Work and Rodeo's......

Guess in some ways they have a lot of similarities....I mean in both there are clowns, bulls, thrills and spills! No this is not some profound analogy of the two - that's just the only title I could think of that describes my week and weekend, then when I got to thinking about how funny the two sounded together - I started thinking maybe they aren't so different after all. So, this week in the midst of the M word (that's merger - for those new to my blog)...we found out who our manager will be. The old Regions comp manager will be the new manager in the new Regions - makes perfect sense doesn't it? Ok - when Regions m'd with Union Planters - the Comp Manager came over from UP...so the Regions Comp Mgr moved to another position in HR. Then, the Exec Comp Mgr, who was from UP, was "displaced" so that Comp Mgr came back into Comp doing Exec Comp. So, he has a lot of COMP experience and will be the new mgr over Base/Variable Comp in the new Regions. I know him, like him and feel things will be fine. He was actually part of my decision to come to Regions in the first place even though I knew I would not be working for him...he was instrumental in helping me make my decision. So, I feel good about him and the fact that he will be working for a former SouthTrust manager who has been at Amsouth. So, that's one less unknown in this cake we are baking......now if we can get the rest of the ingredients we might know what kind of cake we are making....until now I've just been worried about pre-heating the oven! I say that to say that we know we have a job just not doing what or working for whom and it's like knowing you've got to make a cake but not what kind or how....so you're just standing there at the oven waiting to start it pre-heating!!! I know - I'm goofy....but that's the way I feel. I just hope our cake doesn't go flat and personally I prefer carrot cake to german chocolate; so let's just keep the coco"nuts" out of this recipe! So, next on the agenda is I got my Yukon back - yeah! I am no longer in the racecar, I mean Grand Prix and the new has worn off the girls and they were ready to have our car back. So, I'm on my way home later than usual last night because I had to go to Trussville to pick up my car. I pass by a home which has a few horses and one of them is out, grazing by the side of the road. I called my sweet hubby and asked him to bring a lead line - to which he replied "you're kidding - right?" and I said "no, I don't want this horse to get hit and no one is at home here"...so off he comes, kids in tow and I try to play Roy Rogers (just kidding). It was dark and this guy was not thru grazing....pinned back his ears and took off. I got his halter briefly and he immediately pulled back and went up with his head, so I let go. I am not into playing "cowgirl" especially with strange horses...so I called the Sherriff's Dept and left it in their hands. I did find the number for house thru freeality.com and called later. The horse had been captured and was safe and sound. I was relieved! I am also very thankful to my husband for coming down there for me....he didn't have to do it and I know he was getting ready for a tournament (by the way he came in 2nd - whoo hoo!) So, with that rodeo behind us....we were off to a "real rodeo" on Saturday. We got up bright and early Saturday morning to head to Hidden Creek Ranch near Vincent / Vandiver. Jessie went to horse camp there this summer and LOVED it. They were holding their 2nd Annual Dusty Bottoms Rodeo for kids ages 2 - 15. We did not pre-register and weren't exactly sure what all it involved. When we got there, I made an executive decision that we would not participate or compete this year but watch for a little while and then embark on other activities. The lineup showed it would be a long day at the Dusty Bottoms Rodeo and it was MUDDY....so the two combined did not seem appealing for an entire day. But we watched long enough to know that we will be back next year and with horses in tow for them to participate. While we were there, Jessie got to ride a mechanical bull - well you can only imagine what that has led to....I got pictures and will have them posted later. She also enjoyed watching the roping events and told me how she wanted to practice roping! We were heading to The Hitchin' Post for a b'day party and she told me she wanted to look at the roping dummies when we got there and the ropes! Lord - help us, I can just see Shelby being roped, Reed being roped, Blackie being roped and heaven forbid I make her mad! Once at Hitchin' Post, we checked out the roping dummies and ropes. Mr Cedar was there and he advised us on that aspect and he is going to let her borrow a rope for calf roping and give her some pointers. She also tried on a really cool pair of new boots from the John Deere line which have brown bottoms with pink uppers and are toooooo cute. We are going to see if she can get those for Christmas! We had a great time at Hitchin' Post and they are in full swing for their rodeo next weekend. We were worried we weren't going to get to see too much of their 1st Annual Rodeo because the girls are in a wedding next weekend....but the rodeo doesn't start until 8:00 each night so we will probably get to see plenty of action. If you are looking for some fun, come out to Kimberly, Alabama to the rodeo OR you could just go to work for a company in the middle of merger - it's all about the same!

Photo Link for the Fall Ball

I hope this link will take you to pics of the Fall Ball...be warned there are a ton as I am collecting them from everyone who took pictures. http://tonyahall.shutterfly.com Let me know if it doesn't work!

The Fall Ball has come and gone...

The much planned for "Fall Ball" has come and gone. I had hesitated to call it our "first annual" because I just knew after my husband missed a day of fishing and all the work that went into it...he would say NO WAY to another Fall Ball. But last night he surprised me and said something to the effect of we know things we will do different for next year and I said, "so that means there is a 'next year' ?" and he said "yeah - I had fun and we can do it again". Yippeeee- I just knew he would be wanting to kill me by the time the day was over but he was a real trooper in all the prep work, setting up, saddling the pony and running the hay ride....which was a huge hit. I told one of the mom's that I was going to owe him big time for this one and that he would want to fish every Saturday for six months after this day!!!! But I truly think he had a good time. We certainly would not have pulled it off without the help of our families who all pitched in to set up and keep things going. I think at times I felt things were a little more chaotic and less organized than I had 'planned' for them to be....but I think everyone had a great time. One of the dad's said he thinks this will be talked about for a long time. Shelby's pony, Blackie, was also a real trooper as I walked him probably 200 times around the round pen. He has not been ridden in at least a month and when Shelby does ride him - it is not for very long. I should have had a step stool out there to help the bigger kids get on him....I did not know I could lift that much weight....my back is telling me today that I shouldn't have. I am so glad Blackie is not spooky....because a baby was on him with her Mom holding her to pose for a picture. Someone outside the round pen decided it would be cute for the baby to put on a cowboy hat and threw it in to us....it landed right on Blackie's head and slid down his nose. There are many horses that would have flipped them out so I am so thankful for that not happening and safety for us all! The games were fun as all the kids enjoyed the cake walk, bobbing for apples, hunting thru the hay for candy, a ball toss and a duck pond. I had a great time even though I didn't get to mingle too much. I am just so thankful God has blessed us with the setting, the friends and the means to do something like this.....I will post pics as soon as I have them. Looks like I can safely call it our "First Annual Fall Ball"......

