Girls Beach Retreat

I just wanted to post a few pictures from our weekend at the beach.

Girls I had the best time. Thanks for the great laughs and long talks. I had a wonderful time! Thanks for being such great friends. We will definitely have to make this a yearly trip! Love all of you!! =)

Look out Myrle Beach, Here we come!!

It's finally here. The day that I have been looking forward to all week long. Today after work we, being 4 great friends of mine and myself, head down to Myrtle. We have not been to the beach together since our senior year of high school. This weekend will be more memories to add into our "beach days book". My how many great laughs we have had down there. I am going to do my best to just relax and have NO worries.

Britt is working this weekend, so Ashlyn is going to be staying with my parents. I know that she is in good hands, but it's always hard to leave your child. I am going to miss her and Britt so much! But I do have to admit that I am looking forward to spending time with my girls. Margaritas in one hand and tanning lotion in the other! It's always nice to spend quality time with great friends. Sometimes you just need a weekend away to realize how lucky you are for such great friends to spend it with, and the family at home that you miss more than anything.

I just hope that I can come home to a clean house. Please, Please, Please!!!! I don't want to come home to clothes and shoes everywhere, dishes in the sink, papers all over the counter, and dirt all over the floor. I'm going to try not to worry about that until I pull into our driveway on Sunday, but Britt if you are reading this PLEASE help me out on this. You know that things like that drive me crazy!

Can't wait to see you girls. Moriah I hope that you have your camera ready to capture our "girls beach retreat"! See y'all soon! =)

Ashlyn's Two Year Birthday Party!

Blog Question

Posting Blog Questions from Moriah's Blog.

Pick one. Blog about it. Tag.
1. What's your favorite memory as a child?
2. What's your favorite summer memory?
3. What's your favorite smell?
4.What's your favorite ritual?
5. What's your favorite noise?

I have to go with #2 also. My favorite summer memory would have to be going to our beach house every summer. The one summer that stands out in my mind is the time that Ida, Kellie, and me went down. I think that it was the summer after our Sophomore year. We had gone down with my parents for a week. I remember that we all had the biggest crush on one of the lifeguards at the pool. We would go there everyday instead of the beach to lay out because we wanted to see him. Our house is in Ocean Lakes, and the thing to do for teens is to cruise the main strip of Ocean Lakes. I know that it sounds really cheesy, but Mom and Dad wouldn't let us leave the campgrounds, so many kids did this. It was like a much smaller version of the Myrtle Beach strip, and instead of driving cars, most people cruise on golfcarts (there were cars also though). =) That sounds so funny now. Anyways, we were cruising in my cavalier convertible (which looking back was not that great of a car, but I loved it. Probably because it was a convertible). We hear some guys yelling at us, so we pull the car over on the side of the road to talk to these guys. Well all of a sudden my car jerks and comes to a very sudden stop. We hear the guys yelling something about a man. Well Ida thinks that they said that I have ran over a man. All three of us are totally embarrassed and wondering what in the heck happened. Kellie and Ida were trying to hide in the floorboard of my car. The guys are laughing hysterically at us, so I know that I have not run over anyone. Finally I hear one of them yell "you're stuck on top of a man-hole". Don't ask me how we did it, but we were stuck on top of this manhole that stuck up about half a foot or more out of the ground. My car would not go anywhere. We were literally stuck ontop of the thing. My wheels would turn, but since they didn't reach the ground we couldn't go anywhere. The guys finally came over and literally had to pick up the back end of my car and push me off. We were mortified.

On the same trip after numerous trips to the pool to drool over our crush, we actually end up meeting him. He had some friends in town for the week as well and had asked if we wanted to come over to their house and hang out for the night. It was our last night there. I think it was a Saturday night, so we talked my parents into letting us stay out (in Ocean Lakes only) until 12:00. We went over to there house and hung out for a while. We played some cards and watched some tv. Now at the time none of us drank, but the guys had been drinking pretty heavily from the looks of the place. We all decide to take a ride down to the beach. Once down there we start playing spin the bottle. We were having a great time, but it was getting late. Kellie, who is the responsible one kept saying that we needed to head back to our house, Ida on the other hand said that she thought that it would be ok if we stayed out. My parents were asleep, so they wouldn't know what time we would come in. I was stuck in the middle. I knew that we should go home, but yet we were having a great time. We ended up staying on the beach until 2 am. We all headed back to they lifeguards house, then got in our car and headed home (well my beach home). All of a sudden while driving to our house I see this car fly up behind me and start flashing their lights on and off. Ida proceeds to tell me to "just keep driving". I however recognized the headlights of my parents car. They were SOOOO worried about us. My mom had gone to Chris, the lifeguards mom's house, woke her up. So here we are my parents, his parents, Ocean lakes security all standing outside of this beach house. Everything was taken care of there, but once we got back to our house my mom and dad let us have it. My poor mom was worried sick about us. Now having my own child I completely understand how stupid that was on our part. Kellie is sick to her stomach because of what happened, and it wasn't even her fault. She was stuck with me and Ida the poor decision makers. I felt bad also. Ida on the other hand felt bad, but this are her exact words to my parents, "I'm really sorry, but we really did have a GREAT TIME!". That's so Ida. She is too funny. Now that we look back on it we laugh about it, but at the time, my parents were so disappointed in all of us.
There are so many beach stories that I could write about, but this one sticks out more than any others. It was a great trip and I will never forget these memories. I swear that I could write a book on our beach adventures and it would probably make millions. Maybe next weekend will be one to add into the book. =)

Slide Show

Megs, I copied you. I can't believe that I created a slideshow. Dad, I know that you are proud of me. =) I didn't think that I would be able to do it, but it wasn't hard at all. I just wanted to share some of our pics with everyone. Hope you enjoy.

