Life Sentences

The End

2012-01-03T08:53:00.000-06:00

When it's time, you just know it.

And I know it's time.

It's time to say goodbye to this blog.

I have no specific reason for saying goodbye, and I don't know if it's goodbye for ever or just goodbye for now.

But it's still a goodbye.

I will not be deleting my blog as it is a wonderful scrapbook of the last few years of my family's life, but I will not be posting anything new.

Thank you to the readers who have followed my ramblings for the past few years. I'm sure you will find another blog to take this one's place. Or, perhaps, you may be feeling like starting your own....

Whatever the case, this is it for me.

Good-bye, so long, it's been a fun ride.....

My Annual "Mary Did You Know" Post - But With a Twist

2011-12-14T13:12:00.000-06:00

Usually I post Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd's version of the song "Mary Did You Know?" However, this year I've found a rival to that version.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Rascal Flatts......

It's nice to hear the other two guys sing in this song. Usually we just hear the lead singer and the other two harmonize (quite nicely I might add), but it's nice to hear them by themselves.

This is my favorite Christmas song. Poptart knows every word and one of these years she's gonna sing it in church, maybe.

Birthday Boy!

2011-12-01T07:45:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOGURT!

From Momma, Daddy, and Poptart!

Rocket Reunion

2011-11-28T09:26:00.000-06:00

Usually my life is pretty mundane and I have to search for things to post about. The last few weeks however have been unusually busy for me and my family, and I haven't been able to keep up with my posts. So even though Brad and I are getting home from a trip to Atlanta for Operation Christmas Child, I will post about something that happened last weekend first.

Twenty years ago, I was a sophomore in high school. Permed hair and cutoff bluejean shorts rolled up just like Baby wore them in Dirty Dancing. Oh yeah, times were good, and to make things even better, the high school basketball team I was on went to and won the Girls 4A State Championship.

Twenty years later, I received an invitation in the mail. It asked for all the team members of the championship team to return home to be recognized at halftime of a basketball game. Wow! Had it really been 20 years? In some ways it seems like yesterday, but in other ways, it seems like that wasn't even really me. I am a different person now, back to my naturally straight hair and all.

So I dug out my old letter jacket, went through old newspaper clippings, and put on my championship ring. It was a walk down memory lane for sure! Here I am posing (I'm trying to imitate a senior portrait pose here people) for a picture before we left for the game:

The current players and cheerleaders made a victory line for us as we were introduced one by one:

Afterwards, we were honored to a reception and I brought in the family and snapped a picture with our Championship Trophy:

Here's a group photo of our championship team plus the team from the year before who went to the Championship Game as well and came up only 2 points short!

There's a nice article in The Neshoba Democrat about our little reunion. I had a great time even though it did make me feel a little old!

A Packing Party I'll Never Forget

2011-11-23T11:13:00.001-06:00

Last Friday I was honored to be invited to The Mustard Seed to assist the Seedsters in packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect being this was my first time to visit The Mustard Seed, but I was greeted with smiling faces and hugs all around.

These mentally challenged adults were eager to pack shoeboxes, and in fact, I did very little assisting and a whole lotta admiring. The staff was great, and the entire packing party was very organized.

I had to leave before the group photo was taken, but here's a picture that was e-mailed to me of all the Seedsters and their shoeboxes.

Thank you Elizabeth, all the staff members that helped, and especially the Seedsters for participating in Operation Christmas Child! May you be greatly blessed!

Unexpected Reunion

2011-11-21T13:39:00.001-06:00

The other night after returning from volunteering at our church's relay center for OCC, the kids and I drove home to find a minivan in our driveway. In the few seconds between seeing the van and opening the door to our house, we were frantically trying to guess who was here visiting with Brad. I didn't recognize the van...at first I thought maybe my sister had stopped by but upon a second glance I knew that wasn't my sister's van so I was completely stumped.

I opened the door to the best surprise we've had in a long, long while. Our good college friend had stopped by with his family in tow. They had come to town for an appointment and had looked us up. Wow! What a great surprise!

We had a nice visit with the four of them. Poptart enjoyed playing with their almost-2-year-old, and I enjoyed holding their 2-month-old!

You know, that's the great thing about friends. No matter how long it's been since you've last heard from them or seen them, when you get back together, it's like you've never been apart.

Thanks guys for looking us up, and we promise, promise, pinky promise to not let that much time go by between next visits!

The Most Used Words or Phrases in My House

2011-11-14T09:14:00.001-06:00

A few nights ago, I believe we were on the way home from church, a random conversation started, the kind of conversation that can only happen with the people that live with you day in/day out and know (almost) your every thought.

If we made a list of the most used words or phrases in our home, what would it be? Funny, serious, sad, happy, and sometimes maybe embarrassing, here's what we came up with in that oh-so-random conversation.

In no particular order, mind you:

What? Sometimes said with sarcasm, but mostly just said when you weren't really paying attention to the conversation until you hear something that piqued your interest. Sometimes the person talking answers the question, but mostly we say something like "I'm not repeating myself."
I'm hungry. If I ranked this list, this would probably be on top. And will someone tell my children that repeating this phrase over and over does not magically make food appear in our cabinet or refrigerator or a wonderfully prepared meal appear on the table? Gogurt's favorite time to repeat this phrase is first thing in the morning, especially Saturday and Sunday morning when he comes to cuddle in the bed with us but ends up repeating this phrase numerous times and ends up angering his mother.
I'm thirsty. See above.
Stop. Well, this is used lots and lots between siblings and parent-to-child.
Be still. Unfortunately, this is not used in the context of one of my favorite Bible verses, but rather in the context of my son who is possibly the most fidgety human being on the planet.
I love you. We do say this a bunch to our kids. Brad and I probably should say it more, or at least I know I should, but my kids hear it several times a day. Hopefully, this is the phrase they will remember from their childhood and not one of the others.
Are these clean or dirty? Dishwasher, clothes in the floor, etc. It always amazes me how my family members will walk across the length of the house to come find me and ask me if the dishes in the dishwasher or clean or dirty. Why can't they just open the door and look? Hmmm......
This room is a mess. Self-explanatory.
Is it hot or cold today? 'Cuz we have to know what to wear to school.
When are we going to Disneyworld? We've brought this one on ourselves because we've been discussing the possibility, so now our kids, especially Poptart, asks this question at least a few times a week.
Have a good day! I yell this every morning as I watch my kids walk to the bus.
Do you have any homework? Sometimes this question works, sometimes it doesn't, like the other night when Gogurt only remembered he did in fact have homework after he had already gone to bed.
No/not right now. Used to answer questions about whether we will buy them something at the store, whether or not we want to play Candyland for the 80th millionth time, whether their brother/sister will let them have a certain toy, etc. I don't like using the word no too much, brings upon too much guilt for me to handle, but I have gotten better at it as my kids have gotten older. For instance, if one of my children asked me this question today, "Momma, will it traumatize me if you do not stop what you are doing (i.e. working to put food in your ever-hungry little mouths) and watch me jump off the couch?" I could answer guilt-free, "NO". Now, in my mind, there has to be a balance in your house between your yes' and your no's. I don't say yes all the time, but I certainly don't say no all the time either. It's that balance I've been searching for for the past 10 (almost 11!) years of being a mother. Too many yes' and you have a spoiled child who thinks they get and deserve a parent's attention more than anything else. Too many no's and you have a child who thinks they are not important to their parents at all. Yikes. I don't know if I've found the perfect balance, but for the purposes of this list, I'm just sayin' I finally know how to say No to my kids without worrying about it for the next 10 ~~seconds~~ minutes. And may I just add that I've never worried about saying no to material things - I really could care less about what they have...it's the emotional things I worry about. Saying no when what they want is me and my t-i-m-e. That's the tough one.
Someone say the blessing. Fortunately, my family is all home in the evenings to eat dinner together around the table. Unfortunately, this is a time that usually falls apart with Brad irritated at Gogurt's smacking or messiness or Poptart's pickiness as to what is on her plate. I'm usually tired by this time of the day and have no patience for any irritability. Can't we all just get along?!?!?!
Go get in the tub. What ages are children when they self-initiate their bathing? I would be curious to know how long my kids would go before they themselves said, "Whew, I think I need a bath." I'd probably be embarrassed to find out...
Can I play the Wii/the computer/Daddy's iPhone? I wish, wish, wish I had a dime, a nickel, even a penny for every time I've heard this!

Okay, so there it is. A list of the most used phrases or words in my home. Is it just me or is it a little sad? I think I should try to say more uplifting things in my home, go around quoting scriptures, speak in a British accent or something so my next list will look and sound a little more "perfect." Yeah, right.

Think about what you say in your home. Are there phrases you repeat every day almost without fail? It's an interesting thing to think about, a very convicting thing to think about actually.

Happy Monday - have a good week!

COURAGEOUS

2011-10-31T12:19:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen this movie yet, but I plan on seeing it very, very soon. If you've seen it, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

So We Went Shopping

2011-10-27T18:21:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to post about Brad's new job at all. But I just can't help it - I've got to.

HE GOT AN INSIDE JOB!!!!!

The important part of that exclamatory sentence is the word inside. You see, for the entire close-to-20 years I have known Brad he has been an outdoorsy working man. A take-care-of-the-grass man, whether golf courses, athletic fields, or as in the current case, the city parks. His nickname in college was "Turf Daddy." Giggle,giggle.

Turf Daddy has always made a good living for his family, but it hasn't always been pretty. When he arrives home he is sometimes covered in dirt, sometimes covered in mud, and sometimes covered in that lovely green pipe glue after working in an irrigation hole all day. And on a really, really tough day, he might be covered in all of the above. During the summer the heat is brutal, and I honestly don't know how he's done it this long. It has never been easy to watch him come home completely zapped of all energy during the summer months, but it seems to have been getting worse over the past couple of summers.

Contrast dirty/outside job with clean/inside job. That's what is about to happen.  He, with the help of a friend, found out about a job opening. He applied not thinking much would happen and here we are a couple of months later awaiting his start date. So what did we do when we found out he got the job?

We went shopping, of course! Someone who has worked outdoors in khaki shorts and t-shirts his whole life is a little short on dress clothes (save the funeral/wedding suit) so we had to go shopping.

I'm not a big shopper but going alone with my husband to outfit him in dress pants, collared shirts, and ties happened to be a lot of fun. I rarely see him in a tie, and I told him it would take me a week of him walking in the door all dressed up before I wouldn't wonder to myself "Who died?"

During the shopping session, there were those surreal moments we would look at each other and think, "What the heck are we doing?" But then we'd notice a cool tie and get excited again.  I'm sure the dress code will be one of the things he comes to dislike about this new job (maybe he could talk the office into implenting Friday bluejean day or something), but if that's the only thing he dislikes about this career-changing move, I think we'll call it a success!

An Important Vote for Mississippi

2011-10-21T08:37:00.000-05:00

Have you ever set in a room and heard the conversation go down the path of all the social ills we are facing today? And have you ever heard someone say, "If only the Christians would have stood up against it....."

Well, my friend, we are about to get a rare 2nd chance.

On November 8th we will vote on Amendment 26, better known as the Personhood Amendment.

I will not attempt to explain the amendment, although I'm sure you know exactly what it is about.

Visit this website: http://yeson26.net/ and get all the info you need.

Especially visit the "Real Answers to the Scare Tactics" section. It has some good answers to questions I had wondered about myself.

Please vote Yes to Amendment 26 and tell all your friends/family to read about it then do the same.

I don't want to be sitting in a conversation later in my life and be forced to say, "If only the Christians would have stood up....."

Mommas Can Be Wrong Too

2011-10-14T07:28:00.000-05:00

We signed Poptart up for tennis lessons, and her first lesson was this past Monday. The lessons are being held at some tennis courts in a neighborhood near our home. In this particular neighborhood lives one of Poptart's favorite friends, Kinsey. They were in preschool together for two years. They go to different elementary schools, but we still get them together every now and then to play.

From the day I signed Poptart up, she started asking if Kinsey was going to be at her tennis lesson. I explained to my eager daughter that Kinsey would definitely not be at her tennis lesson. And I also explained that just because the lessons were being held in Kinsey's neighborhood did not mean Kinsey would be at her lesson. Besides, Kinsey is involved in soccer, not tennis.

Everytime we would bring up the upcoming lesson, Poptart would bring up Kinsey again. And I would again try to explain to her that out of all the thousands of children in this county, the probability of Kinsey being at her tennis lesson was slim to none at best. Besides, the tennis coach had already told me there were only 3 children signed up for this particular day and time. Poptart was one so that only left two spots in her class. It just wasn't going to be her friend, Kinsey. Sorry, hon.

On the way to tennis Monday (and after Poptart asked AGAIN if she would see her friend there), I was trying to boost Poptart's confidence since she gets pretty shy around kids and adults she does not know. I was assuring her with things such as "Remember when you took gymnastics this summer, you didn't know anyone in your class, but by the end you had made friends?" "This will be the same way so don't be nervous."

We arrived. I sat down to write out the check to the coach. Poptart is bouncing around and looking around taking in this new scenery. Then she looks at me with this look on her face. I look up.

Kinsey's walking up with her tennis racket.

The class consists of Poptart, Kinsey, and Kinsey's younger brother.

That night I was sitting in the bathroom talking to Poptart while she was in the tub. We were talking about the lesson and how funny it was that Kinsey was actually in her class. She smiled and said,

"Momma, you were sooooo wrong!"

Yes, darling. Mommas can be wrong too.

But not that often.

10th Annual

2011-10-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

We realized on our "camping trip" this year that this was our 10th annual family camping trip. My parents, my sister and her family, and my family (10 total) have set aside one weekend a year to get together and enjoy each other's company away from the hustle and bustle of life.

This year we visited a place close to home. I have many, many good memories of going there as a child to swim. Lake Tiak-O-Khata, like our original family of 4, has grown over the years. Cabins, tennis courts, a nature trail, and of course the lake/swimming area are all beautiful. Unfortunately, the swimming area was closed but no worries-before we left we booked a weekend in June for the 11th annual camping trip! My kids will get to enjoy the same swimming hole I used to (but with a bigger, better, and safer slide!)

As usual, I took lots of pictures and as usual, Blogger is giving me a frustratingly difficult time getting them on here like I want them to be! I have not the time nor the patience to post all the pictures today. If anyone knows why Blogger is rearranging my pictures at random, please tell me! I'm sure it is something I'm doing, but it's driving me crazy. Really.

So, I will leave you with just these few pictures....

If you will look closely, you can see Gogurt in a kayak. This was by far my kids'number one favorite thing to do.

The four grandkids sitting down for a brief rest on the nature trail. Notice Gogurt's boots. His tennis shoes were back at the cabin drying after an accidental but funny fall off the pier. Note to self, jumping from a pier into a kayak doesn't work.

And here's the whole crew posing for our group shot before we left. We have done this every year and every year it is alot more difficult than you would think. Picking out the spot, setting up the camera, getting everyone positioned, Brad running to make it into the picture. One year we need to make a video of us just trying to get this shot. It would be very entertaining.

There's several more pictures I wanted to share, like the one of Gogurt with the shorts he split down the rear-end after sliding down a bank and getting hung on a rock. Bless his heart, his rear hurt for several hours, but we all got a good laugh out of it.

All in all it was another successful trip. Good food, good family, good weather. Looking forward to June already!

Friends in High Places

2011-09-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

I am not referring to a high-ranking government official or a school board member, a celebrity, or an athlete....no, I've got a friend, and he works at the car repair shop and that, my friend, is the best place to have a friend.

While Brad was in Alaska, I decided it was time to get my oil changed. I also decided to switch car shops because we weren't so happy where we had been going. So upon the recommendation of a friend, I chose another particular shop close to my house.

Little did I know I have a neighbor-friend that works there - and boy, is he helping us out!

We've been in twice now, once for the oil change and yesterday for brake work, and he gave us a discount both times. And not just a teeny tiny one either. It's a deep enough discount that makes me think I need to bake this man some cookies or take him and his wife out to dinner or cut his grass for him or fall down on the ground and bow at his feet. Okay, maybe not.

But I am going to do something nice for him 'cuz he is certainly being nice to us!

