Reality show, reality show, where did you go?

I am guilty. Guilty of loving reality shows or should I say so called "reality shows." What happened to things been real on tv? I am so sick of people acting and setting up particular false scenes on reality shows. I used to love Laguana Beach. It was so fun, seemingly innocent, and it didn't seem planned like the way The Hills has been arranged. I tried my best to get into another guilty pleasure of The Hills this past season, but I just couldn't commit. The set ups were too staged, the scenes were so unbelievable, and the last episode ruined it for me. Can we say d-r-a-m-a-t-i-c? It shouldn't be called "The Hills" anymore....it needs to be a sitcom. While I am ranting about the show, can I also say that Heidi and Spencer really disgust me? I will leave you with something I find humorous...

Heidi compares herself to Mother Teresa. She wants to act like her and be a role model. Here is my question, would Mother Teresa pose in Playboy?

hmmm I think not.

Happy Anniversay House!

On Saturday, May 30, it marked our one year anniversary of owning our home! I didn't remember it, and Hunter did-I was shocked! It was actually very sweet because Hunter was so excited to say that we have been in our house for one whole year! Well, it will be a year for me in August, but we closed on our home on May 30, 2008. I will never forget that day. We had so much going on with work, our wedding plans, the house, etc. We both took the day off from work so we could move furniture in and get the house cleaned. The closing was so exciting! When I was handed my very own set of keys to our house I couldn't help but smile. It was such a memorable moment for us. I remember walking to our cars leaving the lawyers office, and we both couldn't stop smiling! We spent that afternoon moving, cleaning, and trying to organize our stuff. Then I rushed home to get ready for our couple's shower we had that night. The shower was a lot of fun, we got a lot of great gifts, and when it was all said and done, we were exhausted! It was only the beginning though. We spent the rest of the weekend cleaning, painting every room in the house and tearing up carpet. We had the best help too-both of our families were there to help! We couldn't have done it without them!

It's so weird to think that it has already been a year. We have had so many great memories in our home, and it's only the beginning. We have already done some kitchen remodeling, last weekend we did some yard work and added our own personal touches to it, and one day (not anytime soon) we will have a nursery! God has really been great to us. One thing I have learned is that owning a home is more work than you think. When we took our keys and signed our life away I didn't know how much work and fun we had in store for us! I have learned a lot about owning a home this past year. When something goes wrong, my dad isn't there to call someone to fix it or when the house is a mess I am responsible for cleaning it. Mom-I owe you an apology for not understanding the true meaning of cleaning a home. It is a lot of work. Even though cleaning is not always the best part, I do find pleasure in doing it. I love going to bed at night with a clean house.

Hunter and I are so happy that we found our love nest. It truly is the perfect home for us! Here are some pictures from how it all got started...

We love our backyard and Susie does too!

My favorite room in the house...our master bedroom! It's so cozy!

Our den....some of the furniture has been rearranged since this picture was taken

Toothpaste boxes

Growing up I always envied my friends and family, especially my sister, who had specific things they collected. My best friend growing up collected sea shells, my best friend from high school Stacy collected Winnie-the-Pooh bears, and my sister collected penguins. She loves penguins...stuffed penguins, penguin pictures, penguin movies, and just penguins in general! I loved helping her collect over the years. To this day I still pick up special items with penguins to give to her. I assume she still has a love for them, but maybe I should ask her. I don't want to be the person who keeps giving her stuff and she is too nice to say, "Enough!" I most certainly do not want to be categorized with my grandfather who has been sending empty beer bottles to someone who once made a comment about how he admires old beer bottles. The sweet man who will remain anonymous kindly receives the package, unpacks the bottles and then puts them in storage in his basement. After admiring other's collections I decided that I wanted to collect something. What did I collect you ask....toothpaste boxes! Yes I am being serious-toothpaste boxes. Don't ask my why I decided on my idea of glorified trash, but I did. I remember my mom getting so frustrated with me because I would have drawers full of empty, dirty, old toothpaste boxes. I finally gave in and knew this wasn't my thing, and I threw them all away...every last one...well I did keep one. I will never forget it. It was an old Aquafresh box that was still in good shape. I thought to myself that if I so happen to start collecting them again, I would like to have one original! Just in case you are wondering, the box is no longer with me. I think my mom "misplaced" it.