Well this weekend we will be hosting our "Fall Ball" at our home. This was my "brainchild" that I dreamed up last year but had to put on hold until we actually had a place to host it. So, we have invited the girls classmates, ball team, family friends and our extended families to our home for the Fall Ball. This "ball" will consist of games, hay ride, wienie roast, smores, pony rides, etc. Also, my friend Kim is going to hold Micah's one year old b'day party at the same time....with her own guest list. We will know a lot of people on her guest list from church and from knowing her family. So, the crowds should mingle well. For me and my family, we are doing this in lieu of other fall festivals, halloween costumes, etc. The invites told everyone to put on their best "western duds" so we are attending in western attire....maybe others will follow suit. I did help Kim get Micah a cute overall outfit with a broncing horse embroidered on the front and we got her daughter, Maggie, some overalls off of ebay as well. We have been having Crafts 101 as we adorn her overalls with some horsey fabrick and fringe on the pockets. Maybe this will be an annual event for our family. At any rate, wish us luck - I will update and post pictures later!

Pics from Chattanooga

this is of "the girls" outside the aquarium: this is "the girls" and their "Chaddy" after he weighed in: that's my girls!: this is Shelby and Chad on stage:

It's the Little Things....

Thanks to my boss, I was able to get off half a day and get a headstart on our drive to Chattanooga. The girls and I were heading up there for Chad's weigh in on Friday. The first weigh in was Thursday but Jessie wasn't out of school until Friday. So, we loaded up and were on our way. The girls were really excited - they love 'quick trips' and act like we've really gone somewhere. We went to Chad's Triton Gold tournament this summer in Florence, AL and the hotel had a great pool...the girls were in heaven and you'd have thought we really went some where. The girls and I made a day trip to Chattanooga two years ago so Shelby was 2 1/2 and she really didn't remember a lot of details from that trip. We arrived at Chad's hotel Thursday evening and settled in. Chad was laughing at how giddy the girls were and commented you'd think they were in Disney World - told ya - it's the little things! Chad had a decent day of fishing on Thursday and weighed in at approx 9.15 with four fish. This placed him around 22nd place out of 146 boaters. This is the Regional tournament for the BFL and he had a nice showing in the points this season. It was a nice follow up to him winning the points in the Mississippi Division on basically unknown waters to him. He got up bright and early for the tournament this morning and I told him bye, love ya, get 'em in the boat, all the loving things a fisherman's wife says.....and got directions to the weigh in before I turned over to try and sleep in some more!!!! The girls did actually sleep in but then were pestering me about going to eat breakfast. I told my little hoggly wogglies (jk) that we were not going to make the 10:30 cutoff and that we would get them something for lunch on the way to the aquarium. Got directions from front desk to the aquarium and made it there with no problems. Got great parking and headed in. Shelby was much more interested in the exhibits this time and at one point looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said "this is the BEST day of my life"....she can really melt me! Again, she showed me 'it's the little things'. She was dying to get to the "sharks" but at the first sight of one...she was thru! Hate we couldn't squeeze in the IMax Shark movie - she would have really had a fit! I took plenty of pics of the girls and will post later. After leaving the aquarium complex, we headed across the river to North Shore. Chad and I visited Chattanooga on a quick weekend trip when we were dating and I gave him a hat as a 'souvenir' from the trip from a store called Choo Choo Fish and Fly. It was well worn and has been retired. I was hoping I could replace it...but no luck, the store is closed! The girls and I browsed the shop windows and got ice cream from Clumpies. We then headed to the pedestrian bridge over the river and the girls loved that. After that trip, we went down to the riverside park and rode the indoor carousel, then walked around the park. They had a blast and I had fun just watching them....it's the little things. We got to the weigh in site and waited for a glimpse of Chad. When we finally saw him, he shook his head and I knew that wasn't good. He weighed in one fish and I knew that would not put him in line for a check that would pay to the 24th place. I was disappointed for him but as I would tell his parents later....all the guys there fishing this weekend had to qualify and fish well all season to get there, so they are all good if not great fisherman and it's a tough tournament when they are all this good. Several of his friends got checks and in his usual style he was very happy for them! We left to head out and grab a bite to eat before hitting 59 south to the Ham. One parting thing about the tournament, was that Shelby and Jessie ran to see him when he was getting ready to weigh in and much to my surprise, Shelby had already decided she was going to weigh in on stage with him. Jessie sat next to me and said "I wish Chaddy had more fish...I wish he had made the cut" and I could tell she meant every word......at the same time I watched Shelby go on stage with him and his one fish. She could have cared less one fish or five as he held her up there and told the weighmaster her name.....she was with her Chaddy and that was all that mattered......I was glad we were there....it's the little things! We love Chaddy and I love my girls!

Get Rid of a Bad Cold?

We've all heard someone talking about the cold they just can't seem to get rid of.....just can't shake. We've probably even been there, done that ourselves. I will have to say I have a case of the "cold I just can't get rid of"......but my ailment is in the form of some people in my life. A few of these have seemed to pop up when I least expect them to...in some of these cases I try to get out the chicken soup and go on.....while there's another who I don't think I will ever be rid of for matters beyond my control. Chicken soup doesn't seem to work on one of my colds....I would say I'd try something toxic but that wouldn't be very Christian like, so I digress - I'm sure there's a lesson in here somewhere but I keep asking God what part of the lesson have I missed in all this time. Let's see, so far I've studied bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, love thy enemies, pray for your enemies and finished with passing grades. Guess I am going for my Master's now? I am currently studying that I am a new creation in Christ and that old things have passed away (2 Cor 5:17)....... We all know even when someone passes away there is a memory that is left.....so the scripture doesn't say it's going to kill the memory it just says those things are gone when we are new in Christ. I struggle with that because I want to rid myself of the cold, the virus, the bug and even the memory of being "sick". However, I am realizing that if I never remember being sick, I won't appreciate being "well".....and that if I forget about the sickness, I won't pray for it to stay away or pray for a "cure to be found". So, I'll struggle on with my various colds that won't go away.....the ones that seem so resistant to antibiotics....I'll pray that my attitude I discussed in a previous post will become "more contagious" as I said and that my attitude and Christ like mind will be the cure and the antibiotics for these colds!