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

Can you say PISSED?!?!?!?!

I am so angry right now. For all of you that know me know that I am pretty laid back, and it takes alot to make me REALLY ANGRY. Well, I'm there right now. We had a house fire in December of 2004. We finally had our house complete and ready to move back into August of last year. We used ServPro for all of the fire clean up. They were in charge of cleaning all of our goods that were salvagable, and most important refinishing all of our wooden furniture. First of all let me say that ServPro was a great company to work with. ServPro has a company that they use to do refinishing, Furniture Medics. First of all this company refinished our dining room furniture in the wrong color, and the wrong finish. So this slowed down our process of moving back in. Finally all of our furniture was back to it's previous condition and at last we were ready to move back in. During the moving process Furniture Medics broke one of the glass panels in our china hutch. Remember, this was in August of last year. We are still missing 2 panels of glass out of our china cabinet. They took one of the panels out so that they would have something to match. So it has been 10 months now and our china hutch is missing one whole side of glass. I am furious!!!! Britt has called them numerous times and we keep getting the same story - We are trying to find someone who specializes in this glass, We have sent the sample of to AZ, NY, etc and we cannot find anyone who can make this glass. I am tired of hearing their excuses. You broke the glass, now fix it. The glass is probably hard to match, because it has a blown look to it, but surely someone could special make a panel if it came down to it. I finally called yesterday and left a nasty message. They never returned my call, so this morning I called and left an even nastier message. I told them that if I did not receive a phone call today that we would be taking legal matters. I mean come on now, it has been 10 months. There is NO REASON for it to take that long, and if they can't find anyone to make the dern glass, then have someone remake all 4 glass panels. I am tired of our dining room looking like it's half way put together because our china hutch looks cheap. It is an Ethan Allen, and it is not cheap. It was a hand me down from Britt's family. I am just really tired of this company ignoring our phone calls and telling us lies. JUST FIX THE PROBLEM!!!!!!! OK, I feel better now. I just needed to get that out.

ANOTHER WEEKEND COME AND GONE

It seems like during the summertime the weekends just fly by. Friday night we had a baby shower for April, a friend of mine. She is having a little baby boy. We had a great time. She received all kinds of adorable baby gifts. Ahhh the memories.

Saturday we had a yard sale at our house. It started off a little slow, but by lunchtime we had made a little over $100, so I was pretty happy about that. $100 just off of clothes and a few knick knacks. I thought that we did pretty well, and not only did we make money, but we got rid of a bunch of boxes full of junk that have been taking up one whole side of our basement. After the yard sale I was exhausted. I had gotten up at 5:15 to set everything up and then packed everything back up in the 90-some degree heat. That was terrible!!!! Then Ashlyn and I went in to take a nap. She was worn out too. She had played with Sadie and Karly, 2 little girls who are 5 and 4. If I need someone to come over and help me occupy Ashlyn these are definitely the girls to call. They are great little helpers!

Then it was time to head down to Charlotte for the Faith Hill and Tim McGraw concert with Kellie and Moriah. The concert was AWESOME! They are such a cute little couple. And Tim, wheeewww! Lookin mighty fine! =) We had a great time. It was nice to have a night with the girls.

Today Britt's mom had called and her car wouldn't crank. She was stuck at IHop. She finally got it started and headed over to our house for Britt to take a look at it. She had our niece and nephew, Alaina and Reid, with her. They all came over and played and played. Ashlyn had stayed with my parents last night since I didn't get in from the concert until late. After church that brought her over. She LOVES Alaina and Reid!!!!!! It's so cute watching her play with them. She thinks that she can do everything that they do. They got ready to leave and Alaina wanted Ashlyn to go to Nana Joyce's with them. I gave Joyce a look like, are you sure that you want ALL THREE of them to go home with you? She said that she would love that, so I packed 3 carseats in the back of my car (she is driving it until we figure out what is wrong with hers), and off they went. I'm sure that Ashlyn and Joyce will sleep GREAT tonight! Now I'm getting ready to head to a wedding shower for Seth Rutlege and Allison, his fiance. Then maybe I can come home and get a little relaxation. I doubt it though. It just seems like every weekend from this weekend throughout the summer is jam packed full. I guess that's why the summer flys by so fast!

A FEW MORE PICS FROM ATLANTA

PICS FROM THE GAME

Atlanta Braves

What a great weekend! I bought Britt tickets to see the Braves for his birthday. He watches the games religiously, and has never been to a MLB game, so I thought that it would be a great birthday surprise.

