Where is Val?

I know, I know, I know!

Where's the blog posts, the giveaways, the reviews...where's Val?!

I promise I have not dropped off the face of the Earth! It has been a BIG August as far as stuff going on! First, after A LOT of prayer and looking, God provided us with a most unexpected blessing of a house for us to move to! This has been weighing heavy on my heart for months now. My oldest daughter has been in private school and we simply just cannot afford to continue sending her there right now. I was adamant that she not go to the public school we are zoned to as quite frankly I think it is a crappy school. The new house is in the Cy-Fair school district which is a respectable one as far as Houston is concerned and her new elementary school is a state recognized school. She is still having a hard time wrapping her brain around the fact that the school will not acknowledge her christian faith or any faith for that matter. Truth be told, so am I! We just have to trust God in this and trust that He will take care of us!

We found out about the house about a two weeks ago and we have been planning, packing, and slowly moving ever since then! Our current house is in shambles and the kids are driving me crazy as expected! Moving with three kids in tow in 100 degree heat...well it sucks! We aim to have the majority of the move completed by the end of the week. Say a prayer (or two, or three) for us!

Also in August...I was hired by an awesome photography company in Houston called Bubblegum Tree Photography! Chara Studios is still in the works but will mainly focus on graphic design and web design. You can read up on my first weeks with Bubblegum Tree at my blog Smells Like Awesome and Jessica (owner of Bubblegum Tree) just posted an intro for me on the Bubblegum Tree blog for your reading enjoyment here!

So where is Stroller Strides in all of this??
Still here on the back burner for now! I'm actually OK with this since it has been so hot and no one wants to be outside for more than a few minutes right now. I am aiming to re-open Stroller Strides Memorial the first week of September with classes three days a week and then when it starts to get cooler, expand to 4-5 days a week. One thing I need right now (aside from prayer) is an instructor...or two! So if you or anyone you know has a fitness certification or is interested in getting one, I need you! Stroller Strides has been such a rewarding and fun part of my life and call me selfish, but I am not quite ready to let it go! I hope you join me in September either as a new member, old member, or instructor! I know it will be a great time!

OK, back to packing boxes! Hopefully I can steal away a few more minutes later to finally post the giveaways I've had for weeks!