the lee's ~ chapter 16

a timeless classic? you decide. LOL.

2012-02-02T16:51:00.000-08:00

sooooooo, today a sweater arrived in the mail. grammy in florida has been downsizing and sent me a classic cotton ralph lauren flag sweater.

i opened it up and austin was like, 'why does that look familiar?' i had to think for a second and then i just started to laugh.

like, REALLY REALLY laugh.

because i had an idea.

i am easily amused.

austin...not so much. ha ha ha ha ha ha. i am STILL laughing. and austin cannot WAIT to head off to college. hee hee hee.

aren't you glad YOU aren't my kid????? :)

the big birthday countdown, one...ZERO!!!!!!

2012-01-28T12:42:00.000-08:00

this kind of loses it's excitement when you skip the final day LOL.

E is for easy-going.

your entry INTO this world was a piece of cake...up until the last minutes...when you got stuck...and we were whisked off to an operating room. daddy said i looked like the exorcist at that point.

after some serious forcep action you arrived...looking pretty darn frightening yourself LOL.

you STILL have a teeny scar next to your eye...it's mostly noticeable when you're sick.

but ever SINCE that traumatic entrance, you've made life easy on your momma.

and i thank you for that.

"you is kind. you is smart. you is important."

and i love you dearly.

happy, happy eighteen dude. so excited to see what the years ahead have in store for you.

xoxo.

the big birthday countdown, TWO!!!!

2012-01-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

so i wasn't quite sure yet what i was going to do for the LETTER E.

until...........

i started singing LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO today. completely out of the blue. because that's what i do.

and austin...poor austin...couldn't get past the fact that this is NOT a happy little children's song.
so E is for EMPATHY.

empathy: being aware of and sharing another person's feelings, experiences, and emotions.

love you, you big softie. now, off to find a field mice and BOP it on the head. hee hee.

the big birthday countdown, THREE!!!

2012-01-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

this was an easy one.

L is for LOVED.

there really aren't even words to say HOW MUCH YOU ARE LOVED. so instead i'm just going to post some pics of your sweet smiling face through the years.

so so very glad that God blessed us with you. you are such a great kid and we love you more than you love gundam. :)

the big birthday countdown, FOUR...

2012-01-25T11:45:00.001-08:00

getting closer dude!

N is for NONSTICK.

this quality must come from your father. LOL. and it's a good quality to have. maybe it's a guy thing?

but you easily let things go. stuff that could potentially really bother you...you just let it roll off of you.

you're like teflon.

but that starts with a T. so instead, you're nonstick :)

the big birthday countdown, FIVE!

2012-01-25T11:19:00.001-08:00

So we're moving on to the I in Austin.

I is for INCONSPICUOUS TAPPER.

what???????????

my poor children. i have influenced them in ways that go far beyond what most can see.

we play the punchbuggy game. you see a punchbuggy? you punch someone. really, we don't hit too hard. but i am an EXPERT punchbuggy finder and austin is usually riding in front with me and he takes a beating.

when i am alone & see a bug, i cannot help it. it MUST be acknowledged. so i punch myself. not really a punch. more of a tap. as in, i see it, i've acknowledged it, i'm moving on.

yesterday austin came home from school and said he saw soooooo many bugs and wished i'd been with him. i had to ask:

'austin, when you're alone...and you see one...what do you do? let's say you're walking into target and there's one in the parking lot?'

HE IS HIS MOTHER'S CHILD.

his answer: he does a quick inconspicuous tap. he can't help himself.

LOLOLOLOLOL.

pray for my kids ;)

the big birthday countdown, SEVEN! SIX!

2012-01-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

the countdown continues (whether or not i actually blog or not...which didn't happen yesterday).
we're on to S.

S is for SPIELBERG fan :)

austin, you were one SERIOUS dinosaur lover! i think it may have even bordered on obsession at some point LOL. they were all you talked about, all you would draw, all you would play with, all you could THINK ABOUT.

you decided to take it upon yourself to write a letter to steven spielberg. i must say i'm quite impressed that you spelled his name correctly. i actually just googled it to check the spelling bc i wasn't sure if your letter was right or not. i shouldn't have doubted that eight year old you :)

sadly, mr. spielberg didn't call (um, maybe bc your mother filed the letter instead of sending it? oops).

**********

T is for THOUGHTFUL.

i love this about you.

i've watched as you have rushed ahead to open a door for someone (and no, it's not always because it's for some cute young girl...most of the time it's for some cute old lady :)

i've noticed when you've gone the extra mile to keep the boys busy if i've got a lot going on.

i've paid attention (whether you realize it or not) when you have bent over backwards to accomodate your bossy little sister ;)

i love that you care deeply about the people who are in your life. you share their joys and you carry their pain.

your thoughtfulness will take you far.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” -- margaret mead

the big birthday countdown. NINE, EIGHT!!!

2012-01-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

yeah, yeah...so i may have bitten off more than i can chew by trying to do this daily for ten days in a row. case in point...cramming in yesterday & today before the clock strikes twelve. i feel like cinderella. only without the fancy dress. and the castle. and the glass shoes. and the mice.

ohhhhh, thank GOD there are no talking mice. because that's the LAST thing i need today. (dear God, please don't let me have dreams of talking mice. i promise i'll try to be good).

okay, so back to austin.

R (for robert) was also for respectful.

A is a no-brainer. A is for ARTISTIC.

dude, i swear, from the time you were old enough to hold a crayon you've been drawing stuff that blows my mind. it's in your blood.

i love that your first 'real' job was at a sign shop...that's what your great grandfather did for a living. back before computers...and printers...probably back before dinosaurs. LOL.

as you continue to grow in your art skills, i continue to just be in AWE (oooh, look, another A). i mean, i can draw a cute cartoon bird. and maybe some puffy clouds. but YOU, my son, are quite the artist.

still laughing at the eye glasses lady who wanted you to get the protective coating on your new glasses...

eyeglass lady: 'son, you really should get it. it's just good to have for boys.'

me: 'he's an artist.'

eyeglass lady (looking at you): 'but what about when you play basketball?'

me: 'he's more likely to poke himself in the eye with a pencil.'

hee hee hee. i love that you KNOW this. and you OWN it. you aren't afraid to admit it. A is NOT for athlete. not that you didn't do soccer or t-ball...or even remember the diving class...that high dive was SCARY...but it just wasn't what YOU wanted to do.

and i LOVE that you are secure in that. and so i'll phase right into the next letter since i skipped yesterday.

U is for UNPHASED.

and you, son, are SO unphased by the things that bug most kids your age. thank you for that. it makes my life (and your dads) a little easier. LOL...everyone warned us about what it was going to be like to have teens in the house.

and maybe you are just UNUSUAL (ooooooh, see what i just did there?)...you ARE unusual...but it's in a good way :)

don't ever succomb to the pressure to be anyone but who YOU are.

because YOU, robert austin lee, are perfect just the way you are.

(now, go trim your fingernails).

hee hee.

fessing up. guilty of a T.U.I.

2012-01-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

yes. that's right. i did it. i was typing under the influence. nyquil.

lesson learned: i'll never do it again. i promise.

omg. so i NEVER take medicine when i'm sick. i hate how it makes me feel. but THIS TIME, this time was different. i just had to. and it helped so much that i have taken it for a couple days in a row now. who knew drugs could be so helpful?

but one SHOULD NOT respond passionately in written form while under the influence. and that's exactly what i did. (sorry!).

i got this email. and i had some strong thoughts. and so i replied. only, in my nyquil induced haze, it appears i have hit the reply to ALL button.

since it's already out there to some extent i'm just going to completely out myself. because even now, after the nyquil has worn off, i still think the same things. i just would not have normally sent it out there to everyone on the list.

agree with me. disagree with me. it's how i feel. and right now (thanks to the nyquil), i'm feeling lots better. and now i want a ho-ho. hee hee.

*********
the above referenced email:

Young Texas girl figures it out.

This was written by a 21 yrs. old female who gets it. It's her future she’s worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare big government state that she’s being forced to live in!
These solutions are just common sense in her opinion. This was in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco , TX Nov 18, 2010

Put me in charge . . . Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.

Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all tattoos and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get tats and piercings, then get a job.

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?
You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place.

In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the “common good..”

Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules.. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self-esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self-esteem.

If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND While you are on Gov’t subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov’t welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.

Now, if you have the guts - PASS IT ON...

******

here are some thoughts from this 45 year old ex-texan who DOESN'T have it all figured out...and doesn't pretend to :)

i GET the premise of this...i DO.

but i think it's waaaaaay too easy to just put everyone into categories...put them in boxes.

not EVERYONE who is receiving government help is lazy...or tattooed...or pierced...or having baby after baby.

even though i'm not currently receiving financial aid from the government, i have in the past. and it wasn't because of "bad choices," it was because of bad circumstances :(

if the government tried to tell me what i could and couldn't do during that time period of my life (including taking away my right to vote?????) i just can't even imagine...

if you walk in my house right now, you would NOT be able to tell that we are financially struggling...my kids have an xbox. it was a gift from bobby's mom. i have gorgeous family photos all over the walls. my best friend is a professional photographer who gifts them to me. is it fair to judge me for that?

is it fair to judge someone who has tattoos all over their body? how do we know they don't do it themselves? or have a best friend who does it for them? how do we know that the person in line ahead of us with the food stamps who is buying ho-hos isn't buying them for their child who is having a birthday and all they asked for is ho-hos?

i realize i'm stretching a bit :) LOL. but my POINT is that you can't always tell...i personally don't think it's so black and white.

maybe because i've been there. maybe because this feels personal to me.

last thought: if they'd sterilized me because i had carson on medicaid (because bobby was laid off weeks before september 11 and couldn't find work) sweet sweet hudson would not exist?

and that thought makes me sad.

the people who take advantage of the system are WRONG. they need Jesus. but there are people who TRULY DO NEED the system...and while some of the rules need to change & there SHOULD be some accountability in place, i don't think it's fair to generalize everyone and go to such extremes as this young girl in texas thinks we should.

she should be careful...at 21 it's easy to think that nothing bad will ever happen to you...she may someday find herself in a place where she wishes there were some compassion for her.

the big birthday countdown. TEN!

2012-01-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

ten days until austin turns EIGHTEEN.

i know every parent says it, but there's a reason...it's true!!!! IT FEELS LIKE JUST YESTERDAY he was little.

seriously. time goes so fast. and it's kind of surreal for me as i drive around town because this is where he was born. this is where he spent the first couple years. i worked close by...we took him to the beach...now HE'S looking for work close by...and he's going to the beach without us LOL.

in honor of R. AUSTIN LEE (did you know austin is his MIDDLE name?), here goes my ten day tribute:

R is for ROBERT. but it's also for RESPECTFUL.

it's one of your best traits, bud. thank you for respecting me. for respecting your dad. for respecting the rules...ours as well as all the other ones that affect you.

you are SUCH a good kid and i'm proud to call you son.

and know that just because this first one was all mushy doesn't mean that the next nine days won't hold some sarcastic wit or some moments where i totally make fun of you :) that's my job. i encourage you...and i keep you humble. hee hee.

xoxo.

a conversation between mother and son...

2012-01-17T14:25:00.001-08:00

driving down the road today and had THIS conversation:

me: what time is it?

austin: um, i think it's like 4:00. it was 3:55 a minute ago.

both of us: so it's 3:56?

followed by lots and lots of laughter.

***

thank you austin for taking over as the token blonde in our family. i'm gladly relinquishing my title to you.

a random post to welcome in 2012

2012-01-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

and yeah, yeah, i know we're already ten days into it...so much for thinking i'd be a good little blogger and type a little every day. obviously that hasn't happened.

not only am i not being a good little blogger, but lately the daily stress has taken it's toll on me. something you need to know about me: when i'm stressed out sometimes i think bad words. i mean, i don't SAY them. but i'm not gonna lie. i can hear them inside my head. is it just as bad to have THOUGHT them if they aren't verbalized? probably...but i'm just being real, you know.

so last night i heard something that a friend was going through and it shocked me...i mean, you JUST NEVER KNOW what battles someone is fighting. love your friends, folks. smile. give hugs. say something nice. make people glad that they encountered you. you just never know when someone needs a little extra cheer.anyhow, my very first thought was HOLY...well...you know. insert blushing face here.

that's not even a phrase i normally think...or hear...and i don't ever say it. i swear. (pun intended...hee hee). but it was just the first thing that popped into my head.

after i had absorbed what this person had shared, i prayed for them (see, i'm not ALL bad???????). and then as i tried to go to sleep my mind started to wander.

i felt bad for thinking the whole holy bleep thing. and then i thought, what the heck (see, i'm being nice) does that even MEAN?

and that got me started on this next train of thought: if Jesus was completely God and completely man, do you think he had to...well...you know????? i mean, because that WOULD be holy (bleep). i mean he HAD to have, right? otherwise it would have been a major giveaway to all the other moms in the 'hood that something was different about Jesus right from the get go.

and if he DID, then was he ever sick? did Jesus get colds? did Jesus get the stomach bug? did Jesus ever get a zit? have a bad hair day? did Jesus have chicken pox? were chicken pox even around back then? did Jesus ever rough house and get a broken bone? if so, could he heal it himself? did people back then say GOD BLESS YOU when they sneezed? or is that a more current trend in common courtesy?

then i started thinking about how VERY random all of these thoughts were...and that's when it hit me that the word RAN-DOM and the word WIS-DOM both end in DUMB.

and that's when i decided i should probably really try to get some sleep because i was losing it.

so there you go. happy new year from me to you :)

may you never have to live a moment inside my brain.

lol.

xoxo.

sweet sixteen

2011-12-29T19:30:00.001-08:00

sixteen years ago tonight, i was laying in a hospital bed in virginia, in awe of the sweet baby girl I'd been blessed with earlier in the day. all five pounds seven ounces of her.

tonight, i'm sitting in a chair in virginia, in awe of the sweet young lady i've been blessed with. all five feet three inches of her.

i.love.this.girl.

everything that i wasn't, she is.

everything that i am, she's not.

everything about her is JUST.RIGHT.

and i am so thankful for the gift that she is.

we've had a great day celebrating HER...starting with a trip to the starbucks at the beach...in her cheetah footie pajamas. in the parking lot we passed a car that said FEARLESS. you HAVE to be fearless to go ANYWHERE in your cheetah footie pajamas, am i right?

it's been a fun day...starting with some love from the lee boys and moving on to a fun night (that continues on) with friends from school.

jordan was certain her world was going to end when she had to leave texas. turns out she's just entered a whole new world (cue disney music now).
*********

happy happy birthday sweet georgia lou. you are loved more than you can possibly imagine. keep smiling, keep loving life and keep being YOU. because YOU are something REALLY special. and i'm proud to be your momma.

here are a few pics of your journey so far...

at first, your big brother wasn't quite sure what to do with you...even then you seem to be looking at him and telling him how it's going to be. lol.

he warmed up to you super fast and y'all became best buddies. much as you torment each other now, you HAVE to know how much he loves you because he hasn't killed you yet. lmbo.

even in your first few months you displayed your ability to go from beach babe to cowgirl and wear both looks stunningly. hee hee.