We headed to Atlanta yesterday about 10:30 after dropping off Ashlyn with Nana Joyce, and Rudy(the dog) off with a co-worker of Britt. Then we hit the road. Interstate 85 all the way. We were both so excited to get out and do something besides working in the yard at home for one weekend. =)

We got to Atlanta in no time. It only took about 3 1/2 hours. I was very surprised at that. The hard part was finding our hotel. It tooks us ONE HOUR, yes one hour to drive around every street in Atlanta to find our hotel. We finally found it with the help of a police officer.

We get checked into our room which was smoking, and not that I really mind, but Britt and I don't smoke so we really didn't want a smokey smelling room, but hey, you get what you get. That was the only bad thing about the hotel. I did bring my own pillows and my feather comforter, because you would have to pay me a million dollars to sleep under those nasty comforters. I mean how often do you really think that they wash them? YUCK!

Finally we are off to the game. It started at 7:05 Saturday evening so we had a little time to kill. We entered the stadium and walked around the whole dern thing. It was interesting though. They had all kinds of things for you to take pictures of and read about. It was alsmost like a Braves museum.

It was finally time for the game to start so we got some food, which by the way cost $20 for 2 orders of chicken tenders and 1 drink. Beware you will get robbed there, by the vendors. A beer is $6.75. Can you believe that? I mean you can buy a whole 6 pack for that. It's ridiculous!!! The food was OK. It should have been the best chicken that I've ever tasted for that price. =) We then got our drinks. Britt got beer, and since I don't care much for beer I wanted chardonay, but they were out. They only had white zinfindel, so what the hell, at least it's wine. We finally have everything that we needed and headed to our seats.

Our seats were good. We were right down at the field. We could see everything great. I finally got tired of drinking the white zinfindel, so I switched to beer. Can you believe that? Mindy drinking beer. It was a heck of alot better than that dern wine though. It was way too sweet. I can't believe that that is the only kind of wine that I used to drink. YUCK! Ok, back to the game. It was so much fun. The Braves were getting killed in the first half, but then they came back and got 7 runs in one inning. But unfortunaley that wasn't enough. The Braves ended up losing.
=( All in all it was a great day though. We had a blast.

We had so much fun that we bought tickets to todays game at 1:05. We just bought 2 $5 tickets and had seats in the nose bleed section, but the view actually was pretty good. We then went to walk around some more and one of the ushers had left his area so I waved to Britt to hurry up and we went down in the lower section and set there the entire game. So we learned a very valuable lesson. Just by the cheapest tickets, which are only $1, and then wait until everyone gets seated and you can sit in the ground seats. It was GREAT!!!!!!

We are home now, and I'm getting ready to hit the sack, but I wanted to let everyone know how great our weekend was even though the Braves lost both games. BOOOOOOO!!!!!! Maybe we're just bad luck. =) We're definitely wanting to go to more games this year, so if anyone is interested let us know. They really are alot of fun.

I will be posting some pictures shortly.

Our front yard

My wonderful husband has been off all week long and boy has he made our front yard look amazing. I can't believe how just putting a little bit of muclch out will make it look so much neater around your flower beds. It makes everything look so much nicer. Well, I had to post some pictures of our new front yard. They aren't that great because they were taken at night, but at least you'll get an idea. Hope you like it. Oh and yeah, Britt does this for a side job if anyone is interested. =)

Piggy Tails

Weird Dream

So last night I slept great, which is unusual for me. Normally I can't go to sleep because my mind is going crazy worrying about something all the time, and then when I finally do go to sleep it is not a deep sleep. It seems as if I toss and turn all night long. Well, last night I slept like a baby (I really don't know why people use this expression ,because as Ashley and Moriah know, young babies do not sleep ALL NIGHT LONG). Anyways I slept great and man did I have some weird dreams. One of which involves you girls from high school. I dreamed that we were in Europe traveling all over together. We stopped by to see Martijn. I guess I dreamed about him since I saw that he was on MySpace the other day. Too weird. Who would have ever thought that we would see or hear from him again? Kellie - remember when he spent Thanksgiving at my house? Poor thing! My family absolutely adored him, but they weren't around him everyday like we were to hear him talking NON-STOP. I feel kind of bad now for ousting him the way we did. He was just trying to fit in in a TOTALLY different country. Ok, off my soap box about him. We were all on top of the Eiffel Tower (like we really did in Paris) singing "Friends are Friends Forever". Who knows where this came from, or why I dreamed it, but I did and it was a really neat dream. Can you imaginie it? All of us traveling around Europe together?????? Yeah, it was definitely a dream, but a really intersting one. Where do dreams come from and what do they truly mean? I've studied it a small bit, but I would really be interested in learning more about where these odd mind creations come from.

Well girls with that said I think that it is time for another girl's night, and Meg's you have to come along this time. You girls truly are the BEST! God has blessed me with some AWESOME friends!

LOSS

A co-worker of mine was expecting a baby around the same day that Ashlyn was born. We were having a shower for the baby here at work on Wednesday afternoon. Well, the baby boy decided to come early. He got a phone call around 2:00 and his wife's water had broken. So the shower was put on hold. He was so excited, and so was everyone else. We couldn't wait to see this beautiful little baby. We never heard any news yesterday. I thought that something may have gone wrong, but then again I know after you have had a baby you just want to love and hold it. You kind of put everything else on hold.

