Winds of Change

First baby photoshoot

2010-09-16T11:00:00.001-05:00

philip-BW
Originally uploaded by 5fifty5

Here is my sweet nephew. His name is Philip and the funny thing about that is he really did Fill-Up this bowl. I was feeling guilty, apologizing and clicking away. He and his mommy were such good sports and didn't protest at all during Na Na's first baby photoshoot.

football

2010-09-13T06:52:00.002-05:00

Branson decided he wanted to try playing football in the place of soccer this season. We signed him up, went to the weigh in where he received his shoulder pads, helmet and other gear. We also found out who our coach would be and when practice started. Just so happens it was the following day and it was a scorcher. The boys warmed up and did a couple of drills. Branson has been at QB, running back, defensive back and rt guard. I think he really wants to be the QB but when they gave him the ball he scored 3 touchdowns in a row. I could tell by the fist pump afterwards he got a taste and I hope the adrenaline gives him the fire he will need to endure. He is finding out that football is tough and learning to shake off the pain isn't coming quickly. Luckily, our coach is enthusiastic and seems to know when a laugh will bring more motivation than discipline. It won't hurt them to sweat a little because most of them have spent the entire summer inside playing video games.

Wild Adventures

2010-09-10T05:03:00.001-05:00

We spent the 2nd weekend of August over at Wild Adventures theme park with our friends Jack, Missy and their boys. We planned the trip as a back to school treat for the boys and turns out it was a treat for the adults too! Jack, the oldest one of us, gets on every possible ride. This work out great for those of us who have outgrown the ability to go round and round.
The park has lots of fun family rides, some big, fast coasters and even a few I wouldn't dare ride. Having Spencer there to ride with boosted Branson's bravery and he surprised us by being all about any ride he was tall enough to ride. Mr. Cautious was raising his arms
in the front seat of the coasters like an amusement park pro. We enjoyed a train ride through a safari animal attraction, we watched a high-dive act and were waterlogged from splash island
by the end of day two. The boys took their turn in life size Rock um-Sock um robots
and we ended a long, hot day by cooling off in the arcade. Fun was had by all and I will confess it took me 3 days to recover.

weekend adventures

2010-09-03T08:40:00.001-05:00

We had a fun family weekend beginning Friday night. We rented Diary of a Wimpy Kid, turned out all the lights and finished off 3 bags of popcorn. On Sat, we went fishing in the lake in front of Granmommies house taking advantage of the slight break in the 100 degree temps we have been experiencing. I was the only person who caught anything and that included a good size snapping turtle.
I thought I had caught the biggest fish in the lake and Branson was blown away. Granmommie stayed behind to put together her famous lasagna and we all ate like little piglets later that night. We bought a new game called Fact or Crap at ToysRus earlier in the day, so we played for an hour or so before we headed home for the night. Michael won, of course!
I called my parents to invite them for supper but they had 5th Sunday with another church in town so they wouldn't be able to come. So I drove over to their place instead and spent a few hours. We sat out on the screened in porch talking and watching butterflies enjoy the butterfly bush. On my way home, I stopped by the Market Place to pick up some chops for supper and let me tell you they were some kind of fine. Branson said that was the best steak he had ever eaten and I guess thats the ultimate compliment.

Third Grade

2010-09-01T10:51:00.001-05:00

School got off to a late start this year due to the opening of the new high school. We were officially back beginning Aug 23rd and we are very excited at our house. We found out during open house that Branson would be in Mrs. Bryant's class. I thought maybe she was a new teacher but to our delight it was Mrs. Chamber's. She had gotten married over the summer and I was ecstatic. She is an awesome teacher and probably the most coveted in the 3rd grade. I had been praying for Branson to get a teacher who would be able to make it fun and keep him interested in learning more. She made me cry, of course, during her welcome speech by saying the kids were part of her family now and they would forever be. Branson came home on Fri. saying she let them scribble on side B of their math sheet(side B is the homework side) in class and I could tell he thought that was about the coolest thing ever.

New Nephew

2010-08-30T13:31:00.006-05:00

My sweet nephew was born on Tuesday, July 27th. He was born rather quickly so both sets of grandparents missed the birth. My parents stayed a few days and my sil's parents stayed through the next week to help out. We headed up the following weekend arriving there on Friday night. We planned to stay in and enjoy an easy visit by cooking at home instead of trying to eat out. I cooked spaghetti and meatballs with side salad and garlic bread. Everyone enjoyed it except for Charlie, he was having none of that meatball. No offence taken little man. We had a good time and baby Philip is too sweet. Branson seemed taken by Philip and asked to hold him many times during the weekend.

birthday-wish

2010-07-18T19:37:00.001-05:00

birthday-wish
Originally uploaded by 5fifty5

Here is some of the work I've been doing on photoshop. I still have plenty of catching up to do on this blog, but I'm getting there.

Bama Jam 2010

2010-07-09T12:42:00.002-05:00

We went to Bama Jam again this year and it did not disappoint. We had a little rain but not enough to dampen our spirits. I must say the Zac Brown Band brought down the house on Thursday night. In my opinion they should have been the headliner for the entire event because they were totally awesome! ( Now if that doesn't sound like a girl who grew up in the eighties nothin' does.) I also enjoyed Gretchen Wilson, Miranda Lambert and Randy Houser. One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing all time great, Buddy Guy. The man is 73 years old and still playing better than most.

We had a great weekend with our friends and the boys enjoyed themselves too! Branson spent most of the weekend without a shirt so he fit into the scene perfectly. Michael came through, as always with some great burgers, butts, and a yummy shrimp boil. Missy made the ever popular redneck caviar and we all ate like kings and queens for the entire weekend. Michael and Jack made friends with our neighbors as usual and hung out until the wee hours of the morning. Missy and I are the sensible ones if any of you were wondering and hit the bed as soon as we get the kids settled. Needless to say at the end of each night we were proud to be back at the camper where the air was a cool 65 degrees.

Flickr oops!

2010-06-28T09:33:00.003-05:00

I didn't have the link to my flickr page set up correctly on the post labeled Catching Up. I apologize to anyone who tried to follow the link. You can find me here. Let me know what you think.

School's Out

2010-06-27T00:22:00.005-05:00

School's out for summer and Branson is headed for 3rd grade.

Branson had fun and learned alot of things in 2nd grade. They took field trips to the fire dept and to Gulf World. They had Mexican fiestas in their classroom, multiple parties for meeting AR (reading)goals and many more exciting times together.

Earlier in the year we learned Branson had been accepted into the gifted program. This means he will be spending 1 day per week in a classroom with other gifted children. They will be learning many new things by spending time on the computer doing research, field trips, experiments and creative arts. We are hoping this will help to channel some of the energy that tends to get him into trouble in the typical classroom.

We attended the annual Awards Day where he finished the year with a bang earning certificates for all A average, creative writing and the National Physical Fitness Award. Branson delivered a gift basket to Mrs Robinette on his last day of school containing homemade chicken salad on a croissant, frozen grapes, lemon cheese squares and a few gifts for her desk. I got the idea for the basket here.We are so proud of him and looking forward to what 3rd grade has in store for him.

Memorial Day

2010-06-26T19:56:00.002-05:00

These trips are beginning to turn out like the Griswold's family vacations. This year we had kidney stones, equipment failure, boat trouble, violent winds, stomach problems, firewood and charcoal shortages, etc, etc!

Here's how it went. Before we ever got there my Dad had a kidney stone and spent the night in the hospital. He came back to the lake with a stent in place and lithotripsy scheduled. He spent the remainder of the trip moving very slowly and needless to say no more trips into the water.

Daniel hurt his foot playing softball the weekend before so he was taking things slowly too. He had to take Daddy's place riding the kids on the jet skis and tubing because we have misplaced our boating licenses.

Michael ate too many fried squash and suffered through the night with appendicitis(over dramatized upset stomach, that is)!
The jet skis practically quit working again this year and the boat prop had been damage during a weekend outing to Lake Gant.
To top it all off a storm blew in quickly and ripped the awning from my parents camper sending the metal down bars flying across the top then slamming back down against the side of the camper while we were inside. I thought a tree had fallen on us and we were trapped inside by the drooping awning filled with water. Michael and the Martin boys showed up to rescue us by removing the awning from across the doorway. Michael climbed on top of the camper and the next thing I heard was a loud crashing sound. My heart stopped beating and my legs literally went weak because I thought he had fallen off the roof. The crashing was the awning being jerked from his hands when the weight of the trapped water got too heavy. It came flying over the camper to the ground and luckily no one was in its path. Naturally everything was soaked and several thing had to be thrown away, which we did when Daddy wasn't looking.

All in all we had a fun trip and great memories last a lifetime. If I had to guess we won;t have those jet skis next year!

Baseball

2010-06-24T21:09:00.009-05:00

Branson wanted to play baseball at the Rec this year where the games are a little more serious than the ones we've been involved with at the YMCA. We were chosen by the Whitesox an our team went undefeated during the season due to lots of hard work and great coaching. We were really fortunate in the coaching staff we had in that they love baseball, they were spot on with their coaching and they both treated our kids with respect.