while you've always loved getting into your momma's jewelry, you've also got a tough side...

sure it LOOKS like you're playing with pink roses but really i'm pretty sure you're using them as weapons LOL.

you were soooooo painfully shy up until you started gymnastics...you hated strangers and you were less than thrilled getting your pic taken. stacey, if only we'd known you then...

you've always had your OWN UNIQUE sense of style. who else could pair a classic ralph lauren dress with a cheetah purse and flip flops and rock it?

i never thought you'd make it through your first day of school...thankfully gymnastics brought you out of your shell...and there's been no turning back since then...

you are part tomboy (strangely frogs are mesmerized by you????...freak...)

and part princess. this should serve you well in life...you can survive in a castle or in a jungle. :)

you are an amazing big sister...and a hilarious little sister.

from wacky to elegant, you've got it all.

and our family would not be complete without you.

xoxo.

countdown to christmas -- december 13

2011-12-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

fact: moving 3,925 times in 20 years will make even the most sentimental person start throwing away pretty much anything and everything they ever cherished.

i used to have quite a collection of memories stashed away in boxes. now most of them are stashed away in my mind instead (perhaps this is why i am so forgetful in the here and now...too much old stuff up there LOL). anyhow, along the way, there have been a handful of things that i have just HAD to preserve.

i'm glad i saved THIS:

jordan's wish list to santa, december 2005.

this was the winter that we had announced to the kids that we were planning on moving to texas. just like her momma, this girl is ALLLLLL OVER THE PLACE.

some of the items on her list make me laugh out loud. some of them bring tears to my eyes.

enjoy:

number 10 has been erased. but i can still see what it says: to have will smith's autograph.

and i love how she ends the letter with number 13. have a great day always santa...little suck up.

p.s. santa, don't be offended that she spelled your last name wrong. she also spelled Jesus wrong. lmbo lmbo lmbo.

stuck in nebraska

2011-12-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

**disclaimer: i know some really nice people from nebraska (cough*cough*the valencia family*cough*cough) and i'm sure that they think nebraska is just a lovely place to be...please no offense to those of you that this is sure to offend ;) i mean no harm.**

STUCK IN NEBRASKA

back in my high school days, summer meant camping. summer meant colorado. summer meant each of us girls got ONE cardboard storage box to fit all of our items in. summer meant saying goodbye to our boyfriends...and giving up the phone...and tv...and music...for weeks...as we headed west and lived like pioneers.

there were no cell phones, no internet, no ipods for music...this made for some loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong car rides from ohio to colorado. just ask my parents. there was also no satellite radio...which meant that when you were in the middle of nowhere there wasn't much to listen to. so we did what any teenaged girls would do: we filled the dead air space with the sounds of nonsense...

we made up songs...long, ridiculous, unending songs (that we still have memorized)...we wrote movie scripts that starred us (duh!). we talked, we sang, we talked some more.

and my parents continued to do this year after year. wth were they THINKING?

i have so many fun memories of our times in colorado, wyoming & montana...talk about BEAUTY! there is just NOTHING as majestic as the mountains. breathtaking...even to a completely self-centered teenager :)

what i DON'T have fun memories of are our times in nebraska. if you aren't much on geography, i've included this handy map for you to refer to. see ohio? see colorado? see all those states you have to drive through to get there? see how nebraska is last on the list? see how TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY HORIZONTAL NEBRASKA IS?????

now, imagine having been in the car (yes, car...we didn't get a van until later years...so i have memories of my sisters and i being in the backseat of a little navy blue fiat making that journey)...imagine...being in that backseat...you get through ohio...you're excited...a few more states...still having fun...but then you hit nebraska. and it just goes on and on...FOR.EVER. there is NOTHING to look at. the SMELLS of the nearby animal farms (chicken? pig?) waft through the air and cause you to gag...which causes those around you to gag...which means lots and lots of gagging...

and you just want to be done with it. BRING ON COLORADO. give me my mountains. give me my view. give me beauty. give me fresh air.

give me ANYTHING BUT NEBRASKA.

God, i'd forgotten how much i hate nebraska.

(again, valencia family, i am so so sorry. i love you in spite of this torturous state you hail from).

soooo, why am i all anti-nebraska in the middle of the holiday season?

i'm just going to go ahead and type un-edited if you don't mind.

the 2010-2011 time frame has been one HELL of an era.

i could not be more glad to just say goodbye to it. in fact, i may actually stay awake this new year's eve to see the ball drop...which is something i just don't do...because i'm ready to kick this past year from here to kingdom come.

and it's not just me. so many who i love (and even some that i don't) have just been having a wretched time with this thing called life.

the heartache of losing loved ones...

the pain of dreams unfulfilled...

the hurt of damaged relationships...

the anguish of cancer & sickness...

the brutality of life...

sometimes it just seems like it's unbearable.

i was trying to share some encouragement with a friend the other day...sharing with her that she just needed to hold on another day...to not give up...that good MUST BE right around the corner.

and that's when it hit me.

i feel like i'm stuck in nebraska. i feel like so many of my dear friends & family (and you know who you are as you are reading this) are stuck in nebraska.

and it's TORTURE.

we know where we WANT to be.

we know the beauty of what we HOPE TO SEE.

but instead we're stuck on this miserable road that seems to lead to nowhere...not only does it seem that there is NOTHING worth looking at, but add to that the literal STINK of it all and it's just so incredibly disheartening.

we long for more.

we long to move on.

we long to just GET THERE.

but it's not happening.

we're stuck. in nebraska.

and the bad news is WE'RE IN THE BACKSEAT. we have NO CONTROL over how long it's going to take before we can cross that fabulous line and see the sign welcoming us to the other side.

for some of us, that day is going to come before others. some of us will get to experience the hopes deferred...the dreams we've been waiting for...the joy of things we've been anticipating and praying for...

but knowing how this life goes, SOME of us won't. some of us are going to have to wrestle with the fact that maybe nebraska is where we're going to be for awhile (or...gasp...forever).

and if that's the case then we'd better start to find some beauty in this place.

for starters, we need to realize we're not alone. even though it may seem like it out on the highway. if we will resign ourselves to the fact that we have to stay for a bit, then we can (maybe) find some things about this place that aren't so bad.

there are others who may have gotten off the road here as well. they understand how we feel. maybe they've been here so long that they can show us some of the beauty that is here. or maybe they've been here so long that they've forgotten there's anything else OUT there.

either way, if we're going to BE HERE then we may as well embrace it.

this is where i find myself. when i finally get used to the scents and sights (much as i wish i could ignore them), i realize that i'm not the only one out here.

i'm not gonna lie. i'd WAY rather be in colorado. i'd way rather have THAT view than the one that i currently face.

but i'm trying to come to terms with it...

i'm stuck in nebraska.

we interrupt this countdown to christmas - december 4

2011-12-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

your previously scheduled christmas countdown has been interrupted by a random conversation between carson and i...that has absolutely NOTHING to do with christmas.

we got carson a skateboard for his birthday. it IS true that you get what you pay for. we didn't pay much, and today, about a week later, we had to exchange it because the wheels were just NOT right.

on the way home carson was starving. i stopped at a sonic and got him a hot dog. plain.

this is the conversation that followed:

carson: 'this is the BEST hot dog i have EVER had.'

me: 'oh yeah? glad you like it!'

carson: 'mom, when i'm a dad, if i'm out and my kid tells me i'm hungry i'm taking him to sonic for a hot dog.'

me: 'okay. that sounds good.'

carson: 'hey mom!'

me: 'what carson?'

carson: 'this wrapper says that this hot dog is beef...100% beef. is that the kind you buy or do you buy pig hot dogs?'

me: 'most of the time i buy the pig hot dogs...every once in a while i get the beef kind.'

carson: 'why?'

me: 'because the beef ones cost way more.'

carson: 'oh yeah...well when i'm rich, i'm gonna have my servant only buy me beef hot dogs whenever i want them. but i'm gonna make him use his own money.'

me: 'why would you make him use his own cash? if you're rich you should buy them and treat him to some.'

carson: 'mom, i'm going to want to STAY rich. that won't happen if i buy beef hot dogs all the time.'

makes perfect sense in the mind of a ten year old, right?

and once again, i'll say: it is true that you get what you pay for.

i hope someday his aspirations are set higher than just buying 'real beef' hot dogs. LOL.

countdown to christmas - december 2

2011-12-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

once upon a time
back in nineteen eighty nine,
a story was set in motion
that i shall now put into rhyme.

i lived in a rental house
with my sister and a friend.
we were right around the corner
from the infamous C.B.N.

we decided to watch a movie
on a cold december night.
we started a fire, ate some dinner,
no clue of the impending fright.

but please forgive me,
i've skipped ahead too far.
first i need to tell you
a bit about my car.

i had a sporty dodge charger,
it was black and it was quick.
but on this fateful day,
the key only made a click.

i was young and blonde
and did not know what to do.
my sister and my roommate
were also without a clue.

so i called my friend diane.
told her my car was dead.
she sent over her husband,
i was so grateful for mr. fred!

fred had me move my car.
sissy's car & mine, nose to nose.
he got out the jumper cables,
turned the key and said, 'here goes.'

ta-da, the car had started.
all was going great.
fred said to let it charge a bit,
to revive it's uncharged state.

fred went along his merry way,
sissy & friend went back inside.
it was really, REALLY cold
as i sat inside my ride.

that's when it came to me.
i had a perfect plan.
why sit outside alone
when i could be inside with the clan?

this was in the era of cassette tapes,
way before cds.
i had quite a collection
and kept them by my front seat.

fred had told me to rev my car,
about a half an hour.
this should bring it back to life,
renew it's former power.

i took the shoe box
and shoved it down,
upon the gas pedal,
down toward the ground.

i headed in the house
and we started to watch a movie.
i can't remember what it was,
but i'm sure that it was groovy.

a knock upon our door
interrupted our movie plan.
we looked out the peep-hole,
and saw an unfamiliar man.

there was no way we would answer.
the man, he was a stranger.
we tried to talk through the door.
we were afraid of danger.

he would not go away.
he came to our back door.
who was this crazy man?
he scared us to our core!

eventually the fear gave way
to what the man was saying.
he was not messing around,
the man, he wasn't playing.

my car! my car! it was on fire!
huge flames reached toward the sky.
meanwhile poor sissy's car,
nose to nose it stood right by.

this is a night i won't forget,
such a vivid memory.
sissy in her bunny slippers,
our friend praying loud as could be.

911 was called, the fire men came.
they quickly put out the mess.
then they had some questions
and i did not have to guess.

why yes, yes sir, i do know
about the box on the gas.
i put it there on purpose,
after all, i'm just a lass.

insurance actually covered it,
miracles do come true.
the damage to my sister's car
thankfully was covered too.

this was 23 years ago,
so imagine my surprise
when we drove past the rental house
with the little guys.

here i am in the driveway,
see the remains of my poor car?
stranger than fiction, i realize.
my life really IS this bizarre.

countdown to christmas - december 1

2011-12-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

o.m.gosh! it's DECEMBER.

when you're a kid, christmas seems to take forever to get here.

when you're the grown up it's quite the opposite.

there are soooo many things i love about christmas. and every year that goes by, we layer another memory into the mix. i looooove decking the halls and making everything festive. everything is kept really simple and i've really stripped away anything that doesn't have special meaning. so it doesn't TAKE LONG but it's just such a special time with the kids.

one of my most favorite things to do is get out the ornaments...we've got a VERY broad range of ornaments on our tree...but each one has special meaning and represents something.

(before you scroll down any further, the perfectionist in me DOES need to put a disclaimer that it's annual tradition that austin and i get the tree set up and now that the kids are all old enough, THEY do all the placement of the ornaments...including attaching any hooks to the ornaments that need them...there...i said it...). you can continue reading.

the other night, jordan's friend addie was here with us and hudson was proudly showing her all of our holiday decor.

as a mother, i'd like to say that his 'tour' of our holiday home warmed my heart. i'd be lying. instead it warmed my FACE. he sees the world through a different lens. but then again, most guys do, right?

so here is my countdown to christmas, day one. a look around the house through hudson's eyes:

1. BATMAN..."checking out BARBIE" (who appears to be hanging by a green noose????).

2. an unidentified NBA (is that the right thing to call a pro baseball dude??? whatever...he's one of the famous guys) aiming a baseball right at jordan's gymnast bear. let's see how well she can keep her balance on the beam with a fast pitch headed straight for her.

3. the stockings were hung by the chimney with care. at first glance you'll see that (obviously) they are cowboy boots. but they have hidden messages in the designs that none of us had ever noticed. that is til hudson...

4. jordan's stocking is the 'girly' one with the flowers. to us, it's just western stitching. to hudson it's puppy dog eyes, a nose and the vertical brown design separates the dog's eyes from his long floppy ears. can you see this? it took me a bit at first. but the NEXT stocking...well...i saw it right away and i'll NEVER see the stocking the same again.

5. what? it's just a cute snowman stocking boot, right? WRONG. look again. it's a 'brown' lady wearing a low cut dress.

ROFLMBO. poor carson. his stocking will never EVER be seen the same again. it is forever after the 'christmas cleavage' stocking.

burlesque anyone?

on that note, i'm signing off to go read the bible to my kid. pray for him. pray for me. i seriously don't know how i'm going to survive the adolescent years with these two crazy young'uns. the first two were NOT cut from the same cloth as the second two. LOL.

THANKFUL for TRADITIONS...

2011-11-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

last post, i reflected on my feelings regarding change & how we're working through it.

THIS post, i'm reflecitng on my feelings regarding things that stay the same...and how much peace can come with that.

we had one of the sweetest thanksgiving days that i can ever recall.

maybe i'm just getting older and sappy and nostalgic. maybe not.

but as i sit here typing this out, i have tears in my eyes (again) as i remember thanksgiving 2011.

we spent the day at nanny's house.

bobby's mom has lived in the same home since he was a baby. her property backs up to an inlet that hosts creatures ranging from cute otters, beautiful birds, giant turtles and (shudder) creepy, slithery snakes.

he spent a couple decades in that house. a lot HAS changed since he was a boy. but a LOT has stayed the same. just like back then, the teenaged girls still outnumber the teenaged boys.

we feasted on a tremendous thanksgiving dinner, and then while the food settled, some laid around inside, and some went out back.

it was in the backyard, with the sun streaming down, that the nostalgia started to hit.

watching nanny collect sticks while hudson ran around the yard looking for rocks to throw in the water...

watching austin and jordan relentlessly tease each other about who could hit the rocks the furthest (i'm pretty sure she gets the prize for that one...all that volleyball practice works in her favor LOL)...

watching bobby interact with the kids out on the deck...hanging out with my baby girl...who spent her VERY FIRST thanksgivings here in this house...on this deck...in this yard...

later, sitting in the kitchen after everything had been cleaned up and having bobby's sister give jordan and i impromptu haircuts...

my nieces torturing my nephew by dragging him into the 'hair salon' for some primping...

the giggles, the laughter, the love...there is so much history in this house...

it was just so precious to see MY FAMILY celebrating life in the place where their father spent so much of HIS life.

we celebrated carson's tenth birthday and he got the skateboard that he had been wishing for.

nanny went out in the garage and came back in with BOBBY'S skateboard from when he was about the same age. that's ONE OLD SKATEBOARD. lololol.

she gave it to hudson and i think, honestly, that he would sleep with it if he could. it's not fancy, it's not RAD, it's not current, but it's DADDY'S. and THAT makes it absolutely priceless.

in the midst of alllllllll of the changes, i am grateful for things that DON'T change. i am grateful for the sense of peace and love and stability that my family experienced this thanksgiving. and i am grateful for the joy of being able to share that with all of them. and you.

as we continue to try and get our feet back on the ground after the last few rough years, i need to keep THESE moments at the forefront. i need to let the worry go...the fear of whether we'll get through the next month or not... i need to trust, and KNOW, that God knows exactly what he's doing. so thankful for the moments of clarity that i had on thanksgiving day. a faith refresher :)

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.' -- Phil. 4:6

ugh...this is a hard one...