Over the years I have been admiring vases. Gorgeous vases that come in all different shapes and sizes. I adore a fresh bouquet of flowers, and I also adore the container they come in. I graduated from collecting toothpaste boxes to vases, and I couldn't be happier! I have a fairly big walk in closet in our house, and on the top right hand shelf sits all of my vases. I have petite vases, fat vases, round vases, and really tall vases. I even have some vases that look impossible to fill, but I know one day I will find some use for it! My mother-in-law gave me one of the most beautiful vases for Christmas last year. She knew I had my eye on a certain centerpiece that held 5 individual bud vases. The first time I saw it, I was. in. love. I could see it on my table. I envisioned having a baby shower or a wedding shower at my home, and I would envision which flowers I would put into the vases. My imagination ran wild! On Christmas morning, I was thrilled to open the box to find my imagination was going to come to life! My mother in law is the best! She always pays attention to the little things, and she is always caring for everyone but herself! Is there something you collect?! Let me know because I might surprise you with a gift someday!!!

Here are some vases on my wish list:

This one is a must have for me.....get ready for how pretty this is!

A new rake and a precious pair of gloves

My title says it all...well most of it at least. On my way home from work yesterday I was noticing all of the pretty yards at different people's homes. Instead of taking my daily left turn on Park Avenue (yes I live off Park Avenue...aren't you jealous?!), I took a sharp right towards our local hardware store. I purchased a rake and a cute pair of gardening gloves. I knew that these were not the ones that would hold up the longest or even provide much comfort, but I thought it might make the work more fun to have something cute to look at while I work. I knew I would have a good 2 hours before my husband would get home from work so I rushed inside, took Susie out, and went straight to work. I wanted to impress him. I raked several beds out in front of our lawn with dead leaves, old pinestraw, and random other things that shouldn't be in the beds. It looked like it was going to be fairly easy to do, but it wasn't at all. We have a lot of ivey that has a long vine attached to it. Every time I would get a great grasp on the leaves, the end of the rake would get caught in the vines. I knew it would be easier if I would grab the bunch of dead leaves with my hands, but I hate to get my hands dirty so I hesitated a lot. You are probably thinking, "you wore gloves, so why would you be afraid to use your hands?" That sounds logical, but once I saw how cute the gloves were I didn't want to get them dirty! I was acting ridiculous. I'm just glad my husband wasn't there to see it. I would never live it down. After a long hour of raking, I gave in and used my hands, and to my astonishment it wasn't bad.

I also decided to pull the hose around to the front of the house so I could wash off our porch that was covered in pollen and dirt. I ended up soaking the area so much I had so push some water off of the porch so no one would slip on our steps. After all was said and done, I was very proud of myself. I had 4 huge piles of dead leaves and such ready to be thrown away, washed the porch, swept the side porch, and pulled weeds out of some ivey. I then went inside, took a nice, long shower and laid on the couch watching my taped shows for the day. When my husband came home I kept waiting for him to say, "Wow babe you really out did yourself or the yard looks great!" I got this-nothing, not even a what is the hose doing in the front yard or why is the front porch wet or where did the huge piles of leaves come from? I didn't say anything because I thought he would eventually notice once he took the trash out. Before I went to bed, I said, "Man my back hurts from working so hard today." He asked why would my back hurt from sitting in a chair. I laughed and asked him how in the world he didn't notice my work? He still didn't know what I had done. After explaining everything I did he said "Oh well thank you," and turned right back to baseball. At this point I thought it wasn't worth making a big deal out of it. I decided to give myself a pat on my back and get some shut eye. In the back of my mind I thought, "Just you wait until you clean the bathroom for the first time, and want me to acknowledge it-haha!"

Home and "Not Me"

We made it home safe and sound from California! It was such a wonderful trip. There is nothing I needed more than a trip to the Sunshine state and a long weekend filled with my family! The big celebration was for my grandfather's 80th birthday party. It was a golf themed party with a special emphasis on the Masters golf tournament. A lot of their friends wore some serious "get ups" that made everyone laugh! Each family also wore matching clothes. We were very easy to spot-Alabama golf shirts and seer sucker. When my grandparents friends would say hello they would say, "You must be from Alabama darling!" An Alabamian is almost always spotted when you go to the west coast! I unfortunately do not have the pictures downloaded yet. Here is one I will borrow from my cousin for the time being. Let me introduce you to my big, "fat", Catholic family ;-)

And of course, a very good example of the attire is this...

Now on to "Not Me Monday"...

