressed, I had energy again, and I was not bloated. The way that I was feeling gave me the determination to keep going. Eating was no longer fun though. I was always eating the same things, day after day. I started to feel nauseous at even the thought of eating another piece of chicken or salmon.

I was doing so well on this plan…but then I cheated. I was amazed though because I felt like I had control over my food…I wasn’t craving the sweets or breads anymore and I felt disciplined. Then a few weeks later, Christmas came around I “allowed” myself some sweets. One thing led to another and the next thing you know I am binging on baked goods and chocolate…I think it’s all I ate for days. I couldn’t stop myself. Just thinking back to that time makes me tear up because I remember how hard it was, how depressed and out of control I felt. My binge lasted months…I couldn’t bring myself back once I started to eat all those things that were in fact feeding that horrible Candida beast living inside my intestines. I gained about 10 pounds and obviously my Candida flared up, in fact it was worse than ever. I felt like such a failure – I felt like all that ground that I gained was just gone. I felt hopeless. Many times I tried to go back on the Candida diet, but I would binge on sugar or something on the second day. Like I said, the thought of eating salmon, chicken, oatmeal, and even popcorn made me want to puke.

I eventually did, but I'll tell you about that later :)

. . .

To be continued…

Candida Yeast Test

Do you think you might have a problems with Candida Yeast? Click here to try this simple test at home.

Part 1: What On Earth Is Going On?

A few years ago I started to notice some extreme things happening to me - and to my body. I would wake up in the morning and I would look and feel pretty normal, but then soon after I awoke I would get really bloated - so much that I looked about four months pregnant. Aerie started to notice the bloating and it was then that I realized that the bloating, that was frustrating me so much, was not just in my head - it was very real, and I knew that I had to get to the bottom of this.

For as long as I can remember I have always been an avid exerciser and I have always made fitness a priority in my life. So I had no clue why, despite all of the time and effort that I put into my workouts, I still could not lose weight in my stomach. I always felt really bloated and fat. I was chronically fatigued, moody, and irritable, couldn't concentrate, I experienced waves of mild depression, itchiness, and a great deal of brain fogginess. I had intense cravings for sweets and bread that were almost impossible for me to control. My cravings had total control of my life. The thing that bothered me the most was the bloating though. I would be fine one minute and then I would eat something and I would have to go change my pants because I couldn’t button them up anymore. I remember one day I ate a plum and I bloated up within 15 minutes and Aerie could not believe his eyes. This is when I noticed the food that I was eating was giving me a reaction, and that certain foods seemed to be more offensive than others.

I went to my doctor and she told me that I was fine; she couldn't explain the itchiness and bloating I was experiencing, and referred me to a specialist. I had tests and ultra sounds, but everything appeared just fine. My frustration only intensified. So I did some research on the net. I felt like I was chasing my tail - it was a very confusing and depressing time of my life.

Then one day something happened that brought me a sense of hope. After months and months of actively trying to figure out what on earth was going on with my body, Aerie came home with an answer...a possibility. He was seeing a new chiropractor for his back, and this one time that he went in, she was talking about the importance of strengthening our backs through abdominals (she is a competitive body builder). Anyway, Aerie told her about me; he mentioned to her that despite the amount of time that I focus on working out and strengthening my abdominals, I can’t seem to tone them and I am always bloated in my stomach. She began to ask Aerie what my other symptoms were and after discussing it, she told him that I may have something called Candida - which is a yeast overgrowth. As it turned out, Candida was something that our chiropractor specialized in.

. . .

To be continued...

It's not only fun - It's good for you!

Therapeutic Benefits
of
Laughter

Here is a summary of how humour contributes to physical health.

. . .

Muscle Relaxation - Belly laugh results in muscle relaxation. While you laugh, the muscles that do not participate in the belly laugh, relaxes. After you finish laughing those muscles involved in the laughter start to relax. So, the action takes place in two stages.

Reduction of Stress Hormones - Laughter reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response. These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.

Immune System Enhancement - Clinical studies have shown that humor strengthens the immune system.

Pain Reduction - Humor allows a person to "forget" about pains such as aches, arthritis, etc.

Cardiac Exercise - A belly laugh is equivalent to "an internal jogging." Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercises.

Blood Pressure - Women seem to benefit more than men in preventing hypertension.

Respiration - Frequent belly laughter empties your lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect - similar to deep breathing. Especially beneficial for patient's who are suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.

. . .

Faith, Hope and Love...

When I was single I made myself a very detailed list of qualities that I dreamed of having in a husband. This guy had to be everything from outdoorsy to being sensitive to my physical and emotional needs during "that time of the month". I was very specific.

Aerie and I met about 10 years ago through his best friend...that I was dating at the time. Funny thing is that Aerie doesn't at all remember meeting me. Even then, there was always something about Aerie that attracted me to him. It was more than his charm and boyish good looks. He was mysterious, and I found that very attractive.

A few years later I remember seeing Aerie walk into the church - I was up on stage singing with the choir. Week after week, he caught my eye. To make a pretty detailed story short, one night a big gang of us went out to eat after church, as was the tradition back then. Aerie was sitting at a different table, and to get his attention, I casually threw a ketchup packet at his table. Aerie walked right over to me and said, "Does this belong to you?" He took my breath away. I was completely smitten. The rest is history :)

We had a fun yet complicated courtship. After 3 months of dating, we broke up for a few months. During those few months God did some amazing work in each of us and when we got back together we knew that it was God's perfect time. We also knew that we were completely in Love with each other and there was no doubt in our minds that we wanted to share the rest of our lives together. We were married 6 short months later.