2011-11-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

i've held off typing all day...because part of me just doesn't want to have to really THINK that deeply on what i'm about to share...

but in the spirit of thanksgiving, i'm going to CHOOSE to be thankful for CHANGE.

UGH. i mean, i DO like change. i DO. but i like to PICK my change. lol. is that SO WRONG? :)

one year ago today, life changed. BAM. that fast.

it had been a ROUGH journey after bobby was laid off from the church he was working for. we walked through SO VERY MUCH. for awhile, i wasn't sure i was ever going to get him 'back.' i had lost him to this huge weight of anxiety, stress, fear, feelings of extreme failure. not gonna lie: it wasn't pretty.

so when he asked me if there was ANY way that he could go home to visit his family for thanksgiving, i knew we'd have to find a way. he just NEEDED the escape. we booked his ticket and that was that. little could we have guessed what would happen next.

CBN (the company he had worked for TWENTY YEARS in virginia beach) called. they heard he was looking for work and wondered if he'd be interested in a certain position & was there a good time that he could come to town to interview? this was the friday before he left. he told them he was going to be there the following week and they set up the meeting.

after sooooo much waiting...and praying...and hoping...the tears, the fears...i didn't expect that we would have an answer quickly...i mean, everything for us had been dragged out. i swear, i have aged SOOOO much in the last year it's not even funny (i'm certainly not laughing). so when he called me that afternoon and said they WANTED HIM and it was HIS IF HE WANTED IT, it sort of surprised me.

and from that moment on, we've experienced CHANGE on a daily basis.

overall, it's been good. to see my husband back in his element, working with guys he's known since grade school...with his sense of humor back in place, with hope and joy back in his heart...it makes it all worth it.

it hasn't killed my children. lol. each of them has had things they've had to walk through as a result of this change. but they are doing well.

i KNOW that this move was intended for us...that we are where we are supposed to be. i do miss my family. my friends. my job. my home. my kitchen. BUT i am thankful that i have such sweet memories to treasure.

and so, overall i AM thankful for change. i know that it stretches us. it tests us. and it has the capacity to pull us apart or bring us together. we have chosen to allow it to do the latter. and i hope it stays that way.

i realize that there is NO WAY to know what tomorrow holds. a year from now i could be writing about november 24, 2011 and how THAT was the day that ushered in ANOTHER new season.

i sort of hope not though. i'd kind of be okay with an uneventful year. (God, are you listening?). :)

'do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.' proverbs 27:1

thankful for water...from the tap & from the sky...

2011-11-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

while austin may have his LICENSE to drive, he hasn't secured a steady part-time job yet. and until he does, he's not driving on his own...because he will be responsible for the additional insurance premium :)

soooooo, every morning i drive austin & jordan down to the bus stop at the entrance to our neighborhood and drop them off.

this morning it was raining. jordan had JUST finished her hair and was less than thrilled with the prospect of standing outside waiting for the bus. she would NEVER take an umbrella to school (seriously mom???) and when i suggested that she stand under the overhang of the condos right by the bus stop she said she didn't want to look stupid. so instead, she got out of the car, grumbled and walked away in the rain with her binder on top of her head.

as i watched her walk off, i thought about how blessed she is to be able to stand in the rain waiting for her bus. she's in warm clothes, with a so-so lunch that her mother packed with love. she's headed to a school where she gets a good education that costs us nothing. she has friends and teachers who adore her. she has a warm bed to sleep in when she gets home (and that girl can SLEEP...lol).

i thought how in contrast this is to so many of the young girls (well, old ones too) that i had the privilege to meet during my time in africa. many of these girls don't get to even go to school. and instead of binders on their heads they have buckets of water...that they walk FOR MILES to get. DAILY. whether it's raining or not. and they aren't wearing cute little boots while they're walking. instead of a fashionable little bag slung over their shoulder, they have a toddler on their back.

i'm thankful. so thankful. for everything. EVERYTHING. sometimes it is just soooo easy to focus on what we DON'T have...when what we DO have is everything we NEED, and THEN SOME.

psalm 107:8,9: "Let (us) give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

Lord, i pray that in this season of thanksgiving...in this season of feasting & celebrating with our families, that we not forget the privilege it is to be living in this country...even in our roughest times there are so many resources...allow us each opportunities to make a difference in someone's life...whether here or abroad...or both...and let us NEVER stop being thankful for all of your unfailing love & wonderful deeds.

thankful for a tender heart...

2011-11-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

as usual, i tucked the boys in their beds tonight. after hudson fell asleep, carson made a reappearance. he said we needed to talk. somewhere private.

i never know what is going to come out of this kid's mouth so i braced myself and thought, 'whyyyyyy does he always ask the questions when daddy's not home?'

we climbed up in my bed and got all snuggly in the pile of pillows. before i could even ASK, the tears were falling. weeping. the kind of deep cry that you just can't keep in.

after asking him several times to explain why he was crying, i finally gave up and just held him while he cried. when he settled down a little bit he then began to pour out his thoughts:

he hates the devil.

why did those STUPID PEOPLE have to eat the apple? they screwed up EVERYTHING.

he hates that all because of that, we have to live in a world that isn't perfect.

and then more tears.

he misses debbie.

he was only two when she passed away. but he remembers her. she adored him. he called his sippy cup a DOP-A-DEE and it was her favorite word ever. every time he said it, she would giggle. i can still close my eyes and hear her laughter.

i know why debbie's absence has affected me. i would never have guessed that it would affect him in such a profound way. i'm not even sure how it's possible that he has such recollection of her...but he does.

her influence in my life was profound...she took the time to help me understand GRACE and MERCY and LOVE and FREEDOM....

in fact, were it not for the time and energy that she spent walking along side me at one of the most difficult times in my life, i'm not sure i would have ever been emotionally ready to grow our family beyond the four of us.

but i did get past that season. and obviously, carson and hudson followed.

maybe that's part of the bond that he has with her? maybe there is a connection there that isn't explainable. that sounds so out there. i promise i'm not going all new age on you :)

all i know is that this little guy says he wants to spend his life beating up the devil. he says he's TICKED OFF that we have to live in a world with so much pain.

he prayed and asked Jesus to please tell debbie that he says hello...and also the thief that was on the cross next to Jesus.

i love this boy. i love his tender heart. i'm not always sure what to do with it. but i love it.

thankful for simplicity

2011-11-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

hudson's second grade class is learning about matter: solids, liquids, gasses.

tonight's homework was to go through a magazine and clip out two examples of each that you would find at the grocery store.

he came over to me with an ad from hefty.

"mom, gingerbread men are NOT a holiday NEED. they are a holiday WANT."

um, yep. you're right dude.

this led to a conversation about what you NEED for the holidays: do you NEED to have a christmas tree to celebrate christmas? do we NEED to bake Jesus a birthday cake in order to celebrate his birthday? do we NEED to have presents on christmas morning for it to actually BE christmas?

(not gonna lie...that LAST question made him hesitate...LOL. i assured him that we WILL have gifts on christmas morning...but that even THAT is not a need, it's a WANT...as in we WANT to bless them with presents the way God blessed us with the best gift of all).

in any case, it was a great conversation and tonight i am thankful that even my seven year old is able to recognize how media tries to convince you of things that aren't true.

and THAT is a totally different lesson on MATTER than his teacher had in mind, but it was a good lesson nonetheless :)

thankful for laughter

2011-11-08T10:02:00.001-08:00

it's parent/teacher conference day. which means no school. which means kids. home. which means LOTS of play time...OUTSIDE. carson tried to convince me that they needed to play INSIDE today...that it's too HOT to be outside (it's currently 61 degrees...houston, how quickly he's forgotten you).

anyhow, they came running in because they needed another piece of paper. i began to read, out loud, what was written on the first piece.

instructions on how to be a ZOMBIE:

of course, i stopped at the SHOOT ASSED OUT OF MOUTH. ummmmm??????

me: "carson, shoot ass...????"

carson: "ED."

me: "what?????"

carson: "ass. ed."

me: "huh?"

austin: "mom, ACID. ass-ed."

LMAO.

of course, i didn't let him back outside until i took a picture.

thankful for the gift of laughter...

thankful for my own personal maitre d'

2011-11-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

i shared a few days ago how i was looking forward to the end of volleyball season because it would mean family dinners and lazy evenings...

apparently i wasn't the only one who felt that way.

tonight while dinner was in the oven, carson decided to make a 'fancy' table for us. he had hudson help him and they set the table, came around and took our drink orders and then seated us for dinner.

he roped austin into taking over the rest of the 'cooking duties' and i wasn't allowed in the kitchen from that point on.

as if that wasn't blessing enough, carson also prayed for our meal before he sat down (apparently this is a christian restaurant LOL).

frozen chicken tenders and macaroni & cheese have never tasted so delicious.

i am thankful to share life with these sweet, sweet children of mine.

J CREW vs K MART

2011-11-06T17:38:00.001-08:00

this weekend i'm thankful for so many things. for one, i'm glad that hudson's fever is long gone & he's completely back to his rowdy self.

i'm also glad for a day to myself yesterday. bobby took the kids to have lunch with grand-daddy lee. i got some housework done & then ran some errands. while i was out i decided to hit the local thrift store.

my dear sweet stacey is coming for a visit this week (that will be an entirely different thankful post)...anyhow while she's here, she's going to take pics for us and i've been on the hunt for some funky accessories.

i was THRILLED when i found a navy & orange striped sweater scarf that was like new. even MORE thrilled to see that they had 1.98 on it...and then BEYOND thrilled when i saw that it was j.crew. that baby came home with me :) and i might have giggled just a little when i saw that the scarf hanging next to it was marked a whopping 3.98 and was joe boxer from kmart.

THANK YOU THRIFT STORE PEOPLE FOR BEING CLUELESS.

please continue on in your fashion unawareness as it blesses me and my family tremendously.

xoxo.

thankful for dendrochronology...

2011-11-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

i am so thankful that no matter WHERE i have lived (and i have had a LOT of addresses LOL), i have had the gift of friendship...the gift of other women who have loved me and encouraged me...during times of my life that were filled with laughter...and also in the times that have been filled with tears (and there have been a lot of BOTH of those things too).

as i've moved from season to season, i carry these friends with me in my heart and in my mind. they have impacted my life.

my 'newest' friend is cheri. you can't walk into a patriot volleyball game and not notice her. she's the one who is VIBRANTLY cheering on the team. she's surrounded by friends and family in the stands (and she has about as many children as i have addresses...okay maybe not QUITE that many, but when you add in the friends they need their own bleacher section :)

i'm just getting to know cheri...but what i know, i love. i am so grateful that i have her with me in this new season. she mentioned to me that she co-teaches a parenting bible study and i decided to join her.

i wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it has been A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

this is NOT your normal bible study. the first session i scribbled as fast as i could trying to take down all the info. today i decided to just LISTEN and hope that what i need to remember will be downloaded straight into my mind & heart. it's deep stuff, neurological stuff, medical stuff...and it's GOOD STUFF. i fought back tears today as i listened to some of the information i'd never heard before...and was just filled with a sense of gratitude for my little family of six.

after class, i headed out...places to go, things to do. and i got stuck behind the SLOWEST TRUCK EVER. a policeman was in the lane next to him. so it's not like i could race past him and get the HECK on my way. no. instead i was forced to just sit...light after light after light, staring at the big ol' truck and his load full of trees. my mind began to wander, thinking how lovely a grouping of tree trunks would look as a coffee table...

i started really checking out the beauty of the tree rings. and started to think about what it would look like if i were a tree (yes, this IS how my mind works...please tell me i'm not alone???? i even decided to take a picture because i knew right then that THIS was my blog for the day...the picture is not so great...cell phone...rain...policeman right in front of me probably wondering WHAT ON EARTH i was doing...). anyhow...

when you look at a cut tree, you can learn a lot:

you see the different seasons that the tree has gone through. when conditions encourage growth, this gives the tree wide rings. seasons of drought give the tree a very narrow ring.

forest fires leave scars on the tree.

you can also see if the tree has had enough space or if other trees were too close in proximity. it is good for a tree to have some boundaries ;)

varying species of trees require different types of rainfall/nutrition for their growth.

all trees are not the same.

if you sliced me open and there were tree rings (instead of lots of blood LOLOLOL) i think you'd find a LOT of variation in my rings. i have had seasons of tremendous blessing & growth...and i've had some years that have felt claustrophobic & dry as the sahara desert. some of my years have left scars on the inside. but when you look at ALL OF THOSE YEARS combined, they make a beautiful picture that is ALL MINE.

and i know that YOUR tree rings are a beautiful, lovely creation as well.

i am thankful today for every ring...for every single giggle or tear that has helped form them...yours AND mine.

thankful for patriots, old & new...

2011-11-02T17:03:00.001-07:00

tonight was the FINAL game of the season for the lady patriots. they won their district games on monday night, advancing to tonight's game where they played the TOP RANKED team. after an IMPRESSIVE first game win, the other team came back strong and took the remaining games.

so VERY thankful that jordan was selected to be on the varsity volleyball team. so VERY thankful that she's had a great season. most of all, so VERY thankful that, while she still misses her texas friends tremendously, she has a set of beach friends who love & adore her too.

