It's HERE...It's HERE...

First, for the record, we made it back home to Georgia safely. Thank you God and thank you Marque.

Now on to serious business. Remember in my last posting, Jayla was a little concerned about one of her gifts? I informed her at that time that she would have to show a little patience and see if it was back at home. Well, it was! The Dora the Explorer Talking Kitchen was waiting for her when we arrived home. And along with that was a trunk full of dress up outfits with all the accessories (those pictures are gonna be TOO cute once I get those together). Oh, and the fun doesn't stop here. Markell had a few things on his list that didn't make the trek to Mobile. His slight disappointment was quickly deminished once he opened the boxes containing his new Nikes, the Ferrari XV race track and the Call of Duty 2 computer game. And did I mention, his brand new bike? It's so pretty...oh, excuse me, it's not "pretty"... it's SWEEEETT!! (insert rolling eyes here).




Now THIS is what Christmas is all about!!! Making those we love happy.

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS (day)

Merry Christmas again everyone. Ok, there's no snow on the ground in Mobile. But I swear to you, I saw a penguin coming out of the bathroom this morning. It is FREEZING in this house!!! Guess mom's just trying to get everyone in the spirit :-).

The kids have had a ball already since we've been here. Peter even took some time to teach the kids how to shoot a bow & arrow in the back yard.

On Christmas Eve, Peter's parents, my grandparents and my uncle came over for dinner. Oh my goodness, it was so good. I would tell you what all we had, but I don't think my mom would want a bunch of strangers knocking on her front door trying to place an order to go :-). My mother is such a trooper. I think she spent about 85% of the time we were there in the kitchen. Thanks mom & Peter, dinner was fabulous.

On Christmas day, the kids got up early and headed to the living room. There were twice as many gifts under the tree compared to what they saw the night before. Probably because my sister was up all night doing last minute wrapping :-). I think they both were very happy with the gifts they got. Although, it was a little hard to explain to Jayla that there were more gifts to open back in Atlanta. She was a little upset that the Dora The Explorer Talking Kitchen didn't make it to Mobile. Who knows? Maybe it's at home....

Later in the day on Christmas, we got to go visit my great grandmother, Mama Gaitwood. I love that lady so much. Are you ready for this? She turned 101 years old back in July. Her memory is fading a bit, but I'm glad to say that she always remembers me and the fact that I love powdered donuts.

On Christmas night, MORE family came over and mom and Peter worked the kitchen once again. I think there were about 30 + - people there. We had a blast playing the Dirty Santa game and everyone did really well with the gifts. And there were no fights over gifts being stolen :-).

Mom and Peter, you guys are such wonderful hosts. And we were honored to spend Christmas with you. We love you!!! And I'm not even mad that one of the gifts I got while we were there was a cold.....A-A-AACHUUUU!!!!!!! :-)

YES! We're there yet...(finally)

Alrighty now, we made it safely to Mobile. And in record time I might add. I forgot to mention that my husband has not been to Mobile in a little over 2 years...all because of the drive. Thank GOD, he and I weren't together back in the 70's & early 80's when the ride use to take over 6 hours (thank heavens for highway 65!) To us, Mobile is one of those places you HAVE to drive to because it would take longer to drive to the airport from our house than it would to fly. I think the flight is, what, 35-45 minutes or something. Anyway, back to this trip. We made it to my moms house just in time to go to Walmart...you know, it's ONLY open 26 hours! And in time for a big ole pot of chili. THAT, my friend, is the benefit of suffering through that long drive... the food. Have mercy!! My mom and Peter sure can cook!!! And I hear there's more to come over the next couple of days.. Stay tuned.

The LONG journey....

Once upon a time, in a far away land (known to those who live in Georgia as Powder Springs), there lived a family. Oh what fun it is to see this family get ready for a looooonngg journey together to a far away place called Mobile, Alabama :-). This is where the family will spend Christmas. But first, at 8:00am the puppy has to be dropped off to be boarded for a few days. Then we have to load the van with all the luggage AND gifts (THIS should've been done the night before). Then we finally leave the house at 9:05am to drop grandma back off at her house as she'll be spending Christmas with her grandson and his family. THEN it's off to IHOP for breakfast. FINALLY, the long, borning journey to lovely, Mobile, Alabama begins. I sure wish I had thought to bring some sort of sedative or MORE scrapbook magazines... as this has GOT to be the most boring 4.5 hours a family can spend together. We have successfully taught the kids NOT to ask..."Are we there YET?" However, I will admit those words did silently cross my lips during our ride. For the record, and if you've ever wondered, there are approximately 600 million trees between Montgomery and Mobile...and NOTHING else!!!

Merry Christmas!!