The Best Day EVER!

2011-09-25T19:06:00.002-05:00

Yes, I stole the title from Tangled.

But in fact Saturday was one of our best days ever or at least the best day we've had in a really long time.

For months we've been coordinating with three college friends (well, they are more Brad's friends but I claim them as my own) to meet back at MSU and attend a football game. Getting three families together to do anything can sometimes be a logistical nightmare, but we were all determined not to let anything stop us. Except bed rest, I suppose. One of the spouse's could not make the trip due to a pregnancy, but that's a valid excuse.

We left the kiddos with my parents and headed up to Starkville. We were the first to arrive since we had the shortest drive to get there so we rode around campus a little bit. Then I went to see Hannah in her dorm. Walking into the lobby of that dorm I was made keenly aware of the fact that dorms have come a long, long way. No cement block walls, no community bathrooms, it's more like a really, really nice hotel than a dorm. A very secure, quiet hotel, in a great part of a great neighborhood. The kind of hotel you don't want to leave. I have to say though, the dorm room itself was still the size of a regular old dorm room. They don't have any extra space than we did in the olden days, but the space they have is definitely nicer/newer.

After I left Hannah's dorm, we went to The Lodge where we met up with Kelly, his wife Kari, and Sean, and Sean's 7-year-old son Jackson. Kelly and Sean and Brad all lived together at Farmhouse Fraternity. After lots of State paraphenalia was purchased, we loaded up in the truck for lunch at Little Dooey's, the bestest b-b-q joint in Starkville.

L to R: Sean, Brad, Kelly

 We stayed there so long we considered ordering again, but decided to leave and move on with the day.

With it being a game day, you could not get into a parking lot for free so we all had to pitch in to pay for parking at Farmhouse. Once there, the guys reminiscing kicked into high gear.

Sean, looking like he's moving back in....

The guys finding themselves and others in the composites and sharing stories. The guy in the green shirt and khakis is currently living at FH and was entertained by the "old guys" coming back and telling him how it was in the "good old days."

We couldn't go back to FH and not play a pick-up game. Only this time it would probably be a "pick-me-up-off-the-ground" game. The guys couldn't quite move around the court like they used to!

The spouses finally allowed in a picture!

We left FarmHouse and headed onto campus, accidentally happening upon the players and coaches making their way to the Field House. You could feel the excitement in the air, and I held up my camera and starting clicking. The guy in the suit is Dan Mullen. I almost cut his head off, but I think you can still tell that's him. This was one of my favorites parts of the day because I've never been on campus to experience this part of Game Day. The players and coaching walking by, the band playing, cowbells ringing, it was pretty cool!!!!

Coach Dan Mullen in the Dawg Walk

 

The group outside the Union. Thanks to my college roommate for making the walk across campus to come visit us in the Union AND for offering to take a picture of us all together!

After eating in the Union (which by the way, is NOTHING like it was when we were there) it was finally time to head to the stadium. Poor little Jackson had waited all day to actually see some football. The rest of the stuff (i.e., hearing adults yap and yap) was very boring to him. He wanted to see some action on the field, and it was finally time!

The view from our walk up the ramps to our seats. Campus never looks more beautiful than from up here....

The Hump in the distance - basketball season's not that far away!

My knees were getting shaky-Brad had to take all the "sky pictures."

We made it to our seats and settled in for the game. We took a couple more pics before kickoff....

We won the football game - in overtime - but it wasn't a very good game for the Dawgs. We should have won outright, but hey, I guess a win's a win. We'll take it. Anyway, the game was secondary to the experience we had just all being there together. These are some standup guys and I feel privileged to call them friends (awwww.....) We pledged to not wait so long until we all get together again, even spoke briefly about making this an annual trip!?!

As a fitting end to a fun-filled day we saw this as we were leaving campus:

Don't you miss college life?

Thanks guys for a wonderful, wonderful day! My cheeks have just now stopped hurting from all the laughing!

Love y'all!

Conversations and Questions

2011-09-23T09:22:00.000-05:00

On the way home from Alabama last week, a frustrating thing happened. I want to share it with you wives out there and see if you can sympathize or whether it's just my husband that does this.

It was late evening when we were leaving for the 5-hour trip home. We had seen lots of family and friends at the funeral home and even though the occasion was a sad one, it was good to see everyone. About 30 minutes or so into the trip, Brad realized he had missed a text message from his mother. She simply said, "call Larry*, he wants to talk to you." (*name changed, :) )

Now the back story on Larry is that he is a long-time family friend, specifically, he is my in-laws realtor. Yes, their realtor is a close, close friend, and if you've ever heard Brad rattle off all the addresses he lived at through the years he lived at home, you would understand. We joked that when his parents moved to Mississippi, Larry and his wife would have to close shop because their business had moved Westward. But no worries, my in-laws are back in Alabama, and I believe his realty business is back stronger than ever.

So even though Larry is a close friend to Brad's parents, he's never called and specifically asked for Brad. Larry and his wife have been good to us over the years, they helped find us a realtor in the Jackson area when we moved here from Louisiana those many, many years ago, and we send each other Christmas cards, but personal phone calls just aren't in the scope of our friendship, ya know?

So this piqued our curiousity. Why was he wanting to talk to Brad? Brad and I discussed it for several miles. We even texted his mother back to see if she had a clue what he wanted. No, she said, no clue. He simply asked if we were out of town yet and to call him as soon as we could.

So we discussed it some more and could come up with nothing. Did he want to talk about something personal? something business-related? something serious? something not-so-serious?

"Just call him!" I said.

But I didn't know if Brad would call him back or not, because Brad's just funny that way. If it would have been me, I would've been calling the second I got the text but not Brad. He has to think about the message and perhaps altogether ignore it.

We stopped somewhere between there and here at a truck stop. It was dark and we were tired. I had almost forgotten about the whole "call Larry" conversation until I walked out of the truck stop and saw Brad on his cell phone. Okay, he called Larry, and I couldn't wait to find out what he wanted!

I offered to drive so he could talk so we both got in and hit the road again. I heard Brad's side of the conversation which went something like this:

"No sir, we're already on the road."

"Really?"

"That is so sweet."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

"Thanks."

There were also lots of yeahs and okays and uh-huhs scattered throughout. My mind was trying to piece together what the heck they were talking about. I thought as soon as Brad hung up I would find out.

But I thought wrong.

When the conversation was over, Brad put down his I-phone, adjusted the air conditioner vents and his pillow, laid his head back, and was bedding down. Not a word.

So there I was trying to decide whether or not to ask the obvious question or wait it out and see if Brad would ever tell me what the conversation was about.

After several, several miles of silence I couldn't take it anymore. And no kidding, I broke the ice by saying, "I know what my next post is going to be about." To which he asked, "What?" to which I said, "husbands that do not share phone calls with their wives."

Now, let me just say a couple of things:

First, I know my husband, and I know that he could have and would have ridden all the way home without telling me one word of their conversation.

Second, I know me, and I know sometimes I get ~~nosy~~ curious and want to know who he is texting or talking to and (sue me) what they are talking about. I have gotten better at this over the years however. Now I try not to even ask and figure he will eventually tell me if it is something I need to know about. But there's no guarantee with him that he will EVER tell me, so sometimes I'm forced to ask.

Back in the car, I explained to him that I don't want to know or need to know about his every conversation, but this was a special case wasn't it? Had we not just spent many minutes and miles discussing what Larry could possibly have wanted? Had it not gotten the both of us curious? For him to just hang up and go to sleep was beyond my comprehension, but he swore he doesn't do it on purpose to keep me in the dark, and yes, he reminded me that I didn't ask. What. Ever.

Open your mouth and speak, dude.

So here's my question.

Have I got the only husband in the world who can have a full-length telephone conversation in front of his wife, then hang up, and not utter one single, itty bitty word about the conversation? And should this drive me as crazy as it does? (Okay, that's two questions)

Should the person engaged in the conversation be the one responsible for sharing the info, or should it be the unengaged listener who is responsible for asking for the info? (Okay, now that's three)

While I'm asking questions, here's a few more. I know you guys aren't huge commenters, but I really, really would like your opinion on this.

With all the new technology, how much "privacy" do you give your spouse? Do you always know who they are texting? Is it rude to ask? Is it okay to read their texts? Does it offend you when your spouse asks you who you are texting?

What is the etiquette on this? Any opinions?

***
By the way, dear Mr. Larry was going to give us gas money.

Theme Song Of Gogurt's Life

2011-09-16T09:06:00.000-05:00

Brad took the kids to the library yesterday evening and since my husband is obsessed with all things music, he came home with CDs, not books.

To my surprise he had Brad Paisley's new CD This is Country Music. I was surprised since the library usually doesn't have new releases for checkout!

We had never listened to an entire Brad Paisley CD before, and to be honest, I've never considered him one of my faves, sometimes his songs can be a little, well, goofy. That's just what he's known for, or I thought that's what he was known for. Maybe I was wrong.

Brad put this CD into his laptop and I'm not kiddin' ya, by the end of it we were both crying. Well, I was crying and Brad was close to crying.

Yes, there are some goofy songs on there, like "Don't Drink The Water" and the one I'm gonna share with you below. But for the most part these songs tackle some serious issues and yes, there are some seriously romantic songs on there too.

Even if you do not think you are a country music fan, I guarantee this CD could change your mind. It's that good. There's a little something for everyone.

And there was something especially special for Gogurt. We almost couldn't believe our ears when we listened to the following song. It is Gogurt's theme song of life. He wears camouflage at some point in every single day. Yes, it's annoying to me as his mother because he looks handsome in so many different colors, but his favorite color is........

Okay, if camouflage is patriotic, I guess won't fuss at Gogurt too much for wearing it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

(P.S. Go get this CD)

I Must Post

2011-09-15T07:19:00.000-05:00

Labor Day Weekend we went to Alabama to visit my in-laws. It was a great visit until the rain came. It set in Sunday about 1 o'clock and never let up. It was the Tropical Storm, whose name escapes me at the moment, so we knew it was coming. At least we had a couple days of good outdoorsy weather. Unfortunately, on the ENTIRE drive home it rained cats and dogs. It took us 7 hours to make a 5 1/2 hour trip. But God got us home safely and we breathed a big sigh of relief when we walked through the door.

We had our OCC Kickoff at church (see Jennifer's blog) and it went extremely well. Hearing a personal testimony from someone who had been handed a shoebox as a child really made an impression on me, and I hope it also made one on my children. We all take so much for granted.

Saturday was a wonderful day as my mother, my sister and her two daughters came down and went to lunch with Poptart and me. We went to Brent's (as seen in the movie The Help) and had a really good time. It has been a long, long time since just "the girls" went out. Of course, the only boy in the family, not counting spouses, is Gogurt, but he didn't seem to mind staying home with his daddy. Especially after they made a plan to go to their very first Gun & Knife Show. I hear Gogurt walked around drooling over swords, guns, and various sorts of other weapons. He came home with a grenade and a pouch to put it in. (inactive of course!)

As life seems to remind me, along with good times comes bad ones. We received a call Saturday that there had been a death in the family, and so we made plans to return to Alabama for a funeral. My mother volunteered to spend 2 nights at our house so the kids would not have to miss school. That was a big, big blessing since otherwise I probably would have had to stay home and miss the funeral.

We returned home late Tuesday night. I stayed home Wednesday to type and boy did I ever type. Since switching to this new system, turnaround time has slowed down for lots of us, and we are all having to pitch in extra hours to catch up on all the work. I think the latest e-mail I received said there is 25 hours of dictation on the system. I believe there are 40 transcriptionists, but that's still alot considering the doctors do not take a day off from dictating so we can get "caught up." It's never-ending!

Tonight is Thursday and MSU plays LSU. On ESPN. We are bracing for a defeat (did anyone see the heartbreaker at Auburn? How do you spell deja vu?) Brad swears he is not watching the game-says he is in no emotional state to do so. I agree. I plan on watching, but I'm begging, begging the Bulldogs to at least play well (notice I didn't say win). Oh and did you know State has canceled classes today?!? Since when do they cancel classes for a football game? That's crazy if you ask me. Yes, I think professors of night classes or nighttime labs should have canceled so the kids could make it to the game, but to cancel an 8 o'clock-in-the-morning class for a night football game? Believe me, if I was a student or if I worked on campus, I'm sure I would think it was a wonderful, brilliant idea!

Well, September promised to be a busy month and it has definitely not disappointed.

Have a good day, thanks for reading, love y'all......

What's That Disorder Called?

2011-09-07T13:11:00.000-05:00

I could take the time to post about how the "change" is going at work, but I really don't have time 'cuz I need to be working at this moment. However, I will say that after a somewhat nightmarish, "I'm-going-to-quit-my-job" weekend, I am feeling a tad bit better now. And so as not to bore you any further with my work stories, I will provide you with a little humor today.

Check out the article linked below talking about a certain disorder. I believe I grew up with a big sister who might can relate, and I believe I live with a man right now that can definitely relate.

Click Here to read about it. Read it and see if you know anyone who suffers from it! Maybe you do....

Have a good one!

They Must Not Know....

2011-09-01T07:39:00.000-05:00

I do not like change.

Or do I?

About 2 years ago, I began hearing "rumblings" about a change in our transcription company. "It's gonna make your life SOOO much better," they said. Well, time came and time went and no changes were made. There were small changes, in preparation for the big change, but nothing that caused me great pause.

It took so long for this change to be implemented that I at times wondered if it was actually going to happen at all. Then I would receive an e-mail assuring all the transcriptionists it was in fact still coming.

And it has. We are going live on the new system tomorrow morning. After all that time waiting, why does it feel so fast?!?

After my first 2-hour conference call on how to use the new system, I have to admit, I felt old and left behind. I can understand why older people leave jobs 'cuz it went computerized and they don't even know how to turn on a computer. I know how to turn mine on, and I definitely know how to find my way around a keyboard, but this new program was blowing my mind....

It changes everything, how we pull our work, how we do our work, how we check our work, how we submit our work, and how we get paid for our work. The name of the company has even changed! Nothing, and I mean nothing, is the same. (Except of course the doctors are still humans and they are still dictating sick human patients). However, if the program works the way it's supposed to, I'm starting to see how it will benefit the transcriptionists. Less work makes time for more work. What that means is I will have to spend less time doing things I don't get paid for and have more time for the work I actually do get paid for. Does that make sense? In teacher terms, no more "busy work." After a patient husband gave me a sit-down run-through of the program (sad, he doesn't even do this job and he understood the program better than I did, mostly because I was so afraid of messing something up and he wasnt afraid of that at all) and after another 2-hour conference call last night, I'm feeling a little better.

Dare I say even a little excited?

Am I nervous? Heck yeah. I feel like I'm starting this job all over again....and I well remember my very first day to sit down at this computer and type a clinic note. Scary. But now I can almost do it in my sleep and oftentimes I know what the doctor is trying to say even before he gets the words out. One day, I'm sure this new program will be old hat as well.

Change stretches you, I guess. It's good for you. It can even be beneficial for you.

But after tomorrow, I'm done with any more changes for the year. I mean it! I can only handle one big change about every 6 months! One a year is even better! (For the record, I've been at this job for almost 9 years and this is the first major change we've undergone so I can't fuss too much!)

I hope you have a great day and a wonderful, wonderful holiday weekend!

2011-08-29T13:39:00.000-05:00

Six Months

2011-08-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

We have been in this house for a little over six months now. We are really enjoying it, I especially love my new tub, but there are some disappointments (keep reading, Nana).

First, even though we threw away what felt like would have filled up a PODS when we moved, we still have alot of junk. If you don't believe me, just come look at our garage. How many times have we cleaned out that garage, threw stuff away, just to have it fill up again? What is happening here???

Second, my kids aren't keeping their "new" rooms as clean as they promised. At first, like the first day, they kept their rooms tidy, but now we are right back into the struggle. "Respect your stuff or I'm throwing everything in here away!" Please tell me I'm not the only mother to ever utter those passionate yet untrue words....

