Make new friends but keep the old

My new niece is pretty neat.
At first she looked like a little mini-me of her sister.

But now she is developing into her own little person......and she is so precious.

But I sure do have a soft spot for niece number one. Cause you know...her little personality is really starting to come out...and I think she is about as normal as I am.

 I just love her.
And her little sister.

Settled

I'm so excited to be blogging right now. My brain is continually swirling with creative juices and things to talk about and share, and it's been weeks since I'd had time to do anything about it.
The hubby and I have been quite the nomadic couple for the last few months; making me uber pumped about being at home right now.
Take a look at how many weekends we spent away from home this summer:
May 1 -- Knoxville; wedding
May 7  -- McMinnville; Mother's Day
May 14 -- Home; Jamo's finals
May 21-- McMinnville
May 28 -- McMinnville
June 4 -- McMinnville
June 11 -- McMinnville
June 18 -- McMinnville; home for half of Saturday
June 25 -- Home
July 2 -- McMinnville
July 10 -- Home...but threw a baby shower/cookout, so it wasn't very relaxing
July 16 -- McMinnville
July 24-28 -- Florida with the Bouldins
Aug 6 -- Em to Knoxville for baby shower
Aug 13 -- J to Atlanta for bachelor party
Aug 20 -- Em and J to Knoxville
Aug 27 -- Home, but helped host the Clardy Party
Sept 1-5 -- Charleston, SC for a wedding
Sept 10 -- Knoxville
Sept 17 -- Gainesville, FL

Sept 24 - HOME!!!!

Jamo and I should probably prepare ourselves for more busy summers like this in the future. Since our families live in different cities, no matter which town we end up calling home, we will always have to travel to visit the other family. And I'm sure once winter gets here and we begin hibernating, I'll be longing for an exciting weekend away from home. But for now we're as happy as pigs in mud!!

Here is what we've accomplished in the last 20 hours: (the hubby and I are a great team!)
Lawn care for both houses (mow and weed-eat), Mazatlan dinner (first time in 6 weeks), slept in till 9 a.m. (amazing), all laundry cleaned and put away,  washed the car, dusted living room furniture,vacuumed all floors, mopped the kitchen, cleaned bathroom cabinet (much needed), ran errands in town, and cooked and ate brunch (pancakes, sausage, and eggs).
Now we are settled in for an afternoon of college football, blogging, Volquesting, maybe napping, hopefully crafting, cooking, facebooking, and a dinner of steaks, potatoes, and fried okra.
OH, and I got the latest Southern Living magazine in the mail today.   I'm so happy I could cry.

Birthdays

I love birthdays. Love them. At the beginning of the year, I'd hoped to blog about every one's birthday; but time became scarce and forgetfulness rampant, so my plan didn't come to fruition.

However, in my family's normal fashion, I photographed every birthday festivity. I don't know how your family celebrates birthdays, but our festivities are steeped in tradition; simple and common maybe, but we do the same thing every time. And I love it.
We eat dinner, usually a meal of the birthday person's choice including their favorite cake, sing Happy Birthday, blow out candles, take pictures of the candles being blow out, and then open presents. I can't count the number of times I've heard my Mother say, "WAIT!, don't blow them out yet...I have to get my camera!" Happens every time, almost as if her forgetfulness is part of the tradition.
A few years back I organized years worth of our family photos into photo albums for my Mother. There were many pictures that weren't labeled or dated, but I could always depend on birthday photos to tell which year it was by counting the number of candles on the cake.
Following in my Mother's footsteps, here are the photos I captured from this summer's birthdays. A few of the pictures are from my Mom's camera.

Sadie.  May 10, 2011

Everybody gets Thank You hugs

Laura.  May 29, 2011

You can't tell, but Sadie is singing her little heart out.

Jesse.   June 20, 2011

Gary's creative "Dump cake" for Jesse. It's a camp-site favorite.

Our make-shift '22'

Supervising.

Singing.

Yum!

Robert.  June 28, 2011

We steered away from tradition a little for Robert's birthday. You see Robert was on a diet, a very strict no-carb-ish diet, and requested to not have a cake. His self-control is impressive. But it wouldn't be a birthday if we didn't sing and blow out candles, so we decided to make Robert hold his candles.
It worked perfectly.

Singing.

Sadie loved it.

My mom and I are like paparazzi.....to each other.

The Bouldin's celebrated Justin and Nana's birthday together. Justin's is July 3rd and Nana's is July 5th. I wasn't quick enough with my camera, and only caught a few shots. I should have channeled my mother and halted the birthday celebration until my camera was aimed and ready. Oh well.