I know I've already posted once today. But I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone who takes a moment to read here, a wonderfully Merry Christmas. Remember, this is a time of giving, sharing, remembering and loving those who God has placed in our lives. If it wasn't for Him, there'd be no us. I know we all have some sort of "list" of things we might want and/or need for Christmas. But it's not just about what we can GET from others. It's more about what we can GIVE to others. I wish those of you that are going away for Christmas, safe travels to and fro. And for those staying close to home, you too be safe. Until I write again, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Anniversary Layout

I don't normally post my LO's my BLOG. But I was so pleased with how this one came out, I thought I'd show my "creativeness" here for a change. I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I did creating it.

Ok, Adrienne...for you...AGAIN!

I LOVe these Things!
So I TOTALLY stole this off Cynthia's Blog, But I wanted to play too! LOL *insert pout here*The rules for this particular tagging are as follows:Remove the blog name in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add yourself to the bottom slot.
1. Dawn (Scrappin til Dawn)
2. Adrienne {A Glimpse OF ME; A peek into my world...}
3.
4.
5.

Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to.
1. Stacey
2. Mandy
3. Traci
4. Kris
5. Tiffany

Now, on to the questions!

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Working at BellSouth

What were you doing one year ago?
Getting use to my new job as a SAHM

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Raisinets!!!!!!!
2. Chocolate chip & walnut cookies
3. KC Masterpiece BBQ Chips
4. Buttered popcorn
5. Pretzels

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. Anything by Anita Baker
2. I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me
3. He Loves Me by Beyonce and a bunch of other people from The Fighting Temptations soundtrack
4. Posse on Broadway by Sir Mix A lot :-)
5. Home by Stephanie Mills from the movie the Wiz

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Build a new house COMPLETE with the ultimate scrapbook room.
2. Buy my husband the car of his dreams. Today that is the new Lexus GS300 and me the Caddilac Escalade
3. Put away for the kids education.
4. Buy a car for my sister and my mom.
5. Put the rest aside for a “rainy day”.

Five bad habits:
1. Fussing at the kids
2. Biting my nails
3. Not scrapping as much as I should/want to.
4. Not cleaning the house as much as it’s needed. (I’ll get to it when the kids move out J)
5. Not keeping my van clean (I’ll get to that when the kids move out too J)

Five things you like doing:
1. Sleeping late
2. Scrapbooking by myself or with my friends
3. Cuddling with my husband....
4. SHOPPING
5. Spending time talking with, emailing, IM'ing my friends! (Good one!)

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
1. Mini skirts
2. SKIN TIGHT ANYTHING.
3. BIG HAIR
4. Cheap shoes
5. Body piercings...NOT my thing..ditto

Five favorite toys:
1. My computer.
2. My puppy, Trae
3. My Camera
4. My scrapbook stuff
5. My cell phone!

Woo Hoo...it's OUTTA here.....

YAY! I went in today for my follow up appt on my broken ankle. The doctor told me that I no longer have to wear the brace, as it has done it's job. Yippy!!! However (there's always a however), I do still have a little pain if I touch the area that was broken, or if I stand/walk too long, or if my foot just "flops" the wrong way. Therefore (there's always a therefore too) I will have to go through therapy. Probably not for long. But long enough for me not to "limp" anymore when I walk and for me to get my mobility back. The doc has warned me that the therapy WILL be painful. Great!! Anyway, the good news is, I'm not in that dumb brace anymore and maybe I can start back wearing TWO shoes. Oh, the little things in life :-).

It's Our Anniversary...

I am SOOO lucky...wait, BLESSED is more like it. (I don't believe in "luck"). I have been married to the man of my dreams for 17 years as of today, December 17, 2005. Trust me when I say, it hasn't been all wine and roses the entire 17 years. We have had our trials. But for the most part, our marriage has been quite special. We often look back to the times when we were barely making ends meet. I mean, our power and phone service were often cut off. And we had to take the little bit of food we had either to a friends house or to my moms house so it wouldn't go bad. Our one and only car died a slow, miserable death ON our wedding day (that was an INTERESTING day). I even think at one point or another, we have owed money to EVERY single person or company on the planet :-). We have lived in some places we'd rather not remember. We've been through both proud moments and trials with our oldest daughter, Briyanna. We were blessed to be able to raise my nephew, Markell, from the age of 7 days to today, when he's almost 11 years old. And we were blessed with our youngest daughter, Jayla, for whom we prayed for for 11 LONG years. Today, we live in a beautiful home, we have 2 vehicles (that both work...smile) and I am able to be a stay at home mom to raise the kids. Ya know, life really doesn't get much better than that. For our anniversary, we went to our favorite restaurant, Fogo De Chao. Talk about delicious! I was almost nervous and giddy about being out (alone) on a date with my husband. We laughed and talked and simply had a ball with eachother. When we ordered our desserts, I asked the waiter if they had an "anniversary" dessert. He laughed and said they did. Soon, he brought out my slice of chocolate mousse cake and Marque's Key Lime Pie, both with one lit candle in it. And on the plates, they wrote HAPPY ANNIVERSARY in a raspberry puree. It was perfect. We blew out our candles and made a wish. A wish for another, wonderful 17 years together. And I guess next year, when we do this again for #18, we'll wish for another 18 together, and so on. That way, we'll be together forever, just as we vowed to eachother back on December 17, 1988. Happy Anniversary Marque, I love you!!