Well, our boss came to us this morning and said that he had received a voicemail from Sidong (my co-worker) and the baby was born and alive for 10 minutes and then they lost their precious son. My heart aches for this couple. Please keep them in your prayers. I cannot even begin to imagine what they are going through. I know that everything happens for a reason, and I don't like to question God, but what reason do you take the life of a newborn baby? I just have a REALLY hard time understanding why this sort of thing happens. I know that God has a plan for all of us, and this was the life that was planned for this tiny baby, but why?

It's hard to deal with the loss of anyone, but I believe that the loss of a child is the worst loss ever! I just pray for God to help them heal in this terrible time.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I was letting Rudy out to use the bathroom and this is the first sight that I saw as I opened the door. I had to capture this beautiful picture.

Mommy and Me

Any Motherly Advise?!?!?!?

OK, so Ashlyn had been doing better with the temper tantrums, but the past week has been H E double hockey sticks! Oh my goodness! I know that her pictures look adorable, but don't let that little face fool you! My does she have a temper on her. And stubborn as they come. When she starts these temper tantrums there is nothing that anyone can do to stop them. She screams as loud as possible, kicks, hits, cries; You name it, she does it! And it goes on for about 30 minutes until she wears herself out. It's awful! What do I do to stop these terrible fits? It's really kind of comical. She almost looks like the girl off of the excorcist, not really, but that's how she acts. I told Britt that when her head starts spinning I'm really going to be worried. =) Well, hopefully it's just her age! Let me tell you the whole terrible two thing is definitely true for me!

Extreme Home Makeover

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!! It was GREAT tonight. They were helping a family who had given everything that they had to try to make the little boys life as great as it possibly could be. The hospital had found a brain tumor when the little boy was 4 years old. Could you imagine getting that kind of news. It makes my stomach turn just thinking about it. The little boy had a lot of courage, but now enought to fight off this terrible disease. There was a quote at the end of the show that went something like this, he may be gone, but you have to keep living on through all of the memories that you have of your loved one. I cried and cried and cried!!! That show is great. It always leaves me wondering what I can do for others in our community to help make their life a little better. I always learn alot from this show, but tonight I learned a great deal about life. It just shows that even if you have a huge loss, you have to keep giving life your all and living on through the great times and memories.

I don't know why, and I guess it's pretty normal, but I have a really hard time trying to ignore the little silly "what if" thoughts. I think them every day. Sometime more than others. What if something would happen to Ashlyn?, What if something would happen to my husband, my parents, my family, my friends, etc.... I also worry about something happening to me and it just kills me to think that I may miss out on my daughter's life. Am I crazy for doing this? I know that we are supposed to live everyday as it is our last. I think that I am a worrier just like my mammaw Drum. She would worry over anything and everything. I just honestly do not know if I could handle losing a child. I think that I would literally go crazy. Life is so scary! You take what you are given and make the best of it. It's not that I'm scared of death itself. I'm scared of losing that great time with our loved ones, and just knowing that you aren't going to have any more time like that to spend with them.

You always hear everyone say that they LOVE LIFE, but you never hear anyone say that they LOVE DEATH. With death you just try to make the best out of it that's possible. Just keep living on those wonderful memories!

Ashlyn and the potty

I am so excited. We haven't even really started working with Ashlyn on potty training yet, but today after we got home from church she said that she needed to poopie. Britt took her to the potty and she poopied in the potty. Can you believe it? I am just so happy. I'm still in shock. She was so proud of herself. I just had to share our "big girl" moment. This is great news!

Before we know it she will be all grown up. I just wish we could freeze time. This age is the BEST! She is however starting the terrible two thing, but other than the temper tantrums, which by the way have gotten better (Thank You Lord!) Ashlyn is the biggest joy ever. She learns new things everyday and you really can't get mad at her when she is just learning about her own independence and how far she can push your limits. And I think that she has learned that Britt and I will not give in no matter what. I took one VERY LONG weekend, but ever since then she has been pretty good. All we have to say is "do you want a spanking?" and she'll dry those tears right up. It's just so funny that they are so young, yet so smart!

My "trouble" babies

They are definitely TROUBLE, but you just can't help but love them. I mean how can you not love those precious faces. You can see them smiling from ear to ear. These are the dogs who chewed up the trailor wires on Britt's trailor not once but twice, found some exta insulation in the shed behind our house and desroyed it ALL OVER our yard, jumped in my car when it was storming and wouldn't get out, and dug up and shredded our brand new Japanese Maple that we just planted on Monday. The list goes on and on. I honestly can't believe that Britt hasn't shot one of them by now. They are alot betther than they used to be, so that tells you how much trouble they got into when they were puppies. I am so glad that they are finally getting out of that puppy stage. I swear I think that they are worse than a child. They are a mess, but I wouldn't trade them for anything!

DRESS UP TIME!

Where do the years go?