Accomplishments

So far this week I have: ~Collected more items for the class basket for the fall festival ~Committed myself to work a booth for an hour at the school's fall festival ~Submitted our volunteer interest form for the Ronald McDonald House ~Worked on scheduling dinner for the families there ~Sent out invitations to over 50 kids for our Fall Ball ~Attended the company's shareholder meeting where merger was approved ~Introduced myself to the CEO to thank him for his genuine compassion and concern for an issue near and dear to my heart (no sarcasm behind this, true story) I will never hear the name Jack Moore and just think of a CEO...I will always think of someone who took the time for me and a family he didn't even know! ~Made the appointment to get my Yukon fixed ~Made Dr's appts for the girls ~Met Shelby's former preschool teacher for lunch with Shelby ~Met up with my bestest friend from high school thru myspace (see honey - all that nighttime computer time is not in vain?) ~Scoured the internet and sent out numerous e-mails to secure assistance for an issue "near and dear to my heart". Paid off - YEAH! ~Had at length discussion with my 8 yr old on why bad things happen and about her worries over people possibly dying, people being sick, animals dying, God's role or no role in Hurrican Katrina, discussed her question of did her Daddy know Jesus, how good things can come out of seemingly bad things and how I am struggling with kids being sick when they haven't even begun to live. Not too much going on..............Jeremiah 29:11 "for I know the plans I have for you".........

and They Lived Happily Ever After......

We’ve heard that famous closing to many fairy tales before.....this weekend we were part of our own little fairy tale as Sandy and Ryan (my husband's brother) got married. They were high school sweethearts and tied the knot this weekend in a beautiful outdoor wedding. The locale was perfect and the weather could not have been better. The wedding took place at the lake home and private lake of Temple and Lucy Tutwiler. Additionally, Lucy's parents - The Brower's - opened up their newly built home on the lake for the bride and bridal party to get dressed in. They could not have been more gracious hosts! On Friday evening we had rehearsal and dinner by Sal's Restaurant. YUMMY! Then on Saturday, we arrived at the Brower house shortly after noon and I began dressing both my girls for their roles in the wedding. Shelby was one of two flower girls and Jessie was one of eight honorary bridesmaids. Chad was one of 8 groomsmen and there were 7 or 8 traditional bridesmaids. The Brower house was a flurry of activity with makeup artists on hand from MAC and Aware Cosmetics doing makeup and finishing touches and bridal party running around preparing for pictures. Once we were all dressed we shuttled up to the Tutwilers house where we would make pictures. The former tennis courts would be the site of the wedding, which was now adorned with white chairs, mums, tulle and a great arbor built by Mark and Ryan. Pictures began with a planned point where Ryan and Sandy would see each other for the first time. At this point we all gathered outside the home under the portico....Ryan's back was turned and the front doors were opened for Sandy to step outside. Ryan was told to turn around and see his bride to be. She was absolutely beautiful and Ryan's face told everyone he thought the same thing. Pictures began and then drama began.....I mean, what's a picture perfect day for a wedding going to be like without a little drama? We were in the back yard, with the lake serving as the backdrop, taking more group photos. The photographer was posing some groomsmen and she stepped into a hole....when she did just about everyone heard snapping like twigs cracking under her feet....except it was not twigs...but her foot. SIDE NOTE: In true professional style, she pulled herself together and took as many pictures as she could until backups could arrive. Additionally her husband and mother arrived to take her to the hospital. Even after back-ups were there she was still taking pictures and left the reception totally in the hands of the back up. With my prior stints as a wedding photographer, my husband was wanting me to let her know so I could help as needed. I conceded and told her and was handed a camera to go take candid shots! They eventually needed that camera back and needed me for some family photos so my stint as photographer was over - whew. I know weddings are work and I felt so badly for her! Back to the wedding, to prepare for the beginning of the wedding we had to shuttle back down to the Brower house where a true Cinderella carriage was waiting to carry Sandy and the flower girls to the wedding site. This was the moment Shelby had been waiting for - she was beside herself. The carriage was being pulled by a smokey Percheron and knowing the size of our horses, she could not get over the size of his "feet"....quoting Shelby! I got back up to the house to await their arrival....the director cued them to make their way to the house - Sandy's dad, Chuck, took the radio and told Sandy he had a full tank of gas and could get her out of there (joking of course) but he was breaking my heart as I watched him knowing he was about to send his baby down the aisle. So everyone could see the carriage coming and began to stand for the bride. They made their entrance in grand style and I took my seat up front by slipping down the side. Shelby lasted most of the wedding but her feet had hurt her all day and she came to sit with me near the end of the ceremony. I took her ballet shoes off of her and she exited the ceremony with Chad and with her shoes in her basket! The reception was filled with BBQ, dancing, fruit and wonderful cakes. Shelby's feet must not have been hurting too badly at this point because she danced with several people....her favorite partner was Charlie, Sandy's brother. She told us it was supposed to be a secret that she was dancing with him! In true Jessie style, she acted like a perfect young lady throughout the day.....her long blonde hair had slight curls, those big blue eyes and her pretty pink dress...she made a great honorary bridesmaid and made me so proud to be her mama! A few pictures are below. I left a post on Sandy's myspace site and told her how she did look like a princess who was marrying her prince...carriage and all...but that I hope they always keep Christ as King over their lives. They have a great start and I certainly do hope they live happily ever after! ps. even though they did miss their flight on Sunday morning!

Pics from the Wedding

Wildfires...

Before you skip this boring intro and statistics, please read thru: On October 25 of 2003 a flammable shrub called chaparral was dry, in abundance and ignited by a "hunter". Strong 40 mile-per-hour Santa Ana winds made for extremely dry conditions in and around San Diego County and Lakeside. Daytime temperatures were above 90°F and the humidity was in the single-digits. With all elements of the fire triangle present and at high levels, the Cedar Fire rapidly turned into a dangerous firestorm. Government reports support a final conclusion that nothing could have prevented major destruction after ignition. The Cedar Fire was the second largest wildfire in the history of the state of California. San Diego County's Cedar Fire burned over 280,000 acres destroying 2,232 homes and killing 14 (including one firefighter). Most of the victims were killed on the first day of the fire as they tried to escape their homes by foot and in vehicles. One hundred and four firefighters were injured. If you read thru it - you're probably wondering why I would be writing about wildfires in California. It's to make a point.... A single shrub set on fire destroyed 280,000 acres and destroyed 2,232 homes and killed 14 (including one firefighter). There is a familiar saying "Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?"...I know I have not always had the most desirable attitude and it is something I struggle with. Regardless, I want you to know that one person can make a difference...one person can start a revolution....one person can start a revival....one person can start an epidemic...make your life count!

