Can I have your autograph?

Whew! We just got back from our FABULOUS Disney vacation. We were there for an entire week. This vacation was such a blessing. It was practically free. A story that I don't have time to go into, but we were overwhelmed by the generosity of some of our friends. Paul took charge and LOVED it! He knows the Magic Kingdom like the back of his hand. He had us on a strict schedule, but we all got to ride everything we wanted. This leads me to a little story. It's good, so don't skim! :)

Paul and I have always bypassed meeting the characters because we thought they were a waste of time. However, our 6 year old, Will, could NOT wait to meet them ALL! We got him a little autograph book at the beginning of the week. Paul and I just bucked up and said, lets do this if it makes him happy. And boy did it ever! We waited with Will and Wesley in A LOT of long lines. See the slide show above for all the characters we met. The boys were thrilled. I have to say that Prince Caspian CRACKED ME UP! He was waaaaaaay into character. Notice the eyebrow raised up. Ha! The last day of our trip we headed to Animal Kingdom. The park closed at 6:00 and we had time to ride one more ride. "It's Tough To Be A Bug". It was 5:50, so we ran up to the doors and just made it in. At the end of the show, the cast herded us out of the theatre and the doors shut behind us. We got about half way back to the "stroller parking" when Will says - "wait, I think I left my autograph book in there!". I looked through the strollers, through my bag, even the cooler and couldn't find it. Will started sobbing. "Oh NO! All that hard work all week and now it's gone, somebody probably stole it didn't they? Now I'll never get it back!" Paul and I knew this was the WORLD to him. And we were thinking how we would have felt as little kids if this happened to us. Paul ran back down to the theatre doors and snuck in as someone was coming out. He started looking, but a cast member was like..."excuse me sir, you can't be in here". Paul - "I'm looking for my son's autograph book" Cast member - "if we find it we'll turn it in". Oh boy. I just knew it was gone. I told Will that I had written his name and address in the front and if someone chose to do the right thing, they would mail it to us when they found it. This boy was crushed. I was crushed for him. I could tell Paul's heart was breaking too. At this point the park had cleared out and we were just about the only ones left. But we were determined not to give up. We went to 2 different guest relations spots hoping they would have it. No luck. So we headed toward the exit. There was one more guest relations spot at the exit and they had a lost and found. Wesley had to go potty, so I took him. On the way to the restroom, I just prayed. God, please let them have his book. Even though I was pretty sure it was gone. I didn't want to go with Paul and Will because I couldn't bear to see him let down again. So off to the potty with Wesley. Wes and I had been gone about 5 minutes. As I was walking out of the bathroom, I saw Will standing there. Waiting impatiently for me. He was tense, but in a very good way. Both hands were behind his back and he had a HUGE grin on his face. "Mooooom, you won't BELIEVE THIS! TADAH! Look what they had!" I literally went to my knees and hugged him and thanked God. I told Will, that I had prayed for him to get his book back. You know what this kid said to me? "Mom, I was praying too and in fact, I need to go be in private for just a minute." He walked around the back of a dumpster and I peeked (one because I can't let the kid out of my sight at Disney world, but I was also curious). I heard him praying and thanking God for his autograph book. I melted. When he was finished he came skipping up to me. Countenance completely changed. This boy's faith had been strengthened. I was all choked up. Then Will says..."Mom, I don't want anything but GOD! I don't need land or a house or anything, I just want God that's all I want." He said it over and over. He even told our tram driver all about it. Each day we would get in the car and say our favorite ride or moment of each day and that day...it was the return of the autograph book!

2 slide shows in one post...goodness. I wanted to share some of my favorite Disney pic's.

And the winner is....

Tonight we had our 11th annual staff fall party. Well, we skipped last year, so this would be the 10th. I LOVE doing this party! It's in my blood. Fall, chili, pumpkins, cider. I started having this party at my house years ago when our staff was small and it has grown over the years as our staff has grown. I've had to find other places for this party and this year we were at the Estes home. It was BEAUTIFUL! Let me set the scene... long driveway, a little hilly and bumpy (perfect!) leading up to a white country home with big columns. It was Frrreezing tonight! Perfect weather for this party. Paul drove people up the driveway to the house on the golf cart after the cars were parked. And, I learned how to ride a 4-wheeler for the first time tonight too! We ate chili....lots of chili! We got to talk and hang out together. Each year we bring carved pumpkins for a contest and we have a dress up contest too. This year was country western style. Here's the winning pumpkin....Dave and Chris, congratulations! This thing had HUGE teeth, a silver tooth and braces and nails spiked in its head! Some imagination there DAVE! :)
This is my Sarah Palin pumpkin. I know it's probably a little creepy that I would carve her face on a pumpkin, but I thought it would be funny. It looked a lot better last night after I had just carved it. It got a little mushy today and she looks a little more manly. (I don't know why all this is underlined by the way, but I can't get it off)
The Georgia Bulldog pumpkin was really good too!

It was a great night. I came home, put on some warm flannel pj's. Ahhh. I was going to post about our trip to Disney World tonight...when I tried to get all our pictures off Paul's computer from the ENTIRE week, we lost them ALL! So, we are going to try and get some from Paul's mom and order some of the online pic's that the park photographers took.

