Birthday

        HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!!!

Turkey Day

                                    HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy turkey day.  I have a squash casserole in the oven and  Brent is pressure washing the garage.  We are going to leave here in about a half an hour and go to his Aunt's house, where will we see his whole family (minus his dad - that's another journal entry for when I have more time).  At about 2:00, we are going to go to my mom's for Thanksgiving dinner with all of my family.  This is a bittersweet day for my family, because my beloved stepfather died last year on Thanksgiving morning.  Although we all have so much to be thankful for, we still will miss his presence greatly. 

So not to overlook what the day really is about, here are a few things I am thankful for:

My husband, my family, my health, my home, my job, my friends, my adorable niece, all of my family being close and the opportunity to all be together, the wonderful food we will eat today, Jesus Christ, that I get to go shopping tomorrow! :)

Things I am NOT thankful for:  The AOL banner ads plastered on my journal - they STILL suck!  :( 

So, so much to be thankful for!  Hope everyone has a wonderful turkey day! Gobble Gobble

 

 

It's Beginning To Feel Alot Like Christmas

I have been SO busy, as I guess everyone is this time of year.  Brent just returned last night from a five day hunting trip to northern Illinois.  Let me tell you, I used that opportunity to get my house SUPER organized (my husband is a bit of a slob, so it is not easy to do when he is around ).  I cleaned the house from top to bottom and got caught up on ALL the laundry.  My biggest feat, however, was FINALLY getting all of my Christmas stuff organized.  I had stuff scattered all over the basement - didn't know what I had, didn't have, needed, etc.  I spent Sunday afternoon organizing everything , labeling those big storage containers, and assesssing what I had and what I needed.  It is our first Christmas in a new house, and I plan on going crazy with the Chrismas decorating. We have a shop here called Old Tim Pottery, which is bascially a big floral and home decorating warehouse - and quickly becoming my new favorite store.  Luckily, it is about a five minute drive from my office, so I have been spending quite a few lunch hours there.  Today, I bought a 7.5 foot prelit pencil tree and enough white lights to string all over our front porch.  I plan to spend Thanksgiving night putting the tree up and decorating the house. I am taking the day off Friday to do the marathon shopping (beginning at 5:00 am - this is my first year to do this, and may end up being my last - will update on that later LOL). 

Oh well, more later....

 

P.S.  Those damn ads are SO annoying!!!! 

Baby fever

I've got it BAD!!!  I went to my four year old neice's (Makenzee) Thanksgiving dinner for her Pre-K class.  OMG.  That was the cutest bunch of kids EVER.  Imagine 12 little four year olds, all decked out in their Indian costumes (which were pillow cases handpainted and cut into vest and feathers stapled to construction paper around their head), all sitting around their little tables telling what they are thanful for.  Enough to make your heart melt!!  I don't know if my biological clock is ticking like crazy (I WILL be 32 in two weeks), or if it that I am FINALLY with the right person - but I don't ever remember wanting a child like this.  I think it is finally time.  Sometimes I think about it and regret that I did not have a baby young, so I would have the advantage of being a more youthful and energetic mother.  But, in reality, I have never really been ready to be a mother until now.  I spent my twenties going to college, partying, and pretty much being self-centered and doing EXACTLY what I wanted to do.  I met Brent when I was 28, and have been with him three and a half years.  I knew when I met him I wanted to have children with him.  Now we are finally married and somewhat settled and I am REALLY feeling it - I can see so clearly what a gift, what a blessing, what a joy having a child really is.  So whenever God is ready to bless us with this, I am here!!

Love My Tim McGraw!

 

Brent and I were watching the country music awards the other night, and all I could think was "Faith Hill is one LUCKY woman!!"

But, hey, so am I.  This is the Tim McGraw song Brent picked out for our first dance as husband and wife at our wedding - reading the lyrics still gives me butterflies!!

 

 

"All We Ever Find"

Say exactly how you feel
Right now you're free to say it all
There is no one here to judge you
I only love you
You're free to close your eyes and fall
You can trust me, this is real
Say exactly how you feel

Tell me all your dreams
And what you think love means
We'll lock the world outside
Embrace the gift of time
Promising forever
Knowing that this moment
Might be all we ever find

Every breath of who you are
Tells a story that I love
I have finally found the truth
In what I see in you
And what I feel with every touch
The simple beauty of your heart
In every breath of who you are

Tell me all your dreams
And what you think love means
We'll lock the world outside
Embrace the gift of time
Promising forever
Knowing that this moment
Might be all we ever find

Tell me all your dreams
And what you think love means
We'll lock the world outside
Embrace the gift of time
Promising forever
Knowing that this moment
Might be all we ever find

Promising forever
Knowing that this moment
Might be all we ever find

Petition

Stop the banner ads from appearing in paying customers journals.  Go to the link below and sign the petition:

Online Petition - Stop AOL from displaying banner ads on Paying Members Journals

AOL Sucks

Unfortunately I am in agreement with most of the other AOL members who are pissed about the way AOL has opened up our journals to advertisers.  I have been a loyal member of AOL for almost ten years now, and I think it is horrible that they are treating their loyal paying members that way. On top of that, my journal is now carrying an ad for Bank of America, which is a company I am not terribly fond of.  What's up with that AOL???