Third, this house eats things just like our old one did. In the other house, we had this ongoing joke about our couch being the "portal." Once things got sucked into the cushions, it went into this portal of unknown, and we would never see the thing again. I was hoping the portal of disappearance had been left behind, but no such luck. For example, just this week I wanted to find a certain book to take to preschool with me. It was a book Poptart had bought at Borders, and one of the reasons I encouraged her to buy it was for the fact that I knew it would go well with our Health & Nutrition unit at preschool. We read that book several times here at home. However, Tuesday morning when I went to retrieve the book out of Poptart's room, it was nowhere to be found. Not in Poptart's room, not in Gogurt's room, not in my room. I looked everywhere. I know that book exists, and I know it was in this house just a few days ago, but I am afraid it has fallen victim to the portal-and we will never see it again. (and no, Ellie didn't eat it). This isn't the only time I can remember not being able to find a book when I needed it. Once in the old house, Gogurt came home from school excited to tell me that he had told his teacher he had a book about George Washington he could bring to share with the class during their study of the U.S.A. No problem, I just saw that book on your bookshelf, so I'll go get it and stick it in your backpack. The book wasn't on the bookshelf. We tore the house apart, we never found the G.W. book.

Instances like this are so very frustrating to me, then add the little things that seem to happen here on a daily basis, and it's almost cause for insanity.

Little things like always having to search for Scotch tape. It's never where its supposed to be.

Neither are fingernail clippers.

And scissors. Oh, goodness, the scissors. I bought several pair of scissors to put in every room of this house to have handy, and now I go from room-to-room opening all the drawers and still find no scissors. (I want to be like Nana, she always knew where her scissors were in this house.) I, on the other hand, never know where any of my 3 pair of scissors are! I remember my mother having this certain pair of scissors. I'm sure she still has them, and I'm sure if I walked into her house right now, I would know the exact drawer to find them. With that said, I can also remember as a child being threatened with my life if I borrowed "Momma's good scissors" and didn't return them to the drawer immediately.

And what about sharpened pencils? When homework time comes around, why do we always have to search for a sharpened pencil? I say sharpened because we have DOZENS of unsharpened pencils, but very, very few sharpened pencils. If we finally decide to give up on finding a sharpened pencil, then the hunt is on for a pencil sharpener. And yes, I have sharpened pencils with a knife before over my kitchen sink. Haven't you?

I was really hopeful that all these annoying habits would stay at our old house, but no, they have followed us. That can only mean one thing.....it's the people in the house, not the house itself.

The house itself is wonderful - have I mentioned my tub?

Every now and then the kids will say they miss their old house, I think we all do a little bit, but we are definitely enjoying making new memories at this house.

I just wish one of those new memories would be always knowing where my scissors are.

The Mindset List for the Class of 2015

2011-08-23T14:17:00.002-05:00

If you've been on Yahoo today, you might have seen this, but in case you haven't, read this and try not to feel too old!

The Mindset List for the Class of 2015 (entering college freshmen)

1.There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.
2.Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could be their parents.
4.The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports.
5.There have always been at least two women on the Supreme Court, and women have always commanded U.S. Navy ships.
6.They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
7.As they’ve grown up on websites and cell phones, adult experts have constantly fretted about their alleged deficits of empathy and concentration.
8.Their school’s “blackboards” have always been getting smarter.
9.“Don’t touch that dial!”….what dial?
10.American tax forms have always been available in Spanish.
12.Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
13.Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you're talking about LeBron James.
14.All their lives, Whitney Houston has always been declaring “I Will Always Love You.”
15.O.J. Simpson has always been looking for the killers of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
16.Women have never been too old to have children.
18.Jim Carrey has always been bigger than a pet detective.
24.“Yadda, yadda, yadda” has always come in handy to make long stories short.
25.Video games have always had ratings.
28.Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief.
30.Dial-up is soooooooooo last century!
56.They’ve always wanted to be like Shaq or Kobe: Michael Who?
57.They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.
63.They won’t go near a retailer that lacks a website.
65.When they were 3, their parents may have battled other parents in toy stores to buy them a Tickle Me Elmo while they lasted.
74.“PC” has come to mean Personal Computer, not Political Correctness.

Copyright© 2011 Beloit College

Mindset List is a registered trademark

For list in its entirety, visit http://www.beloit.edu/mindset

2011-08-18T13:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I've done it again. I've let entirely too many days go by without posting. Here comes the old excuse... wait for it....i'm back in school.

Every single year when I meet my new "batch" of kids, I think *what a breeze this year is gonna be!*. Then the kids start loosening up with each other, with me, and before long, I'm wondering what happened to those sweet little 4-year-olds I started the year off with.

But, I think this year will be different. Really. Seriously!   I have possibly the sweetest little group of girls ever created, and my 2 boys seem to be very, very low on the "rowdy scale." Okay people, this is totally doable! And if find out in a few weeks that these kids have totally snookered me into believing I'm the luckiest teacher ever, I'll let you know.

Fifth grade is off with a bang for Gogurt. Reading project (due tomorrow), science project (due next Friday) and homework every night. We had "the talk" last night (umm, not that talk), the responsibility talk. The "I'm-not-going-to-remind-you-every-night-that-your-project-is-due-in-2-days" talk.   We reminded him he is in 5th grade now, it's NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY to remind him to do his homework/projects. Tough love so to speak. We'll see how it goes.....

First grade is suiting Poptart just fine.  The reports I get from Poptart about school are to tell me who she saw where. "I saw Gogurt in the cafeteria, and I saw Tyler coming out of music, and I saw Allyssa on the playground" and on and on and on.

I am very, very thankful to such a good start to our school year.

Speaking of starting a school year, Hannah is officially, officially, a Bulldog. Official meaning finally attending classes. Oh, how I miss those days! (Not the going-to-class part, but the finally-on-my-own part). Be good Hannah, and I'm waiting to see you here at your ~~favorite~~ aunt's blog. Check in every now and then wouldya? BTW, don't forget we'll be up there September 24th for the football game!!!

Have a good one!

More, Better Wedding Photos

2011-08-09T17:11:00.001-05:00

Brad scanned a few wedding pictures into the computer and I wanted to share them with you! The picture of a picture I did this morning was, in all fairness, pretty pathetic.

BTW, I got roses, a Dr. Pepper, and some M&M's from my hubby today....I won't tell you which one of those three items I was most excited about receiving, but I bet you can guess!

Onto the pictures:

Hannah and Rebekah, seems like just yesterday they were this age! Now they are both beautiful young ladies!

This is our wedding party, good-looking group, eh? Funny thing, Brad and I are not married in this picture. This was before the ceremony.

During the 15-minute ceremony. No kidding, 15 minutes long.

Now, we are married, can't you tell by the smiles? This is one of our favorite photos from our weddding. Could be because I thought my cake was phenomonal. Almost didn't have flowers on it though because the florist forget all the flowers for the cake and the cake table. She had to go all the way back into town and get them.

Now, I promise not to bore you with any more wedding photographs (until next year!)

14 Years Ago.....

2011-08-09T07:13:00.001-05:00

There was a wedding!

(This is a picture of a picture so my apologies for the quality.)

Brad told me "Happy Anniversary" this morning, but at 6:07 a.m. I seem to have difficulty speaking, so this is my "Happy Anniversary" to him.

And to all of you who were involved in our wedding, thanks for being part of that day. Let's look at the picture and see who has changed the most :)

Back To School We Go!

2011-08-08T08:33:00.000-05:00

My wish for this school year - that every morning would be as easy as the first morning was! The kids were up and getting dressed before I even walked into their rooms! I know we can chalk this first morning up to adrenaline, but I can wish can't I? Before long we'll be pushing the limits on how late we can sleep, rushing around to find shoes, and running out the door short of breath.

I return to preschool tomorrow, not to teach, just for teacher's meetings, cleaning out rooms, etc. I can't say I'm as excited as my kids are about going back to school, but I can say I'm excited about receiving that paycheck we miss so dearly during the summer months!

Have a great day,

Amy

Disaster Averted - Miracles Do Happen

2011-08-05T10:53:00.000-05:00

This is our dog Ellie.

She is approximately 10 months old, and she resides in our backyard. The kids and I love to be outside on the backporch which doubles as Ellie's homeplace. We eat snacks out there, we read out there, we talk on the phone out there, etc.

In Ellie's defense, she doesn't know the difference between a chew toy we bought and left on the porch for her on purpose and the book we accidentally left out there.

This is what Ellie can do to a book:

Gogurt bought this book with some hard-earned money and although he had read it several times, he was upset nonetheless. Upset with Ellie, with himself, with his sister who for some reason caught the brunt of his frustration. (It could have been her yelling out the back door, "Be quiet, I can hear you ALL THE WAY in here!) Not quite the sympathy he was looking for I guess.

Fast forward to late last night. Sarah and I were watching Freaky Friday on ABC Family. Gogurt didn't want to watch it with us, and he couldn't play the Wii or computer so he decided to go outside with Ellie (maybe to offer forgiveness?)

He came in looking like he saw a ghost. "Ellie has puppy!!!" he yelled. I'm sure we were all imaging what Ellie had done earlier in the day to the book. Oh, God help us-Ellie has puppy.

This puppy:

Poptart has slept with puppy every night since she got him from Santa when she was about 18 months old. Puppy has been a part of our family, and if something ever happened to him I think we would all cry.

When I heard Ellie had puppy, I imagined the worst - his head ripped off, his 4 legs strewn over the 4 corners of our yard, and that tail that Poptart rubs chewed to bits.

I got from the couch to the backyard in 0.3 seconds and thankfully was glad to see puppy all in one piece, for now. We had to get puppy out of Ellie's grips. And of course, Ellie thought it was all a game so she was running like lightning past Gogurt and me.

Poptart came to the backdoor but looked like she was going to faint, so I told her to go back inside and Gogurt and I would take care of it. Please God, let me get this stuffed dog out of this real dog's mouth. My daughter's mental state depends on it!

It all happened so fast, but Ellie finally dropped puppy and after screaming, "Get it, get it, get it" Gogurt pounced on it like a lion hunting its prey. I'm not embarassed to say I sat Indian-style on my backporch holding puppy to my chest rocking back and forth chanting, "Thank you, Lord."

When I entered the house, puppy in tow, Poptart was curled up in the fetal position on the couch crying. I can't tell you the relief I felt when I was able to hand her puppy, still all in one piece. A little wet, but in one piece.

She was so emotionally drained, she declared there was no way she could sleep by herself. I laid her down beside her daddy and she went sound asleep with puppy right there beside her.

(We are still unsure how puppy ever got out there in the first place. Poptart is very careful about not taking puppy outside, so that part is a mystery)

After the rescue, I was still on an adrenaline rush and wasn't quite ready to lie down yet. That's when the second miracle of the night happened.

Gogurt and I went back outside and stayed up for the next hour talking, at first about the disaster that almost had happened right before our eyes, and then discussing everything from school to friends to girls. We talked, laughed, and had the absolute best time together we've had in a very, very long time.

Are these miracles equal to the water-to-wine or crossing-the-sea-on-dry-land miracles? Nah, probably not. But to me and my family, they sure did feel like it.

I Can't Wait to Get Old So I Can.....

2011-08-02T09:19:00.001-05:00

Today is election day in Mississippi - a very big election day. We vote on everything from Governor to our local sheriff. For months we have enjoyed, some would say endured, political ads on the radio, the TV, and yesterday alone I received seven robocalls reminding me to vote and telling me who to vote for.

More than the advertisements on our media outlets, the road signs have become almost humorous. They are everywhere. But the one that takes the cake in our neck of the woods was the really tall deer stand that had "VOTE FOR JAY" printed in huge letters down the front. The first time we saw it, we didn't know who Jay was or what Jay was even running for, but his creative signage prompted us to come home and look him up. In that case, the road sign, or should I say the deer-stand sign worked!

I haven't been out yet this morning, but I can only imagine the signs that popped up last night near our local library where we vote. There will be people sitting in lawn chairs holding an umbrella to shade the sun with one hand and a political sign in the other. Of course, they have to stay a certain number of feet away from the door, and at our particularly polling place, this has never been a problem.

I love to vote, and I love to take my kids with me to watch me vote. It's just so American.

What will be even more American is when I am old enough to work at the polling booth myself. (I haven't checked to see if there is an official age requirement, but everybody I've ever seen working at our precinct is at least 65 years old). When my kids are grown and gone and I have nothing else to do, I'm going to work for the polls. I'll sit at the table and find your name in the book. By then we will probably have Voter ID so I'll have to check your ID as well. I won't ask you who you are voting for, but I will thank you for voting. I can't wait!

A Backstage Pass

2011-08-01T08:34:00.000-05:00

Last night when I was blogging about the fair, it was late and at that moment I didn't know where my camera was and didn't want to go looking for it.

This morning I have a picture to share with you.

But first let me tell you a little about how it came about:

On Monday night of the fair, the Miss Neshoba County Pageant is held. Just so happens, one of Hannah's good friends won.

On Friday night of the fair, John Michael Montgomery performed. Now, I was one of JMM's biggest fans back in the early/mid 90s. I even had a poster of him on my wall. My sister remembered my infatuation with him and between Hannah and her mother, they arranged for Miss Neshoba County to take me backstage after the concert to meet JMM.

Yes, JMM has gotten older but then again so have I. No, his concert wasn't like I remembered it being in Starkville in the 90s, but still, meeting the man was pretty cool.

Thanks Sewanna and Hannah for remembering me and setting up this little meet & greet through Jordan. I'll never forget it!

THE FAIR 2011

2011-07-31T23:48:00.000-05:00

How do I explain the Neshoba County Fair to someone who has never been? Like I heard this week, the fair is so many things to so many people. To kids it's the midway. To teenagers, it's young love (the old saying is if a relationship can make it through the fair, its made to last). To young adults, it's party hard. To the older generation, it's family, family, family.

So how do you explain the fair? You can't really. Its something you have to experience. Growing up and going to the fair produced alot of great memories for me. But as happens, life goes on and taking a week out of your life as an adult to go to the fair isn't as easy anymore. After graduating college, Brad and I moved out of state, and although I do remember leaving Louisiana late one night and arriving at the fairgrounds around midnight, (hey, right on time!) we didn't do that but once. Then the kiddos started arriving and the fair just wasn't a priority at that time in my life.

My desire to go back to the fair actually started last year. I was in Wal-Mart doing a little shopping and my cousin called me on my cell phone. I went to the dog food aisle (cuz I can't shop and talk at the same time) and stood there and talked to her. She was at the fair, and the sounds of the fairgrounds were all around her. I swear I could almost smell the sawdust through that phone! It was right then and there I knew I had to get back.

And I did. This year I loaded up my two kids, one whom had never been to the fair and the other whom was so young the last time he was there didn't remember anything but the smell of sawdust (whats up with the sawdust memories?)

Driving down Hwy. 21, I felt like a kid again. My stomach had butterflies just like it used to in the backseat of my aunt's car. She was my ride to and from the fairgrounds back then, and I never thought she was driving fast enough! Didn't she know I was in the backseat about to hyperventilate just thinking about all the fun I was about to have? Step on it lady!

Now I was that lady in the driver's seat. My two kids were started to get excited and nervous and to be honest, I was more nervous about finding a parking spot than anything. It had started to rain, and I wanted to park somewhere I could get out of when it was time. Luckily I found a good parking spot. It was on the grass, almost at the top of the hill, and near the gate we were entering. So far so good. We put on our rubber boots and off we went.

We got to the cabin and picked out our beds. The kids were thrilled to choose bunk beds although Poptart ended up in the bed with me. She now says I wouldn't let her sleep on the top bunk but that's not exactly true. After she climbed up and down the ladder about 25 times, I suggested she just get in the bed with me. She did and was asleep in no time.

I can't explain the fair to you any more than Brad can truly explain Alaska's beauty to me. It's just something you have to see.

This year was a big, no, HUGE political year at the fair. Politicians in Mississippi have said you cannot miss the Neshoba County Fair and expect to get elected. I missed all the political speeches, and that's the one thing I really wish I would've gotten to see, but they started early and on days we weren't there.

The horse races are another thing to see. The harness races, then running races, and even a few mule races. The harness races are my favorite to watch, and I have a few memories of my daddy at the fair watching the horse races. Here's a video I found on YouTube of a harness race:

After the horse races are over, something extraordinary happens. The chair race.

