CAMPBELL EATON, 7 yrs old from the Calhoun County area http://prayforcampbell.com/default.aspx EVAN THOMASON, Kindergarten age from Riverchase http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/evanthomason MADISON BECK, www.caringbridge.com/visit/madisonbeck
Well, I had a post out here that I have "hidden" so if you saw it and now you don't....NO you aren't going crazy. That's my job and no one else can have it. Anyway, I took it off because I was really venting when I wrote it and really should have thought before I posted it for the world to see. So, to catch up.....still have five horses and trying to sell Sonny. Probably could have sold Sparkle a dozen times but Jessie wanted to show her and she did. They did great. However we seem to take 5 steps forward and 10 steps backwards. Jessie rode her this weekend at a cook-out with the saddle club and panicked. Sparkle totally ran away with her and it was a bad scene. No one was hurt but she was crying and it was just awful. I have asked her if this is really what she wants to do and she insists it is. Sometimes she rides like she has done it all her life and then other times she acts like she has never been on one. But, I have a responsibility as her mother to only allow her to do this safely and that is my main concern right now. With the way she panics, it is not safe and I worry about that aspect. We are going to stick to lessons for now and going to the SAME person for consistency and hopefully we can get her past this. We are trying to get back with Ms Cathy for this weekend sometime when she can see us and start work again. Chad and I celebrated one year yesterday ! It was a busy day as we had a tea for his brother's fiance but after I made my appearance there we went to eat. We ate at a small but happenin' place at Patton Creek called Cajun Steamer. It was awesome. I couldn't eat half of what I had and Chad was in the same boat. It was really good! Can't wait to go back there. We also attended church at Gardendale First Baptist yesterday. I used to go there for four years prior to my husband passing away - however he did not go there, maybe he went once and then when we had baby dedication. Anyway, we had heard the new pastor was really good and so we went. I enjoyed it but was skeptical Chad would or did. He surprised me and really enjoyed it and says he thinks we should go there from now on. I am glad we can agree on someplace and hopefully can get plugged in somewhere for us and the girls. Well, break time is over! Will update more later!
Sunday morning woke me with the realization that I set the alarm clock for a.m time while the clock was set for p.m. time....so no alarm went off except my internal alarm. We were trying to attend CrossLife Church in Homewood but there was no way we would make it. So, we got dressed and went to Sumiton Church of God. The girls like it there - we just haven't reached a 100% concensus on it. Keep praying we will find a home! After church, we were going home to get ready to go to Haleyville and do some lesson time with Cathy West. She is who we have bought Hannah and Goldie from and also traded Shorty to her for Sparkle and Sunny. Goldie stepped on Jessie's foot in the pasture so we had to do a quick exam before we could go any further. She had a nice bruise that came up instantly but was walking good. I felt for her because I know it throbs...but I told her it probably won't be the last time. Goldie loaded great with Jessie standing watch with her crop. I think Goldie knows Jessie means business with that crop! ha ha ha Off to Haleyville...we got there right at our desired time of 5:00 and got Jessie saddled up. She and Cathy went to the arena to work on a few things. In the meantime, Shelby and I made several trips to our porta-potty housed in our trailer's dressing room. Thank god for the makers of that thing! We settled in to watch Cathy work with Jessie and Goldie. It was a shining moment for a horse loving Mom. Cathy remarked that Jessie was much further along than she expected and was really "quite an accomplished little rider". She said she was truly impressed. We know we have lost some of the fundamentals along the way but her desire is still there and she was there to show Ms Cathy she could ride AND ride she did. It was hot but they rode so well! We made plans to go back in two weeks. Jessie was beaming and asking me when could we go back. It is an hour and fifteen minute drive...but her instruction and guidance is truly worth it! Next time we may take a horse for all of us!
Ok so everything didn't go as planned.... This weekend was interesting having a "little one" in the mix...I had almost forgotten what that was like. James is a great baby but a baby nonetheless! So, you are solely responsible for their care, cleanliness, hunger and entertainment! Jessie and Shelby were a great help caring for their cousin! We had a good night Friday night. At bedtime, both girls bedded down in the living room to sleep near the pack and play and keep watch over baby James. He slept until 3:00'ish a.m. Chad was getting ready to leave for his tournament and came to tell me James was up. I asked him to do a pacifier check and that worked! Yeah, a few more hours sleep. At 6'ish, he was up again so we did bottle and he dozed back off. He was up shortly thereafter and we embarked on our day. After our morning activities were complete, we were all going to take a dip in the pool.....so we headed out. James was out in his float about 15 minutes and got sleepy. So back in we went.....I kept an eye on the girls and got him happy. He went back to sleep which was around 10:00 so I seized the moment to start getting ready for the day. Had the girls come in and they started getting ready also. We left to meet my brother, aka Uncle John, aka James' daddy (boy that sound scary) and we were leaving in a huge rainstorm. We got soaked trying to load everything up. Had forgotten that part of having little ones too! We met him under a bank drive thru which was closed for the day and left to go to WalMart and buy a birthday present for Caitlin's party. In Wal-Mart, Shelby experienced a first - she asked for something and Jessie was asking for something also. Jessie was told yes and Shelby was told no. The difference here is Shelby refuses to help clean up or put toys away. So, Jessie will pull double duty and I will reward Jessie with "allowance". I told Jessie she could use her allowance for this and showed Shelby if she would help out and pick up then she could have also. It was hard for me..as I am not sure Shelby truly understands the concept. But I know she understands she is telling me "NO" when she says she doesn't want to pick up so maybe she understood my "NO" also! Left Wal Mart going to the feed store.....five bags of feed should get us a week...we will see. Then to the b'day party. Horse show was cancelled because of rain....whew we couldn't have made it anyway. Chad and Ryan didn't get a check but had a good showing anyway.