I did not blast my horn for a couple seconds at a young couple doing some serious making out in the truck in front of me in at in intersection. I did not drop my mouth open and yell, "You are too young to be doing that!" I did not cry on the plane while we took off in Houston, and I did not tell Hunter I wanted him to ask the stewardess to land the plane because I needed to get off. I most certainly did not burp loudly in the parking deck of my husband's office building, and make him very embarrassed and upset with me. I did not almost wreck my car over a little spider that was running across the dashboard in my car. Last, but not least I did not nap for almost 6 hours yesterday.

To fly or not to fly...

I have been sitting at work wondering why my stomach has been in knots...literally...knots! I have felt nauseous all day, and dizzy. I kept thinking oh I'm just tired or I just ate something that didn't settle, but it just hit me-I'm nervous about Friday. Not nervous because of the actual day, what I will wear, or if my luggage will get to California (that could be a reasonable concern), but I'm nervous because of the flying part. I don't believe there is anything more terrifying to me than to fly. I have had so many bad memories of flying growing up. Not from scary happenings although some, but from my "panic episodes." I honestly thought I would never be able to fly with one of my family members ever again after each flight. Everyone would take their turn sitting by me. Mostly by force or they couldn't find another seat. I can't say that I blame them. I have had a lot of annoying moments on past flights. I cried one flight from the second we took off till moments before we landed in California. That was a 5 hour flight sitting next to my sister. It's a miracle she continued to sit to next to me. She raised her voice at me a couple of times, pretended to be asleep hoping I would stop bugging her, but nothing seemed to work. Finally my mom was determined to make our flights bearable for everyone. She discovered cross word puzzles and word searches. I laughed at her when she bought them, but after being forced to focus on them and play them, it actually took my mind off of the flight. I'm really not that bad anymore...well I can control it better. I don't usually cry often, I don't panic on the outside, and I don't annoy the person next to me (except for Hunter).

I remember when Hunter and I went to New York with his parents in Christmas of 07. I was so excited to go, and thrilled to be taking a vacation with my soon to be in-laws, but horrified of the flight. I was so nervous I was going to embarrass myself in front of them! Luckily Dedee is just as good as my mom. She came prepared...Sudoku style! At first I wasn't sure what to think of it, but after playing it for a while with her, I was hooked! Every time I started to look nervous she would pull it out and say, "Gosh I need help with this one!" I knew she didn't really need help, but it made me focus on the game! I know I sound crazy, but this really is a true fear of mine. Planes are so crowded, stuffy, full of strangers, bumpy, etc. Is anyone else afraid of flying? If so, what do you do to help yourself from not being scared?

California is calling me home

7 days from today Hunter, myself, my mom, dad, brother, sister, neice and nephew are all boarding this

Where we will land here

To be greeted by these fabulous people

To attend my grandfather's 80th "Golf Themed" birthday party

And while we are in southern California we plan to spend some time at the most magical place on Earth

And watch some good Angel's baseball...

I can barely wait!!!!! I will have LOTS of pictures to post once I return home!

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Thursdays

I am so disappointed in myself for not blogging in over a week! I love to blog, and I love to read other people's blogs even more. I have a lot going on in my world lately so I have a lot to blog about so this will be my random updates and what I am thankful for today:

* I was in my good friend's wedding this past weekend in Montgomery. She was beautiful, and I had a great time! I will post some pictures later when I have time to download all of them!

* We finally got our granite countertops in! I am thrilled with the way they look. Here is a picture...please don't look anywhere but the countertops-everything else is a MESS!!! Next week we hope to pick out a backsplash and be able to put our kitchen together.

* This weekend we are having a HUGE garage sale. If you are in the Birmingham area you should stop by! It will be in the Birmingham News tomorrow and Saturday so be on the look out! My parents, Hunter's parents, and our stuff will all be sold together so we will have a lot. It's going to be a lot of work (which we are still slacking on), but once everything is out and organized it will be fun! I love working garage sales...we will see if I still love it after I am doing one myself.

*I found out one of my best friends, Candace, is having a girl!!! I am so excited! I can't wait to see her. I know she will be such a beautiful baby! I am so ready for all of my friends to have babies so I can play with them....I'm just not ready to have one myself!

*Last, but certainly not least here is my Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for a happy and loving marriage.

I am thankful that I live so close to my immediate family.

I am thankful for the sunshine! It really helps my mood.

I am thankful for all of my friends...they all play such an important role in my life.

I am thankful for modern technology so I can talk to all of my friends and family as often as I can.

I am thankful for this day that God gave me...