Lemme just go on record: I had no intention, and never even dreamed I would be in the chair race this year. Until my cousin Matthew came to the cabin in somewhat of a hurry grabbing a couple of chairs for him and his wife. And again, I knew I had to get back. Back to that adrenaline rush of the chair race. I started counting out lawn chairs I could find at the cabin, one for me, one for Gogurt, one for Poptart, one for Wendy, and one for the friend Wendy was bringing. Five chairs, that's alot for one person. Matthew offered to help, but he is a pro at the chair race and I didn't want to slow him down with my extra chairs. Hmmm, would Gogurt help?

I hurriedly explained the chair race, in the most positive light possible, and he agreed to do it. We threw on our rubber boots and went to the racetrack.

My heart was pounding - I couldn't believe I was doing this! Plus, I was having to worry about Gogurt too. I didn't want him to be hurt or scared, and as an old college buddy of mine who we ran into told him, "You don't have to outrun the person ahead of you, just all these people behind you." When that gate opens, you can't back out. You gotta go. Right then. It's craziness, I tell you. Neal McCoy, who watched the chair race from backstage, called us a bunch of "crazy*** rednecks" in his concert that night. Of course, he meant that as a compliment, and everyone in the crowd took it as such. But don't take his word for it - watch this video. Remember, this is not the actual chair race we were in. In fact, I think this is from last year, but this will give you an idea of what the chair race is. Matthew's wife did video the chair race we were in Thursday but for some reason when she emailed it to me, it didn't come through. So for now you will just have to watch this one:

The chair races were probably my favorite part of my fair experience this year. Its like nothing you will ever do anywhere else.

The question was posed to me this week if I thought I could stay at the fair for the entire week like I used to. Honestly, no, I don't think I could. I might could stay more than the 2 nights we did this year, but I don't think I could hang in there for all 8. I would want to go home for at least a night or two to get a good night's sleep and a good shower in my own bathroom.

Speaking of a good night's sleep, one morning I awoke around 7:30 a.m. which is extremely early for the fair. The only people up that early are old people or people with young children. I guess I fall into the latter category, but since my young children were still asleep, I just laid in bed enjoying the fact I had woke up at the fair and didn't have to get out of bed until I was good and ready. At 7:50 a.m. (I know cuz I looked at my phone) someone, yes, someone much, much younger than me, came to bed. For the night. Or should I say for the day. I couldn't help but grin and think, "only at the fair."

Overall, my 2011 fair experience was a good one. Got to see lots of family I don't normally see except at Thanksgiving, Christmas, a wedding, or a funeral. We ate lots of good food as well. But most importantly, I felt I was handing down a tradition to my kids, who are already asking to go back next year.

As I said in an earlier post, the fair is kind of a "farewell-to-summer celebration." Neshoba County schools start Thursday. However, my kids have all this week to rest up. They start school on Monday the 8th.

Thanks for reading and who knows, one of these days, I just might run into you at the fair.....

Another Painful Goodbye

2011-07-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

I posted a good while ago about losing our Blockbuster. Say goodbye to strolling the aisles and renting a movie.

Today there is another painful goodbye. To our Borders.

We have a Borders bookstore very close to our house. Not that long ago I had signed up for their e-mails and enjoyed their online coupons. Whenever my kids were invited to a birthday party, I watched for a half-off coupon from Borders, printed it, and bought the birthday kid a book. My own children, especially Gogurt, loved to go into Borders and shop around. He loves, loves, loves books so to walk into a bookstore was a kind of heaven to him.

I received an e-mail from Borders CEO the other day about fighting a good fight but having to close up shop anyway. That very same day, I started seeing the announcements on the news programs, "Borders to Close Their Doors."

Life as we know it is ending. No, I'm not just being dramatic about Borders, or Blockbuster either for that matter. I'm afraid there will come a time where no business is safe from the online competition. Blockbuster went belly-up because of their Netflix competition. Borders went the same way. Kindles, Amazon, etc., is the way of the future.

Well, I for one, think this STINKS.

TO HIGH HEAVEN.

We are headed to Borders later today to cash in on their 40% Closing Sale and to say goodbye yet again to one of our beloved stores.

I predict that many years down the road, when people are so stuck in their computers, relying on online stores for every single thing, that someone on the other side of the screen will have this wacky, radical idea. "What if? What if we took our business to the people, you know face-to-face, set up a storefront, and actually interacted with the customers?" To which he might get this response, "You know, that's the craziest idea I've ever heard, but it just might work."

Back At Home

2011-07-25T10:11:00.000-05:00

Brad is home from Alaska safe and sound! He was really tired but managed to stay up a couple of hours to talk with me and the kids and give us some souvenirs he had bought. Then he said a sweet hello to his CPAP and went deep into dreamland. I felt bad that he had to get up at 6 a.m. to go back to work, but you can't put off reality forever I guess.

I'm not sure if Brad was going to post again about his trip after he got home, but if he doesn't, I want to say thank you to everyone who followed along and read about his trip. To all of you who prayed for their safety and to all of you who offered to be here in a jiffy if I needed anything while my hubby was gone, Thank You. It really means alot to know I've got so many people looking out for me!

Parting Kotz Shots!

2011-07-23T02:33:00.000-05:00

The Final Day in Kotzebue

2011-07-23T01:52:00.000-05:00

Well, this is it. The final day in the Kotz. It has been possibly the busiest yet. We woke this morning and started back on our wall repair work. We took out a rotten piece of wood and replaced it with new, replaced "studs" that we had removed, and started cleaning up a little. While we waited for John to pick up the insulation for the wall, I did something I hate and never dreamed I'd do in Kotzebue. Weedeat!

After the weedeating was done, Ronnie and I got down to installing the insulation.

After finishing the insulation, we added strips of ripped plywood to the studs to make the surface level for the sheet rock and then added a layer of plastic.

After the plastic, we placed the new cabinets and countertop. Although we didn't officially finish the project, I feel like we got alot accomplished for two amateurs.

After the work was completed, we had dinner and got to ride ATV's on the beach. Probably the highlight of the trip for me. I'll post some of those pics later. For now, I'm going to bed, because I'm headed home in the morning.

Can you spot what doesn't belong?

2011-07-22T02:14:00.001-05:00

Do you remember the old kids magazine Highlights? Each issue would contain a section that had a picture featuring items that did not belong, and you had to circle the items. I personally enjoyed those games and activities, so I thought I might offer up one for you to enjoy too.

In the picture below, can you spot the item that doesn't belong?

The Bridge To Nowhere

2011-07-22T02:03:00.000-05:00

The first night we were here in Kotzebue, John and Terri took us around the town showing us the sights and giving us a little background into the area. During our tour, we came to a bridge. John began to tell us that this is the bridge where most of the towns suicides occur, usually by hanging from the underside. As we crossed the bridge, Terri told us that they had claimed the bridge for Christ and she began to pray over the bridge. She prayed for safety and freedom from the enemy in Kotzebue, especially on the bridge.

This has been the most somber moment of this trip. The reality of the darkness that grips this world once again came flooding in. While we have not really been here for evangelistic purposes, this one moment of trip reminded me, and hopefully you too, that we should go and tell. Just like Christ commanded us to. We are all on a "bridge to nowhere" without His touch, His grace, His salvation. If you don't know the power of Jesus salvation, I pray you'll contact us. Contact someone that is a Christian, a Pastor, someone that can lead you to Him. You won't be sorry, I promise.

By the way, there have been no suicides on that bridge this year. Lets pray that it stays that way.

Misc. Kotz Shots 2

2011-07-22T01:36:00.000-05:00

Just for you Nana

Wednesday and Thursday in Kotzebue

2011-07-22T00:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we went back to Ruth's house and installed a faucet and a few electrical outlets. This was actually probably the easiest tasks we had tackled so far. But after a little bit, we had her all wired and water flowing in the faucet.

We also finished the demolition of the wall and pulled out the old screws and staples in preparation for the sealer.

Today (Thursday) we started putting together the new cabinets for the area we are repairing. Ronnie was the master craftsman, while I applied the sealer to the wall.

And the sealer, well lets just say it was nasty!

After this, we went back to Ruth's and finished the clothes line. After dinner at the local Bayside (the best Kung Pao Chicken ever), Ronnie and I road the ATV around town and did a little sightseeing. More of those pics later. But the past two days have been hard work, but very fulfilling. All in all as we near the end, a great experience. One I won't soon forget.

Price Check Aisle 3

2011-07-20T22:22:00.000-05:00

Lay's Stax

Coffee Maker

Gallon of milk

Washing Powder

Oil

Tuesday in the Kotz

2011-07-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today, we went back to Aggie's house to finish painting. We finished the small porch, the trim got two coats of white, and we finished up with a coat of black on a few miscellaneous spots.

After finishing up there, we headed to Ruth's house to shore up her clothes line.

This is Ruth and Olivia:

This turned out to be a bigger task than expected. We had to remove the top of the clothes line and then remove the new(old) poles that were leaning. After removing the old poles, we proceeded to make the holes deeper with everyone's favorite tool, the post hole digger!

Things were going great until we hit water, then gravel and water, and then no more digging with the post hole diggers. So Ruth went inside and pulled out a small boiler and we proceeded to dig out the remainder of the rock, mud, water combo that is soil here.

After much water and rock, we got to our desired depth, set our poles and called it a day.

All in all another beautiful day and quite productive too. Hopefully, the trend will continue. Until next time.....

Misc. Kotz Shots

2011-07-19T11:49:00.001-05:00

A painting inside FBC Kotzebue

Genuine Dog sled

Dragonfly.....mosquitos just a bit smaller, but not much!

Another reason why people drive ATV's everywhere up here!

Price Check Aisle 2

2011-07-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

20 oz. diet coke

I love this sign! Low Price Leader, yeah right!

Monday in Kotz

2011-07-19T11:25:00.000-05:00

Ronnie and I had a great day. We worked hard, but we also got alot accomplished. We started the morning with breakfast and then we were off with John to visit two ladies in the area. The first house needed some plumbing work and a clothes line repair. The other lady had some painting, wood to be replaced on her house, a planter to be reattached to the house and her clothes line also needed some attention.

So after consulting with the two ladies, we returned to the church and gathered our supplies and returned to the second house to start the painting. The weather was perfect: 50 degrees with a slight breeze and full sunshine! So Ronnie and I set to our work.

We started with the painting. A previous missions team started the project so we only had to finish it. We scraped the old paint off, applied a coat of Kilz, and painted these windows, some trim, and a few miscellaneous spot around the house. Next we turned our "amazing construction skills" :) to reattaching the planter! During the winter, the snowfall was so great that the planter was politely removed from its place. Man was this thing heavy....thus the number of supports underneath it.

We followed this up with the clothes line repair. We took out an old brace, loosened the cords and we tilted it over. Once it was over we braced it down and shimmed it up to keep in place. We added a couple of braces and we were done.

After good lunch of hamburgers, we went back to the house and added some boards to the edge of the house which had just arrived from Anchorage. We also scraped a few more spots on her shed next to the house while the Kilz coat dried on the boards.

All in all alot was accomplished there. We will be back today, weather permitting, to finish the painting.

We also started the work on the wall at the church. We began the demo phase and got alot accomplished there as well. We will be doing alot more here as we continue throughout the week.

Well since pics are so slow to load here I'll end there and do more later....

Sunday in Alaska

2011-07-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was of course Sunday. And Ronnie and I had the chance to see how FBC Kotzebue does their worship services. Sunday school started at 10 am. Three classes in all. Kids, youth, and adults. We probably had close to 20 in our class and it was a really good class. A lot less energetic and loud as our class- I mean that in a loving way :)- but good nonetheless. A young man named Jake taught the class and we were talking about freedom in Christ (Jake is the local wrestling coach, apparently wrestling is as big as football at home).

After Sunday School, we started the service at 11:15 local time. We sang several praise and worship songs being led by Tammy, the associate/youth pastor's wife. This is where the difference in our two churches begins. Apparently they have no pianist. So the praise and worship songs were done via projector and a special DVD they purchased with the music and words running like a power point slide presentation. Great songs, beautiful videos in background.....and very worshipful. After those three songs, we had a fellowship time. This lasted quite sometime. It reminded me a lot of the church Amy and I were married in during fellowship time. Everyone moved and everyone was greeted. Everyone. So it was nice and got to meet some nice people. We even met a man from Columbus, MS who is up here building a seawall and road. Mississippi is everywhere!

After the fellowship, John Forrester got up and we did praise and prayer request time. It was really nice to hear people talk about what good things were happening in their lives and even the not so good things they needed help with. For instance, a native woman named Minnie had just returned from Anchorage where she had been hospitalized for several weeks. She got up and praised Him for His goodness, thanked the people for praying and then she sang a hymn....not sure the name but it was really nice. And then she sang a verse in her native tongue. That was simply amazing to me. I have no idea what she said or even what language that was, but it was obviously worshipful and pretty.

After this time of prayer and praise, we sang a couple more songs out of the Baptist Hymnal a capella. Yeah no music. It was nice though (sorry Amy). Different but good. Then John gave his message. It was a very evangelistic message out of Romans. Very good sermon followed by the traditional invitation, again a capella. We ended around 12:30ish.

All in all a good service. I always enjoy seeing how others "do church". Well, getting hungry so I'll leave off here. More soon.....

Price Check on Aisle 1

2011-07-18T09:34:00.000-05:00

Ronnie and I were eating dinner last night (grilled cheese and chips) when he noticed something quite interesting......please note the price tag on this family size bag of doritos. And no that is not a type-o!
And oh yeah, the only gas pump we saw yesterday the price was $6.65 a gallon for regular. Now let me all hear you say it.......WOW! Yep shocking I know. More to come....see ya soon.

We are FINALLY here!

2011-07-17T11:47:00.000-05:00

Hello from the Arctic. Ronnie and I have finally arrived and actually got to sleep a little last night. And as Ronnie said, "I just couldn't find my spot." Ditto that. But at least we did sleep even without my CPAP.

Just a quick recount of the day or should I say eternity?! We left Jacktown around 6 am Central Time. Next stop Atlanta. And despite my fears we had absolutly no problems (or so I thought). Now the long leg on to Seattle was next, and wow what a demolisher. I haven't felt like that in a while. It was like I was a boxing match with George Forman, and he was winning! Anyway, we survived and made it to Seattle. Now the previous two trips to Seattle Airport were stop at one terminal let people off, add a few more and the off to Anchorage. However, this year we had to change carriers and wow what a trek across Washington state. As John Forrester would later tell us, Delta's terminal is in Tacoma and Alaska's terminal is in Seattle. Quite a trip down stairs, up and down escalators and two trams and voila our new terminal. I promise if you'd had to walk that it would have been at least 2 to 3 miles. But we made it. And on to Anchorage (John had joined us in the airport for the last leg) and on to Kotzebue. Quite a long day I must say....lots of headaches and bodyaches but we arrived safely.

At the Kotzebue airport, we got off and met Teri and John Mark Forrester and stood and waited for our luggage. And we waited. And we waited and we waited. And oh there's my bad, whew! And we waited some more, but no sign of Ronnie's bag!!!! NOOOOOOO! 3000 miles away and no clothes?! Yuck. Luckily, John was friends with the Alaska rep in the airport and she quickly got on the job. Come to find out Ronnie's bag never got on the plane in Atlanta?! And was currently in route via another set of planes up to Kotzebue. And at 8am local time we have finally been reunited with the long lost bag. I guess it liked Atlanta.....it probably wanted to eat at the Varsity!

Anyway....we had a nice dinner at a local restaurant and off to bed we went. And so now I leave you with the latest pics and off to church we will go. See ya soon.

The Wayward Bag has returned.

Russia is about 250 Miles that way.

Snow Mobiles.

FBC Kotzebue

MORE TO COME.......

The Next Few Weeks

2011-07-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

I'm still here - and if any of my readers are, bless you for sticking with me during this "posting drought" of mine. I don't really have an excuse, but I can say that I just haven't had that much to say. I'm sure you don't want to read about our day in - day out life experiences when they consist of sleeping, eating, watching TV, sibling rifts, typing, etc. Exciting stuff.