This week we.......... Rode the horses down to the Mcinvale's (Goldie and Hannah) and 'played' with the barrels. Chad followed behind us to keep traffic off of us and then we rode back home. We had fun or at least I did. Got our above ground 'swimming hole' put up and last night and chemicals put in. So we should be good to go swim this weekend. Did some stuff around the house - refocusing my attention on the inside now that the outside is settling down some. Bought a few lamps, accessories, etc. Baby James is coming over to spend the night tonight to spend the night. The weekend holds...... Saturday we will play around the house, with horses and pool time.....Jessie has a birthday party to attend and there is a horse show Saturday night. Chad has a tournament tomorrow with Ryan and they are fishing for a $20,000 first place payout. Sunday we are supposed to head up to Cathy West's house with a few horses and do some riding / lesson time with her. Catch you up after the weekend! Have a blessed day and weekend!
Well, as I said in my previous post things quickly returned to 'normal' after returning home. Friday night Chad had a tournament meeting to attend, my parents came out with some things to deliver out here - we were going to ride over to the Mcinvale's to ride in the arena but Jessie said it was 'too hot'. So, we stayed around here and called in some dinner to a local restaurant. Jessie was spending the night with Emily and much to Shelby's dismay. So, Granny offered to take Shelby home with her and meet us the next day so Shelby could go to her friend GiGi's birthday party. Saturday led to Jessie staying with Emily most of the day and they went swimming. Shelby got to swim at the birthday party she attended. So both girls had fun during the day on Saturday. The evening ended with friends and family coming together for a horse show at Colt 45. The stables where we boarded had brought several horses so we had lots of friends there, Nanny and Paw Paw came, Kim brought Jessie - Emily and Reed as well as a former co-worker and her daughter came by. We tried to stay late to watch our friends from the Hitchin' Post show in their classes - so Shelby went to sleep in the car but at 11:00 we called it a night and headed home. I had to go home and use my headlights to feed the horses. Then I got Shelby in the laundry room door and she proceeded to 'pass out' right inside the door with her head halfway up on the dining room floor and her body in the laundry room - now that is tired! I got her up and she went on to bed. We woke Sunday morning - later than we needed to - and were trying to get to Cathedral in Centerpoint to hear guest speaker Randy Ruiz. He delivered a great message, as expected and I was glad we made it! After church I took the girls to our favorite restaurant - Konomi in Trussville and then after we ate we went to Kohl's to shop for some new school clothes. A fun time was had by all as we enjoyed our afternoon out. When we got home, we started working around the house - the usual night time activities and so here we are! PS - my frog is gone!
On Wednesday, I took my California acquaintance to the airport with me. Her flight home was an hour earlier than mine but I didn't mind getting there early....better safe than sorry. It paid off because I was able to get on standby for an earlier flight home and successfully made it on that plane. It only got me home an hour earlier but it was worth it. I was so glad to see Chad and the girls. Houston was not some place I will miss and am glad the course is over. The course, instructor and exam weren't exactly on the same page - so my score is yet to be seen. We immediately resumed normal activities...went and bought feed, went to Pizza Hut, went home and fed my equine babies and started straightening up. Some things never change! But again, it was good to be back home. We will be setting up our little above ground pool for this weekend. Hopefully it will help relieve some of the heat! I know Chad is ready for our 'projects' to die down.
Friday night we moved all the horses to our house....they have had a time getting the pecking order down. Goldie has always been the alpha mare and our new mare, Sparkle, is really ruling the roost with Sunny running a close second. Feeding time has been interesting to say the least. Saturday, I took Hannah for a little ride around the neighborhood and into the woods behind the Tanner's house. When I took her out of the woods, I took her up on the ridge behind our house. Goldie and Blackie saw her up there and whinnied to her....they began talking furiously and Goldie and Blackie took out running down our pasture at full speed. I was really worried they would fall! I took Hannah back into the woods and could still hear them calling out to her. On Sunday, I prepared to go on my trip to Houston, TX for work. My flight was leaving around 4:30 from B'ham. We ate lunch at the White House restaurant and left shortly for the airport. Shelby was so sad at the airport and really made me feel bad leaving her. She cried and looked just awful....my heart was breaking! I called the car and she was still crying. When I got to Houston, the car rental agency gave me directions to the wrong hotel - couple that with a few wrong turns I made and it took me two hours to get to my hotel. By the time I got there, I was almost having one of my meltdowns! Conference started today and at lunch today, Chad took the girls to Nanny's so he could fish a tournament tonight. We got out of class today around 4:00....so I went to a little outside mall and found Chad two shirts at Gap and a few things for the girls at Children's Place. Went back to the hotel and met a girl from class for dinner. She is from California and has two kids same age as mine. We went to a little seafood place by our hotel. I took her back to the hotel so I could go find Cavendar's Western Wear. I fulfilled both their requests at the western wear store - it was a really nice store with super nice people in it. Tonight when I called to talk to the girls - Shelby was still upset and really wanting me and her Chaddy. After talking to Chad tonight, I think the plans for tomorrow night are changing and he will have them back at home. Back to class tomorrow and studying tomorrow night!