I can't believe that it's already May. Every year seems to fly by faster and faster. Is it just a part of getting older? I remember when I was a child the day would creep by. I was always hoping that tomorrow would get here as fast as it could. Now I try to savor each day. Enjoy every moment. It just goes way too fast. I just can't believe that my baby isn't a baby anymore. She will be 2 years old next month.

She is becoming such an independent little girl. SO SMART! She can already count to 10. She is beginning to potty train herself. The list goes on and on. We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful and smart little girl. Definitely prissy. She is ALL GIRL! She has a fit whenever I put my hair up now. I put my hair up every evening because by the end of the day it is driving me insane. Well everytime I put it up now she says, "No mommy. Hair down." She will repeat herself over and over until I take it down. I have no clue why it bothers her so bad. Oh well. It's cute for now, but she will have to get use to mommy's hair being up every now and then. I can't stand it in my face all of the time. I don't know what she would do if I got it all cut off. She would probably have a fit.

Tonight she did the silliest thing. I heard her saying, "NO NO NO RUDY". I went to see what she was scolding him about, and he had pooped in the corner (but he really is housetrained lol). She knows that mommy and daddy discipline Ashlyn, so she has to discipline somebody, and it just happens to be poor Rudy. It's so cute though. She's already becoming like her mommy.

Well enough rambling about my little princess. I just can't believe how much she learns everyday. I wanted to share a little of it with everyone else.

MY KIDS

MY DREAM...

It will come true in the next few years. Mark my word! I have been praying about what I am supposed to do with my life. What career path am I supposed to take? I have finally figured it out. I WILL open up my very own children's store. I will carry some clothes, but mostly focus on baby bedding, furniture, and accesories. That is all that I can think about. I just need to find the right location. I know that it will take a good bit of money and time to get all of the plans together, but trust me, it will happen! And I can't wait for everyone to see it!

Bitch Magnet

Ok, what's up with women hating me? I am so sick and tired of female customers calling up my boss and telling my boss that I am not doing my job. What the hell? I mean I have bent over backwards for half of these women, but when one little thing doesn't go their way they pitch the biggest fits. I am sick an tired of it. I'm sure that most of these women grew up getting whatever they wanted from mommy and daddy, so this stems from that, but come on now. GROW UP!!!!!!!!!!! I am so pissed off right now. I hardly ever have problems with any of my customers, but I have 2, who just happen to be women, that I believe would do anything in their power to try to cover their ass and get me fired while doing it. It's funny that none of my male customers act in this childish way. If they aren't happy, they let me know, I fix it, and that's it. It's done. But with these 2 particular women it is a battle with them everyday and I am JUST SICK OF IT!!!!!!! I don't know what causes some women to act in this way. Do you girls have any answers for me? I mean I am at my wits end. The good thing is that my boss knows exactly how she (the bitchy customer) is, so he just wants to make sure that we have our asses covered.

Moriah, you remember when we used to work at Belk, and there was that one lady there who hated both of us? I can't remember her name. That's the type of people that I end up having to deal with day in and day out. I don't understand why, because I am as nice of a person as I can be. I just don't understand what I have done to piss someone off that bad to put my job in jeopardy!

I just really needed to vent! Thanks for listening. This will pass over very quickly I hope. I am just sick and tired of being made out to be the bad person. It's so childish!

Ashlyn's Easter Photo

Haircut!?!?!?!

Do you think she needs one? She hasn't had her hair cut yet! Well, except for the time that chewing gum got stuck in her hair and we had to cut a few strands. =) Can you believe that? Ashlyn hasn't had a haircut in almost 2 years. I know that she needs it at least trimmed. I mean look at it, it's awful! I can't do anything with it. It's just got a mind of it's own.

On a different note, Ashlyn has a virus. That wasn't the news that I wanted to hear from the doctor, but he did a Strep test and it was negative. So now we've just got to let it run it's course. That's why she looks so weak in this picture. Mom's going to watch her tonight and tomorrow so that I can get some rest and get back to work tomorrow. Thank you Nana!

Our second home

The doctor's office! I swear we ought to just pack up some of our things and stay there until summer. Ashlyn is sick AGAIN, and it's not just allergies. She is running a fever of 103. I know that she's REALLY SICK when all she wants to do is lay on me. Poor thing! I just wish that I had special mommy powers to make it all better. We've got a doctor's appointment at 1;00 so hopefully she'll get some good medicine from him and then be on her way to a quick recovery.

Scaredy Dog?!?!?!?!

I have to tell you a story about what happened to me this morning. It is hilarious, well I think so. I think that God sits up in heaven just thinking up things to make my life so comical. Anyways, I was leaving this morning to go to work and it was thundering and lightening. Britt had left Nate and Layla (our chocolate Labs for those who don't know who they are) out last night, and I thought that Nate was acting kind of weird, but whatever, he's a dog. I went to open the gate to leave our driveway ,and he jumped in my car. I pulled him out, then he jumped right back in. This process continued about 5 times. The dog is scared of thunder. =) A 90 lb lab afraid of thunder! Well, we kept doing this over and over again because I would pull him out and get back in to shut my door and he would push it right back open and try to jump in. He finally jumped in the driver's side floor board, while I'm in the car and curls up in a ball under my legs. Don't ask me how he fit under there because I still can't believe it, but he did. I finally had to call Britt out of bed to come and hold him while I left. I swear my life could be a sitcom. I guess with everything else going on in my life God knew that I needed a little bit of humor. =)

Thanks for all the prayers!