We are in VBS this week so that has kept us busy enough. And Brad leaves Saturday morning bright and early for Alaska. Please check back in every day next week for updates as I'm assuming my hubby will post from Kotzebue, AK, like he has in the past from Kodiak. I know he is taking his laptop, but I haven't specifically asked him if he plans on blogging. But maybe this will suffice as my asking?

I hate to even say this but school is just around the bend. However, there's still some fun left to be had - I have decided to take my kids to the Neshoba County Fair this year. No, Brad is not going. Too hot and too crowded and too socially active for him. That's alright, it's his choice. I, on the other hand, am soooo looking forward to it - it's been a few years since I've been. I guess you can call it a reunion of sorts - my cousin Wendy will be there also. We grew up going to the fair together. For a week we were inseparable, and made lots and lots of good memories together. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of reminiscing! Of course, I realize it will not quite be the same. I'm bringing 2 kids in tow and she will have her 2-year-old son with her. So other than both being mothers now I'm sure we haven't changed a bit! But FYI Wendy if you are reading this - you will not, and I repeat, will not get me on the Zipper this year.....

After the fair it will be time to start buying school supplies. I've noticed Wal-Mart already has them out. For those over-achiever moms. Hehe.

Well that's our next few weeks in a nutshell.

Hope you guys have had a great summer. Enjoy what's left!!!

Top Ten Things I Love About Summer

2011-06-23T07:50:00.000-05:00

In no particular order:

My kids sleep late. This particular summer something has come over my kids and they are sleeping until at least 9 am and sometimes even later than that. Granted, they are staying up later than they do on school nights, but they've never slept this late on a regular basis, ever.

I only work one job. Preschool is out therefore transcribing is my only job (well, the only job I get paid for) during the summer. Being home all day to type at my leisure cuts my stress level in half, probably more than half.

The heat. I know, the kind of heat we've had lately is not enjoyable, but I'm talking about just regular summertime warmth. I love the fact that we can go outside without layering our clothing, putting on a coat, or wearing shoes.

The spontaneity. During the school year, we are in a "routine." I am not here to tell you routines are bad, I for one, thrive on them. And by the time school rolls around again I will be yearning for a routine. But for now, the spontaneity is refreshing. Yesterday, for example, because there was no good reason not to, we watched a movie (My Dog Skip) and ate popcorn in the very middle of the day. Other days it might be a spontaneous trip to the library, the fountain to splash around and cool off, or the more rare but oh so enjoyable trip to Baskin Robbins. (They owe me a strawberry milkshake by the way, the last time I went, they were out of strawberry ice cream, can you believe it?!?)

The company. When this week is over, we will have had two nights where we had a guest over for dinner. Remember when we first moved into this house I said my goal was to open up my home and be more hospitable? I'm trying! Of course, the majority of our company in the summertimes is children, and that's fun too.

Fruit. I love to sit on my backporch swing and eat an orange, or a peach, or strawberries in the heat of summer.

Lemonade. See above.

More time to read. Just finished a book titled "Look Again" by Lisa Scottoline. I had never read a book like that - it was a mystery I guess you'd say, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Watching Price Is Right with my kids. Once they do drag their lazy tails out of bed, we enjoy watching Price Is Right together. It's good wholesome TV, which is lacking these days, and we love trying to guess the answers. Of course, watching people act like goofballs is an added bonus.

Water. The sprinkler, the water hose, the fountain in front of Penney's, the pools in our friend's backyards, and water balloon fights. Nothin' says summer like playing in the water.

Enjoy your summer, my friend!

Is This True For Your Town?

2011-06-17T08:47:00.000-05:00

We don't watch movies that much, but every now and then we will get the bug. Poptart and I are the biggest movie fans in our family. There's just something about a "family movie night" with popcorn, M&M's, and Coke in the comfort of your living room.

We were to have such a night last weekend but alas it wasn't to be. Already having checked the free movies available through Comcast, we decided we would go rent one the "old-fashioned way."

We made the drive to Blockbuster. We are making the longer drive to Blockbuster because our Movie Gallery left town several months ago.

When we first moved to this thriving little suburb of our capital city, there were 3 movie rental stores. One left soon after we arrived (can't remember its name, but I do not think it was a major chain) so that left Movie Gallery and Blockbuster. Movie Gallery was closest to us so that's the one we visited most often.

On one of those visits, after parking and walking halfway to the door, I realized the building was completely empty. Gone.   Apparently, Movie Gallery filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closed all their stores.

So that left us Blockbuster. A little farther drive but we had no choice.

On that particular night last week when we drove to Blockbuster, we were greeted by a big banner with "Closing Sale" written on it. What?!? They're leaving us too? We went in anyway and shopped around (they are selling all their movies for pretty cheap).

So let's do the math.

      3 movie rental stores here
-    3 movie rental stores gone
________________________
     0 movie rental stores left

Apparently I didn't realize how "old-fashioned" it was to go to a movie rental store like Blockbuster! I read online and found out that there are still some Blockbuster's open but they are seriously downsizing and considering putting in kiosks at different stores (i.e. Redbox). Well, I guess that could work.

What else could work is going to the theater, for cheap, which is what we are doing next Friday night for the Cars 2 premiere! Groupon had a Fandango coupon for $4 movie tickets. I snatched two of them up quick as I could. Then, believe it or not, Brad called in to a radio station to identify an audio clip from a movie, and won 2 free tickets to the movies! So now all 4 of us can go to the movies for $8 bucks! If only I could find a cheap way to buy popcorn.......

But what will we do when we don't "win" tickets to a movie? I know, I know, there's Netflix, Redbox, Comcast, Hulu, etc.,etc., blah, blah. But aren't you gonna miss walking the aisles of your local movie store covering your children's eyes so they can't see the explicit/graphic/gruesome covers on the shelves? Okay, maybe I won't miss that part.

A Song For Your Weekend

2011-06-10T14:33:00.000-05:00

I haven't shared any music with y'all in a while, and this one definitely struck a chord with me. Just this past Tuesday night while having dinner at a couple's home, we made plans to bring the kids back out there to fish in their pond. And then by chance, I saw this video, sniff, sniff, where's the Kleenex...?

BTW, an interesting but sad note is that the house featured in this video is Trace Adkins' home, the one that burned just this week. You can read about the house fire here.

Ahhh, Now I Feel Better

2011-06-02T09:43:00.000-05:00

At Hannah's graduation party, we watched some home movies of her when she was younger. We enjoyed watching them, so much so it got me thinking.

Did I even know where all my home movies were located, especially after the move?

I knew I had plenty of video of Gogurt - he's the first born - they always have more pictures and videos, right? (and I know this because I am a second born, first picture of me is my high school graduation photo. Nah, just kidding!)

I also knew that Gogurt's home videos were on VHS. And yes, we still have and use our VCR. So I felt confident that at any time the mood struck me I could pop in a tape and watch my son being born (not the actual birth, of course, just the before and after).

It was Poptart - my second born - that I was concerned about. In fact, I became somewhat obsessed with the notion that my daughter would grow up without any video she could just "pop" in and watch. What would that do to her emotional wellbeing? It would scar her forever and ever I just know it.

The story is somewhat complicated, but I know you are interested so I will tell you.

We had a nice-for-the time video camera when Poptart was born. Sometime after her 1st birthday party, the camera decided to hold our tape hostage. It wouldn't pop the tape out. Panic. My child's entire 1st year was on that tape. (A year on one tape, I didn't video my second-born much). Brad finally got the tape out of the video camera but in the process had to practically destroy the camera.

Whew. At least I had the tape safe and sound.

When we bought our new video camera, it would not play back the tape. Which meant we had a tape of Poptart's first year, but we could not watch it in any form or fashion. So we just kept the tape.

So when my obsession began about getting all my home videos in a "watchable" format, my mind immediately went to that specific tape and how we just had to get it transferred somehow.

Brad went to Best Buy and bought software to transfer VHS tapes to DVD. It was a little expensive but when compared to how much we would pay for a professional to transfer all our tapes, it was considerably cheaper to do it ourselves.

He spent several nights transferring our old home movies to his laptop then from his laptop to a DVD. It was a very satisfying feeling to know these memories would be preserved.

But there was still that one tape.

I looked up and found a "video man" in our town. I called him, took him the tape, and within 2 hours he had a DVD for me. Yay!

I made the 15 minute drive to his office and when he popped it in, I immediately noticed he had left off the 'h' at the end of my daughter's name. He felt horrible, volunteered to do it all over again for me, but I was desperate to watch it so I told him it would be okay, no big deal. He knocked off over $5 dollars of the cost he had originally quoted me. (If you are in the Brandon area and need any videos transferred, Ted at Video Images will be glad to help you....)

We came home and after I finished my typing and fed the clan dinner, we sat down to watch it. I had not seen that footage in at least 5 years, and to say it was sweet wouldn't even come close to describing it. Seeing Poptart and the rest of our family in the hospital when she was born, those images of her crawling, learning to walk, and belly-laughing at her silly brother, well, those images are priceless to me.

Now that this little project is over and all of our home videos are on organized, labeled DVDs, I can sleep better at night. Seriously.

Speaking of sleep, I dreamed I had a baby last night. Yikes!

Trail of Honor 2011

2011-05-30T15:18:00.022-05:00

Last year a neighborhood friend of ours told us about going to the Trail of Honor. At that time I had no idea what he was talking about but made a mental note to find out more about it.

Of course, I forgot about it over the course of the year, but luckily saw a commercial for it. I immediately got online and found out some more information. We made plans to go and ended up not just going one day but two days!

Never heard of the Trail of Honor? Here's what I know:

Hundreds of motorcyclists (some starting in California) ride across the country in route to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. They ride in honor of POWs and MIAs. Along their route, they schedule different stops.

Fortunately, one of their stops is in Jackson. Sponsored by Harley-Davidson, the Trail of Honor is almost right in our backyard.

We went not knowing what to expect really. But we knew with all the Army played in our house and all the camo worn in our family, somebody (namely Gogurt of course) would enjoy this look back at our military's history.

Another reason we were going is for Brad to ride in a Huey. Unlike myself, my husband and children tend to enjoy their feet off the ground, not me, I prefer solid terra firma underneath my feet! So off we went, to get Brad a flight and along the way figure out what this Trail was all about.

We parked in a parking lot a couple of miles away and was shuttled to the Harley-Davidson store. We were let off at the front door. When we entered the store we browsed by each table, picking up free Mississippi magnets, coloring books, and various other items they were giving away. There were veterans there telling their stories and at one table there was a light machine gun you could pick up and hold. The boys were drawn to the tables with guns and artillery, especially the ones they could actually handle. I was always sure to point out the "Do Not Touch" signs on a few tables right as they would be reaching for it. Please, please do not pick up and then drop an original Civil War gun-thing. Please, please.

After seeing the inside, we went out the back door and started on the Trail. Well, we actually went the wrong way and was beginning at the end. I overheard a worker-guy say something about this being the end of the trail and we asked where the beginning was. So we had to backtrack and walk back to where we were. None of us had seen the sign and arrow, "Start Trail Here." We saw it this time, and we started the trail.

The very first thing was a turkey shoot. For $10 you can shoot a BB gun at a target. Everyone who shoots gets a free flag. A big one! You can choose between a Mississippi flag or a US flag.

Right down from there started the French and Indian War. You could stop and talk to him, in character, and he would tell you about this war, his weapons, and their living conditions. Walk on from there and you will see another re-enactment from another war, and so on and so on. The trail winds through the woods and it takes about 2 hours if you stop and see everything and hear all the stories. You will hear cannons going off, pistols being shot, and at times you actually feel like you are walking through a different time.

In addition to the trail, they have exhibitions going on in the front of the building throughout the day. We saw the attack boat from the Special Boat Team 22. They shot all their guns and that was the loudest thing I had ever heard in my life. I can't imaging being on the water seeing them coming toward me. I would surrender in a millisecond!

There was a parachute demonstration that was really amazing - the guys jumped out of a plane, had red smoke shooting out of their packs, flags waving, going in and out of sight, then all landing within a 10 feet radius of each other. How do they do that?

After seeing the Boat demonstration, we entered the Trail where we had left off to finish up the Trail before getting Brad's Huey ride. We saw the Vietnam display, which was by far the best in my opinion (and yes, I am a proud daughter of a Vietnam Vet). The traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall was touching to say the least. We saw Desert Storm and the current day battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. We emerged from the Trail with one excited dude ready to climb aboard the Huey.

When we topped the hill, we saw no helicopters however. Just lots of horses. Yes, horses. They were getting ready for a Cavalry demonstration and the helicopters were gone. Uh-oh.

Brad literally ran, well, almost ran, to the Sky Soldiers table to get more information. They were gone as well. Nothing. Brad was dejected and went to get in line to catch our shuttle. I went inside to ask a few questions.

Earlier, someone had said the helicopter rides were only Saturday and Sunday. We were there on Sunday. Someone else said they would be doing helicopter rides on Monday. I needed to know for sure. Someone inside told me yes, they would be doing helicopter rides the next day. After making him promise, almost in blood, that if we made the trip back out there just for a helicopter ride, that my husband would indeed get a helicopter ride. Yes, the helicopter would be there.

The next morning we called just in case. Yes, the helicopter was indeed there so we headed out one more time. Parked in the parking lot, rode the shuttle, except this time when they let us out at the front door, we weren't allowed in. They were preparing for the hundreds and hundreds of motorcyclists who were about to arrive. Oh, wow, perfect timing! We sat on the hillside (after signing Brad up for a Huey ride of course) and watched the procession of motorcycles come in. I've never seen or heard that many motorcycles in one place. It was quite a sight! Brad couldn't get his ride until all the motorcycles arrived because the helicopters were escorting them.

After that was all over, Brad finally got to ride in the Huey. He said it was amazing and well worth the wait/second trip - I'll take his word for it.

We left knowing that this would be an annual tradition for our family. And if you've never checked it out, I can guarantee you it will be well worth your time.

Here are some pictures from our day(s) on the Trail:

(This is an Apache...apparently a very rare helicopter to see in person. My boys almost wet their pants when they saw this flying in and landing. I overheard someone say if it had been raining anywhere in the world that day, the Apache couldn't have come. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but it is a very, very cool piece of machinery to see up close. The pilot talked to Gogurt. His advice for flying one of these one day? Make good grades!)

Class of 2011

2011-05-24T07:32:00.000-05:00

Friday night was Hannah's graduation ceremony. And as if we weren't proud enough, she goes and wins this:

....the outstanding senior award - given in memory of a NCHS student who was taken by a car accident several years ago. The family gives a monetary scholarship to the student who is chosen to receive this award. Another thing that makes this award so special is that the recipient is chosen by the teachers based upon grades, citizenship, and overall personality. So Hannah was chosen out of a class of approx 170. Could it get any better than that?!?!?

The proud grandparents.....

and parents......

and sister......smile, Rebekah, you're next!

But Before That, This

2011-05-20T12:51:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Brad and I were told of an opportunity to help spread the word about Operation Christmas Child at a Gaither Concert. We would be working together at the booth giving out brochures, pens, refrigerator magnets, etc. while encouraging people that may be familiar with the ministry to become a year-round volunteer and encouraging those who had never packed a shoebox to pack one this year!

With the busyness of this week, I knew this was coming up but had not really stopped to give it much thought. My thoughts have been on the out-of-town trip this weekend (today actually) to my niece's graduation/graduation party. But before that, this:

When we were asked to work at the OCC booth, we wondered if we would be able to hear the concert from our booth. Ummm, yes. We were not sitting at our booth listening to the concert as we imagined we would be. We were inside, attending the concert, and good grief, what a concert it was!

Hard to believe, but this is the first time either Brad or I have ever seen Bill Gaither in person. (And when I saw the price on the ticket, I know why!) When the concert started, I have to admit I wasn't expecting much. I guess I had the image of a bunch of older people sitting around the stage singing Kum Ba Yah (Gaither is 75 years old ya know). I couldn't have been more wrong!

In fact, I wasn't even sure we'd see the Gaithers. I figured they would start with lesser known singers then work their way up to the Gaithers at the very end. We had already decided to leave after intermission was over because both of our kiddos were at a friend's house and we did not want to impose too late into the night. So, whatever they did before intermission would be all we got to see, and really, I didn't expect to see much.