"Because of the Lord's great love we are consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning-great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

Easter and no more Christmas...

Easter was a great time this year! I got to see Dedee and Nannie (Hunter's grandmother) on Saturday as well as his Aunt and Uncle and cousins. It was a lot of fun getting to visit with everyone! On Easter we had a great day. The weather was gorgeous, and I got to take some cute pictures of Jack and Clara. They were being so cooperative for the pictures...mainly because Janelle and I kept saying, "Jack if you take one more picture you can have an Easter egg or a piece of candy!" We watched The Masters all day, and it was nice to be with the whole family for a day. Did anyone notice the end when Angel Cabrera won?! I didn't want him to win, but if I had been there I would have clapped for him. It was so awkward because the applause was not loud at all. No one was screaming or throwing their hands in the air (well except for 4 Argentinians). It was so sad. Every year the ending is very exciting and people usually make very loud noise! I felt so bad for him. I am hoping he didn't really notice it because he was so excited and in his own world...well until he sees the playback ;-(

On a random note, I have to say that a house in our neighborhood has FINALLY taken down their Christmas decorations. I mean SERIOUSLY!!!!! I don't know why, but every time I drove by their house I could barely stand it. I stopped looking because every time I saw it I would want to drive my car over there, knock on the door, and ask why in the world they still had their wreaths with red bows on the windows, red and white lights stringing the roof line, a santa wreath on their door, etc. It made me very annoyed. I told this to a friend of mine and they said that maybe no one was living there, but the weird thing is I have seen this family doing yard work and walking around outside so I know they were completely aware and able to take them down. I guess they didn't want Christmas to end. Who knows?! All I know, is that when I drove by their house this morning I sighed heavily. haha

"What's in your purse?"

It all started with this afternoon when I was lugging my purse into a store. I dropped it, which I don't think I have ever done, and a lot of stuff spilled on the floor! I usually don't get embarrassed easily, but when I saw some of the contents of my purse on the ground I thought that some of these people might think I'm weird. When Hunter reads this, well if he reads this, he will probably be embarrassed too. He always comments about how heavy my purse is, and every time I ask him to find something for me in my purse, he shys away as if something might bite his hand off! My sister has even given me the nick name "Mary Poppins" because I usually have just about everything in my purse at all times, and sometimes very unusual things. So, I thought I would play the tag game with my blogging friends to tell me what's in their purse. Maybe afterwards I won't feel so weird. So here are the rules: list the items you currently have in your purse-no cheating, don't leave anything out, list the weirdest thing you have ever carried in your purse, and then tag your friends to do the same.

Here goes...In my purse I currently have:

*a make-up bag with lots of lipsticks, lip glosses, concealer, mascara, and tweezers
*a bottle of Motrin

*hand sanitizer

*2 different bottles of hand lotion

*a couple feminine products

*2 pens

*my heavy wallet

*some coupons

*a burned disc of pictures I am waiting to mail

*Pepto Bismol

*band aids

*a hair brush

*a hair rubber band

*mini lint brush

*a compact mirror

*a bottled water (which is making my purse so heavy)

*Big Red gum

*bobby pins

*a safety pin

*my prescription medicines

*my new watch that just broke

*a picture of Hunter the night we got engaged (still trying to figure out how that got in there)

*my old, but still fabulous camera

*6 burned cds that I have been meaning to organize in my cd holder
*my cell phone

*a mini size note pad

*a granola bar

*my car keys

*old movie tickets from two weekends ago
*my favorite gold hoop earrings

I think this just about covers it! Now the weirdest thing I have ever carried around in my purse was a lamp. I once told this to one of my friends and she looked at me like I was insane, and now that I'm typing this it does sound kinda weird. I was looking for the perfect lamp shade so literally carried a lamp in my purse for a week so I would be able to pick out the perfect size shade for it. Ok so I tag everyone that reads this!

Monday Ramblings

1. I went to CVS to pick up my prescriptions last week, and I noticed there was a box of dog biscuits in the window sitting next to the lollipops. I just so happened to have Susie with me, and I was so excited because I knew she would be so happy to get a treat. The car in front of me had a dog and of course their dog got a treat. When it was our turn, not only was the guy rude to me for some reason I couldn't seem to figure out, but he never offered to give Susie a treat. I sat there the whole time waiting for him to offer her one, and the nerve of him! I was so upset, and I honestly thought Hunter would be too. I came home, and he said he would have never noticed. Well I did, and I tried not to let Susie notice it ;-)

2. My grandfather is in town from California, and it made me so happy this weekend! I love getting to spend some time with my grandparents. I'm sad that my grandmother couldn't come with him, but I know in a few short weeks I will be in California with EVERYONE in my extended family!