We let the two new babies go in our FINISHED pasture yesterday morning. Well, it was truly a Kodak moment. They were absolutely beautiful going out thru there! Sparkle is going to see someone today that may be interested in buying her. I will get a picture so I will have one for the memory book in case she sells. My frog is still there....I am glad he feels safe on our porch. I feel the same way...it's just a good feeling here! It's a feeling like putting on that favorite pair of jeans or slipping into really good sheets! Lastly, I have developed a strong dislike for little junebugs, red crunchy bugs that fly in to my fountain and hang around our door! Anyone know what will get rid of them besides my little frog? They way outnumber him! I am going to try to get a picture of him so he can be included!
We had plans to go to Norman and Irene's for lunch and to swim. Before we could do that, we had to get some hay for the new horses. So, Chad went to the Walker's and bought some hay. Also, before we ever left the house a small 4th of July parade came down our small dead end road. It consisted of several decorated tractors, flatbed trailers, trucks and golf carts. It was the funniest site but we loved it. After enjoying that we were able to head over to the Waid's. We had some great food and homemade ice cream. Then we left to go home and have Ron and Jeannie (Chad's parents) over. They brought over ribs, bbq meat, beans and bread! So we continued to pig out. They brought Jordan over with them (aka baby Jordan) and the girls played for hours. We had to go feed the horses at the Mcinvale's, so Jeannie and the girls rode with me down there. Chad and his Dad stayed at home and worked on the fence and burned some old hay in our small pen so we could move the new horses to our small pen. In the ride to Norman and Irene's, we were debating names for the new black mare. So each of us put a name in the hat for her. Her black coat and faint white spots all played into the name selection. I put in Twinkle since her faint white spots look like stars across a nighttime sky. Chad put in Sparkle for similar reasons as mine. Jessie put in Midnight and Shelby put in Starry. We let Shelby draw and Sparkle was the chosen name. So - Sparkle it is! Steve said this morning he may have Sparkle sold...he is taking it to someone to see either Thursday or Friday. We will see! When we got back to our house from feeding the regular crew, we went out to water Sparkle and Sunny. Sunny is the first to meet you and is sooo sweet. They are both really sweet but Sunny is so calm. He let Chad squirt him with the hose and never flinched. Our other horses are a little less fond of the hosepipe. After finishing up those chores, we settled in the front yard to watch the fireworks going off all around our house. I love our piece of the country, the nighttime sky, horses in my backyard, kids playing in our backyard (and even kids running in and out)....I love my fountain on my front porch and the little green frog who has come to visit for the past three nights. I even love the big frogs that hop around in our yard when we walk around at there at night. I love little country parades and the people that think of doing something like that, I love spending time with those we love and raising our kids in such a wholesome environment, most of all I love the God that gave me all of this and continues to make the sun rise and set each day on our faces! (P.S. I also found out details on the wreck that kept us held up on hwy 78 on Monday night. A lady was going the wrong way up highway 78 and had a head on collision with a man from Dora. She was ejected from her car, hence Lifesaver landed for her.)
Well, we finally finalized things with the trainer in Haleyville last night. We went up to see if she really wanted to keep my first paint, Shorty, for herself or if we were going to bring him home. Apparently she really wanted to keep him - because she traded us two real sweet horses for him. So, I guess I'm a "horse trader" now....ha ha The difficult thing will be to not get attached. They are both really cute. One is a 6yo paint gelding and the other is a black mare 12 yo. I rode both and they ride really good. I will miss Shorty and what he taught me. It was a lesson learned. I hope to see Cathy riding him on barrels in the near future. I told her she better call us so she will have a cheering section to watch her and Shorty run! It took us forever to get home because there was some wreck on 78 Hwy that involved Lifesaver helicopter coming - so we sat for over an hour! Glad to be home - Happy 4th!
We were supposed to go Saturday to the horse show in Cullman. Due to my youngest child totally revolting, we never made it. I was in meltdown mode by the time my parents got here as they were coming to go to the show with us. So, we changed directions and got my fountain put together for the front deck. Things seemed to only go downhill! Shortly after getting the fountain put together, all the water was draining out. There was a huge crack in the bottom. This finding only perpetuated the meltdown that had began earlier in the day. At least this time I had a support system here. So, Paw Paw, my dad and mom helped me load it up and we made a trip to Lowe's. While we there, we bought the landscaping blocks to raise it up and flowers / ferns to go around it. It looked really pretty once all put together...even though I do have to go back and buy a few more blocks to complete it. Chad thinks having a fountain on the front deck is crazy but with our swing and wicker out there, the water feature is a nice accessory. It can also be seen from inside my keeping room window and can be heard slightly. So, we didn't make the horse show but we had a productive afternoon in spite of it. By the way, Shelby didn't get to play with anyone or anything at all for the rest of the day due to her behavior!
I got to work from home today and the girls had spent the night with Chad's mom. I did some projects around the house in between returning e-mails and checking voice mail. I started sanding my Salvation Army bookshelf and got my fountain put together for my front porch. Then our new rug was delivered and I was soooo excited to see how it looked in the living room. I needed to go to Hitchin Post to buy some hoof dressing for the horse's hooves, so on the way there I went by the furniture store in Warrior. I found a great sofa table and had it loaded up! They let me take it to see if I liked it but I had a feeling I was going to love it. Got home and we brought it in - it looked great! We went to feed the horses and rode the four wheeler over there. On the way there we ran out of gas and a car was coming. We had to jump off and push out of the road. Then Chad switched to reserve and we were on our way. While we were there I tried a stencil on Goldie for the Patriotic Costume Leadline we are going to do tomorrow night at the Cullman Horse Show. Shelby and I have matching flag shirts and I bought her some new red boots. I will try and post pictures of it! Later on Ryan and Sandi came over and brought the girls home. The girls went straight to the neighbor's....they have been gone to Disney World and the girls have been lonesome! We have tried to keep them occupied this week. Ryan and Sandi are staying since the guys are fishing together tomorrow.