Branson played right field during most of the games and made several great plays to 2nd base. He really has a good arm and he is fast as lightening when he puts forth the effort. He has always had great hand-eye coordination but struggled at the plate after being hit in the elbow by the 2nd fastest pitcher in the league. I hated to see that happen to him and hope the memory will fade for him so he can keep that foot in the box.Some of his best games were played when only Michael and I were there to see him but Gram, Papa, Granmommie and Mama Walker were there to show their support as much as possible.

We ended the season with a pizza party at Pizza Hut. The kids gave the coaches a collector style baseball signed by each player and a coffee mug listing the games and scores.

CATCHING UP

2010-06-23T07:34:00.005-05:00

I need to take the time to catch up on my blog since I've been gone for a while. My excuse is simple, Photoshop. Learning and playing can and did become an obsession so all my extra time was directed to my pictures. Now all I need is to up my grade my camera. If anyone is interested in checking out some of the work I've done check me out on flickr. Here is the link . Leave me some comments to tell me what you think.

42

2010-01-25T06:08:00.001-06:00

Michael turned 42 on January 2nd. We spent the day on the paintball field in a tradition we started 2 years ago. When Michael turned 40, I surprised him by getting together a group of friends for a game of paintball. We spent a couple of hours shooting each other and a serious addiction was born. We have since bought numerous guns, gear and sported a few serious wounds. We play almost every weekend during the winter on 2 fields we've established. One is a woods ball course, the other is set up with pallets and plays like a speed ball course. Here are a few pics to show you what the action is like.

National Champions

2010-01-19T06:52:00.001-06:00

Could we ask for more as Alabama fans? An undefeated season, the SEC champions, the Heisman trophy winner, and the National Championship. The reason we are the most successful college football program is because we don't wish these things would happen, we expect them to happen.

Roll Tide

Happy 2010

2010-01-13T08:41:00.001-06:00

We rang in 2010 by spending the night up at Lake Eufaula. Michael and I, along with three other couples watched ballgames, played battle of the sexes, munched on bbq sandwiches, mexican and spinach dips, popped fireworks and toasted champagne as the clocked struck 12:00. We had great fun acting young, dancing like we know how, laughing at things that wouldn't be funny if you weren't there and staying up too late.Here we are trying on each others boots. We did get up early the next morning to head into town for breakfast. We went to the Waffle House because there is nothing better than the last high calorie, buttery breakfast before its back to watching everything we eat.

Branson spent the night at Granmommies where they watched a Three Stooges marathon. He was all animated showing us how the Stooges act toward each other. He later said he never thought he would be into b/w movies but he thought they were pretty cool. We spent the remainder of the day napping, playing games, watching football, and eating. We wanted to get it right because you know they say whatever you do on the first day of the year, you'll be doin' all year long.

Merry Christmas to all

2010-01-08T17:48:00.001-06:00

Well the Christmas holiday is over and things are returning to a normal pace here in the Helms' house. I can't say it's all organized but we did manage to fit everything in the house. The food was yummy, the tree was beautiful, the gifts were abundant, but most importantly the family was together.

We spent Christmas eve at my parents house as always. My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew were there as well as a short visit from Big. We helped Mother finish preparing the meal and sat down to ham, dressing, corn souffle', broccoli salad, mac-n-cheese and the famous carrot cake for dessert.

After dinner we worked off a few calories with my mom's new Wii. She happened to get it a little early because my brother thought it was for Branson and handed it over to be wrapped saying "Mom, here's the Wii". Much to his surprise, she said "what Wii?". She said the look on his face was priceless as he was mortified, no doubt. If only I could have been there to take in the moment because it is few and far between that Daniel does anything out of line.

We opened our presents in round table style as usual, each person taking a turn so that everyone else can see what was given. Papa, Branson and Charlie have a little trouble in the patience department and couldn't always wait for their turn. I guess it worked out good because Branson and Charlie had the biggest pile to open. Charlie really got into it this year and helped me keep the paper cleaned up too! Maybe wanting things to be clean and neat is what he inherited from Aunt Na Na.

We all got an extra present from Daniel and Melissa with news they are expecting. Daniel announced it as "we have some big news" and I knew instantly what was about to be said. We all clapped and cheered and I got tears like I usually do.

Snow?

2010-01-08T11:24:00.002-06:00

We've been experiencing some really cold weather in the past few days. We had a slight chance of snow in the forecast but it doesn't look like it will make it this far down. Branson seemed disappointed so being the good mother I came up with a digital solution. I guess this is appropriate with the high tech life we are all living these days.

~my husband rocks~the gas pump

2010-01-08T05:24:00.001-06:00

You know how we are rocking along in life taking almost everything for granted? Well, every now and then it dawns on me how lucky I am to have a husband like Michael. He is constantly doing things to make my life easier so I guess I'm just used to him taking care of me.

Here's the story...

On a whim Sunday night we headed to supper at Mellow Mushroom. We were headed home when a mile or so down the road Michael noticed my car was almost out of gas. He quickly turned the car and headed back towards town. Now it wasn't so close to empty that I couldn't have made it to work the following day, but he said "I don't want you to have to pump gas in the icy weather we are expecting this week." I just looked at him and thought "Wow, what an awesome, thoughtful man."

I am truly blessed. I thank God for allowing me to have this man in my life. I know a few of my girlfriends who aren't so lucky and their relationships really help me take inventory of my own marriage.

Phase III

2009-12-28T17:00:00.001-06:00

We've been done with our big renovation project for about 2 months. We still lack a few minor details but the bulk of the work is complete. I still need to pick out material for the living room curtains and as you will see in the breakfast room curtains make a major impact. Here are a few pics.

Girls Night Out

2009-12-15T14:01:00.000-06:00

We usually have a department Christmas party at the hospital but this year we decided to do things a little differently. We planned an all girls ornament exchange at Olive Garden. It was fun to be with everyone outside of work and the food was delicious. We decided to draw numbers on the ornaments instead of playing dirty Santa like we usually do. I was looking forward to the dirty Santa because it tends to add a little touch of drama to the festivities. I happened to draw the ornaments from Gina, a woodsy, green and white Santa and sleigh. They match my tree perfectly with the cardinal ornaments and bird houses.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-12T11:35:00.000-06:00

The week before Thanksgiving we began our celebration with a family lunch at Branson's school. The kids show off projects they've done during the year and they put together a short program. Each child usually steps forward to say or read what they've written. This year they talked about why their parents were special. We headed to the cafeteria for the traditional meal of turkey, dressin', corn, dumplins,green beans, salad and roll. YUM!

We had lunch with the Walkers family at Jimmy and Shirleys' house. While we were there I recieved a call about my dad being admitted to the hospital for bacterial pneumonia. We stopped by the hospital on our way to Elba for our tradional get together with my family. Mother skipped the festivities, not wanting to leave Daddy, so Daniel and Melissa fixed her a plate.
Branson always has a blast with his cousin Nate running around the shop and this year my cousin Pete was home with his two boys also. None of those boys wanted to stop playing long enough to eat.
The way they looked reminded me of the way Pete, Giles and I played when we were young, especially when we had an issue with the boys playing unfairly. I really just thought what goes around comes around because those two boys left me out as much as they could get away with.

Hope you all had a great family holiday too.

~my husband rocks~the future

2009-12-11T05:48:00.001-06:00

Michael is always planning for the future. The sense of ease I have because he is in my life. It means so much to me to know he is the type of man Branson and I can always depend on. Thanks Baby!

A Birthday Adventure

2009-12-09T06:20:00.003-06:00

Sorry about the lack of posts for those of you keeping up with us. Too much sickness in the house for bloggin'. This post was started back in November.

Branson celebrated his 8th birthday with friends and family this past Sunday. We had 9 boys, including little Charlie for a racing themed party at Adventureland Theme Park. We sent racing invitations and I made a race track cake for the party. It was a figure eight track so visually it covered the age and the theme. Branson helped me pipe the sides and placed the race cars on the track.

The room was decorated in the racing style of checkered tablecloths and red plates. The kids started the party with cake, ice cream and chips. We opened gifts and quickly headed out for the scheduled activities. We had the kids lined up to race go-karts, ride bumper boats, play putt-putt golf, take a turn in the batting cage, and play video games. I polled the kids on the way home and go-karts definitely scored highest on the fun gage.

SEC CHAMPS!

2009-12-05T21:29:00.007-06:00

32-13

ROLL TIDE , Baby!

Florida has officially been served. No team dominated the Florida Gators like Alabama did in this game. I love it!

my husband rocks~early mornings~

2009-11-20T07:15:00.001-06:00

Michael is really great in the mornings when he has to get up before me. He is quite as a mouse and never wakes me with all his stirring. I'm usually the first one up in the mornings, but he goes in early on Fridays so I get the treat of having him wake me. I'm not sure how he gets ready so quietly but I appreciate those little gestures of love. Michael is one of the most considerate people I know and this is just one of the many ways he shows it. Thanks Baby.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-11-16T18:37:00.001-06:00

Every year when Branson's birthday rolls around it seems we are incredibly busy. Busy looking for Halloween costumes, busy going to fall festivals, busy trick-or-treating,busy making cupcakes to send to class, busy getting party supplies together, busy making the invitation, busy picking out the stuff for the gift bags you send home with the children invited to the birthday party(who's idea was that?), busy picking out a great present, busy making the cake, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Truth is I love it all. I love going to all the fall festivities, I love pondering over the theme and location of your parties. I don't love struggling with the computer to get the invitation just right, but I love when it comes out just like I envisioned it. I love shopping for everything right down to the bags we fill for the other kids.

