Apple Juice and Milk

Didn't You Hear?

2011-01-21T09:24:00.002-05:00

Didn't you hear? Apple Juice and Milk has moved to a brand new place, with a brand new name! Check it out!

New Blog, Come Follow me!

2010-12-16T09:57:00.001-05:00

I've got my new blog up and going! Please come and follow me, as I will no longer be using Apple Juice and Milk! Just click here, follow and enjoy!

It's TIME!!!!

2010-12-15T15:13:00.002-05:00

I got the new blog up and going before I thought I would, and I'm proud to say that it is now ready for you! If you are already following Apple Juice and Milk, please follow my new blog as I will no longer be updating this one. I hope to see you all over at "On the Couch" and please remember to update your blog rolls!!

It's Almost Time...

2010-12-14T09:13:00.003-05:00

I mean really, who takes 3 months to get a new blog up and running? Well, I guess I do, but I'm proud to admit that the new blog is almost done! Just working on a few design issues, and it should be up and running by next week!

I have tons of things built up in my head, that I can't wait to write about and of course, there are tons of things I need to feel you in on about Bree :)

I hope everyone's Christmas Season is going well. I'm completely finished shopping, which is weird, because we're never done early. I'm actually not so sure I like being done early...there's nothing left to keep me busy until Christmas! I've even wrapped all of the presents!

I can't wait to tell you more about the new blog, but I think I'll just wait until it's ready to be opened until I reveal any more to you :) I hope you all have been doing well, and can't wait to start talking to you all again...I've missed you too much!

Cheap Premade or Custom Design Blogs?

2010-09-01T16:04:00.002-04:00

I want to do my new blog up right, and that means I am interested in buying a premade or custom made blog template for myself...my problem is that I don't want to spend 200 dollars on a template. I was wondering if you guys knew of a website that has super cute, but super cheap premade templates, or does custom design for cheap as well? If you could, let me know!

A new blog, a new purpose...

2010-08-31T13:53:00.002-04:00

Hey people, I know it's been a while...again! I've been super busy with vacation & planning Bree's 3rd Birthday Party! Yes, she'll be 3! Where has time gone?

Anyway, I've decided to start over with a brand new blog that has a whole new purpose. A place to talk about more than just family and random babblings, but also a place to talk about getting fit and healthy; things going on in the world and this Country; and more!

So, I will begin creating this new place soon & when I am all done...I will be back here to let you know where to find me! I've lost a few followers, which I don't blame them. Who wants to follow a blog of a person who never posts? But I hope that my dearest bloggy friends will bare with me, and see me through!

See you guys soon!

Tony Horton Would Kick My Butt

2010-08-01T19:11:00.002-04:00

After my first round of P90X, I look great (although I think I could look better, which is why there will be a Round 2). I lost 6 pounds, and I wish I knew how many inches. I dropped a pants size, and I have people telling me that they have never seen me this thin. That's because I have never been this thin (pictures will be here soon!). This weekend though, I ate so badly that I'm pretty sure if Tony Horton caught wind of the things I ate...he would fly all the way to South Carolina and kick my butt!

It all started on Thursday night when I had some Thai food. I didn't eat much of it, but what I did eat was not healthy in any sense! On Friday, I had a healthy breakfast and lunch and then had some pizza (my favorite) for supper. Yesterday, I had my cereal, went to Wendys and had a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, a few fries, a few bites of a Frosty, and a cup of Chili (I was hungry), only to top it all off with a 7 ounce steak and a serving of Lobster Macaroni & Cheese. Today, we had a family reunion to go to. Now, in the South, family reunions means lots and lots of food. Lots of fattening foods, but oh so good food! I didn't eat as much as I would have liked, but I ate more than I should have. Macaroni and Cheese, Brocolli Casserole, Shrimp salad on a croissant, and a Pecan Pie (my 2nd favorite food). The family reunion was at 1 o'clock today, 7:15 p.m and I am STILL FULL!

I will have to double up on some P90X this week I fear, and it will be a long, long time before I eat like that again! I feel guilty because I shouldn't have eaten all that I have this weekend, and I pray that I didn't gain anything, even a pound would piss me off.

I was going to take my "after" P90X pictures today, but if you saw how bloated my stomach was right now you probably couldn't tell much of a difference from my Day 0 pictures! Yes, I am beating myself up about all of the food I have eaten this weekend...and honestly, I don't think I'll ever eat again. I ate enough at that family reunion today to suffice for the next 10 years! Okay, maybe that's being a little dramatic, but my tummy feels like that; for now.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

The Ever Growing Bree :)

2010-07-28T15:30:00.002-04:00

My blog no longer looks funky to me, and I'm not completely happy with the new layout so I'll be working on it a bit more over the next few days. In the meantime, I have some pictures of the ever growing Breezy that have been taken over the last two months. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, Bree has had at least two growth spurts in the last two months! I have bought her more shoes this Summer than I have my entire life! It's kind of crazy, but anyway...without further delay, here are some pictures of my Breezy!

I'm Baaaaaaack :)

2010-07-27T21:54:00.002-04:00

It has been over a month since I last posted, and for that apologize! I've been outdoors, enjoying the sweet Summer sun...but alas, Summer is coming to an end soon and I've got that itch to start blogging again :)

I've had some issues with my browser on the Mac, and am now having to use Firefox. For some strange reason, my blog looks really funky while using Firefox, and it's driving me crazy. I don't know how to fix it, I've cleared the cache, cleared cookies, and everything...and still it looks funky. So, I'm going to just clear everything out and get my blog back to normal!

I have tons of pictures to show you guys, and big updates on Bree, her 2 growth spurts in the last 2 months, and how we can now officially hold a conversation together! She's going to be 3 years old in September, and like this Summer has been...things are going too fast!

I am officially a P90X graduate! I have to show you my pictures for that too! I am starting another round when we get back from vacation in August and I cannot wait! I took a week break from exercise last week, and let me tell you...the last two days have been kinda rough as far as exercise goes! I did my first Ab Ripper in 2 weeks today, and holy burning abs Batman! It's amazing though.

Can't wait to catch up with all of you guys soon! And if you have any suggestions on how I can get my blog to look normal on Firefox, please, I'm open for suggestions!

I Live at the Pool...

2010-06-22T11:11:00.002-04:00

Here in the South, we've been having record breaking temperatures. Just last week, we broke 100 degrees! So, you better bet that I've been poolside for most of the last couple of weeks. I can't remember the last dinner that we ate in the house, because just about every night we have grilled out by the pool with our friends. I think this is going to be one amazing Summer!

I'm in my last 30 days of p90x, and I was going to take Day 60 pictures, but as luck would have it...it's the time of the month & well...let's just say I'm a little bloated. BUT, I will say that there is definite change and it's amazing! I've got definition in my arms and legs, and my waist is a lot thinner! I've got about 2 and a half weeks left of my first round of p90x, and then I'll be taking a month break. Why a month? Well, because we're going on vacation the 2nd week of August, and I don't want to get started on the 2nd round to only stop again. Understand? I'm totally excited though! Hopefully by the end of the 2nd round, I will have the abs that I never thought I'd have!

Bree is doing well these days. One day she woke up speaking in full sentences, and I can't get her to hush much now. She just gets bigger and bigger every day it seems. At the pool, we slide her little swimmies up her arms and she just hops in the pool and has so much fun!

I can't believe that it's already the end of June. Paul's Birthday is tomorrow, and it's also the day we began dating. That's put us at being together for four years! Hard to believe.

I hope you all are doing well, and I'm sorry for not writing more. I'm not dead, just enjoying the Summer. It'll be over before I know it, and we'll be back in those dreaded cold months! I hope you all are enjoying your Summer as well! I'll be posting some pictures soon!

Stupid People-Part II

2010-06-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

Not too long ago I wrote an entire post, dedicated to Stupid People and the types that they come in. Today, I am adding another type to the list.

The Ignorant Opinionated Person

Here's the story...

A friend of mine on Facebook was asking whether or not she should invest and buy the Wii Fit. Of course, me, being the p90x fanatic that I am, suggested she invest in it instead. I told her how it actually works, it transforms your body for the good, you feel great, and it's just simply amazing.

Below is the conversation between me & the Ignorant Opinionated Person

Me: Just invest in p90x, seriously...works better than anything!

Stupid Ignorant Opinionated Person: p90x is yur daddy...the people who market p90x have to hack facebook accounts to sell their products...hmm, let me go right out and buy that...riiiite....n e way my friends have wii fit and they never play it so yea i agree with the other guy it would get boring fast

Me: P90x is a 13 dvd set, just pop it in and push play. And no, the people that market p90x do not hack into facebooks. Those people are in no way, shape or form related to the p90x team. The program works like no other thing I have ever tried. Seriously, I wouldn't suggest something if I didn't think it was different or worked.

(This is where Stupid Ignorant Opinionated Person gets even more stupid)
Stupid Ignorant Opinionated Person: haha wowww i seriously thought that p90x was some new weight loss pill or something....they really couldve thought of a better name for it IMO. just seeing how everyone on here always randomly posts up something about p90x makes me think its some weight loss thing, sorry i dont research all this new weight loss crap. i dont belive in all of it. the way i know to keep weight off is to eat 4 to 5 small, healthy meals a day, stay active, work out if necessary, and avoid stress. ive learned that from multiple fitness experts, personal trainers, and working out since i was 14. i just prefer not to spend my money on all the gimmicks for building muscle and losing weight in todays society

Me: I'm like you...I don't like that either, but this is a fitness program like no other. It's life changing with long term results. It's goal is to get you healthy, not to see how much weight you can lose in 90 days. It's amazing.

Stupid Ignorant Opinionated Person: yea i mean im sure it works well, but the thing with those ultimate workout videos and things is they arent for everyone. i mean i just did a quick google search and saw that they have plyometrics in the workout. obviously an obese person in poor physical condition doesnt need to be straining themselves that much right off the bat. all im saying is that i think that a personalized program set up with a well qualified and certified personal trainer is always going to win over these ultimate workout videos, which i see a new one on late night infomercials every month

(And then someone comes to the rescue to help me knock some sense into the Stupid Ignorant Opinionated Person)
My Rescuer: but also on the dvds they tell you that you dont have to do the work outs as intense as they do if you arent in the best shape yet or have back and or knee problems and have ways you can modify it..so in a way it can be for everyone you just have to commit and really try

Me: Tony Horton's motto in p90x is "Do your best and forget the rest" but again, he also says that p90x isn't for everyone, that's why there's a physical fitness test with it too. I think though, you would need to try p90x before you could have a true opinion on it, because my mind set was the same as yours...but was completely blown away when I saw how different this program really is. It's different. It's not a get muscles fast and drop weight fast type thing, it's a get healthy at your own pace type thing. It comes with a nutrition guide of regular foods that you can buy in the grocery stores...it's all real...it's easy. Anyway, I just suggested it for Bonny because I think she would have fun with it. I'm loving it, and I have never been one for exercise.

Stupid Ignorant Opinionated Person: well thats cool. its good that it warns ppl about some of the exercises b/c some people really are in bad shape. at least i know its not some diet pill now lol, thats just what it sounded like to me

I mean really, if you're going to have an opinion on something...at least know what in the heck you're talking about! I was like, what a moron...seriously.

You Must've Thought I Disappeared!

2010-06-05T11:01:00.005-04:00

I've definitely been slack on posting this past week. I really have no excuse other than, I just didn't want to. It's been an interesting week to say the least though.

On Memorial Day we had planned to have a big cookout by the pool with some of our friends, but God had different plans for the weather. It rained, and it stormed like it's never rained or stormed before. The two ponds on our property were overflowing, and so did the swimming pool. I swear, I've never seen so much rain fall in a single day, but we didn't let the rain stop us from having fun. The guys hurried to the grill during a 30 minute period of which it had stopped raining, cooked our food and we partied in my house all day and night long. Seriously. It was fun though, and Bree loved it. She enjoys having people over at the house, it gives her a chance to pull all of the stuff from her bedroom out to the living room to show everyone. Much fun was had by all, and although, it would have been a lot more fun to be by the pool...hanging out on the patio at my house wasn't bad either.

Tuesday morning I had a mental breakdown. Mainly because I was overwhelmed. A grocery list had to be made, along with grocery shopping, there was tons of laundry to be done, lots of house cleaning to be done, and I just didn't see that there were enough hours in the day to get it done. So...I did what every housewife should do every once in a while...I lost it. I cried, and I cried, and then I called Paul and I cried some more. He told me not to worry about the groceries, that he would take care of them that night after work...and I didn't even have to worry about cleaning the house (he obviously doesn't know me well enough to think that I would just sit in a messy house all day). For me, grocery shopping is such a burden. I actually despise it, loathe it, HATE IT! Once Paul marked that off of my list, my day suddenly seemed better. I can definitely handle housework.

Wednesday morning, Bree woke up sick. I am still not sure exactly what was wrong with her, but it lasted all day long. Initially, I thought she had caught another tummy bug, but she never threw up or pooped. She hardly ate, and she would drag around the house just crying in pain. I was pretty concerned, because I had no idea what to do for her. There was no fever, or anything. She took about a 45 minute nap and then woke again, and I had to hold her for the rest of the day. Eventually, she fell asleep in my lap and slept a good hour and a half. She woke up about 5:30 and seemed tons better. She even wanted to eat. So, I fed her some cereal, and then we planned to go to Chick Fil A and try the new Spicy Chicken Sandwich. This is where Mommy Guilt set in for me. As soon as we walked into Chick Fil A, Bree threw up all over herself, me, and the cashiers counter. I knew then, that we should have just stayed home...but I swear, she seemed tons better before we left the house! When we got back home, she climbed back up on the couch in to her blankets and went to sleep.

Thursday, Bree seemed a little bit better, but not 100 percent yet. We stayed at home and took it easy. I'm not sure what we're doing this weekend. Our Friday night was pretty boring, and today looks like a day by the pool...which is perfectly fine with me! Monday I started the Recovery Phase of p90x which means that I have only 30 more days with Round 1 of p90x! I am going to do another round of p90x starting in August. My belly needed more work than I thought it would. It's coming right along though, and I'm excited to see where it's going to take me!

I hope you all had a wonderful week. Again, I'm sorry for not posting anything...and again, there is no excuse besides the fact that I just didn't want to. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

The Monday Minute - Memorial Day Edition

2010-05-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day! Take this day to remember the men and women who have died to make sure you stay safe and free in this wonderful Country we call America. The Monday Minute comes in the style of a Memorial Day Edition, so if you want to join in, just head on over to Ian's place & he'll help get you started!

1 - Have you or a family member joined the military?
My Brother joined the Marine Corps about a year ago now, and has gone through Bootcamp, Marine Combat Training, and is now currently training for his Marine Occupational School in which he'll be learning how to operate AAV's (Amphibious Assault Vehicle). I'm one proud Big Sister!

2 - Have you or a family member served his/her country in times of war?
Both of my Papa's served in WWII. My Dad's Dad was actually supposed to be at Normandy when we stormed the beach, but his orders were changed at the last minute. Thank God for that or none of my family would be here today. And I'm pretty sure our Troops won't be out of Afghanistan or Iraq by the time my Brother finishes his MOS, so he'll probably be deployed (God forbid).

3 - What's your favorite BBQ food?
I love just regular ol' BBQ (pulled pork) without any BBQ sauce on it. It's gotta be smoked pretty good though. Love it!

4 - Do you fart in public?
Who doesn't? Sometimes they escape before you can stop them!

5 - What's the one question that if it shows up on a Monday Minute, you refuse to take part?
There was that one time that entire Monday Minute was dedicated to sex, and I just couldn't answer those questions. Not only is it personal, but there are people from church who read my blog and I don't want them picturing me naked, or picture me having sex when they see me in church :)

This Memorial Day...

2010-05-28T10:44:00.004-04:00

I remember having to memorize the Pledge of Allegiance in Kindergarten, and then the Star Spangled Banner in Elementary School. I remember chanting those worths, not really thinking of their meaning. It was custom to say the Pledge of Allegiance before class started each day in every grade of school. The Star Spangled Banner was sang during ball games, and other special...American events. I heard the words to our National Anthem, and Pledge nearly my entire life, but it wasn't until April 9, 2010 at Parris Island when I truly, honestly, grasped the meaning and the Patriotism spoken in our flag.

When I think about the men and women who have graciously given their lives to help keep our Country safe and free, and the Flag that keeps their memory and cause alive...it brings tears to my eyes, and an indescribable pride to my heart. To be an American. To have been blessed to live in this beautiful, free, Country. Being an American is truly a blessing; something to be proud of.

How sad that our President, this Memorial Day...will be taking a vacation instead of honoring our fallen soldiers at the Memorial Day Ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery. He is the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces, and he has chosen to not acknowledge or pay respects to those who have fought AND died to keep this Country our "...sweet land of liberty". I don't usually get political, or talk about our President...but this scares me. Our own President does not want to honor our Soldiers.

Nevertheless, having a Brother now in the Marine Corps, I have a greater appreciation and knowledge of our Armed Forces; all branches of the United States Military. While you spend time with your family and friends on this Memorial Day, remember the men and women who have died to keep you safe, and remember the men and women who are currently fighting to protect us and keep us free.

I've Failed.

2010-05-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

I've always thought of someone who kept with the trends pretty well. I mean, I try to keep up with what's in fashion and what's not (note to self: get rid of the Skecher sandals I bought 5 years ago). I keep up with the latest gidgets and gadgets. I keep up with what's popular on television, although I may not really watch it, I try to at least know what's going on.

But, alas, I have failed.

Netflix has been out for a few years now. I used to think it was kind of crazy to pay 10 dollars a month only to have movies sent to your mailbox. Why not just run down to one of those movie machines that you only have to pay a dollar for? Oh, but I was so nieve. There is so much more to Netflix than DVDs in your mailbox! For 10 dollars a month, I can get movies sent to my mailbox AND movies streamed instantly through my Nintendo Wii! People, let me tell you...I have been watching movies for an entire month it seems like. I've been watching Goldie Hawn movies, Steve Martin movies, movies I wanted to see in theaters but never got to...and best of all...the one other thing that I didn't keep with in the trends...

I've discovered Lost

Yes, I know...six seasons later and I'm just now watching the first season. It's amazing! I'm like, why didn't I watch this when it was coming on?!

So...I'm catching up on the latest trends. Hopefully by the time I get through all 5 seasons of Lost the sixth will be on Netflix. If you don't have Netflix, you should definitely look into it. It's amazing!

I'm Going to Burn Down This House!