Update....

Dad's arteriogram went great! The Dr told my Mom that he did not see "enough change" to warrant any more stints at this time. He did say that based on what he was seeing he still feels like surgery will be indicated in the next five yrs.....we will just pray against that! I also got another blessing yesterday......in our search for hay! I know to some of you HAY does not seem like a big deal but with four horses, NO GRASS, and a hay shortage - it is a HUGE DEAL. So, we were supposed to go to Springville and pick up some hay but with Dad going in the hospital and last minute things to take care of for the wedding, there was no way we could get to Springville. Then I got a call that a man in Gardendale was going to be baling on Thursday. I was expecting that Chad would be able to go get it when he got home from work.....we had some bad looking clouds over the Gardendale area at lunchtime and the hay man was worried about leaving this in the field. Chad couldn't leave work at the moment and I didn't know what we would do. So, I ran by the hay field with Shelby in tow.....they were there still baling. He told me I could load on it on his utility trailer and they would help load it.....for me to just drive the truck thru the field. So, Shelby and I hopped in their old pickup and began driving thru the field. I have to say I think this is the funniest and most liberating thing I have ever done! Who would have thought I would have my four year old in some strange pick up driving thru a hay field (in our normal street clothes - clogs included) while some man is throwing and stacking hay behind us. I have always been seen as "Miss Priss" and was the pageant girl, cheerleader, etc.....this new way of life is shocking a whole lot of people - including me sometimes. Then they told me they would take it to my house for $35....can't beat that! So, I left to go pick up Jessie and Emilee (the neighbor) from school. They said they would meet me at my house. When I got back in my truck, Chad had called and was trying to meet me to get the hay. I was so proud to tell him it was on its way to our house. When I got home from the school pickup line (which I do not get to do everyday, so I am green at it), they were thru loading the hay in our workshop! Thank God for our blessings big and small, he cares about them all!

Hump Day - Part Two

Well, you know the saying "it can't get any worse".....of course you do and we all know better than to utter that phrase when a day has started out less than perfect. I didn't even have to utter that phrase for my hump day to get worse.... I left work at 3:00 to go by the hospital to check on my Dad. On the way there, my Mom called me to tell me that they were going to do another arteriogram on my Dad tomorrow (which is today). She was trying to leave the hospital for a bit to go home and get necessities as well as pick up her van which had been in the shop. I was letting her know that I was in the parking lot of the hospital. This particular hospital does not have any parking decks...so I was scanning the lot for a space and spotted one. As I approached it, a truck pulled into a parking space in front of me...which was on my passenger side. I was slowing down to pull into the one on my driver side. As I got even with that truck's bumper in the parking space, he decided to straighten up in the space and BACKED UP RIGHT INTO ME! My Mom heard all of it on the phone and came rushing down to the parking lot. We surveyed the damage which was a badly dented section on my passenger door....waited on police to come and then we were on our way. So, I am off work today since my Mom was scheduled to help with kiddo pickup today and obviously she won't be able to. Keep us in your prayers. Hope today is a better today and that Dad gets good news from his arteriogram!

Hump Day

Well here it is "hump day" and what is this hump day bringing: Last night I took Jessie to have her dress fitted for the WEDDING this weekend. While at home on the range, Norman and Chad worked on the stalls. These things are going to be tall! I said we needed the clearance in case a horse rared up....thinking back to my days with Shorty....God love him! and We are on the hunt for hay...trying to figure out how and when we can squeeze in going to get some! Fun - huh? It gets better..... So this morning at work, my Mom calls me and tells me that they are taking my Dad to the ER. FTTDNK (for those that do not know)- Dad had a heart attack the day before my late husband's funeral. Like we needed more drama? He has had several stints put in place following that "epsiode". So, he had been having some nagging neck and arm pain which escalated this morning to the point he called his dr. on his own. They said he needed to go in to the ER. After getting to the ER, they began monitoring him and told Mom they were admitting him. At the time of this writing, I am still not sure what they saw or felt to cause the admission. We will see! On to more fun things, tonight we will go see our neighbor's - the Mcinvale's. Their daughter, Angie has been home for almost two months from Honduras where she serves as a missionary and runs an orphanage Hogar Esperanza. Angie is probably a few yrs younger than me (if you don't know my age, you don't need to LOL) I am so impressed by the tenacity and fortitude it must take to walk in her shoes. Anyway, we are sending back some gifts for the kids, the orphanage and Angie. So, we are dropping those off tonight. We bought the house a new DVD player (they had one and it broke)....we have two DVD's...and a game for their gamecube system. For Angie, I purchased some Estee Lauder face powder and perfume in her favorite selections. A little birdie told me what I could get her! We are sad to see Angie go but she has work left to do in Honduras! We will be praying for God to let her know when her work there is done and she can come back home to her family and friends. Her parents have been wonderful to us since moving out there and have helped us with letting us use their land and stalls when we had a need, wonderful Christian people and family that I thank God for! So, Hump Day is not over and it has had a bump in it's hump already but I am praying they will decide Dad can go home after all. Keep us in your prayers! PLEASE KEEP THIS FAMILY IN YOUR PRAYERS - THEY ARE FACING DIFFICULT TIMES http://www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen/

Barn Raising

Ok - not really a barn raising but more like a stall raising began this weekend.... On Saturday- Chad, Norman (aka Paw Paw) and Steve all worked on the site for our stalls. We will have a row of three walk in stalls and then a section that will "L" off of that with two walk in stalls. The short end of the "L" will meet the back of our workshop and create a "corral type" area in the middle of those structures. They did as much as they could with marking everything off and digging the holes on Saturday. Sunday morning Jessie woke up with what appeared to be the starts of PINK EYE. I had some drops and gave her those. As the day progressed, her eye got better - thankfully! With that event, it knockeed us out of going to church so Chad took the girls to get lumber. When he came back it began to drizzle. Norman and he barely got the truck unloaded and had to get inside. So, no progress was made on our STALL RAISING! However, I did get the afternoon to myself and went and piddled at the flea market and bought a few things from Goody's to wear to the upcoming rehearsal dinner and wedding this weekend. Pray that Shelby will go down the aisle since she vehemently refused at my own wedding last year....anyone remember my Mom carrying her down the aisle and then when she got up there with us she announced to EVERYONE that she had to go POTTY! Gotta love 'em! Jessie and I have made progress on helping the families at the Ronald McDonald house. We are trying to schedule taking dinner down there and completing the volunteer interest form. We are excited about helping the kids and families!