More than anything else I enjoy making the cakes for Branson's parties. I have made several cakes for Branson and although it is a lot of work, I have had so much fun. Here are a few...

racing themed party for age 8
.
campfire cake for age 7

bowling for age 6

skateboard for age 5

my husband rocks~Veteran's Day~

2009-11-13T15:15:00.001-06:00

Michael and Branson spent the day together on Wednesday due to the Veteran's Day holiday. They started the day by sleeping in and then heading off to the college where Michael works. Branson got to shoot a few hoops in the new gym and also meet the new coach who just happens to be a retired NBA player. Branson had stars in his eyes as he told me how he was invited to help coach the EOCC Weevils during this Sunday's game.

A walmart trip was in the plan so Bran could pick up a new DS game with his birthday money. Funny thing is they came home with 2 new DS games because somehow Dad got suckered into buying one too.

To re-energize for the rest of the day they headed over to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. Branson got to pick the spot as a reward for good conduct in class recently. After getting their bellies full they decided to check out the military surplus store. Now, I can only imagine what this place must be like to an 8yr. old boy. It is just full of all types of military items like clothes, canteens, bullets, tents, cots, you name it. Needless to say they can home with a healthy stash of goodies. Branson purchased a whip, numb chucks, a grenade and a WWII bullet as long as his forearm. He was all grins as I walked through the door and couldn't wait to tell me all about his day with his Dad.

Lucky for me the camo duffle I had ordered for him came in that day, so I got to get in on the cool gift giving too.

2009-11-11T18:00:00.001-06:00

Another soccer season has come to an end for the Green Dragons. We had a very successful season coming out undefeated in the 6-7 year old league. Our team works well together and we saw their skills increasing in every game. We saw lots of communication, fancy footwork, speed and sportsmanship in our kids this fall season.

I'm sad to say Branson wants to play football in the coming year so we'll see if we return to the soccer fields again. I love football but I've been against him playing since he was born. We'll see just how persuasive he and his father can be.

Roll Tide Roll!

2009-11-08T09:54:00.003-06:00

Looks like we pulled out another game and beat those nasty LSU Tigers. It's one thing to be a good team but to be so heavily penalized is shameful for LSU. I guess this means were headed back to a meeting with Florida. Let's hope we don't have any official problems in that game. I know we got a call in our favor on that interception last night, but in my opinion Florida has been handed 2 games because of poor calls from the officials. I don't know what their coach said that got him fined $30,000 but he should have been saying "thanks" to the officials if he said anything.

my husband rocks~the school cafeteria~

2009-11-06T06:00:00.002-06:00

Michael stopped in the eat lunch with Branson at school on Friday. This is something Branson mentioned to his Dad so I know he was excited when he arrived unexpectedly. The kids eat in the classroom on Fridays under the supervision of the parents who visit while the teachers get a small break in the hallway. After shuffling through the line,choosing the traditional flat pepperoni pizza, side salad and fruit, they headed back to the classroom to find a spot at their desks. Michael talked with another Dad there who happened to be a high school classmate of his. He eats with his daughter every Friday and said Branson is always well mannered during his time there. I know this must have made Michael feel proud because we have been working hard to help Branson improve his conduct at school.

Peanut Festival

2009-11-04T21:00:00.001-06:00

We headed to Dothan on Sunday for the Annual Peanut Festival Fair. Branson invited Okley for the rides and I invited Berita for the concert. Chip, Gloria and Bryson decided to go with us at the last minute. They followed us to pick up Berita and that's when it happened.

SETUP-As you exit the driveway you must turn right(Hwy 231N) to get to an access in the median to be able to go left(Hwy 231S) but Michael tried to cross the median of Hwy 231 where there was no access. I yelled "you can't cross here" so he stopped. That's when, in front of the big black and white sign pointing RIGHT he turned left(south) in the north bound lane. Again, I yelled "what are you doing"(not a question). All the while 2 seven year olds were telling scary stories to each other in the back seat, Berita was trying to show me the 2 new pair of shoes she bought, the radio was blasting and the sun was in his face. When we were safely in the median I looked back and Gloria had pulled the same move. Lucky for us no traffic was coming in our direction from the north bound lanes. After I finished laughing hysterically, I told Michael "lucky for him this wasn't our first date". I called our friends on the cell to let them know we had not been drinking and we made it to the fairgrounds without further incident.

The boys had a great time and they were big enough to ride some of the more thrilling, big kid rides. Watching them on the hang-glider, seeing the thrill and uneasiness of the unknown, was worth every dollar we paid for those armbands. Branson's head was down and his boots were flying off by the end of the ride. The crazy house,with the moving floors and silly mirrors, was also a big hit and they ran through it many times.They tried their luck at the games and Branson won a stuffed animal for target shooting. Later we restocked the energy supply with soda, corn dogs and cotton candy. .

We chose Sunday because Lady Antebellum was in concert that evening and I am in love with their latest hits. They sounded great and during "Need You Now" a shooting star fell across the sky. I happen to be filming at the time and it just melted my heart. To beat the traffic, we left during the last two songs of the night. The kids were fast asleep before we were out of Dothan. It was a great night.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-04T19:00:00.001-06:00

We had a sticky, sweet Halloween this year. Branson wanted to do the traditional house-to-house trick or treating this year so we spent the evening roaming a local neighborhood with a few other friendly characters. He was dressed as a member of the S.W.A.T. team and his friend Bryson was a soldier. We also had 2 friendly witches and 2 zombies from the Thriller video.

It was cold and windy as we headed through the neighborhood. As the kids were busy going door to door our attention quickly turned to the sky. Due to the rain that had moved through the area a beautiful rainbow had formed. It was a full, high arch rainbow with all it's color clearly visible. Adding to the beauty of the scene was the setting sun casting it's golden light everywhere, known to photographers as the golden hour . It was one of the most visually stunning, unforgettable scenes I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera along because I figured the kids would be too busy to pose for photos.

As true darkness fell we headed back to the house where more treats were waiting..
Gloria warmed our bones with spicy taco soup, green goblin dip(guacamole), eyeball punch, and some wacky witch cupcakes. We had a great time and Branson ended up with enough candy he could even share with his parents. The only thing he forbid us from eating was the sour heads because those are his absolute favorite.

my husband rocks~the mall~

2009-10-30T06:48:00.001-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows I've never been much of a shopper. As of late, I've done quite a bit, but mostly for the house. I decided I needed some new fall clothes so I made plans for a shopping spree. I usually like to shop alone because I am picky, indecisive and hard to fit. So when I shop with someone I feel pressured to buy what I don't like or buy nothing at all out of frustration.

Branson would be staying overnight at a friends house on Saturday, so it seemed like the perfect choice. Michael was also completely disinterested in tagging along because the Alabama game would be starting at 2:30pm.

He did need to run a quick errand so we were able to meet for a lunch date @ Red Lobster:). After a yummy meal we headed off to our separate destinations. I touched base later in the afternoon to find out the score and he was in THE MALL! WHAT! He said he got caught up in the moment and decided to do a little shopping too.

When I got home that afternoon he had 5 shirts, 2 pair of jeans, 3 pair of khakis, a jacket, and 3 pair of shoes. You know what I had? 1 pair of shoes and 3 shirts.

Maybe I should tag along and let him give me some pointers.

New Do

2009-10-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

I'm getting my hair done at a new salon. I'm giving her a try because she did a really cute cut on one of the girls at work. I'm taking her this pic , although I'm not going this short. I've been trying to grow my inverted bob out so I'm mainly looking at the color and the bangs. I'll post a pic of myself later to show you how she does. If she does a good job I might reconsider growing out the locks and let her cut the style also.

Honor Roll

2009-10-28T10:30:00.005-05:00

Report cards are here and Branson pulled out with all A's. He is still working on his conduct scores and lucky for him conduct doesn't apply toward the Honor Roll. He did get a ribbon for his effort and a certificate for a free meal from one of the local restaurants. We make a deal a couple weeks back to give him $5 for every A, so I guess I'm out a Jackson.

kickin' myself

2009-10-23T08:32:00.006-05:00

I guess we all have our moments when we feel were not meeting the expectations of our loved ones. Wether it's our spouse, our children, our parents or our friends. I want to say this is a hard post for me because I am not used to exposing my feelings in this way. I am posting because I think I'll feel better if I talk and I want to be real to my memories when I look back on them.