We are DONE!! (Christmas shopping that is)

Woooo Hooooo....We are done with our kids Christmas shopping. Today, me and my dear husband spent the day together shopping for the kids. First we dropped Jayla off at a friends house to play. Next, we went to IHOP for a nice pancake breakfast. Then off to Toys R Us we went! We had so much fun together. I get to see a totally different side of my husband when he's in a toy store. We start off our shopping quest looking for things together. We quickly come to realize that we should've gotten two shopping carts :-). Somewhere around the isles of Barbie stuff and the remote control cars, we split up. Weird! It happens every year. I get to pick out the "girly" stuff for Jayla and he gets to pick out the "manly" stuff for Markell. For a minute there, I thought we'd need a 3rd cart. But we held out and even met up at the cashier at the same time. We finished our shopping in record time, even after stopping by Target for a couple more things. Then we headed home to drop off the goods before I went to pick Jayla up and Markell got home. We are GOOD...we got all the kids shopping done and hid it in the basement...all while "under the radar" (they had no idea what we were doing today). Now I've got to figure out when I'm gonna wrap all this stuff.

My Early Christmas Gifts

I'm sure that by now, everyone has heard the statement, "Wow, I can't believe it's ALREADY Christmas!". Well, I'm gonna add to the mix and say..."Wow, I can't believe it's ALREADY Christmas!" :-) I can't!! Because it seems like we just got back from our summer (July) vacation in Destin, Florida. Ok, that's pushing it a bit, huh? Anyway, regardless if Christmas IS next Sunday, I'm not ready yet! Just one more month, that oughta do it!! Can you believe I haven't even started shopping yet? We don't do too much shopping actually. My husband and I will start (and finish) our shopping this coming Friday, the 16th. We plan to spend the day together and do all the shopping for the kids and our parents. That's about it. Not sure yet what the plan is for shopping for eachother. Hmmm, I'd better look into that. Thankfully, we've ONLY got 3 kids to buy for. Our oldest is pretty easy to buy for. She doesn't live at home anymore so that sounds like a gift certificate to me. The 10 year old has a MASSIVE list. Looks like we need to be a little selective with him. And the 4 year old has been adding to her list for the past 2 months....the same 3 or 4 items...but adding nonetheless. As far as my husband, he only wants a telescope. Have you ever priced those things before? Have MERCY!! THOUSANDS of dollars for the ones that look just past the street lights :-). We saw one that was ONLY $25,000 and there was a guy standing next to it with a lab coat on. Wonder if he was figured into the $25K? Oh well, may have to look into that one too. Now I will admit there are FEW things that I want too. But if you don't mind my being a little cliche', I really got my Christmas gifts early this month. I got them last weekend as a matter of fact, when my oldest daughter came over to do a family picture. Ok, part of the family. We decided to just do the kids and the dog this year. And if I must say so myself, the picture came out great. The one above is not the one we sent out with our Christmas letter this year. But it's still one of my favorites. So with that, enjoy my early Christmas gifts. We call the "gifts", Briyanna, Markell, Jayla and Trae. Merry Christmas to you all!!!

How much longer???

This coming Saturday (Dec. 17th) will not only be my 17th wedding anniversary. But it will also mark the 6 week anniversary of me breaking my ankle. I go back to the doctor on Monday the 19th. And I can't help but wonder how much longer I'm gonna have to wear this brace!! I am SICK of limping and hobbling around. But I will admit that I won't be surprised if I have to wear this for a little longer...I'm a bad patient. I haven't used my crutches in about 3 weeks and I've been driving around. Acutally, I started driving less than 2 weeks after the break (I had things to do and places to go). Oh well, I guess Monday we'll get the answer to whether or not I'll still be hobbling around on Christmas.

YUM-MY!!!