Jessie had lessons last night. She was riding really well. The farrier was coming to shoe Goldie and Hannah. When he got there she was loping and looked absolutely beautiful loping around the arena. Later I mentioned to him that we were doing costume leadline this weekend and he said "she looks like she is ready for more than costume leadline"! I told him it was Shelby and I that were doing costume leadline.....he said Jess looked really good and looked like such a natural. She really does when she is in her groove riding well. We had a house guest last night...Tiffany, Chad's sister stayed with us as Mark (her husband) is exploring Europe for the next couple of weeks. What a life! ha ha ha..... She kept Jessie company last night while I think Jessie kept a foot in her ribs all night. The girls went to his Mom and Dad's today to swim and spend the night. So, Chad and I had dinner at the famous Green Top. Gotta love those BBQ salads. We came back, fed the horsies and then put clamps on the fence.
Got home today and fencing was in full swing with t-posts being put in place. Three sides have t-posts in place. Took Shelby with me to the McInvale's to feed the horses and we saddled Blackie for her. She donned her new helmet and we went to the arena. I held Blackie on the lead line and got him to trot around....Shelby loves to trot. She is now wanting to see if Blackie can run Pony Barrels! She helped me feed all the horses and we headed home.
Friday night we took the girls to Cullman to see Cars, the movie. It was great. The best part was probably hearing Shelby sing "Life is a Highway" with Rascal Flatts - at the top of her lungs. She has developed a huge crush on the lead singer, who she describes as having "prickly hair". Saturday, Chad and his brother fished a tournament at Neely Henry. The girls and I ran some errands and took Shelby to a birthday party / swimming party. Sunday came and I overslept so we didn't make church. Later on, Norman - Irene and Steve came over. Norman, Steve and Chad made significant progress on the fence and we were almost completely under fence when they finished. The girls spent the night with Nanny and PawPaw. Chad went today and bought the rest of the fencing materials. Steve came over and they got the gates hung up and the last bit of fencing up. We are officially UNDER FENCE! I had to go buy horse feed before coming home....saw people at the Hitchin' Post where we used to board our horses. We took the feed to the Mcinvale's and then rode for a little while tonight.
Or maybe it's the other way around - Good Neighbors Make Good Fences ! I know very few people can relate to the excitement a fence can bring...but this is one fence that is certainly building excitement daily. Chad and Steve (my niece's boyfriend and resident horse expert) made the trip to Tractor Supply yesterday to buy the fencing. When I got home, they and our neighbor, Tanner, had almost one roll of fencing up around the perimeter....two more rolls to go, as we are putting up three rows of fencing. Steve thinks a few more days of that kind of progress and we will have it up. I can't thank Steve enough for his guidance, work and assistance. It was a blessing to see Chad, Steve and Tanner out there putting up the fence and I am so thankful!
Before we went on vacation, we put our horses at our neighbors who had offered to take care of them while we were on vacation. We had also arranged with them to leave them at their house and property until our fence is finished. This couple is a wonderful Christian couple who own property completely designed for horses. They have two horses themselves but have plenty of room for more. They have a son who is a Major in the Army and a daughter who is a Missionary to Honduras. We feel blessed to have met them and to have this arrangement. Their house is exactly half a mile from our house so we are very excited to be closer to home. Last night we had lessons in their outside arena. We had a great time riding. Jessie rode her horse and rode great! She has been riding my horse in the past few lessons to get more used to riding other horses....so this was her first time back on her horse in a while. One of the owner's horses was trotting along side the arena railing on the outside and Jessie's horse was irritated by him being there so her horse decided to jump around a little bit (she was bucking!). Jessie stayed on for the ride and maintained her composure! I was proud of her for not getting rattled by it and we went on to ride for a while. She trotted figure eights with precision and then worked up to loping. She rides so pretty! Chad saddled up Shelby's pony, Blackie, and took them for a "walk". Now Shelby wants to take lessons! I love the fact we can do this as a family and am so thankful for the opportunities and blessings God has provided.
Well, it's not been quite a year since my last post so better late than never. I'll try to recap from last July....since that time....I got married, I bought a horse, then bought another horse for Jessie, decided my horse was too much horse and sent him to a trainer, bought another one from her (so technically at that point I own three), put our home on the market and it sold the first week it was on the market, bought another house with land to move the horses to our house but have to get the stumps cleared first, Shelby turned four, bought Shelby a pony - now we own four, got the land cleared and Chad has started the fence, Jessie turned eight, Jessie went to horse camp, then we just returned from the beach, Shelby is in zoo camp this week and Jessie is going to VBS, we have riding lessons tonight for Jessie, WHEW - what a year! Oh, did I mention my employer decided to merge with another bank? As if I didn't have enough going on.....oh well, nothing like CHANGE to keep your ticker ticking (really fast)!
