Does anyone else's parents ask....

FOR YOU TO MAKE A CHRISTMAS LIST?!

Well, mine do.... On both sides.

So let me see what I can come up with!

My wish list usually consists of new perfumes, and gift cards. I'll see if I can come up with more. Pahhh..

• Pink Sugar Perfume-- By Aquolina  I was in Ulta the other day looking for some things, and ran in to this sweet heavanly scent! So I added it to my list of fragrances!
• Flower Bomb-- By Viktor & Rolf -  small bottle! 
• A NEW BED SET!! I know, I'm old if I'm asking for new bedding. But it's something I've been putting off for so long.  I don't know yet what kind I want, so a gift card would probably be best. Bed bath and Beyond always has good prices and discounts. So I will probably go there!
• Bubble bath, girly smelly stuff! I love taking hot baths often, and always run out of bubbles!
• Fuzzy slippers
• rainboots
• cowboy boots
• Gift certificates to some of my most adored shopping holes... Academy, Old Navy, Fleet Feet, Target, iTunes ( Really need some new music!!!)
• Silver James Avery Charms  for my bracelet.
• A bigger crock pot
• A porch swing
• An orchid!! -- I've been dying to get one! WOuldn't even mind if I had more than one!
• A maid.... Oh wait.

I feel silly still making Christmas lists. But if nothing else here is for those who've ask! =)

What's on your Christmas list? 

I hope that everyone is getting geared up for Christmas! This is officially the last day of November, and that means....tomorrow... GAME ON.. It's December!!!

I'm so excited to have started my shopping for everyone else! Giving is so much more fun that receiving!!!


** Will edit as needed ** ( MOM)

Running the Marriage Marathon!

Your in it for the long run. SOme miles are harder than others. You need the support of your friends and family sometimes to get you to the next water stop!

You start off nice and strong, excited, pumped... YOu've been in "training" for some time now... 

This sounds like a marathon right?

Well, it's also a lot like marriage. It's worth it in the end. We all long for it, and to the extent of "need" it... and we prepare for it, make a huge hoopla over it with big weddings... And then it happens. Now what?

I am celebrating my 5 year wedding anniversary tomorrow. I've been thinking a lot about the last 5 years. They started out so exciting, careless, easy- and then reality settles in, and BAHMMMM you all out of energy, and maybe you weren't as prepared as you though you were. Or maybe it's just plain hard! If I'm being completely honest, there were times I didn't know I would be able to make it!

Now with each passing year, and our shares of hardships, I realize that each year will either make you stronger or weaker. The past year has made me so strong. I am enjoying life and marriage so much more now than I had any of the past years. I look forward to doing things as a couple, or as a family. I can't imagine a single day with out my husband. Either of us are perfect, and we have our shares of short comings. But we have been transformed into a new couple with bonds that seem un-breakable now!

Just like when running a marathon ( or in my case a half marathon for now) You get to a certain point when you ask yourself, "am I going to stop" ..." There is the medic,  I can just bow out now, and catch a ride" Or you can say to yourself " If I can just get to the next water stop, I'll get refreshed and keep going"

It's not always easy! It's actually hard work to have a continued relationship. But when you say "I do" that's what you sign up for.......... So stick to it!

Some things we have implemented and will continue to do (and add to) are:

Take one vacation a year alone.
Find one hobby that we can do together.
Try new things together.
Take one marriage seminar a year.
Go to church as a couple/family.
Date night once a week/or biweekly.
Cook one meal a week together- new or old-

These are just some things that we like to do as a couple, that are of our lives. I'm so thankful that we've made it this far. I know that there are so many wonderful years ahead of us! Thank you to all who have helped us along the way! You're support means so much to us. We couldn't have made it with out friends and family.

We're beyond BLESSED!!

Here's to 5 great years, and 55 more!

Has anyone seen October?

Wow, October, was by far the fastest passing month this year!
We had so much going on this month, that I'm not at all surprised!

CATWALK
A friend and fellow hairdresser of mine called and ask if I would be a model in their annual fall collection. ( A hairs show!) This took up a lot of my time, but it was so fun! I got to hang out with a bunch of my old friends that I use to work with.  OF course I got to see all the amazing hair art in the making!

The girls were picking me up. Not sure?

  CLICK HERE to see my professional shots..... If it doesn't link you right to it, go to page 36 and my pics start there. Browse through and see some of the amazing hair that was done!!!!

So that was fun, got to strut down a big runway to extremely loud music, and screaming people with some really high hair, and really high heels.