Oh my goodness....Have I stumbled on a confection gold mine! Several months ago, I was watching Food Network and they were talking about some of the best bakeries in the country. Well, one of them was this place called LeVain Bakery in New York City. Let me tell you, they showed these HUMONGOUS cookies that they say weigh almost 1 lb. each. And they looked absolutely DEVINE! My interest had been peeked. Reason being, my dad lives in New York. So the next day, I check them out on the internet (www.levainbakery.com) and I write down the address. So, I sent my dad an email asking if he's ever heard of the place. He hadn't but knew exactly where it was. Anyway, to make a long story short, he goes to the bakery, buys me a box of cookies SOMEthing happened and he wasn't able to send them...could be because he ATE them!. So he tries again. And a friend of ours was supposed to deliver them to me personally for my birthday last month. SOMEthing else happened and she wasn't able to come (we're thinking she may have been over the weight limit to fly here because she ate MY cookies :-) (Love ya Gwen). FINALLY, today, I get myUPS package with my cookies. Oh MY...they are wonderful!!! And they are MASSIVE. The picture above doesn't do it any justice. This is about 3/4 of one of the cookies and they are literally as big around as a softball and about 1 inch thick! This particular one is the Chocolate Chip Walnut. Ya'll, the box they came in weighed in at 6 lbs!!! If you EVER get the chance...TRY THESE!!! It is SOOO worth it. Thanks Dad!!!

Legally Legal...

Oh my goodness, my oldest daughter is 21 years old today! Did you hear (read) that? I have a 21 year old. It was enough for me to come to terms with my "baby" turning 4. Now my FIRST baby is T-W-E-N-T-Y O-N-E!! Wow, how time flys. And what a blessing that she has survived this long being MY daughter :-). Briyanna has grown into a beautiful, semi-independent young lady. And for that I am thankful, greatful and proud. Not sure what she will do with her new "legalness". I just hope and pray that she will fall back on what she's been taught and make not only us, but herself proud. I also pray that she will remember that GOD is in control of her life and that through Him...alone... will she find PEACE. I love you, Bri! Have a wonderful 21st birthday...I deserve it :-).

Oh Christmas Tree...

Alrighty, yesterday I spoke of my slight dissatisfaction with my Christmas tree this year. Well, my little problem has been solved. I replaced some of my gold ornaments with new silver ones. And I have found yet another use for spray paint. I had some nice gold ornaments that I wanted to use, but I just didn't want them to be gold anymore. They're silver now!! I also made a new bow topper with some pretty silver ribbon I found. I simply took my old gold and burgandy bow apart and remade it with the silver (and burgandy) Ok, I'm happy now. My tree now looks (very close to) how I want it to look. I just have a few more "transformations" to make on some gold french horns, and I'll be done. Now where's that spray paint????

I'm getting ready...already!

Here it is, the 4th of December and I already have my Christmas decorations up and my Christmas letter typed. Do I sound shocked? Well I am. I'm normally not one to decorate so soon after Thanksgiving. Being honest, I usually don't bring my stuff up from the basement until the 2nd or 3rd week in December. Nothing personal...I just dont. This year, though, I'm having issues. I want to change part of my Christmas decoroating color scheme, but I can't "justify" that to my DH. Maybe next year. As far as my Christmas letters go, I've actually been working on those since November. So that's not too bad. But my delimma now is printing...ARGH!!! Alright, I'm through venting. Wait, I'm not venting. I'm proud of myself and just as excited that I've got these 2 tasks behind me. The kids love it and the puppy hasn't knocked the tree down once yet! Cool!!! What's funny about this is, we won't even be here for Christmas this year. We're going to my moms in Alabama. So actually, we won't even be here to enjoy the decorations on Christmas Day. Maybe, subconsciously, I did everything earlier so we could enjoy it longer...well DUH!!! :-) Sometimes it takes me a minute...

He's getting HUGE!!!

For those of you who follow my BLOG, you may remember an entry from the first part of October. Remember our new doggie, Trae? We'll he's HUGE now! But my goodness, he sure is a cutie. He's almost 15 weeks old now and he's pushing 25 lbs. He continues to torture the kids by chewing up all the toys they leave laying around. He has me and "daddy' wandering around the house looking like fools as we search for our "other" shoe (or sock). And we won't even discuss what the laundry room looks like after Trae spends a few hours in there serving time on "lock down" :-). What's so funny about this crazy canine, is he truly thinks he's a lap dog and loves to snuggle (I promise, I had NOTHING to do with this!!...hee hee) I have to admit though, he is a sweetheart. I can't imagine our home without him.

"What's my personality?"

Your Personality Profile

You are pure, moral, and adaptable. You tend to blend into your surroundings. Shy on the outside, you're outspoken to your friends. You believe that you live a virtuous life... And you tend to judge others with a harsh eye. As a result, people tend to crave your approval.

The World's Shortest Personality Test

How do I say goodbye?