Friday morning was a great morning....the girls had been given a stern talk by Granny about how they have been behaving (er...misbehaving) in the mornings when we are trying to leave. This week was zoo camp and the girls had to be there at 8:30, so our normal routine was a little hurried this week as we tried to have everything done for them to be there at 8:30. We experienced some very frazzled mornings this week but Friday was a different morning and things were going great. I asked Jessie to run downstairs to the dryer to get their zoo camp shirts out. She came back with shorts and shirts in hand....but had a wide eyed look on her face. With all the drama she could possibly muster, she said "I have a tip for you....if you think you're claustrophobic, don't stick your head in the dryer!" It may be one of those times when "you just had to be there"....but the look on her face and the tone in her voice was hilarious....to think -all this drama from a 7 year old! We were taking the girls to eat and were trying to take them somewhere they haven't been versus our regular chain establishments. We were sitting at the Hall's, who live near Trussville, trying to decide where to go....and Shelby was asking to go to "Nomi"...keep in mind Shelby is three and "Nomi" meant she wanted to go to Konome, the Japanese Steakhouse in Trussville. The girls love going there and we just ate there this past Sunday...but we went again. We got Shelby her own dinner this time and she almost cleaned her plate of shrimp and rice. She knows all the chef's jokes and can say them before he does. Still she laughs and laughs like she has never been there before! So much for someplace new.....but it won't ever be old watching her next to me eating the little bowl of soup, waiting for her rice to cool off and laughing with a smile covering her entire face!
~One day I'll learn to trust myself more than others. ~One day I'll learn that despite my best desires to find the good in most everyone...that most everyone is human and will let you down, can be capable of hurting you and can be entirely capable of being phony. ~One day I'll learn that true friends come along only once in a true blue moon therefore everyone is not a friend. ~One day I'll learn deception knows no age limits or boundaries. ~One day I'll learn why I've lived my life in the the way I have and why I didn't lower myself to their standards or lack thereof. ~One day I'll learn that the "good guys don't always finish last"!
I learned Friday evening that age is truly just a number and can be a state of mind as well. This lesson was learned as I watched old and very young sway and scream to the sounds of Gretchen Wilson followed by Kenny Chesney. We were offered free tickets last week and I thought it could be fun. I'll preface the rest of this with the fact that I don't listen to much country music these days but remember Kenny Chesney's music from five or six years ago and I liked him then. However, my thoughts on Gretchen Wilson are much different. She is newer to the mainstream scene and I don't share quite the fondness for her that others do. While all her claims to being the real down to earth person she is and wanting to make her hometown proud (as noted in the song Pocahontas Proud, which refers to her hometown Pocahontas, Illinois) could be commended by some, you won't find it from me. I am not here to bash her or any other star and at the risk of sounding holier than thou, I have no desire for her lyrics to be in my house or car. In her song "Here for the Party" she sings about being "an eight ball shooting double fisted drinking son of a gun" and goes on to say.... "I wear My jeans a little tight Just to watch the little boys come undone Im here for the beer and the ball busting band Gonna get a little crazy just because I can" While she sings about "kickin the butt" of a homewrecker and about being a proud redneck woman she elaborates by saying "Well, I ain't never been the Barbie doll type No, I can't swig that sweet Champagne, I'd rather drink beer all night In a tavern or in a honky tonk or on a four-wheel drive tailgate" she provides an emotional pull to every Mom with a video intro to her song "Holdin You" with clips of her daughter Grace and audio clips of baby laughter. I know it takes all types to "make the world go round" but I can't honestly condone her lyrics anymore than I can the lyrics of some rappers. The messages may be different but if we're after impact of the message then it's all the same to me. I felt so out of place as I sat during most of her performance and listened to a sold out crowd sing and chant with her. When I watched her video clip of her daughter, I felt proud...I felt proud that my daughters know I am "real" without having to hear me sing of my roots, my drinking preferences and my ability to "take it outside" with someone. They know I am real when we pray about something, they know I am real when they hear Chad and me argue and see us "kiss and make up", they know I am real when I get mad at someone and cry and hurt about it but can forgive and forget, they know I am real when I get mad and scream and shout and apologize for my actions, they know I am real when they see me hurt and they come give me a hug and I know they want to make it all better for me. So, while I felt so out of place I am so thankful for the lesson I learned and to say that I am proud of who I am too! PS - the eBay dress came in and I LOVE IT....also booked photography team of Mark Lawley and Associates on Thursday night (http://www.marklawleyphotography.com).
Well, I was beginning to get nervous about finding a dress....now I have two! I bought one on clearance at Southern Bride and then won one off of eBay (good ole' eBay!) So, if I hate the one from eBay - I have the other one to fall back on from Southern Bride (but it is definitely second choice just based on appearances). My eBay seller was a little slow in shipping as they moved their store, but I was told it shipped Wednesday the 29th. So, I am anxiously waiting on the eBay dress. Earlier this month we purchased a dress for Jessie from David's Bridal. It is Blush Pink and it is from their Junior Bridesmaid line. We also completed our pre-marital counseling questionnaire's and are waiting to get our counseling started with Pastor Mark. Also, two of my friends told me this week that they wanted to do something for us / me...so they are hosting a lingerie shower...it will be fun! I have lined up people to sing and play: my friends Ted Stricklin, Katanya Langford and Wendy Thomaston will sing as well as my favorite praise and worship minister, Pastor Tommy Connor will play and hold Praise and Worship at the reception. We want to have a really fun time at the reception and we are sure to have good music with Pastor Tommy at the microphone! It was recently announced he will be leaving the church in Centerpoint to be full time Pastor of our Homewood church and I was crushed. I know God will continue to use he and his wife and grow the Homewood church, but I will definitely miss my favorite praise and worship minister and his wife on Sunday mornings at Centerpoint Cathedral! Working on decorations and picking out invitations. Things seem to be "falling into place"!