Why can't I (fill in the blank)?

Get a phone number who the previous owners are not running from their creditors? I even asked Bellsouth when they issued our number in February, how long it had been since someone had the number. I don't know the Butler's who had my home number before us - but obviously a lot of collection agencies would like to. Even my Nextel, which I have had for almost three years, still gets calls to a Yashica so and so who must owe a lot of people. So, here's to getting a phone number that used to belong to the all-american, bill paying, God loving family that moved and gave everybody they knew their forwarding info.

Life Lessons

Well, what is day without "living and learning".....lately I find myself immersed in it. Whether it's kids, husband, horses, work or even self reflection. I also have this hope that my girls in their "living and learning" can also learn some personal lessons and form respectable values and humble character in the process. I want to give them the benefit of "things" yet try to not spoil them in the process. There is a real fine line there! This weekend we had a discussion about their Christmas "wants". After my oldest rattled on and on....she even said, "well if I get a go-cart - I can't get an American Girl doll and I just don't really know!". So, I quickly reminded both of them the REAL REASON we celebrate Christmas is - what? who? and they were immediately quiet and reflective on what they had just been saying and doing. They both said very humbly....you can get us whatever. On Sunday evening, Jessie and I were in the kitchen and I took the opportunity to bring up our "blessings" in a different way. Some of you may not agree with what I did....but that's ok....I know Jessie's nature and I knew how impactful this would be. I took her to a Caring Bridge website and showed her a beautiful little girl and her two sisters...this beautiful little girl is missing the curls and long locks she once had as she is going thru treatment for cancer or neuroblastoma. I showed her another picture of this little girl in her cheerleading outfit and I began to let Jessie scroll thru pictures and read Madison's story. Jessie's eyes began tearing up and she said "Mama can't they help her?" and I told her "they are trying". I took her to a few more sites and she was stunned. Finally, I took her to a few final ones. These were children who have "earned their angel wings" (see previous posts for more on those children). I let her look thru their sites and then told her they were in Heaven. If you don't know, Jessie's Dad and my husband passed away 3 yrs ago when she was 5. She knows all too well the finality of death and sickness....and I knew she would understand these stories and where I was headed. What I wasn't prepared for was her response....she began making a list of "goodies" she wants to sell to help the kids and families. She put down her goal was $1000.00 and she was writing intensely. She showed it to Chad and took it with her to bed. The next morning she got up and brought it upstairs with her...she took it to school and she solicited her friends. Yesterday she told me that a few of her friends are going to help and some have to ask their parents. I'm not quite sure yet what our business strategy is going to be on achieving this or executing this but we will see what we can do to help her with her goal! She has a huge heart and I knew this "check" in her life would help her put some things in perspective. So, that was a life lesson for both of us. But on a different note, my horses continue to be a huge part of my life lessons. I had such a bad experience with Shorty that it's amazing we still have horses. Seemingly overnight he just "snapped" and it was all down hill from there. But, luckily with the help of our friends we have horses that are providing us with renewed confidence. In a previous post, I told about selling Sonny. As I mentioned, it was hard but we got him to sell him and once I got to the point that I "could" part with him...I knew it was time. I don't like being vulnerable or confrontational and horse selling is not my thing. Let's just say I didn't know how much I would mean it when I wrote below that I hope I never have to sell another one! Another one of life's lessons! Be Blessed!

Where did the Weekend go?

FRIDAY: Chad left Friday morning to go practice at Logan Martin for a BFL tournament he had this weekend. I took Jessie to ball practice Friday night and we finally saw the house after practice. SATURDAY: We made the decision to not go to the barrel race in Nauvoo and go to Chad's weigh in. Before we could go, we had to make a few stops. Once down I-20 we went to the Pants Store to look at some bibs and jacket for Jessie. She wanted a Carhartt pair! We had to run in the Pants Store because we were cutting it close to get to the weigh in at Riverside Marina. While we were in there, we saw that Crocs are now making rain boots. However, we couldn't get their sizes in the colors they wanted - pink and purple. So, we left with bibs and jacket - no croc rain boots. Also, they don't make them for adults and I wanted a pair! We barely made it to the weigh in but saw Chad weigh in five fish - a little over 10 lbs. After he weighed in he was going to take his boat to the other marina he launched from and he would be gone for a while. So, we decided to go looking around in Pell City. Some of you know I graduated from there, but it has changed a lot since I lived there. It's funny to see places and sights and remember how it used to look versus now and in some cases not even remember how it used to look. While we were out, I took the girls to the house I lived in my last few years of high school. The neighborhood has kinda gone down and the house we lived in was ugly! Jessie's comment was she couldn't believe I remembered where I lived....that made me feel really old! We also stopped by Little Lambs clothing and made a few purchases. The lady there was really nice and gave me a coupon for a sale which would have been starting on Monday....so I got some cute things. Jessie got a shirt that says "Rodeo Queen" and I got Shelby and James Adam matching Bailey Boys outfits for pictures. They are chocolate brown checked with a Paint Horse on the front! Toooooo Cuuuuute! While we were there Chad called and he had made the cut for Sunday. We were excited but sad because we knew we wouldn't be there on Sunday since Jessie had a ball game. We left to go meet him to eat at Sammy's Touch and Go at the PC Airport. While there Jessie and Shelby got to see the skydivers. Jessie promptly told two guys who were eating and then going back to the hangar for more skydiving that I used to jump. I was a little embarrassed but she was about to bust to tell them. I had even made two jumps right there where we were standing. It was fun to watch them jump and brought back some fun memories. I won't deny that I think that is probably the "coolest" thing I ever did and did it close to 100 times but given where I am at in my life....I also think it's the dumbest thing I ever did. I'll stay a "whuffo" forever and be content to watch those other "cool" people do it....and hug my girls while I'm at it. We followed Chad back to the trailer he was staying at which belongs to the Sexton's. The girls went down to the pier and then inside to "check it out"....quick potty break and we were on the road back to Corner. Before we could get to Corner, we had to detour thru Trussville. We HAD to get Savanna Hill a birthday present for her party on Sunday and I had told Jeannie that we would drop some silver trays off for her to use at Ryan's rehearsal dinner. So, we went to Academy at Jessie's suggestion thinking we would get Savanna some type of Girl's Rule shirt or something!!!! We immediately spotted some pink, black and white pajama pants with horses all over them for Jessie to give and then found a chocolate John Deere shirt with Cowboy boots on them for Shelby to give. We also went to check out the rain boots. Jessie found a pair completely shaped like pointed toe western boots but they are rubber rain boots and Shelby found a pair in true Shelby style that had a kitty cat face on the toes of them. Finally, Mom found a pair that were chocolate with hot pink trim around the edges. We finished that up and ran by Ron and Jeannie's. They weren't home but we left the dishes and headed home over the back roads. We pulled in the driveway a few minutes shy of 10:00 and STILL had horses to feed. SUNDAY: I didn't want to kill myself Sunday morning or the girls (ha ha ha) trying to get to church so we hung around the house and got ready for Jessie's 1:30 game. Of course, I was still late getting ready so Jessie rode with the Tanner's. My parents got there before I did! The game went great and Jessie had a good time. Chad called after the game and he didn't have a big enough sack of fish to win but still got a check for over $400. Yeah for him! With that tourney, he finished in the top five for the points in the division. The girls and I headed to the Birthday party and they had a blast there as well. I was tired and ready to get back home...had not eaten and was ready to have something on my stomach. Got home and immediately began fixing dinner...the girls went to ride go carts. Chad got home and things began to return to normal. After they all went to bed, I mopped - cleaned up the kitchen - and did some laundry. AGAIN, I ask where did the weekend go?