When the lights came up, Bill Gaither himself was standing on stage. So much for waiting until the end. He was basically the "host" for the night. Artists would come out, sing, talk to Bill, then more would come out, then the Gaither Vocal Band stayed on stage until intermission.

There was some unbelievably talented people there. David Phelps is unreal, Mark Lowery is the comic relief, and Michael English was very, very good too! Of course, what do you say about Bill Gaither? To think I was looking at the man who wrote songs like, "There's Something About That Name," "Because He Lives," "Family Of God," and "The Longer I Serve Him." Whoa and double Whoa. Then you look over at goofball Mark Lowery and realized he wrote, "Mary Did You Know?" Triple Whoa.

The Martins were there and since our booth was right next to theirs, I couldn't help but asking for a picture! This group has perhaps the best harmony of any group I've ever heard.....

Here's to Samaritan's Purse who allowed us to have tickets to a concert we otherwise would not have had! Invite us back anytime!!!!

One Down One To Go

2011-05-16T10:29:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday I graduated my little kiddos from preschool and shooed them out into the world hopefully ready for "big school." It went well as far as preschool graduations go. We only had one kid whose hat absolutely would not fit on his head. He balanced it pretty well down the aisle and while on stage, but when he reached out to receive his diploma from me, it fell. He caught his hat and grabbed his diploma all at the same time.

I was graduating both classes by myself because my teaching partner/friend was not able to be there. She usually does her class, then I do my class, but this year I was doing it all solo. She had a good excuse for missing it though. She was in the hospital having her baby girl! We'll never forget this year's graduation/birthday that's for sure!

Now that the Class of 2011 Preschool Graduation is behind me, I can start looking forward to the next graduation, the one I will attend Friday night.

My niece is graduating from high school, and Friday night is her big night.

To say her family is proud of her is an understatement. She has grown up into a responsible, mature, hard-working, sweet, beautiful young lady.

It's hard to believe she's about to spread her wings and leave the nest - but rest easy y'all, she's a Bulldog now!

See ya this weekend - we can't wait!

Fire at the Fair

2011-05-10T17:25:00.003-05:00

Every year since I was about 10 years old, I would pack up and move out of my house to my "home away from home" for a week at the end of July/beginning of August. My aunt and uncle has a cabin at the Neshoba County Fairgrounds, and my mother trusted them completely to look after me for for the duration.

I never remember my mother lamenting over the fact that someone might harm me while I was there, that I might get lost, homesick, lonely, or anything of the sort.

What I do remember her saying is, "What if there's a fire?" "Do you realize how fast it would spread from cabin to cabin?"

Of course, I didn't give it a second thought and year after year went on without a worry in my mind. Of course, as you get older you do start worrying about things such as this, but for the thousands of fairgoers, the fairgrounds seem to be a haven of protection from crime (well, except the fights that break out really late at night) and Mother Nature (well, except for the annual rainfall that make playing football in the middle of the racetrack a muddy, fun mess).

This week my mother's nightmare happened, somewhat. There was a fire, but thankfully not during fair week. What if it had been during the fair? I can't let my mind go there, and I'm sure you understand why.

For more pictures of the fire, visit the Clarion-Ledger's website.

Again, A Day Late

2011-05-09T08:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day and for the first time since I've been a "grown-up" I cooked for my mother on Mother's Day.

My parents made the hour-or-so drive to our town and attended church with us. Then we came home and had lunch together.

I'm not all that confident in my cooking, but I guess all-in-all it went okay, even if my dessert was a box of Blue Bunny Ice Cream Bars.

My family made it a terrific day for me as well. I received a super-sweet handprint/poem Poptart made at school, a bag of M&M's in a card from my hubby, and a couple of handmade cards the kids made at church. Gogurt's had the following inscription:

Thank you for:

feeding me
loving me
teaching me about Jesus and,
feeding me! and,
feeding me!

You're welcome son, but I can't wait until you are of legal age to get a job and help with the grocery bill.

I heard on the radio the results of a survey. When moms were asked what they wanted for Mother's Day, candy, flowers, etc. did not top the list. The #1 answer was "well-behaved kids!"

I had to remind my two of this a couple of times last night.

Even though I am once again a day late, Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers!

We're So Over It

2011-05-02T08:50:00.000-05:00

It's time. We can all feel it. There's no denying it. It's definitely time.

I was determined for my two kiddos not to be running after the bus frantically waving their arms this morning. We would be good little kiddos and be waiting for the bus instead of chasing the bus. (No, I've never let my kids actually chase the bus, but I think you get the feeling I'm trying to portray here).

Our mornings as of late have become somewhat hectic, even more than usual. Before Poptart began Kindergarten this year, all I had to do was get Gogurt up and out the door. He was so easy. We would sleep until 6:30 and at 6:45 he was walking out the door completely dressed, fed, with clean teeth and hair.

Adding another child to the morning routine was a bit difficult, especially I think, because this extra child happens to be female. At the beginning of the year, we were diligent. Picking out our clothes , laying out our backpacks, writing lunch money checks, signing any papers that needed signing, etc., etc. This was all done the night before.

Somehow in the last few weeks, I've/we've gotten off track. We're struggling in the mornings just to get out of bed and once we are out of bed, the real fun begins. Finding shoes seems to be an ongoing issue in our house. Poptart never likes the clothes I pick out for her and even in her sleeping stupor through squinted eyes can let me know that under no circumstances will she be wearing that to school today. Even Gogurt, who has always been the easy ones in the mornings, has begun to whine about going to school. "It's almost over....it's almost over," I keep saying.

I have 2 weeks left of preschool, and I'm ecstatic about that. We are meeting at a water park the day before graduation for our end-of-the-year party. So if I leave off that day and graduation day, I technically only have 4 days left of school!

Brad's last day of class is today, and I don't think he's ever been happier for a semester to come to an end.

The kids have approximately 3 weeks left. Then they can sleep as late as they want (but I guarantee you the first week of summer vacation they will be up bright eyed at 6:15 a.m., ugh)

I accomplished my goal this morning. Both kids were standing on the curb waiting nicely for the bus. No running out the door, no yelling back to me, "Mommmmaaa, I neeeed lunnnch monnneeyy!"

I just hope the bus driver noticed how together we were this morning. 'Cuz it might not happen again until August.

Philadelphia Tornado

2011-04-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

This is a tornado that went through my hometown of Philadelphia, MS. If you look at the very, very beginning, the building to the left behind the trees is where my dad worked for many, many years. The road that turns to the left is the way home.

Thankfully, my mother, who had been in town, made the decision to go home instead of stopping for a bite to eat. She was approximately 10 to 15 minutes ahead of the tornado, on that exact road. She made it home without incident. Also thankfully, my sister's house, which is only a few miles from there, sustained no damage.

I'm amazed by weather and what mother nature can do, but this video gives me the creeps. I guess because I know exactly where it is, and my friends, it's a little too close for comfort.

Our prayers to those who have lost loved ones in this outbreak of tornadoes.

Congratulations

2011-04-26T20:36:00.001-05:00

A big heartfelt congrats out to my cousin and her husband for the birth of their first child, Brady Luke, born in Meridian, MS, on April 26th.

You guys will make wonderful, wonderful ~~sleep-deprived~~ parents!

Hope to see all 3 of you real soon!

A Day Late

2011-04-25T09:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter!

Yes, I know I am a day late, but I wasn't near my computer yesterday. We spent the afternoon at my parent's house, and it was a very relaxing few hours. Just what we all needed.

I really hope your Easter was wonderful!

Repairman

2011-04-22T10:01:00.001-05:00

Do you ever think back to when you and your spouse were first dating? Or maybe when you first became a parent? And do you ever laugh at your own stupidity? Or ask yourself, "How in the world did we ever make it?"

We often laugh about the time Brad changed the windshield wipers on my car. We had not been dating long, and I suppose he wanted to help me out in the "manly" car repair stuff, so he took me to Wal-Mart and bought the windshield wipers. Sitting in the parking lot of the Starkville Wal-Mart he began putting them on. He worked, and worked, and worked some more, but those stubborn wiper blades just would not cooperate. (This was also one of the first times I witnessed my future husband's frustration level reached. I remember sitting in the car wishing he would just give up, hoping no one was watching this, and praying a drought would come to our area. He finally got them on but everytime I used them, the right blade would slide out slowly. In order for me not to totally lose the blade, I would have to stop and push the blade back in in the rain. Yes, we laugh about that now!

Oh my, how far he has come! In the past few years, my hubby has progressed from changing tires to his latest venture, changing his starter. He and his father fixed the brakes on his truck, and he recently changed the alternator on my car. (Albeit, I do have a belt that squeaks rather loudly now and again since he changed it but I have no doubt he'll get around to fixing that too one day).

What about his frustration level? Wellll, that still gets reached but I have to admit not as quickly. I have noticed a pattern though. He works and works, reaches a point where he feels he has totally messed up the entire workings under the hood and will have to roll the vehicle into the Reservoir, comes inside, sleeps on it, wakes up the next morning with the revelation of what was done wrong, and has it fixed in about an hour. That is the pattern I have noticed.

This week he changed the starter in his truck. It wasn't pleasant, and at times I wanted to call a tow truck and let the professionals handle it, but in the end he figured it all out and now his truck is cranking quickly and easily.

I wish I could say tinkering under the hood is his "hobby," but it would be an untruth. The truth is he has learned from necessity. Financial necessity.

Whatever the reason for doing it, I'm proud of him.

Yes, he's come a long way since those first set of windshield wipers!

We Went Out Last Night

2011-04-15T09:42:00.000-05:00

A week or so ago the teachers from the preschool went to a local hibachi grill for lunch. It had been a looonnngg time since I had been there and had forgotten how much fun it could be, not to mention the excellent food.

So right then and there I decided that I wanted to bring the fam back to eat there and see the kids reaction to the flaming onion tower, etc.

Last night was one of those nights when I really didn't feel up to cooking and despite e-mealz, didn't feel that prepared either, so I suggested we go out to eat. I ran the idea of the hibachi by Brad, and he was up for it. We didn't tell the kids where we were going - I think we did say something like, "It's not Wendy's."

We arrived and sat down at the table with another nice young couple. At first, Poptart was on the edge emotionally. The more our chef-guy rhythmically banged his utensils on the table the more her face became serious. It was obvious to me before long that he was trying his best to make her smile, but I wanted to warn him that that is a delicate balance with Poptart. I was afraid instead of making her smile, the attention would make her dissolve, and I would end up trying to eat my rice with a 6-year-old's head buried in my chest. She held it together though and I believe she even smiled slightly once or twice. She just wasn't so sure about the whole fire - entertaining - cooking process.

Gogurt on the other hand loved every minute of it. He watched intently and informed us he wanted to work there one day. Ummmm, I think you are the wrong nationality, son. Sorry.

Yes, the food was delicious.

But oh my, the bill was frightening.

I knew that the dinner prices would be more than the lunch price I had paid on my previous trip there, but I wasn't prepared that it was more than double per person.

Before we ordered, I noticed there were no $ signs on the menu. It would just look like: Steak 25
I asked Brad, "Is that as in dollars?!" It was too late though. We were in there and we couldn't back out now. So I told my frugal self to suck it up and that what you were really paying for was the experience, not necessarily the food. By the way, have you ever noticed how much food they give you? We brought home three take-out boxes of leftovers!

I must not have done such a good job hiding my shock at the bill - the young lady of the couple at the table laughed an "I can relate" laugh as she watched my expression when I saw the total of our bill. Then you add tip, YIKES!

I'm serious when I tell you that is a once in a year, maybe 2 or 3 or 5 years, place my family will be patronizing.

That's when I realized - there was not another family in there. It was a couple, a mother and daughter (they probably had to leave daddy and other kids home, don't worry, hun, I'll bring you some leftovers), and then groups - you know, where each individual is paying their own bill. When I was in there for lunch paying for just me it didn't seem that expensive. Going in there at dinner paying for 4 was a different story altogether.

I'm totally not stressing over the fact that I could have bought a good buggy-full of groceries for what we spent on dinner last night.

Well, at least I'm tryin' not to.

I Forgot I Belonged To This Club

2011-04-09T10:53:00.001-05:00

The "Pet Owners Club!"

Ellie is doing very well, much better than the nightmare I had imagined it could be. Although I think it's easier because she is living outside. No potty training!

I took Ellie last Thursday for her little "procedure," if you know what I mean.

And it is now official -

She will throw up in a moving vehicle.

If you remember, she threw up twice on the way home from the shelter. We were hoping it was just nerves, being taking from her momma and all. So I was curious how the 15-minute drive to the vet would be. I had her in a plastic box, the bottom covered with towels. She vomited twice.

When we got to the vet, there was a little Dachshund with a big attitude in the waiting room. I was surprised at my instinct to "protect" my animal. I picked Ellie up and told her everything would be okay. I never thought I would talk to this dog like I do.

I left Ellie and hoped the surgery would go well. Brad and the kids went back to get her later that afternoon. And I received only two texts from them. The first said, "There's vomit #1". The second said, "And there's #2".

Okay, so we won't be able to take Ellie with us on a Sunday drive or on a long vacation. Maybe she'll grow out of it? Not sure.....

So far I like being in this club. I have found that there are many, many people in this club - all willing to sit and talk about their pets. And like our kids, we all think we have the very best pet in the world!

Which Club Are You In?

2011-04-08T10:57:00.000-05:00

The other day I quickly ran into the library to get some books about dinosaurs for my preschool classroom. I was by myself since both of my kiddos were in school.

Think back to when you were engaged. You thought, ate, drank, slept wedding plans. You watched wedding shows on TLC and looked at wedding magazines and wedding planners every spare moment of your day. Also, it seemed everyone around you was either about to get engaged or had just gotten engaged. Your conversation centered around the to-be wedding. You were in the "Engagement Club."

Then you got married and your club title changed. You were no longer thinking about florists, cakes, and music. You were thinking about how this marriage thing was really supposed to work. You find out that planning the wedding was actually the easy part. The marriage thing is alot harder! So you seek out people in the same club as you to help you. You are now in the "Newly Married Club."

After a few years you decide you've got the marriage thing downpat and you decide to add a third person to the mix. You get pregnant. Warning: The "Pregnancy Club" is the most active club. When you are pregnant, you see pregnant women everywhere. All you talk about is pregnancy. All you think about is pregnancy. All you read about is pregnancy. This club's activities are some that you'll remember forever. And when you "graduate" from this club, you will pass your experiences on to the newer club members by telling them your harrowing stories of 17-hour labors, passing out twice, getting a blood transfusion, and not being able to stand or sit comfortably for almost a year. Oh, that's not what the new club members need to hear? Sorry.

It's ironic - the same thing happens with pregnancy that happens with the wedding. You find out that what you thought was the hard part turns out to be the easiest part. 'Cuz now you find yourself responsible for another person's well-being, health, and happiness. And sometimes the little bundle of joy you've just ruined your body to get into the world is the same little bundle of joy you want to put back in. You need to find the members of the "I've Got a Newborn and Haven't Slept in 4 1/2 Days Club" to let you know your discouragements and frustrations are normal and in no way makes you the most horrible mother the earth has ever produced.

Eventually, your newborn will become a toddler and you'll join the "I Can't Sit and Have a Conversation Because I'm Chasing My Kid Around to Make Sure He Doesn't Choke on a Lego" Club. This, along with the newborn club, is an exhausting club to be a member of. But, as you know, this membership expires quickly.

"The Preschool Club" is a little easier, in my opinion. There are good preschool programs out there (I could personally vouch for one in particular!) that can give you some much-needed time away. It is while you are in this club that you realize how fast they really are growing up. The next club's membership is looming on the horizon.

Now here's the club I'm in. The "Kids In Elementary" Club. Graded papers to sign, lunch money checks to write, science projects to plan, etc.

Since that is the club I'm presently a member of, I cannot speak from experience about clubs to come. Clubs like the "My Kids Are In High School" Club or the "Finally in College" Club. My sister will have to tell me how to navigate those two clubs!