Happy Birthday everyone!!

I'm still here!!

AAhhhh blogging............ I've missed you!!
As I expected, this summer has been quite busy for the hubby and I. It's been a wonderful summer, but very, very busy.
I've taken a ton of pictures and can't wait to catalog what we've been up to this summer. But since my computer moves at the speed of snails, it's going to take me a while to sit down and upload two months worth of pictures.
But stayed tuned...cause I have a lot to share!

Poetry for Laurel

I received a request to write some poetry. And since I usually crave outlets for the creative energies swirling in my head, I was much obliged to fulfill the request.
Disclaimer: I am not a poet.

Limerick:
My good friend Laurel is a kind soul indeed
With red hair and sharp wit she's all that you need
She'll make you laugh hardy
And is always down to party
Her life should be a book for all to read

Limerick:
Who says there's shame in having a deaf cat
She can run, jump, and play and things like that
She may not hear your arrival
But senses aide her survival
And her response is purring if called fat

Haiku:
Laurel loves nature
Plant and food are her nectar
Nature loves her back

Haiku:
Laurel is loyal
A delight to all her friends
Always makes me laugh

Let there be Cake!!

Sunday evening Jameson and I fished out our wedding cake from the basement freezer, and enjoyed the tradition of eating a piece on our first anniversary.  The lady who made our cake packaged up a special smaller cake and little did we know, it was decorated perfectly for the occasion.

YUM!!

What is marriage; a reflection

Yesterday Jameson and I celebrated our one year anniversary. One year. One milestone in a hopeful future of many. And while it seems that time has flown so quickly, this one year was filled to the brim with happenings and memories. It's been a wonderful first year of marriage, inspiring me to mull over the meaning of marriage, or better yet, what it has meant to me, what it has meant to us....

marriage is never being alone; maybe alone in a physical sense, but always filled with emotional contentment of a constant companion. a friend in all settings. a wing man, confidant, side kick, and partner. what did I ever do before I had a permanent attachment to my side. how did I spend my daily thoughts. who did I think of. who did I cook for, clean for, and fix my hair for. social events, sporting events, who did I go with, who did I long to spend my time with.

marriage is learning about yourself. a continual mirror in front of you, seeing yourself through the eyes of someone else. learning your faults. seeing your character flaws through someone who loves you...in spite of those flaws. being with someone who challenges you to right those faults. having a constant motivation to be a better person. hopes. dreams. aspirations. constantly thinking of ways to better self and better the relationship.

marriage is patience. lessons and lessons about patience. no one told me that beforehand. we have learned so much. still learning. we learned to listen to each other. talk. yell. vent. laugh. patience with having the best and the worst roommate. toilet seat always up..still. odd habits. drippy, wet carpet after a shower. stinky clothes. so sweaty. opposing body temps, I'm always cold he is always hot. always. obsessive compulsive tendencies; everything must be a certain way. constantly checking me. going behind me. oldest sibling complex. yet so kind. makes the bed everyday. keeps the ice bucket full. wants to help with laundry. follows me around the kitchen while I'm making dinner so he can tell me about his day. follows me around the house. always under foot...but so sweet. sets up the tv trays. gets the refills. always pumps gas. opens my door. loads the car. carries my luggage.

marriage is immediate family. immediate and exhaustive inclusion in the lives of seemingly complete strangers. but yet not strangers at all. mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, second cousins, childhood friends, neighborhood friends, have I known you three years, or have I known you my entire life. the line becomes blurred. how amazing to be loved simply because I love him. 

marriage is a new level of security. secure with oneself. secure with the shared goals and dreams of a future together. a level of comfort I've never known. judgement is rare. ability to be open, share opinions, thoughts, concerns without rebuke. embarrassing moments don't seem so embarrassing anymore. telling stories and secrets with complete confidence that they will never be leaked to others. sharing moments and memories that will always be special to just us, no one else. learning the inner workings of the other person. learning what makes him tick, what angers him, what soothes him, what motivates him. a look from across the room that says a thousand words. but I'm the only one who understands them. a secret language; a language of understanding, intimacy, and comfort. security.

marriage is love. a new love. a different love than familial and friend love. deep. consuming. ever-present. there may be annoyance, anger, fights, unkind words, days when patience and sanity are tested. but love is always there. no fight is big enough to defeat the love. love is the thread that holds together the fabric of a marriage. it is the essence. it embodies itself in daily reminders: a glance. a kiss on the forehead. holding hands during church. holding the door for me. caring for my family. hugging my niece. asking about my day. passing the salt before I ask for it. being a good friend. 

My Best Friend.