(and i might be just a tiny bit thankful that the six day a week practice schedule is now D.O.N.E. for the season and we can have lazy evenings and family dinners again :)

came home from the game to OTHER patriot news. you see, back in the day i was a lady patriot too. different school. different era. lol. but a lady patriot nonetheless.

one of my classmates posted a school newspaper that her mom has saved for the last (gasp) 27 years. check out the lead article. i may not have my youth anymore, but i still have my optimistic outlook. lmbo.

some of you didn't realize that my 'pollyanna' outlook goes waaaaaaaaaay back. lol. it's annoying sometimes, isn't it?

i'll try to reign it in. :)

thankful for beat up, run down shacks

2011-11-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

the last couple of years, my friends and i have facebooked (is that a legitimate verb? if it's not, mr. webster needs to get on it and add it)...anyhow...we have facebooked daily during the month of november the things that we are thankful for.

this year i'm going to switch it up a little and blog my thankful thoughts instead. some of you would prefer my short summarized thoughts in a status box. some of you, for whatever reason, seem to enjoy getting a glimpse into what goes through my mind (what the heck is WRONG with you? LOL).

for you, here we go...my thirty days of gratitude (in no particular order).

day one:

the other day austin and i were heading out to get a mailing tube. he has something special he is sending my friend heather. http://teamcarterjay.blogspot.com/ if you haven't read heather's story, you must.

anyhow, we were on our way to office depot when i spotted a mom & pop mailing store in an unexpected location. i did a u-turn and we found a place to park. as we walked toward the building, a sign caught my eye across the street. and it made me laugh. (i'm also thankful for laughter).

i didn't say anything to austin on the way in, but on the way out i told him we needed to cross the street because i had to take a picture. he knows that if he questions me on this stuff it will only take longer, so he humored me and we headed over.

i took THIS picture.

it amuses me. i mean, for REAL? REALLY? are you KIDDING me? would you trust this architect?

and while the initial thought was amusing, as i have thought about it over the last couple days i have come to realize that sometimes this is what it seems like with God.

i mean, he's GOD. he obviously knows what he's doing, right? sometimes it sure doesn't LOOK like it. and it sure as heck doesn't FEEL like it.

sometimes his plans are packaged in ways that don't make sense...they look like shambles...

think about noah...it had never even rained and here he was building an ark...(a whaaaaat???? what's an ark, right?). i have often felt like i can relate to noah's wife and i hope someday we can chat (though i hope by then all that animal aroma has worn off of her LOL). i mean, how much flack did she take for having a lunatic husband who probably LOOKED like he wasn't caring for his family...when actually he was doing EXACTLY what he was called to do? was she having to bear extra burden because he was too busy with the ark? i mean she was a busy mom right? did she ever resent him? did she ever wanna tell him to just GO GET A REAL JOB? were her parents alive? what did THEY think about their crazy son-in-law? i'm sure they may have thought that maybe if only she'd married that other dude down the road...maybe then her life would have been normal...BUT GOD USED NOAH...and he allowed noah's wife to go along (quite literally) for the journey.

then there's abraham...God telling him to just pick up and move to someplace he'd never been...don't worry about the details...just GO. take yer kids, take yer wife, take yer husbands cause they're...oh wait...i just got a little distracted. hee hee hee...

hebrews 11 says: "By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

abraham never got to receive the things he was promised...what the HECK?

more from hebrews 11: "They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

so today, i am thankful for God the architect. God. i mean, he's GOD, right? looking back at my life there have been lots of things that look like mistakes. it's a messy life. but thankfully, i have a creative God who doesn't NEED a fancy sign...he's not worried about his reputation...he just continues to work out his plan in my life and SOMEDAY...some DAY...i will leave this screwed up country that i live in at the moment and go to a better country...a heavenly one.

and for THAT i am forever grateful.

saving up for therapy...

2011-10-31T05:49:00.000-07:00

do you remember second grade? did anything traumatic ever happen to you that still haunts you? a memory of children laughing at you, your cheeks BURNING with embarassment?

um, yeah...we BARELY ESCAPED one of THOSE memories this morning.

the big kids were long gone & i was racing around getting the boys ready to head out the door to the bus stop. carson BEGGED to please wear his fedora with his hoodie sweatshirt...whatever. i finally just said yes. he's SUCH a little hipster. and bobby put the finishing touches on hudson's PIRATE COSTUME...a red bandana tied 'round his cute little head.

you see, fourth graders are TOO COOL to dress up for a party at school. but hudson's class is having a party today. and the note said COSTUMES.

and sooooo, out the door they went. til hudson came RUNNING back to tell me that NO ONE ELSE at the bus stop (best friend -- same class -- included) were wearing costumes.

when i told him that i was SO SURE that he was supposed to wear it, and 'how 'bout you just ride the bus and if you get to school and no one else is wearing one, i'll bring you clothes?' i saw tears fill up the corners of his eyes and he said, 'but mom...i don't want to have to sit there and WAIT for you if i'm the only one dressed up.'

and so carson rode the bus with his friends while i made a phone call to the school. hudson's teacher laughed. apparently the note said NO COSTUMES.

oops. lmbo. he changed clothes & we headed out so i could drive him to school. he in his skinny jeans and gap hoodie, me in my monkey jammie pants and mismatched hoodie. and he turns to me and says, 'are you SERIOUSLY going to wear THAT?'

ha ha ha.

and in case you don't remember some of these, i've chronicled why it SUCKS to be the fourth kid...ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR MOM SELLS STUFF ON EBAY. check out hudson modeling some of the costumes i've sold over the years. and if you'd like to contribute to future therapy bills, feel free to send a donation. this POOR, POOR KID. hee hee hee.

i'm pretty sure he's flipping me off in this one. :)

God, i love love LOVE this kid. please PLEASE help him to not hate me when he gets old enough to realize how much i've screwed him up. lol.

FUTURE ACTIVIST

2011-10-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

you know how they say birds of a feather flock together?

well, one of my 'birds' has always been a little 'different' from the rest of the flock.

carson...what can i say about carson? he is FULL of surprises. he's also full of himself. lol.

the kid wrestles with injustice...with human rights...with the unfairness of life (perhaps it's middle child syndrome and this is all just normal?). but really, he is MOST LIKELY to rebel in our family but he's ALSO MOST LIKELY to confess & apologize (even BEFORE he gets caught).

i love this kid.

TODAY, he came home from school on a mission. he needed TWENTY sheets of paper and he needed them NOW.

he proceeded to make 'posters' to put on every child's desk in his classroom...

"STOP OREO!!! even if you didn't, please don't."

and then wrote the teacher a note...

"Dear Miss H., Our class has made a game called OREO. Game Rules: You 'rock, paper, scissors' and whoever wins points out who you have to ask out (on a date). Me and Josh are trying to stop this game. We don't like it at all . It could also start a rumor! Sincerely, Carson Lee."

LMBO. He is grossed out by the thought of having to ask someone out. He thinks that this is just WRONG for fourth graders. hee hee hee.

I love that he has decided to rally against this OREO INSANITY. lololol.

On a more serious note, one night we had to drop off packages at the post office. It was raining and I had Austin run the packages up to the mail drop. He came back and asked if we had seen the homeless man, who had found some shelter under the post office awning.

Days later, Carson and I were driving past the post office. He started to ask a LOT of questions about the man: does he have family? does he have a place to stay? how does he get food to eat? why can't he move in with someone? if he's ever there again, can we PLEASE go across the street to the mcdonald's and get him an ice cream sundae?

The conversation had some really DEEP moments...with TOUGH questions. And THEN Carson said that he had an idea...that he was pretty sure it would work, but he wasn't sure I was going to like it.

He elaborated on his plan:

Track down aforementioned homeless man

Take him door to door and explain to people that he needs a place to live

Ask them nicely if they could please make soom room for him in their home

At this point my heart is about to burst. My boy...my sweet boy...who cares so profoundly. Until he got to his next point:

If homeowner says no, hold them at gunpoint until they agree

Scratch the warm fuzzies. LMBO. He had me up until the very end. While this thought process scares the HECK out of me, a friend reminded me that there were lots of dudes in the bible who would stop at nothing short of justice...some of them got a little lost along the way, but God still calls them men after his own heart. I hope Carson continues to feel passionately...and act on it...whether it's homelessness or the possibility of fourth grade cooties.

I.LOVE.THIS.KID.

(and a little update: on a later trip to the post office, the man was there again. he asked if i had any money. i truly did not. just my debit card. i left & rather than a sundae, i got him a meal and brought it back to him. we had a GREAT conversation about the fact that he is NOT invisible. that if he is EVER feeling alone in this world, he needs to know that there is a nine year old named carson who sees him, who prays for him at night before bed...and that if a NINE year old cares that much, then how much does the God of the universe care about him? his name is william. he is currently out of work. we continue to pray for him. and i continue to pray that my children will be a blessing and be a change in this sometimes troubled world).

wordless wednesday

2011-10-12T10:49:00.001-07:00

BEETLES and LEGOS and NIGHTMARES...oh MY!

2011-10-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

one of these nights i'm going to sleep all the way through from start to finish. maybe by the time i'm fifty? maybe not.

my most recent sleep was interrupted at approximately 2:30 a.m. when i realized that carson had invaded my side of the bed.

the following conversation followed --

me: carson, why are you in my bed?

carson: because there was a giant beetle crawling on my leg!

me: what? are you sure?

carson: yes! i had a dream and i could feel it crawling on me and then i opened my eyes and looked down and i SAW IT ON THE FLOOR!

me (please don't judge me...i don't like bugs and i was only half awake): well, i'm sure it's crawled away by now. go on back upstairs.

carson: NOOOOOO. mom. it was HUGE. you HAVE to come get it.

(i should take this moment to tell you that from time to time, we have had some HUUUUUGE beetles in this house...for some reason God chooses to torture me by making me live in places that have giant bugs, hurricanes & hot weather...yippee...check out this pic of a beetle in jordan's room a few weeks ago...aggghhhhh!!!)

okay, so now you know that it's entirely POSSIBLE that there IS a bug up there...and you understand why i might not want to go find it...now, back to the story:

me (at this point realizing he's not going away unless i go upstairs): alright. let's go.

upstairs, hudson is fast asleep in his bed. by the light of a teeny tiny night light i feel my way over to his bed and one by one take the blankets off and shake them out.

me: see? there's nothing there. you're fine. let me put these back on and you can climb back in.

carson: MOMMMMM!!!!! CAN'T YOU SEE IT? LOOOOOOK, IT'S RIGHT THERE!!!!! (as he points to the floor).

(um, no. i can't see it. it's 2:30 a.m. it's pitch black. i don't have my contacts in and i'm barely awake. but instead i went ahead and turned on the light, and there it was...THE AWFUL, TERRIBLE, CRAWLING beetle):

what? you can't see it? oh wait...THAT'S BECAUSE THERE WAS NO BEETLE. it was a ROUND RED LEGO.

i thought that would be the end of it. i tried to tuck carson back into bed. but he was HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. he was CERTAIN there was a beetle. CERTAIN that it was still there. nothing i said, nothing i did, nothing i prayed could convince him otherwise.

so i made him a bed on the couch downstairs and that WOULD be the end of the story EXCEPT that at this point my brain was wide awake.

as i lay/lie/laid (diane merchant, high school english teacher extraordinaire, wanna weigh in here? LOL)...anyhow, as i stayed there in that horizontal position in my bed (hee hee), carson came in from the couch several more times...he was just so concerned that another 'beetle' was going to find him...eventually he fell back to sleep (lucky him).

meanwhile (in a mildly annoyed state), i began to realize how similar my own behavior tends to be at times.

and then...well, then i felt the annoyance melt to humility. i see that this is ME! i run to God...i cry out to him...and the very thing that i am afraid of ISN'T REAL. IT ISN'T THERE.

maybe at one point in time there WAS a 'beetle' sighting in my life...but this time, THIS time an actual beetle (read fear, insecurity, doubt, self-hatred...the list goes on and on) isn't even THERE.

it just FEELS like it. but that's because i'm not fully awake.

when i OPEN MY EYES...when i OPEN MY HEART...to the truth...to HIS TRUTH, NOT MY PERCEIVED REALITY, i realize that i am FREE. those feelings that haunt me, that paralyzing fear...it's time to SHAKE IT OFF...and see that what falls to the ground is just an empty, dead, non-living piece of plastic.

'shake off your dust, rise up, sit enthroned jerusalem. free yourself from the chains on your neck.' isaiah 52:2

'who the son sets free is free indeed.' john 8:36

i've come full circle. i'm back to where i started 20 years ago. back to where so much fear took root. but i believe that God has brought me here to allow me to see that I AM NOT THE SAME. the chains are gone. thank you JESUS...my 'room' has already been fumigated. i don't need to be afraid.

in the light of day the very thing i was so afraid of turns out to be something that actually brings me joy! it's just a piece of a 'puzzle' that completes my whole 'story,' you know?

time to pick up that piece that's been left behind and add it to another...let my imagination run wild...who wants to play legos with me?

if you are in my life, then you are a piece of my puzzle. and i'm grateful for you.

and now, this sleepy chick is going to try and take a nap :)

xoxo.

Z is for ZIPPITY-DOO-DAH...

2011-09-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

you know the song, right? zippity doo dah, zippity ay...my oh my what a WONDERFUL day.

can i just say MY OH MY, INDEED, WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY.

it's my birthday. and it's been a fabulous day from start to finish. with some very crazy little 'bonus' treats along the way. one that will confirm for you (if you didn't already have your doubts) that i.do.not.view.life.the.same.as.most.

LOL.

so here are just a few highlights:

a) awakened by bobby's off-the-top of his head version of gilligan's island theme song...i laughed til it hurt. it was PERFECT. and STUPID. perfectly stupid. one of his finest qualities :)

b) starbucks @ the mall, with a handful of 'freebie' promotions. free stuff from sephora, bath & body works & victoria's secret. nothing better than FREE BIRTHDAY PRESENTS :)

c) the airshow is in town this weekend & the blue angels have been giving me my very own BIRTHDAY FLY OVERS. how cool is that? (what? they weren't doing that just for me? say it isn't so!) lol.

those are all pretty normal, right? okay, brace yourself bc the next part may be out of your comfort zone :)

you see, God and i have an inside joke. really. if you don't think God has a sense of humor, then you haven't lived my life. that God...he thinks he's pretty funny...sometimes i am.NOT.amused.

but today...TODAY...he cracked me up.

from the time i was a little girl, it seemed like i'd always catch the clock at 9:23. or i'd notice it on a license plate...or a street address...923 was everywhere (if you're paying attention, it also happens to be my birth date). seriously, it was all OVER the place.

whatever. i thought it was weird. but i'm weird, right? i feel a collective nod of heads...

but it didn't stop as i got older...and i started trying to find some important 'meaning' in it...i went through the bible...ninth book, twenty third verse? 923rd page? etc. etc. etc. but nothing ever made sense.

one night when we were living in ohio, i was having a really rough night & had been praying & crying out for God to let me know he cared. weeping mode crying. and then the phone rang. i remember it like it was yesterday. it was bobby. i was kind of annoyed that he had interrupted my pity-party-cry-fest.

the tears stopped, we chatted for a bit and then i just turned the tv on...and at that moment a commercial came on...it was a runner...he was jumping hurdles...he was racing...the voice over was talking about overcoming obstacles, staying the course, jumping hurdles, pressing on...running the race that you were BORN TO RACE.

across the man's chest was his runner's number. care to guess? YEP. 923.

and the tears started again. could it be that simple? could it just be that the number 923 has significance JUST BECAUSE I WAS BORN? because i exist? i felt like it was just a message that God had a plan for my life...and that he was GLAD i was here.

and from that moment on, the whole 923 thing became a little love message from heaven.

some of you are rolling your eyes right now, right?

seems like right at some of my most challenging moments, when i'm doubting everything, there it is. 9.2.3. again.

so tonight i had to drop jordan off at volleyball practice. it was POURING. the sky was scary. dropped her off and realized i needed to stop and get milk. not gonna lie. kinda wanted to say some bad words as i ran through the parking lot getting soaked.

went to the back of the store. got my gallon of milk. headed for the check out. passed the pharmacy and realized that i should probably get something to help austin breathe. allergies are messing with him big time. deliberated for a moment on name brand vicks or target brand. opted for the cheapy version. passed the cough drops a few feet down and realized jordan said her nose wasn't bad but her throat was scratchy...again, hall's or target brand? grabbed the generic and once again headed to the check out.

placed my items on the conveyor belt and added a cold dr. pepper for austin...

digging through my purse for my debit card and i hear the girl say:

'your total is $9.23.'

excuse me? i look up and there it is on the screen:

and i just laughed. i'm SURE the girl thought i was nuts. because i told her that if she didn't mind, since there was no one behind me, i needed to take a picture of it.

if you come to visit me in the near future, prepare to see this baby framed. it makes me smile. if i had purchased two gallons of milk, or bought name brand cough drops...or a pack of pretzel m&m's (which is not really all that unusual for me LOL)...but it was the perfect combination...what THE heck?

this, my friends, is the God of the universe, wishing ME a happy birthday.

yep. go ahead. giggle. i did. but i also said a little prayer, thanking God for allowing me this crazy, messy, lovely life.

i am grateful for every day of it. the good, the bad, the ugly.

and to top it off, on my way BACK to the gym to pick up jordan, i was sharing this story with my friend monica (who totally totally gets me) and mid-sentence i was like, 'OOOOH MY GOSH...A RAINBOW...' a beautiful, beautiful rainbow. and we had to pause my story so that i could find a parking lot and take a pic. sadly, my camera phone is crap & you can't even TELL it was a rainbow.

but it was. and it was just one more little 'gift' to me today.

i am ready to live.this.life.

the challenges that i've faced, the hurdles that i've jumped...they aren't going to stop me.

who wants to join me? i promise i'm not as crazy as i sound :)

"...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." hebrews 12:1-3.