When Aerie and I were dating, there were many qualities in Aerie that I Loved and that were on that list that I was talking about earlier. But through the years I have realized that he is even more than what I thought I wanted. I am amazed at just how perfect Aerie is for me. He is everything I have dreamed of and more. Honestly, there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for Aerie. We've been married for seven years and we are still on our honeymoon.

Aerie and I don't have a perfect marriage or a perfect life. But we have an unshakeable Love for one another. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is the foundation in our marriage. Without Him, we would not be who we are together today. God has carried us through harder times and he has shown us that if we stick together, and never lose focus of the goal, we can get through anything. We have learned to not put our Faith in material things; our Faith is in God and God alone. We could lose everything, sometimes it feels like we have hit a wall and there is no Hope, but God proves himself time and time again. We Biafore's are more than just a family - we are a team and we stick together, we lift each other up and Love each other unconditionally.

Our Family Mission Statement:

Hope to dream, Faith to believe, and Love always.

Through Mom's Eyes

ETHAN DONALD:
First Born; 4 Years Old

Ethan is so Pure and uncomplicated. I see the Compassion, Love and Joy of God when I look at Ethan. Even as a baby he was always happy and smiling. People have always been drawn to him, he is so easy to love because he just loves people, he loves talking and interacting. Ethan is also very nurturing and sensitive. It just melts my heart when I see him hugging or taking care of his little brother or some of the daycare children.

TITUS HAWK:
Second Born; 2 Years Old

I had to really think about what Titus' Godly Attributes are, and this is only because Ty has such a strong character. Even as a baby he was independent, hard to read, strong-willed and just really grumpy. Because Ethan was so "easy" to handle, I was a little caught off guard when Ty came. Titus and I share many of the same qualitities and sometimes we butt heads as a result of that. I had to do lots of reading with Ty; you can't just do "go with the flow" parenting when you have a strong-willed child. My Ty thinks he is the boss - he knows that he isn't the boss at home, but oh he tries. Ty is a leader, loves to build, he is attentive to detail and very Creative. When you get passed Ty's outward characteristics that stand out so much, you get a glimpse of his tender, sweet and beautiful heart. Ty appears strong and independent, but he thrives on praise and he loves to be cuddled (on his terms) - he needs us more than we think he does sometimes. The Attributes of God that I see when I look into Ty's eyes are God's Faithfulness and Self-Sufficiency.

I have learned to appreciate each of my boys' unique qualities and love them for exactly who God has made them to be. They are both so different, but made so perfectly in Christ.

I feel like I am the most blessed Mom in the universe. I love my life and I wouldn't trade places with anyone!

***

I was inspired by Lori to write about which Attributes of God I saw in my children. I also would love to hear what Attributes of God you see in your children or someone that you love.

Love,
Trace

Why I LOVE Bluegrass Music!

My friend Lori left a post in her blog the other day saying:

"I love Starbucks because it's more than coffee, it's an experience. We go to Starbucks as a family on a weekly basis. It's bonding and a fun outing for our kids and us. If we tell the kids we are going to Starbucks they all yell out YEAH! Nothing makes daddy more proud than to know that they appreciate Starbucks."

I think it's great that Jason and Lori do this with their children! I told Lori that I bet when her children are grown up and have their own children, they will also take their families on weekly Starbucks outings - and I'm sure it will bring them fond memories and a tradition that they will most probably want to share with their own children someday.

I think that when J & L tell the kids they're going to Starbucks, it's not necessarily Starbucks that the kids get all excited about, I think it's the experience - the bonding - special - quality time that they are sharing as a family...and probably the cookie!

In a funny sort of way, they are being "brainwashed" to love Starbucks! Right now they probably love it because mom & dad love it. But the experience of it all is going to take over one day - if it hasn't already.

Reading Lori's post on this made me think of special memories from my childhood that I still carry with me. BLUEGRASS. My dad "brainwashed" us at a very young age to love Bluegrass music. I always say that, but he didn't really brainwash us :) I remember my dad listening to Bluegrass music all the time when we were young, and he would play it really loud. He would sing along in this, oh so nasally & off-pitch tone as he picked his guitar to some Bluegrass tunes. Now I don't know if you guys have ever heard raw Bluegrass music before, but they really do sound like they're singing from their noses. Anyway, we would all laugh at the music. After a while we saw how much my dad loved it, and before we knew it we were singing these catchy tunes too. I fell in love with the experience. Not only was Bluegrass music happy music to me, but it made me feel safe too. I remember feeling so safe as I fell asleep at night listening to my dad picking his guitar and singing downstairs. My parents also took us to Bluegrass Festivals every year all over the States, rain or shine, and we'd camp out and have so much fun. I also remember many nights where my parents, brother and sister and I would sit around the table and sing in harmony while my dad would pick his guitar. We just had a great time, and to this day I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Bluegrass music....! Like, I love it! I fell in love with Aerie just a little more when he began to like it too...and our kids even love Bluegrass now. We take them to Bluegrass Festivals every year as well...and my parents, my sister and her family all come along. To Ethan & Titus, my dad is "Grandpa Bluegrass". When they see him they say "Grandpa Bluegrass, sing Froggy Went a Courtin'!" I love it, and I am so proud that my children appreciate Bluegrass. The photo that you see is of Grandpa Bluegrass and his two Bluegrass followers :)

Now if I were to ask Eth & Ty if they wanted to go to Starbucks or a Bluegrass Festival, I know they would say "BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL!!!" in a heartbeat. Jason and Lori's kids would probably say, "What's a Bluegrass Festival?"...and opt for the cookie...uhh, I mean the experience of Starbucks :)