First Trip to the Beach

We had a great family trip to Orange Beach, AL. Thanks to Aunt Bobby for spear-heading it! Getting together with our extended family at the holidays has become more and more difficult as we all get older and now all have in-laws, "outlaws" and kids. So the family trip to the beach every 2-3 years was started! Let's make sure we keep it up! We all converged at Orange Beach from 3 states. We enjoyed relaxing, playing games, catching up and a nice evening out to dinner, sponsored by Mom and Jim (THANKS SO MUCH!). Claire was such a joy to watch. She is in DISCOVERY MODE and I LOVE IT! She enjoyed the pool a lot. Thanks Mom and Jim for the Baby Ring! It made a big difference! You only get one chance to catch the major "firsts" in your child's life...and to me, the first time in the sand and in the ocean is a biggie! I would have loved to have been in her head hearing her thoughts about how it felt and how it tasted :)) It was good to take it all in with her. She even held her balance in the sand walking around with the wind blowing! (You got it...she's walking a lot!) It was nice to be away and I'm always refreshed by the breeze and sound of the waves lapping onto the shore. We told Claire one morning that the waves hitting the shore was a picture of the love of Almighty God for her...constant, never changing, enduring, refreshing and full of Life!

First Father's Day

It was a fun weekend celebrating Jeff's first Father's Day. His parents flew in to celebrate and spend time with us. We just enjoyed hanging out and watching Claire be her happy little self. They got to see her walking in action. I can't figure out how to upload a video yet but it is true! She took her first real steps about a week ago! So glad we were home to see it! Anyway, we enjoyed some time at Aldridge Gardens where Claire wanted play ball and push her stroller around. It was pretty hot so we went to the Hoover Rec Center to let her take a dip in the pool - in preparation for her upcoming first trip to the beach. Later she napped and so did I, while daddy and Granddaddy put together our new porch swing. It swings very nicely and we can enjoy the quietness of our deck in the evenings now. Part of Jeff's Father's Day gift was dinner at Ghengis Grill. Unique dining! You know you will like what you get! Sunday we all went to church and had a nice lunch. We gave Jeff cards and a ice chest on wheels. He felt loved! :)) Jeff is a wonderful husband and father! He is so protective of us and I love watching him with Claire. He soaks her up and will be a strong guide for her. So glad he's the father of my daughter! It's so neat to see how even a 10 month old adores her daddy!

To Jim, I say thank you for being a wonderful father to Jeff. I am reaping the benefits of the example you set for him and your strong guidance for him. To my dad, I say THANK YOU for who you are and how you care for me and my family. You are consistent and committed and I appreciate you! And finally to my brother, Robert, one of the most dedicated fathers you'll ever meet - He is all about his wife and kids! "There ain't noooo doubt about it!" It's not easy being a dad these days! You men are incredible!

20 year High School Reunion

It's hard to even type the title of this post! Can I be old enough to have been out of high school that long?!? According the the documents at Pillow Academy, I am! About half the class of 1991 descended on Greenwood, Ms. We got a tour of the school and lots has been added since our glory days - a new fine arts center, new locker rooms, new weight room, new courtyard and getting new front entrance to the main building. We had a nice social event at Lyn's home in which we caught up with old friends and saw pictures of classmates and families and last but not least, watched some of the Senior Play - Cinderella. I was one of the wicked step sisters, with Amanda (on my Right in the pic of 4 girls)and had to talk with a lisp! It was humorous to say the least! Good to catch up with Amy (on my immediate Left in pic of 4 girls), now mother of triplets in KY, whom we ran many a mile together around that hot track! Always wonderful to see Riddell (on my far Left in pic of 4 girls), whom we came up together at St. John's making Macaroni Jewelry together! Good times! Other special moments were visits with neighbors who watched me grow up like like the Parham's and Mrs. Tharpe (Upper Right Photo). The biggest treat was getting to stay in the home of Mr and Mrs. Stansel (upper Left Photo), my former English teacher in Junior High. Her daughter and I remain good friends and their family has set a good example for me and I have much respect for all of them. But the most fun I think I had was getting to show off my husband and child. Many thought I'd never marry and now there is evidence there is a God and He cares about me and YOU! It was good to go home and remember all that many had done to help me grow up. You can't forget where you came from. And Greenwood is one of those places that you never really get away from no matter how far you travel. I have met people from Greenwood or who have a Greenwood connection when I have been overseas! It's crazy! I'm grateful for where I am and grateful for where I came from. Thanks to Brent and all that planned a great weekend!

3rd Anniversary

So here we are 3 years post-wedding day and amazed at all that can happen in 3 years! The sale of 2 homes, the purchase of one, 2 major remodels, lots of travel, lots of work, and oh yeah...we had a baby! Our dear friend, Jenny, called us about 6-8 weeks before our anniversary and said she'd like to keep Claire for us overnight if we'd like to go celebrate our anniversary! WOW! What a wonderful offer! I think we pondered it for a nanosecond and it was done! She came and fed Claire dinner on Fri night while we went to eat at one of our favorite places - Surin West and had wonderful conversation. Enjoyed dessert and a relaxing evening at a hotel in Homewood. The good and bad about the hotel location is that it was walking distance to Babies R Us and Lowe's. Of course, we'd make a quick stop in both places! It was the first Saturday morning I had been in bed past 7am in more than 10 months. We enjoyed a nice brief break from preparing bottles, etc. However, I did wake up thinking about Claire of course. She did great with Miss Jenny napping and eating as if she were with us. We got home around noon and shared lunch with Jenny. It was a wonderful time of reflecting on where we have been the last 3 years and where we hope to go in the next year. Someone has encouraged us to set some goals at each anniversary for the next year in each area of your marriage and that's what we did. Hopefully it will push us to keep growing and not get complacent - my biggest fear in life --> Complacency! Thank God for Jenny and thank you God for Jeff! Thanks for a wonderful 3 years!