So back to being in the library by myself, kid-less. I happened to be there just as the door was closing to the room where lap-sit storytime was starting. The storytime I took both my kids to at that age. I saw a few late-arrivers carrying their babies on their hips, opening the door, and slipping in.

I looked at the door. It was closed. And I couldn't open it. Because I'm not in that club anymore.

***
At this moment, I know members in each one of these clubs (except the engagement club, can't think of anyone who is engaged).

Some of you can put your hand on your belly and feel that new life inside you. You are wondering if the day will ever, ever get here where you actually hold them in your arms for the first time and love them with a love so deep it shocks you.

Some of you have a newborn at home and things aren't going "picture-perfect." You are starting to question whether or not you will ever have a moment of peace and quiet again.

Some of you have toddlers throwing temper-tantrums and testing you at every turn.

Some of you have preschoolers trying to act more grown-up than they are, and you are beginning to want them to stay little forever.

Some of us have elementary school aged kids who are slowly but surely not needing us quite as much as they used to.

You may be in a different club....there's several I didn't get to in this post. The "Struggling Marriage" Club, the "We're Broke" Club, the "Sick Parents" Club, the "Rebellious Child" Club," and the list could go on and on. Whatever club(s) you find your membership in, know you are not alone. God is in all these clubs, and I can guarantee you he will help you find other club members to help you through.

So let's all enjoy the club we're in today. Tomorrow may require a whole new membership altogether.

Poptart Turns 6

2011-04-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Poptart!

We love you!

Momma, Daddy, and Gogurt

Meet Ellie

2011-03-28T07:38:00.001-05:00

Yes, we FINALLY (as my kids would say) got a dog!

On our trip home from Alabama last weekend, we researched dog breeds for about 2 hours. My kids and hubby told me all the reasons we should get a dog. I was still skeptical but began to soften a little bit.

By the end of the next week I had begun looking online for local animal shelters and made a few phone calls. The more I talked about it, the more I seemed to actually want to do this. What was happening to me?!?

We found a shelter near us called ARF and started looking over the pictures of the dog's faces on their website, voting on our favorite ones, etc. I called and set up a visit. No turning back now!

Saturday around 3 o'clock we loaded up and drove to the animal shelter with a towel. Yep, that's it. Just a towel, but it would come in handy.

We arrived and immediately all the dogs went into hyper-bark mode. The noise was unbelievable. It was so loud we could barely talk to each other. The kids walked ahead of us and the shelter worker told me to tell the kids to keep their fingers out of the cages and not to run.

About that time I looked up and saw Pop-Tart's face. Fear doesn't describe it. I've seen that look before - or should I say I've felt it on my own face before. They had seen a snake, and Pop-Tart ran faster than I have ever seen her run. And you know all I could think of? Oh no, the guy said for them not to run! But I figured a snake was a good excuse to run if ever. The older boys (Gogurt and his friend) stood there like statues for a moment pointing and saying "Snake, snake." We totally went to the other side of the farm and the shelter workers took care of the snake. We didn't ask what they did to it, the kids said it was black. Probably a black runner, so more than likely they didn't kill it. And we thought the dogs were barking at us!

Poptart had now crawled up on my head and was saying, "I don't want a dog, I just want to go home," over and over again. Once I got her calmed down, we continued on.

After walking through and seeing all the dogs that wouldn't fit wrapped up in a towel on the ride home, we went to where the puppies were. Ah, yes, the puppies. We took out 2 puppies from 2 different litters and then had to decide on one.

We decided on a black and white bassett hound mix 5-month-old puppy. We paid our money, and she was officially ours!

The kids whisked her away to the truck while we said thank you to the shelter worker (I can't remember his name!) The kids had her in the truck for about 10 seconds with all the doors closed before they quickly opened the doors and were gasping for breath. Yeah, our new puppy needed a bath in the worst way.

We left the shelter and about 5 minutes down the road, the yet-to-be-named dog threw up in the towel Gogurt was holding her in. We pulled over. I got out and tried to clean the towel by rubbing it on the ground. The kids were gagging in the truck, and I couldn't help but think, I'm already cleaning up dog puke. We got back on the road, and I bet you can guess she did it again. However, this time we were pulling into our neighborhood so we didn't have to make another pit stop on the side of the road. We got home, snapped a few pictures, and then I had to leave to go by this new pet of ours some food.

We haven't had her 48 hours yet, but she has definitely made her mark on our little family. She does wonderful overnight, doesn't bark, whine, or howl at all, and is pefectly content living outside. The kids are begging for her to come in the house but as I've said, if she's happy outside, I'm happy to leave her there!

So it's Monday. Brad's at work. The kids are at school. It's just me and Ellie here. Am I supposed to go out and talk to her or something? Poptart made me promise to take good care of her today. I'll do my best, sweetheart. I promise.

A Website I Want to Share

2011-03-25T07:28:00.003-05:00

Our church is finally online! Thanks to the hard work of a very sweet lady, Crossview Baptist Church has a website. Will you check it out? Thanks!

Inventive Spelling

2011-03-15T10:39:00.002-05:00

Poptart is finishing up her Kindergarten year, and all of a sudden she has become a writing machine. At school, they are encouraged to write, write, and write some more. They use a method called "inventive spelling" where the child is encouraged to write a word as it sounds, not necessarily as it is actually spelled. Then as the process continues, they begin learning how to spell the words correctly. I didn't know I was a fan of this method, but it seems to be working with Poptart. I don't think she would be so willing to write if she were under the pressure to spell all the words just right.

Above is a picture of her easel. It is a list of things her and a certain friend are going to do when that friend comes over to play.

(No, we haven't gotten a dog, guess #2 and # 14 is just wishful thinking?)

I have to say it's cutsie to see a 5-year-old writing this way, but it irks me to see businesses with their names misspelled. For example, somewhere like "Katy's Katfish" or "The Koffee Kup" would be hard pressed to get my business. I get the K theme, but really, it just doesn't seem so cutsie when adults do it.

For now, I absolutely love reading what Poptart writes. She writes letters to her Daddy, her brother, and me, and she makes lists - she's made several lists concerning her upcoming birthday. I would not dare point out all her spelling errors to her, and I have to threaten Gogurt about doing it. He loves pointing out all her mistakes, but then again what are brothers for?

Hav A Gud Day!

E-Mealz, Part 2

2011-03-11T08:13:00.000-06:00

We're finishing up our second week using E-Mealz, and I thought I would update you on how it's going.

On Sundays, I go to the E-Mealz website and print out the menu for the following week. The menu is for 7 meals, and I choose the 5 that is the best for my family. I have noticed (but remember, I've only seen 2 menus so far) that there does seem to be a pattern in the meals. For example, both weeks there has been a pasta dish, a beef meal, a chicken meal, a fish meal, a soup, etc. I don't know if this is true for every single week, but it's true for the 2 weeks I've been doing it. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I'm just recognizing that pattern.

I absolutely love having a list prepared for me. It's super-duper easy. It takes a few minutes to go through and mark off things you don't need (from the meals you've chosen not to make), but to me, it's nice 'cuz it feels like with everything I mark off, I'm saving money.

But that brings me to the down side - money. The prices they list are not the prices I have found at my local Kroger. There is a disclaimer at the top of the list that the prices are based on average Kroger prices in Alabama, Tennessee, and a few other states. Mississippi is not one of them. And as I'm sure you can probably guess, the prices are higher in my local Kroger, not lower. With that said, I'm not seeing a big savings in my grocery bill. And remember, their list does not include things like milk, cereal, juice boxes, snacks, etc. (I would be curious to know if lists based on Wal-Mart prices are any more accurate. If anyone tries this with Wal-Mart, please let me know - - I just might switch)

The recipes are easy to fix - - I do not consider myself a good cook, but these recipes are easy even for me. I like that it has offered me new things to try. I felt like I was in a real rut when it came to cooking, but this has given me a few new options. Just like night, I broiled cut up squash, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion as a side dish. My family "eeewwwd" at the squash and zucchini, but I thought it was delicious.

I'm making notes on the menus as to whether or not that particular meal was a hit or a bust with the fam. That way if it comes up again on a later menu, I can decide whether or not to include it in our menu. There's only been one bust so far, and at this moment I can't remember the name of it, but it was a tomatoey-chicken dish over rice. It was okay to me, but Brad and the kids could barely down it.

The only other thing I would have to say is this. If you were raised like I was - on peas and cornbread - you won't find any of that kind of food here. There's no fried chicken and turnip green meals (that I've seen yet anyway!) But of course, you can substitute your fresh-from-the-garden peas for any side they've chosen whenever you feel like it!

Overall, I'm liking E-Mealz a bunch. The convenience is definitely what I like the most. I don't know how long I'll use it, but for now I almost get giddy when I go to the computer to see what we'll be eating!

I know, I'm weird!

Open House

2011-03-09T13:53:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not having an open house per se, but I am making a conscious decision to have an open home.

And not just for kiddos. My home has always been open for neighborhood kids, school friends, church friends, and the like. On the weekends you can almost bet money there's more kids in this house than I actually birthed.

I'm talking about, deep breath, adults.

I have never been the hostess type. Heck, I'm still not the hostess type. But I'm making a determined effort to be more hospitable in this home. It's clean (for now), and I am hoping if I schedule some sort of get-together every few ~~weeks~~ months, I will be more inclined to keep it clean (forever).

Last Saturday night was our Sunday School party. We had it here, and I think it was lots of fun. Just sitting around talking, eating, and playing Pictionary on Poptart's easel. I did think about taking pictures, but when I got my camera out to share with you all, I realized my card was full so I have zero pictures of our party.

I have already volunteered to host a baby shower for my teacher-friend here at my house in May. This makes me quite nervous although I'm not sure why. Another teacher thankfully offered to "co-host" with me. I think she could sense my trepidation about hosting it in the first place.

I have always considered myself and my home pretty open, but having a friend drop in is alot different than hosting parties and showers.

I'm gonna hang in there though and see how this whole hospitality thing goes.

Dreams

2011-03-07T08:29:00.000-06:00

Dreams have always fascinated me. I once started a "dream journal" years ago. It was a little journal I kept by my bed. In the mornings I would jot down details I could remember from any dreams I had had the night before. I felt silly writing down weird details that seemed to make absolutely no sense at the time. However, it wasn't until years later when I happened upon that journal and re-read my entries that I was astounded.   There were some dreams I had had that I could definitely tie into something that had happened in the years since I had written the words. Of course, I couldn't relate all of my dreams to a specific real-life happening, but some I could. And that to me was simply amazing.

I am a believer in dreams. God spoke to people throughout the Old Testament in dreams, and I firmly believe he does the same thing today.

Do you dream alot? Some people do, but I have heard some people say they very rarely dream. Some people lie awake at night worrying about circumstances. Apparently, I go to sleep and dream about them. Some make sense, some do not. Some are easy to "translate," some are not. (If you've never googled "dream interpretations," do it. Bookmark a good site and then when you dream something strange you can try and figure out what it means.)

One of the first conversations I have with my family each morning, especially on the weekends, (we don't really have time on school days) is about our dreams. We've done this since the kids were little. "Did you have any dreams?" Maybe you do it too with your kids and spouse. Or maybe we're just weird. Whatever the case, we share our dreams from the night before. It's fun to do with little kids - - they can make up some very colorful dreams! Poptart will start telling us about her dream and when we think she's done and someone else begins, she exclaims, "I'm not done yet!" and keeps on talking. Gogurt loves to call her out and accuse her of making it all up, but she promises she is not. And who can really say?

I've dreamed all sorts of things in my lifetime, and I'm sure you have too. Do you have recurring dreams? I've always heard if you dream something 3 times it will come true. That terrified me as a kid. I remember one scary dream of a Chinese dragon (you know the kind people walk under in their parades?) coming out of the woods and chasing me. I dreamed it twice and was scared to death I would dream it again.   As far as I can remember, I never dreamed it that dreaded 3rd time.

My most recurring theme is showing up somewhere unprepared. For example, I have dreamed unnumbered times that I showed up for a basketball game only to realize I had forgotten my jersey. That dream has sort of faded as I have gotten older, but it has been replaced by the dream of arriving at a wedding at which I was the pianist and realizing I had forgotten my music. Do you see the theme there? I wish I would have kept a tally of how many times I had dreamed those two dreams in my lifetime. I'm guessing a dozen at least.

Have you ever had the dream where your teeth just crumble out of your head? That's an awful one. I read somewhere the meaning of that dream.   It means one of two things, either your health or business is in jeopardy or you have spoken poorly of someone and it is coming back to haunt you.

What about dreaming someone you love has died? That's an emotional one. What about the dream your spouse has been unfaithful? (And you wake up seriously hurt and mad!)

Then there's the totally nonsense dreams that as far as we can tell make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Those are the fun ones to share together - it makes for a good laugh!

The thought I would like to leave with you is to not dismiss your dreams. From my experience, dreams can absolutely give insight to what is happening around you in your "awakeness" that you may be ignoring.

And never, never doubt that God could be using a dream to tell you something.

Sweet dreams!

Life Lessons I Learned From Basketball

2011-03-03T23:01:00.001-06:00

Nothing takes me back to those days like watching the State Tournament on TV (which is what I'm doing as I write this post). Nowadays our Mississippi Public Broadcasting channel, or PBS as we know it, airs the State Basketball Tournament. Back in my day, they didn't.

But my day was back in the late '80s/early '90s.

I knew I wanted to play basketball from an early age. Don't ask me how, I just did. In fact, in 6th grade when they took us incoming 7th graders to the band hall to play around with the instruments and decide if being in the 7th grade band would be a good fit for us, I decidedly turned them down (even with my music background) because I knew that the school schedule would not allow me to play in the band and be on the basketball team at the same time. You had to choose one or the other. There was only one free period so it was band or basketball or PE or whatever else there was to choose from.

From 7th grade through 12th grade I was on the basketball team. I started in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades but of course when I came onto the high school team, I was a benchwarmer like most sophomores are. My playing time increased game-by-game and by the time I was a junior I was playing entire games.

Watching these young guys on TV brings back so many memories. My first year on the high school basketball team, we were fortunate enough to make it to the "Big House" and play for a state championship. And believe it or not, we won, and I have a ring to prove it! Actually, I don't have the ring in my possession. It is hanging on a nail in my father's bathroom. He was afraid I was going to lose it (and he was probably right) so he decided he would "keep it" for me. Every few years he thinks to ask me if I want my ring back now that I'm an adult and could probably be more reponsible with it and not lose it. I always say, "Nah, you better keep it."

We never made it back to the championship game, but through all of my practices, games, time in locker rooms, weight rooms (yes, I lifted weights), I learned some very valuable lessons.

Listen to authority. This is the first thing you learn when joining a team. Listen to your coach. He is always right, and his word is final. If he says run another lap, run another lap or pay. I saw what happened to girls with attitudes toward the coach, and I decided early on I wasn't going to be one of them. He may yell at you, push you, anger you, but in the end he has made you a better player and a better person.

Be unselfish. Pass the ball when someone has a better shot than you. Don't try to be a hero all the time. The best teammates are the unselfish ones, the ones who are just as happy to see someone else make the bucket as they are themselves. It's true, there is no "I" in team.

There will always be someone better than you.

Never give up. Getting beat is one thing, giving up is another. Hold your head high no matter what happens. You make a mistake? The game doesn't stop for you to mope and hang your head...you gotta keep going.

Anything worth having is worth the work it takes to get there. I remember the summers in gyms with no air conditioners, the after-school practices that seemed to go on forever, the running, running, and more running. It was work!

Don't take anything for granted. At the beginning of this post I told you I knew from an early age I was going to play basketball. What I didn't know is that when my senior year ended, the year that was supposed to be my shining moment, I wasn't playing basketball at all. In January of 1993, after missing 5 games due to mono, I was making my return. I had missed more games than I ever had before, and I was determined to end my career at Neshoba Central on the best note I could, playing the best ball I had ever played. I couldn't wait to get back on the court and play out the rest of the year. I believe we were playing Choctaw Central, but I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that I heard it when it popped, and I immediately hit the floor. My knee was hurting, bad. I couldn't move it at all. I was literally running down the court one second and lying writhing in pain the next. That's how fast it happened. A teammate came over and I remember squeezing her hand and saying with panic, "I can't move it, I can't move it!" My coach carried me off the court. And that, my friend, is how my last basketball game ended. On Senior Night, instead of running to midcourt to accept my plaque, I hobbled out on crutches with a blue cast covering my entire right leg from my thigh to my ankle. Don't ever assume you have another game, another day, another anything.