2010-05-26T13:27:00.009-04:00

One, hot Summer Day, my Mom and I were laying out by our pool in the back yard. Suddenly, we heard the back door slam and my Dad came storming out to the pool where we were. He picked up a vacant lawn chair, and chucked it across the yard, his face full of rage.

My Mom and I looked at each other, not really sure what was going on or why he was angry, but we both had the hint of a smirk across our face. To see a lawn chair fly across the yard was possibly the funniest thing we had seen in a while. Nevertheless, my Mom ventured to ask my Dad what was wrong with him.

My Dad replied, "I was hungry, so I went to the kitchen to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When I went to scoop me out some peanut butter the jar was empty! Nothing! Nothing left! WHO PUTS AN EMPTY JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER BACK INTO THE CABINET?!"

My Mom and I lost it. We nearly busted our guts from laughing so hard. If you could have heard how whiney his voice was, and how angry he was over peanut butter..you would have died too. Every time I think about my Dad throwing that lawn chair across the back yard, I laugh until I cry. It's one of the funniest stories I have to tell about my Dad. Don't worry, we're not violent people, it's just that throwing things is genetically etched into the part of our brain that triggers anger.

Anyway, I said all of that to tell you about this story I read earlier today. I nearly peed my pants from laughing so hard. Click here to read the story, and then come back and tell me if you peed your pants. If you didn't think it was funny at all...what's wrong with you?!

Stupid People

2010-05-25T22:05:00.003-04:00

I don't like very many people. It's no secret. People in general just really get on my nerves. Why? Because most people are stupid. Plain and simple. Stupid. You may recall the conversation I heard between a cashier and bag boy at the local grocery story on Monday? It's that kind of pointless stupidity that drives me batty!

I know that I will be that grouchy, bitchin' old woman in the nursing home, who cusses out everyone that walks past me in the hallway. When my Grandmother was in a nursing home, before she died, there was this old woman who sat in her wheel chair in the hallway, and every time someone walked by she would just start cussing them out. Total strangers, not people she knew and not even the nurses. Just visitors coming to visit their family and friends. One day, as I walked past her, she said"Here comes that ol' whore. She's a little b----". I laughed, because I knew, that one day...that would be me. I wondered if she was like me in her younger days-If she hated stupid people too, until one day she developed absolutely no tolerance for people at all.

That's what stupid people to do normal people like me. They make us crazy! They turn us into that mean old lady that scares kids so bad, they are afraid to retrieve stray baseballs that they accidentally batted into her yard. I'm going to be that woman, except, I won't have a lot of cats like most of them do, and my yard will be clean, and my porch not cluttered (like the mean old ladies they show in the movies).

Anyway, it's a scary thought really. I don't want to be mean, but it seems that stupidity has stretched far and wide among people these days. It's everywhere you look. Politicians, doctors, teachers, oil rig workers, etc. We shouldn't be afraid of the Taliban...we should be afraid of the stupid people living in our own Country!

Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

2010-05-25T10:19:00.005-04:00

My morning didn't start off too good this morning, and for some reason this song by Creedence Clearwater Revival a.k.a CCR, popped into my head. This is one of my favorite CCR songs, and I thought I would share it with you. For those of you who can't view the video, I've got the lyrics below it if you want to read them.

Have You Ever Seen the Rain
Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm.
I know, and it's been comin' for some time.
When it's over, so they say, it'll rain a sunny day.
I know, shinin' down like water.

I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
comin' down on a sunny day?

Yesterday, and days before, sun is cold and rain is hard.
I know, been that way for all my time.
'Til forever on it goes through the circle fast and slow,
I know, and it can't stop, I wonder.

I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
comin' down on a sunny day?

The Monday Minute - Snort Style!

2010-05-24T13:41:00.006-04:00

It's time for the Monday Minute, hosted by Ian. Today we're asking prayers for Ian's friend Daffy. Her Sister died late last week, and their entire family needs your prayers!

1. - Do you *snort*?
I'm not gonna say I've never snorted while laughing, but...it's only happened a couple of times and it's embarrassing :)

2 - Our friend, has a nickname and it's Daffy. What's your nickname?
People generally call me Sam, my Dad though, has several nicknames for me two of which are "Jughead" & "Fathead" Is there something wrong with my head?

3 - Do you know sign language?
Only when I'm angry...

4 - What's a sample convo from your hood?
I guess I could tell you about a conversation I heard in the grocery story this morning.
Cashier: When is hurricane season?
Customer: June 1st through September somethin'
Bag Boy: I'd like to live through a hurricane. I've never done that before. I'd be pretty mad though if I walked out my door and saw a tree laying on my car."
Cashier: Better the car than your house.

Meanwhile, I'm standing here thinking they're all idiots, Bag Boy especially. I personally think that bag boys should be forbidden to speak, especially if they can't say anything anymore intelligent than wanting to live through a hurricane and hoping that your car would be okay once the hurricane passes over. Seriously...he officially joined the Carnival of Idiocy when he opened his idiotic mouth this morning. I thought that I might should take the food that he touched back, just in case his stupidity was contagious. The conversation only got worse when it on to be about tornados.

5 - Do you sleep with electronic devices - i.e. laptop, Blackberry, iPhone, etc?
I used to sleep with my phone under my pillow before I got married. But now, the phone sits on the bedside table. Oh, but I do sleep with a heating pad. I guess that's considered an electronic device!

Just in case you missed my Day 0/Day 30 p90x pictures, you can click here to see them!

They're Here!

2010-05-23T17:36:00.003-04:00

WARNING: Before viewing the p90x Day 0 & Day 30 pictures, do not eat anything at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after viewing them.

Okay, so I finally got the p90x Day 0 & Day 30 pictures put together. I'm a little disappointed in the pictures, but at the same time I'm not. I've got some goals set for Phase 2 which I am currently doing. This includes eating better on the weekends. I think that's what hurt me the most in Phase 1. I seriously ate way too much of the bad stuff. I'm doing better this time around though, so hopefully I'll have better Day 60 results. These aren't the most attractive of pictures. In the Day 0 pictures I just felt weird because I was having my picture made, and in the Day 30 pictures me and Paul were fighting (go figure). That's why the Day 30 pictures are blurry. I couldn't figure out why he couldn't just take a normal picture. Anycrappyphotographer, have a lookie. And try not to unfollow me just because of the pictures. I swear I usually fix my hair and look a lot less bitchy then I do in the pictures :)

A Pain in my Neck

2010-05-21T10:17:00.004-04:00

A pain my neck...

Litterally.

Yesterday morning before I started my Yoga X workout, I was exceptionally stiff and sore from the previous day's exercise. Somehow, I must have turned my neck the wrong way. It feels like one of those annoying cricks you can get after a weird night of sleep, and at first that's what I thought it was. Except today it still hurts.

I decided to skip my Legs & Back workout today. It hurts to turn my head or to do anything weird. I feel guilty for skipping it, but I gotta do what I gotta do. I hope my neck is better by tomorrow...I've got Kenpo X and I love me some Kenpo! I'm going to try not to feel guilty though. I am seeing dramatic results...finally!

I have a sort of busy weekend ahead. Cookout tonight, a baby shower tomorrow afternoon and then taking pictures for my sister from another mister for her prom. I know I am week over due for getting those p90x day 0 & day 30 pictures to you, but I swear...I'll get 'em up!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe & enjoy this picture of Breezy & Pistol the Clown from the Character Carnival last week!

36 Hours = Total Destruction

2010-05-20T10:05:00.002-04:00

As most of you know, I left early Monday morning for North Carolina to see my Brother graduate from MCT at Camp Geiger. Yesterday, I wrote of my experiences there and today I am going to be writing of my experiences once I got home. The mess that occured in the day and a half that I was gone. The mess my child's hair was in, and I'm still wondering why Bree went through 10 different outfits in less than two days?

Before I left Monday, I made sure all of the laundry was washed, dried, folded and put away. Every article of clothing in the house was clean and hanging in the closets, except, of course, the clothes on our backs. I went through this trouble so that I wouldn't have a mountain waiting to be washed when I got back Tuesday night. Needless to say, this tactic didn't work. The MIL kept Breezy while Paul was at work on Monday and Tuesday. Whenever she keeps Bree, they rarely stay at my house for long...so I didn't expect the house to get too messy. I also didn't expect for all of Bree's clothes to be pulled from the closet, and worn. Evidently, in two days, Bree wore 2 pairs of blue jeans, and 3 pairs of shorts. She wore 4 or 5 tops, one of which was stained with tea, that...by the way...is completely ruined. Not even my beloved Spray N Wash could get the stain out. Ruined clothing is nothing new though. Whenever the MIL keeps Bree, there is always at least one shirt that gets ruined by some kind of funky looking stain. I've tried to stop making sense of this though, and have focused more on being thankful that she kept was even able to keep Bree at all.

One thing I couldn't make sense of when I got home, was why the house was so messy. Paul was supposed to be working all day, and Bree was out with the MIL...so who was home to make the mess? There were dishes stacked up in the sink (a huge pet peeve of mine), my bed was unmade (another pet peeve), everything that had been lying on the coffee table was in the floor, Bree's room looked like a tornado had rolled through, and the dining room table had turned into storage. Before I even began to unpack, I got to work cleaning the house. I can't stand a messy, unorganized house.

While I'm putting up dishes, and picking up trash...I'm wondering how in the world the house got this bad. I was only gone for 36 hours. 16 of those hours, Paul was working & Bree was out, and another 8 hours was spent sleeping. So why and when was this mess made?

Needless to say, instead of laying out by the pool on Wednesday afternoon...I was stuck inside vacuuming, doing a mountain of laundry, unloading the dishwasher, and organizing the bedrooms the way they had been before I left. Paul looked at me when he got home Tuesday night and said, "With you gone, I really realized how much you do around here."

Seriously...

2 Days in a Marine Corps Town

2010-05-19T10:53:00.006-04:00

Early Monday morning, I rolled out of bed ready to get on the road and head to Jacksonville, North Carolina. It was waaaay too early to be awake, my contact lenses said so. If you have to wear contacts, you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, we left around 7 a.m, and got on down the road. It was cloudy the whole way to North Carolina, and stayed that way all the way back home yesterday. Anyway, we stayed in a hotel in Wilmington, North Carolina which was about 30 to 45 minutes out of Jacksonville (where Camp Geiger is located). After having to switch hotel rooms (our first room had pubic hairs in the bath tub, and unmentionable spots on the bed spread..yuck), I took a hot shower and we got ready to head on over to Camp Geiger.

Now, I must say that I loved Parris Island way more than Camp Geiger. Parris Island was clean, and organized. The grass was trimmed perfectly, as were the trees. The buildings at Parris Island, looked like they had been cleaned perfectly with a tooth brush (probably had been). Camp Geiger looked older. There were dead spots in the grass, the buildings looked older, and the MCX wasn't near as big as the one at Parris Island. Still, it was a Marine Base and there were lotsa sexy Marines walking around.

My Brother was a bit irritable, or so he seemed, when we first got there. I think he was pretty fed up with Geiger. He talked about the things he did that were fun, like throwing real grenades and doing the 3 day war, but then he talked about the things that aggravated him the most. They a "Buddy-System" in which they were assigned a buddy for the entire 29 days they were there. This buddy went every where with you, including the bathroom. We were a little surprised that they enforced the "buddy-system" even on Family Day. It was kind of annoying that we had to go everywhere with my Brother's Buddy and his family. It wasn't as personal.

Camp Geiger definitely wasn't like our experience at Parris Island, but I don't think that it was supposed to be. We hadn't built it up in our heads like Parris Island either. Even still, there is something about that final dismissal at the end of the Graduation that makes me cry every time. "Aye Sir! OORAH!" From there, my Brother went back to his Barracks, got his stuff...boarded a bus to Raleigh and hopped on a plane to California (Camp Pendelton).

When I got home last night, my house was a disaster. Still not sure how 2 people could make such a mess in 24 hours especially when they were hardly home, but they did. Today, I had hoped to spend some time by the pool, but it looks like I'll be doing laundry, vacuuming floors, and doing dishes all day. As soon as Paul can take my Day 30 p90x pictures, I will get them up for you, but until then...here are some pictures from Camp Geiger!

My Family & then us, the siblings. Wouldn't guess I was the oldest of the 2 would you?

Really cool Marine Corps boots & then me and my Brother :)

The Graduation ceremony!

A Quick Update :)

2010-05-16T16:17:00.002-04:00

I know that I promised you all p90x Day 0 & Day 30 pictures by yesterday, and it now it is Sunday....and still no pictures. It's been a rough weekend around here. A good friend of mine passed away in his sleep Friday night, and it's been hard to do much of anything this weekend. Even working out with Tony Horton seemed nearly impossible to get through.

We had planned to do some car shopping yesterday, and lost interest in doing that because of the sad news of my friend. My heart is broken, sad, and heavy...I can't even begin to imagine how his family feels.

Bree was sick all morning and most of the afternoon on Friday. When I say sick, I mean she had a tummy bug. It was not fun, but thankfully...by Friday night she was all better. We took her to IHOP for some eggs & pancakes. She basically inhaled them, and was ready for more food!

I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for North Carolina! I am so excited to get to see my Brother again. Even if it's only a couple of days. From North Carolina, my Brother will leave for California (Camp Pendelton) to train in AAV's (Amphibious Assault Vehicles). We're all a little nervous about this, because AAV's aren't as strong as the tanks that he had initially thought he was going to train for. May I ask you all to keep my Brother in your prayers. Pray for his safety most of all.

I will be back Wednesday, with pictures if I can find my card reader for the memory card. Either I misplaced it, or Bree has hidden it somewhere. My money is on Bree :)

I apologize again for not having my p90x pictures up. Like I said, it's been a very sad weekend and I just haven't wanted to do much of anything. I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend, and have a great start to the week! I'll see you back here on Wednesday!

What's Going On With Me?

2010-05-13T09:38:00.004-04:00

Every now and then, I get stuck in these ruts. Ruts where I just want to quit everything I'm doing; including the things that I am passionate about. I feel like a failure, and I feel like that maybe I'm not being all that I can be (I know, cheesy Army line).

One day last week, I deleted my Photography Facebook Fan Page, following it with a "Hey, guys...I can't take pictures for you for free, so unless you're really interested in me taking your pictures...don't bother with contacting me". I know, it sounds mean, which is another side affect of these ruts. I lose my tolerance for people. But you have to understand, when I have a dozen people emailing me a day, asking how much I charge to take pictures for this and that...and then I tell them & never hear from them again, it gets pretty frustrating. I really don't think that 100 dollars is too much to ask for an entire photo session, and the time it takes to edit photos. I don't understand what these people want from me?! So, I quit. Unless, of course, someone is really, interested. Photography started out as a hobby of mine, and I'm not about to let about cheap, stupid people ruin that for me.

While in this rut, I also worry about Bree and whether or not I am doing everything I can to prepare her for preschool, and Kindergarten. I hear other Mother's brag about their child being able to do things, that Bree can't (or won't) do yet. I don't think that there is anything wrong with Bree, because she is very smart and very aware. You can't trick her, or anything. She's even hard to bargain with. Sometimes she can count to five, other times she can't. Sometimes she can correctly identify a color, other times she can't. I do realize that when a child is in daycare, they tend to learn a lot quicker because they're around other kids, but we go over these things. Either she's not listening, or she just doesn't want to right now. I know, that when it was time for her to start walking...she would not budge. She would crawl, or walk on her knees...but by golly she was not going to walk, because we wanted her to. So, I decided to stop pushing her to walk. I just left it alone...and one day, she stood up and started walking. Almost like she could walk all along. There were no stumbles or falls, and within no time, she was running. Maybe I just have an extremely hard headed child...I don't know, but I can't help but worry that she may not be ready when time for her to go to school.

I don't want to stop blogging, because it is a good place to just write...but I may not be blogging every single day. For two reasons: 1) It's time consuming to read/write blogs every day & 2) Comments have greatly declined, and it can be very discouraging

It's Summer time people, we should be enjoying time with our kids and worrying less about our blogs. You all are still my friends, and for that very reason...I am not leaving. I would miss interacting with you too much. Believe me when I say, that I love each and every one of you. I've got to spend some time recollecting myself. I've got to figure out what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it.

I will be gone Monday & Tuesday of next week. My Brother is graduating from his Marine Combat Training at Camp Gieger in North Carolina. We'll be going to see him, because he won't be coming home like we originally thought. Instead, he'll be flying to California for his Job Training, which just so happens to be Amphibious Assault Vehicle, a.k.a. under water tanks. So proud of my little Brother, but ready for his 4 years to be over. I already miss him too much!

Anyway...I hope you all understand what's going on with me. This is a seasonal thing for me I guess; with every new Season, I want to change myself. It's odd...but it will all work out. Just want you all to know that I love you, and I'll be back :)

Post It Note Tuesday - Too Much

2010-05-11T10:40:00.001-04:00

I know that it's Tuesday, and that I should write some really awesome intro to Post It Note Tuesday like I usually do...but today, I've got nothing. So, if you want to join in on Post-It Notes then click here & Supah Mommy will help you get started!

A Mother's Day Kiss

2010-05-10T17:50:00.005-04:00

I wanted to share with you all some Mother's Day pictures, but my big-expensive-camera was on the wrong setting all day long & since I wasn't taking the pictures myself...I didn't know. Most of the pictures ended up being too pixelated & too dark, or just really funky looking. These types of things make me sad :(

BUT I thought I'd share with you, this picture. The quality isn't that great...but it's too sweet to pass up! Oh, and notice my "getting there" toned legs & butt! Normally I wouldn't point out my butt...but geez...look at it! :)

The "Monkey" Minute

2010-05-10T13:22:00.001-04:00

Well, hello again! It's Monday again & time for the Monday Minute (hosted by Ian) only today, we are calling it the Monkey Minute in honor of a baby and her family. Monkey (the baby), has cancer. This family needs your prayers now, more than ever. So, if you would like to, pick up the button below and share it with others on your blog. I know, and I have seen that prayer can work miracles in the biggest way. God listens, and He can heal this baby. So please, take the button and ask everyone you know to pray for this family.

Now, onto the questions for today:

1 - How old do you act?
People have always said that I act a lot older than I am. I'd say I probably act a good 5 to 10 years older than my age. That would put me at 27 to 32. Scary isn't it?

2 - As far back as you can remember, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was little, I knew that I was going to be a teacher. I asked for an overhead projector for Christmas one year. Then, I got to college, and my Intro to Education Professor, completely talked me out of it. I don't know why she did, or if that was her intent...but she did. I changed majors after that, and decided I wanted to work for D.S.S so I was going to major in Psychology. Of course, I dropped out because I got married (and got pregnant)...and if I had never dropped out of College...I would have graduated this past Thursday. I'm thinking I should throw myself a little Graduation party anyway!