Y is for YAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2011-09-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

for the first time in the lives of my children, summer lasted til after labor day.

for the first time in my adult life, labor day has been celebrated for several reasons. lol.

i love my children. really. i do.

but i am ready for routine.

for breakfast at the same time.

lunch BY MYSELF.

for dinner and bathtime and bedtime.

ahhhhhhhhh. yes. y is for yahooooooooo!

austin & jordan, though up at a brutal hour, were cheerful as they headed off to their new school. this is a relief. hoping they have an incredible first day.

carson & hudson have been up before me ALLLLL summer long...this morning i had to WAKE THEM UP. go figure. lol.

and so it begins: senior, sophmore, fourth & second. here's to a year filled with lots of new friends, fun & adventure!

off to make my second iced coffee of the morning. have a great day y'all!

X is for XERARCH

2011-07-21T10:18:00.001-07:00

our friends in texas have been experiencing serious drought this summer...to the point of cancelling the annual fourth of july fireworks. drought = lack of celebration.

meanwhile, here on the east coast we've had an unbelievable forecast of rain, rain and MORE rain...to the point of cancelling the annual fourth of july fireworks. lack of drought also = lack of celebration. LOL.

seems that we were destined, this year, to not have the opportunity to experience the thrill, the joy, the tradition of gathering with our family and sending up our collective ooooohs & aaaaahs.

what is UP with all the extremes? what is UP with all the change? can we not just have a happy medium?

the same could be said of the seasons of my soul. it seems that there IS no middle ground.

Isaiah 58:11 (NIV):

'the Lord will guide you always. he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.'

king james version says 'and make fat thy bones.' (um, thanks but i'll stick with the NIV on this one, thank you very much :)

today my prayer for myself...for my friends and family...is that we would each learn to trust that in seasons of drought AND in seasons of abundance of rain that the Lord is guiding us and he WILL satisfy our needs.

thank you Lord that you have proven this time and time and time again in my life. may we continue to trust you on the journey.

may we continue to grow...even in the dry places.

XERARCH (english. adjective.):

1. of or pertaining to xerosere. (that's helpful, is it not? LOL).
2. growing in dry places.

W is for W.W.J.W.?

2011-07-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

what would jesus wear?

so here's the thing...i HONESTLY don't know how i feel about this. i've been pondering on it for awhile and have decided that i'm just going to toss it out there (ready? catch!) and see what the consensus is. not that even THAT will settle the issue in my mind. but it's worth a try.

talk to me.

obviously we are in the process of checking out new churches...it's so interesting to walk in someplace where you know NO ONE, have NO IDEA what to expect, and then just WAIT and see where it goes...

part of me dreads this.

part of me enjoys it.

but that's not what's bothering me. LOL.

and i should emphasize that i am NOT going to allow this (issue? non-issue?) to have any affect on my views of this particular church because what i observed, what i'm wondering about, took place while a guest speaker was filling in.

so i'm holding off judgement. hee hee. really? who am i to judge, right? and yet at the same time, well...i dunno...that's why i'm troubled.

we sang. we prayed. we greeted those around us. and then it was time for them to introduce the guest speaker. and out he came.

keep in mind we are in a beachy community. and it was an evening service. so i wasn't thrown back at all by the fact that he looked more like a surfer than a preacher. that stuff doesn't bother me. not at all.

but i'm not gonna lie. i noticed his jeans RIGHT.AWAY. like within the first two seconds of his stepping out onto the stage.

they weren't just ANY jeans. they were TRUE RELIGION jeans.

now, i'll be honest...two weeks ago, i wouldn't have even KNOWN what those were.

sure, i've HEARD of them...but i wouldn't...couldn't...spot them to save my life.

HOWEVER, in the quest to pay the bills and keep food on the table, i have gone back to my thrift store scrounging, looking for things to sell in the wonderful world of ebay.

and i found a pair at the local thrift store. all i knew was that they sounded familiar...and looked great...and i KNEW that i couldn't lose money on them. i purchased them and came home, THRILLED to discover that they sell USED for $100+ and that this was, INDEED, a good find.
of course, as i researched them, i discovered that there are lots of 'fakes' out there. (how do you know that your RELIGION is, in fact, TRUE?). there are LOTS of ways to spot the fake ones. it has to do with the stitching...and some details on the back pockets...and it has to do with the buddah on the inside pockets...etc. etc. etc.

so while mr. guest speaker was beginning his teaching, i was checking out his arse. niiiiiiiice, right?

like i said, i'm just putting it out there...(insert embarassed face here ----> ).

i mean, i could CARE less about mr. guest speaker's behind...except for the fact that i was now looking for clues as to whether his TRUE religion jeans were TRUE or FALSE. and from everything that i could gather (without asking for a peek inside his pockets...because i DO know my boundaries thank you very much), i was able to determine that they seemed to be TRUE true religion.

who cares, right?

um, i think i sort of...kind of...do.
and i'm not sure how i feel about that.
yeah, i know, i know...i'm rambling here.

these babies are like $300 retail.

who cares, right?

i mean, he could be wearing an armani suit...or a ralph lauren tie...that cost waaaay more than that...and i wouldn't be able to tell...i'd just be like, 'wow, nice suit.' or maybe not even that. i probably wouldn't even notice, you know?

but because of my recent TRUE RELIGION experience (LOL) i was in tune to the whole thing.

as i listened to his teaching, my mind kept going back to his jeans. he spoke about God wanting us all to be WINNERS. some of what he said could have gone either way in my mind...has Jesus REALLY called us all to be wealthy and prosperous?

and if we AREN'T, then is that his judgement?

i certainly hope not. not just for us but what about for the orphans and widows in africa? my time spent on that continent, i met some of the sweetest saints ever...who loved the Lord with all their hearts. they had NOTHING. but they had JOY.

but i'm not even going to judge where he was going with THAT whole line of thinking...because i really DO CHOOSE TO BELIEVE that he MEANT that WHATEVER IT IS that God has called you to do, you should do it well, do it with all your heart...be a WINNER at it. maybe that's what he meant, maybe not. but i'm giving the benefit of the doubt.

at the beginning of the service, we listened to prayer requests and praises...people who had their financial or physical needs met...others who were still waiting...people who were in dire circumstances...waiting on a miracle.

at the END of the service, a bucket was passed around for a special offering...not for any of those people...but for the dude in the TRUE RELIGION jeans.

i have no problem with that. REALLY. i've been to lots of services where they take up a special offering for the guest speaker. but this time...well...this time just felt different.

and maybe it shouldn't have.

maybe i'm just struggling because of our own personal experiences...where our family has been affected by the bottom line of church budgets...maybe this all hits too close to home...maybe...

maybe TRUE RELIGION is not questioning...not judging...

i dunno.

what do YOU think?

W.W.J.W.?

and this...THIS pic above...is evidence that you TRULY CAN GOOGLE ANYTHING and find something that matches. LOLOLOLOL.

V is for VINTAGE

2011-07-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

found this pic the other day and it makes me smile.

it's vintage ME.

in a most vintage-y delicious ensemble.

wearing stripes and flowers long before gymboree ever decided that it was hip to combine them. lol.

U is for UNVEILING...

2011-06-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

so it's taken us awhile...but it's finally time.

are you ready for this???

the UNVEILING of a new joint venture...

georgie and gwen. mother and daughter. designers and friends.

check out our blog site and stay tuned because we've got some FUN ideas planned for this summer.

http://georgieandgwen.wordpress.com/

here are just a few pretties we've been working on:

and in memory of our dear sweet friend baby carter, we are donating $1.00 from every sale to OPERATION SMILE, an organization that is very special to carter's family.

if you follow our journey, please pray for us. we've got lots of changes happening in our lives and we are hoping that this will be something that helps us through the adaptation process.

and if you REALLY want to follow an incredible journey, please take some time to visit heather's blog. heather's faith in the midst of challenge is something that inspires me in ways i can't put into words. i am blessed to call her friend.

http://teamcarterjay.blogspot.com/

T is for TWENTY...

2011-05-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

TWENTY years ago today i said i do...for better or worse...in sickness and in health...for richer or poorer...

as a young naive bride, it was sort of 'blah blah blah...better...health...richer...'

i might, possibly, have skimmed over the 'worse...health...poorer...' part. LOL.

two decades later i can say that we have experienced some crazy stuff...and i can only imagine what the next two decades hold.
we've had mountain top experiences...but we've had our valleys too.

we've traveled the world...and we've been homebodies.

we've monkeyed around :)

we've laughed. we've cried.

we've lived where it's HOT. we've lived where it's COLD.

we've had a LOT of changes.

but one thing that will never change:
i'm beside you all the way babe.

i love you. let's grow old together. oh wait...i think we already did. LOL.

it's definitely been a journey, hasn't it? this is probably my favorite picture of us ever (thank you stacey :) i am COMFORTABLE with you. i can be myself (you poor thing). and like the weathered couch in the photo, our marriage has been through a lot. we can choose to look at the markings and imperfections as flaws...or we can choose to look at them as added 'character.' i choose the latter. and i choose you.

update :)

first off, i've been singing this song now allllll day. if you've never heard me sing, you will not be able to feel my husband's pain. LOL.

bobby's working second shift so we had our 'date' this afternoon. we now live less than a mile from the restaurant we went to for our very first date. great memories!

S is for SON

2011-05-14T07:50:00.001-07:00

son -- noun \ˈsən\
Definition of SON
1a : a human male offspring especially of human beings

human? check.
male? check.
offspring? check.
of human beings? pretty sure. lol.

robert austin lee, it seems you fit the definition of son :)

and your father and i are so proud to call you OURS.

you bring joy to our hearts. it has been such a privilege to be chosen as your momma. you have a kind heart, a sweet spirit, a loving soul.

thank you for being such a great example to your little brothers. you are an incredible role model and i love to see how much carson looks up to you. though i have a feeling some day you may actually be looking up to HIM (he is growing like a weed!).

congratulations on your incredible night at the military awards ceremony. i won't even pretend to understand what all of it means lol. but aunt jennjer says that the one award you got is a national award and you were the only student to receive it. and that calls for a giant WAHOOOOO for you!

what a blessing it has been to have colonel overby in your life over the course of your high school years. he has been such an encourager to you and an incredible role model. i know you are going to miss him!

i was excited to get all of aunt jennjer's texts and updates through the night and only wish i could have been there too! twenty three days until we can celebrate your success in person.

i love you dude.

"My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgement and discretion. Listen, my son, and be wise. Set your heart on the right path."

proverbs 3:21, 23:19

R is for RUNNER...

2011-05-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

alexis taylor crowe arrived in this world on may 13, 1994.

she tortured my poor sister with a horrific labor for an entire day, refusing to be born on my sister's birthday...no, she wanted a day all to herself.

and she got it :)

happy seventeenth birthday sweet alexis.

from early on you have shown fierce determination (sometimes it wasn't pretty LOL).

that determination, combined with the love & guidance your family has given you, has shaped you into an amazing young woman.

you stand head and shoulders above the crowd, literally (well, at least when you're standing next to jordan...hee hee) and figuratively.

i love how you stand your ground. i love that you aren't afraid to speak your mind. i love that you know who you are.

and who you are is wonderful.

i have loved the last few years we've had together in texas. having you nearby through your high school years has been lots of fun...and now we head into another season...pretty soon you'll be heading off to college to be a track star!

apply the same discipline, the same determination, the same effort that you use to make you a winner on the track and you will go FAR in this life.

and no matter where i am, know that i'll be cheering you on (but no one...i mean, no one...can cheer as loud as your momma...hee hee).

here are a few pics that make me smile :)

^^^then...and now:

twenty four days until you get a big ol' birthday hug from me.

can't wait.

have a happy, happy birthday & i'll have cake for you when you get here!

xoxo,

aunt wendy

the case of the disappearing Q...

2011-05-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

apparently blogger had some maintenance stuff go on and it caused a mess and all the posts from may 12 are (supposedly) temporarily gone...but are (supposedly) going to be restored.

i sure hope so. my may 12 post happened to contain all kinds of fabulous photographs of my baby sister and i through the years :)

i'm wondering if she has connections at blogger and had the whole site crash so no one could see her mullet?

hee hee.

Q is for Queens (and royal ladies)...