BIG NEWS FROM MAY.... May 22, 2005 Our much needed beach trip turned into a bigger trip than I could imagine.....We took the girls to Mom and Dad for church and headed towards Destin. We arrived at where we were scheduled to stay and found it was too far from the beach for our taste. So, we went to find other accomodations. We quickly found a place to stay at Sun Destin Condominiums, through Resort Quest properties. We got to our unit and changed to go down to the beach for what was left of the afternoon. Getting down to the beach, I found it to be a little breezy, so of course I was a little whiney. Chad and I were playing "hangman" in the sand and he offered to go back to the room to get my jacket so we could stay til sunset. When he came back, he didn't have my jacket and I was so confused how he could forget it? Shortly I found out that he had other things on his mind....when he pulled out a beautiful solitaire and asked me to marry him! I was crying and he said I took forever to answer him...but of course I said yes. We went back to the room and got dressed to go out to eat and decided to call everyone the next day to tell them. MAY 23, 2005 We called everyone that morning to tell them and I told Jessie by asking her if she wanted to be my flower girl? She SQUEALED and was so excited. Shelby was a little less enthused about being a flower girls....but was excited about us getting married. Chad called his family and they were excited as well. We began discussing wedding dates and he was hoping for August...while I was hoping for November or December to give me more time to plan. Eventually, I conceded that if things would really fall into place, that I would shoot towards an August date - so off we went.
The other night while tucking the girls into bed, I decided to be silly so I waited until they asked for their normal "hug and a kiss" which is a part of the nightly routine. Sometimes we even have to do it twice so they are sure they got it. Anyway, I was being silly with them and told them that I had decided to start charging for my hugs and kisses. I expected fussing and whining and got just the opposite. Shelby started scrambling out of the bed looking for her purse..she said she had money in her purse! Jessie knew she had tooth fairy money and was ready to get it. I was almost in tears to know they would pay for my "hugs and kisses". It actually made me feel bad. But, then I started thinking what an eye opener things can be...that they would pay for my silly old hugs and kisses as I tuck them in bed at night. One day they may not want me tucking them in....just like Jessie decided one day to not wear hair bows anymore....and just one day she didn't say "sippy tup" for "sippy cup"....and one day she didn't say "Dranny" for "Granny". It seemed like overnight those changes occurred. Chad and I discussed this weekend, that we wonder when Shelby will quit saying "underbrella" for "umbrella" or "pannicakes" for "pancakes".... I wonder when they won't need me to supervise baths or supervise pouring drinks or fix Shelby's strawberry milk in the morning. NO matter when all those things happen, I hope they will always want or need my hugs and kisses. I know their hugs and kisses can always make me feel better and yes, there are times when I would pay for them!
Chad and I get to take a much needed trip to the beach on Sunday and come back on Tuesday afternoon. I am involved in a big project at work and it's "debut" was moved to this Monday.....I'll try to not wonder what is going on back in B'ham. Jessie's last day of first grade is tomorrow. It's hard to believe that she is soon starting second grade. I have vivid memories of my second grade year and it causes me to realize that she is at an age where things become more and more memorable in your conscious mind. I also went to New York City when I was seven, which was very memorable, so I hope to offer her some very memorable events this year and in years to come. It seems like yesterday her nursery was being painted with a mural of the Sun, Moon and Stars and an image of the earth which read "He's got the whole world in his hands". Her nursery was so peaceful and exactly like I wanted it to be. Pretty soon that same nursey and decor may be used by my brother and his wife as they await a December arrival and addition to our family. It would be great if they could benefit from the decor in that room, but I will understand if she wants to do her own decor. It was painted by a friend of the family who has recently had a baby and is having health problems following delivery. Keep them in your prayers! I will update after our trip to Destin!
Jessie had 12 girls in her division. She did great and we were very proud! We were very pleased when they crowned her Little Miss Encore! I think she was in shock...she didn't even move. I'm not sure she even realized she won right away. We went out to eat afterwards and had a great time with our family and made lots of phone calls! I mentioned that she didn't have to do another one since she got "a crown" and she has wanted one so badly! She quickly replied that "just because she won didn't mean she wasn't going to do anymore". She is too funny! I will post pictures as soon as I get them scanned...Wal-Mart's digital system was down, so I will have to scan and upload!
Last Thursday, the 5th, we had a major breakthrough with Shelby and the potty training. She saw a preschool playground and wanted to go there. I told her about her preschool she would be going to in September. I also "fibbed" a little and told her she had to be going to the potty and if not, they would send her home. She resisted momentarily and then reluctantly gave in and said "Ok, I'll go to the potty". With that statement, she resolved herself to going to the potty and we have been in "big girl panties" ever since. We use the pullups at night but I have a feeling she will be out of those soon! It was so nice to take them out ALL DAY last Saturday and not have a pullup to deal with. Although, it did mean finding a potty whenever, wherever she felt the urge! But we had a great time shopping together and picking out Mother's Day presents. Jessie is in another pageant tomorrow at Bragg Middle School in Gardendale. This one is the Encore Pageant, that her dance studio's dance team is doing as a fundraiser. I will try to get a picture posted from the last pageant that she did on April 22, Little Miss North Jefferson County. Well, I will update after the pageant!