As wonderful as our Thanksgiving was, me and my family in Mobile, ended the day on a sad note. My grandfather, Cliff, was found deceased in his apartment on Thanksgiving night. Sure, he was in his 80's and had several medical issues. However, he was still able to get around. But even so, is it ever easy to say goodbye to a loved one? Cliff and I were very, very close. Unlike a alot of children, I got to spend a huge amount of time with my grandfather. He was the one who would make me have those big belly laughs as he tried to "count my ribs". I'm not sure he ever made it past 4, because he had to start all over again because of my uncontrollable laughter. He was the one who taught me how to skip rocks across a body of water. I never got it quite right. But he cheered me on and said it was the most perfect "skip" he'd ever seen...even when the rock quickly plopped in the water and sank to the bottom. He taught me how to cook the perfect twice dipped fried chicken. He even had me thinking that I had actually written the words to the song, "Away In a Manger". I'd stand on the step that went into the kitchen and perform that song like I was on stage. He'd clap, whistle and give me standing ovations every time...even when I messed up a little. Saddly, I didn't get to see Cliff that often once I got older. But when I did see him when I'd visit Mobile, he'd give me the biggest hug and kiss and we'd talk about the fun we use to have at the park, and how he'd take me to the TG&Y store to buy toys. We loved laughing about how he and his mother, Mama Gaitwood were the only ones who could get me to drink milk...by giving me powdered donuts :-). Regretfully, I'm not going to be able to attend my grandfathers funeral because of my broken ankle. And knowing him the way I did, I'm sure he'd understand. But even with his understanding, how do I say goodbye? I guess I have to have faith that he knew how I felt about him and that I love him dearly. I'm sure gonna miss you, Cliff. I love you!!

Giving Thanks...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Wow, I can't believe that it's already THAT time of year. I simply LOVE Thanksgiving. Not only for ALL the wonderful food. But mostly for the fellowship with family & friends. We hosted Thanksgiving this year and I think at any given time there had to be at LEAST 50 people here (my husband has a huge family). Everyone was on time...well, almost everyone. I've noticed a trend...people are usually on time when there's good food involved, huh? I have to admit though, it was a little more work than I thought it would be. Oh, we've hosted this feast before and had just as many visitors. But this time was a little different for me because...remember...I have a broken ankle!!! So I hobbled around all day. Boy was I in pain. But THANKFULLY, I got through it without having to self-medicate :-). I had SOOO much help and had just as many people telling me to sit down and elevate my foot. Sure, I put up a fuss...but that's my job :-). I was so thankful to see so many family members we hadn't seen in a while, including my oldest daughter, Briyanna. I think everyone had a really good time and left with a full heart as well as a full belly. It's so nice to have a moment, even amongst all those people to just stop and listen. You hear stories being told, you hear reminiscing about old times and about those who are no longer with us, you hear laughter, you hear children playing and of course you hear football and grown men yelling at the TV. What a treasure to have a close family and to see love being spread throughout a home. No wonder it's called Thanksgiving. Because that's what we were doing...giving God thanks for giving us family to share our lives with. What a blessing!

Things most people don't know about me..

First of all...I got (stole) this idea from my new friend, Adrienne. Thanks girl!!

1. I'm pigeon toed
2. I ADORE Dr. Pepper
3. I think my gray hair is gorgeous
4. My favorite color is purple...it inspires me.
5. I hate yard work
6. I love to read magazines...over & over& over again
7. My favorite store (at the moment) is The Scrapbook Clearance Center (and Target)
8. I love lava lamps and I have 2 purple ones
9. My favorite foods are shrimp & ceasar salad (but not together)
10. Did I mention that I LOVE Dr. Pepper?
11. I tried (along with my husband) for 11 years to have a baby. She'll be 4 years old tomorrow!
12. I don't like conflict...could be because I don't know how to fight.
13. I don't like white shoes (except for sneakers)
14. I absolutely LOVE scrapbooking!!!
15. I love scolding hot food and showers
16. I broke my ankle at the soccer field...and I wasn't even playing!
17. I have emailed my new friend EVERY day since we met a little over a week ago (yes, she has replied)
18. I hate cold weather
19. I don't like the smell of fresh cut grass or rain..yuck!
20. Christmas is my favorite holiday.
21. I LOVE to type.
22. Dr. Pepper...did I mention that yet? Hee Hee
23. I love chocolate on raisins, pretzels, strawberries, coconut, and...nevermind!
24. I was born in New York
25. I cry very, very easily...sniff, sniff
26. I L-O-V-E being a mom & a wife
27. I think GOD is totally amazing. I wouldn't want to have to do His job!
28. I love the ocean
29. I love being me!
30. I'm glad you took the time to read my BLOG!