3. I had such a fun time at dinner Friday night with our great friends John and Stacy! We always leave the restaurant laughing (or almost peeing in our pants-Stacy) because we always have funny things to talk about!

4. The new season of The Hills starts tonight, and I am super excited!!! It won't be the same without Whitney, but it won't keep me from watching it. (Hunter loves this show, but would probably never admit it).

5. I had some gift cards so I got to do some fun spring shopping this weekend! I wanted to wear one of my new tops to work today, but with the high only being 49 I figured I would wait. I really wish we were having warm weather!!! (For those of you who need some good deals, GAP is having a great sale)

That's all my ramblings for now...I hope all of you have a great Monday!

Not so good Wednesday

Have you ever woken up and thought to yourself, "Ugh today may not be a good day?" I did feel this way this morning, and so far it has been that way. I really don't want to go into details because I actually feel like being private today...I know weird right? Why would I blog about it if I wanted it to be private? Regardless I just need something to vent to, and my blog is the best place for it considering I can't run home and call my friends or husband. Basically I am just feeling down. I have been praying for some things to happen, and I feel dissappointed. I know that God can hear me, and I know he knows what is best for me. To be really honest, I feel bad even posting about me not having a good day because there are so many other people in this world, especially in the blog world, that need our prayers.

I'm going to leave now, and I hope to have a better rest of my day! I will leave everyone with my favorite bible verse:

"Because of the Lord's great love we are consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning-great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

Not Me Monday

I decided to do the popular "Not Me Monday" post!
Ok so here goes:

I did not drink too much on Friday night which caused me to have a headache the next morning. I did not stay up until 3:30 a.m. on Saturday morning watching an Animal Planet special on Hippos.
I did not raise my voice at another woman in the parking deck at Brookwood Mall over a parking space (which was 100% our spot fair and square).
I most certainly did not stand on my deck eavesdropping pretending to take Susie out when our next door neighbors were outside in the middle of a heated argument.
I did not drop a huge roll of the ONLY toilet paper in my bathroom stall on the person's foot in the next stall leaving me with nothing. She did not give it back to me.
I did not hit the snooze button 5 times this morning.

On a different note, I am so glad the sun is finally shining! I honestly didn't think I could do another rainy day--oh wait, we're having thunderstorms tomorrow ugh! I swear the weather has a huge impact on my mood. When it rains a lot I feel down and overly sleepy. When the weather is nice and bright I can't help but feel a little cheerier than normal. I am also very happy to announce that our kitchen is going to have a much needed face lift in the next two weeks. We are getting granite countertops put in and a new back splash that has yet to be determined! If anyone has any great places to look in or near Birmingham for some great tile let me know please!

This is what it will look like when we are done...



hahaha-did you believe me?! I wish this is what it will look like! Maybe one day ;-)

Happy Monday to everyone!

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's birthday! I would put her age on here, but I figured I would leave it out. If she's anything like a lot of people I know around her age, she probably has to do the math to figure it out anyway! It's so funny that your birthday gets less significant or "exciting like you can't sleep because the next day is your big day" as you go along. When I mentioned something to my mom about her birthday she just said, "Oh yeh it's my birthday again." I knew she would respond this way because she doesn't like to have any attention on herself....EVER! She is a great mother, and in a lot of ways she deserves to be put in the spotlight for a change. She is a wife most importantly, a wonderful mother to 3, a mother-in-law to 2, and a Mimi or grandmother to 2. She plays a lot of roles in her life, and I'm thankful for this.

So in honor of my mom I will list 25 facts about her that a lot of people probably don't know...

1) She has lived in four states: Minnesota, California, Texas, and Alabama

2) She wears a size 5 or 5 1/2 shoe

3) About 99.9% of the time, my mom has her hair and make-up done perfectly.

4) She discovered her love for rap and hip-hop music a couple years ago. Now it is all over her Ipod and cd player in her car.

5) She loves to watch sports of all kinds. She especially loves basketball when Alabama football is not being played.

6) She was on the popular t.v. show "Hollywood Squares" and won a lot of things including my bedroom furniture that I have had my whole life, a mink coat, a trip to Mexico, a camper, and a lot of other things I can't remember. Whoopi Goldberg was one of the celebrities on the show with her.

