Friday Pictures

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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...

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

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.