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of your prayers for my pappaw. He was able to go home Monday evening. The MRI showed that he had had numerous mini-strokes probably in the past few months or years. There is nothing that the doctor can do to stop them, so continue to lift him up, and pray that he will not suffer a major stroke. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!

Girlie Girl

What a weekend!!!

Thursday afternoon I went to the doctor and found out that I had an infection in my lymph node. Never heard of anything like that , but ok. She gave me a Z-pack and told me to take it easy. After leaving the pharmacy I go pick up my SICK daughter. When I picked her up Thursday afternoon she was pitiful. She was sneezing, had a runny nose, and a little fever. I think that her's is more allergies than anything else. Well, needless to say we didn't make it out Thursday night to celebrate my birthday. =(

Friday morning mom had said that she would take me shopping for my birthday. I called her when I woke up and no answer at home. That was strange because she was going to be there until I called her, and then she was going to meet me to go to Hickory. So I called her cell phone and she was at the hospital. My Pappaw Drum had a mini stroke. He was doing well, but they wanted to keep him overnight to monitor him. I decided to go on to Hickory with Ashlyn to get a few gifts for a wedding that I was in Saturday. So here Ashlyn and I, both sick remember, go to the mall. It was the worst shopping trip ever. We were both so whiney and fussy by the time we left there. It was AWFUL!!! But I did get a dress and a few other clothes with some birthday money that Britt had given me. (Thanks honey!)

Friday night Britt's dad offered to watch Ashlyn so that we could go to the rehearsal dinner. So of course we took him up on the offer. I still didn't feel great, but I needed to go out for a while and get some things off of my mind. The rehearsal dinner was Awesome! They had it at a winery. We had the best time. After the dinner we headed to the Tavern for a few more drinks. Needless to say after the day that I had been having I was feeling Pretty Good at the end of the night.

Saturday morning, well afternoon, I didn't get out of bed until 2:00. I called the bride and asked her what time I needed to be at the church and she said 2:30!?!?!?!?! Oh Lord. I got ready at a record speed and headed over to the church. The wedding was beautiful! They had their Reception at Riverbend Country Club on Lake Hickory. If you haven't ever been there you should definitely check it out. The houses are gorgeous! After the wedding we went home and straight to bed.

Sunday morning - up for church and then off to my Mammaw Sherrill's for everyone's birthday/Easter lunch. After lunch we went and visited Mammaw and Pappaw Drum. He seemed to be doing alot better. Then we headed home and Ashlyn and I took our Sunday afternoon nap while Britt worked outside. I felt kind of bad not helping, but I was EXHAUSTED! After our naps we went over to Britt's Mom's for Easter Supper. Mmm Mmmm Good! I probably gained about 10 lbs yesterday. My mammaw Sherrill and Joyce are two of the best cooks that I know.

After dinner we were cleaning up in the kitchen and Joyce received a phone call from my mom looking for me. I knew that something was wrong. Mom told me that Pappaw had another stroke. My heart dropped. I know that Pappaw is getting older and no one can live forever, but my Pappaw is the LAST person that I would think of something like this happening to. He is doing well, but he will be at the hospital for a while to monitor everything. This last one affected his speech, but it is back to normal now. The doctor seems to think that there is a blood vessel in his brain that is weakening, and until it completely gives out he will keep having these T.I.A.'s (mini stroks). There is nothing to do about it except to let it run it's course and just hope and pray that nothing major happens the next time. The doctor said that he didn't know how many more strokes he may have and how bad they may be the next time. This just kills me. He is my Mammaw's rock. I don't know how the both of them will do. It just tears me to pieces. Please just say a prayer for him. The power of prayer is so amazing!

To end on a positive note, here's a cute story for all of you who are reading this and as depressed as I am right now. We got home last night and I was just so upset about Mammaw and Pappaw. Well, Ashlyn still had her easter dress and shoes on when we got home last night. I changed her diaper, put her jammies on, and got her all ready for bed. We laid her down and figured that she was worn slap out so she would go right to sleep. About 5 minutes later we here her yelling "daddy, daddy" (Britt's the one who put her to bed last night). So he goes in to check on her and I heard him chuckle and say "you've got to be kidding me." I ran into her room to see what he was laughing about. Well she Loved, I mean LOVED, her Easter shoes and she wanted them on. Now with every other pair of shoes that we put on her she is constantly taking them right back off, but these shoes she wore all day and all night. Literally! We put them on her and she went right to sleep. I guess God knew that we needed a little humor in our lives after our weekend.

I'm not getting sick, I'm not getting sick!