2011-05-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

once upon a time there were two teen-aged girls who dreamed of royalty. on a hiking trip to windsor lake in colorado, they began to daydream. and somewhere along the way they left behind their ohio school girls and transformed from

jennifer to 'lady genevieve'

and from

wendy to 'lady gwendolyn.'

the hike...the day...the vacation...all ended.

but about three decades later, lady genevieve and lady gwendolyn are still with us.

our journeys have taken us back and forth across the country, we've worn many hats (no crowns). we've had ups. we've had downs. we've had our good hair days...and our bad. we've had lots of change of addresses...but one thing has never changed...

we love each other. and hope and dream for each other. we share our joys. we share our sorrows.

and today (okay, so i'm like five minutes early eastern time...but you WERE born in this time zone) i celebrate the birth of my baby sister, jennifer aka lady genevieve.

as i was unpacking this afternoon i came across a big box of pictures...i decided to take a break.

i'll let you decide for yourself but quite honestly, i think that, like fine wine, we've improved with age LOL.

happy birthday sweet sister. i miss you. i love you. and i am hoping and praying that this year brings you joy. you deserve it. it's time. (and once again, God, please, if you're reading...hee hee...grant me a birthday wish for my sis...cut the girl some slack, k? thanks).

and now...a trip back in time...

every royal lady had a jessica mcclintock gunnesax dress :)

no pepsi for these princesses LOL

those are some high waisted shorts we've got on :)

i will NEVER forget this night with our foreign exchange student...do you remember?

look, it's us...standing on the highway on the interstate near williamsburg, virginia (why???? LOL). diggin the colored socks :)

the era of the julia roberts pretty woman suits :)

THIS JUST IN: convicts escape women's prison and take denim clad babies with them. if seen, please call crime stoppers. they were last seen headed toward the levi strauss store...

apparently austin and i shared the same hairdresser? LOLOLOL

cruella and miss clavel (sp?) from madeline. i'm sure they would have been hanging out together??? hee hee.

if we are 'ladies' does that make our brother 'duke gregory?' i'm not up on my royal lingo.

carson is still convinced we're naked in this pic. thanks ever so much for having me wear a custom made maternity bustier. and thank you to your photographer for having me stand next to our barely there sister in law in the family photo. dude, don't mess with pregnant ladies in bustiers.

three pregnant sisters. fun, fun, fun!

and then that's as far as the pictures in the box went...you know the rest...ohio, texas and beyond...

saying goodbye.

thank you so much for being who you are...for loving me for who i am. you challenge me, you provoke me, you make me laugh, you make me cry.

and so that i don't end on a sappy note, throwing in this picture just for fun. seriously one of the craziest nights i can remember in a long time. of course, i don't get out much ;)

happy, happy birthday lady genevieve. you ARE a treasure.

xoxo,

lady gwendolyn of windsor lake

P is for Pondering Perplexities, Preparing, Paris and more...

2011-05-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

probably should be sleeping right now.

but I'm not.

instead my mind is busy. filled with a jumble of thoughts that refuse to be silenced.

so here I sit...typing as quietly as I can on my LOUD clickety-clackety keyboard... hoping no one else in the house is disturbed by my need to put my thoughts 'out there' so that they aren't 'in here' anymore.

here i sit...in virginia. minus two kids. minus my friends. minus my home (though i really AM loving making this new place mine...even if it's technically not, you know?).

and i think...what the HECK? who would have thought? and, um, WHY? it has been awesome to reconnect with bobby's family. it's been a blast to drive by places familiar (and some that have changed soooo much) and be flooded with memories from the past. so much has changed. so much has stayed the same.

but back to the WHY...i have absolutely no clue. lol. and you know what? it doesn't matter. it isn't mine to know. and i'm okay with that. (well, part of me is...the other part apparently is plagued enough to not be sleeping lol).

here's the thing: it's been a tough week. we miss austin & jordan. oh so much. and so i was excited to finally be able to put a date to this temporary separation and let them know when they would be joining us. for austin this was welcome news. he is ready...he's not thrilled with the prospect of starting over...or leaving everyone & everything...but he's excited for all of us to be back together again. for jordan...well, let's just say she wasn't ready for an actual date for the end of life as she knows it.

and it broke my heart. i hate when my children are hurting. my heart feels their pain. and i wish that i could take it away. but this time, i can't. i have to trust that she's going to be okay.

and i shared with a friend how it hurts sometimes to know that this life has not always been easy on my kids...i pondered why they haven't been able to just have whatever they want...and sure, take some of it for granted...instead of feeling (even though we try to keep it to ourselves) the unknown of sometimes even knowing how we're going to put food on the table...or pay the bills...watching their dad struggle through this past season...and them being old enough to see it...to process it...i told my friend that i wished sometimes that they could just be normal kids...who get whatever they want.

and as soon as i said it, i realized: I DON'T MEAN THAT. i'm glad they aren't normal kids (no offense kiddos...i don't mean you're weirdos or anything...well...never mind...i'm sure they aren't reading this anyhow...).

look at paris hilton. she got everything she ever wanted. do i really want THAT for my kids? um, no.

i realize there are well adjusted kids out there who live a comfortable life...and this isn't meant to say that having financial security is a bad thing...

but the things we've gone through, the things we've lived...they've brought us here (well, some of us...some of us aren't here yet)...and i don't KNOW why...but they've shaped us...they've molded us...as a family...as individuals...and i am reminded of the moment that carson actually CRIED over an xbox for christmas...100% gratitude...a moment of absolute thankfulness for receiving something that was beyond what he could have hoped for.

and that makes me smile.

i've spent today working on jordan's bedroom. she gave me a general idea of what she'd like her room to look like...and she's entrusted me with the rest...i've given her a glimpse of what i'm working with but have decided that from this point on, she's going to have to wait...i'm not showing her any more...she'll have to wait for 'the big reveal' when she arrives. i cannot tell you the joy and love that is going into this room...knowing that she's struggling right now...knowing that this move is going to be so hard on her...and so as i'm preparing this place...this new place...for her...i am excited to make it as fabulous as it can possibly be...layering all sorts of little surprises into the details...my heart skips a beat when i find the PERFECT funky little addition at the thrift store (thank you God) and i just know that even though it's going to be an adjustment, she's going to have a great place for this new season...

and it makes me think about how Jesus said (and i'd put quotes here but i don't know it by heart and i may be taking it completely out of context...but hey, whatever, it's 5:07 now, you know?)...anyhow Jesus said something about going to prepare a place for us...

and THAT makes me think beyond just palaces and streets paved with gold and all that jazz...it makes me think that God knows everything...he knows what's ahead...while i sit here struggling, he's preparing a new place...just for me...for you...for us...

and i think that sometimes he (well, wait a minute...he knows everything...so okay...) so YEAH, um, all the time...he knows that there are things ahead that are going to be rough...things that are going to be opposite of what WE WANT...but things that are ultimately for our good even when we can't fathom how or why...and so, i'd like to think (and hopefully this isn't just wishful thinking) that in the same way i am getting my daughter's room ready...and personalizing her space in ways that reflect my love for her...my desire for her to feel secure, that he's doing the same for us...

i know this isn't where jordan wants to be...i want to wrap my arms around her...i want to protect her from the pain that comes along with change...

if i feel like that, how much MORE does the perfect, all-knowing, imaginative, creator of the universe God feel that way about me? about you? about us?

i would move heaven and earth for my children. i am HIS child. and so i shall try to set aside all that plagues my thoughts...and trust...that he is paving a way before me...setting me on the path that he has already prepared for me...and even though i can't see it, i trust that he is good...and that he's personalizing it just for me.

because he loves me. he loves you. he loves us.

and now, Jesus, if you are reading this, could you please please pretty please with sugar on top (is there sugar in heaven? oh gosh i hope so...) pleeeeeeease let me go to sleep now?

O is for OH HOW HE LOVES US...

2011-05-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

do you ever feel the need to just say, 'ENOUGH????'

stop. stop. NO, NO, NO!

i am weighed down with a heavy heart right now. burdened for a friend. wishing that i could change their world. knowing that i can't. hoping, praying, begging for a breakthrough.

it stays with me through the day. the heaviness bears down on me in the middle of the night. i'm crying out for freedom. 'i run in the path of your commands for your TRUTH has set me free.'

God, the TRUTH is that your love is the ONLY hope we have. all of our problems and momentary troubles fade if and when we are hit with the power of your love.

you LOVE us. oh how you love us. if we could just allow ourselves to believe this...to feel this...to KNOW this...

to not respond as wounded children...children who have been so scarred by life...children who doubt...children who flinch as you draw near, wondering what to expect this time around...

if only we could respond out of trust and a secure knowledge of your neverending love for us.

if only.

as i carry this burden for one that i love, i realize that you carry this burden for me too.

heal us Lord. kiss our broken hearts. wipe away our tears and allow the tears that you cry for us to seep down into our wounded places, to heal us in places we didn't even realize needed healing.

oh how you love us.

allow us to believe it. for it is only in your love that we are truly free.

crying out for freedom. FREEDOM. break the chains. LET US RUN.

N is for NO WORDS

2011-04-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

You know me...I'm a wordy girl :) But this morning, today, there truly are no words that can adequately describe my heart.
Two weeks ago they had baptism at our church. Set aside your personal beliefs on immersion vs. sprinkling, infant vs. not, because that's not at all what this is about.

This is about the fact that my nine year old son came to me and said he wanted to be baptized to show God how much he loved him. Hudson said he wanted to do the same. I told them that Austin and Sissy had not been baptized yet and so Carson called them downstairs and asked if they would get baptized too. They all agreed.

Only one thing: Daddy wasn't going to be here the weekend baptism was scheduled. I figured it would just have to wait. I didn't want him to miss it. But when our friend & pastor, Jason, found out about this he said he'd just go ahead and do another baptism since Bobby was in town.

And so yesterday morning, I watched as each of my children publically acknowledged their love for God and their desire to live their lives following Him (even, in the words of my daughter, if it means moving to Virginia Beach).

Austin summed it up when he said that "this is a great way to start our family's new journey." I couldn't agree more.

There truly are no words. I am so blessed to have these children in my life.

I am thankful for the blessing that they are to me.

I am humbled by the opportunity to impact their lives. I am grateful that they don't have any understanding of just how different life is for them than it was for me.

I am thankful beyond belief that despite my inadequacy they continue to thrive.

I thank God for the precious gift of my family.

I am blessed.

(and apparently, maybe i DO have a few words LOL)

M is for MAGNANIMOUS

2011-03-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

so, i have to admit that i don't have the world's greatest memory (some of y'all are not at all surprised by this...i have to work EXTRA hard on being charming so as to make you love me so much that you will find this flaw forgiveable :)

i don't remember WHY, and i don't remember WHEN...but i DO remember that my friend tami used the word MAGNANIMOUS to describe my sister jennifer.

that's a big word. and it starts with M.

magnanimous (adj.) -- showing or suggesting a lofty & courageous spirit. very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.

i could end there. but that probably wouldn't be enough to make you laugh...and i promised a chuckle. so i shall continue.

sometime later...again, don't remember WHEN...maybe a couple weeks ago???? my sister jennifer (the magnanimous one) and i had chinese. at the end of our meal, i went for the fortune cookies (i think cookies...any cookies...are awesome) but jenn said no...that she'd had a freaky fortune cookie experience and would prefer not to :)

being the salesgirl that i am, i sold her on the idea of having one anyhow. so she read hers and it was just...well...boring maybe? nothing about it stands out. at least not to me (says the girl with the memory issues LOL).

then i opened mine. and i immediately handed it to her and said, 'i'm sorry. i believe this belongs to you.'

it read:

and we laughed. because it was so random. not your every day word. well, maybe it's one of YOUR every day words...but not here. at least, not THEN. so anyhow, she's kept that little slip of paper at her computer and each time i see it, it makes me smile :)

congratulations. you've made it through part one of my story.

now, on to part two.

earlier this week we had an evening showing of our home. so i took the kids up to the food court at the mall. this pleased my picky bunch because they could each get what they wanted and i was able to get the OH SO FABULOUS green beans from the chinese place by the merry go round.

i purchased five fortune cookies and saved them for when we got home. i had the kids each choose one, from youngest to oldest.

and they read them aloud.

hudson: attend to business today. leave that street-side flower alone.

carson: if you want people to like you, like yourself first.

jordan: if you don't program yourself, life will program you.

austin: it doesn't matter. who is without a flaw?

and then, my default fortune cookie. the only one left.

and i opened it.

and i laughed.

apparently someone out there thinks that i, TOO, am magnanimous.

courageous.

generous.

forgiving.

may i strive for all these qualities and more.

and may i always have a good chinese restaurant nearby.

L is for LET'S MOVE ON bc "M" is HILARIOUS

2011-03-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

sometimes you just get stuck. usually these random things just POP into my head (i know, i know, you're frightened, aren't you?).

but L was causing me some problems.

perhaps it's all that's on my plate right now...working, single momming it to four kids...trying to do third grade homework (hey, don't judge me...some of this math stuff is HARD!)...trying to keep the house PERFECT...trying to not have my kids hate me in the process LOL.

so i might come up with something every once in awhile for my alphabetical blog but was not following through with ANY of it.

and then my friend pam Lozano called me out (gasp) on my facebook account & it brought me back to my senses and i realized: I MUST FINISH WHAT I STARTED.

and so this is my L post. thank you mrs. Lozano. you've pushed me past this moment in time and i am thrilled to move on to M.

because M cracks ME up.

K is for KAPOW!

2011-02-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

warning: due to graphic content, this blog entry may not be suitable to be read before breakfast, after dinner or anytime in between.

K IS FOR KAPOW!

sometime back in january, we noticed a bump on carson's nose...i kept thinking perhaps it was a mole. and also, if i'm being honest, thinking that if it WAS a mole we'd be needing to have someone eventually take care of that. yes, i'm vain like that.

so anyhow, the 'mole' started to get reeeeeally red. carson thought maybe it was a pimple. he's nine. really?????? so i just said we'd keep an eye on it. it got bigger. and redder. and he wouldn't let me NEAR it.

one day he came home with a note from the school nurse. for those of you who follow along, we've had some HILARIOUS trips to the nurse with notes sent home...hang nails, mosquito bites, etc.

well, the mysterious mole-pimple went back to a tiny bump and i thought we were done with it. but on friday it made a grand reappearance.

that night, all the kids had gone to bed and carson snuck down to chat with me. we're laying in my bed talking about all sorts of things and then he told me kids at school were making fun of him because of his zit. so i asked him if i could please check it out. of course, he said NO. and of course, being the mom that i am, i decided it was TIME...and pretty much pinned him down against his will and started to mess with it.

to say he protested was an understatement. (and if you're queasy, skip this part) but it only took one good stab at it and KAPOW!

it was really, really gross and we'll just keep it at that.

he cried. of course he did. but he got over it pretty quickly. there was a sense of relief that IT was gone. and then we laughed about it. and made lots of sick nine year old boy humor zit jokes. mommy might be getting too good at this 'daddy' role. i'm not accustomed to gross humor.

but SERIOUSLY, in the midst of holding him afterward and having him cry because i had pretty much just accosted him and his appendage...it hit me (really, truly, it did...this is just how my mind works folks)...

THIS IS KIND OF WHAT IT'S LIKE WITH GOD AND ME.

sometimes i have stuff that's festering inside of me. i try to hide it...or maybe i seek out advice...and maybe even have people talking behind my back and making fun of me or judging me...

and sometimes the ONLY cure is to have a KAPOW moment. sometimes, because of his love and care for me, HE MIGHT JUST PIN ME DOWN AND FORCE ME INTO A SITUATION WHERE HE CAN JUST SAY 'ENOUGH ALREADY, LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH' and...

KAPOW.

and then he holds me. while i cry. and i realize that the pain was worth it.

and so, as we move along on this journey and i ask him, 'WHYYYYYYYYY are you uprooting us? WHYYYYYYYY do i have to leave my comfort zone?' i'm going to TRY (perhaps kicking and screaming at times) to trust that HE REALLY DOES KNOW WHAT I NEED.

J is for Jordan, JoJo, Josephina, Joe, Jorgini...