TULSA RUN
So if you don't remember this was my original "Goal race" to train for in the year of 2010. I have then decided to go bigger! ( Half marathon coming up in a few weeks!) I had a BLAST doing the Tulsa run. It's 9.3 (actually a little more since I don't run on the insides of the course) The weather was in the 40's -50's at the start of the race. I had no time goal since this was such a long distance, I just wanted to finish!.......BUT, at mile 6 I realized I was running under 10 minute miles- which is fast for me, for distance- I decided, what the heck I'll keep it up! So, I finished the race in 1 hour and 35 minutes-- This put me at 9:55 minute pace. WOO HOO. And of course this is with water/gu stops. So my actual running pace was about 9:20-:9:40 consistently. This is pretty fast for me for anything over 3 miles!
Anyways, I loved seeing all the people. There were thousands there. Many in costume! I decided I wanted to show a little spirit... I wore my orange and black tights, with my green skirt. Kinda halloweeny right?

THE FINISH!!!!!!

You can also CLICK HERE  to view the professional pics that were taken all through out the course! If it doesn't send you right to them, then you can search by my bib # it is 2658 and it will pull up all the pics of me.



PEBBLES!
Well, lastly, we had some trick or treating to do!!

This is Anisten's 2nd year to have halloween. And she had a blast! She was actually big enough to go door to door! We went mostly to family and friends houses, but she had it down. ....... Knock, smile, and get "caaany" in my bucket.......
I haven't gotten all the pics yet,  I'll upload them when I do. But here are the ones that I do have.

Pebbles had a blast, and probably a sugar high to go with!

So October has been a busy month for the Campbells. But we're loving every second of it!

The holidays are approaching. I've started my shopping, I'm a little over half way done with it- I am more than ecstatic to celebrate the holidays with my 1 year old this year!!!! She will know more of what's going on and will love spending so much time with family!

So there is a little update on us-- I'll be updating more often since it's winter time .. which means, it's dark sooner, Anisten is in bed earlier, and husband comes home a little later.

Learning to let go.

Anisten is on her first out-of-state trip to her grandparents house!

I know, you're all judging....right.. now.

But I'm not a horrible parent. This was actually the hardest decision I have made as a parent! But it's my choice, and I have the final say in where she goes and what she does.

I am not really one to pawn off my kid every second I can for my own selfish reasons. I actually enjoy my daughter. I don't look at her as a burden or too much to handle. While she can be a handful some days, I knew that the second I knew I was going to become a parent. I actually look forward to spending my days off with her. Thinking of all kinds of activities to do with her, instead of plopping her down in front of the tv, or a bunch of toys, so that I'm able to have "my day off" ... i've learned that there is no "day off" when you're a parent. Every once in a while you may get a little vacation, but you can't just take days off from being a parent.

Anyways...... So like I said this was the toughest decision to make. I thought about it long and hard before deciding that she is ready to go 5 days with out me. She is independent and secure. She knows that I would not send her somewhere that she will be harmed. She is adaptable. I think that this is so important! She will find much success if she can adapt easier.  I started very young introducing her to different people, and environments, activities. She was 4 or 5 months old the 1st time she rode on a big john deer tractor... And to this day she loves to go to her Nanny's house and ask "I wide? I wide?" on the tractor. She is not too dependable on me. We work very hard to teach her independence. We let her try to figure things out on her own. And while she may become frustrated, she does it. I know that many mothers have a hard time with their kids growing in to independence, and therefore they will stunt that for their own need to be needed, but while I love being everything she needs, there comes a time where she has to learn to be secure in her own abilities. And when she is 25 she will thank me.  I don't want my fears or insecurities to stop her from doing anything that she may want to do. And this was a big step for me too. She WANTED to go. She told me bye bye, she cried when she thought her paw paw was getting in the car with out her. She skyped me last night and thought the scotch tape she was unraveling was much cooler than seeing and hearing me! So this was definitely more about me, and my fears.


Well, I cried yesterday and maybe went in to a mild depression. (not really) But I was pretty somber most of the day.

I started my day off with a run all by myself. I put on my favorite Kari Jobe music and took off for about 45 minutes by myself. I cried some more. All the while realizing so many things that I just wrote in the paragraph above.
I also just scanned  my brain thinking of everything I need to do! i'll have 2 or 3 full days off with out my little love bug following me around the house in my feeble attempt to clean it!

So a few things I will do while she is gone...........

• Clean, and I mean clean my house.
• Take a picture of my clean house
• Organize my "junk room" and make it a descent office, and guest bedroom
• Take the dogs for a walk more than once this week.
• Go to the runner's store and let them analyze my run, and suggest new shoes. ( really you can't do this on your day off with a small child..What would I do with her while I do this?)
• Run in the morning with my husband.
• Get my hair done....Maybe a facial?
• Maybe/hopefully get my Christmas shopping done.

And my list could go on.... It will be Saturday before you know it! Keep Scott Anisten and I in your prayers this week!