This is what I keep telling myself over and over again trying to convince myself that I'm not sick, when in all actuality I REALLY am sick. It really sucks! I don't want to be sick on my birthday. I want to be able to go out tonight and celebrate my birthday, but it looks like I may be spending it in bed. My throat is sore and has white spots all over the right side. I'm running a fever. I'm not sure what it is because I'm at work right now and don't have a thermometer, but I definitely have one. My right gland is so swollen, and my right ear hurts so bad that I can't stand it any longer. I had to make an appointment to see the doctor TODAY! I can't wait any longer. I'm going a 4:00. WHY WHY WHY?!?!?!?!?! Well, looks like my birthday is going to be a sucky one this year. OK, enough of my whining. I'll shut up now.

HAPPY EASTER

I thought that this picture was adorable. Happy Easter everyone!

I love you girls!

Girls night was GREAT!!!! I had so much fun laughing, crying, and just catching up with everyone. I'm getting the pictures developed on my lunch break tomorrow. Then I'm going to give the cd to Moriah to touch up a little bit. Then one of us will post them. I can't wait to see how they turn out. Very crazy I'm sure. We have to thank Ida for running across the road to go and pick up a camera. She was a real trooper because not only did she run across Hwy 16 and almost get hit, but she got hit on by the biggest redneck there while doing it. =) Well, I just wanted to say Thanks to all of you for being such great friends. We definitely need to make it a monthly thing. Let's just pick out the first, second, ..... weekend of the month and stick to it.

On to another topic, the beach. I guess we decided on the last weekend in June. What does everybody think about Thursday - Sunday. Just keep me posted. I'll talk to mom and dad and make sure that no one will be there on those dates. If so we may have to pick another weekend. I'll try to talk to mom tonight and let you all know. Can't wait!

THE DAY THAT GOD SPILLED THE PAINT

This is so beautiful!

Time Change

Why can't we just leave the time alone? Why do we have to move it back and then forward two times a year. It takes me forever to finally get adjusted to the time change, and once I do finally get used to it then bam it's time to change it again. Don't get me wrong, I love it getting dark later so that Ashlyn can play outside longer, but just leave it like it is and don't change it back in the fall.
I always go to bed at 10:00 no later than 11:00 on weeknights. Well, I'm just not tired when it's 11:00. My body thinks that it is only 10:00. So I end up staying up later and being exhausted throughout the entire day, but wide awake once I get home. It just frustrates me to no end. Changing the time is the dumbest idea EVER. Just leave it alone for goodness sake.

Little Miss Ashlyn Grace

You can definitely tell that I am not a great photographer like Moriah. Look at how I cut her head off in 2 out of the 3 pictures. =) Oh well. Here are some pictures of my little miss priss.

I REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH TO BLOG ABOUT

It's getting ready to storm bad here. Hopefully it will help me sleep GREAT tonight. I need a good night of sleep. I usually like this type of weather, as long as there no tornadoes, or anything like that.
The SHOWS tonight were GREAT!!! I just love them. We need to start getting together on Sunday nights and watch Desperate Housewive's and Grey's Annatomy. Let me know what you think!
Love all of ya!!!!
mInDy

Am I going CRAZY?

I sure feel like it. I don't know why things stress me out so easily now. Work has been nothing but pure hell this week. We have had one guy out all week, and it seems like anything and everything that can go wrong has! My day started off bad and has just gotten worse. I started my morning thinking that I woke up late for work, so I was rushing around to get ready in record time. I was leaving my driveway, which is gated, so I had to get out of the car and open the gate to leave. Well, our lovely chocolate labs were so happy to see me. They were jumping all over me and I tripped over one of them and busted my tail, so I had to go back in and change clothes, which was really putting me behind. I changed, got back in the car, was half way to work and I looked down at the clock to see how late I would be and it was only 6:59. I had gotten up an hour too early. My day has gone down hill since then. I just received the meanest (is that a word?) phone call that I have ever received from one of my customers. He was a total jerk. I just busted out crying at work. How dumb is that? It was just the straw that broke the camels back. I am just so emotional lately. I don't know if it's stress that's been building up or what it is, but I really feel stupid for getting so upset over little things.

Terrible twos

What do I do? Ashlyn is turning into a little monster. =) She is beginning to throw the biggest tantrums if she doens't get her way. I've tried everything from spankings to rewarding her for good behavior and NOTHING seems to work. She is the most stubborn child ever. She gets it honest. Britt and I are both VERY stubborn, so I guess she got a double dose. I'll pop her bottom and she will look and me and laugh in my face! Can you believe that? My child is turning into a little brat. I'm sure that it's just her age, but it's driving me nuts! And the thing is she only acts that way with ME. If her daddy says no she listens, but with me she tests my nerves way beyond what I ever knew I could withstand. I always said that my child WOULD NOT act like a spoiled brat, and now I'm eating my own words. She was cute the first couple of times, but now I'm beginning to get VERY annoyed with her. The only thing that I've found that only half works is taking her pappy (pacifier) away for a few minutes. She loves that thing, and that's going to be another nightmare whenever we take it away from her. Ahhh the joys of motherhood, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's all worth it when I see her cute smile everyday!

Beach Retreat

We had a long weekend at the Ocean Isle beach this weekend with 4 other couples. We had a blast. The only the thing that could have been better was the weather. Hera are a few pictures from our trip. Have a great day!