Been a while since I got on here, I was really motivated about doing this at first and then I got behind on it and didn't feel like doing it. But, here I am and will just update you on recent and "sorta" interesting events. I had to go to Memphis last week for work. So, we had planned that I would take the girls and Mom with me. I would be in meetings in the afternoon on Thursday the 28th and the first half of Friday the 29th. I also knew Mom could use my car and take the girls around while I was in meetings. So, we left early Thursday morning and headed up Hwy 78 to Memphis. APRIL 28 Got up there in good time, but missed the turn to the meeting site / hotel and spent another 30-45 minutes trying to get back due to a train and road being blocked. I called the hotel to inquire about early check in and she told me she would hold a room for us, so I could get changed. I walked into the meeting and they were just about to introduce the team from Human Resources. I made it in the nick of time! When the meetings adjourned, our hosts - the Trust Department, took us to a Redbirds game and then to Beale Street. We had BBQ from Rendezvous served up in a private area and we watched the Redbirds beat the Cubs. The stadium, the facilities and staff were all great. I loved the downtown atmosphere of the stadium and the design was great also. It turned out to be a much colder night than most of us expected. I was glad for closed toe shoes and my North Face Rain Jacket that Chad gave me for Christmas! We all left and walked to Beale Street. I did my usual people watching and walked on with the group. They chose a small bar to go into and do some dancing.....I opted for the souveneir shop next door. Soon, Richard, from the group and who is also a Memphis native, came looking for me. So, I joined them next door and entertained myself by people watching. We left to join others at the end of Beale by 10:00, so we could board our charter bus to take us back to the hotel. Most had boarded the bus and were waiting for the last ones to board....one of the ladies boarded the bus and she proceeded to do a "flight attendants demonstration of what to do in case of emergency" at the front of the bus. It was pretty funny and very spontaneous. I am sure she was "feeling good" after her time on Beale Street. We leave the area heading back and have been riding for about ten minutes when that same lady starts shrieking "my bag....my bag".....we think she must have lost her purse and start trying to figure out what she is screaming about. She says thru panicked breaths that she must have laid her bag of souveneirs down when she did her flight attendant demonstration. People are laughing and trying to calm her down....while others are looking to see if the bag is up in the front of the bus. She heads to the front and the driver barks at her to sit down. It was pretty funny! I was almost embarrassed for her. People were still talking about it the next day.....we later found out her bag was at Pat O'Brien's and some of the group that stayed behind found it and brought it back with them. APRIL 29 TRIP TO THE PEABODY: Mom took the girls to the breakfast buffet and I went to my meeting. They headed to the Memphis Zoo. We were glad to know the B'ham zoo membership transferred there to a discount and they got in half price. They made sure to see the Panda exhibit and took a shuttle around the zoo to take in other sites. They met me back at the hotel after lunch as my meetings were over. We headed to the Peabody to stake out the Duck's and so I could see the shops that I had passed the night before. I was so excited about seeing the ducks. I know everyone will be glad to know that I finally got to see the ducks! We bought Jessie two books related to the ducks and the hotel's history. She was wanting us to check out of our hotel and stay at the Peabody. We bought Shelby a little rubber duck for the bathtub fashioned after the Peabody mallards. We took some pictures while the ducks were still in the fountain and headed to Peabody Place. Killed some time in there and headed back to get a good spot to watch the ducks stroll down the red carpet. We got a great spot and watched the crowd start to pile in. The Duckmaster, Daniel Fox, was a great host for the viewing and moved all the children right down on the floor alongside the red carpet. We were more excited to learn that the walk that day was the first day on the job for that set of ducks. I cautioned (threatened-ha ha ha) the girls to not touch or reach for the ducks. Three ducks came out with ease and stalled halfway down the carpet, while two more were content in the fountain. Duckmaster Fox coaxed those out and they all headed onto the elevator. It was fun and after 12+ years of wanting to see those ducks - I DID! We headed up to the duck palace on the roof, enjoyed the view thru the misting rain and headed down. Down in the lobby, I wanted to check the remaining stores. I went into Lansky Brothers to see the guitars and pictures from celebrities that have paid them a visit. I was promptly greeted by Mr. Lansky himself, who used to be the tailor for Elvis. Mom took the girls out so I could look around. I thought about buying my Dad a tie because he would like to know it came from the store and man that personally outfitted Elvis. However, I decided against it when the ties were 95.00 and Dad would only wear a tie on special occasions. BRUSH WITH CELEBRITIES: The Memphis music festival was about to get underway and downtown was brimming with excitement and activity. Limo's were pulling up at the Peabody with great frequency and we saw several groups unload with instrument cases and musical apparatus in tow. While in Lansky Brothers, two guys came in to look at some hats. I was making my way thru the store and heard one say to Mr. Lansky that he was a songwriter, the other was on his cell phone seemingly talking to his girlfriend. I was looking at some shirts that caught my eye for Chad and the "songwriter" walked past me and asked me if I saw anything I liked - I said "yeah - lots" and thought nothing of it. When I left the store, I noticed several "younger girls" than me, who seemed very excited. I realized they were pointing at the two guys in the store and I asked who they were. One of them looked at me like I came straight from Neptune and said "uhhhh - that is Gavin Degraw and the other is his drummer" I was clueless and had to ask her who that was...thinking he might be a local singer....she looked at me like I had grown another head and told me he was from New York. So, I made matters worse and asked her what he sang....oh well....I felt really old! I #2 BRUSH WITH CELEBRITIES: Left Lansky Bros. and went into Lansky 126. Greeted by a super nice guy, who loved my outfit! We were laughing about my "killer shoes" as he called them and I told him how they were truly killing my feet. We stood there talking while I looked at shirts. There were two other guys in there shopping and I heard one say he was going to wear the jeans he was trying on when he was on stage that night. The guy helping me told me that guy was from Phish and he thought his name was Trey. I was still clueless! Thank goodness for the internet, so I could look up all these people when I got back to my room! RAINED OUT! We went on a carriage ride and then headed to Pancho's to eat. While in Pancho's it began to pour buckets....so that ruined any chance of getting to Beale before it got dark. I was going to get them to Beale before dark so Mom could say she had been there. I assured her she wasn't missing anything...but I know she would have found some street people to minister to! She had spotted plenty while we were on our carriage ride! Headed back to the hotel to get ready to leave the next day. IS ELVIS REALLY DEAD? Not that we were really wondering, but thought it seemed appropriate since we made our way to Graceland on Saturday. We booked the VIP tour and had the first run of the day. The house was much smaller than I ever expected and Mom said the same thing. It wasn't quite as outlandish as I expected and some of the rooms were strangely reminiscent of recent makeovers on Trading Space (ala Hildy!) Jessie enjoyed the trip much more than Shelby! We had the girls picture made with Elvis - digitally of course and it turned out really cute! I'll try and post it later. BASS PRO SHOPS Left Graceland and went to the Bass Pro Shops. I've never been to one and wanted to see how much stuff one store could have to sell to fisherman and hunters under one roof. Well, we got to see it and we even bought some stuff - imagine that! NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM: I really wanted Jessie to see the Civil Rights Museum as she is very interested in history. She also had a lof interest in Dr King after studying him in Black History Month. I was also very interested to see the museum after learning the Lorraine Motel was now the site of the museum. It was a very moving experience. It was very surreal to realize I was standing less than 10 feet away from the exact spot he stood and where his life was ended. I am glad to know it didn't end the work he started. Jessie has remarked since then that she can't believe she was standing there. We headed home and got home about 10:00 to Chad and Pops waiting for us! They helped us unload and Granny and Pops were on their way.