3 - If you were to write a book based on your life, what would the title be?
"Life in the Fast Lane" although, I'm sure someone has already titled a book that.

4 - What's something that you do that's considered "childish" by most?
I can pitch a pretty good fit if I don't get my way sometimes. I whine too...but not a lot...

5 - The last question isn't a question. Write a story of a time of when you or someone you know overcame great adversity.
When you get married, you kind of forget that it costs a lot of money to keep two people alive...then you add a baby onto that and you're nearly broke. We have struggled constantly with money, and finding Paul a good job. Finally, last June, God opened a door for Paul and we have been able to establish ourselves a little more. We're not rich, but we're not scraping the bottom of the checking out when rent & utilities go out either. I look back on those times, and wonder how in the world we even made it. How did we keep a place to live, and food in our tummies? I know, that the only thing that got us through those times was God. He provided for us every step of the way, and He still provides.

I had planned on doing this weeks Monday Minute as a vlog, but of course...things change. So, maybe next week! Again, keep Monkey & her family in your prayers.

p90x - Week 3 in Review

2010-05-08T10:13:00.002-04:00

I just finished Kenpo X not even 30 minutes ago. I can't believe that I have already wrapped up Week 3. Monday I will be heading into Week 4 - the recovery week. First of all, let me say how proud I am of myself...that I even made it this far. There were people who said that I wouldn't and couldn't make it through the first workout or the first week. Obviously, I have gone over and beyond that...I'm almost finished with Phase 1!!

This week was a week of firsts for me. I was able to do things that I had not been able to do the last two weeks. I actually did 7 reverse grip pull ups, where as on the fitness test & first week of p90x, I couldn't even do half of one! I also was able to do a move (I can't remember the name of it), where you lay on your side, arm of the side your laying on...flat against the floor and other arm behind your head. From there you use the arm on the floor to help push your entire upper body, hips & butt off the floor. They're kind of like side push ups I guess...I don't know, anyway, my point is that I had not been able to do these on Week 1, or Week 2...then I attempt them on Week 3 and I pushed out 10 on each side! I swear I was looking down at my arm, and wondering if I really was doing this! How excited was I?!

Next week I will be able to post Day 1 / Day 30 pictures! I know that I can tell a difference in my clothes, but I can't wait to see if there is a difference in my pictures!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend & to all of you beautiful Mother's out there...Happy Mother's Day!

It's Summer Time! New Look :)

2010-05-07T14:58:00.001-04:00

Hey guys...I decided it was about time for a fresh new look with the Summer season arriving! I'm still working with it a little bit, but I hope you all like it!

Let me know if you see anything that looks out of whack, or needs fixing!

Top 3 Thursday - Places

2010-05-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

Guess what tomorrow is?! Friday! And that means the weekend is almost here...again. It's time for Top 3 Thursday hosted by the wonderful Elizabeth of Confessions from a Working Mom & Tamara of The (Un)Experienced Mom. If you'd like to join in, just click here or here to get started!

What top 3 places would you most like to visit?

One of the things I want to do when I retire (if I live that long) is to travel. I have a list of places that I would love to go, and see. Since you won't find me on an airplane, I'll just have to settle for the pictures in books of locations like England, Australia, and Ireland, but here are a few places that I would love to visit and they don't require an airplane!

3 - Halifax
I'm a Titanic nerd. In the 11th grade, I did a 10 page research paper on the Titanic, and became obsessed! I would love to visit Halifax to see where they buried all of the victims, including a relative of mine, who by the way was the Chief Officer of the ship. Yeah, I'm famous. Betcha didn't know that now did ya?

2 - Manhattan, New York
I'm sure that this city is even more remarkable in real life. I'd love to see Times Square, visit the Today Show in Rockafeller Center, and pretend like I can afford the clothes, bags and jewelry in the department stores. Not sure if I'll ever make it to New York, but I would love to go!

1 - The Bahamas
My Mom & Dad left this past Saturday on a Cruise for the Bahamas, and I've been a little jealous. I would love to go on a Cruise and hit up the Bahamas. I'm a beach bum, and I know that I would love visit an exotic beach! To my Parent's defense, they're 45 years old and this is their first Cruise. They deserve it...but still...I'd love to be on that boat & that ship with them!

Oh, and you guys totally missed a good post yesterday. I mean really, I went from having 20 comments the day before to 8 yesterday. I'm not usually worried about comments, but that was a pretty big drop. Either I sucked, or you all went on vacation. Anyway, if you want to...you can click here to read yesterday's post. I still love you guys :)

Pour Your Heart Out - A Bad Haircut

2010-05-05T06:00:00.004-04:00

Since Mother's Day is on Sunday (oh crap, you forgot?), I thought that I would dedicate this Pour Your Heart Out to every Mother out there. So, before I get started...if you want to join in on Pour Your Heart Out hosted by the beautiful Shell...just click here to get started!

I know what you're thinking, "Oh God, a sappy post about how great every mother in the world is." Well, not exactly. I actually struggled with the different directions that I could take a Mother's Day post. I could easily make it another sappy, cheesy, tear jerking, and oh I have the best Mother in the world kind of post, or I could attempt to be funny, light hearted, and silly. I chose the latter of the two categories. This is for all of you Mother's out there!

I used to be a fat kid (you can read all about that here), but I bet you didn't know that being chunky wasn't my only malfunction. I also had frizzy, half wavy/half curly hair that happened to be thicker than any rope. My Mom always attempted to help my...and I quote..."...rats nest", by blow drying or using a curling iron on my hair. The thing is, I hated sitting still long enough for her to complete this task and I was so tender headed that the thought of a hair brush cruising through my thick hair made me sick. So, instead, I walked around with pretty hair in the front and a rats nest in the back.

And then one day...

My Dad was sick of hearing my Mother and I scream back and forth at each other about my stupid hair, so he took me on a ride one Saturday afternoon; a ride that ended at the ~~dog groomers~~ barber shop. I swear I could hear my Dad laugh evil mwahahaha's from behind me, as the hair dresser cut my rats nest off and gave me a "butch" hair cut. I'm serious. It was the worst hair cut EVER! There had to have been a better way to fix my dysfunctional hair.

So, here I was: a fat kid, with a really really really short hair cut, a fat face and bangs to help enunciate my fat cheeks.

I'm still devising a plan to get each and every picture made during this Butch Era in my life, and burn them until there is no evidence that I ever looked that bad. As Ian always says, "Pictures or it never happened..."

Nevertheless, this horrible hair cut was a turning point in my relationship with my Mother. I knew that my Mama was capable of doing just about anything. She would cut my hair off, and if I still continued to fuss...she would shave me bald! I learned that my Mother was a sneaky one, willing to do anything just to prove a point.

Back then...I thought she was just mean.

But now, I understand. Sometimes, as a Mother, you gotta do what you gotta do to make a point to your kids. If this means telling them something that would only happen in a horror movie, to keep them from killing themselves...then do it. If you have to protect your precious chocolate stash by telling them that they'll fall over and die if they eat it...then do it. If you have to pull over on the side of the road to show them a dead cat, and then tell them that this is what will happen to them if they don't stop going too close to the road...then do it! I know it may sound a bit harsh, but like I said...sometimes you just have to.

So, if you're a mother, I want you to sit back and smile this Mother's Day as you think of all of the crazy things you have told your kids to keep them out of trouble and danger. Take a sip of your ~~wine~~ coffee, and whisper to yourself with a grin, "Happy Mother's Day you manipulative b#$!%"

Post-It Note Tuesday - Random Things

2010-05-04T07:00:00.001-04:00

Monday is over, and Tuesday is here! It's definitely a lot prettier here today than it was yesterday, although I don't mind a rainy day every now and then. It gives me permission to be lazy, and laziness is bliss! Anyway, it's Post It Note time, so if you want to join in...just click here to get started!

The Monday Minute - Vlog style!

2010-05-03T11:51:00.004-04:00

Okay, so this is my very first Vlog & I was a little nervous, because I am a little paranoid about my accent, the way I talk, and the way my mouth moves when I talk. I did like a million rough drafts, before I finally got this one...and it's still awkward. I apologize for the awkwardness. Hopefully I'll get better with them, the more I do. Anyway, hit play...try not to laugh.

Oh, and if you want to join in on the Monday Minute just head on over to Ian's place & he'll help you get started! And if you're wondering why Bree is in the background looking all concerned...she's never seen her Mommy talk to the computer before. I think she was a little afraid for my sanity.

p90x - Week 2 in Review

2010-05-01T16:39:00.003-04:00

I was excited to start Week 2...just to see how much better I could do. I finished every workout this week with the exception of Arms & Shoulders w/ Ab Ripper X, although, I still did about an hour total of the workout. I was disappointed when my soreness went away around Tuesday & Wednesday, but today...it's back in full bloom after Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X yesterday & Kenpo X today. I'm still loving! I'm still having fun with it, and I'm already getting compliments from people who are noticing my little transformation over the course of the last two weeks. It's very motivating. I went from lifting 3.5 pounds last week to 7.5 this week, and I'm noticing quiet a good bit of new flexibility that I didn't have!

I can't wait to take my Day 30 pictures to see how much of a change there will be...and I am even more excited to see what kind of transformation I will have made on Day 90!

Week 3 starts on Monday & I'm ready to BRING IT!

Friday Pictures

2010-04-30T11:39:00.005-04:00

Happy Friday y'all! I haven't shared a picture of Bree with you lately, so I thought that I would take today and share a couple of photos with my bouncy, screaming, bratty, 2 and a half year old daughter :)

Bree at the Ballpark, trying her luck at getting a boiled peanut opened

Life is good by the pool
I hope you all have a wonderful & safe weekend. Make sure you come back here on Monday, for the Monday Minute because I will be doing it Vlog style! You won't want to miss that - just in case you've been wondering about how bad my Southern Accent is :)

Top 3 Thursday - Characters

2010-04-29T07:00:00.013-04:00

Yay for Thursday! That means that tomorrow is Friday & it's the weekend! It also means that it's time for Top 3 Thursday hosted by Confessions from a Working Mom & The (Un)Experienced Mom. If you'd like to join in, just click here or here to get started!

What top 3 movie Characters (not actors) would you LOVE to be?

If you could be a character in any movie, not the actor or actress but the character, who would it be and which movie? I love this topic, because I am a huge movie buff! I actually think about this question a lot! This is going to be fun.

3 - Rachel Dawes from Batman Begins & The Dark Knight
I would have loved to be Rachel. Even though Batman & Rachel never really had a full on romantic relationship...they had an undeniable type of love for each other. Who wouldn't want to be loved by Batman, especially if he looked like Christian Bale? Batman is the epitome of a man (no offense to those who don't wear capes & drive really cool cars), and he loved Rachel like no other. Although, Rachel bites the dust at the end of The Dark Knight; in my opinion it would have been worth dying if you were loved by ~~Christian Bale~~ Batman while living.

2 - Alice from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland
Alice has a pretty good relationship with the Mad Hatter, and how amazing would it be if the two of them actually got together! If I were Alice, I would have to change the ending of the story so that I could stay with Mad Hatter, who obviously had the hots for her. Who just leaves Wonderland like that? Not me, especially if there was a good chance I could have a bunch of little Mad Hatter babies with my orange headed lover! ~~Johnny Depp~~ Mad Hatter is funny, witty, and caring; definitely my Alice's type!

1 - Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean
I'd have to have a sex change no doubt, and since Jack Sparrow never gets or has a girlfriend in the Pirates of the Caribbean series...then that means I would just have to be him. I know, another sexy Character, played by the very sexy Johnny Depp, but I've never been more in love with a character than I am with Jack Sparrow. Let's face it: He's sexy. Dreadlocks and all. I was 15 years old when I first laid eyes on that sexiness of a man, and 7 years later...he is still one drunk, hunk of a sexy, dirty, Pirate! He makes me wanna go ARGH! :)

What top 3 movie Characters (not actors) would you LOVE to be?

Pour Your Heart Out - Crap

2010-04-28T07:00:00.001-04:00

It's Pour Your Heart Out Wednesday, and boy do I have some pouring out to do! Feel free to shout, "Amen!" at any time during this post if you feel my pain! Oh, and if you want to join in on Pour Your Heart Out hosted by the beautiful Shell...just click here to get started!

I had to become a Mother (or a Parent) before I could understand why my Mom & Dad got so frustrated when my Grandparents would send us home from their house with...and I quote "crap". No, I don't mean literal crap; I mean junk. Stuff that my Grandparents had been hanging onto for years. Little knick-knacks that they had picked up at various yard sales. Annoying toys that they had bought us at Wal-Mart while we were in their possession. Aggravating little toys that came in the kids meals they got for us at lunch.

I can still see the look on my Dad's face whenever we would hop into the van with our "new" ~~toys~~ crap in hand. My brothers and I knew what that look meant. It meant we had better hide our ~~toys~~ crap, because my Dad would jump at tossing them in the garbage can the first chance he got. Still, we smiled and we were happy, because we had new crap! True, we would forget about our new crap in a few days or so, but until then...we would love our crap.

Now, I have a 2 year old and it seems that lately her Grandparents have been sending her home with lots of ~~toys~~ crap. It's really starting to get pretty annoying. I mean, we live in an apartment. I have very little storage space, if any! I have enough stuffed animals that I could open my own Build A Bear, and who authorized letting Papa buy Bree Mega Blocks for Christmas?! And just the other night, as we were leaving the Grandparent's house...my daughter comes waltzing out the front door with a Hello Kitty Easter basket! WTH?! Easter was a few weeks ago...and why?! Why do you want to do this to me? It seems half my life is spent cleaning ~~toys~~ crap up, and now you're sending her home with more?!

What did I do? Why do you hate me? I did nothing to deserve this! Please, take your crap to the dump, or Goodwill, or the local Salvation Army, but PLEASE, for the love of God and all that is good on this Earth, don't send it home with me!

...okay, I think I'm done venting. Thank you for listening. Now, if you will excuse me...I have some ~~crap~~ stuff to get rid of.

...Almost Better than a Vlog!

2010-04-27T15:38:00.003-04:00

So, Melissa from My Life & How It's Going, tagged me in this really fun little game. See...wutcha do...is you answer the questions below, on a piece of paper with your own handwriting! Then, you either take a picture or scan your piece of paper with your beautiful handwriting to your computer & post it on your blog!

Here are the questions ( & rule):
1. Name/Blog Name
2. Right handed, left handed or both
3. Favorite letters to write
4. Least favorite letters to write
5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
6. Write in caps:
CRAB
HUMOR
KALEIDOSCOPE
PAJAMAS
GAZILLION
7. Favorite song lyrics
8. Tag 7 people
9. Any special note or drawing

Here are the people I tagged, just in case you couldn't read it or wanted to visit their blogs:
Shell / Things I Can't Say
Mrs. M / I've Changed My Name to Mommy
Ian / The Daily Dose of Reality
Katherine/ Another Day, Another Moment
Ally / Fourth Grade Nothing
Brandy / You Don't Know
Salt / Salt Says

And if you totally think that this looks fun, & you wanna do it...then go right ahead! You don't have to be tagged to have fun!

Post It Note Tuesday - Success!

2010-04-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday! Only one day away from Wednesday, hump day, which means the weekend is closer than it was yesterday! Wahoo! Welcome to Post-It Note Tuesday hosted Supah Mommy. If you want to join in on all of the fun, just click here to get started!

The Monday Minute

2010-04-26T08:00:00.003-04:00

Once again, the weekend flew by like a fart in the wind and it's Monday again! In general, I would dread a Monday, but today I get to start on Week 2 of p90x & it's time for The Monday Minute hosted by the wonderful Ian of The Daily Dose of Reality. If you'd like to join in on all of the fun, just click here to get started!

1. What drugs have you done in your life?
I've smoked Weed twice in my life, and swore I'd never do it again after the 2nd time. Someone had laced the weed with embalming fluid, and I thought my heart was going to explode. It. Was. Not. Fun.

2. A/S/L?
The last time someone asked me this question, I was 12 years old and in an AOL chat room.

3. Do you pick your nose?
Gross question, but who doesn't?

4. What's your favorite childhood cartoon?
I love(d) the Looney Tunes, and my favorite Looney Tune was definitely Daffy Duck, with Sylvester coming in a close second!

5. List the URL, of what you believe to be the best blog post you've ever done.
I'm not good at this question, because I'm kind of a modest person (sometimes). Nevertheless, I scanned through all of my posts up to the very first one, and decided that I liked this one. It has more of a serious tone, but it's great reminder of something that we should never forget. But for those of you in the mood for something funny...you should definitely read this post.

There you have it folks, my answers to Ian's Monday Minute questions! I hope you all have a wonderful day, and an even better week!

Oh, and to those of you who pray...my Brother called yesterday from MCT at Camp Geiger and he's pretty sick. He suffers from Sinus & Allergy problems, and they really get the best of him. He's having to engage in a lot of physical activity & be sick at the same time, so he needs all of the prayers he can get. I can't imagine having to do what he is doing, and being really sick on top of that. When our family has sinus & allergy problems, we get pretty killer headaches. So, please, if you think about it...send out a little prayer for him. Thanks guys :)

p90x - Week 1 in Review

2010-04-24T11:02:00.004-04:00

As most of you know, I started p90x this past Monday.

I have to say, this program is not as torturous as people made it sound. It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun! Shandal of My Life in 3D motivated me to do p90x, and I am so glad I did! When she first told me that each work out was about an hour long, I was like "Well, that sucks." But really, time flies...mainly because I am having so much fun! Below is a list of each work out I did this last week, and my progress with them.

Core Synergistics: Honestly, I don't remember much about Core Synergistics because it was my first day and it kicked my butt. I wasn't even able to finish it. I can't wait to start back Monday, so I can finish it this time!

Cardio X: I love Cardio X! It's fast paced, you never stop, and you sweat like you never have before. I actually did Cardio X twice this week...once because I had to, and again because I was stressed out. I did finish Cardio X both times I did it.

Arms & Shoulders + Ab Ripper X: I actually enjoyed Arms & Shoulders as well, but I should have started off with a lighter weight. I started with a 5 pound weight, and had to go back down to a 3.5. But again, it was fun. I enjoyed pushing myself to see how many weights I could lift, and how far I could go. Ab Ripper X was definitely a butt kicker, but I was able to do nearly all of the moves with half the reps. My abs were on fire!

Yoga X: Yoga X was a little long, and I think next week I'll only do about an hour of it. 90 minutes is a little long for me. Not because I couldn't do it, but because there's other things I need to do in my life too :) It was a work out though, and I was nice & sweaty when I finished.

Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X: This was perhaps my least favorite of all of the workouts this week. I'm not very good at Pull Ups (I can't do any at all), and there's something about using my legs like that, that makes me uncomfortable. I guess it's supposed to be that way though, and hopefully it'll be better next week.

Kenpo X: This one is probably my favorite. Well, it's tied with Cardio X. I did it this morning, and it was so fun! I could also see this being a great stress reliever as all you do is punch & kick! When I finished this workout this morning, I had streams of sweat just pouring down my forehead and chest...but I was loving it! It was 55 minutes long, but it felt like 15!

All in all, I'm loving p90x. It's fun, and it's a work out. It's not easy, but that's what makes it fun. I love to challenge myself, and push myself...and p90x definitely allows/forces me to do that. Week 1 actually went by pretty fast, so I'm thinking my 90 days will be here before I know it!

Bye bye flabby tummy & jello arms...HELLOOOO toning!

One Year Ago Today...

2010-04-23T08:00:00.003-04:00

One year ago today, my Grandmother left this world and began her eternity in Heaven with her Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. It's hard to believe it's been a year (if you want to read about how/why she died, you can click here). In some respects it feels like it's only been a few days. I still miss her more than I have ever missed anyone in my life. Not a day goes by, when I don't think of her, and some days I miss her so much that I just have to cry.

When both of my Parents worked, I spent a lot of my Summers with her. She was the coolest Grandmother anyone could ever ask for. She wore high heels and blue jeans no matter where she went, her make up was perfect, she wore the most expensive jewelry, and I never saw a hair on her head out of place. My Nanny Bridges was my best friend in a lot of ways. I could always pick up the phone, call her, and talk to her about anything and everything. On my birthdays, she would take me shopping, and every year before school started...she would give me money to buy new school outfits.

When the Backstreet Boys came to my hometown, she bought me tickets that my Parent's couldn't really afford, and when everyone at school was wearing Birkenstocks, she bought me some too. When I was in the 7th grade, she bought me a black leather jacket. I was so excited to wear it, that I wore it to school one day. Never mind the fact that it was 80 degrees outside! I had a brand new, black leather jacket and I was gonna show it off! I still have that jacket, and I still wear it in the Winter. I smile every time I slide my arms into it.
I'm wearing the leather jacket in this picture

I was blessed to have known and to have been close with both sets of my Grandparents growing up, and I love(d) all of them with all of my heart...but my Nanny Bridges was a very special lady. She was feisty, and funny. She didn't let anyone take advantage of her, and she loved so much that it ultimately killed her. Sometimes, while I sleep, she comes to visit me in my dreams; I live for those nights. My Nanny Bridges was an amazing woman; a person you could never forget. I will never forget.

My Nanny Bridges holding me when I was just a few months old.

Top 3 Thursday - I Heart Shopping

2010-04-22T08:03:00.006-04:00

It's Thursday already? Seriously?! I don't know about you, but this week has flown by. Maybe it's the p90x; I don't know. Anyway, it's time for Top 3 hosted by Confessions from a Working Mom & The (Un)Experienced Mom. If you'd like to join in, just click here or here to get started!

Where are your top 3 favorite places to shop?

I LOVE to shop! What girl doesn't? I could really shop anywhere, but below are my top three FAVORITE places to go!

3. American Eagle - I've been shopping at American Eagle since I was in the eighth grade. No joke. It turns out that American Eagle makes the only kind of blue jeans I can wear. Although, there have been seasons that I wasn't very fond of their clothing, you can't pass up a good pair of blue jeans that fit perfectly! Believe me, I've tried.

2. The Children's Place - I always thought that The Children's Place was just another over priced kid's clothing store, just because it was in the mall and everything that is in the mall is expensive...right? Well, then one Christmas I walked into this little piece of heaven and found that their clothing was cheap...and good. I'm talking 4 dollar blue jeans, and 6 dollar tops. Bree's entire Christmas outfit this past year was purchased there for less than 20 bucks! I LOVE this store!

1. Target - Who didn't see this one coming? I've mentioned several different times in several different posts about how I wish I could marry Target! I could walk around this store for hours, and I love their baby clothes! I love their vintage toy collection, they're super cute bedding for both baby and adult, clothes & bathing suites, home decor and everything else in that store. Seriously, Target is the best store EVER!

What are your top 3 favorite places to shop?

An Afternoon in the Park

2010-04-21T19:05:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday, my Brother's girlfriend, Sam (whom I LOVE) asked me to take some pictures of the two of them with Errett in his Dress Blues. So after Sunday lunch, we headed to the park Downtown. This park is absolutely beautiful, and it's definitely my favorite place to take portraits. It's where I took Bree's Spring Portraits (if you haven't seen those you can click here). Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the photos with. They are such a cute little couple, and despite my Brother's grouchiness on Sunday (it's genetic, he can't help it), the pictures turned out great!

Pour Your Heart Out - Motivation

2010-04-21T09:01:00.002-04:00

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for Pour Your Heart Out, a blogaval hosted by the one and only Shell of Things I Can't Say. If you'd like to join in, just click here to get started!

I was a fat kid growing up. I mean really, I should have been featured on Maury or Montell or something. Okay, maybe I wasn't that fat, but still...my 4th grade class didn't call me "Big Mama" for nothing. Anyway, I basically ate what I wanted and drank sodas, loved candy bars, and my exercise/activity level was little to none. Seriously, I was a fat kid.

In the 7th grade, I got braces put on my teeth and suddenly the fat started to fall off of me. If you have ever had braces, you know why. I couldn't eat like a normal person. Sandwiches had to be broken into bite size pieces, Snicker Bars were off limits, and eating became more of a chore than a hobby. Seriously, it's hard work. Nevertheless, I started feeling pretty good about myself! I was getting thin(ner), and I wasn't really having to exercise to do so.

Since the 7th grade, I gained some and lost some. It was routine. Once I noticed the jeans were getting a little tight, I would back off on the food. It really wasn't hard at all.

But then I got pregnant...

I went into the hospital the night before I had Bree weighing in at 197 pounds. I came home wearing a size 14 in jeans. For a girl that's no more than five feet tall...that is not good (or healthy). Slowly, I dropped weight. I thought that cutting back on food, would help me get back to where I was in just a matter of months. HAH! I soon realized that going from a size 14 back to a size 6 was going to take a lot of work, and just cutting out certain foods wasn't going to do the trick.

That's when I began exercising.

Now, you have to realize what a big step this was for me. I HATED absolutely anything that had anything to do with exercising or physical activity. I had horrible gym teachers in school, who made gym anything but enjoyable for me. I had gym teachers call me "fat" and "lazy" and "useless"...and let me just tell you, by the time I got to the 7th grade, I had had it up to here with gym class. I failed my 7th grade gym class. That's right folks...FAILED! Not because I was that fat and lazy, but because I just refused to dress out (change into gym clothes) and participate. I had rather avoid the humiliation of being called names in front of my class, than to participate. I didn't really care either. Personality flaw? Maybe.

Anyway...

My ~~crazy~~ Mother In Law told me that I would never get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, and that I should be okay with what I looked like. I blame her for my obsession with getting thin & fit, because you do not tell me that I can't do something. You just don't. I will go over and beyond what you said I couldn't do. Losing weight, and getting fit went from being an obsession, to an addiction, to something that I had to do in order to get through a day.

Now, I am into Day 3 of p90x and I feel like I am on the home stretch of finally getting fit like I should be. I've never been more motivated in all of my life. I purchased p90x not just for myself, and the hubby...but for my Dad who struggles with his weight and my Mom with hers. I feel like if they see what p90x does for me, they'll be motivated to do it themselves. Currently, my Dad is going to the gym and trying to get healthy...but who wants to pay gym fees when you can do something like p90x right in your own home?

I'm excited about the possibilities of hopefully getting my entire family fit, and healthy. Well, with the exception of my little brother who let the Marine Corps put him in shape! I love feeling motivated, for good reasons. I'm motivated to get fit for myself, my hubby, and my family. I want to be healthy. I want to be around for a long time to come, and it's got to start now.

Are you motivated in your life? If not, find something to get motivated about; whether it be getting healthy, or cleaning your house. Sometimes all you need in your life is a little direction, and little motivation.

Post It Note Tuesday - 5 Things

2010-04-20T09:58:00.003-04:00

I was missing you all pretty bad, so I shortened my bloggy vacay. It's Tuesday, so that means it's time for Post It Note Tuesday hosted by Supah! If you want to join in on all of the fun, just hop on over to her place to get started!

Day 1 of p90x - Fail

2010-04-19T09:08:00.004-04:00

I woke up with a little pep in my step this morning, excited to start p90x. I'm desperate to get rid of this Bree baby flab once and for all, and from what I've heard...p90x is the way to do it! I've decided to do the Lean Version of p90x instead of Classic, because I don't want to be all ab-alicious...just pretty & toned.

Anyway, so I pop Core Synergistics into the c.d player, take my place and I got started. I was surprised that I could do most of the things, with the exception of a few....like the boat banana or whatever it's called. You should have seen me trying to do this thing. Someone should video tape me, and send it into America's Funniest Home Videos. I assume that I'll get stronger as the days progress & I'll start to gain the ability to do them all, and maybe not look half as silly as I did today. Regardless, I did my best, worked hard, and had a river of sweat pouring from my forehead and chest.

With 20 minutes left...I quit.

Why?

Because, I was getting pretty tired and I knew that I would lose form & if I lose form, well...that defeats the purpose of the moves anyway.

I wonder if it's normal to not be able to finish on Day 1 of p90x? I hope it's normal, because I plan on making Day 2 happen tomorrow morning. Like today, I'll do my best & forget the rest! I just didn't see the point in continuing when I couldn't feel my legs.

I'm excited though. It was hard work, which makes it even more addicting! It's a challenge...and I will do it!

She's Giving Away Her Favorite Things!

2010-04-16T15:00:00.002-04:00

I've been out of the bloggy world for about a week now, but when Brandy of You Don't Know told me to check out her giveaway...I headed right on over to her blog. Boy did I get excited!

She's giving away some of her favorite things, and by the looks of it...we share some of the same favorites :)

This list includes, but is not limited to: A $10 Starbucks giftcard, chocolate, smell good stuff, fun socks & highlighters!

So go on over to Brandy's place and join in on the giveaway!

Longest Week EVER!

2010-04-16T13:02:00.003-04:00

Surprisingly, the last week has gone by sooooooo slooooooow. Seriously, I haven't known what day of the week it is or what the actual date has been since we got home for Parris Island last Friday. I have had an eventful week though, which generally makes your days/weeks go by faster; that didn't apply to this week though.

Monday night we went to a baseball game. Always one of my favorite things to do during the Spring & Summer, and it was super special this time because we went with my entire family, my newly Marine Brother included. Even if you're not the biggest baseball fan in the world, baseball games are always fun to go to. I can't honestly say that I have ever really watched a game, when I've been there. It's mostly just talking and getting fat off of ball park food. Mmmm boiled peanuts :)

Tuesday I spent most of my day by the pool with Breezy, and no sun block. Bree was covered, me...not so much. That was a decision that I regretted Tuesday night. Sunburn is NOT cool (no pun intended).

Tuesday night, Paul went to play golf with his cousin, so Bree and I hung out at the house and had a girls night. This included popcorn and back to back episodes of Spongebob Squarepants. Much fun was had!

After having neglected to clean, or do laundry for several days...Paul asked if we were moving. I was like, no...why? There were no clothes in his dresser, and there was stuff everywhere. So I decided that Wednesday should be dedicated to cleaning and doing laundry. Ugh. Poot on it.

And now it's Friday...

We found out today that my Brother would not be getting the 7 day extension, and he'll be leaving again on Tuesday. That's kinda sad. Ten days is not a long time if you really think about it, but I know that he is probably ready to get back. I know that I probably would be. At least this time we'll be able to talk a little more often, but still...I missed my little Brother way too much over the last three months and now I won't be seeing much of him at all over the course of the next 4 years or so. I am proud of him though. So proud, I'm speechless.

I am sorry that I sort of freaked out on you guys, and went on a bloggy vacation all of the sudden...but I felt like it was something I should do. I had a lot of stuff to get caught up on, and to do...and I just needed to break. I'm not back full time yet, but I will be dropping a few posts here and there. I start p90x Monday, and I promised that I would be blogging about that! I am super excited too!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Stay safe :)

Parris Island

2010-04-14T15:58:00.004-04:00

I know I'm on a bloggy vacation, but I promised you guys on Monday that I would upload the Parris Island pictures to my Flickr account so that you could see all of them.

So...just letting you know that they're up on Flickr now, and if you want to...you can go have a lookie :)

Just click here

Dear Friends...

2010-04-13T09:49:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends,
Yesterday, as I fought hard to write you the post about Parris Island and my Brother's Graduation, I found myself getting irritable and neglecting time that I could have been spending with Bree. I always said that if blogging got to a point where I was sacrificing time away from Bree and other things that I needed to get done, I wouldn't do it any longer. Since quitting is not an option for me though, I am simply going to take a break. A much needed break. I've been torturing you with my blogging for nearly a year, non-stop, and I think it's time that I take a little bloggy vacation.

Blogging, just like everything else in life, deserves a break sometimes. So consider this a vacation, although, I can't tell you how long it will last. I hope I haven't angered or upset anyone, but it's something I need to do. I don't get paid to blog, and I'm not about to stress myself out about like it is a job I'm getting paid to do. I hope you all will understand.

Love,
Samantha

My Brother - The United States Marine

2010-04-12T09:25:00.006-04:00

Well, I'm back home and trying to get back into the groove of things. The last few days have been exciting, emotional, and exhausting. Today, I will be skipping the Monday Minute that Ian hosts, to tell you all about the last few days in Parris Island & my Brother - The United States Marine. That doesn't mean, however, that you can just skip out on Ian, make sure you go check out his blushing red topic for the Monday Minute questions today. I'm serious, you'll blush.

Anyway...

It would be an understatement to say that this trip to Parris Island had been highly anticipated for the last 90 days. It was all we thought about from the moment my brother hopped in a van and left us all standing outside of the Recruiters Office that cold Sunday morning. We wrote letters back and forth, and waited; waited for April 8th to arrive.

There will never be another experience like the one we witnessed on Thursday morning. It was the moment we laid eyes on Errett for the first time in 3 months. His Platoon marched into the All Weather Facility, and there he was; front and center...literally. I tried taking pictures, but my hands shook so much, the tears poured down my face, and my heart felt like it was going to explode with excitement. It was nothing like anything I had ever experienced. Even walking down the aisle the night I got married was nothing compared to this.

The first picture is his platoon marching in, and the 2nd is an example of how bad I was shaking because of the blurry-ness of the picture. He is almost directly behind the D.I
I had to switch the setting on my camera because I was shaking so bad. The quality isn't as good, but at least you can see his face sharply
Thursday was Family Day, so we got to spend nearly an entire day with my Brother, as he showed us around Parris Island. I know he got so tired of the millions of questions that we were asking, but this place so amazing...so inspiring...so different. We wanted to know everything! This is where my little Brother had lived for 3 months...we wanted to know everything! Three months ago, my Brother would have gotten pretty frustrated with us all and our questions, but this new Errett...the Marine Errett, he was patient, and kind, and never once did he yell, "I'LL WRITE YOU A BOOK!" when one of us asked our thousandth question.

The first picture is us all together, me on the end, and the second picture is Errett in his Port Holes that he had to wear.
The first picture is him eating his first non-Boot Camp food, and the 2nd picture is his Barracks. He had top bunk
Me and my Marine Brother, and Breezy with her Marine Uncle!
Family Day ended around 3 p.m. We left our Marine, and headed back to where we were staying for the duration of our time. We went to bed early that night, because the next morning we were going to have to leave at 6 a.m for the Flag Ceremony at Parris Island and to see our Marine graduate.

Graduation Day was amazing too. It was held outdoors, the sun was out, and it was a beautiful morning. Perfect for a Marine Corps Graduation! Although, I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to pick Errett out as easily as we had the day before. They weren't in the same order as they had been Thursday morning. Regardless, it was a beautiful ceremony. I loved hearing the Marines respond to their Drill Instructors (you can't call them Sergeants or they'll kick your butt), and I love watching the move. Everything was just so perfect! After they were dismissed, which by the way, was the most artful form of dismissal I have ever seen in my life...Errett made his way over to us, anxious and eager to leave.

What was the first meal he wanted after Boot Camp?

IHOP (yes, the International House of Pancakes)

What was the last meal he wanted before he left for Boot Camp?

IHOP

I guess you could say that we like IHOP. We choose it for every occasion. We're not redneck though, so don't hate.

Anyway, we finally got home late Friday night and had a pizza party for him that he had requested in previous letters to us. He had also requested a cookie cake, which we also had. He was glad to be home, no doubt. Yesterday, he put on his Dress Blues for church. By far, my favorite uniform, although, he did skip the coat because...well, it was 80 degrees and it's made out of wool.

This whole experience has been inspirational to us all. Paul is even seriously considering joining the Marine Corps himself. It's something that I could definitely see him doing, but it's also something we need to think and pray about. I mean, we have a family. It would be a lot harder, but it would be way worth it.

I took nearly 300 pictures, and since I couldn't show them all to you, I will be uploading them to my flickr account and I'll let you know when they're up so you can have a lookie! Thanks for patient with me, and I hope that things can get back to normal. I'm supposed to start p90x today, but I have so much to get caught up on...I'm thinking about putting it off another week. We shall see though. I hope you all had a wonderful week/weekend.

One Busy Mama - A guest post

2010-04-09T06:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Friday! As promised, Elizabeth of Confessions From a Working Mom is my guest poster for today! Actually, she is my first EVER guest poster, and I am super excited that she agreed to write for my blog today. Elizabeth is a super funny and talented blogger, and I hope you all enjoy this post! I'll be back on Monday with a full description of Parris Island & my Brother's USMC graduation...OH and of course I'll have pictures :)

Admit it...
We all think we're the busiest person we know.
Working moms think they're busier than stay at home moms...

"...what do you do all day at home?"
"...how can you not have time to cook/clean?"

Stay at home moms think they're busier than working moms...

"...I'm chasing kids all day, and you get 'me-time' when you're at work!"
"...I never sit down, and you get a cushy desk job!"