Letter to the new owners of Sonny:

Below is the letter I wrote to Sonny's new family. Thank you for buying Sonny. He will be missed. I have learned so much this past year in having the horses. I am thankful for every minute I have had with everyone of them…even my crazy horse that I traded for Sonny. I am so thankful that Sonny has shown me the “childlike” side of a horse that wants attention, loves to be groomed and won’t stay out from underneath you like a toddler. He has brought a renewed confidence to me and my family. I am “selling my husband’s dog” as we have referred to it…..hopefully we can get an actual dog and not something that is a horse masquerading as a “dog”. I hope you and your family enjoy Sonny and learn things you might not yet have learned or see a different side to horses because of your experience with him. I hope all your experiences with horses are positive but even if they aren’t, and they probably won’t be all positive, I hope you will see those as I have – as learning experiences and grow thru them. I hope Hayden’s confidence increases daily and her love for horses is immeasurable. I’ve been told there’s something special between a girl and her horse. I’m not a “young girl” anymore but I remember my first horse like it was yesterday and that love for horses has never faded. I see the same twinkle in both my daughter’s eyes and am so glad we have this opportunity. I never intended to be writing up a bill of sale or seeing a horse leave my property to go to someone else. I know he will have a good home and I am hopeful that I won’t be doing this again. They become a part of your life and routine, even in a short while. So, tomorrow morning when I fill four buckets instead of five – I know there will be an empty place, but am glad to know I helped fill a place in someone else’s life. Happy Trails and Clean Stalls to you all!

Photos of Sparkle

We got Sonny and Sparkle together in the trade for Shorty (see previous posts). When they came, we drew names out of a hat to choose Sparkle's name. Since they came to us as a "pair", I would sometimes refer to them as Sparkle and Shine or Sonny and Cher. Now there's just her and our cornerstone horses! She is a 12 yr old grade mare with the cutest white star spots on her body. She is a great horse and I really don't want to sell her. We showed her in Costume Leadline and won first place (see pictures)! Jess showed her in Walk-Trot and took home 4th place! They did great considering it was Jessie's first time in the arena and probably Sparkle's first time too.

My FAQ's

Many websites will have a FAQ section, so you can easily find the answer to the questions they have obviously been asked one million other times. Almost seems lame if it's been asked that many times why is the answer not more obvious? Maybe we secretly need those FAQ sections to confirm we aren't so different after all..... and that there is some common thread of thinking between me and the other end user of the site who by all appearances is my total opposite. Anyway, as the mother of two small girls I feel like I am their walking FAQ at times. They drill me on things that I am supposed to have the answers to and should be able to spout them out in record time....if not answered in their timing, they will ask me again and again, 'til I feel like the Calgon commercial posterchild. Well, I have my own FAQ's and doubt someone will have the answers to these. If you do, you may just win the Nobel Prize! 1) How do you explain a full term 11 day old baby dying from a heart defect? In Memory of Owen Bryant Nelson: http://obits.al.com/birmingham/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=19161408&PageNo=1 2) How do those parents ever get over that? 3) How do I explain to Shelby that her Daddy, she never really knew, is really ok now and that he is not bleeding inside his head anymore? 4) How do you dry the tears of children when their Granny's baby kitty dies? 5) How do I let my child ride a horse again after reading this story? http://www.barrelhorseworld.com/contribute/topstories/brianna/brianna.asp 6) How did that Mom ever write that story? 7) How do the parents blogging on CaringBridge.org go thru each day? My heart aches for the families of Bailey Warr, Cassidy Tierce. When I saw Bailey Warr's pictures and read her story - I thought how she could be any of Jessie's friends, then the hemorrhage on the brain stem was too close to home. One look at Cassidy Tierce picture and I was struck at how much she looked like Shelby. My heart aches equally for the parents going thru treatments daily with their children...God give them strength. www.caringbridge.org/visit/godsjourneywithbailey http://www.caringbridge.org/al/cassidytierce/ 8) Why do these things happen to these families and not the atheist down the street? I think I know the answer to that one.....the Atheist down the street wouldn't be able to stand on God's word during such a time of adversity and share their testimony with others. Do I get a Nobel? Probably not - I mean I can't even win the war with my husband over loading and unloading the dishwasher on his own. 9) What is the deal with parents when it comes to their kids competing? I think I'm going to come up with a Ball Park Parent's Prayer, a Saddle Club Parent's Prayer, a Dancer's Parent's Prayer etc and post it all the events. 10) And for my last FAQ of the day...yes there will be more, who invented the word MERGER?

Sellin' Horses.....