Have fun! Some of the best memories from my basketball years are the off-court experiences. Road trips all around our state, a trip to Tennessee, and even a trip to Kissimmee, FL (Disneyworld!)

So there you have it, a few life lessons I learned from basketball. Oh, and there's one more. Use it or lose it. If I had to run a suicide right now, I think I would die.

E-Mealz, It's Worth a Try!

2011-02-28T08:38:00.000-06:00

I've bought groceries every way imaginable. I bet you have too.

I've made menus for 2 weeks at a time, constructed my grocery list from the menu, then bought the items needed. I've shortened the menus to 1 week at a time and done the same thing. Most frighteningly, I've even walked in the grocery store with no menu and no list and just waited for inspiration to strike as I strolled the aisles. This, I can tell you, is not the smartest way to do it.

I heard someone say once that they don't mind cooking, it's the figuring-out-what-to-cook that becomes a chore. I totally, whole-heartedly agree!

Enter e-mealz.

I heard Dave Ramsey endorse e-mealz on his radio show. I once saw a lady with an e-mealz grocery list shopping in Kroger. And last, a teacher-friend at work was telling us how she signed up for it and so far is liking it.

So I made the plunge. I signed up, for $5 a month, for someone else to plan my menu and make my grocery list. Yes, you heard right. For $5 a month (and you have to pay three months at a time), e-mealz will send you a 7-day meal plan and a coordinating grocery list to go with it. The plan is posted every Sunday which works out well for me since I usually buy my groceries on Monday anyway.

Of course, you can still pick and choose what meals you want to make. For instance, one of the meals this week was cheesy enchiladas, but we just had enchiladas a few nights ago. So I marked that meal off the list. Each meal is numbered, and on the grocery list, beside each item, is the coordinating meal number. Just say cheesy enchiladas was meal #4. I went to the list and marked off any item that had #4 beside it. Also, I rarely, okay never, cook 7 big meals in a row. We are not afraid to eat leftovers, so my family could probably make 5 meals last for 7 days.

E-mealz generates the meals from what your chosen store's sales are for that week. Saving money will be nice, but the convenience of it all will be even nicer!

I can't wait to see if this actually works for me. If it doesn't, I'm out $15 bucks. If it does, I've saved my sanity! (and hopefully some money as well!)

Closing a Chapter

2011-02-25T09:31:00.000-06:00

Our renters move in this weekend. I'm almost giddy about this - - all of our hard work (cleaning, painting, etc) is finally going to pay off! I hope they make as many good memories in that house as we did.

Meanwhile, now that that house isn't taking up every waking moment, I can sit back and enjoy this one, and that is exactly what I plan to do today. I realized the other day that in the 2 weeks we've been in here, I haven't had an entire day by myself in this house yet. Between sick children staying home from school and Brad taking off days from work for various reasons, it just hasn't happened. Yes, I've had a couple of hours, after getting home from preschool and before the bus ran, to myself, but not an official whole day. So what do I plan on doing today? As little as possible!

In case you are having moving-posts fatigue, I'm here to go on record that this will be the very last post about this for a very long time, 'cuz

It's time to move on.......

Moving Was The Easy Part

2011-02-22T07:45:00.000-06:00

Since we moved, I feel like my life has been a whirlwind, and honestly, I'm ready for it to stop. I want to stop and enjoy our new place!

However, the house we moved out of has to be prepared and ready for the renters to move in at the beginning of March. So we can't stop just yet.

This, the cleaning of the house we lived in for 9 years, it turns out, is harder than moving!

We have spent what seems like every spare moment of our lives scrubbing, wiping down, sweeping, painting, and all-around cleaning our old house. It's a shame we are shining it up like this for other people when we would not even do it for ourselves!

That house is cleaner than it EVER was with us living in it. I just hope our renters appreciate all this hard work! But even if they don't, I will know we did it with the right motives. I want them to be proud of their new house.

I can't tell you how many times Brad has said to me, "Promise me we will not let our new place get into this shape." My honest-to-goodness response is, "I'll try."

And I will. But I'm not the very best housekeeper in the world. But I'll try.

I think after just 1 or 2 good days of work at the old house, it'll be ready. BTW, I have painted every doorframe in that house, except the ones with the kids' growth charts on them.

Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

We Are In

2011-02-15T07:37:00.000-06:00

Saturday was moving day, and the very first thing I want to do is thank everyone who helped us move. Clay, Brooks, and Ronnie helped Brad move the furniture. My mom, my sister, and my niece helped finish packing the kitchen and moving all the boxes and smaller stuff. Jennifer P. helped by taking Poptart with them to the church for a little while and then helped me unpack in the new house. I don't know what we would have done without every single one of you. I think we would still be making trips - we certainly would not be as far along as we are right now.

Moving is definitely hard work! I know you all had other things you could have been doing on a Saturday morning/afternoon, but we are so glad you helped us. We will return the favor anytime.

The "old" house as we now call it needed alot of cleaning, and my mom and dad (yes, my dad. He can sweep with the best of them) came down to clean. That was a great help as well since I had to take Poptart to the doctor yesterday (strep throat). I guess moving literally makes her sick. She is missing school today too but will be back on the bus tomorrow morning, believe me.

Thanks for the e-mails and phone calls during our move. Now, I want every one of you to come visit us! But maybe not all at the same time, it's still a pretty small house!

Have a blessed day.

I've Been Waiting Three Years To Post This

2011-02-11T06:58:00.000-06:00

Remember when I posted this back in August? Well, I'm happy, happy, happy to tell you that Brad's first cousin has done his time and is getting out today!

Right now, as we speak, his wife should be there and the process should be underway for him to walk out of that prison.

Brad and I are both waiting on our phone calls! We can't wait to talk to him (without the lovely beeping in the background) for as long as we want, not just the allotted 15 minutes!

We have loved and supported them through this, and I want you to know it hasn't always been pretty or easy. In fact, it's mostly been very hard and sometimes very, very ugly.

Things aren't going to magically be "happily ever after" just because he is out, but as his wife has been saying lately, "Focus on the positives." Sounds cliche, but in this situation, believe me, it's the best attitude for everyone involved. There's plenty of negatives, but for today and each day following, let's all focus on the positives.

And today, there is an easy positive to find - He is coming home!

The Most Beautiful Sound In The World

2011-02-09T07:28:00.000-06:00

Silence.

After months of overnight sleep studies, clinic visits, and phone calls, there is finally silence.

Brad got his CPAP machine yesterday, and last night, for the first time in YEARS, there was silence.

NO SNORING!

HALLELUJAH!

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

2011-02-07T10:26:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was quite a busy one, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the move.

The kids were out of school Friday because of yet another non-producing ice storm we were to have. I had agreed to take a good friend to the hospital for some oral surgery Friday morning, and although I was nervous about getting out on the roads at first, it ended up being fine, just like driving on a really, really rainy day. Since the kids were out of school, Brad volunteered (gladly) to stay home from work and keep the kids entertained. My friend's surgery went well, and she is recovering with a good bit of pain of course. Hope you are feeling better today!

Gogurt spent the night with a friend Friday night, and Poptart was heartbroken she could not go as well. She considers Gogurt's friends (especially this one) her friends as well, and she just can't quite understand why she cannot spend the night at the house of a 6th grade boy along with her brother.

To ease her hurt, I took her to see a local high school's performance of Annie. I didn't tell her where we were going, only to get dressed and hop in the car! She was excited but since Poptart doesn't take to new situations all that easily, it immediately made her nervous. She kept asking me where we were going. I told her it was a secret. She quickly blurted out emphatically, "I don't like secrets....'cuz I don't know how they end up!" Hmmm, come to think of it, that's why I don't like secrets either, or any type of change for that matter.

One we got there and she realized what was happening, she was perfectly fine. The production was great, and we've been singing Annie songs all weekend long. Poptart had only watched the movie Annie once, and it was just a few nights ago so we are new fans. The song, "It's A Hard-Knocked Life" is perfect for her. Poptart can tend to be dramatic about how "bad" her life is. So now when she starts whining about something, I break into song. It really annoys her. But she stops the whining.

Saturday was a day spent at a ladies conference at a local church. And I'm kinda ashamed to admit it but when I got home, I basically sat and watched MSU play (and beat) LSU, barely. Then Ole Miss came on and I watched them too. What I'm trying to say is that I got nothing accomplished Saturday afternoon/evening/night. I think we even ate cereal for supper that night. Oh well.

Sunday was a great day at church. Unexpectedly, we brought 2 extra kids home with us from church. It was great. Each one of my kids had a playmate for the afternoon. It wasn't a totally drama-free afternoon as my daughter had a breakdown after getting in some slight trouble for riding off without telling me where she was going. She was crying and telling me she was never going anywhere for the rest of her life, not even to church. I convinced her she was in fact going to church and we were leaving at that very moment. Then, in the car, she kept saying, "I don't like myself, 'cuz I make bad choices." Geez, where does she get this stuff? (And yes, I assured her we all make bad choices and she was still very much loved).

I haven't forgotten that we are moving, but this past weekend was not devoted to that goal, not in the least. Now I'm sitting here with a list of things I'm supposed to be doing. Things that are devoted to the goal of being ready to load up on Saturday.

I did finally tell one of our neighbors we were moving. I believe he was sincere when he said he was sad to see us go, but I tried to lift his feelings by reminding him how much quieter it would be across the street now without the never-ending yard full of kids playing army/football/etc. He said quieter wasn't always a good thing. Awwwww, sweet.

I am going to really, really try to post more this week than I normally do. So check back often, k? It's a big weekend for our family, and for more than just one reason!

Y'all have a great day!

Anybody Got a Crystal Ball I Could Borrow?

2011-01-31T09:25:00.000-06:00

Have you ever come to a point in your life where you have so much to do that you sit down and do nothing?

I feel I have found that place!

My mind is busy, busy, busy with thoughts of everything still needing to be done between now and next Friday when we move.

Yet, for some reason, I am doing very little. I'm quite the amateur when it comes to moving, and I'm not sure what should be done now, several days before the move, or the day before the move. I need one of those calendar things, you know, the kind that spells out what to do 6-months out, 3-months out, 1-month out and so on. I had one of those when I was planning my wedding, and I remember pouring over it every single day for months.

Yes, a calendar would be helpful. You know what also would be helpful? A crystal ball. To tell us if we are making a good decision. Moving, renting, changing.

I want guarantees. Guarantees that my children are gonna like our new house/yard. Guarantees that the couple renting our house are going to be the best tenants in the world. Guarantees that when it is all said and done, Brad and I will have that moment where we look at each other and sigh with relief that's its all over and its all good.

(Here is where I remind you that we are not leaving this neighborhood, just moving into a different house in the same neighborhood. Here is where I also remind you that this fact will not in any way reduce the level of drama seen/read in me the next 2 weeks. I'm trying to not over-dramatize this, I promise, I'm trying.)

I did have a slight *moment* last night when I was tucking Pop-Tart into bed and glanced over and saw the pen marks on her doorframe. The ones that have marked her growth over the last 5 years. Gogurt has the same markings on his closet doorframe as well. We started marking his at 11 months old - the age he was when we moved into this house. He is 10 years old now, and we almost have to stand on something to mark his height nowadays!

New house, new memories, new marks on a new doorframe.

In 2 weeks.

Regeneration

2011-01-24T08:31:00.000-06:00

You know how certain creatures regenerate parts of their body? If something gets cut off, they just grow another one? Well, I think the stuff in my house is regenerating.

So far, to prepare for the move, we have cleaned out closets, drawers, the attic, the garage, and the storage room in the garage with the hope of *purging* ourselves of all the excess we have accumulated here in the last 9 years. We have thrown SO MUCH stuff away, it's embarrassing . We have taken two loads to the dumpsters where Brad works 'cuz we didn't want to overload our poor Waste Management guys. If we had put all that trash at the road, they probably would have laughed, said "Yeah, right," and kept on going!

Now I could easily get on my soapbox about the excess stuff we all live with here in America, but I won't. I can tell you that many, many times during this process we both said that nobody should have this much stuff. Most of our "stuff" is clothes, and it's kind of a curious thing because I'm not even a shopper! It's also shameful to see how many clothes I have and then realize I wear the same things over and over again!

The attic was probably the most fun. I'm serious! The kids, especially Poptart, absolutely love to get in the attic. Weird, I know. It's not so much getting in the attic as climbing the stairs. My kids think their lives would be complete if we lived in a house with stairs. Well, that and a trip to Disneyworld. Well, that and a trip to Disneyworld, and a dog. Oh well.

A couple of Saturdays ago we started emptying the attic. We would bring a load down into the living room, go through it, decide what to keep, what to give away, and what to throw away. Once done, we would bring down another load. This process would have gone a little faster, but when you open a box and you haven't seen the stuff in literally years, it's too easy to stop and take a walk down memory lane. My weakness was baby clothes. What is it about a 3T Star Wars shirt and a 3-6 month little dress that makes me cry?

But then I had a thought....I can't see myself, say in 10 more years, cuddling up to Gogurt's size 12 jeans! I think clothes are kinda like feet, the smaller they are, the sweeter they are...

Once we had emptied the entire attic, (that was a good feeling!), we took the stuff we were keeping to the new house and the stuff we were throwing away to the dumpster. Then, on every Saturday since, we have tackled closets, drawers, rooms, etc., and repeated that process.

With all that said, you would think if you walked into my house right now, it would be almost empty. WRONG! Something mysterious is happening here - someone help me understand it!

Why, how, can we have gotten rid of so much yet when I walk into a room or closet, it looks just as messy as it did 3 weeks ago?!?! Arrrggghhhh!

I think we've decided to start over and purge more seriously. Like, keep only 7 of everything. One for every day of the week. Except jeans, 'cuz you can wear jeans waaaay more than 1 day a week before washing them. Really, the only thing we would need 7 of is underwear and now that I think about it, we could probably get by with even less than that since my kids don't bathe every single night of the week.

And toys, oh yes, toys. We need to get more serious about toys. Choose, I don't know, maybe half-a-dozen to make the move with you? Does that sound fair? Oh wait, I think I hear my kids hyperventilating right now....

It's Not Alaska, Honey, But I Gotta Start Somewhere

2011-01-21T07:15:00.001-06:00

We've talked about moving for a long time, but every time it came down to making a decision, it never felt right. When Brad started seminary, the decision was whether to stay here and take courses at the extension or move to New Orleans so he could be on campus, take more classes, and be done in a more timely manner. We decided to stay here.

After Brad's first mission trip to Alaska, he felt sure, well almost sure, we would end up there one day. That scared the bejeezers outta me. So, once again, we decided to stay here.

I have come to learn something about me. Fear has a powerful hold on my life. And that stinks, because fear and faith cannot coincide.

I struggle with getting out of my comfort zone, leaving the things most comfortable to me, and I imagine myself to be worse than most anybody.

This move is not to Alaska, not to New Orleans, heck, it's not even out of this city, or even this neighborhood (ha!). But we are moving. Different house, same neighborhood.

Huh?

If you remember, about a year ago my in-laws came to live here. They moved from north Alabama and bought a house in this neighborhood. Well, they've decided to go home. And they offered us their house.

For almost nothing, (in house terms anyway).

So there we were again, talking and praying, praying and talking about moving, but this time it was two streets over. Don't laugh when I tell you I still struggled with the decision! The real estate market stinks, what were we going to do if our house didn't sell? We can't afford two house notes! And besides this house needs sooo much work before even being put on the market. There were so many unknowns, and I was scared.

After much prayer, talking to friends and family, consulting 3 accountants and 1 lawyer (yes, we go overboard), we decided we could not pass this opportunity up.

I know it's not Alaska, but as I said in a previous post, maybe God is stretching my faith in baby steps, gradually moving us to where we are supposed to be.

I'm excited to share this journey with you.