Tonight is the first night I've pulled out my cherry pit pack. What is that you may ask? It is a material bag full of cherry pits and other good smelling things. You put it in the microwave to warm it and put it on your neck or back. Me? I put it on my feet. After they're washed of course. I have a problem with COLD FEET! They're always freezing. I can't go to sleep without washing my feet, but especially if they are cold. This little thing makes me so happy! I look forward to getting it out every year.

Tatti's wedding and Dolly's baby!

First I have to give a shout out and long distance hug to my sweet friend Dolly. She had her baby boy, Michael Leland, yesterday morning. All I know so far is that he was 6 lbs, 15 ounces. As soon as I get a picture I'll be posting about it!

Yesterday my son Wesley was in Tatti and Chris Lindsey's wedding. Wesley in in LOVE with this girl. He thought he was marrying her yesterday. Poor little thing. He did a great job, I wanted to post a few pic's of him. And, these were all the kids that were in the wedding. Ladies and gentlemen, the future cast of High School Musical 15! Wesley is on the far right end, doing the Karate Kid "crane" pose! Oh dear! It was very difficult to get a picture of him yesterday, he was so distracted by his friends and all these GIRLS! Every time I turned around he was with a different girl. I'm gonna have to keep an eye on this boy!Okay, Tatti isn't mad here, it's just that while chasing Wesley I had to snap really fast. You can't make this girl ugly though! Their wedding was GORGEOUS, red, black and white. It was so romantic. Congratulations Chris and Tatti!

Drum roll please......

Here's my before....

And after....Well, I thought all of you who commented would like to see the finished product. Especially Jennifer and Teecy who said "post about your hair!" :) I thought I would show off Will's hair cut too. It's sooo short, but now we don't have to deal with tangles (snarls as my mom used to call them). We normally spike his hair up in the front like daddy's.I know there's more important things in the world than highlights, but this made my day. It's a rainy day in Georgia, but my hair is sunny! I got highlights and low lights and a cut. My hair feels so much more healthy! It's short!!!!




PSYCH! This is my REAL picture!

We fibbed a little to keep it exciting! :)
Did you ever try to see what your hair would look like short by only putting the short layers around your face? I did that today and I actually like it. That's the first picture. I just hid the long layers in the back. But I was too chicken to cut it all off. It's a lot lighter than it looks here too. These were taken on my mac. So it looks dark. This is a better picture of the color! I really like it. Go Brooke at Elon Salon! I highly recommend her!
Okay, so that will be it for the vanity posts for a while! I need to post something deep and contemplative. Thanks for humoring me. I'm going to be out of the blog circuit for about a week. I can't wait to post in about 9 days...the song today is a little hint!

Reese or Mandy?

I am going to get my hair done this Friday. A friend of mine gave me a gift certificate to Elon Salon. This is a HUGE treat for me, because I normally go to Hair Cuttery, Fantastic Sams, anywhere that's cheap. I have never been to the same hair dresser twice. Plus, I haven't had my hair touched since June. Since I'm going somewhere fancy, I wanted to do some research. I don't want to come out with just a trim and touched up highlights...so I found some pictures of hair that I like. I like my hair being long, but it's not keeping it's shape. I would LOVE some feedback on this ladies. And, mind you, I KNOW that I'm not going to look like Reese Witherspoon or Mandy Moore, but I just really like their hair! :)Now this is REALLY short, but I think it's cute and would work on a mom. I just don't know if I'm ready to chop all my hair off!
This one made me laugh. I googled long hairstyles and this was the FIRST picture to pop up! WOAH! I'm guessing those are extensions. Can't you just see me, running errands and shopping at Wal-mart with this get up? Ummm, I think I'll pass.

Here are 2 other Reese styles that I like. A little more "everyday" style. Feedback ladies, feedback!
Mom, this song is for you if you read this post! I found Billy Ocean's "Get Out of My Dreams" on playlist today. It took me back to driving around and listening to this cassette in the car! :)

Library lady, I'm sorry

Last week I took the boys to the library for story time. It was PACKED! Every mom in our county brought their pre-schoolers. I couldn't find a parking place so I went to pull out of the parking lot completely and look and see if I could find a spot in the lot next door. Well, I was heading toward the exit when I saw this tan suburban headed right FOR ME! Full steam. I was stuck and a little panicked, so I blared my horn.

Now, about our horn. There's a short in the wiring somewhere and it really sounds more like a child's squeak toy or a clown car. It's EMBARRASSING! But in my frightened state, I forgot about my cheezy horn and blared away.

That's when it happened. The lady pulled right up next to me and rolled her window down. I'm thinking.."Oh please don't be mad". I don't handle this kind of confrontation very well. She did not look happy. She said..."Did you just HONK at me?"

I'm thinking, YES I did honk at you, I thought you were going to hit me. But then, I thought, maybe she really was confused, like she wasn't sure if she heard a HONK or if there was a MOUSE in the back of her car or something.