Well, the two people that e-mailed about Sonny were very interested. Really strange how he has been listed for a while and no bites and then in one evening I had two e-mails about him. I know everything happens for a reason and in God's perfect timing....we had just gotten to the point that we knew we needed to sell the "spare horses" and we really felt ok with it. If someone would ride Sonny regularly then it would be different but since he's not being ridden regularly he really needs to be sold. I am less inclined to sell Sparkle because she is small and older. I'd like to have her for other kids to ride and for costume leadline. But I know we got both of them to sell, so if the right buyer came along for her, I would have to consider it now as well. So, one of the interested parties was a family and they wanted to come down as soon as possible to look at him. They came down Sunday evening and then called once they got home to say they wanted him. They thought they wouldn't be able to get him until Wednesday. Then on Monday afternoon, they called and said they could come that evening. So, I rushed home to get everything pulled together - Coggins, Shots, Bill of Sale and my parting note to the family and Sonny. I will post the note later..... I cried at work knowing they were coming and cried when I called my Mom to tell her. Once home I was busy and couldn't think about it. When they loaded him up my girls were boo-hoo'ing and then I started. Chad thinks we are all nuts! The mom that bought him said she couldn't watch us cry. I told her about the note and told her my husband thinks I am a real dork. She said she writes letters about lots of things and I think she will appreciate what I wrote. Turns out her husband used to work with Paw Paw Waid's company and knows Paw Paw. She is a nurse in the Neuro ICU in Huntsville....so I told her my experience in the NICU. They have a 7 yr old daughter and they are all so excited to have a horse. It is not their first experience with horses...Mom and Dad used to have horses, Dad used to train - break horses and the daughter is in lessons. I know Sonny is going to a great home and I am glad I was a part of making that happen for them. It is hard to not get attached! I have now sold a part of "Shorty" and that was hard too. But, Shorty is still doing well at Cathy's.

Lesson Day

Jessie had a friend come over this weekend and we had lessons. Her friend, Kara, rode with us to lessons in Haleyville. Lessons went good. Jessie told me before we left that she wanted to ride Jack...Ms Cathy's horse. She started out timid and then loosened up. They had a good ride. On the way home we stopped by the livestock auction where a man was selling tack. Browsed thru his stuff and then stopped at Cowboy Way in Jasper. Got Shelby some new boots and headed home. After getting home, the neighbor and a friend of hers came over so I had five girls at the house! Whew! I rode Sonny that night - because I had two e-mails from people inquiring about him. He rode just as good as the last time I rode him....really better since I had an O-ring snaffle on him this time! So, I responded to all the e-mails and waited to hear back from them. Chad fished a tournament in Demopolis and got in after 6:00...no payout from this trip!

Horses on the Loose - PART TWO !!!!!

So, in the past week our horses have now gotten out twice. The last time was the straw that broke the camels back. Went out to feed them as part of our normal morning routine and it was eerily quiet. Goldie was the only one to be seen and that was because she was in the round pen with her hurt hoof (thanks to yet another roofing nail!) We milled around doing our normal gathering of buckets and such and still no horses. I caught a quick glimpse of the gate and noticed the "perfectly fine chain" that has to be wrappped two or three times hanging down the gate. My horror of all horrors was unfolding before my eyes and with my 8 yr old standing there. I screamed "they're gone"! She was screaming - crying and neither one of us could think straight. I got my wits about me and went into action. Grabbed 4 lead ropes, 4 halters, two buckets of feed and headed to the house. Went in and told Chad "the horses were gone". He got up - we both knew he was the last one to open / close the gate and knew where the blame lay this time. But blame or no blame we had to find our babies. I went to our dead end and no sign of them. I was even looking for horse poop! But figured they wouldn't be walking on the road and that they would be in the grass, eating grass and all of it they could! Heaven's, if they had been out all night they would be about to explode by now. I went to the other end of the road and went to the right. I felt strongly my husband headed to the McInvale's to see if the horses were there...since two of ours that were out were very familiar with there place. So, I headed the opposite direction knowing there were several fields that they could be grazing. As I passed the first field, I was disappointed to not find them in there. Immediately after that field, there is a house and then a trailer. As I passed the house and came even with the trailer's driveway - I saw my black and white spotted horse. I pulled into the driveway and said "Hannah"! She raised her head at the sound of my voice and then I saw a man standing with her. He said "you missing some horses"....I said "yes sir - FOUR of them, you got FOUR"...he hollered back "Yep, got four!" I was never so relieved in all my life. Thank goodness for herdbound horses sometimes! As I approached the driveway, with two halters, ropes, and a bucket of feed, I was met by my babies. I got Blackie haltered quickly and tied him to a tree. Then tried Sonny - the big puppy dog! Got him in a halter and the man tied him to the back porch. So, I took the feed and lured Hannah and Sparkle back to the back yard to keep them out of the driveway. Tried to call my husband and he had not turned his cell phone on - found out later he thought he had but it never powered up. Chad came down the road shortly and saw my truck. He came back with lead ropes and halters in hand to get the other two tied up. Then he left to go get the horse trailer. He came back with the horse trailer and loaded all up but Blackie and then made another trip to get Blackie. Needless to say, I bought a NEW CHAIN and latch that day as part of my errands and hopefully this will not happen again. Our neighbor had poop in his yard and the neighbor down the road with a garden paid us a visit because they visited his garden. Luckily they didn't do too much damage or else I would have been paying for his lost profits from his collard greens.

Horses on the Loose!

On Tuesday, the day following Labor Day, Chad was taking the girls to school and the neighbor (Emily) told Chad that two of our horses got out while we were gone to Sipsey. Luckily she was in the driveway playing and ran in to get her Dad before they got too far. So, her dad - aka Tanner - came over and did his best at horse rustling. The two that were out were Blackie, Shelby's pony, and Hannah - my horse. Tanner said that Blackie went back into the fence with ease. But Hannah didn't want to go back in so easily...think she even raised her leg to kick at him! I had soaked Goldie's hoof that morning so I know I probably didn't have the chain secured. I told Chad I wanted us to get something less cumbersome and he chided me telling me there was nothing wrong with that chain. Sure, there's nothing wrong with trying to hold a lead rope, open a gate, lead it out, close the gate, hold the lead rope with horse and wrap a looooooong chain two or three times then clip it to itself. Sounds perfectly fine doesn't it?