Today I am feeling especially weepy. I guess you could say I have the need for the appearance of perfection. Now, I'm not so far gone to believe I have perfection, but it's the appearance of perfection that seems to be a guard for me. (It's funny how things work out because God knows I am embarrassed by this type of emotional weakness, so he arranged it so my co-worker had an event to go to for a couple of hours this morning.)

I've never seen myself as weak. I've always, always thought of myself as a strong person . I'm the one who takes whatever comes, shakes it off, looks on the bright side, makes the lemonade. I'm the get over it, move on girl, but then it all catches up and I feel myself begin to surrender to the burden.

Now don't panic, this isn't some major catastrophe, it's just everyday life. I wonder am I a good wife? Will Michael look back on our lives and say I was everything he needed? Do I take opportunities to lift him up or am I quick to tear down? Do I cook enough? I worry if I am creating the best homelife I can for my husband and child?

Another thing weighing on me lately is my parenting skills. I wonder am I spending enough time with Branson? Do I read to him enough? Do I allow him too much t.v. and video game time? Do we laugh, tickle and play enough? Am I picking my battles wisely or am I frustrating the situation by setting my expectations too high? Am I too permissive? Does he know how deeply I love him? Does he see my dicipline as love or does he think he'll never measure up?

I wonder how are all these things molding him into the man he will become. I can only pray for wisdom in this area, hope I am doing the right things and let God fill in the gaps. Help me Lord to be able to teach and discipline him without wounding his Spirit and guard his heart in the times I fail.

~my husband rocks~the grill

2009-10-23T06:30:00.003-05:00

My husband rocks because.....

the boy can cook and he looks good in an apron.

Pink Project

2009-10-18T15:53:00.009-05:00

My hospital hosted its first ever walk for Breast Cancer Awareness on Saturday, Oct. 17th. It was a 4 mile walk from the parking lot of the hospital to the parking lot of our Surgery Center. It seemed to be a huge success with over 100 participants ranging from the very young to over 70yrs of age. We even had two from the canine family. There were tons of door prizes given away at the end of the event along with lunch donated by lots of local businesses. To top off the event there was a balloon release in memory of those who've lost their battle and for those still fighting. It was a beautiful sight and I spent much of the day drying my eyes.

Most of the girls from our department participated in the day either by walking or set-up.We all work in ultrasound or radiology so we often see cancer up close.It felt great to be a part of something much bigger than myself. I know the event raised alot of money for the cause and I'm already looking forward to next year's event.

~my husband rocks~giving

2009-10-16T06:00:00.003-05:00

My husband rocks because I can trust him fully when it comes to our finances. He is very smart with our finances and has always had our families best interest at the top of his priority list. Several times in our lives he has given up things that were special to him, like his motorcycles and full-size trucks because he knew it would be the smartest thing for our finances. I feel truely blessed to have a man of this caliber in my life in a world where statistics show the majority of divorces are caused by money problems. Thanks ,Baby! You Rock!

Too Close

2009-10-13T06:48:00.001-05:00

Way too close. Here's the story.....

It is time to plant mums for the fall season and I needed my gardening tools. We usually keep them in the far corner of the garage so I made my way over to start my search. Those of you who know us are probably laughing right now because I don't always keep all my stuff organized and you also know the state of our garage, nuff said? So, I'm standing there searching......and searching.... looking for my hand tools when I look down and one inch from my flip flop clad foot is a coiled up Copperhead!

Now... fight or flight instantly took over and I jumped like a gazelle on the Nile River at the height of a crocodile feeding frenzy. I screamed Michael's' name at least 10 times and I'm sure he knew immediately the implication in my voice(we've had lots and lots of snakes). He came running and killed the snake with a really, really short hoe. I know it was difficult given the distance his feet were from the snake.

When I settled down from the terror of the moment, I thanked God I had not been bitten and we went on with our day. As we were enjoying various moments during the rest of the weekend I was reminded of just how fragile our lives can be. I kept thinking I could be in a hospital right now instead of tossing the baseball, instead of grilling burgers or taking communion. Our outcome might have been drastically different if it wasn't for the protection our Lord provides for us daily. Psalms 91:14 says the Lord will rescue me because I love him; he will protect me because I acknowledge his name, he will answer me when I call upon him; He will be with me in trouble.

Don't you agree a copperhead in the garage next to my foot is TROUBLE!

school update

2009-10-12T07:01:00.001-05:00

Michael and I went to Branson's 2nd grade parent-teacher conference. I was pleased with the over-all vibe of the meeting especially given the conduct grades Branson has been bringing home. Mrs. Robinette said Branson is a very bright student and is scoring above average on all his SAT scores.She said he tends to finish his work quickly and this gives him a lot of free time at his desk and this spells trouble for an already over-active student. Branson has struggled with his conduct since he started school and we have worked with him continually on this. I had hoped his misbehavior was mainly talking and the teacher did confirm this for me. I wanted her to know we are working with her from home and disipline him when he receives poor grades. When I asked what we could do to help in this area she suggested we encourage him in reading. If we can get him interested in a series of books he will have something to occupy him when he finishes his work. This will also help him in his Accelerated Reading Program. The AR program has the students read books then take a test on the computer afterwards. If they reach a certain point goal and accuracy within the 9 weeks then they get to participate in special activities like jump-a-roos, parties, and in the 2nd grade they go to the movies and take special field trips.

Mrs. Robinette thanked us for coming and mentioned how nice it was to have both parents attending the conference. I have to say I left there with a much better feeling about the year than I went in with. I had the idea she had a sour taste for Branson because of his conduct but I didn't get that impression at all. She was delightful and encouraging towards him. I know he is a challenge in the classroom but a good teacher will be able to harness his energy into something positive.

~my husband rocks~while I'm sleeping

2009-10-09T05:00:00.008-05:00

My husband rocks today because while I was nursing a migraine he took down all the light fixtures, cleaned them and replaced the bulbs. I estimated it to be around 30 globes in all, most of which require the ladder to reach. I appreciate this because it is hard enough to keep up with the day to day maintenance let alone get to the things no one can see with a full-time job, church, soccer games and homework.
If you like this idea and want to uplift your husband check out the concept for my husband rocks Fridays here.

Soccer

2009-10-07T09:15:00.001-05:00

Fall soccer is well under way and the Green Dragons are doing great. I see a lot of improvement from the spring season and they are really working together as a team. It is so awesome to watch your child transition from a place of complete self-centered behavior to a real team player. Although, it is a huge thrill to see your child score a big goal the reward is even bigger when you see their character growing. I saw the willingness to pass the ball to another player growing in Branson last season, but now I see it as part of his game. I'm so proud of you Baby. Play Hard!

Project 365

2009-10-04T21:35:00.003-05:00

I saw this idea while reading a magazine the other day. It immediately struck my interest and knew it was for me. The concept is to post a picture a day for 365 days. You'll also add a small bit of journaling to explain the photograph. I love taking pictures and am constantly photographing my surroundings. Although I do not have a really good camera I do the best I can with my Kodak Z710. I hope to invest in a new camera soon because my passion is growing everyday for this hobby. You can check out my project here.

~my husband rocks~Fridays

2009-10-02T09:06:00.011-05:00

I found a really great idea while on another blog one day. It's called my husband rocks Fridays. The idea is to do a post or photo every Friday to document why your husband rocks. When I saw the idea I knew it would be great for me because 1)I want my husband to know how much he means to me and 2)I'm not that generous when it comes to verbalizing my appreciation for all he adds to my life. So, I thought this idea was the next best thing to renting a blimp to fly over our city. So look for my posts about Michael each Friday and see just why I think my husband ROCKS!

Today my husband rocks because...

We just had our 2nd grade parent-teacher conference with Mrs. Robinette.( I'll post more detail about the actual conference later.) Michael was running a little late so I went ahead to the teacher's room to let her know. On the way I was noticing all the other rooms, how the doors were decorated, the children's artwork on the walls and also lots of other parent-teacher conferences taking place. I began to notice that there were only women at each conference, no Dads. I couldn't help but smile and swell with pride knowing my husband was on his way. At the same time ,I also felt sad for the Dads who couldn't be there or just don't understand the importance of being a part of these type moments. Michael has made every effort to attend Branson's school events and he has never missed a parent-teacher conference. All of Branson's teachers have commented on how nice and how rare it is to have both parents attend these type meetings . We are both very blessed to have jobs where we have to ability to prioritize our children at the top of our lives.

Welcome Autumn

2009-09-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

I'm looking forward to the arrival of Autumn in Alabama. Although spring is my favorite season I also love the crisp nights and brilliant leaves that appear this time of year. I wish we had the type of fall color changes that you typically see in the Carolina's because those deep orange and yellows are just magnificant. I have managed to place a few trees in our yard that will provide some fall color like Bradford Pears and Japanese Maples. I hope to add some type of ormanental tree with a yellow leaf to the side yard sometime soon.