7) She has very pretty feet. Someone once asked her to be a foot model!

8) She loves American Idol. She turns the volume on the t.v. way up when the show is on because she gets so into it!

9) Her child other than her obvious 3 children (myself, Brent, and Janelle) is her all black, rescued cat named Scarlett. She talks to her like she is a human.

10) She loves watching old movies. She has a lot of movies in black and white that I have never heard of.

11) She is an extremely hard worker. When she works, she works. She never calls in sick unless she is REALLY sick.

12) She keeps a basket in her car full of goodies-hair brush, candy, make-up, napkins, magazines....she is always prepared-I definitely get this from her! The difference is that her car is neat, and mine is not!

13) She can braid hair very well. She braided mine and my sister's hair a lot growing up!

14) She likes to dance, and she is really good at it too.

15) She is a very trust worthy person. She keeps secrets well, and she rarely speaks badly of people. She has never been one to be known as "a talker or a gossiper."

16) My mom and dad were married when she was 20 and my dad was 19-what babies!!! ;-)

17) She always enjoys a nice afternoon nap. I DEFINITELY got this trait from my mom. Growing up, we used to nap together in the afternoons.

18) She is a great organizer. If anyone ever needed a room, closet, or dresser organized she would do it where everything would have a perfect place, and she would do it in half the time of the average person.

19) She won't admit to this one, but I have to say it anyway-sorry mom!!! She doesn't like to be wrong. If you are debating with her on something, even if she might be wrong, she is so good at convincing you that she is right that you might actually give up on it!

20) She loves Disney movies. She owns almost every classic Disney movie on DVD and now she is collecting them on Blue Ray thanks to Brent!

21) She is not a big shopper. When she shops she usually knows what she wants and gets it!

22) She is very compassionate with my feelings. She hates to see me or any of my brothers and sisters upset.

23) Her handwriting is perfect. I wish I could have gotten this from her.

24) She loves Jack and Clara like they are her own. She is a wonderful grandmother to them. I can't wait to see her with our kids someday.

25) She is ALWAYS there when I need her. I can't even begin to count the number of times during the middle of the night I have needed her, and she has always been there.

I hope your birthday is as great as you are! I love you Mom...

Let happiness pour all over me...

Today is finally FRIDAY!!! I honestly don't think I could have made it to work one more day. Does anyone else have one of those weeks where they feel like they are dragging? I don't know what has been going on, but this week I have been so sluggish. I am itching to go to bed at night and struggling to get out of bed in the mornings. I also find myself soooo sleepy at work, but I think that's normal for most people....at least I hope it is.

One of my blogging friends gave me a sweet award, and I must say that it made my night last night! We found each other through blogs of other people, and if you are looking for a fun blog to read check her out-http://thedraggs.blogspot.com/

This is the award she gave me:











The rules are as follows:

List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love. Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won.

Here are my 7 love things...

1. I love napping-absolutely love it!!!

2. I love my sweet husband that chose to spend the rest of his life with me.

3. I love my chocolate lab Susie. She brings me so much joy (except when she chooses to eat my favorite earrings and pee on the floor and BED) haha

4. I love to find a book that I immediatly fall in love with...one that I love so much I can't wait to get home, cozy on the couch, and read!

5. I love my niece and nephew. They are so precious to me!

6. I love that am I so blessed with two great families!

7. I love that I have the big man in the sky aka God taking care of everything for me! He is awesome!

I will pass this on to some of my favorite blogs:

Lots of Scotts
The Allen Clan
The Morris Family
The Hollinheads
The Ball Family
Adventures of Garrett and Lauren
Full Chroma

On a random note--I noticed today that the Duggar Family off of the TLC show is expecting AGAIN. I don't want to judge, but SERIOUSLY????????? I think the situation is getting out of hand. I'm worried about these kids...it's just not natural! The woman needs a break....or should I say her poor body! Am I the only one that thinks this?!

Disclaimer-I think that is what it said. I read it somewhere, but I didn't see it anywhere else, but I just thought I would throw out the thought anyway.

Thursday Ramblings

I have had so many thoughts going through my mind today so I thought I would put them on my blog...