2011-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

my poor baby girl isn't feeling well this week...so today J is for Jordan...and all the other J names i call her.

and to think that you were almost Samantha Rae...and this post would never have existed.

i KNOOOOOW you're not faking when you turn down chocolate chip pumpkin muffins. feel better love.

here's an acrostic just for you :)

jordan noel lee

**************

J is for JOYFUL

O is for ON TOP OF THE WORLD

R is for RADIANT

D is for DAUGHTER

A is for ATHLETIC

N is for NUTTY

N is for NATURAL

O is for ORIGINAL

E is for ENCHANTING

L is for LOYAL

L is for LOVED

E is for EXCEPTIONAL

E is for ELEGANT

you are loved.

xoxo.

I is also for I CRACK MYSELF UP :)

2011-02-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

sooooooo, sweet sweet blog post regarding carson and how much he respects & loves his dad. love, love. kiss, kiss. now, let's laugh, shall we? :)

i decided that since we couldn't BE there with bobby for his ocean-side birthday dinner with nanny, aunt melba and aunt t tonight that we should have our OWN birthday celebration here.

and you CAN'T have a birthday celebration without PRESENTS to open, right?

earlier in the day, i booked bobby's ticket to fly back and see us the end of march. i didn't tell the kids...and earlier in the WEEK, i met my sister at borders and happened to notice that all the calendars were $1.00 each.

so i ran up to the bookstore today...and picked out a calendar for each of the kids...i opened them up and marked each day from now til dad arrives...43 days and counting down as of today.

i wrapped up the calendars & let them all open a gift...and then they had to look through to figure out the surprise. clone wars for hud, tron for carson, dogs for jo & airplanes for austin...

carson noticed first with a huge YES!!!!!!!!

followed by tears. because it's not soon enough. :( :( :( :( :(

but hey, i promised you a giggle...so wipe that tear from your eye and check out the calendar for me.

hee hee hee.

43 more days til MY cowboy is back in TEXAS. :)

love you dear. really, i do. LOL.

and JUST SO YOU DON'T WORRY, carson is okay. birthday brownies work wonders for a sad heart.

p.s. here's a birthday picture that hudson drew you after school today. it's you two running toward each other. he didn't know yet that you were coming home :)

looooooove you. xoxo.

I is for IF MY DAD WAS PRESIDENT...

2011-02-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

carson came home from school the other day, so excited about something he had done in class. he wrote in his journal about who he thought should be president. and he picked his dad. and the reasons he shared made me smile (and tear up). since the journal doesn't come home til the end of the school year (THAT is going to be one interesting read LOL), i asked the teacher for a copy.
and in case you can't read the picture, here's what it says:

Do you know what the world needs? My dad. He's responsible, helpful and always cares about our family. Right now he is in Virginia and my dad had to start a job early.

Can you imagine what it would be like to have my dad saying: Freedom will always last! Oh and have Tony Romo as vice president! Me and my dad saying my dad should be president!

My dad will be just like George W. Bush! Oh my dad can provide for the world, and he could be doing the most hardest thing on earth but he is not a quitter! He will never stop! Like when he lost his job and he never stopped looking for a job.

And that is why he should be president.

happy birthday bobby lee. your kids (and your wife) think you're pretty awesome. we are all so proud of you. thank you for being a great provider, for never quitting and for always caring about your family. out of the mouth of babes...

xoxo.

H is for HE LOVES ME..

2011-02-14T18:30:00.001-08:00

tonight it's valentine's day. the boys are in bed, the big kids are at youth group and i turned on the tv to see if i could find something to watch...

the bachelor is on. on valentine's day? REALLY?

a parade of girls...each one trying to out do the next. each trying to put her best foot (well, her best SOMETHIN' ...lol...) forward...trying to win over the handsome 'prince.'

they stand with trepidation, waiting to find out if they are 'good enough' to make the cut. will he keep them around? or will he decide that he's moving on, that he's found someone else that thrills him more.

these girls, bless their hearts, seem so pathetic. so desperate to impress this dude. so hoping to make him fall in love with them.

and while i'd like to make fun of them, i can't.

i'd say most of my life i've been playing this game...only not with the hottie du jour...but rather with the God of this universe. i've dolled myself up...made myself as 'good' as i can be...i've done everything i can to impress him...to try and improve my 'credentials,' my 'ranking.'

and then i've hoped...and hoped...that i'd be good enough...that i'd be worthy of a rose...that he'd keep me around another day, another month, another year.

and it's really kind of sad...that it's taken me THIS LONG to start to wrap my brain around the fact that HE LOVES ME. i don't have to DO anything. i don't have to WONDER if i'm going to get a rose...he's already got one with my name on it.

there is no dress ugly enough...no deformity grotesque enough...to turn him away from me.

he loves me. HE REALLY LOVES ME.

so tonight, i remind myself that i need to refrain from playing the childhood game of HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT and choose to believe that HE LOVES ME.

psalm 52:8,9 -- i trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. i will praise you for what you have done. in YOUR NAME i will hope, for your name is good.

G is for GOLIATH, GIANT from GATH

2011-02-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

it's been awhile since i've read the story of david & goliath...but sunday i re-read it and was struck by some things in the story that give me some hope...some encouragement...as i face the giants in my own life.

here's a completely paraphrased version :)

there's this huuuuge giant named goliath...he's almost ten feet tall. his armor alone weighs over 126 pounds. good golly. this is one tough dude, right?

he starts picking on the israelites & wants one of them to have courage enough to fight him. if he wins, he & his posse own the israelites. but if they take HIM down, they get to be top dog.

meanwhile, there's this family whose mother was brave enough to have EIGHT boys (no telling how many girls were born in between those boys...hats off to her...can you EVEN imagine?).

a bunch of the brothers are off to war and are in the camp that is being challenged by the giant. david is the youngest. he stays home & helps his dad take care of the sheep...one day dad tells david that he wants him to take some cheese & bread down to the brothers & their commanders.

when the father asked david, he set out to go RIGHT AWAY. he even was responsible enough to make sure someone took over his chores while he was gone...(doesn't sound much like the youngest around these parts LOL).

the giant has been taunting these guys for forty days when little david shows up. the brothers are annoyed by david's arrival and think he's shown up just for a front row seat to the blood & gore.

nope. instead, david goes to the head honcho & says he'll take the giant down...he's fought bears & lions to protect the sheep...he can handle this guy. the king thinks he's crazy but lets him. what do they have to lose, right?

the king wants david to be safe and makes david put on his armor. it's waaay too awkward. david says NO WAY and goes & picks out five stones and goes off to fight goliath.

of course, the giant thinks this is laughable. til david whacks him in the head with the very first rock. down. dead. david uses goliath's own sword to cut the giant's head off. and i'm a little grossed out by the fact that david totes that head around with him for the rest of the story...JUST LIKE A BOY. lol.

sooooooo, what on earth does this have to do with anything?

well, several things struck me (not as hard as the rock that struck goliath...hee hee).

when david's father asked him to run some food over to his brothers and check in on them, he DID IT. he didn't question his dad. he didn't whine...didn't grumble about the inconvenience of it. he just DID it.

he arrived JUST IN TIME. he got there RIGHT when he needed to. he THOUGHT he was going for a mundane task...but GOD KNEW that there was a purpose for this young boy.

his brothers rolled their eyes at him...they judged his motives...they questioned his judgement.

when david said he was going to step out and do this, others tried to give him their advice...tried to protect him...tried to get him to armor up...but what worked for THEM was AWKWARD for david...he was not comfortable in another man's armor...it wasn't who he was.

david took the things that came naturally to him and went with that. he knew who he was...what his strengths were...he took all that had been put into him over his lifetime and trusted that God would give him the strength and protection he needed.

he knocked goliath out with the FIRST rock. he was MORE than prepared for the task he had to do. he went into the battle with everything he needed and MORE. MORE. he had MORE THAN HE NEEDED. extra rocks!

this really speaks to me. we are facing this move...this HUGE HUGE HUGE move for our family, our kids...and i want to be more like david...

i want to trust that God has prepared our family for this...that he KNOWS what we need...and that if we rely on HIM, that he will GET US WHERE WE NEED TO BE, at the time we need to be there, FOR THE PURPOSES HE HAS FOR US.

and what works for some may not for others. we have background, history, that is personalized just for us. and we have to trust that the God who has brought us to this point is going to go before us on this next phase of the journey.

just one thing, please, God: the bread & cheese part sounds quite lovely but i really don't want to have to carry around any dead carcasses.

"All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:47

F is for FUTURE-WIFE

2011-02-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

in the spring of 2007, we had just moved into our rental house in texas.

someone knocked on the door...we didn't even KNOW anyone yet...who could it be?

the most adorable little girl was standing on my door step...a sprinkle of freckles across her nose...sparkling blue eyes...

in lightning fast speed, she said her name was rachel, she lived down the street, and she noticed that i had a little girl about her age and she wanted to meet her. and with that one super fast sentence, we welcomed rachel into our lives forever.

through the years, we've sort of decided that we love her too much to let her go. and the girls came up with a plan...if RACHEL married AUSTIN, then the girls would always get to celebrate the holidays together. THEY'D BE SISTERS!

and somewhere along the way, austin decided that he was okay with this :)

so now, rachel calls austin FUTURE-HUSBAND. and he ANSWERS. hee hee. yes, she DOES have a boyfriend already...but we're not worried about that...it's temporary, right? we already 'claimed' her years ago :)

rachel and austin have planned out their honeymoon. they are going to PARIS, JAMAICA & OHIO. this makes me LOL for REAL. they are not in agreement on how they are actually GETTING to paris though.

austin says there's no way he's flying across the ocean in a "tin-can" (yes, this coming from the one who has professed his desire to be a PILOT??????). he thinks they should take a boat. rachel says, 'HAVE YOU SEEN TITANIC??????? NO WAY.'

so we have a few details to work out...but i'm not worried.

rachel, it has been an absolute JOY to have you in our lives. we've watched you grow from little girl to gorgeous young lady... YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE RAY OF SUNSHINE AND WE LOVE YOU DEARLY.

please tell your parents that if you turn up missing come june, that you're safe...your daddy should be able to arrange frequent flights from virginia to houston for you to visit them, right?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL. you're going to be one fabulous daughter-in-law.

love,

your FUTURE-MOM-IN-LAW :)

xoxo

E is for EMOTION...lots of it...

2011-01-31T19:52:00.001-08:00

somewhere along the way, i think i had joined jordan's camp...

if you haven't HEARD of where jordan's been (mentally) camping, it's a place called DENIAL and it's filled with all sorts of things like pet tigers, and pink jeeps with zebra interior...and purple flying unicorns that transport you back and forth to other states...and also includes plans to drop out of highschool in order to sell sno-cones on the beach...i've seen her in a bikini...while i'm CERTAIN she'd do quite well for herself, her father and i really AREN'T OKAY with that plan (and if i'm being honest, the pet tiger kinda scares me a little...but maybe not as much as the bikini clad sno-cone salesgirl LOL).

in any case, today there was no avoiding it. time to face the reality that this is REALLY happening. this morning bobby headed out. we had a very sweet time last night as a family...all six of us climbed into our lumpy ol' bed and talked...and prayed...and some of us might have cried...

carson prayed that daddy would not have to carry aunt melba to protect her from the slugs (he's not quite got that story down yet LOL). jordan prayed that daddy would text her 24/7. and we all prayed that we would make it through the day.

with two hours to go, i'm going to say my THANK YOU PRAYER in advance and call it a day. 'daddy' has gotten about three hours outside of atlanta and is well on his way. tomorrow we're hoping that the weather stays clear for him as he continues on.

the kids each made him a card to tuck in his bag...you can see which one is feeling dad's departure the most at this point. and while i get choked up for her, i also am so so so so so very grateful that she has this kind of relationship with her dad. there is nothing but love between the two of them. she doesn't for a second doubt him...his love for her...his willingness to move heaven and earth to be there for her however he can be...and i could NOT be more grateful for that. oh, if only we could each feel that bond with our heavenly father...if we could just put aside our earthly assumptions...our own personal history...and just ENJOY the love of our father...and TRUST that he really DOES adore us for who we are...

but enough of that...on to artwork and sentiment...

here is carson's card:

and hudson's...love that he included maya...daddy may pretend not to like her but he actually loves her...and he KNOWS it...
and austin's :(

and jordan's...sigh...

and lastly, a play-doh masterpiece, also created by jordan...

lunches are packed, homework is signed, kids are all in bed and i am calling it a day.

what kind of day?

no other word for it...EMOTIONAL.

D is for DESTINY...

2011-01-28T12:38:00.001-08:00

do you ever look back at your life and realize that a single decision has FOREVER altered your DESTINY?

as i reflect on my own life, there are some MAJOR defining moments that have absolutely changed the course i was on (thank GOD).

some things are of our own choosing. some, not so much. along this journey, there are times where we just DON'T have any control over our destiny. that can be an unsettling feeling.

but i believe (i just HAVE to believe) that ultimately, if our hearts long for God to use us...if we really want to do what HE wants us to do...then he'll get us where we need to be...one way or another.

and so, today, i think about AUSTIN'S DESTINY.

today is his SEVENTEENTH birthday. and for the entire time we've lived in texas, this child has been obsessed with airplanes...he has served in the Air Force Junior ROTC and was completely focused on becoming a pilot.

of course, this goal requires LOTS of cash...something we don't have. and so for the last year, he has seriously been contemplating joining the military so that his education would be paid for. we just didn't see another way of him reaching this goal.

meanwhile, the OTHER side of austin is his amazing artistic ability. he has SUCH a gift...and it's been evident since he was a toddler. his attention to detail when it comes to art is just mind boggling. and we've always wondered if he would go down that road. he once wrote a letter to Steven Spielberg...i saved it and stumbled upon it not too long ago. i could totally see him going into some kind of production.

this move changes EVERYTHING for him. not only did he discover on his flights to and from virginia recently that he turns green when he flies (not exactly a quality the air force is probably looking for, huh? LOL), but we also now have the opportunity for him to attend a private college on-site for 75% off because his dad will be an employee. this is HUUUUUGE. and they have some incredible programs that would be right up his alley.

MAJOR, LIFE ALTERING, DESTINY CHANGING move approaching for austin. i'll say it one more time: this changes EVERYTHING.

and i'm going to choose to trust that as we move forward, this gets him one step closer to whatever it is that he was born to do.

i love you austin lee. happy 17th birthday. you are such a gift to me.

xoxo.

C is for CHOICES...