Summer's End

2009-09-28T08:04:00.001-05:00

I guess it's time to say goodbye to summer as we've seen the first day of Autumn come and go on the calendar. We are looking forward to a decrease in humidity and the crisp we will soon begin to feel in the air but, it also means another pool season is quickly drawing to an end. The pool temperature is holding around 85 degrees so we'll have time for a few more swims in 2009. We had a lot of fun this summer both on the road and at home. We really enjoyed our backyard, especially earlier in the season before we started our living room makeover, by grilling, swimming, gardening and watching movies under the pergola. Now that we are almost done with our makeover I hope to spend some time enjoying the cooler nights outside again. As the temp changes we will also begin to see less and less of our state bird, the mosquito. Here's a look back at our summertime fun.

Panama City Beach, Florida

Bama Jam Music Festival, Enterprise Alabama

Aaron's 499 Talledega Motor Speedway, Talledega, Alabama

Charlie's 2nd Birthday

Memorial Day @ Lake Eufaula, Alabama Globetrotter Game @ Troy State University, Troy, Alabama

Spring Soccer YMCA Enterprise, Alabama

Braves Coach Pitch Baseball

Just another day at the office

2009-09-26T12:42:00.001-05:00

Today we celebrated the birthday of one of our co-workers. She and I have celebrated many birthdays together as we have been working together for at least 15 years.She was turning... well we won't go that far, but she was turning another year older. We decided to invite a few other girls and host the party in a Mexican theme. We made a 7-Layer Taco Salad and Outrageous Chicken Nacho Dip. The girls pitched in by bringing all the fixin's like sour cream, guacamole, black olives and salsa. YUM! YUM! We all know that no Mexican party would be complete without Margaritas, right?

So, I made us a platter, without the alcohol, of course and they looked so darlin' with the rest of the mexican decor. I made Jane a Slap Yo Mamma Cake which seems to be her favorite thing I make and you really might slap yo Mamma if she tried to take your piece of this cake. Yes, it is that good. It is one of those cakes you poke holes in and pour coconut cream over while it is still hot. Yeah, I know!

Isn't today...?

2009-09-21T10:12:00.001-05:00

Oh yeah, it is. Today is my SIL's birthday. I am nortorious for missing birthdays and every year I tell myself I'm going to do better and then I never do. So, this year I thought I would be really clever by using my blog to get my birthday wish in on time . See how I did in the short video clip that follows.

Standing Up

2009-09-16T13:45:00.003-05:00

We decided to have Branson "opt out" of the Presidental speech being broadcast into the public schools on September 8th. It was a quick decision but not one Michael and I took lightly. First of all, the paperwork from the school was sent home on the 7th. This gave no time allowance to question the teacher about her curriculum at the end of the speech. Second, I didn't want Branson to feel like he wasn't able to participate in the class activity. I talked with him about the day and that he would have an alternative activity while the speech was broadcast and he was ok with our decision. He remembered that we didn't agree with the President on some major issues and we watch these type events as a family. I'm sure the speech itself was harmless, with a motivational "stay in school, be responsible" message, but it was the government issued survey that we had issue with. Maybe this speech was just the first of many. Maybe this was just a way to tenderize the public so we would be more receptive to the next thing they want to broadcast into our schools and homes. I don't think our government needs to be picking the minds of our children in order to find out what is important to them so they can develop a propaganda towards them. These are our future voters after all. Call me an alarmest if you want, but I feel how I feel.

As for the reporter from the Washington Post, who said those parents who kept their kids from hearing the President's speech "aren't smart enough to raise them effectively", maybe it's us parents who care enough to be informed, who don't need reporters telling them how to parent their own kids. I wonder if he was speaking of us parents who are still willing attend parent-teacher cenferences, who aren't willing to blindly turn our children over to the public school systems. Maybe, if more of us were standing up and living out our faith outside of our churches, it wouldn't be so easy and acceptabe for others to criticize our decisions. I don't know about you but I am getting frustrated at the way our society has become. I don't like the fact that making sound decisions based on your beliefs gets you ridiculed in the mainstream media.I hope that I never get so caught up in my own material life that I miss the opportunity to remind my son that the world is sometimes harsh and unfair. Sometimes the media lies and politicians lie and teachers aren't always right. I don't expect my son to blindly follow anyone. I expect him to be informed of his decisions and I think what we did by withholding him from the speech was a great example for him to follow.I think if more people were willing to stand up for what they believe we would have a lot fewer problems in this country. Look at how this one event swept the nation. Look at how the government responded when the people let their voices be heard. My question is "If there was no agenda in the survey, why did they change it"?

Anyway, enough of the soapbox for today. By the way, the President and I can agree on Kenye West! Did you hear him call the guy a jacka** "off the record". How smart do you have to be these days to realize that nothing you say is "off the record"

Phase II

2009-09-14T15:15:00.001-05:00

We have been extremely busy with our make-over project. Since we decided to do this a few weeks ago we have been working on one thing or another every night and weekend. One major obstacle has been the tremendous amount of rain we have been getting in Alabama. I am extremely grateful for the rain because it has saved my big,country yard this year and kept us from dragging the sprinklers from spot to spot. After the drought we suffered last year and two seasons worth of dragging the sprinkler's, I was just about to beg Michael to install a sprinkler system when God answered his prayers and brought the rain. But, because of this answered prayer our progress has been slow.

Michael decided to build our new entertainment center himself because most of the ones we priced were around $1400.00. We knew he could build it for a much better price and he would get the satisfaction of doing the job himself as a bonus. He should probably be doing something like this for a living because he is such a craftsman. I can only imagine the work he could turn out if he had a wood shop stocked with some great tools.

While he did that I worked on the side pieces to our old entertainment center. We decided to keep and refurbish these pieces and use them like a curio in the new living room. They are now a dark walnut finish. I wanted the piece to have an old world look so I hand distressed it with a few of Michael's tools. I have to say I was hesitant to bang up something I had worked on so hard. Logic says "NO", but creativity says "Go for it". It was like when you are a kid and you are about to do something you know you shouldn't do, so you look around over both shoulders to make sure no one is watching and you do the thing real quick. That is exactly how I felt and I think I even screamed a little.

I'll have some before and after pics in some of my later posts. It is difficult to keep up with the blog with this amount of construction going on, plus all of electronics ore being replaced so internet has been down also.

PHASE I

2009-09-05T10:12:00.002-05:00

This week we have picked out the floor stain and the contractor is supposed to be at the house on Tuesday to begin staining the concrete. This means a tremendous amount of work for us over the Labor Day weekend to get ready. Lucky for Jerome and Joan that they're in Biloxi, otherwise we'd have them under contract. The paint has been picked out and we decided on the color bread basket. Doesn't it just describe itself? Can't you just picture it? Anyway it is a beautiful, dark, golden, caramel color. I think it compliments the dark furniture really well and also pulls in the base color from the handmade curtains in the dining room and study. I've watched enough HGTV to know that you should try to tie your rooms together with color if they are open to one another and I believe we have definitely done well so far. I also have the color picked for the breasfast room but so far I am unsure just how to tie it in with the rest of our big makeover. We will also be pulling carpet and tack strip up this weekend. Doesn't sound so hard? Well listen to this, we have to cut off every little nail from the tack strip with a small dremmel tool. HELP! Sounds like overkill, but if you simply pull it out it takes a huge chunk of concrete with it and this would create an ugly, pattern all the way around the room when the concrete stain is applied. Gotta go work.

Three Scrapateers

2009-09-04T13:35:00.014-05:00

Recently a friend and I made a quick trip to Atlanta for a scrapbooking event. Melissa, my SIL had extended the invitation when we were up for Charlie's 2nd birthday in May and I had secretly been looking forward to it ever since. I was hoping for some stress relief from the busy July we had and my friend needed the time away doing something she loves also.. Our families support our hobby and love the finished product, but it doesn't stop them from making fun of us when we are watching Lisa Bearnson of Creating Keepsakes on QVC or driving 250 miles to go scrappin' The event was a all day crop in honor of the 5th Anniversary of Classy Coordinates Scrapbooking Club. The host was Tiara Smith, a girl Melissa met through a stamping club, and she did a great job. .She has a lot of talent for scrapbooking and had a few of her pages showcased at the event. She also had a lot of her supplies and kits there for discounted prices and these deals are irresistible to most scrappers. They fed us a great lunch, had lots of giveaways, including a free 1 year subscription to an online scrapbooking magazine called Scrap n'Art. We received a free kit for coming to the event, tickets were drawn and we each won a kit that way also.I felt a little bit like I was on the Oprah show with all these gifts being given. I started to look under my chair to see if there was a prize taped there too! Gina completed 6 pages, I completed 5 and Melissa had finished 7 or 8 pages by the end of the night. So all in all it was a really fun trip and well worth the drive. Did I mention we did a little shopping and I also got to see my sweet nephew.