*I was listening to the latest Church of the Highlands sermon on "The Last Seven Days." In this sermon he discussed what he called "Passion Blockers." One of these "blockers" was focusing on outward appearance. When he said this, I immediately went "eeek, I do this so much!" I can't tell you how many times I worry about the way I look. I worry about my hair, if my make-up looks well kept, if my clothes are in style, if my jewelry matches, etc. I know that we are all humans and it is only natural to worry about our outward appearance, but it shouldn't be our main focus. When I get up in the morning, I shouldn't worry about what people might think of my outfit or making sure my purse matches my clothes. I should focus on being a better person. I should try to make a plan on how I can do better during the day...better in my job, better in my marriage, better in my friendships, and most importantly my relationship with God. He doesn't care if we wear old jeans and a t-shirt as long as our hearts are the main appearance we are focusing on.

*The weather is beautiful outside! I'm so glad that I have a window so I can look out during the day. It's days like today when I am itching to be outside! I would love nothing more than to be on a walk right now, soaking in some wonderful sunshine!

*I'm getting my haircut today, and I am so excited! I don't know what it is about hair cuts, but I just love them! I always leave feeling refreshed.

*March Madness is upon us, and I am nervous. For the past 3 years I have won our family tournament. My name sits on the big trophy for 3 years running....I think I lost one of my games today-dang!!!

*I'm going to eat dinner with some friends that I haven't gotten to see in a while...this makes me happy!

I hope ya'll have a wonderful Thursday!!!

Doggy Diaries

(Please note that this picture is from a year ago...she is a big girl now. I just don't have any updated pictures with me right now to post)

I can honestly say that Susie is exhausting me! Please don't get me wrong because I love her like my own child, but she has really been testing me lately. I guess she is going through her last puppy moments...well let's hope so. The past week and a half I have been going nuts with her crazy behavior. It started out with her smelling horrific. She smelled so bad that I couldn't sleep. The next afternoon when I came home from work I immediately washed her on the deck by myself-BIG MISTAKE. After I bragged about how good she is when I bathe her, etc. she does the complete opposite! I was 90% done bathing her, shampoo still running down her back, and she looks at me and takes off. As I am screaming at her she rolls into a mud pile. I literally lost it! I wasn't feeling that well that day, and all I wanted to do was bathe her and be done with it. I had to completely re bathe her.

Incident #2: I decide that she needs a new toy. I spent 10 minutes in the pet aisle looking for a great toy that she would enjoy and not chew up within 5 minutes. The tag said "Chew Proof," so I figured it would last a little longer than the others. Wrong! Within 2 days I couldn't find the toy, and I couldn't find her one afternoon. I walked around the corner in our house to find a room full of red plastic pieces. Of course the vacuum would have broken if I tried to use it, so I spent 10 minutes picking up little pieces.

Incident #3: Dedee bought her a soft dog bed that is very versatile. We had been using it as a bed on the floor in our bedroom. She never once tried to chew it up, and she had it for a couple months. Hunter had a good, trusting idea of letting Susie have it in her kennel during the day. I hesitated, but I kept reminding myself that she has never attempted ruining it so why would she start now? WRONG AGAIN...I came home to a room filled with what looked like big snow balls. It ended with me throwing her dog bed away.

Incident #4: I came home from work one afternoon, and I immediately smelled something awful. I thought it had to be the trash, but after checking it I knew it was Susie. Sure enough she had thrown up all of her food from that morning. It was all over her kennel, on the outside of the kennel, etc. you get the picture. I spent that afternoon cleaning Susie, washing her kennel, washing her babies aka blankets.

Incident #5: This was the worst one of all---I was taking a snooze on the couch, and my earrings were hurting me for some reason. I decided to take my earrings off and lay them in the middle of the coffee table because I didn't want to take a chance of laying them to close for Susie's wandering eyes. Later that day I was getting ready to go out to eat with Hunter and some friends, and Hunter came in asking me what this was(pointing to my BUTTON PEARL earring). I completely flipped! I had enough at this point!!! She had taken one earring off of the table, chewed and scratched it, and tore the back off of it. At first I was more mad, but then I lost it. I cried for a good bit. It makes me so sad because those earrings were very special to me. My parents bought those for me for Christmas 2 years ago, and I wear them almost everyday. I am still not over it.

And finally incident #6: I had to take Susie to the vet yesterday because her ears have been bothering her, she has been shaking her head, scratching her ears, and biting her paws. I figured she had developed an allergy or had an ear infection. It turns out she has developed allergies. The vet put her on some steroid pills, and he warned me that it could make her very thirsty and more hungry. I noticed she was drinking a lot more water so I made an effort to make sure she was taken outside to avoid accidents. Before I went to bed I asked Hunter to take her outside, but he didn't. I woke up around 1:00 to the sound of Susie peeing all over our bedroom floor! She completely ruined one of our new rugs. She made such a mess! So from 1:00-2:00 am I spent cleaning the floors, cleaning Susie, washing our bedspread that had fallen on the floor during the night, taking her outside, etc. I was not a happy person!