href="http://bfl.flwoutdoors.com/tournament.cfm?cid=2&tid=3961"> Click the link above and it will take to you the FLW website, which has a picture of Chad and his trophy as well as a full write up of the win. Chad was really excited to win this as he had never fished there before. Additionally, the waters were really rough like no other rough water he has ever been on. He called me from a friends cell phone to tell me of his tourney win and big bass. He is always playing jokes on me, so I thought he was kidding. I was glad to know he was not kidding and couldn't wait for him to get back to B'ham to his biggest fans. I hate we couldn't be there....but he knows we are always cheering him on and praying for him wherever he is!
Nanny came over before I left work and got the girls so they could spend the night with her. Jessie was saddened to know they were only spending Thursday night with Nanny and not Friday also. I told Nanny they could stay another night if she wanted, because otherwise they will be spending Friday night with my mom since we have a Guys & Dolls Tournament on Saturday. Jessie was also very concerned if Nanny knew what she could eat and could not eat since she has had the stomach bug. She also informed us that it was not fair for us to eat stuff in front of her that she could not eat! Today I had lunch with my friend and former co-worker, Rhena. She is studying to sell real estate, when her days with SouthTrust / Wachovia are over. After work, I met Chad at Academy where I shopped for things for the tournament. I bought a new reel, like the one he has that I fish with already - an el cheapo, Shimano Syncopate Quickfire 2000. Cheap, but I like it! Headed home shortly to get packed and get laundry done!
Jessie stayed well today - Yeah! Also, heard good news about one of my former co-workers at SouthTrust, Monique got a job in HR at St. Vincent's Hospital. Chad went to Weiss Lake today to scout out the fish for our Guys & Dolls Tournament there this Saturday. He came over tonight and brought my new Costa Del Mar sunglasses with polarized lenses. I am so excited about having those! Shelby has been in a mood tonight. In the car, on the way home, she called Jessie "stupid" and has been very demanding tonight. She is still refusing to go to the potty. The girls will be spending the day and night tomorrow with the Waid's. Then spending Friday night with my family, since we will have an early start on Saturday morning.
My oldest daughter Jessie has had a "tummy issue" since Friday. It has flared it's ugly head with infrequency over the weekend and into Monday. Monday night turned into a full blown ordeal and we were in for the long haul Monday night all the way into this morning. I found myself up and down all night with her, almost every hour with precision which culminated with an early morning series of every 30 minutes going to her side. I soon found myself faced with having to call and cancel dental appointments for the girls that were scheduled for today. I also decided to call in the reinforcements to our house, so I could try to go in to work for some meetings I had scheduled today. The more I watched her, I knew I needed to be with her and knew I needed to contact the pediatrician. The fact that she had not anything of real substance in the past four days, combined with the fact that she could now not keep down liquids was very concerning. They agreed she needed to be seen, so now I was faced with calling the company that I have only been with since January and telling them my dilemma. Additionally, I had to contact the meeting participants and cancel on them....who by the way, are people I've never met and have tried to arrange this meeting for almost two weeks. I know my children are my priority but the situation still left me feeling very torn. I have felt from the beginning that the new group I work with is a very family oriented group and that was confirmed even further today. Thank the Lord! So, here we sit with persistent "tummy troubles" with one and the other one bawling over the sound of thunder as we wait for the next wave of storms to roll through our area. Praying the medicine kicks in before bedtime and that we can get a peaceful nights sleep....unless the storms have other plans! p.s - in spite of the tummy trouble this weekend, we celebrated Shelby's Third Birthday at Pump It Up in Trussville. We had a great time with our family and friends on Sunday. It looks like Christmas In March has come to our house with all the toys and clothes she received. Thanks for sharing it with us!
I have seen these for a while now and thought it would be fun to journal our lives. Not that I think we are so interesting, but I am more interested in it for the girls and how it could benefit them later. Hence, the name "forusthreegirls" in the web address. I also chose the name "One Day At a Time"...because that is truly how I want us to live - as a family.....one day at a time, walking with God! Hope you get some enjoyment out of our posts and gain some insight into our lives and who we are! Love to all! Tonya, Jessie and Shelby