Sundays with Sami

2009-08-26T18:15:00.001-05:00

When my Dad purchased an old Suzuki Samurai a few years ago no one in the family was surprised. We are used to this sort of thing from my Dad because he is always bringing some old, useless something home and turning it into something useful. Through the years he has done this with old doors, columns and windows, stoves, lights, metal chairs, toys , four wheelers and much, much more and now he has done it again. He spruced it up just enough to make it perfect for a slow ride through the small town where they live. They take it out most Sunday afternoons highlighting the dirt roads they've taken on a map they keep in the door. A few weekends ago a felt the call of old times pulling at my heart strings so we spent the afternoon on the screen porch talking and enjoying each others company. After the threat of an early afternoon rain we set off for the ride I'd been anticipating all day. I had heard from several people that the Coffee County Lake had been recently renovated so we made it our first stop of the day. I haven't been there in years, so of course it was much smaller than my memories of it as a child, but still very beautiful as the sun was shimmering across the water. We didn't linger long before turning towards Pine Level community, mine and my mother's childhood home and where much of our extended family still live. We took mostly dirt roads but still Mother seemed to know who lived in each house we passed. This slow ride through the country took me right back to childhood friends, running through the pasture and playin' in the creeks. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, let's do it again sometime.

a facelift

2009-08-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

In the years since we've built our home we've made only a few changes to the inside. We changed the nursery to a big boy skate themed room forBranson's 5th birthday. Mother and Bigmom helped make new curtains for the dining room and study after we painted both a deep red. The guest bathroom was revamped with the currently popular brown and blue color palate. We are about to begin a huge living room makeover with new floors, furniture, TV and wall color. I cannot even begin to say how excited I am to watch this project come together. We are considering having the carpet removed and staining the concrete floors. I've been looking at this technique for a while online and I think it would add a very unique look to our home. I'll keep you posted and maybe add some before and after photos too.

the sleepover

2009-08-19T16:32:00.000-05:00

Recently Michael went for a long overdue sleep study to test for sleep apnea. I have been telling him for at least a year that he should be checked because he is always tired and sleep apnea is very dangerous. The doctor confirmed my diagnosis and he came home after two nights of sleeping under surveillance with a full face mask to wear at night. I guess that means he is a mouth breather and to say he looks and sounds a bit like Darth Vader isn't a stretch. Anyway, funny thing about the whole event was the first night he was leaving the house with his overnight bags and Branson asked with a puzzled look "where ya goin',Dad?" Michael responded by saying he had to spend the night at the doctors office and Branson's response to this was "aren't you a little old for a sleep over"!

Don't Blink...

2009-08-15T20:35:00.003-05:00

or this might happen. You just don't realize from how much kids change from year to year but these pictures really brought it home for me. I cried a little when I looked at the kindergarten pictures because I thought Branson was such a big boy back then, but when I looked in that little face I saw the face of a baby that I definitely don't see in these 2nd grade pics. When does it happen?

August 12, 2009, the first day of 2nd grade

August 2008, first day of the 1st grade
August 2007, first day of kindergarten

A new year

2009-08-14T13:02:00.003-05:00

Branson's first day of 2nd grade was this past Wednesday. I can't honestly say that he was all that excited to see summer's end, but by the time he met his new teacher it was back to business as usual. His new teacher's name is Mrs. Robinette and she has been teaching at his school since 2003. Mrs. Robinette is known as a good teacher with a low tolerance for talking. This may be good for Branson because he tends to show little restraint when it comes to his talking habits. Giving credit where credit is due, he has shown improvement each year in this area and I said if the worst thing he gets in trouble for is talking ,we can deal with that. I teased him about her class location being convienent for him because the lost and found is just outside her door. Branson and I spent alot of time there in the last 2 years digging and searching for numerous jackets and pullovers. Turns out that 2 of Branson's cousins also had this teacher so I guess we are making her a family traditions.

a sad goodbye

2009-08-10T18:00:00.002-05:00

Recently Michael said goodbye to an old friend. I know it was hard to let her go because they had spent many hours together through the years. He protected her , bought things for her, kept her clean and shinny. He helped her totally change her looks and even the way she sounded. By the time he was finished with her she was sleek, slim, loud and fast. If you haven't figured it out by now and you're thinkin' Michael had a girlfriend, you should know the old friend was his 2002 Harley Superglide.
Even though he hasn't been riding much in the past few years,I know it wasn't easy for him to sell his baby. Anyway she was sold to a friend so it's not as though he'll never see her again, right? Should I be jealous of this relationship?

the cake

2009-08-05T20:40:00.001-05:00

I am obsessed with Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss so to say that my expectations for the Anniversary Cake were sky high would not be exaggerating one bit. I love the look of a fondant cake but I know that you sacrifice taste when you don't use traditional icing. Laura assured us she could get a really smooth look on her icing and we would do only the flowers in fondant. I felt this would give me the modern look on the cake I was trying to achieve without sacrificing the taste. She arrived at the party with a minor issue but she had all her supplies and handled it like a pro. She also applied the flowers and the branch work after she arrived so when I finally got to see the finished product I was thrilled. The cake looked just as I had dreamt it would and I couldn't have been happier. When the cake was finally cut and served everyone mentioned how yummy it was and it wasn't long before the caterer was asking if she could refer Laura to her customers. I finally sat down at the end of the night to my piece and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks Laura.

tangled web

2009-08-04T19:06:00.001-05:00

Sir Walter Scott said "Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive ". Mother used this quote when she heard all that we (meaning everyone involved in their surprise party) went through to pull the party off under their noses. I don't think I could find a more appropriate description if I wrote it myself. Thanks Walter. I did many underhanded things like lying about plans for our family, sneaking into my parents house, stealing their pictures, fleeing the scene of the upcoming party as Mother was about to arrive. Will I be seen, will someone slip and mention the party, will they see an invitation on someones' fridge? These are just a few of the repeating thoughts I had during the 4 months of deception, I mean party planning! I should be skinnier from the stress alone. Can you imagine how low I felt making multiple trips to Elba without visiting the hill? I'm sure I've already been forgiven my multiple offenses but the one who commits the crime never forgets! Ha! I can say it was quite the thrill to pull this off under our parents noses especially in their home town, with family and friends they see all the time, in a place where they hang out at least once a week. Whew! I felt like I had birthed a baby by the time it was all over, meaning the pressure was off and relief was felt. I'm sending out a big high five to everyone who helped pull this party off.

One Big Surprise!

2009-08-02T12:00:00.004-05:00

Believe it or not this post has been 4 months in the making and I am so excited to be able to finally tell the story. July 8, 2009 marks 40 years of martial bliss for my parents so Daniel and I decided to host a surprise party in honor of their marriage. I have known for a long time that one day I would do this for my parents because of how much their marriage has meant to me.. During our Easter egg hunt I informed Daniel and Melissa of my plan and asked if they would be willing to split the cost. They said "yes" and so began the planning. I reserved the country club and called a DJ. The next thing on the list was the caterer and the invitations. I found these great napkins with black and red flowers and a theme was born in my mind. Melissa used the same flowers on the invitation and her sister Laura was able to duplicate the look again on the cake(I'll post more about the cake later).

I knew I wanted us to do as much as we could ourselves to save the money and also because I enjoy decorating. Fortunately for us Melissa had lots of glassware left over from their wedding so we decided to do floating candle centerpieces and lots of candles. We dressed up the patio of the country club by hanging paper lanterns, ferns, votives along the deck railing and a fountain in the pool.
We set the whole night up by telling them Daniel and Melissa were coming home to celebrate mine and Dad's birthdays and their anniversary. We told them we had reservations at a nice restaurant in Dothan in order to get them properly dressed. The next mission was how on earth we would get them to the Club without having to out right tell them about the party. We tossed a few ideas around but Michael came up with the car running hot on a trip to take his boss some blueprints just two houses up from the club. This worked beautifully and they arrived around 6:15 just as I had planned. They were definitely surprised when they came through those doors

and over 80 of their friends and family
yelled SURPRISE!

While they spent most of the night greeting their guests everyone helped themselves to the food table
and found their seats. I was entirely too nervous to eat because I knew that I was about to give my speech. As Daniel and I moved to the front of the room I saw Mother sit straight up in her chair. The lump immediately moved from my stomach to my throat so I pointed at her and said "don't start". Much to my surprise I made it through without completely falling apart(I contribute this to much rehearsal), but I cannot say the same for Daniel. He was in true form that night, sweet and funny. The funniest thing was him coaching me on how to get through my speech and then he had to follow his own advice. I cannot say how close I feel to him now just sharing this experience and knowing the depth of our feelings towards our parents. We gave the group a short recovery time after the speeches while we set up the picture video for them to watch. This included pictures of Mom and Dad through the years set to the song Then by Brad Paisley. Mother said she thought there were a few too many bathing suit photos but I thought the video should be a true representation of their lives together After that we had the DJ play My Girl for their first dance. and then opened up the dance floor for every one else.

Soon after the cake was served and around 10pm the night began to draw to an end. We were very happy with the night and I thought that everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, the food and the company.

A special thanks to everyone who helped plan, organize, clean , decorate and cook for this party. I had the most fun doing this for my parents and hearing how it made them feel to see all those people and hear what Daniel and I had to say made all the effort worth while.

