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!

Family

Here is my wonderful family, the Drum's. Moriah did an AWESOME job! Everyone make sure to visit her website at http://www.cmstudiophotography.com/ . She does great work! Moriah, I hope that you don't mind me posting this picture on my blog. I wanted to share it with others. It captures 4 generations. I'm so proud to have such a wonderful family! Love you all!

Crazy as usual!

Well, it's been crazy as usual around the Cody house. I am hoping that the rest of the week will be peaceful. Everyone please say a prayer for this! I can't remember what peaceful is anymore. =)
God is so smart. He knows that I have had some really trying times in my life, but he has surrounded me with such great people that are constantly there for me when I am down and out. I am so thankful for each and every one of you. Also Ashlyn, crazy Ashlyn. She is starting to do the silliest things for attention. Last night, I felt TERRIBLE, but I was cracking up laughing at all of the little things that she was purposely doing to make me smile.

She is only 20 months old, but she is so smart. She can tell whenever I don't feel well or when I'm upset, and she will come and pat me on the back. She is the best gift that I could ever have. She makes me beam from ear to ear no matter what. It's amazing how much love you can have for your child. I never understood that kind of love until Ashlyn came along. It's just undescribable.

Winter Wonderland!

We went to our freind's Cabin in the mountains this past weekend. We had a blast. I think that Ashlyn really enjoyed the snow. She didn't want to go back inside after we played for a little while. It was a nice Winter get away. Now I'm ready for summertime.

Gray Cloud

Do I have a gray cloud hovering over me? It sure seems like it. Why can't things just go smooth for a while? I don't understand it.
I had met my great friend Kellie for lunch at Nagano's (this is one out of three of our usual lunch spots). After lunch it was back to work. I was pulling around to exit the parking lot and then BAM a truck T-bones me. I didn't even see him coming. There was an ambulance blocking my full view, so I was slowly pulling up and that's when he rammed right into me. He was driving way too fast through the parking lot and wasn't paying attention. His truck didn't have much damage. His fender was bent just a little bit. On the other hand, my car looks terrible. The whole drivers side door is crushed in. It looks like a hoopty mobile right now. =) We are hoping to get it fixed very soon. The good thing is that nobody got hurt. I was extremely sore, but other than that I'm ok. Just a little shaken up.
I just wish that the drama would stop in my life. I don't need anymore bad luck. I need the good luck to start pouring down on me! I just wanted to write about yet another bump in the road of Mindy's life. God, you really need to start fixing all of these pot-holes. =)

Here's Ashlyn. She is definitely ALL GIRL! She loves to have a bow in her hair. She enjoys playing with her princess kitchen that her Nana Joyce got her for Christmas. And she already thinks that she is a little mother. She carries her baby with her everywhere that we go. I just thought that I would share some of her "girly" moments. She's such a little princess.

I NEED TO VENT

TODAY HAS BEEN THE DAY FROM YOU KNOW WHERE. ASHLYN HAS BEEN SICK FOR A WEEK NOW AND SHE DID NOT SLEEP WELL LAST NIGHT, WHICH MEANS THAT I ALSO DID NOT SLEEP WELL. I TOOK HER TO THE DOCTOR THIS MORNING AND GOT SOME MEDICINE FOR HER COLD, COUGH, AND EAR ACHE. SHE ALSO IS CUTTING ALL 4 OF HER EYE TEETH ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE.
AFTER THE DOCTOR WE CAME HOME AND SHE CONTINUOUSLY TELLS ME THAT SHE WANTS TO WATCH BARNEY, WHICH I LOVE TOO BECAUSE I CAN TURN IT ON AND GET SOME OTHER THINGS DONE. WELL GUESS WHAT OUR BRAND NEW HDTV WON'T WORK. SO I GET TO HEAR ASHYLN SAY "MOMMY. BARNEY." ALL MORNING LONG.
I FINALLY PUT HER DOWN FOR HER NAP AND TRIED TO HELP BRITT FIND THE WARRANTY FOR THE TV. I WENT TO LOOK IN OUR EXTRA BEDROOM AND SEE THAT OUR DRESSER HAS BLACK SHOE POLISH ALL OVER IT. AND NO IT'S NOT FROM ASHLYN. IT'S FROM MY OTHER CHILD, BRITT. THIS IS A WHITE BEDROOM SUIT SO YOU CAN IMAGINE MY ANGER.
WELL BRITT ORDERED A PART FOR OUR TV ,WHICH IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY, AND UNLESS WE PAID OUT THE BUTT FOR NEXT DAY AIR WILL NOT GET HERE UNTIL NEXT WEEK. WE DECIDE TO TRY AND GO A WEEK WITHOUT OUR BIG SCREEN TV WHICH IS GOING TO BE A TRUE TEST. WE BROUGHT THE TV FROM OUR BEDROOM INTO THE DEN TO WATCH TV ON UNTIL WE GET THE OTHER ONE FIXED. WELL GUESS WHAT. THE LIGHT BAR, OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT, HAS GONE OUT IN THAT TV. THE WHOLE SCREEN IS GREEN.
I NEVER KNEW HOW MUCH WE RELIED ON THE TV UNTIL TODAY. THIS IS A TRUE NIGHTMARE. =) IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG NIGHT FOR ASHLYN AND ME. BRITT IS WORKING TONIGHT SO I'M SURE THAT'S WHY HE ISN'T WORRYING ABOUT THE TV RIGHT NOW. IF IT DOESN'T EFFECT HIM HE DOESN'T TRY TO FIX IT. ARE ALL MEN LIKE THIS? I FEEL A LITTLE BETTER NOW. I JUST NEEDED TO VENT.

ahhhhh! it's finally quiet time.

These are my great puppies. Now we have 2 chocolate labs. They are so sweet. There names are Nate and Layla. They are the best puppies ever. They love Ashlyn and Ashlyn loves them!



I have put Ashlyn down for bed and I finally have a little bit of quiet time to myself. Or so I thought. I put some terryaki chicken with pineapples in the microwave to heat up for a little snack. Well, little did I know that I would be eating ashes. I set the microwave for 30 seconds, looked over 10 seconds later and the microwave was on fire. I took the papertowel out and threw it in the sink underneath the running water. Then I looked at the microve again, and the plate was still on fire. I some how got the plate out and threw it in the sink under the water.
Here's a little bit of advice. Don't use left over New Year's plates for anything that may need to go into the microwave. You will have one bad mess! UGGGGHHHH! Hopefully tomorrow morning will start off wonderful! Let's all hope and pray that it does. TTFN

Loss of our puppy

Well, I have some very sad news. Our little dog Casper, that I adopted a few months ago, was hit and killed on Saturday. He was the best little dog. All he wanted was to get in your lap and be loved. He was so good with Ashlyn. I am just thankful that she is not at an age to understand what happened yet. She knows that he's gone, but she doesn't understand what happened to him. She was calling him yesterday and looking all around for him. It was so sad! We'll miss the little guy!
I was telling my wonderful boss Mary Ann about our sad loss this weekend, and she told me that there dog of 10 years had been really sick this weekend. She wasn't responsive this morning so her husband had to have her put down. We are both grieving together this morning.
It's just so wild how an animal really becomes part of your family. They become almost like children. They depend on us for everything. When we've had a terrible day at work, they are always there. Waiting with a wagging tail and ready to greet us at the door. I find animals to bring me so much joy. I believe that Ashlyn is going to love animals as much, or more than I do. And that is alot! We're going to get another dog, but it probably won't be anytime soon.