I feel like an old woman =)

Don't get me wrong, being a wife and mother is wonderful, but am I supposed to be tired all of the time? I am constantly running here and there, cooking, and cleaning. Ok Britt, maybe not as much cooking as you would like, but I still do it. Even if it is a frozen pizza. After I get home from work and feed Ashlyn, give her a bath, clean the house (which I do every night because I can't stand a mess; it drives me insane), and get her ready for bed, I just want to turn into a couch potato and not be bothered for an hour or two. I am just slap worn out! Is this normal? Britt and I worked out in the yard Saturday and Sunday. I thought that I was dying. I haven't worked that hard my whole life. I realized just how out of shape I was when my legs turned into jello while planting flowers on Sunday. It's really sad, but funny at the same time. I wonder what I'll feel like when I turn 60. It's a very scary thought! I better get into shape now!

A few more cute pics =)

Little Miss Elton John

Ashlyn and her cousins

Tag. You're it!

1. What is the smartest thing you have ever done?
Listening to my parents and leaving my house to stay with them the night that our house caught fire. I did not want to get Ashlyn up at midinight to go stay with my parents. I just thought that the heating unit was acting up and that everything was fine. I'm so glad the Ashlyn and I left that night!
2. What is the dumbest thing you have ever done?
I totally agree with Moriah on this one. This is probably the dumbest thing ever! I can't beleive that we were so naive. I don't even want to think about Ashlyn doing something like this. DUMB DUMB DUMB! It was fun though =)
Dumb. I think Dumb and Fun always go hand in hand! LOL! Let's see. There was that time Moriah and I left Charlotte at rush hour on a Friday and drove to Panama City for Spring break. We were under age, and used fake id's. It gets better. We thought we were going to stay with some friends and that fell through so we stayed with these Frat boys from University of Florida. We played and had a ball for 5 days! We were young and dumb! I would do it now again in a heart beat. Well skipping the frat boy sleepover! LOL!
3. What is something you would have changed about your life?
I would have stayed at NC State and be finished with school by now. I totally regret leaving State. I hate UNC Charlotte!
4. What is the worse feature about yourself?
I am an obsessive neat freak. I can't just sit and watch tv without spotting a piece of lint in the floor that I have to pick up because it is bugging the crap out of me to look at it.
5. The best?
My butt. LOL!!!! I never had one in high school. I was skinny minny, but I've made up for it now. I'm pretty proud of it. =)
6. Why are you with the person you are with?
Because he is incredible! It's that simple!
7. Today you are________, 10 years from now you will be_______.27 and 37. No think deep. Today I am working in an office setting in front of a computer all day, 10 years from now I hope to be a stay at home mom with 2 more children. Today I live pay check to pay check, 10 years from now I hope to have won the lottery. =) Today I am a mother to a wonderful 21 month old girl, 10 years from now she will almost be a teenager. (Very Scary)
8. The best material gift I was ever given?
I guess it would be my engagement ring and wedding band.
9. One quote you say over and over?
Home is where the heart is.
10. The best thing in life I ever did?
Having Ashlyn. She has brought so much joy into my life!

A (not so nice) surprise

Ok, I've got a funny story for you to start your day off. I was getting ready to go to church on Sunday morning and Ashlyn and the dog were both playing in the kitchen. Well, Ashlyn comes running into the bathroom saying "here mommy, here", like she has a great surprise for me. It was a surprise alright. She was carrying Rudy's poop in her hands!!!!! I about died. She thought that she was helping me by cleaning it up. Oh, it was soooo nasty. I thought that you might enjoy that story. Too funny.

WHY?

Ok, our new dog Rudy likes Britt better than me. I am the one who saved his life. Britt was totally against getting him, yet Rudy LOVES Britt! I just don't understand it. It is so cute though! Seeing this little 5lb dog curl up in Britt's lap. It's definitely a hoot. I can see it now, Britt on the beach walking Rudy ( a very not so manly dog ). This dog is going to be his best buddy. I'll have post a picture of the two of them. You'll get a good laugh out of it.

NEW FAMILY MEMBER

No, I'm not having another baby. Not yet. I adopted another dog yesterday. I know, I know, I really didn't need him, but animals are my weakness. I just can't stand to think of one being put down because no one wanted to give him a home. He is a Chihuahua mix. He is about 1 1/2 old, house trained, and wonderful with Ashlyn! She is so excited about having another little doggie. We named him Rudy. I am so happy! =)

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Ok. I know that this sounds crazy, but I am a little worried because nothing has gone wrong this week. I am ALWAYS having bad luck, but this week has brought nothing but good luck! I wasn't even going to write about it because I don't want to jinks myself, but I can't help but be excited!!! I just hope that it continues!
I realized yesterday, in an email from Kellie, exactly how God works. Sometimes you just have to get through all the bad to see the good. I was beginning to wonder "why me?", "why can't anything ever go the way that I want it to?", but God answered to me this morning. You have to go through some rough times to experience the good.
It amazes me at how often we pray to God for answers to all of our problems, but we rarely thank him for everything that he does for us. He is always working and always giving us answers to our problems. Sometimes you've just got to be patient, and you will see his wonderful answers! God is great!