2011-01-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

well, the countdown is on. bobby leaves MONDAY. oh MY gosh. the last time we did this, austin and jordan were 2 & 4 and he was LEAVING CBN. i stayed behind and sold the house. can you say dejavu? only this time, there are twice as many kids LOL.

and now we are full circle...and he's headed TO CBN. and this is going to be a big change for all of us. the little guys have been a little bit ornary lately...maybe it has something to do with daddy leaving...or maybe they're just being bratty? but either way, we've been having lots of conversation and verbal reminders about attitudes & CHOICES.

when mommy or daddy tell them to DO SOMETHING, the answer needs to be an IMMEDIATE 'yes mommy,' or 'yes daddy.'

no arguing. no complaining. no justifying. just a heart of obedience. IMMEDIATELY.

and as i have these conversations with them, i cringe inside as i am faced with the hypocrisy of that expectation.

do I respond that way? i'd be LYING if i said yes.

i don't want to have to debate with my kid just to get them to do something that they KNOW they should be doing. i should be able to trust them to just DO IT. and they should be able to trust ME enough to know that I don't demand things from them that are too much for them. it's not like i'm asking my six year old to cut the grass...or asking my 15 year old to prepare a gourmet meal...the things i ask of them are things that i KNOW they are capable of...and if it's something that is a little beyond their norm, i teach them...i guide them...i HELP them...

Lord, help me to respond to you more quickly...more obediently...help me to trust YOU. that you would NOT ask me to do something that you don't believe i'm capable of doing. and that if you see that i'm in over my head, you'll be right there to walk me through it.

xoxo.

B is for BEST

2011-01-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

our home sits across the street from a city park. it's surrounded by a black iron gate. right at the entrance to our community, at the corner of the park, used to sit a quaint little sign that said CITY OF OAK RIDGE NORTH. it was surrounded by beautiful landscaping and it made me smile when i would drive by. it symbolized a hometown feel and i LOVED it.

one day, much to my dismay, they tore it down. GONE. just an empty space where it had been. this did not please me. my friend jana and i actually discussed writing letters of protest. lol.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

why on EARTH would they tear it down?

there was nothing WRONG with it.

it was charming.

it was welcoming.

it represented something.

and it was GONE.

eventually i got over it :) there has been an empty space at that corner for about two years now.

that is, up until just a few weeks ago... the city is in the process of installing a new, high tech sign. it not only welcomes you to the community, but it tells you upcoming events and it even displays the weather. they aren't finished yet. it's not near as inviting to me. the other one was just so cute. but i'll give it a chance. it definitely needs some landscaping once they finish the wiring and stone work.

you may wonder what this has to do with ANYTHING :) but something clicked that day, as i drove past & a crane was lowering the new sign into position.

before the old sign was torn out, there was already a plan in place for something new. something fresh. something that had new dimension...new facets...

the old sign wasn't just torn down. it was taken down to make room for the NEW sign. where we just saw an empty space, those who KNEW the plan saw the site of something BETTER.

may this be true as we move forward on our journey. may we learn the difference between GOOD, BETTER & BEST.

may we not be willing to be content with good. may we strive, instead, for best...not in terms of 'stuff.' i'm not talking a whole 'live your best life now' theology. i believe my best life ISN'T now. it isn't HERE. look at the life of Jesus...there was suffering. it's part of the package. i'm talking about wanting the best of HIS plans for me...for US...whatever that means, whatever that looks like.

but may we also remember that BEST typically comes with a higher price tag. it does not come without sacrifice.

help me, Lord, to be open to change. i trust that your plans are for my benefit...for the benefit of my entire family. may i live each day, trusting that you DO know BEST.

xoxo.

A is for ADVENTURE

2011-01-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

so, it was suggested to me that perhaps i should actually pay attention to my poor neglected blog and begin tracking this new journey we are on. and since i tend to forget my blog lately, i'm going to do this alphabetically, hoping it will help me stay on course.'

so A is for ADVENTURE.

the name wendy means WANDERER. some people have meaning to their names that seems so poetic...so beautiful...not mine. mine just sounds LOST.

combine that with the fact that i have moved TWENTY SEVEN times in my twenty nine years (okay, one of those numbers is accurate, one isn't...hee hee) and you can see that i'm not crazy about being dubbed a WANDERER.

BUT i recently stumbled across this quote...a quote that somehow i've never heard before...and i'm very glad to know it exists...because i feel like it re-defines all of this 'wandering' i've been doing:

and i LOVE this. i love looking back and thinking that this wasn't just aimless wandering (well, maybe SOME of it might have been LOL) but it was WANDERING WITH A PURPOSE.

from the beginning of time...before i was born...God had already orchestrated all the days of my life...now, i don't necessarily think he plotted out every thing that's happened to me (i mean, some of this stuff i have to take responsibility for...like the time i turned my hair blue...or the time my baby sis & i decided to hitch a ride in a limo and were certain we would be kidnapped & murdered)...but even in those moments of sheer stupidity, He was THERE with us.

and soooooo, as we start this new adventure, i shall type...from my heart...and use this as a form of therapy to help me sort through the feelings...the emotions...because right now they are all jumbled and mixed.

the only thing...well, no...the only ONE that i am certain of is the God of this universe...who knows my name...who knows where i'm going...even though i don't...and i trust that if he has looked out for me before i was even born, he surely isn't going to stop now.

so God, if you hear me clicking away on this keyboard, know that i'm trying...know that i'm really, really okay with this. i have no doubt that you have purpose in this...and that I AM NOT LOST. you are leading us on. and i trust you. most of the time.

xoxo.

outwit, outplay, outlast...

2011-01-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

it's the game of survival. and let's just say that i won this round :)

i'm working for a non-profit corporation that does SOOOOO much good year round, but we go into overdrive during the holidays. it's a ton of work, but it's also a ton of fun and they hired bobby (temporary, part time) to help out with all the holiday craziness. his unofficial job title was something on the order of christmas elf.

so when i saw ELF shirts on sale at target, i could not resist.

only problem was i knew he'd NOT BE CAUGHT DEAD IN ONE.

i bought it anyhow. and wrapped it up. and made my BOSS give it to him.

so he put it on. and wore it. ALL.DAY.LONG.

the BIG (well, actually she's quite tiny) boss even complimented him on it and when he told her that debbie bought it for him, she told debbie she should buy one for everyone.

and meanwhile i just sat quietly and snickered. ALL.DAY.LONG.

and now i'm laughing again...because christmas is over and so is the joke. and i won. he looked ridiculous for an entire day...and did it cheerfully...and i won. hee hee hee.

a picture is worth a thousand words

2010-12-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

and a picture CARD is worth a bunch of $...

but i got mine FREEEEE. yes, that's right. FREE. 50 fabulous personalized christmas cards. on the house. 50!!!!! courtesy of shutterfly. didn't i tell you how great they were? i wasn't kidding!

thank you shutterfly. i'll share the front of my card...but you'll have to wait to get yours in person to see the inside.

let's just say shutterfly rocks.

signed,

one happy christmas camper :)

SHUTTERFLY KISSES...

2010-12-03T12:48:00.001-08:00

OKAY, SUUUURE, you've all heard of butterfly kisses. But I'm here to tell you that if ANYONE deserves my love this year, it's ABSOLUTELY shutterfly!

can i just say that this is THE BEST place for gift giving? i'm working on a majorly limited budget (what's new?) and it can be a challenge to find a gift that is really SPECIAL but also cheap (oops...i mean inexpensive LOL).

shutterfly bridges the gap between those two. REASONABLY PRICED. OH SO SPECIAL. and really, truly, gifts from the heart. PRICELESS.

my love relationship started years ago with shutterfly when i said goodbye to the photo print quickie cards from a box store and said hello to custom made cards that draw oohs and aahs from all my friends and family.

check this one out from years past and look how little austin is!!!!

i could go on and on about all the ways that i do love shutterfly but perhaps you should check them out yourself?

here are a few of my favorite things:

1. obviously, i've already mentioned the christmas cards. check out the INCREDIBLE selection that they have!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

2. calendars!!! a gift that gets used EVERY DAY OF THE ENTIRE YEAR. can't say THAT about grandma's fruit cake!

http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

3. custom made birthday cards! one of the things i've done over the years is made a birthday card for my daughter each year. no worries of it being a card that someone else is going to give her. and it has a picture of HER on it each year. doesn't get more lovely than that (in my completely unbiased opinion LOL).

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery

please take the time to visit shutterfly. you could tell them that i sent you, but alas...i am just one of their many lovers :)

xoxo.

grateful

2010-11-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

sharing some of our family pics from stacey. and as i look at them, not only does a smile come to my face, but an overwhelming sense of gratitude to my heart.

i love them...the pictures AND the people in them. :) this is my FAMILY. these are the people who know me, love me and never give up on me. these are the people who see me in all my reality (ugly flannel jammies and granny knee socks LOL). these are the people who keep me from losing my mind (and sometimes push me a little closer :)

i am SO SO SO very blessed. in may it will be 20 years that bobby and i have been married. almost 17 of those years being shared with one or more children. it's hard to believe that austin will be a senior next year.

life will continue to move forward. change is coming.

but this moment...this time in our lives...is captured forever. just us. out in the middle of a field somewhere in texas. all together. for now.

and i am ever so grateful.

i get by with a little help from my friends...

2010-10-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

last weekend we had the joy of doing family pics out in the middle of a random field. how very texan of us, right?

the lovely stacey p. collins (http://www.rowanandlucky.com/) has captured the chaos beautifully. stay tuned for the official photos.

meanwhile, once she was done working, bobby took some of the two of us...you know...since the couch was already OUT there (lol). and i'm so glad he did. i think everyone should have a pic with their B.F.F.

this pic makes me smile. i'm lucky to have stacey in my life. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA

2010-10-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

it seems that october has finally brought us a break for the heat and humidity. i won't kid myself...i know that our 'indian summer' is probably still yet to come...but for now we are trying to enjoy every moment of it.

we had a birthday cookout for papa (and a belated birthday celebration for me rolled in) and the weather was GLORIOUS!

good thing there are no candles on the cake because it would have required ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN and that might have caused a fire hazard :)

HOMETOWN HEROES CELEBRATION

2010-10-06T13:55:00.001-07:00

this weekend jennifer & i had the opportunity to attend the woodlands hometown heroes gala to honor members of the community who have gone above & beyond in making our town a better place.

we worked the silent auction and also the live auction...and we dined on some scrumptious food...an asparagus recipe that we are DYING to recreate!

it was fun to get all dolled up and spend the evening together!

carson was the only one around to take my pic before i left so i look like i'm 8 feet tall LOL

not every day we get to wear fancy party dresses...and we're thankful not to have to wear fancy party shoes every day :)

and now we have 11 months to find the perfect dresses for next year :)

FUN WITH BULLDOZERS

2010-10-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

this summer, jordan accompanied my friend stacey on a photo shoot to be her assistant. while they were waiting for the subjects to arrive, they had a little photo session of their own. who says bulldozers are only for boys? :)

SENIOR GAMES

2010-10-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

The nonprofit organization that i am working for holds an annual event for the seniors in our community. SENIOR GAMES 2010 was an amazing time filled with moments that had you smiling and crying at the same time.

As the seniors arrived and entered the school, cheerleaders lined the hall, cheering them on. Some walked down the hall, hand in hand with high school aged volunteers, others needed the support of their walkers, and still others were wheeled in with their wheelchairs.

And ALL of them were there to compete in the senior games: bowling, golf, spelling bees, talent show, etc.

My niece Alexis and my daughters Jordan and Katelynn (a recent addition to our family :) ) came and spent the day with us, serving the seniors. It's a day none of us will forget.

We fell in love with this native Texan beauty. She was absolutely NOT going to wear the bright yellow t-shirt given to each of the seniors. Heavens no. It would mess up her stylish ensemble complete with cheetah belt. Oh how I loved her!

Another one of my favorites was Janet, who was one of the 'chair dancers.' She was spunky and fun and absolutely delightful to watch.

And the day would not have been complete with a group of line dancers...some in their 90s.

It has been an absolute joy to spend time working in an environment that makes such a difference in the lives of people who appreciate it so very much.

Thank you Interfaith for all you do for the community, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of it.

a night of fine dining, diamonds and sports cars :)

2010-09-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

bobby and i headed out to market street to celebrate my birthday. an absolutely GORGEOUS night complete with full moon (which was very hard to capture on my camera...it just looks like another light in the pic)

first stop, dinner @ cafe express...outside on the patio...haven't been able to do that in MONTHS...and it was still a little toasty...but maybe that's because i'm dressed for fall, REFUSING to participate in any sort of summer dress. i'm OVER it. bring on sweater weather!

i love love love the blt with avacado. side of sweet potatoes. half last night, half today for lunch. i'm a happy girl!

after dinner, we stopped by the bank...

and then headed to tiffany's where i had my choice of anything in the store.

and then out to the parking lot where bobby had a surprise waiting for me. isn't it lovely?

OKAY, SO MAYBE NONE OF THAT IS TRUE...hee hee hee..

BUT but BUT...i did come home to presents, hugs & kisses from my kids and those are more cherished to me than diamonds and hot cars :)

the laughter is from the fact that my husband...who has been married to me for ALMOST twenty years does NOT know how old i am. at least he erred on the low side, right? he REFUSED to believe the kids who argued that they were CERTAIN this was not the correct age. he should have listened to them. but then this pic would not be so funny :)

here's hoping birthday wishes DO come true. xoxo.

tighten your seatbelts...

2010-09-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

it's official. after MONTHS...and MONTHS...and MONTHS of waiting (patiently, i might add)...austin has FINALLY gotten his texas driver's permit.

he's the envy of all his friends behind the wheel of a white dodge caravan LOLOL

FRESHMAN VOLLEYBALL -- HOMECOMING PARADE 2010

2010-09-24T19:04:00.001-07:00

homecoming 2010

2010-09-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

weren't they just babies a couple years ago???????

bobby embracing his role as PAPA LEE in texas country :)

i've got sunshine on a cloudy day...

2010-09-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

i've got sunshine on a cloudy day

when it's cold outside, i've got the month of may

i guess you'd say

what can make me feel this way?

my girl...my girl...my girl

talkin' 'bout my girl

i love you georgia.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU...

2010-09-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

after school fun for the boys...a STAR WARS THE CLONE WARS party.

i belong to a super cool site that allows you to host parties for their marketing purposes...they send you free stuff, you throw a party. they get the exposure and you get the stuff :)

the boys had lots of fun playing a new star wars game...and i had fun playing betty crocker :) win win, right?

she serves...she scores!

2010-09-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

CRAZIEST GAME EVER!

jordan started the game with a serve. point one.

served again, point two.

and again, point three.

TWENTY FIVE CONSECUTIVE SERVES. and on the final serve, the ball went back and forth until oak ridge hit it out and the other team FINALLY got the ball.

lots of laughter and cheering combined. GO LADY EAGLES! this was DEFINITELY a game to remember :)

katelynn, bianca, jordan & coach pounds after the game.

show your 'OVER ALL' school spirit day!

2010-09-24T17:44:00.001-07:00

bianca, katelynn & jordan showing off their 'overall' spirit in their custom made overall/tutu combos LOL

BACK TO SCHOOL

2010-09-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

austin (junior) & jordan (freshman) headed out mighty early in the morning on the first day of school.

carson (third grade) & hudson (first grade) getting ready to get on the bus at a much more reasonable time of morning :)

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

2010-09-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

two words: TIME FLIES!!!!!!

in order to catch up i'm just going to toss a bunch of pics on here without lots of explanation. i knew i hadn't blogged in awhile but didn't realize it had been the ENTIRE summer.

we have front row seats to the woodlands fireworks display from our driveway. and it was only 150 degrees outside LOL