Of course, all moms think they're busier than women who don't have children, and married women think they're busier than single women...
...and on and on it goes...
Really, our version of busy is relative. Because, as the famous saying goes, you only have to die and pay taxes. Other than that, you are responsible for your own activities, responsibilities, and schedule. So if you're over-scheduled and over-committed and feel like you should be committed, you only have yourself to blame.
When I was younger, my mom was a stay-at-home mom. I didn't know until just this past year that this wasn't a choice she made-- rather, it was made for her as a stipulation of the adoption agency that placed me with my parents. (Interesting, huh? Is that still status quo in adoptions today, anybody know?) I used to wonder what she did all day... obviously, she cooked, cleaned, and acted as my personal chauffeur. But I also secretly believed that she spent a good deal of time watching cartoons, playing on my Nintendo, and eating bon-bons.
Over the past several weeks, I've had a lot of time off to spend with G at home. I chased her non-stop around the living room. I dragged her kicking and screaming out of not one, but TWO public libraries. I most definitely did not eat bon-bons. I gladly went back to work after the first of the year with the stark realization that I could not survive as a stay-at-home mom.
And that's when it hit me...
Some people might find my life as a career-driven mom exhausting. But for me, it works. I do a great job of managing my time; in fact, time management is always the "skill" I put at the very top of my resume. I thrive under pressure, and do my best work when the clock is ticking. If I'm not busy, I'm bored. But for others, they may find a busy life boring... repetitive... monotonous. I do the same thing every day, it's just that the parts are a little different.

Make sure you visit Elizabeth's blog to read more of her posts! If you don't know her, you have no idea what you're missing out on!

Top 3 Thursday - Favorite Ages

2010-04-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for Top 3 Thursday! If you want to join in just click here or here to get the rules!

What Are Your Top 3 Favorite Ages?

3. Age 8 - What's not to love about the age of eight? The weekends lasted forever, an hour seemed like five, and I didn't even know what a calorie was! I might've been a fat kid when I was eight years old, but I'd take those days back in a heart beat!

2. Age 18 - I finally kicked that jerk of a boyfriend to the curb, and moved on to amazing (& much better) things. I got into my first bad car accident, had my first date with Hubby, and fell in love! 18 was a pretty perfect age, minus the car accident, and I would re-live my first date with Paul over and over again if I could.

1. Age 19 - I had a pretty eventful 19th year. I got married, and became a Mother for the first time. I had a lot of life changes, which was reflected on my tax refund for that year too! Woo hoo...ahem...anyway, 19 was a pretty good year. Not to say that it didn't have its rough patches, but Bree is definitely one of the best things to ever happen to me & since I was 19 when she was given to me...it's the age of 19 that ranks in as my number in my Top 3 favorite ages!

What were your favorite ages?

Pour Your Heart Out - USMC

2010-04-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for Pour Your Heart Out Wednesday! As always, I'm linking up with the beautiful Shell of Things I Can't Say! If you'd like, you can click the button below to join in, or just click here.

Today, we left for Parris Island to see my brother graduated from Marine Boot Camp. We haven't seen him in 13 weeks, and I know he'll be different. I am excited to see how different he will be, but at the same time, I'm afraid that he may have changed too much. I have to remember that although tomorrow will mark the end of Boot Camp, he will just be beginning the start of his career. We hope that somehow he will be spared from going over seas to the Big "A", but we also know that it is inevitable. It's a scary thought, to know that my little brother will be doing things that I could never imagine doing myself. He will see things, do things, shoot things, say things, that I will never say or do in my life.

I am so proud of my little brother. He has come such a long way over the last four years. He was the teenager that picked the wrong crowd to follow in high school. He experimented with drugs, and alcohol, and basically crapped away his entire high school years. He could have been so much better. He realized this during his last few weeks as a high school senior. It was too late to change what he had been in high school, but not too late to change his life. When he decided that he wanted to join the Marines, we all tried to talk him out of it. There were so many other things he could do besides the Military. We didn't understand why he wanted to do this; and we selfishly didn't want him to leave like we knew he would have to.

Over time, we became okay with the fact this was what he wanted to do. He was going to do it anyway, with our support or not. I gained a lot of respect for my Brother during the weeks leading up to Boot Camp, and have gained even more respect for him now that he is more or less a United States Marine. I couldn't be more proud of him, and the courage he has developed to serve our Country.

By Friday of this week, I can proudly say that I am a proud big Sister of a United States Marine.

Congratulations little Brother! I love you.

Post-It Note Tuesday

2010-04-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for Post It Note Tuesday! I'm linking up with Supah Mommy, so join in if you'd like! OH! And forgive me if I haven't commented on your blog the past couple of days. I've had/got a lot of stuff to do to get ready to leave tomorrow. Please forgive me!

The Monday Minute & Easter Re-Cap

2010-04-02T15:57:00.012-04:00

It's Monday already? What happened to the weekend? Geez. Anyway, since it's Monday that means that it's time for the Monday Minute a blogival created by none other than the one, the only, Ian from The Daily Dose of Reality. If you want to join in, just click here and have fun!

Now for the super random questions...

1. What's wrong with fake breasts?
I guess there's nothing really wrong with them, I just don't understand getting extremely LARGE boobs. Pamela Anderson & Dolly Parton have always just looked so out of proportion.

2. List your latest run-in with the Carnival of Idiocy.
It happens every time I get in my car, and get on the road. Just last Thursday, on my way to visit my Grandmother, I passed 3 separate car accidents in less than a mile of each other. 2 of the cars had flipped over, and the other 2 cars had been a minor accident for rubber necking over the flipped over car.

3. Name one thing you'd like to tell your ten year ago self.
Let's see, 10 years ago I was 12 years old & in the 6th/7th grade. I would have told myself that it was okay to be myself; that I probably would have had more friends if I hadn't been so disclosed. I also would have told myself that I shouldn't be jealous of the popular girls because most of them ended up pregnant with dead beat dad's, fat, and a lot less happier than I am.

4. What's your favorite word that's not in the dictionary?
I like adding "-ness" to the end of everything. The other day I wasn't sure if an animal was a donkey or a miniature horse, so I said something to the effect of "I'm not sure of it's donkey-ness" I think that I must have started a trend though, because a lot of people are using it.

5. Why do fools fall in love?
Because only stupid people allow themselves to fall in love.

...Now for the Easter Weekend Re-Cap

I wish that I could tell you I had an amazing Easter weekend, but if I did...I would be lying. I won't go into detail, because there are too many names that I would have to mention & well...I don't wanna start no drama :) So...just enjoy these pictures of our Easter weekend.

She had fun dying her Easter Eggs.

Bree picking up an Easter Egg

Bree had a lot of fun hunting for the eggs & then she and her Papa counted them afterwards

This is us...not sure why Paul's face is orange...stupid picture uploaders cut down the quality of pictures.

Time Really Does Fly!

2010-04-02T10:24:00.001-04:00

I had no idea, 3 months ago, when I wrote this post; that time would fly by so incredibly fast! In January, April seemed so far away, and now that it's April...January seemed like it was forever ago. This time next week, I will be watching my Brother become a United States Marine! It's hard to believe that the time is finally here; that everything he has worked toward over the course of the last 12 weeks is about to pay off; that my Brother, my little brother, is going to be a Marine. The Few. The Proud. The Marines. I could never be more proud of my Brother than I am now.

I am so excited to see him; so excited that I can hardly stand it! When we leave for Parris Island on Wednesday morning of next week, I'll probably be so giddy that Paul will want to pack me in the trunk with the luggage. I wouldn't put it past him either, but how can I not be expected to be so excited to see my Marine Brother? To wrap my arms around his neck, and give him the biggest 'Big Sister' hug that he has ever gotten? This is my little Brother; the one I beat up with a pair of sneakers one time; the one who will be a Marine. I am one proud Big Sister!

Now, if you're sitting there wondering what in the heck you're going to do without any blog posts from me for 5 days (which I doubt you are), I've got it covered! I know, always thinking ahead...I'm so organized (not). I'll be here Monday with a Monday Minute/Easter post, Tuesday with a Post-It Note post, and a scheduled Wednesday, Thursday & Friday post! And how cool is it that for next Friday, Elizabeth of Confessions of a Working Mom, will be guest posting for me?! You should definitely get excited about that, because Elizabeth is Da-Bomb. Does anyone even use that word anymore? No? Guess I'm not as cool as I thought I was.

Anyway, so...it should be a good week next week. I'm excited :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Good Friday, and hap-hap-happy Easter Weekend!

Top 3 Thursday - Names

2010-04-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

Happy April Fools Day!!

It's time for Top 3 Thursday! If you want to join in just click here or here to get the rules!

What Are Your Top 3 Favorite Names?

Before we knew the sex of baby Bree, we had several names picked out. We were pretty sure that she was going to be a he, but obviously...it didn't work out that way. Below is our Top Three favorite names that we had picked out for Bree.

3. Casey Wade - So like I said above, we thought Bree was going to be a boy. I'm not sure why we liked the name "Casey" for a boy so much (& it wasn't because of the race car driver Casey Kahne). It just sounded good put together with "Wade" which was my late Papa Roy's middle name. I still like the name, and if I were to have anymore kids...this name would definitely still be on the list.

2. Landon James - If Bree had been a boy, she most likely would have become Landon James. Hubby and I both just liked the name Landon, and James is Hubby's middle name. Now, I'm kind of thankful that Bree turned out to be a girl, because after she was born, everyone and their Mother seemed to be naming their kid Landon. No offense to anyone who named their child this, it's still a beautiful name, it just wasn't different or unique to me anymore.

1. Kara Lynn - After we found out that Bree was going to be a girl, and before we picked the name she has now...we had thought we would name her Kara Lynn. We picked this name after my Grandmother whose name was Carolyn. I liked Kara Lynn, because it didn't sound as old fashioned as Carolyn does. However, the name just didn't sit well with me. I liked it, but I wasn't in love with it. With me, I've got to be in love with something before I even consider it (this applies to clothes too).

Thankfully, I found a name that I fell in love with. Bree's name fits her personality in every way, and I am so glad I found it!

What 3 names do you like the most?

Pour Your Heart Out - Irritating FB Friends

2010-03-31T06:00:00.004-04:00

It's Pour Your Heart Out Wednesday, and I am linking up with Shell from Things I Can't Say. Feel free to join in!

I love the majority of my Facebook friends. Really, I do. I love being able to keep up with family members that I never get to see, and friends from long ago. I love keeping up with the people I go to church with, and even keeping up with my own Parents! However, there are a couple of friends that I have on Facebook that I would LOVE to delete from my friends list. Some of them I have deleted, and they keep coming back like an itchy rash. It's no secret that people generally get on my nerves, but these people really, really get on my nerves. Like really.

What kind of people am I talking about?

The Status Stealer
Status Stealers are the people who will take my status, and use it as their own. They usually try to disguise their ~~stealing~~ duplication, by changing a few of the words around & adding a smiley face at the end. You're not fooling me. Isn't this called Plagiarism?

The Profile Creeper
Profile Creepers are the people who stalk my pictures, and profile without leaving any comments, but the next time I am talking to them in person they say something like, "...yeah I saw that on your FB" Really? Stop being a creeper, and let me know you're looking at my stuff!

The Friend Stealer
I know it's a small world, and a lot of people know a lot of the same people, but when it looks like you are going straight down my list of friends and befriending all of them...I get a little annoyed. There is no way that you could possibly know each and every one of my FB friends. You know my cousin from California? Really? Didn't think so. Stop being a friend whore.

The Stupid Comment Friend
The Stupid Comment friend generally leaves a comment on my pictures or status updates that is just so stupid it makes me mad. These people usually try to be funny without succeeding, don't understand my humor and get all serious on me, or leave a comment that is just so incredibly stupid that I can't even reply to it. In fact, if I don't reply to your comment on Facebook, it's probably because what you said was too stupid to even acknowledge.

The Bad Grammar Friend
The Bad Grammar Friend is the one who I thought just made a typo, but find out that they really just don't know how to spell or write correctly. For instance, I have this friend on Facebook who must not know that there is a "d" on the end of "and". Heck, they might not even know that "an" & "and" are not the same words. Either way, it's really annoying.

The One Who Asks the Stupid Questions
My teachers always tried to teach us that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Well, I beg to differ. The Facebook friends that asks the stupid questions, generally leave a question for me to answer on my wall. A question that they could have easily just Googled themselves. Instead, I have to come up with a polite way to call these people stupid, or lazy; completely inconveniencing my day. For Pete's (whoever that is) sake, download a Google search bar to your browser window and ask it all of the questions that your little heart is dying to know!

What type of 'friends' annoy you on Facebook?

Post It Note Tuesday!

2010-03-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Yay! It's time for Post It Note Tuesday! I'm linking up with Supah Mommy, so join in if you'd like!

The Monday Minute

2010-03-29T06:00:00.007-04:00

It's time for the Monday Minute, and once again I am linking up with Ian! Feel free to join in by heading over to Ian's place. Just copy the questions, link up and have fun!

1. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging, because I thought it would be fun to have a place dedicated to my writing and ranting.
2. Name a blogger & list their URL , whom you think deserves special attention for whatever reason you choose.
I have so many bloggy friends that I could list here, but I think I am going to list The Girl Next Door Grows Up, because she sent me a package full of the most wonderful goodies! Especially these delicious white chocolate pretzels that I am enjoying at the moment. You rock lady & so do these esquisit pretzels! Thank you for your unbelievable kindness.
3. Name one of your heroes, someone you know or knew, in your life.
My Daddy is my hero. He's the best. Really. He makes me laugh, I learn a lot from him, and I know he would do anything for me. When he looks at me, he looks at me with an unconditional type of love that a Father feels for his daughter. It's amazingly comforting. Friday night when I found out Mercy (my dog) had drowned, my Daddy was able to calm me down without really having to say a word. I count myself very fortunate to have a Daddy who loves like mine loves me.
4. Whose feet smell worse, yours or mine?
Well, at the moment, my feet don't stink. So, I'm assuming yours?
5. Which TV show's setting would you most like to live in?
Remember the show The O.C? I would have absolutely, positively LOVED to have lived in that show, in the O.C, with those people. Also, I wouldn't mind being a Desperate Housewife either. Me and Gabby, we'd be B.F.F's.

In case you missed my post Saturday night, my weekend started with my dog drowning. Mercy was our first little family dog, that we have had since I was 11 years old. My Daddy buried her Saturday afternoon, and we have all been a little sad this weekend. Life just feels a little bit different without Mercy being here. I miss her...more than I ever thought I could miss a dog. I don't know if there is a doggy heaven, but I'm sure that if there were...Mercy has already kicked the 'god of dogs' off of his throne, and taken over herself. I'll smile when I think of her, and I'll never forget her.

"The good times of today, are the sad thoughts of tomorrow." - Bob Marley

Goodbye Mercy...

2010-03-26T19:08:00.004-04:00

We had just moved into the parsonage of the church that my Dad was Pastor of. A man in the church had given us a full blooded Black Lab I guess as a sort of "welcome to the neighborhood" kind of gesture. My baby brother was three or four years old at the time, and way too small to be able to have any type of fun with the Black Lab, named Spirit. If anyone has seen a Black Lab in person, you would know that even as a young puppy, these dogs are huge. One day after being playfully tackled by Spirit, my baby brother looked up at my Mom and said, "I don't wanna big dog. I wanna little dog!". Not even a day later, a couple of stray dogs wandered into our yard. One was a small dog, and the other was a medium sized red dog. We had mercy on the little dog, and took her in.

That's how she got the name Mercy.

Mercy was a little Pekingese. She was bossy, sassy, and full of personality. She slept with me in my room at night, and snored so loudly that I may or may not have thrown a couple of pillows at her. Mercy became a part of our family very quick. We all loved her. We loved her so much that one Winter, she got out of the fence and ran full speed up the road. My brother and I chased after her for 30 minutes in a foot of snow, trying to get her back. She had fun making us chase her that day. How do I know? Because when we got her back in the house, I swear that I saw a faint smile on her face. Mercy was our little dog. Our first family dog.

Over the last 10 years, Mercy has gotten old. She lost her sight nearly a year ago, and had since been experiencing digestion problems. We had been expecting to her go soon, whether she died peacefully in her sleep or by being put to sleep.

Last night, my baby brother called me to tell me that Mercy had died, but she hadn't died in the peaceful way that we had all hoped for. She had fallen into the pool of my Parent's back yard, and drowned. Since Mercy had lost her eye sight, my Parents had put lounge chairs across the entrance of the deck, to keep Mercy from falling into the pool and drowning. This little redneck method had worked until today, when the wind was gusting at 10 to 15 miles per hour. The chairs blew over, and Mercy got lost.

I want to believe that she committed suicide; that she was tired of being old, and blind...and she just jumped in...ready to end it all.

But I'm pretty sure it didn't happen that way.

This weekend, I have been sad. A family member has died. I'll never hear her annoying snores again, or her yappy little bark. I'll never get to pet her little head, and smell her horrible doggy breath.

People who have never had dogs or a pet for that matter, could never understand how painful it is to lose a pet. This is the first time I have ever lost a pet, and I tell you...it's almost as bad as losing a human family member.

Goodbye Mercy. I've loved you since the very first day you walked into our yard. I'll never forget you, and the joy you brought to our family. We could never replace you, and we will never try to replace you. I know that you'll live on in our hearts and minds. I love you Mercy...and I am going to miss you more than anyone could ever imagine.

Please do not point out the ironic-ness of this picture. I know that had she had a float, she would not have drowned. I also know that this picture reflects her personality in so many ways. A personality that I will miss way too much.This was taken just last month, during one of our big snows. Probably the last picture I ever took of her

Discouraged...

2010-03-26T13:20:00.002-04:00

Today, I am discouraged.

I'm discouraged about a lot of things.

Like this blog for instance...

...and I really shouldn't have eaten that shortbread cookie.

I'm not sure why I'm so discouraged.

Just a lot of things have gone wrong.

...and a recurring nightmare that I seem to have three or four times a week.

I seriously shouldn't have had those two white chocolate pretzels.

I do wish the sun was out, and perhaps a little warmer.

I wish that I could find my blogger identity.

Photography: How I Got Started

2010-03-26T06:00:00.008-04:00

Have you ever wondered how I got my start in photography? No? Well, I'm going to tell you about it anyway. On Tuesday, Lisa Marie from The Domestication of a Party Girl, tagged me in a photo game. I rarely do these types of games, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to tell you the story of how I got into photography...whether you want to hear it or not.

Bree at about six months old
I never really knew that there was anything special about the pictures I took. I was just a stay-at-home-Mom who enjoyed taking pictures of her infant. So when I started posting pictures of baby B on my Facebook page, I was surprised when people began commenting on how good my photos were. I always replied with a 'thank you', and continued posting more pictures; not really thinking much else about it. That is, until people started asking me to take pictures for them, and offering to pay me to do so.