4 Beautiful Years Ago...

On 11/20/05, it will be 4 years ago since my BABY was born. My goodness how time has flown by. No words can explain how awesome it is to see life and the world through the eyes of a toddler/pre-schooler. The sky is bluer, the grass is greener and life in general is just more fun & facinating. To be honest, it actually saddens me that my baby will be 4 years old tomorrow. After 11 years of trying and praying for this child, it seems like she is growing too fast. I sure hope I haven't missed too much. Thank God for the craft of scrapbooking. I am now able to look back through the (4) albums I've done over the course of Jayla's sweet little life and watch her grow all over again. I can read the words that I wrote about something she did or said and it will make me laugh all over again. There are no words to describe how I feel about this little girl. Her daddy experiences the same difficulty. All we can say is that we are so proud of her and thrilled beyond imagination that she's in our lives. I'm smiling now as I watch her "talk" on her Princess "cell phone". What an amazing person she is. I thank God everyday for her and I look forward to what He has in store for her. You are truly a blessing, Jayla and Mommy loves you!!

Happy Birthday To Me...

Wow, has it been a year already since my last birthday? Better question, have I really been on this planet for 39 years? What a strange feeling. I remember as a kid I use to think that people in their 20's were old. Then when I got to my 20's, I thought people that were 40 were old. Well, HELLO!!! I'm almost there now. But you know what? It's not so bad. I don't feel any different today than I did yesterday...or last year for that matter. I have a little gray hair now...ok, quite a bit. But for the most part I'm healthy, extremely happy with my life, in love with an awesome man, wonderful kids and an amazing family. If you ask me, life doesn't get much better than that. Oh wait, yes it does...if you add awesome friends, both old and new, to the mix...that's just icing on my (birthday) cake, so to speak. Ya know, I have no complaints about being 39 today. My husband gave me some gorgeous roses, my dad sent me a lovely plant and my good friend Stacey gave me 2 of my favorite things...Raisinets and Dr. Pepper. What's there to complain about? Turning 40 next year? BRING IT ON!!!!

This one's for you Adrienne...

The Quiz:
2 names you go by
1. Dawn
2. Mommy

2 things that scare you
1. Dying and leaving my kids without a mom
2. Getting lost

2 of your everyday essentials
1. The "Pill" :-)
2. Dr. Pepper (I can go a couple days without it)

2 things you are wearing right now
1. My ankle cast (ARGH!!!)
2. Grey shorts

2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment)
1. Anita Baker
2. Mercy Me

2 favorite songs (at the moment)
1. I can only imagine (by Mercy Me)
2. He loves me (from the movie, the Fighting Temptations)

2 things you want in a relationship (other than real love)
1. Romance
2. True emotion

2 truths
1. God is REAL!
2. I love my family

2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex)
1. Cute hynie :-)
2. Seductive eyes (that is physical, isn't it?)

2 of your favorite hobbies
1. Scrapbooking
2. Scrapbooking :-)

2 things you want really badly
1. The Cadillac SRX (wooo, SEXY!!)
2. Unlimited scrapbooking supply cash flow

2 places you want to go on vacation
1. Hawaii
2. Greece

2 things you want to do before you die
1. Travel with my husband in our RV
2. See my kids' children

2 ways that you are stereotypically a dude/chick
1. I'm VERY emotional and cry very easily
2. I talk alot and may give a little too much detail

2 things you are thinking about right now
1. What I'm gonna fix with the steaks we're having for dinner
2. What scrapbook project I'm gonna work on next

2 stores you shop at
1. Target
2. JoAnn's

2 people I would like to see take this quiz
1. Stacey
2. Mandy

What are the odds?

What are the odds? My kids made it through their soccer seasons without a single injury. And on the very last game of their season, I break MY ankle. Go figure!! Would've been different had I gotten hurt in their last practice when the parents play against the kids. But NOOOOOO! I was innocently taking my 3 year old to the bathroom and stepped in a hole. I knew it had to be serious when I hit the ground and heard a "POP". Hmmm, that can't be good. And to add a little humor to the situation, my daughter was a little upset that I'd rather sit on the ground grabbing my ankle instead of taking her to potty ("Mom, so you're NOT gonna take me to da potty??") Don't you just love toddlers? I had a friends daughter finish the journey to the potty for me as I hobbled back to my seat and finished watching our 10 year olds game. The second wave of pain didn't really hit until I tried to walk the 10 feet to my vehicle. Who knew I could cry so easily? I successfully sat through my daughters game then onto the doctor we went. Only to find that our suspisions were correct. My ankle was broken. Not serious...but broken nonetheless. Now I have to wear a removable cast and use crutches for 6 weeks...ARGH!!! Oh well, it could be worse. I could've broken my arm and wouldn't be able to scrapbook for 6 weeks. Talk about a nightmare!!! :-)

Too cute for words

Well, that season sure went by fast! But look at the final result, just TOO cute for words!. Jayla simply had a BLAST in her first season playing soccer. Although she's still a little confused with the difference between practice and an actual game, she did great. Fortunately, at this age, they don't keep score. But Jayla made it very well known when she "won" the game by scoring a total of 8 goals for the season :-). Assuming she'll play in the Spring, we'll have a few things to work on with the little Cheetah. With the help of "Coach Daddy", she will need to work on kicking the ball in the right direction - perferably towards her goal. And the biggest thing will be to try and keep her from "posing" for me every time she sees me trying to take a picture of her "naturally" playing. That one's gonna take some work :-). We're so proud of you, Jayla! You're such a cute little Cheetah!