Labor Day Weekend

Chad wanted to get the Alabama game on pay-per-view so we lined everything up to have family and friends over on Saturday evening to watch the game. Before that could happen, we had to straighten up and Chad had to go get hay. We did not know until Friday night that we were going to be getting it from the hay field. So, he had his first experience with loading it from the field and he was ALONE. I would have never had him do that by himself under different circumstances but I had to go to the store to get our food for the evening. When I got home he was home with the hay and he said he would not be unloading it until family was there and could help. He said it was tough and that he continues to show how green we are to all of this....when he was loading it into the trailer he borrowed, Mr Fuqua told him that stacking pattern would never work...so he helped him reconfigure it and Chad resumed loading. One day we will have all of this down to a science! Family began arriving shortly and the house began to fill with the buzz of the girls running in and out to see Granny and Nanny and the men going out back to talk about the things men talk about outside! We had Nanny, Paw Paw, Granny, Pops, Ryan, Sandi, NeNe and Big Ron all gathered round the tv's eating burgers, dogs, dips and sweets to cheer Bama on to a victory over the wooly booly hairy Hawaiians. (Did you see those guys? They were scary?) The men got the hay unloaded and heard a few complaints about how itchy the hay was. Itchy hay in my shirts, shorts and even my unmentionables just seems normal these days to me. Although I can use every minute I have in the mornings to get me and the girls dressed.....I am truly cherishing the moments we have out there in the mornings feeding the horses and putting out hay. I can see the pictures in my mind throughout the day of Jessie in her PJ's or a Barbie gown and her tennis shoes, shoving hay into the wagon or her walking up to turn on the water. Then there's Shelby who inevitably comes out after us and runs off the back porch hollering "I wanna help"....and "I'll feed Blackie". I see her with her wavy hair falling into her face as she picks up the biggest handful of hay she can. She will walk a little handful of hay over to Blackie and puts it down next to him - talking to him in that cute little voice...say "Hey Baby - that's my boy". Jessie will go out and put some hay in the round pen for Sonny and open the round pen gate back up and then she sees to it that Sparkle and Goldie get their share of hay. The next sight I see is Jessie trying to interven between Sparkle and Goldie and it is always a sight as she stomps her foot and get so mad but she can't do anything about it. I laugh and think how things have changed from one year ago! Ok - so back to the game night....Jessie had a meltdown when Nanny and Paw Paw were leaving because she has really been missing them. She had decided she wanted to try Fall Ball with Emily but realizing that practice on Friday evenings would keep her from spending the night with Nanny made her fall apart. It was awful seeing her cry like that and be so torn. I know she misses them more than she can express and I can't seem to get that thru to anyone. On Sunday, we played hookie from church and went to the river for a boat ride and caught a few fish. We had a good time and stayed 'till dark. Then for Labor Day, we rode to Sipsey which is near Northport to watch a barrel race. It was a great time...got to see Cathy ride and it was action packed. I know Chad probably can't imagine why I would enjoy watching perfect strangers run a horse around three cans!

One Year Anniversary

On Aug 27, Chad and I celebrated our one year anniversary. We are going to celebrate it officially when it is cooler weather by going deep sea fishing. So, for this day we went to church at Gardendale First Baptist and Chad liked it - he really liked it. Yeah! While at church, we saw old friends and saw baby dedication. During that time, we got to see Bet Bet and Jordan's baby Jonah be dedicated and Philip and Rachel Hatcher's little girl. I didn't get to see Philip and Rachel but Jordan ended up sitting in the balcony right by us. I got to hold sweet baby Jonah and he is adorable. It is so hard to believe they are parents. But as good as Bet Bet and Jordan were with my girls - I know they are unbelievable parents. After church, we grabbed a burger and took the girls to my parents for them to keep while we had some time together that afternoon. Sandi had a tea that afternoon in Trussville so Chad took me to it and dropped me off. Sandi is marrying Chad's brother on 9/30. Then Chad picked me up and we headed back to Hoover to find someplace to eat. We milled around in Dick's Sporting goods before heading over to the Cajun Steamer to eat. The food and service were great. We were going to go see a movie but they had all just started and we needed to get the girls home and get ready for school on Monday. Happy Anniversay to us!

August End

On Saturday the 26th, we attended a little fun gathering at Colt 45 arena. Well, it was supposed to be fun anyway. We took Sparkle and Hannah. We took Sparkle for Jessie because Goldie was missing a shoe and still recovering from a nail in her hoof. The grounds were pretty empty so we let Jessie make a lap outside the arena on Sparkle. On the far side of the arena from where we were, Sparkle trotted off with Jessie and she began to panic. She was 50 yds away before she stopped her and we were headed that way and hollering to her at the top of our lungs. So, this little scene led to us putting her in the arena and it happened again. By this time Jessie was a wreck and so was I. So, I went in to walk her around and we did that for a few minutes. Then when I left, Jessie tried to take her around and she balked at something....Sparkle's balking panicked Jessie again. Every panic attack drew more attention from others there and more advice, opinions, etc. By this time I was sick of it all and just wanted to load up and go home. So, I told them to take her off....I just didn't feel she was thinking clearly and I felt her safety was an issue at this point. Then, I said I wanted to go.....and I said it loudly. I know everyone thinks I was mad about the whole scene but I was just a wreck and wanted to go. What was supposed to be fun turned into DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA. Chad coaxed me into saddling Hannah and I rode her for a little bit. A friend's teenager son, Matt, was ribbing me about taking her around the barrels. I told him I wouldn't but he could. He really couldn't because she was long-toed but I told him to ride her. He kept asking me what was wrong with her, was she spooky, etc. I kept laughing him telling him NO, NO and NO and assuring him I had gotten rid of the crazy one. He rode her and had fun on her as do I every time I ride her. Glad Chad talked me into riding her and calming down. Funny how Hannah helps me calm down and Shorty did just the opposite!

Another Child Needs Your Prayers

Owen Nelson was born this week in Birmingham to Steve and Amy Nelson. He was born with a heart abnormality. I am told Owen’s defect is called Hypo Plastic Left Heart Syndrome; basically the left side of his heart did not form completely. Rather than two valves, he has only the valve on the right side. The surgery will entail using artificial parts to re-route the blood through the left side of his heart. He was scheduled for surgery this morning at UAB at 7:30. The surgery may take 6 hours. The Dr and family are Christians. I pray they will rely on their faith to guide them all thru this. Please keep this family in your prayers.

These Children Need Your Prayers

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

Catchin' Up...

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!

Wrapping up the Weekend....

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!

How The Weekend Began.....

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.

Week in Review 7-17 thru 7-21

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!

Back to "Normal"

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!

Back at Home

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.

Posting from Houston, TX

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!

New Pictures

Running Free

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!

Holiday

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!

No Go to the Horse Show

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!

Day at Home

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.

Progress on all Fronts

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.

6/27

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.

6/26

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.

Family Picture

Taken in November at Gatlinburg Aquarium.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

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!

Closer to Home.....

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.

Where to Begin....

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)!

Day in the Life

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!

Life Notes

~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"!

Music "un"-Appreciation 101

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).