I had always enjoyed looking at photography. I would rent library books full of photos from professional photographers, and just study the pictures; marvel at them, and wish that I would be able to take pictures like that one day. Once my pictures started getting recognition by others, I realized that perhaps I did have something. I had a natural talent that I never knew I possessed. So, I started pursuing photography by practicing more, and striving to become better.

Now, photography has become a hobby of mine. I don't claim to be a pro, but I definitely have dreams of maybe one day becoming one. When and if that day does come, I can safely say that I got my start on my living room floor taking pictures of baby B.

Top 3 Thursday - Hoarding

2010-03-25T09:14:00.007-04:00

It's time for Top 3 Thursday, a new(er) blog carnival started up by Confessions of a Working Mom and The (Un)Experienced Mom. Each week, they pick a category for you to share your Top 3 thoughts on. It's lots of fun, so I hope you'll join in!

What Top 3 things should you have thrown away ages ago, but haven't?hoard |hôrd| noun: a stock of valued objects

By looking at my house you wouldn't think that I was a hoarder, or that I had certain things in my house that I really don't need & should just get rid of. However, I have a confession to make...I am a closet hoarder....literally.

Let's take a look into B's closet...

3. I have more gift bags than I will ever use. There is no way that I could possibly buy that many birthday/baby shower/wedding gifts for any of the people I know, but I can never get rid of them! What happens if I need one? The way my luck seems to go, as soon as I threw them all away, I would get invited to 15 wedding showers, 10 baby showers, and a bunch of little kid birthday parties. I just can't take that chance! At least I do have them organized. Atop B's shelf in her closet, sits 3 large gift bags, all of them stuffed with neatly folded gift bags.

2. Stacked beside those three gift bags in B's closet, are about 15 baby wipe containers that I have been unable to trash. I don't know what I'll do with all of them, but I just can't bring myself to throwing them out. What if I need to store something in them? Maybe crayons, or those annoying little kids meal toys that B seems to accumulate. Although I already have crayons & annoying kids meal toys stored in a couple...I may need more! I laugh, because last weekend my MIL kept B, and she couldn't find any baby wipes. She went through every one of those containers trying to find just one wipe. *Mwahahahaha...*

1. Also in B's closet, I have stored countless numbers of B's newborn outfits that I just couldn't bring myself to throw away. I have her first pair of blue jeans, and they are absolutely the cutest things you have ever seen! I could never see myself carting them off to Goodwill! They should be framed or something! Then there's this little orange Gap hoodie that she never got to wear, because it was too big...but still too cute to get rid of! I just can't bring myself to throwing these things out. In fact, for every season of her life, I have pulled at least 3 of my favorite outfits from her clothes and stored them with the other clothes I have saved. I have a large box, filled with dozens of outfits, including every Thanksgiving & Christmas outfit that I have bought her.

I guess I am a hoarder, but a closet hoarder. I probably could do without the baby wipe containers, and gift bags...and probably even some of the outfits of B's that I have saved...but I just can't seem to bring myself up to throwing them out. The moment my closet hoarding moves out of the closet, I swear, I'll get rid of something. Until then, I will continue to neatly organize all of my hoarding in B's closet...until she kicks my hoarding out. Then I'll have to use my closet.

What are some things that you are hoarding?

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Pour Your Heart Out Wednesday II

2010-03-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome back to the second edition of Pour Your Heart Out. Once again, I am linking up with Shell from Things I Can't Say. Feel free to join in!

Monday night, a senior in the high school that my baby brother attends, was killed in a car accident. Around 8 p.m, the driver of the car ran off of the road and hit a tree. The boy that was killed, was a passenger, not wearing a seat belt, and was therefore ejected from the car upon impact. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was 19 years old.

His life had not even started before it was ended.

How incredibly sad I am for his family, and his friends.

Accidents like this do not have to happen, but they do. Every. Single. Day.

He wasn't the first person to die in a car accident from this high school, and I know he won't be the last. I wonder how many of their friends have to die, before they realize that driving reckless can kill you and how important wearing that seat belt is?

My life was nearly taken from me four years ago in a car accident that was caused by a man who was not paying attention, and speeding. If things had been different that morning...if I had forgotten to put on my seat belt, or if I was sitting differently in my seat...things may have turned out not so good. My life could have ended when I was 18 years old. I thank God every day that it didn't.

I have a plea, to everyone who holds a drivers license and drives a vehicle; a plea to stop these senseless deaths.

Please, pay attention to what you are doing when you are driving. Pay attention to the road, your speed, the lane you are in. Don't answer the cell phone when it rings. Don't read that text message that comes in. Just drive. Be responsible. Automobiles are wonderful things, and I am thankful to not have to depend on a horse & carriage to get me from Point A to Point B, but automobiles can be dangerous if the people driving them are irresponsible.

So, in honor of this 19 year old male who's life was cut short too soon by reckless and irresponsible driving...let's all drive a little more responsibly. Stop being in such a hurry. Stop showing off your mad driving skills when you have a friend in the car. Stop being stupid...and just drive.

Post It Note Tuesday!

2010-03-23T06:00:00.003-04:00

Yes, I've traded in the Random Tuesday Thoughts, for Post It Note Tuesday! I was super jealous of how cute Shell's page looks on Tuesdays :) I'm linking up with Supah Mommy, so join in if you'd like!

Monday Minute & a Weekend Re-Cap

2010-03-22T09:13:00.003-04:00

Let me start off this nasty, dreary Monday by linking up with Ian for the Monday Minute! The Monday Minute is when Ian thinks up a bunch of random questions, and when I say random...they're pretty random, and then we the people answer them. Feel free to join in! Just head over to Ian's place, copy the questions, link up and have fun!

1. Do you feel like I do?
I don't think I feel much like Ian. After all, he is a man and I am a woman.

2. Is it appropriate to answer a question with a question?
Not sure if it's appropriate or not, but I do know that sometimes it's just necessary.

3. What's wrong with people?
They're stupid, greedy, and stupid.

4. What's one redeeming quality about pickles
Good question...maybe you should ask the pickle.

5. If you won the lottery, how much money would you give to your favorite charity...me?
Well, I'll be the first to admit that I don't like to share. I might even have a hard time sharing with P & B...so, you'd be lucky if you got any. But...you know, it's not impossible.

Alright, now for my weekend re-cap....

We had half of a beautiful weekend. Friday and Saturday both were bright and sunny, with temperatures reaching the mid to upper 70's. I was in heaven. We took B to our park downtown, which is beautiful this time of year, so that I could take her Spring portraits. I wish B had been a little more cooperative with me for the picture taking part, but I was able to get a few good shots. You can see those here. Please let me know what you think about those :) I was a little disappointed in the number of good shots that I got, but I guess it's okay. You can't really make a 2 year old do anything, so the good ones I did get were mostly candid. Never try a posed picture with a 2 year old. They don't like it.

Saturday night P and I finally got to go see Alice in Wonderland. I LOVED it! I really had no complaints about it, except I would have changed the ending. If I had been Alice, I would have stayed in Wonderland and married the Mad Hatter. But maybe that's just because I think Johnny Depp is sexy, no matter who he plays :) Honestly though, great movie. I would definitely recommend it!

Yesterday, the clouds came out, the temperatures dropped and it rained...hard. Today isn't much different. The clouds are still out, no sun...and it's supposed to rain a little later on. Oh well, I'm not going to complain because it could be snow...

How was your weekend?

I'm Gonna Get Toned...

2010-03-20T09:51:00.004-04:00

Last night, I caved.

I don't know what got into me.

Maybe it was P's constant nagging of how much he wanted to do P90x.

Maybe it was because I had felt fat and puffy all week long, and I was desperate to do something about this stubborn belly of mine.

I logged onto Ebay.

And I searched for P90x

I found a great deal, and I clicked buy.

Next week P90x should arrive at my doorstep, and I must say that I am pretty excited.

I know it won't be easy, but I want to do this for several reasons:
1. For myself...all my life I've just wanted to look 'good'. Not skinny...just toned. I hope that this exercise program will do it for me.
2. I want people to be encouraged to get into shape when they see my results. Being healthy is so important.
3. One of P's co-workers said that I wouldn't be able to do it. If you know me, you should know that you can't tell me that I can't do something, because I will. And I will do it over and beyond.

So, I should get this little miracle worker next week and plan on starting it the second week of April. Why the second week of April? Because the first week of April will be the week that my brother graduates Boot Camp, and I'll be distracted. I figure it will be best, when I can start with a clean plate! Don't worry, P90x isn't about losing weight to me. It's about toning up and getting healthier. Come the second week of June...I'll be rocking out my bathing suits with a whole new body! How incredibly excited am I?!

And you better bet, I'll blog my progress.

Dear Idiot Drivers...

2010-03-19T08:45:00.008-04:00

Today, I'm linking up with Foursons for Letter of Intent Friday. I had a terrible case of road rage yesterday, and am taking today to write all of the idiot drivers I encountered.

Dear Idiot Drivers of the South,

Yesterday afternoon I set out to visit my 83 year old Grandmother, just as I do each and every Thursday. Since our move last Summer, the seemingly short drive to her house (20 minutes), has now turned into a much longer one (35 minutes). I have to face traffic, every Thursday, bad traffic that YOU have created. It doesn't have to be bad. YOU make it bad.

For instance, speed limits. You CAN go 5 miles over the speed limit. You WILL NOT get pulled over. You DON'T have to keep your speedometer between the speed limit and fives miles under. It's pointless, it gets on my nerves and you WILL cause accidents that way.

Next, just take your stupid foot off of the brake! It is not necessary to tap it every few seconds. How are the cars behind you supposed to know when you are seriously braking, if you are constantly tapping the brakes? I mean really, do you want to get hit?

When you make a turn, you DO NOT have to take a whole 100 seconds to get into the turning lane. Just a quick swift of the wheel, and you're there! It doesn't require a lot of brakes, especially if there is no one in the turning lane you are getting into. I almost hit the corner of your back bumper yesterday for this very reason, and no...I would not have stopped. I would have kept going, because all I wanted to do was get over into the middle lane and you wouldn't drive any faster to allow me to do that. You. Stupid. Idiot.

Also, the traffic lights do eventually change from red to green, and it is in your best interest to pay attention. I will lay down on my horn. Don't try me. You made me sit through two different traffic lights yesterday, while you barely made it through them, because you weren't paying attention when the other dozen cars around you started moving. I was NOT happy about this. I may have even let a cuss word slip, at that last traffic light you left me sitting through.

And last, but not least, STAY IN YOUR LANE! How hard is that? I mean really. There are lines in the road for a reason. Those are lane markers! They mark the difference between MY lane and YOUR lane. Get off the cell phone, quit texting, stop changing the radio station, and just freaking DRIVE

Never in my life have I ever been as stressed out as I was yesterday when I finally got home from visiting my Grandmother. You Idiot drivers literally caused me instance after instance in the traffic, and by the time I got off my exit...I was suffering from chest pains. I mean really; there is absolutely no reason at all to drive the way you drive. You are NOT the only drivers on the road, and I demand to know the name of the officer who granted you a drivers license. Evidently, he/she was as big as an idiot as you are. GET OFF THE ROAD!

With Hate,
Samantha

Top 3 Thursday - Quirks

2010-03-18T09:56:00.004-04:00

My first post at Our Mommyhood is up today, so go check it out and leave some feedback! And if you haven't already, check out some of the other amazing bloggers writing for Our Mommyhood too. If you are visiting from Our Mommyhood and have never been to my blog before, welcome and please feel free to join in on all of the fun! I love new people :)

Okay, onto Top 3 Thursday, a new(er) blog carnival started up by Confessions of a Working Mom and The (Un)Experienced Mom. Each week, they pick a category for you to share your Top 3 thoughts on. It's lots of fun, so I hope you'll join in!

My Top 3 Quirks:
quirk |kwərk| noun - a peculiar behavioral habit

1. I absolutely cannot stand for there to be dishes in the kitchen sink. I am somehow able to work it out so that even when the dishwasher is running, there are no dirty dishes in the sink, waiting to go in next. I still don't know where I got this from, because growing up, there were always dishes in the sink. I feel like my house is 10x cleaner when there are no dishes crowding the kitchen sink.

2. I have the clothes in my closet organized by season, beginning with Summer. From there they are organized by t-shirts, tank tops, cardigans, quarter length sleeves tees, long sleeved tees, sweaters, vests, hoodies, and jackets. I'm not sure if this is a strange habit, but I have seen my Mothers closet...and it looks nothing like mine. She even has shirts hanging on their hangers inside out! Oh the horror!

3. I get fully dressed, even if I'm just running outside to the car. I'm talking, make up, hair done, coordinated outfit and everything. Why? My Grandmother always did the same thing. She put on her nicest house gown to walk to the mailbox, and if she was just running up the road to grab a bite to eat through the drive thru, she would be a dressed to a tee. This attribute gets on Paul's nerves a little I think. Sometimes he just wants to hop in the car and go for a ride, and of course, I have to change clothes.

What are some of your quirks?
Want to play along? Then click here or here, grab the Top 3 button, link up, and play along on your blog!

Pour Your Heart Out Wednesday

2010-03-17T14:21:00.006-04:00

I know that I have already done a Wordless Wednesday for the day, but I was attracted to this brand spankin' new blog carnival that Shell from Things I Can't Say has started up. Pour Your Heart Out is where you pick a topic, any topic, and express your honest feelings/opinions about it. I think it's nice to have one day dedicated to seriously express yourself about a certain topic that you feel strongly about. So, if you want...just pick up the button below, and join in on the new Pour Your Heart Out blog carnival!

Today, Shell was talking about a post she had written a week or so ago, when her husband was in a pretty bad car accident. Thank God he was okay, but she was reminded of quickly things can change and how much she loved him. She shared with everyone about how their marriage had not always been perfect, and was surprised to find how most people had the same experience with their marriage. It made me think about my own marriage.

When Paul and I got married, I am almost willing to bet that there were people putting down money on how long we would last. Some probably said 6 months, others a year. I don't know any of this for a fact, but I do know how people think. Consider the circumstances we got married in. I was pregnant, and had only dated Paul for six months. Let's face it, statistics don't even give us much of a chance, much less judgmental people. I'm a little sensitive to this fact.

Most of the time, I feel like I need to act like my marriage is perfect. If I even hint that Paul and I have been fighting a little, or that something about Paul drives me crazy...I feel like people will start betting more money on how much longer until we file the papers. I don't think that this is true for everyone I know, but I have acquaintances that I know would love to see me and my marriage fail.

My marriage isn't perfect. There have been times when I just think that there is no way we are going to make it; that maybe statistics are right. There have been times when Paul has gotten on my nerves so bad, I don't know how I could even sit in the same room with him. There have been times when he has made me so angry, hurt me so bad...that I have no idea why we even got married. But those are just times; they're not constant thoughts or feelings. No one has a perfect marriage, and people who aren't married, shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion on other people's marriage. Unless you are married, there is no possible way that you can express an opinion on a topic like marriage, without having experienced it. That would be like me having an opinion on what deep fried bull testicles taste like - I don't know, I've never had them.

So, today...I'm pouring my heart out. I want to let everyone know that my marriage isn't perfect, but I have never been more in love with anyone else in my life than I am with Paul. We're young, we're stupid, we have terrible tempers, but at the same time we love each other and care for each other enough...to keep working on our marriage. We have a beautiful, two year old daughter, who is the center of our world and we work together to make her the happiest little girl this world will ever see. We have grown up quiet a bit in the three small years that we have been married. I have found myself maturing in the way I handle things and say things, and he's picked up on all of the suttle hints I drop when I need a little bit of help. To me, the most important thing for me to remember, is to not forget the man I fell in love with. He's still there, he's just covered in a few new layers.

Wordless Wednesday: Fifteen

2010-03-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

Oh how I envy this picture, and how young I looked. I didn't have little tiny wrinkles under my eyes, or gray in my hair. To be 15 again...

This Commercial Makes Me Giggle

2010-03-16T20:13:00.004-04:00

I'm a sucker for commercials with catchy tunes. Yes, I'm one of those who actually enjoys commercials...well...most of them. Anyway, this one makes me giggle every time:

Give me back that filet o fish
Give me that fish
Give me back that filet o fish
Give me that fish
What if it were you
Hanging up on this wall?
If it were you in that sandwich
You wouldn’t be laughing at all!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2010-03-15T16:23:00.006-04:00

It's time for Random Tuesday Thoughts, and as I have said before...I refuse to use the little ugly purple button that everyone else uses. It just doesn't go with my color scheme :) Don't hate.

Guess what?! After a year of procrastinating, I finally made that OBGYN appointment. I feel accomplished. Of course, I don't go for another month...so I have a few weeks before I start getting nervous. Oh how I hate Doctor visits.

24 days from today, my brother will be a United States Marine. Forgive my counting down, but I have had a countdown on my phone since the day he left for boot camp. It's true. I remember when the countdown used to say 89 days. and now we're almost in the teens!

My name is Samantha, and I am a Desperate Housewives addict.

Unlike most kids, Bree is a pretty good little kid (most of the time) whenever we go grocery shopping. Betcha you'll never guess what her favorite aisle in the grocery store is? The cookie aisle!

My house smells like Summer. It's such a nice smell.

Our A/C went out last night, so we had to open the window in our room. I woke up this morning to the sound of birds chirping, and a soar throat. Not good. Let's hope the A/C gets fixed soon though. Once when I was about 13 or 14 years old, our A/C went out in the middle of the Summer, and it took nearly a week before we got it fixed. We went outside in the 80 degree weather to get relief from the inside heat. Sometimes I think it's better to be freezing to death, although, you're generally not saying that when you're freezing to death.

I took the word verification off of my comments to make everyone happy, and then got bombarded with all sorts of random comments that didn't hardly make any sense. Tempted to put it back on, but instead I moderated the comments so that no anonymous users could live me any comments. If that doesn't work, I'm putting the word verification back on.

I feel like today should be Wednesday. I hate when I have weeks like that; I'm always one day ahead and it doesn't make the week go by any faster.

On groceries yesterday, I took what would have been 100 dollars in groceries, and only paid 50 for them. I plan on getting everything back out of the cabinet that I bought yesterday, taking a picture, and letting you all see. Hubby was pissed when he opened the trunk to get the groceries out. He was all like, "HOW MUCH DID YOU SPEND?!" and I was all like, "Fifty bucks!" and then he was all like, "You lie". I showed him the receipt, he hit the floor. Yes ladies & gentlemen, I am the coupon master!

How is your Random Tuesday going?