Trick or Treat...or NOT?

Our family, along with most other Americans, just observed Halloween. Notice I didn't say "celebrated". When I was a child, my mother actually decorated a little, got candy and dressed me and my sister up in cute little costumes. She let us walk up and down the street we lived on and gather as much candy as we could from our neighbors. Things are so different these days. Now, I am the mother and my views are different than those of my "back then" mother. My husband and I have chosen not to let our kids dress up in costumes or "celebrate" Halloween. These days, it seems a little scarier for the kids and borders on being a little "demonic" at times. We don't even give out candy. As a matter of fact, sometimes we try not to even be at home the evening of Halloween. We'll usually take our kids somewhere like Chuck E. Cheese and let them play for a while. We are Christians and have decided that this decision is best for OUR kids. However, (isn't there always a "however"?) We are so blessed to be a part of a neighborhood that respects our decision. Not only that, our neighborhood also has an annual "hayride" for the kids. Basically, one of our neighbors hitches a trailer up to the back of his vehicle and fills it with hay. The kids, some in costume, pile up in the back on the hay and Mr. Eric drives them slowly through the neighborhood, let's them jump off and run to the houses with the lights on and get their treats. Prior to this past Halloween, we hadn't participated in the hayride. After a short discussion, my husband and I decided to allow the kids to join their friends in the hayride this year. They didn't dress up in costumes, they were just their cute little selves. A friend of ours let them borrow "pumpkin buckets" for their candy. They had a BLAST! My husband even rode on the back with them and raked up hay as the kids jumped off and back on the ride. I'm torn as to whether we still "celebrated" Halloween or if we just "participated" in a neighborhood event. Hopefully, it was the latter. Either way, our family had a wonderful time with our neighbors and I think the kids won't soon forget it.

Has it been 20 years?

My goodness, has it been 20 years already? This past weekend, my husband, Marque and I attended his 20 year high school class reunion. Seems like we just had the 10th! Talk about an absolutely amazing group of people! This was the 3rd reunion I've attended with Marque and it just seems that his classmates get nicer as the years pass. I almost feel like a part of their class...or a better word would be family. I graduated from high school in 1984 and I can honestly say that my class wasn't near as close as Marque's. Over the weekend, we laughed, ate, took (tons) of pictures, reminisced, and danced until after 3:00am! We had a BALL! We are so looking forward to spending more time with "our" friends in the future and continuing to make fun and wonderful memories. Whoever said, "It just gets better with time" obviously knows the Northside High School Class of 1985! Thank you guys for showing me a wonderful time...again!

New addition to the family

Oh my GOSH! I think we've had another baby! Over the weekend, just after our 10 year olds soccer game, up comes this lady...out of nowhere, holding 2 BEAUTIFUL puppies. Backing up a bit, 2 years ago, our sweet doggie, Jett passed away. She was 11 years old. Obviously someone let a litter of puppies loose in our neighborhood and one not only wandered into our yard, but into our hearts for 11 years. Jett was 8 weeks old when we found her (or did she find us?) Either way, we're convinced God sent her to us. We had been looking to purchase a dog but could never find the "perfect" one for us. Jett wound up being perfect for our family. Anyway, before I cry, back to this past weekend. This lady walks up with these 2 puppies in tow and her daughter was carrying a third. I immediately turned into a puddle because again, just like with Jett, we've been looking to buy or adopt another puppy. But hadn't been able to find the "perfect" one. The lady saw how I was quickly falling in love and asked if I wanted one of the pups. Of course my response was, "Yeah RIGHT!". She said, "seriously, you can have him right now, FREE, I've got puppy food in my car!" I just about fell over! I looked at my husband and did everything but beg him to let us take him home. Ok, I did beg. And after a few minutes of hearing me and the kids whine, he gave in. We couldn't believe it. This lady is also the owner of the puppies parents, one a Boxer and the other a Chocolate Lab. The puppies turned 6 weeks old yesterday (10/3). The mother of the puppies had a litter of 9 and the family just couldn't take care of them all. So she was giving them away. She started to cry when we left and said she felt really good that the, "hamm" of the group was going home with a good family. We took the puppie home and the fun began. It's just like having a newborn. He cries alot and really loves to cuddle. See, he IS perfect :-). We named him Trae. Why did we name him that? As silly as it is, the park that the kids play soccer at is called Tramore Park. And since this is where we were blessed with him, we named him Tramore but call him Trae. Talk about sweet!!! How exciting to have a new "baby" in the house. However, I don't seem to remember my own kids chewing on shoes and stairs....