An old fiddle

2009-07-29T10:53:00.001-05:00

Today is my Dad's 60th birthday and marks the end of a busy summer for family celebrations . I'm not sure how they plan to celebrate but I'm sure it will include a joke or two about getting older and wiser, after all I believe the saying goes "the older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune". Mother does say that Daddy has mellowed through the years and especially since his retirement. I'm also sure that eating a special meal will factor in somewhere along the way. I've heard it said that by age 60 a man has spent 20 years in bed and over 3 years eating. Do you think that includes a man who gets a "little skinny" every day? His figures may be a little closer to 25 yrs. We've often made fun of him for this but I think he's been one up on us all along because studies now show that companies get more from their employees when they allow a short power nap after lunch. Anyway, it seems to have worked for him because I don't know anyone who works longer or plays harder than my Dad. Enjoy your day Daddy, no surprises this time even though this is also a very significant day.

catching up...

2009-07-29T10:09:00.003-05:00

Branson has been at home sick for the past 2 days which means that I have also been out of work. I feel bad for my co-workers when this happens but it also gives me a glimpse of what it might be like to be a stay-at-home mom. Branson hasn't felt like doing much more than lying on the couch and sleeping so I've spent the last 2 days cleaning out drawers ,closets and catching up on all the laundry. I've even washed the hot pads and organized the tupperware cabinet. Can anyone tell me why it is if you pick out a bowl you can't find the lid and if you pick out a lid you can't find the bowl? Well, I can tell you this is one problem I no longer have because I bought 2 boxes of matching tupperware and trashed everything else. This is a newly acquired talent for me because like my Dad I keep almost everything. For those of you who don't know how it feels to de-clutter your life you should try it sometime, you'll get a real since of accomplishment.

2009-07-22T21:20:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, America!

2009-07-22T20:47:00.005-05:00

Since we had just gotten home from the beach when the 4th of July rolled around we decided to spend the weekend at home. We did invite some of our family and a few friends over for a backyard barbecue and pool party. We had Michael's world famous rack of ribs with all the fixins' like baked beans, potato salad and deviled eggs. We had fried pickles, crab dip and a fruit platter to curb the pre-meal munchies. We all sat outside under the pergola and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The kids swam until they were waterlogged then jumped on the trampoline. We popped fireworks until the wee hours of the morning letting the 7 year old do most of the lighting. I'm not sure how smart that was but if it makes you feel any better they mostly lit smoke bombs.

All the adults left by 2am but we were left with 3 exhausted boys. They made a tent in the living room out of every pillow and blanket that we own. I'm sure it was a grand adventure to those sleepy eyed boys and that is right where they fell asleep. In the morning I found sodas, cheese puffs, beef jerky and pop tarts in the tent. Sounds like the breakfast of champions to me.

the finale

2009-07-22T20:34:00.000-05:00

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-07-22T19:47:00.010-05:00

When June turns to July we turn on the afterburners in this family. We have Michael's moms birthday on the 2nd, the the 4th of July, then my parents anniversary on the 8th. Soon after that comes my birthday on the 14th and daddy's falls close to the end of the month on the 29th. We have made it a tradition to cook crab legs when we celebrate with Michael's mom. YUM! YUM! Michael cooks everything outside on the fish cooker and we eat on the picnic table out by the pool.

My parents took us out for a steak to celebrate my 37th birthday. I choose to stimulate the hometown ecomony so we rode over to The Creekside Grille. I love the steak because it is usually perfectly cooked with a yummy marinated flavor. I also recommend the marinated vegetables as an alternative to the traditional baked potato. It just so happened that night they were having live music so that was an extra treat for me. The guy played Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison (one of my all time favorites), TROUBLE by Travis Tritt, Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn and a few others before we left. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute even though we were screaming in order to talk.Branson was in a particularly playful mood and spent his time practicing his posing. We took a few minutes to capture the moment on film as we were leaving the restaurant.

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Father's Day

2009-07-21T19:52:00.006-05:00

The next few posts are going to be catch up posts because I've been really busy with another project.(I'll post about it later) We went over to Elba to celebrate Father's Day with my Dad. My brother and his family were home from Atlanta so Mom invited us over for dinner.

Daddy's Special Day
She made a fix it yourself supreme taco salad. It had a few unusual ingredients that you don't typically associate with taco salad like green olives and pecans. We all gathered round with baited breath as Daniel asked the blessing. We had to twist Michael's arm to get him to try the pecans on his salad, but in the end he liked it. Dinner ended with a yummy pie and we moved to the loving room for gifts. Michael had received a special "MY DAD" scrapbook, a fill in your memories book of questions, and a special hand made card from Branson earlier in the day.

Daddy got a cute picture of Charlie givin' lovin' and we gave him a new Coleman propane lantern. He put it together and just as Daniel was saying that he might want to light it outside he hit the ignite button and BOOM! We all jumped sky high, including Daddy and I've never seen my sister-in-law laugh so hard.

Game Over

2009-07-16T22:26:00.002-05:00

The kids from the Braves had an end of season poolparty after the last game of the season. We celebrated with grilled hotdogs, chips and soda. After lots of horseplay in the pool the kids enjoyed cupcakes which came in the shape of a big baseball. At the end of the night the coaches handed out the trophies and congratulated each child. We are always sad when ball season ends and are already looking forward to next summer.

2009-07-16T21:53:00.001-05:00

Family Vacation 2009

2009-07-12T19:57:00.009-05:00

We have just ended our yearly family vacation. We usually spend a week every summer at Panama City Beach along with my brother's family and my parents. I look forward to this relaxing time away from all the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. Michael has been working a side job for the past few years so he really needs the break. We always enjoy our family time together swimming, laying out, eating out, eating in, sleeping late, etc. In fact Daniel slept until 2pm one day. I said "what are you 12?" I can't say that I'm not capable of the same thing if my body would allow.
We tried unsuccessfully for the second year in a row to eat supper at Margarita ville. Last year Daddy was scared off by the parking situation and this year the wait was 3 hours. Wow! I've heard that the food is average but the atmosphere is what you are drawn to. We'll try again next year maybe for lunch. Anyway we ended up eating across the way at Guy Harvey's and it was probable just as good. We all enjoyed our meals and afterwards took in the sight and sounds of Pier Park. Michael and Branson went through a mirror maze and we had a characteratuer drawn of the 3 of us. Funny thing is that the artist interpretation of Michael looks just like his cousin, David. We met up with the family again and fell out laughing as we looked at ourselves in the funny mirror. It made us all look like little people except for Daddy , it just made him look normal size, so said one lady sitting on the bench. Hilarious!
Our friends Jack and Missy brought their kids down for the weekend and we took the trip over to The Big Kahuna. We went to this same water park last year and had a great time with Daniel and Melissa. They opted to go shopping for the day because Melissa had gotten too much sun from the day before. I could see a huge difference in Branson's confidence level from last year. He rode every ride where he met the height requirement and he even took on the Honolulu Half Pipe. This is an awesome ride where water is flowing out like a huge wave and you jump into it using a boogie board. Spencer and Branson both did great having never ridden the thing before and both put up two good rides. I regret not having my camera to capture the moment.

summer sports

2009-07-12T19:14:00.004-05:00

Branson had another great year on the baseball field. He along with several of his teamates from last year returned to play for Coach Nall. You can really tell that baseball is in his blood and the players respond to him well. He is very competative and likes to win which is just my style. Branson hit his first homerun this year and played left field most of the time. His fielding is not exactly his strong point but he makes up for that is batting technique and running. I say it's his low center of gravity that makes him so fast around the bases.

2009-06-20T18:19:00.001-05:00

Bama Jam 2009

2009-06-16T18:40:00.006-05:00

We spent June 4-6th at the Bama Jam Country Music Festival. Michael, Branson and I along with our good friends Jack and Missy took Daddy's camper and parked it in a rented campsite. The funny thing about this is we live within a rocks throw of the festival site. Michael showed off his cooking skills with burgers on Thursay, Shrimp Boil on Friday and Boston Butt on Saturday. We had all the fixins' for each meal and Missy provided enough chips for every person at the festival. With all the great smell eminating from our campsite we quickly made friends with our neighbors. Alex, Michelle, Jason, Joanie and her sister also stopped by the campsite to hang out and eat a bite before we headed up to the stages. They brought a bowl of the best pasta salad I've ever eaten so I'll try to post the receipe later. My parents, Michael's Mom, Aunt and Uncle were also able to stop by during the weekend. Daddy worked the tram that transported people from the parking lot to the front gates and seemed to have a blast. Mother got to see Allen Jackson, Gary Allen and Brooks and Dunn. Michael's Mom also came up on Saturday to see her beloved Brooks and Dunn and I have to say they definetly drew the biggest crowd of the weekend. I enjoyed every show that I saw and I thought the artist sounded great. The land is shaped like small ampitheaters so the sound is awesome and there is no interference from the other stages.

Thursday night Blake Shelton put on a really great show but the highlight of the night was definitely Taylor Swift. She really brought it with digital backdrops and lots of stage performance. It didn't seem like the rain intimidated her one bit.

Friday night it Alan Jackson and the Black Crowes. Alan isn't really much of a showman but he sounds just like he does on the radio. Michael and I also enjoyed the Black Crowes which took us back to our earlier years together. Those guys have been singing together for over 20 years.