I love Susie so much so I know this is what comes with the territory of owning a dog. Sometimes they mess up, but their unconditional love makes up for it....usually ;-) Please pray that for the next couple of days she is accident free. I need a break!!!

Happy Birthday to Clara!!!

        

I know this post is late...shame on me! This doesn't mean I don't love my precious niece, Clara, I've just been busy.  Well Clara turned one. I can't believe it! I feel like it was just yesterday when Janelle and Gavin headed to St. Vincents to deliver their precious baby girl.  In fact, every time I hear a certain song by George Strait I get teary eyed because it reminds me of Clara.  The song, "I Saw God Today" by George Strait came out around the time Clara was born.  I'll always have a special place in my heart for that song because of her.  I remember Gavin saying he played it for them on the way to the hospital, and I nearly cried then too! If you would like to hear this special song follow this link...http://countrymusic.about.com/od/audiovideo/a/ISawGodToday.htm

Every niece and nephew is special in different ways.  Jack is special in that he is my little "frog." I fell in love from the moment I laid my eyes on him.  He was also the first born in the family so he was special in that way.  Clara is special because she is our little girly girl in the family.  She definitely takes after her mommy! I can already see the future shopping trips now-Gavin watch out! ;-) Clara is such a sweet baby.  She loves to coo, loves to observe, and she loves seeing her family.  She has developed the cutest faces lately! I love when I walk in to a room and smile at her because she smiles so big that her cheeks get squished and her mouth is huge! One of my favorite things to do with her is put her to bed. I always tell her how much I love her, and she is such a miracle baby! I don't know if a lot of people know about this, but when Janelle went for her visit to find the gender, they found a slight abnormality on her ultrasound.  The doctor saw something on the umbilical cord that looked concerning so they had them to a special ultrasound at UAB.  I knew in my heart that everything was going to be ok, and that Clara would be a perfect baby, but no matter what it is natural to be scared.  Thankfully God had everything under his control, and on February 26th of 2008 Clara Rae Ball was born 100% healthy.  Hunter and I are so very lucky to have the love of Jack and Clara.  We know we aren't ready for kids, but having them in our lives makes us better people.  

Here are some pictures from Clara's party! Janelle's mother-in-law, Cassie, water colored the most precious invitations.  It was a ballerina themed party that was "tutu" cute! 

    

  

   

It's not that cute...

Another game...I know, I know I do this a lot, but I like them!

List 10 "Not so cute things about yourself"

1) I pop my knuckles once or twice a day. It used to drive my mom crazy, but now that I don't live at home anymore she doesn't have to hear it!

2) As much as I would like to keep my car clean, I fail miserably. Hunter washed and vacuumed my car over the weekend. The inside is already messy!

3) I leave opened drinks around the house. I will open a new drink, take two sips, and then set it down and forget about it.

4) I can stick my shoulder blades out really far. It feels so good to do it because it stretches my back muscles, but it does freak people out if they aren't expecting it!

5) I rarely make our bed. In fact, I rarely made my bed growing up. My mom always made it for me...I know, I know I sound spoiled, but in my defense my mom would make it before I would even have the chance. She always liked everything to look perfect!

6) I will sometimes leave dirty clothes lying on the ground in our bedroom for a day or two before I put them in the dirty clothes.

7) I don't floss every day or even every week. I really need to start because I go to the dentist in a month or so!

8) I have been wearing my hair in a pony tail almost everyday because I have been too lazy to get up an extra 15 minutes to style my hair. It's so easy to just throw it back, but I know my hair would look so much better if I took the time!

9) My desk at work is almost always unorganized. I really do try to keep it that way, but it doesn't last long! I have papers stashed all over my desk. It would drive my dad nuts!!! Dad if you're reading this, I promise I will work on this for you! ;-)

10) From wearing high heels to work almost everyday, the bottom of my feet can get rough. I hate this! I used to not have this problem, and I don't like it! Thanks to my sweet mother-in-law, Dedee, I got a pedicure this weekend to solve this problem!

I hope these things weren't too "not so cute." Maybe you'll still love me anyway ;-)
I tag all my blogging friends who love these as much as I do! I hope to see some because I love learning more about my friends!