Growing Up on Classics

2010-03-15T06:00:00.003-04:00

I didn't know it at the time, but I was extremely fortunate to have a Daddy who introduced me to a variety of music when I was a child. In the car, we listened to every genre of music from Christian to Country to Celtic to Classic Rock. At home, you could always hear artists like Elvis coming from the record player, and bands like KC & the Sunshine Band blaring from the stereo (not at the same time of course). Music was a major part of my family, my childhood, and now my adulthood.

When I began dating Paul, I was shocked to find out that he didn't know much about the older (classic), rock bands. He was pretty savvy with more current bands, and singers, but when it came to artist like Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers(my favorite band ever)...he didn't have a clue. Paul's dad tortured him & his siblings with talk radio and whiney country music, while they were growing up. At 19 years old, Hubby knew nothing of the classics. I mean, I kind of felt sorry for him. He had no idea what all he was missing out on!

Now that I have a child of my own, I haven't hesitated to share with her all of the different types of music. We keep her current with the music of today (she prefers Lady Gaga & Taylor Swift), but I also play some Boston, or Joe Walsh for her too. She particularly enjoys the song "Roll Another Joint" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the harmonica, and not the actual lyrics of the song. At least, I hope so.

I really enjoy all genres of music, but perhaps the two I listen to the most are Indie/Folk & the Classic Rock artists. If I were to show you the playlist on my iPod...you would find no patterns. Just a bunch of random music, by a bunch of random artists.

Nevertheless, I have always been pretty proud of how knowledgeable I am of music that was created a couple of decades before I was even born. Most of my favorite artists don't include the ones who are popular today, and some of them are even dead! Every time I hear one of those amazing classic rock songs, I smile and drift backwards into a wonderful memory of my childhood. I hope that by showing Bree these songs now, they will have the same affect on her when she gets my age.

What type of music did you grow up on, and what is your favorite genre(s) now as an adult?

& We Have a Champion!

2010-03-14T23:06:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, I asked you all to vote, in a who-would-win-contest between Batman & Superman. After tallying up the votes taken both here and on Facebook, and reading your very creative reasons of why one would beat the other...we have a Champion!
That's right folks, Batman is our winner, though he only beat Superman by one point! I'm sure that it would be a close match between the two, but judging by your opinions on why he would win, Batman is way smarter, with way better gadgets, and in my opinion... is way sexier (at least the Christian Bale version). If looks could kill, Batman would definitely be the winner!

Wanna re-match? Let me know, and I'll hold the poll again, but this time you have to invite all of your friends!

Batman VS Superman

2010-03-13T16:35:00.003-05:00

This afternoon, while watching The Dark Knight (mmm, Christian Bale), I began thinking about if Superman and Batman were to face off...who would win? This is an old argument in our household. I think that Superman would win, although Batman is definitely more attractive, and Hubby thinks that Batman would win by a long shot. My argument being that Superman could throw a bus on top of Batman, and Hubby's argument being that Batman could have some kryptonite in his little gadget belt and take Superman down fast! What do you think? Leave your answer in a comment! And remember, Chuck Norris is not an option :)

Is the Internet Making You Stupid?

2010-03-12T06:00:00.005-05:00

I read an interesting article the other day that asked the question of whether or not the internet is making us stupid. At first I thought, no and that the internet would have to be making us smarter. I mean look at all of the information we can find out now! But then I thought about it a little longer, and realized how much the internet has affected me.

I never will forget the day that we got the internet at our house. I was in the sixth grade (11 years ago). Of course, back then, everyone had dial up. You could take a shower, clean the house, go to the grocery store, and wash your car all in the amount of time it took to connect to the internet. Nevertheless, the internet had me from "You've Got Mail!". I was instantly addicted. It was better than television! I could connect to so many things that I otherwise would not have had access to(and I'm not talking about porn). I think that it's safe to say that I became an internet addict from the very first day I ever signed on.

Before the internet days, I was a wonderful speller, and I read a lot of books. I had a pretty descent attention span, and didn't get distracted too easily. Over the years, it seems that my intellect has somewhat disintegrated. Now, I'm not saying that I'm stupid...I'm just saying that if it weren't for spell check on my computer, I would definitely come across as stupid. When I am on the internet, I lack the ability to think for myself. Why? Because there is a Google search bar in the top right hand corner of my screen that I can type anything, anything at all into...and come up with an answer.

Now, do I think that the internet is making me, and the rest of the world stupid?

I tend to think that the internet isn't making people stupid, it's just making people lazy. If I were to separate myself from a computer, and the internet for a week...I would probably regain the capabilities (or die from withdrawals) that I used to have before the internet came along. My attention span would probably expand back to where it used to be. I would probably be able to spell again, and the ability to think things out would return as well. I think that with the internet giving us the ability to have the entire world at our finger tips, we have lost the need to go to the library and read Encyclopedias, or look words up in the dictionary. Most of our writing is done on computers now, and most computers have spell check; why do we need to know how to spell anymore? We can find out the answers to anything, connect to anyone, and find out what has happened or is happening all over the world, with just one click of the mouse.

I do, however, wonder how this will affect our children? They won't know what the world was like before internet, and they'll probably enter school with a course in computers in Kindergarten. Everything that they will be taught to do, will most likely be done on the internet. Will our children be able to think for themselves, or will they be lazy like the rest of us are getting?

It's an interesting thought, and something that maybe we should take action against. I don't want Bree growing up never having stepped foot into a library. I don't want Bree to have to rely on the little red squiggly line on the computer to help her spell. I want her to be able to think for herself. I want her to know how to use an Encyclopedia, and a Dictionary...and I'm not talking about the ones that can be found on the computer or internet. I think that it is important to instill these capabilities into our kids, because if we don't...no one else will.

Fudgy Peanut Butter Brownie Cake

2010-03-11T06:00:00.003-05:00

First off, I want to start with saying that this will be the last Try This! Thursday for a while. Every Thursday since October, I have been going hard at finding new recipes for you to try, and now...five months later, I think it's time to take a break. I do hope that you all have enjoyed the recipes I have featured here, and I will be bringing Try This! Thursday back when Summer comes into full swing!

Now, onto the recipe...

I love fudge, I LOVE peanut butter, I definitely love brownies, and do I even have to mention how much I love cake? Can you imagine what phenomena could occur when all of these things collide? It would be world shaking, glass shattering, opera singing, Fudgy Peanut Butter Brownie Cake!

Fudgy Peanut Butter Brownie Cake

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:
- Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
- 1 (12.35 oz.) package Pillsbury® Reduced Sugar Chocolate Fudge Brownie
- 1/3 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil OR 1/3 cup Crisco® Puritan Canola Oil with Omega-3 DHA
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup Jif® Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
- 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
- 1 (11.75 oz.) jar Smucker's® Hot Fudge Sugar Free Ice Cream Topping
- Mints leaves for garnish, if desired

Directions:
- HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan lightly with no-stick cooking spray.
- PREPARE brownie mix as directed on package using oil, water and egg. Stir in almond extract, peanut butter and peanuts until blended. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
- BAKE 40 to 42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan. Place cake on serving platter. Stir topping until smooth. Spread over cake, covering top and sides. Place the tip of a frosting knife at the center of cake, pulling the knife toward the outer edge in a slight arc. Turn cake a notch counter clockwise. Repeat knife pull as a pattern forms all around the cake. Garnish center of cake with a fresh mint sprig, if desired.

To find this recipe, and more like it...click here.

Wordless Wednesday: Bree in Black & White

2010-03-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

Pick Up My New Button...

2010-03-09T16:36:00.010-05:00

Hey guys, just letting you know that I have a new button!

If you don't mind, update my button on your site with this one? Just copy and paste the code inside the box onto your site!

I also added a scroll of other blog buttons right under my "Awards" section in the right hand column. If you don't see yours, please let me know and I'll fix that problem!

Thanks!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2010-03-08T10:36:00.008-05:00

It's time for Random Tuesday Thoughts, and as I have said before...I refuse to use the little ugly purple button that everyone else uses. It just doesn't go with my color scheme :) Don't hate.

I am loving the b-e-a-utiful weather these days! I swear to God if Winter shows it's face again...

I still need to make that OBGYN appointment.

Bree likes oatmeal. That means that the box of Instant Oatmeal I bought months ago, won't go to waste now! Hip hip hooray!

What is it about Yo Gabba Gabba that kids love? I mean really, it looks something that would occur while on an acid trip. Oh well, it keeps her quiet for 30 minutes.

I am having writers block for ourmommyhood.com. I need to write on the topic of media, and I can't come up with a story for the life of me. Any suggestions? It's due today, so...help me out here. *Update: I finally came up with a post on Classics!*

A month from today, my brother will be a United States Marine! How stinkin' awesome is that?!

Speaking of which, I forced myself through the movie, Saving Private Ryan. Oh man, it was so emotionally draining...I swear I thought I was going to have Post Traumatic Distress after watching it. And why did Tom Hanks have to die?

How unfortunate is it, that on Random Tuesday Thoughts day...I'm not feeling very random. I'm actually feeling very, blah. I need a vacation so I can recharge and stop bringing you crap every day.

I would marry Target if I could.

Is it time to go to the beach yet?

I seriously need to get my car looked at. The passenger side, front tire sounds like it's loose or something. It's really bothering me. I hope the tire doesn't explode and send me off of the side of the road. That'd suck.

Alright, I know you're getting bored. I'm getting bored. I apologize for my non-randomness today, and my lack of ability to entertain. I need a vacation.

Is It True? Could It Be?

2010-03-08T08:49:00.003-05:00

Have we really seen the last of Old Man Winter?

Is Spring really here?

Is it really, really true?!

[Insert dance music here]

Today, in the South, our high for the day is not 30 degrees, not 40 degrees, not even 60 degrees! It is going to be 70 degrees today! That's 10 away from 80! That's 10 away from a bathing suit, and a pool chair! That's 10 away from Summertime, and everyone knows that Summer is MY season. It's when I bloom. It's when I smile, and laugh. It's when I am the absolute happiest girl a girl could be!

It's been a long, cold Winter...and I hope it has moved on to some other hemisphere. It's time for flip flops, and sun tans. It's time for short shorts, and tank tops. It's time for sand, beach, and a big wide open ocean.

Goodbye Old Man Winter, Hellllooooo Mr. Spring & Summer.

A Secret Revealed!

2010-03-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

For a little over a month now, me and a few of your other favorite bloggers have been holding back a secret, and today...I can finally tell you all about it!

Elizabeth of Confessions of a Working Mom & Tamara from The (Un)Experienced Mom put their heads together and came up with this brilliant idea about a blog...for everyone! Made up of a dozen other bloggers, including myself, this blog will bring you blog carnivals, memes, fundraisers, and more!

Each day will bring you a different post, from a different blogger on a different topic. It's a great place to meet new friends, get involved, and socialize! Besides, we're celebrating the grand opening with a Giveaway! So click on the button below, and get in on all of the fun at the new hot spot in the bloggy world, Our Mommyhood [dot] Com.

Don't Have Enough Time For Exercise?

2010-03-06T22:46:00.003-05:00

As I have blogged before, I use Jenny McCarthy's "Your Shape" game on the Wii to do my work out daily. It's not really a game though, it's a full on work out routine. I would definitely recommend it to a friend. Anyway, "Your Shape" has a website that provides all kinds of eating and exercising tips, as well as other weight loss tools. The other day I ran across an article on their website about how to exercise without taking any time out of your day. I thought it was interesting, and I'd like to share it with you. For those of you who would like to exercise, but can't seem to find the time, click here and learn how you can tone up without taking time out of your day.

A New Look

2010-03-05T23:56:00.004-05:00

So, how do you guys like the new look? It's bright, and fresh, and shows that I am 100% ready for Spring!

Ironically, I don't really like bees (I'm allergic), but I thought they were cute and who can pass up smiling bees?

Now, when I pulled up my blog in the FireFox browser on my Mac, the page was all out of whack and I really don't know why. So if any of you are having issues viewing my page, please let me know! It looks fine in Safari, which is what browser I use on my computer the most.

Anyway, I hope you all like the new look, and I hope that you all have a beautiful weekend!

Wahooo!

2010-03-05T16:32:00.002-05:00

WAHOOO! I finally broke 100 followers yesterday, and I am so excited! I feel like celebrating, but first I want to thank you all for coming back day after day to read and comment on my blog. It motivates me, and keeps me going. You all make me laugh, and I am so very thankful for the new bloggy friends I have made!

Now....onto the celebration!

I am going to bring a BRAND NEW FRESH Spring blog design. It's going to be bright, and it's going to be happy...and for those of you still stuck in the Winter dumps...let my page be a rescue! It's coming soon...so be on the look out.

I hope that you all have a beautiful weekend!

A New Me

2010-03-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Every since Bree was born almost three years ago, I have been obsessed with my weight and losing it. The obsession started out simple, as most obsessions do, and eventually evolved into a monster; a monster that I slayed last Tuesday. After two and a half of years of constantly telling myself that I was fat, ugly, and unattractive...I woke up Tuesday morning with a new type of attitude.

I guess I had reached my breaking point, I'm not sure, but I do know that even Paul could tell the difference in my voice on Tuesday morning. At first, I hadn't noticed my new attitude. I hadn't noticed that the little voice in my head that seemed to always be whispering, "You're fat." into my head, was no longer there. I hadn't noticed that I was in an exceptionally good mood.

Until Paul said to me, "You seem like you're free."

I thought about that for a second, and smiled. I was free. Somehow that negative, nagging, little voice in my head had shut up. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see a fat and unattractive woman. I saw a beautiful, curvy woman. I realized that there are a lot of people out there a lot larger than I am, and I had to be offending them by calling myself fat. I realized that genetically, I cannot have a flat tummy, and that I would look a little weird with one. But most importantly...I realized that God created me and designed me to His perfection, and telling myself that I am no good, fat, and unattractive is just like telling God that He failed, and my God is not a failure!

So, since my little revelation last week, I have been enjoying the heck out of some food! I never knew food could taste so good. I have definitely been eating a lot more, and you know what? I think I've lost some weight. I guess I really wasn't eating enough. Paul said he was glad to have his Samantha back, and I am glad to be back. To be worry free, and to feel sexy and pretty again...it's amazing. I really think that I had an illness of some sort. To say that I am past it would be a lie...but to say that I am fixing it is another story. I made my obsession a habit, and I plan to replace it with this new attitude!

Here's to a new perspective on life, a new attitude, and a renewed sense of self confidence. Here's to a new me!

Try This! Thursday - Brisket by Ian

2010-03-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is a special edition of Try This! Thursday, because I have my first guest poster! I thought it would be fun to take guest posts, so that you could share some of your favorite recipes with everyone, and Ian (one of my favorite fellow bloggers) was the first to volunteer. You don't know Ian?! Ohmygosh, why the heck not?! Before you do anything else, you should click here and go check out his blog, and then make sure you come back and check out this recipe for his Mom's Brisket. I must say...it looks and sounds absolutely delicious! You have got to Try This!

Ian's Brisket

Sprinkle beef bouillon crystals, rub in. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder.
Also put one bag off either Lipton Soup Mix usually whatever I have, beef and onion, onion mushroom, beef (just not chicken base).
Wrap tightly in foil, Bake one hour in a preheated oven at 350.
Open top...Mix 1/2 cup ketchup and 1/2 cup grape wine. Spoon over brisket.
Close in foil again. Cook for another 2 1/2 hours. (Note, this depends on the size).

I have found that most important thing to remember is that to cover tightly in foil.

Also, I usually get the flat cut, choice meat...I have never bought a whole brisket, my Mom always does, and hers is good also, one day I wll buy a whole and try. Flat Cut is the best part of the brisket, does not include the fat end, which I do love. It only has a little fat on top, but, you need that for flavor. I always use the Manischewitz Concord Grape. I also have the beef bouillon herb-ox, and I have onion mushroom lipton mix, so you can have them all. Especially if you do not use these things. Use heavy duty foil. I also put carrots in it after the first hour, and sometimes potatoes cut up, but not that many potatoes. I have found the potatoes taste great, but absorb so much of the sauce I have not enough left.

When I asked Ian if there was anything else he would like to add to the recipe he said, "EAT IT!" So, go on...EAT IT!

Wordless Wednesday: A Paul & Samantha Flashback

2010-03-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is a special edition of Wordless Wednesday. Today, I'm featuring a picture of Paul & I just a few weeks after we started dating. Aren't we just the cutest? :)

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Dora, Bread & Earthquakes.

2010-03-02T09:37:00.003-05:00

It's time for Random Tuesday Thoughts, and as I have said before...I refuse to use the little ugly purple button that everyone else uses. It just doesn't go with my color scheme :) Don't hate.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. Today, not so much. It's March 2nd, seriously...enough with the snow already.

How about there is only 37 more days until I get to see my brother! I can't believe that he is almost, officially, a Marine!

Bree gets confused when Dora the Explorer comes on in the morning, because during the intro to the show they show Diego from Go Diego, Go!. So she gets all excited and says, "DIEGO!" and then I say, "DORA!" and then she says, "DIEGO!" and then I say, "DORA!" and then she...well, you get the picture.

I get nervous just thinking about making myself an appointment at the OBYGN. I do not like going to the doctor, and I do not like thinking about going to the doctor. Grrr....

Is it Spring yet?

Today would be the type of day that I would like someone to deliver groceries to me. I just need a few things, Bread, fruit, that type of thing...but since there is an evident winter storm heading our way in a couple of hours...I'm sure the crazies have already raped the store shelves of any bread it may have had. Nevertheless, I have to bundle myself and Bree up to at least try it. Grrrr....I hate Winter.

Can there not be an earthquake anywhere on Earth without assuming that the end is near? It is really starting to piss me off now whenever there is an earthquake, or whatever...."Oh it's the end of times." or "We're living the book of Revelation." I know God said that there will be signs...but a few natural disasters here and there is hardly enough. I don't know why it makes me so mad...it just does.

I've been enjoying food for once in a very long time. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Ice cream at 10 o'clock at night, bad.

Is it Summer yet?

You can find the rest of my Biltmore Pictures by clicking here. Biltmore was such a beautiful place, if you have never been...I would suggest going.

How is your Random Tuesday going?

Our Weekend Getaway...

2010-03-01T09:55:00.007-05:00

Our Weekend Getaway was perfect. So perfect that I didn't want to come home. I didn't miss Bree, I didn't miss my home, I didn't miss anything...I was in love with it being just Paul and I; something we haven't had in 2 and a half years.