For the love of my hobby

Ya know what? I simply love scrapbooking! I've been scrapping now for a little over 4 years and for the life of me, I can't remember what I use to do before starting this hobby. Sure, I use to work full time, but I was scrapping then too. I have attempted, all to no avail, to get published in several scrapbooking magazines. I guess they don't know good work when they see it :-). I would love to see some of my work in a magazine. However, until then, I will see if this particular avenue will bring me as much pleasure and satisfaction. I have attached a few of my layouts in the "Dawn's Scrapbook BLOG" under my LINKS on the right . Once you get there, click on photos. Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

It's Me! 

BLOG issues!

Ok, I too have jumped on the BLOG band wagon. But I'll be honest with you, it is TRULY testing my technical limits. Until about a month ago, I thought I was pretty tech savvy. But Nooooo, this "BLOG thing" has shown me the light! (or maybe not) I can't believe I worked in corporate/technical america for so many years and it has taken me 2 months to figure out how to get a picture of myself on MY BLOG! Shoot, I don't even think I look like that anymore :-). Hopefully, this huge learning curve I'm on will soon come to an end. If I can figure out how to add links and create a place to showcase my scrapbooking layouts, I'll be cookin with grease!! Until then, I'll try and keep my head above water and figure this thing out...and I'm gonna!!!

Life as a soccer mom

Well, it's that time of year again...Youth soccer season. Oddly enough, I'm so excited! Our 10 year old has been playing soccer for a little over 2 years (this is his 6th season). And this year, our 3 year old, Jayla will play for the first time. I simply cannot wait until tomorrow at 10am when she plays her first game. Who knew they made cleats and shinguards so small? Watching her practice over the past couple weeks in her "fancy red cleaps" is almost too much excitement for me. Markell, the 10 year old is an amazing soccer player and absolutely loves it. It is also exciting to see him so excited to be back with his teammates again. Soccer is a sport I never thought I'd enjoy watching. But I guess the difference is that it's kids that are playing...and they're mine. Not to mention, my husband coaches both teams. Guess I'd better go get uniforms together. Go Stingrays & Cheetahs!!!

Problem solved..

Alrighty, now that's better! My computer is now back up and running. Again, I had no idea how dependant I was on this thing. Amazing how you can feel so closed off from the "outside world" when you don't have a computer. That being said, what did I do before there were computers? I sure hope I didn't spend my days watching TV. Talk about depressing. The cartoons aren't even funny anymore. I just thank my husband for getting me back up and running. I knew there were MORE advantages to marrying a techy! :-)

Technical Difficulties

Ok, I'm a computer junkie! I hate to admit it...but I'm stepping out there and calling a spade a spade. Almost a week ago, the power supply died on my computer. Fortunately, my husband is a network/computer analyst and was able to give the diagnosis in relatively short order. However, I never realized how much I depended on this piece of equipment. I guess while I'm at it, I'll also admit that I'm a semi-digital scrapbooker. I said that to say that ALL of my pictures are on my computer. Therefore, I can't scrap right now. ARGH!!!! I do the majority of my journaling on my computer as well. So again I say...ARGH!!! My computer is also my avenue of communicating with the outside world. It wasn't this bad when I was on vacation a few weeks ago. Hopefully, within the next 72 hours I'll be up and running again. I feel like I've been grounded...for something I didn't even do! Please send sympathy cards to............ :-).

I Can Only Imagine

What a title. "I can only imagine". On Friday, June 24th, my sister in law, Paula, passed away after a struggle with Cancer. What a vicious disease. I've always told my husband, that I lived a very sheltered life prior to meeting him. Watching Paula wither away and eventually pass away really affected me in a way of which I'm very unfamiliar. I've known people who have died, but never have I been as "involved" as I was with Paula. I was truly blessed to have her as my sister in law. I love her and will miss her smiling face greatly. Never have I known how grieving could hurt so badly. Day by day, I'm coping with it. But at times I may see or hear something that will remind me of what our family just encountered. And the tears just flow. There was a song that someone sang at Paula's funeral that almost made me envious of where Paula is now. She will spend eternity at the feet of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. WOW!! What an honor. I look forward to seeing her again...standing tall, healthy, smiling and fully clothed with her shiny new armour. Although I'm not in any hurry to leave my family...I can only imagine. I love you Paula!