Saturday started off with a bang with Heidi Newfield taking the stage. She rocked her harmonica and I got chills when she sang "Johnny and June". I think that says something when the temperature is 93 degrees. We missed Jason Aldean beause we headed back to the camper for supper but you have to eat, right? We headed back in time for Gary Allen and I was so moved as he sand "Songs about Rain". He sang his new release "Today" and I instantly fell in love with it . I'm sure it will be clim bing the charts before we know it. Of course, we were waiting on the headliner
Kid Rock and he literally rocked the house with an awesome show. He brought a surprise guest to sing the duet "Picture" and the crowd went wild when he introduced Kelly Pickler. She sounded really great and got tickeled at Kid when he began to add lib during the song. All in all I can say we had a blast. We will probable make this a yearly tradition but we aren't sure how they will top KID ROCK!

What anniversary?

2009-06-05T13:02:00.002-05:00

Today Michael and I had our 16th wedding anniversary. It was way past mid day before one of us realized what day it was. In reality the day passed like most any other day because we were sooo busy preparing for and enjoying Bama Jam. We decided the concert would be our gifts to each other since it was going to consume the whole weekend and quite a bit of money. We've been calling it our "Big Fat Redneck Anniversary". I'll just tell anyone who asks that music is the traditional gift for the 16th anniversary.

talk about staying power

2009-06-03T19:36:00.001-05:00

Can I just say that it has been a tough couple of weeks for me. I have been sick since the 3rd week of May and I'm not back to 100% yet. Those of you who know me know that I'm not much for going to the Doctor or taking medicine so I tend to put a visit off as long as I can. Some people would call that stubborn or bull headed and in this case I guess I'm inclined to agree. I do not like to surrender to sickness or admit that its got me down but enough is enough! I finally went to the doctor 1 day shy of being sick for 2 weeks and I came out of there with 3 xrays and 5 medications. During this same time Branson developed pink eye and missed the last 3 days of school. This required us to put eye drops in both eyes every hour for the first 24 hrs and every 4 hours for the next 4 days. On top of all this Michael started feel sick with some of the same symptoms I was having but fortunately he was well within 2 days.

moving on up

2009-05-30T20:01:00.004-05:00

School is officially out for summer and Branson had a great year in the 1st grade. We attended the Holly Hill Student Awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 26th. Branson was recognized as an "ALL A" student and he was also the only child in his class to receive the National Physical Fitness Award. This is awarded based on athletic skills performed at a certain level for their age group. His Dad and I were beaming over these accomplishments and I could see the pride seeping through his little smile too.

rain, rain go away...

2009-05-27T10:53:00.008-05:00

We spent this past weekend at Lake Eufaula. Every year our family along with a few close family friends make the trip up to celebrate Memorial Day weekend. Since all us kids grew up together it is really exciting to see our children playing like we used to. I'd imagine it's kind of like looking back through time for our parents.

Even though it rained off and on for most of the weekend we all made the most of our time there. It certainly didn't stop any of our usual activities like eating, riding the jet skis, wake boarding, bike riding, and sleeping.

There were moments during the trip when we all thought we must be filming the next Chevy Chase Vacation movie. DAY 1- One of the camper trailers lost its sewage pipes on the way out of the driveway, then one of the jet skis started taking on water, then it rained, then there was a series of skinned knees and elbows, then one of the camper awnings ripped from the camper due to an extreme amount of rain water collecting on the top. DAY 2- There was the baby poop in the floor of the Winnebago, then it rained, then mother floated away on the giant island float, then the other jet ski lost its steering and started taking on water, then a boomerang, a flip flop and the ball were stuck in the tree, then Wilson floated away, then the fire did nothing but smoke,then it rained some more. DAY 3- The boat was launched off the shore without the keys, then there was a vicious attack with a bean bag, then the beverages ran dry, then someone relieved themselves in the campsite, then one of the campsites became waterlogged,tripped the electricity and had to change locations, then it stormed, then the sun came out so we packed everything and left. In spite of all this we couldn't have had a better time. Just goes to prove "Attitude Is Everything"!

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

spring soccer 2009

2009-05-20T12:11:00.002-05:00

We had another fun and exciting soccer season with Branson. He has played at the YMCA every spring and fall since 2006. He was on team Green Dragons, aptly named and coached by Jeff Sims, the father of his good friend Nathan. Most of his teammates from last season returned to the team, so we were GOOD!
Mama Walker, Granmommie, Papa and Gram do their best to be at some of his games. I notice him looking to the stands after a play for their affirmation and he always plays extra hard when they are there watching. Since we live in military town where a lot of people don't have their extended families we really appreciate how our families are able to participate in these activities with us. Branson would not be the kid he is today without the support of his Grandparents.

The kids are really starting to get the hang of the rules and technique is beginning to show in several of the players. Branson is a fast runner and this helps him get around the plays in order to block. Branson has shown a natural instinct towards defense since his first season as a 4 yr. old. I was always yelling (yes, I am one of those competitive people) for him to get up to the ball but he was always coming around the back of the field to block . I finally realized this play style was instinctive for him and quite putting so much emphasis on getting up to the ball. Now, don't get the wrong impression I love to see him score but it is also quite fulfilling to see your child play with God-given insight. I can see the pride on Michael's face when we hear people in the stands commenting about his quickness and fancy footwork.

Here are a few moments from seasons past

Me and my Baby

2009-05-12T21:19:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T20:19:00.001-05:00

As I think back over my Mother's Day I reflect on what it means to me to be a Mom.
As you read this you may or may not know that Michael and I struggled to have a baby of our own. We went through multiple rounds of fertility treatments over an eight year period before we finally had the opportunity to see those two blue lines. Being a mother has always been a dream of mine and my God is faithful. Our son Branson was born on November 5, 2001. He is now very active, vibrant 7 year old. I thank God for him and the way he has changed my life for the better. He reminds me to enjoy the little things in life like throwing the baseball, blowing bubbles and cinnamon toast crunch. On my Mother's Day card Branson wrote that I was the 2nd most important person in his life. When I asked him "who was 1st" he said, "God". My heart just melted as I read this and my prayer for him is that he will always keep God as the head of his life. I'd say that coming in second to God is not a bad position to be in. Thanks baby for making my day.

our weekend in review

2009-05-12T17:46:00.001-05:00

birthday trip to Kennesaw

2009-05-10T18:03:00.000-05:00

We spent the weekend in Kennesaw, Ga. at my brother and sister-in-laws house. We rode up with Mom and Dad to save on gas and also for the extra time together. We had an easy trip because Daddy has a great GPS system from the JBW series. It felt like we spent the entire weekend eating. First at Panera, then Daniel and Melissa took us to Ted's where I had the best bison hamburger smothered in sauteed mushrooms, onion and monterrey jack cheese . Delicious! Then breakfast at their house, then party platter sandwiches, chips and cookies before the party began, then Birthday cake......then everyone started seeing double from the sugar overload.

So Charlie's 2nd birthday went over without any major problems less the wind and everyone seemed to be having a great time. It was held at this great park close to their house. It was the same park as last year but with a few neat upgrades like a fenced in dog park and a "skate spot", meaning a bit smaller than a skate park. Branson had a great time watching the skateboarders over at the skate ramp and Charlie wanted to play ball with the party in the next pavilion. I was so proud of Branson during the party for being such a big boy.

Later in the day the girls got in a little shopping . We took the guys over to Hobby Town while the girls went to Hobby Lobby. I found two great iron lanterns for the back porch and Branson ended up with a Tony Hawk skateboard and helmet. Daniel cooked burgers for supper that evening and Charlie opened gifts from the family. We all hit the cake once more before bed and then said goodnight. The morning began in a flurry as Daniel, Melissa and Charlie were off to church and we headed back to Alabama for our Mother's Day meal with Michael's Mom and Grandmother.

pit row

2009-05-10T15:24:00.001-05:00

NASCAR....enough said

2009-05-06T20:46:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying that we have never been Nascar fans in this family. But can I also say that it only takes one trip to Talladega Motor Speedway to change that. We took a quick trip up to catch the Aaron 499 race on April 26th. Michael, thoughtful man that he is, made reservations at the Wynfrey in the Riverchase Galleria so that I could shop while the boys were soaking up the sights and sounds of the race. The only catch was that I had to drop them off and pick them up when the race was over. Can you say.....STRESS! It usually takes a lot to rattle me and I was definitely rattled. Traffic, no sense of direction, checking out of the hotel, the Mafia(whole different story), the parking garage, finding my boys in a crowd of 200,000 people---what were we thinking? But, by God's great mercy everything went smoothly and I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief. Needless to say Branson was pumped. There were several big wrecks, cars spinning out of control with flames underneath, jets flying overhead and lots of souvenirs. He recapped the race on the way home and most of the next week. A fan was born.

baby steps

2009-05-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

This blog is born out of my selfish need . My memory is terrible, and I do mean terrible. So, I've been feeling the need to document our lives otherwise I won't remember it. Blogging seems like an interesting way to document but I do feel like a baby trying to take it's first steps. Anyway, I will do my best to keep an accurate and interesting account of our lives together.