Weekend Update

For some reason, I am SOOO ready for the weekend! I think it is this beautiful fall weather (OK, it is 65 degrees here, but compared to the usual 80 degrees, it feels like fall).  The wind is blowing, the leaves are beautiful, and it feels like perfect college football weather.  Brent is going to get up early in the morning and go deer hunting, and we will probably rent movies and lounge around tomorrow night.  Saturday, I have GOT to get caught up on laundry.How can two people generate so much laundry?  I have no idea, but we manage to do it.  Saturday is a big game for Bulldog fans -the Georgia/Auburn game.  Once again, mind you, I am not a fan of the game of football, but I love game days and getting together with friends and seeing Brent at his happiest.  Saturday will be no exception.  We are having some friends over and I think I am going to keep it easy and make a big pot of chili (or maybe try a new recipe I found for Santa Fe Soup-sounds yummy) - something else to make it feel like fall.  I am prepared for my two scenarios at bedtime Saturday night;  Scenario one, Georgia wins the game - Brent will pick me up, throw me over his shoulders, and carry me upstairs, hooting and hollering all the way, give me lots of kisses and tell me how much he loves me.  Scenario two, Auburn wins the game -Brent kisses the top of my head as I sit on the couch, and trudges upstairs not to be heard from again until he wakes in the morning.  At this point, he will begin an endless stream of phone calls to his football buddies trying to figure out "what the hell went wrong."  *insert big sigh* I know my husband so well.  HeeHee

There is a place that recently opened in Atlanta called Ikea (sp?).  I don't know exactly what it is but they have everything in the world household related at supposedly really good prices.We plan to go downtown and have lunch and check this place out on Sunday. Some friends of our bought some of those shelves you put together yourself for their garage and Brent has decided we HAVE to HAVE these to hold all of his fishing, hunting, work toys that are littering our garage. I, on the other hand, am in the market for a Christmas tree.  Being our first Christmas in our new house, Brent is really pushing me to go for a real tree this year.  Mmmm, the smell of pine needles sounds good, but the sound of them clogging up my vacuum cleaner doesn't!  We'll have to wait and see what wins out - my sense of Christmas spirit and tradition or my neat and practical side that tells me fake is better!!

Today, Life is Good

I was just reading the latest entry from Kimberleigh, I shaved my legs for this?, and she made a comment that really hit home with me.  While describing her fifteen year marriage to her husband, she commented, "That's how you know if it's forever love...when you keep falling in love with the same person over and over again, that is what keeps old love new."

WOW!

That simple statement had so much meaning for me.  I was lying in bed last night watching Brent sleep, and couldn't help but thinking how much I loved this man, and how many times I've fallen in love with home over and over again in the short time we've been married.  No, it hasn't been the easiest ride.  We have experienced death, divorce, family drama and trauma, financial worries, trying to adjust to living in a new place, trying to adjust to living together.  But we have also accomplished so much together; the fairy tale wedding of my dreams, a perfect honeymoon, building a house together, building a home together, combining our friends, family, and lives, creating a life together.  As I watched him sleeping peacefully, I thought what he meant to me.  He is my best friend, my confidante, my biggest supporter, my lover, the person I am going to grow old with, the person I am going to share the most heartache and the most joy with for the remainder of my life, and, if God blesses us, the father of my children. 

I was married for a very brief time several years ago.  It never felt like this.  Probably because I married the wrong person for the wrong reason. 

I know we are newlyweds so we are still "on our honeymoon," but I believe in my heart that a love that is strong and true can build a marriage that is strong and true, and, if both people work hard enough, will grow stronger and more fullfilling.  In this day where divorce is the easy way out, that is my wish for my life with my husband  - that we will always remember where we started, fall in love over and over again, and, as Kimberleigh put it so well, "keep old love new."

My Girl

 

Just finished watching a movie with my girl - LOVE LOVE LOVE Heather!!

Things About Me

I know I need to post an entry explaining my "family drama" I mentioned earlier, and I will;  just not ready to yet. 

I just got off the phone with my dad, and was sitting in my rocking chair on the front porch pondering both of my parents.  I was thinking about how I have so many qualities, good and bad, of both of my parents. And, in alot of ways, my mom and dad share some very similar traits. 

Things I inherited from my dad:  Anxiety (thanks dad), my height, my metabolism, being meticulous, being a good speller, my good grammar skills, my quick temper, my curly hair, my forehead, my appreciation for my family, my taste for pickles, olives, and tabasco sauce, my skinny legs, my sense of loyalty, wanting to be right all of the time, wanting to fix things for other people, my attitude (and I don't mean my GOOD attitude - haha), loving Willie Nelson, peanuts in Dr. Pepper (Brent thinks that is SO strange, but try it, it's good!), my love of good music (everything from the Allman Brothers to Elvis to Willie Nelson to Aerosmith to The Doors)!

Things I inherited from my mom:  OCD about my house being clean, my love of cooking and trying new recipes, my bad night vision, corns on my little toes (ok, gross, but true-hehe), my eyes, my hands and feet, my love of laying out in the sun, my decorating sense, my appreciation for nice things, liking the BeeGees,  not loving breakfast foods or fruit, being a caretaker, being bossy, being indecisive, my sweet side (which Brent says needs to come out more often - haha!), wanting to fix things for other people, loving Willie Nelson, my appreciation for my family, my taste for cheese, potato chips, and bread,  being meticulous.