The town of Asheville is only about an hour out of where we live, but we weren't sure exactly where we were going. I hadn't been to Biltmore since I was in the 6th grade, and Paul had never been. So driving to Asheville was an adventure in and of itself. I had printed out directions on my Google Maps, and was full prepared, but printed directions weren't enough for Paul. He needed to break out the navigation system. I hate the navigation system. I spent the entire 4 hours driving back from the beach in the Summer time, screaming at the biotch on the navigation system...and this little trip to Asheville was no different. Paul and I randomly would yell, "Shut up!" at her whenever she would inform us of where to go, which was usually completely against what my printed out directions said. After getting lost, we finally decided to cut her off and just figure it out on our own. We eventually got there, and the directions turned out not to be so hard after all. I think Navigation Systems just make things worse.

Most of our entire Saturday was spent at the very beautiful, Biltmore Estate. Biltmore Estate was built by George Vanderbilt II in 1889, and is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) houses in all of America. It is spectacular both inside and out. Inside the floors are made of marble, and the walls made of fabulous wood. George Vanderbilt filled his "get away" home with antiques, and beautiful tapestries, specifically to resemble french architecture and decoration. Biltmore Estate is a beautiful home sitting on 125,000 beautiful acres. I wish that I could have taken pictures for you all of the inside of the house, but photography is not allowed inside.

And by the way, Ian, I told those Biltmore employees that you said I could take pictures inside, but then they threatened to throw me off of the third story balcony. I figured it wasn't worth it. But if you are curious to see what the inside of the house looks like, click here.

After we toured the Estate, Paul and I walked the grounds of Biltmore. Not all, 125,00 acres of course...but we walked a good bit. Here are some of the pictures I took:

I was thankful to have such a beautiful day, although, the wind was blowing a billion miles per hour. The sky was as blue as it could be, and it was just a beautiful day to be with Paul.

We left Biltmore around 1:30, and then went in search of where we would be staying. Paul sought the help of the biotch lady on the navigation system once again, but to no avail. Again, we figured out the directions on our own. It wasn't time to check in quiet yet once we found the place, so we drove up the road to grab some lunch at Wild Wings Cafe. This was possibly the moment when I realized that I wasn't going to leave this town a big fan. There is absolutely no parking lots in Asheville. To eat at Wild Wings, we had to park 2 streets back and walk. After walking all day long at Biltmore, I would rather park at the door of a restaurant, walk my fat butt up some stairs, and then park my fat butt in a booth while a waitress caters to my needs. Oh well, I lightened up...a little more walking was good for me. I didn't complain.

Finally time came to check into our little place. I was hoping the room was as beautiful as it looked on the internet, and sure enough...when I slipped the little key card into the door and opened it...it was just as beautiful as the pictures. There was a full kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a spacious living area with a huge flat screen television, fire place, and the most comfortable couch you could ever sit your tush on. The bathroom was large, and spacious as well. It had a whirlpool bathtub for two, a huge shower for two, and a beautiful vanity. The bedroom was large, with a king size bed, large television, and the best robes ever hanging in the closet. I prided myself. I smiled and looked at Paul, "Samantha did good, didn't she?" He laughed and replied, "Samantha did very good."

That night we decided that we would stay in, drink champagne, enjoy the fire place, and rent a movie. That sounded better than walking around downtown Asheville freezing to death. We called in an order to Mellow Mushroom for a pizza, and then went to pick it up. Downtown Asheville has no parking garages, or anywhere to park besides parallel with a meter. In our downtown, we have a parking garage, and some parking lots, but we also have parallel parking with meters. Downtown Asheville was just harder to get around, especially since we were just running in to get a pizza and running back out. We laughed, and fussed a bit...and then froze to death as we walked to pick up our pizza.

Pizza, champagne, a fire place, the best robes ever, and a comfy couch made for a perfect night together. I decided right then and there that I didn't want to come. Ever.

Sadly though, we had to go home and Paul was ready to get down the mountain when we woke up Sunday morning to snow falling. It was a yucky day compared to Saturday, and there was really no reason to stay in town. So we got our stuff together, left our perfect little bungalow, and then stopped to eat at the Moose Cafe before heading home. I was pretty sad to leave. More sad than I thought I would be. I had wanted Saturday to last forever, to never end. I had wanted to still be sitting in that little room, in front of the fire place with my Hubby...the love of my life.

It was a wonderful weekend, and the only thing I would change about it is, is the length of stay. I would have liked an entire weekend with my wonderful hubby. Nevertheless, everything is back to normal this morning with Bree tearing the house up, laundry piling up, and the floors needing to be vacuumed.

How was your weekend?

P.S I'll have the remainder of my Biltmore Pictures up on my flickr account by tomorrow. Make sure you click the "My Photography" link at the top of the page, to view them!

Eugene the Idiot

2010-02-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Four years ago today, I was in a horrible, horrible car accident. My first ever car accident, and no...it wasn't my fault.

It was 8 a.m on a Monday morning. I had dropped my brother off at school, and was running a little late for work. Not a problem though, because my Dad was my boss and he knew why I was late. So, I'm sitting at a traffic light and I'm jamming out to Nickelback's "Next Contestant" when all of the sudden I feel me, myself, and my car being pushed forward with a large amount of force. It wasn't until my left side mirror was ripped off from the door, that I realized my car was moving pretty fast and I wasn't doing it. I slammed on brakes just a few feet short from the intersection, sat there for a second, and then realized that I had just been hit by another car.

Below is a basic outline of what happened before and after impact:

Me - Sitting at a traffic light in my 2 door 2001 Honda Civic
Eugene - Dude in a red, Ford 1995 F-150 going 55 mph in a 45 mph zone
Me - Still sitting at a traffic light, jamming out to Nickelback
Eugene - Can't tell that the traffic light is red, or that there is a dozen other people stopped at the red light in 3 different lanes, and hits me...still going 55 mph.
Me - My car is hit with so much force that the wheel jerks and puts me in between two lanes, where I proceed to hit 6 other cars before coming to a complete stop

And below are the pictures of what Eugene the Idiot, did to my car:

4 years later: My palms get sweaty every time I get in my car, I freak out a little when I am sitting at a traffic light (although I have gotten a lot better over the course of the years), I can still hear the sound that my car made when his big butt truck ate my little Civic back end up, and I am still sleeping on the same heating pad that I bought that night...to help my poor little back.

Here's to Eugene the Idiot, may he have lost his license and his job. May he be driving around on a MoPed, down a sidewalk, through the woods somewhere. May he never grace these Carolina highways again.

Over the River & Through the Woods...

2010-02-26T10:12:00.002-05:00

We leave tomorrow morning for our little Anniversary Weekend Getaway. I am super excited, but at the same time...super nervous about leaving Bree behind. Bree will be fine. She's been known to push me out the door when I have left her with my Parents for a few hours. It's me, the Mommy who is insanely attached to her child, that will be the problem. Although, I am positive that once Hubby and I get our weekend started, I'll be saying "Bree who?".

In case you were wondering where we are going:

That's the Biltmore Estate my friends, and it is beautiful. I haven't been to the Estate since I was in the 6th grade, and Paul has never been...so I sort of planned this little Anniversary for him. I hope he will enjoy it.

Now...I must get to packing.

I do have a post scheduled for tomorrow that you won't want to miss. So make sure to check that out! I hope you all have an ah-mazing weekend.

Couponing 101 - Part II

2010-02-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, I gave instructions on how to get started with coupons and saving lots of money! If you missed that post, you can click here to read it.

Today, I want to give you tips on how to stock up your pantry, bathroom cabinets, and laundry room (I think that covers all areas of the house that need specific things). I want to teach you how to stock up on things that you find yourself buying all of the time. Things that can take up a big chunk of your grocery bill, if you need them when they're not on sale or you don't have a coupon for. I can honestly tell you that I haven't bought toothpaste or deodorant in almost a year, and no...my teeth haven't grow fur, my breath doesn't stink & neither do my pits. I just got stocked up, and just for a few dollars!

I'm not going to tell you specific items that you should stock up on, but I am going to tell you that they need to be things that your family uses a lot. Things that you find yourself buying constantly. For my family it was things like deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, laundry detergent, cereal, butter, tea, etc. You know how expensive all of those items can be when you have to buy them when they're not on sale. Things like laundry detergent and toilet paper can take up a large chunk of your grocery bill. That's why stocking up is so important. By stocking up, you save even more money!

How do I get stocked up?
When checking out your grocery store's sales ad, look for sales on the things that you need to stock up on. For me, it would be sales on items like toothpaste, deodorant, cereal and butter. If the items you need to stock up on are for sale, make sure you have coupons for those items and then calculate the total of how much you would be paying on them. If it sounds like a good deal, go for it! Each of the tubes of toothpaste and deodorant in my cabinet, were less than a dollar a piece. That's a great deal considering how expensive those two items generally are.

How much is too much?
If you are going to stock up big, I recommend doing it on different days. For instance, don't walk into a grocery store and walk out with 50 gallons of bleach if they were having an awesome sale on it. I know someone who got 12 gallons of bleach that they paid hardly nothing for. What's the point? Do you seriously need that much bleach? Going over board on stocking up, does make it unfair on the rest of us. We can't get the good deals, if you're buying the store out. Be reasonable. While I was stocking up on toothpaste, I would only buy a couple of tubes a week, and two tubes a week added up quickly. I actually stopped buying the stuff, because I was running out of room. There is absolutely no need to wipe out the grocery store in one setting.

Buy toilet paper when it's on sale and you have a coupon. Buy butter when it's on sale and you have a coupon. Buy laundry detergent when it's on sale and you have a coupon. Even if you don't need it at the moment, you will need it soon and by then it may not be on sale. Instead of paying 2 dollars for laundry detergent, you end up paying the full price of 6 or 7 dollars for it. Instead of paying 50 cent on a tube of toothpaste when it's on sale, you'll have to pay 3 dollars for it when it's not on sale.

Why should I buy something when I don't need it?
Don't worry, Hubby had this same question to, and the answer is simple. Have you ever turned on the washing machine to make way for a giant load of laundry that you had been ignoring for a couple of days, only to find that you were out of laundry detergent? Now you have to load the kids up in the car, and head to the grocery story to fork out 12 bucks on bottle (or box) of detergent. Had you bought the detergent when it was on sale, you would not only be stocked up on it, but you also would not have paid so much for it. Now, I don't have a laundry room full of laundry detergent, but I do generally try to stay a bottle ahead...that way I never run out.

Bottom line, stocking up is good if you do it smart. Make sure you are not stocking up on things that are full price. They need to be on sale, and you must have coupons for them. Wouldn't you like to never have to worry about buying toothpaste again, or maybe toilet paper, or laundry detergent, or cereal! How nice would it be to be able to just open up another bottle of detergent when the other runs out, or pull out another deodorant when the other runs dry? You don't have to worry about remembering to put certain items on the grocery list, because you already have them! There's no more worry, and no more stress!

If you have any questions on how to get stocked up, or how to use coupons, please feel free to drop me an email. I want to help anyone I can save money.

Try This! Thursday - Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

2010-02-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've never been too big on oatmeal, at least not the instant microwavable kind, but I found a recipe for a home made oatmeal that blows those instant oatmeal mixes out of the water...literally. You have got to try this!

Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

Yield: 4 servings Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, plus more, to taste
- 1 cup lowfat milk, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Stir in the oats and raisins, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, place nuts, if using, in a dry skillet over a medium-high flame, and toast, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- When the oats are cooked remove pan from the flame and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg. Swirl in the brown sugar and place the oatmeal in serving bowls. Pour 1/4 cup of milk on top of each bowl, and top with toasted nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Note: For a quicker version using quick cooking or plain instant oatmeal: Cook the oatmeal according to the directions on the package. Stir raisins, brown sugar, and nutmeg into the cooked oatmeal. Top with milk, nuts (toasted or un-toasted) and cinnamon.

For this recipe and more like it, click here.

I am looking for guest posters to guest post for Try This! Thursday. I thought it would be fun for you to share some of your favorite recipes! So, if you are interested in doing a guest spot, please drop me an email!

3 Years: The Wedding Anniversary Post

2010-02-24T06:00:00.008-05:00

I know that on Wednesdays I usually feature a super cute picture of my otherwise demonic 2 year old daughter, but today is mine & Paul's 3rd Wedding Anniversary and I felt it necessary to let you all know a little about us. Our story. How we met, and how fast things went from the very first date. About our ups and downs, and the things that we've been through together both good and bad. This is a testament of how two people who are meant to be together, get through things that other couples never thought possible. This is the story of Paul & Samantha.

I never will forget the moment that I first laid eyes on him. He sat two rows over from me in English class at the University we both were attending. He was a freshman in college, and I was a senior in high school taking college courses for college credits. He had shoulder length, dirty blonde hair, he was thin and looked freakin' sexy in his blue jeans. He was laid back, and calm. I was immediately attracted to him, his demeanor, and those dang sexy blue jeans. Normally, I wouldn't just walk right up to someone and start talking. I didn't initiate conversations, and I generally kept to myself, but there was something about him that just brought me out of my shell. Maybe it was the thought that if I didn't exert myself, I would never get a chance to be with him. However, at the time that we met, Paul had a girlfriend and well, I had a ~~stupid~~, ~~crazy~~, ~~abusive~~, ~~controlling~~ boyfriend. Shortly after meeting Paul though, I broke things off with him. Meeting Paul gave me the courage to get rid of something in my life that should have never been there in the first place. Still, it wasn't time for me and Paul...yet.

Spring Semester passed, and Summer started. I had been single since the previous Fall, and I was having fun just doing things that single people can do. I was lonely though, and I thought about Paul a lot off and on. I needed someone, and wasn't having any luck with a guy who wanted me. Most guys looked at me like their little sister, and couldn't think of me in any other way. So, one Sunday morning at church, I broke down and gave everything over to God. I knew that God knew who I was going to be with, and when & where that happened was all up to Him. Not me. I left church that morning with a sense of peace. I knew that the very moment I stopped looking...that special guy would find me.

That very next Tuesday I was on Myspace (that's when Myspace was cool & Facebook hadn't quiet caught on yet), looking around at friends and searching for friends I had gone to school with. I can't even remember how I even came across Paul on Myspace, but when I did...everything I had felt for him when we first met came rushing back to me. I friend requested him....and waited. A couple of hours later, he accepted my friend request and I decided to send him a message. Paul claims he didn't know who I was at first, and only accepted my friend request because he thought I was hot. Go figure, this was my profile picture at the time:
How sexy are those oompa loompa sunglasses?
Anyway, somehow or another we exchanged phone numbers, and had a date set up for the following Friday, June 23 (which also happens to be his birthday). Our first date was at Starbucks. I don't even remember the drinks we ordered, I just remember sitting there, totally enthralled with this boy. I was in love, and I knew that he was it. From that very first date, our relationship went into high gear. Things between us went fast, which is how I assume they are supposed to go when you meet the one.

In mid-August, things between us got kind of strained. He wasn't coming around much, and was hardly calling me. When we were together, he wasn't completely there. I felt distanced for him. Cut off. I knew that there was something going on with him, but I wasn't sure exactly what. Feeling rejected, and overwhelmed I sank into one of the lowest points in my life. I withdrew myself from everyone and everything. I wouldn't go to work, my Parents and I were arguing a lot, and it seemed that the only thing I wanted was Paul. That's it. For two and a half months I was wallowing in the deepest depression I have ever been in. I was in a dark place. A place I never want to be in ever again. But on November 15, just five days after my birthday, every question I had about what was wrong with Paul, were answered. I had gotten off of work, and Paul asked me to meet him at his Mom's house. I had no idea why, or what was going on. I just thought we were going to hang out over there. Until, Paul and his Mom had me sit down on the couch and they proceeded to tell me something. My heart began racing, and my palms got sweaty. They were about to tell me something bad, and I had no idea what it was. That's when Paul looked at me and said, "For the last six months, I've been addicted to cocaine."

My whole world crashed down around me. I felt betrayed, relieved, hurt, and broken hearted all at the same time. Betrayed because six months was the extent of how long we had been dating, relieved because I finally knew what was going on, hurt because he had lied to me for six months, and broken hearted because I loved him so much. The next few weeks were full of experiences that I wish to never experience again. I had to sit with Paul through withdrawals, and rehab. I had to make sure he was where he said was. I had to make sure he was getting off and staying off of the drugs. He had two slip ups with Marijuana after the confession, and after the second time I seriously considered just leaving him. I didn't know if I wanted to have to deal with this addiction for the rest of our lives together. I didn't know if he could seriously just stop what he had been doing. Stopping it all was an evident struggle for him, and I didn't understand why he couldn't just stop. I didn't understand the addiction. I lack the addictive personality. I didn't know if I could even help him through it. Leaving him would have been the most obvious decision. It would have been what any other girl would have done when faced with this issue.

But I didn't leave. How could I just leave the person I loved more than anything else in the world at the moment when he need me the most?

I stuck by him, and together we got through the dark place we had both been in. Paul has told me that this is when he realized that he really, truly loved me. Our damaged relationship was quickly being healed. For the first time, I was beginning to see that boy that I fell in love with in the old Donan Building at the University. For once, it was just Samantha and Paul; not Samantha, Paul & Cocaine.

Nearly a month had passed since his drug confession. Our lives seemed to have gotten better, and back to normal despite the fact that by this time, we had both dropped out of school. As Christmas neared, we found out that I was pregnant; a moment that I will never forget. I was scared to death, but not because I thought I couldn't handle being a Mother. But because I was afraid of disappointing my Parents. Thankfully though, my Parents love me to no end. They told us that we needed to make a decision on whether or not we wanted to get married. They didn't push us in either direction, but rather told us to make the decision.

Initially, Paul and I had planned to get married in October of that next year, but now that there was going to be a baby...we decided that waiting would be pointless. My Mom and I put a wedding together in a week, and it was every bit of the wedding I had always dreamed of. I never wanted a big snazzy wedding, but rather just a small intimate setting and itt was just that. Small, intimate, and sweet. I never had any doubts about us. I walked down the aisle with confidence, and I couldn't wait to get my life started with him.

It's hard to believe that it's been three years since that day. At times it feels like it's been forever, but at other times it seems like it hasn't been long at all. Like most marriages, there have been fights and times that I just wanted to quit. But when you love someone unconditionally, and have been through so many things together, throwing it all away on some stupid fight seems kind of...well...stupid. I can hardly stand to imagine my life without him, and I can't bare the thought of ever losing him. I am so thankful to have married such a wonderful guy, and although he pisses me off more times than I can count...I will never, ever stop loving him.

Here's to three years, and here's to three more years plus one hundred. Happy Anniversary Paul. I love you.

Here are some pictures from the wedding:

Here are some pictures of us from our Honeymoon:

P.S: Excuse the crappy wedding pictures. When you put together a wedding in less than a week, there's no time to hire a photographer. Oh & notice my Preggo tummy in the picture of me from our honeymoon?