whatever

i feel refreshed.
God is good.
i hear and i am listening.
we watched a short video in my bible study and it spoke so deeply to me.
if i find out what it was…i will share it.
i don’t pay attention to detail enough.
thank you for all your sweet words of encouragement.
i don’t want to be fake in any way.
i’m just like you…i have low points.
just keepin’ it real.

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i was looking through iPhoto and came across the wedding photos from this summer.
i was waiting to post them because i had no pictures of the bride!
the wedding was “our hero” and his beautiful blonde bride.
you can see them here and here
they are going to have gorgeous babies…someday.

the day before…a group of us helped set up for the reception.
there was alot of laughing…we were quite goofy.

i was in charge of cutting limes for the bottom of the vases.
it was so cherry and bright.
we should have made some margaritas while we were at it!
why didn’t we?

aren’t the colors so pretty together?
it was so great for an outdoor reception.

here’s a close up of my sister and i.
i don’t think our noses are that big in person…are they?
we had way too much fun that night.

and let’s not forget my shoes…
they still like getting attention
even though it’s fall and they are put away for a season or two

how handsome are these guys?
these two boys men were my first friends in hillsboro.
that would mean we’ve been friends for 23 years.
that’s a long time.
i feel old.
we have the same picture from my wedding of the 3 of us.
maybe someday we’ll have one from dan’s wedding.
our parents are all best friends.
lots of memories.

dan and katie.
dan had us cracking up all evening.
“attitude“

and another of carolyn’s flowers.
this photo is recent but it was just as beautiful that day.

i had the best time that night.
can you tell?
so many old friends in one place…my sister…my parents…
my husband too of course.
it was like a magazine photo come to life.
at least that’s what i felt like…

i let this entire day go by without even noticing the date.
that is sad.
i wanted to share this video…
my mom sent it to me this summer.
it’s beautiful.
if you are anything like me you’ll need a bunch of kleenex.
(or your sleeve)

i just remember how scared i felt on september 11, 2001.
i was on my way to a doctor’s appointment when i heard it on the car radio.
it was regular radio that had become all news that morning.
they screamed live on air when the second plane hit.
my kids were at school…sean at a sitter.
i sat in the office waiting area all alone…very pregnant
listening on the secretary’s radio.
i started crying.
i called craig and told him i thought he should come home.
i felt afraid and alone.
i picked up my kids from school.
i thought “if they hit Chicago…or something close…how could i find my kids…i am so pregnant…i couldn’t get there…they’d be so scared”
it was the only thing i felt i had control over.
i watched the coverage until my heart was too sad to take any more.
so sad…
so wrong…

this is what potty training looks like at our house.
i don’t know how other people do it
(nor do i care how others do it)
i just let them be naked as much as possible.
it’s what works for me…5 times over.

we had a laid back weekend.
cleaned the house on saturday…
cleaned out my dresser and closet…
baked a cake…
craig got the groceries (less time for me in a grocery store is always good)
we invited some neighbors over for dinner…
very last minute.
talby and sophie are buddies.
i can see them having lots of fun growing up together.
they can be quite silly.

it was pure summer to eat dinner outside
talking with friends
listening to the cicadas
surrounded by flowers
eating watermelon and corn on the cob
swatting at mosquitos…..

this is the yummiest cake!
it was the cover of country living magazine 3 or 4 years ago.
pumpkin cake with pumpkin cream cheese frosting…yum.
it was gone in a day.
craig requested another one…maybe i will post the recipe.

then today there was more neighborhood fun
one of our neighbors has this!

usually the big kids are on here
but today the little kids were loving it!
talby was so sweet and helpful to annie.
annie was scared but talby convinced her to climb up and slide down together.
it was darling.

thanks thomas’ for sharing this with us.
it made for a great sunday afternoon.

and they were all in bed before 8:00.
they needed it…very cranky kiddos.

there is nothing more refreshing than to wake up to a upstairs bathroom floor covered in water and your dining room below…table included…also covered in toilet water. ahhhhh….so lovely. and with company here too. it just doesn’t get better than that right? the good stuff.
my sister came down at 7:45 AM and i was mopping my dining room in my pajamas. i said “the toilet overflowed upstairs…i am not just some crazy lady mopping at 7:45 in the morning!” i got the mess cleaned…went to walmart and came back to the same thing again!
then i realized it was the pipe outside the toilet leaking…so it was clean water at least…not sewer.
gotta be happy about that i guess.

we shut off the water and headed out to party!

my sister and i took the kids to the zoo summer concert. craig met us after work and my mom did too.

chubby carrier and the bayou swamp band plays louisana zydeco music that is just too much fun. he calls himself the father of fun!

it was a blast. we took blankets and snacks.
the kids starting dancing on the first song!
we had everyone on the “dance floor” except lauren and craig.
talby and my niece macy were loving every minute.

talby shouted “i like this music! i LIKE dancing!” and she danced almost all night.
annie liked it too. she went on the stage for Rockin’ Robin. see the little kids wearing the little washboards! so cute. she looks scared but she was loving it! she can dance.

it was hot and everyone was all sweaty but we didn’t care.
i convinced sean to dance halfway through.
he finally did! he loved dancing too.

what’s not to like? it feels too good.
we grew up listening to all kinds of music and going dancing alot.
i do think i was the only 10 year old going to blues bars with their dad till the middle of the night.
thanks for doing that mom and dad. seriously.
i can’t ever hear a marcia ball song without dancing (and singing). even if it’s just at my kitchen sink.
i love that memory.

lauren took the pictures of us dancing! so technically she stepped on the dance floor but there was no dancing on her part.
she’s missing out.