She said..."I had to get in to the parking lot, I couldn't just stay out in the road". She was right. I completely stumbled over my words..."um, no, I, it's not, I just thought you didn't see me, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking...blah blah blah..." I was utterly humiliated. You know how you would not normally cause trouble if your behind someone in line at the grocery store, but somehow when you're in the car, you have POWER! Well, the power is gone when you have a squeak toy for a horn.

Well, I found a parking place and took the boys inside. Guess where the only open seat was...YEP, right next to this poor lady who probably thinks I have road rage. Again, I apologized to her in a rambling sort of way, then realized I was interrupting the "Story book lady". The hits just keep on comin'.

We both left after story time and didn't speak to each other again. I may see her again at the next one, maybe I should bring her a basket of goodies as a peace offering. But for what it's worth, Library lady, I'm sorry I honked/squeaked at you. :)

North Georgia Birthday!

Pumpkin roll - Happy Birthday to ME! Lord have mercy, these things are delish!

I think I can sum up my birthday yesterday with one word...FOOD! Paul had the day off, so we headed up to North Georgia. First stop - Chic-fil-A for a chicken biscuit and chocolate milk. YUM! I've been behaving myself with my diet for a while, so yesterday I felt as though nothing was off limits.
Paul likes to use his iphone for directions, and I've gotta say, it's not always dependable.
We got a little lost. We stopped at "Granny's" convenient store...they were no help, but, I had to take this picture of Paul asking the BREAD MAN where Burt's pumpkin farm is. We've been there many times, so I'm blaming it on the iphone.
While we were driving, it started drizzling, I was bummed because I wanted it to be this beautiful fall day. But by the time we got to the pumpkin farm, the clouds were clearing and the sun was out! It was perfect! We went straight for concessions where I got 4 pumpkin rolls - to be shared with my family of course. We went on a hayride and got a few pumpkins and squash. We had a great time there. Then we loaded up and headed back for home...that is until I saw THESE signs:Now I am a huge fan of the slaw dog. I know some of you are thinking...euw. But I had Paul whip the car around so we could stop for lunch. It was the sweetest little country store/restaurant, where you eat outside, at a picnic table, under the trees, in the mountains....AHHHH! Here is a picture of our feast!We loaded up again, with every intention to head back home, until we saw signs for the Apple Orchards. Signs were on either side of the road..."Fried Apple Pies", "Apple Fritters", "Petting Zoo", etc. So, again we stopped. As soon as we got out of the car we could smell the sweet apples on the trees. We ended up getting a fried apple pie AND an apple fritter...woah, getting on the verge of a binge here. We took the boys to the petting zoo. We got to hold little chicks - I walked away from Wesley for a second and I turned to find him doing this: picking up these poor things by their wings and tossing them. He thought it was hilarious, but the petting zoo attendant did not think it was funny. yikes.

Paul and I had dinner plans last night at Bahama Breeze, where I got my favorite dish - Jerk Chicken Bowtie Pasta. Don't ask me HOW I had room for it. But I will say, that today, I haven't been the least bit hungry.

Will and I shared a birthday cake this year. We both love the funfetti cake with rainbow chip icing. Today, I have already had one of my green smoothies and LOTS of water. I feel like I need to detox after all that yesterday, but it was so fun. And really, the BEST part was being with my family!

My buddy is 6

October is a celebration month for us. Our anniversary, Will's birthday, my birthday and 2 of my nephews as well. Plus I have several friends with Oct. birthdays. What a great month to celebrate in! I love having a fall birthday and 6 years ago, I got the best birthday present ever!...I'll never forget the first time I saw this little guy. He looked right into my eyes, as if to say, "oh, it's so bright in here, what just happened to me?" I got to bring him home 2 days later on MY birthday. Those first weeks/months with Will were tough. That child didn't sleep through the night until he was 9 months old. We tried every tactic people would tell us to try. He had acid reflux and colic. So he kept us on our toes, but boy was he ever sweet. He got passed around to dozens of people every Sunday at church and would just smile and make them feel so loved. I have to tell you, Will is a trooper. Paul and I have felt so many times like we are "winging it" as parents. Will has gone along with so many of our new "family plans", or "rules". I'm sure in his little mind, he was thinking....here they go again, trying to figure me out and change things around on me. But he always goes along with it. Even now. Today has actually been a rough day with both my boys. (just before I typed this Will threw dirt all over his little brother, so I had to give Wes a bath before naptime - agh!) They are both in their rooms. Wesley for a nap, Will for time-out. But even now as he's sitting up there, I'm thankful for him and the things he's taught me. I remember my gramma saying that your kids will teach you so much. They really have!
Will's birthday is tomorrow, October 8th. I'm going to have a 6 year old. These years have flown by. Will is so much like his daddy. In every way. They look alike, they walk alike, etc...One of my favorite pictures of the two of them is this one from our family beach trip when Will was 2. Daddy and Will walking on the beach together. Will and his buddy Cobe. Happy birthday Will! (As if he will read this!:)

Happy Anniversary Paul, My FAVORITE!

11 years ago, October 3, 1997, I was 19, Paul was 21 and we looked a lot younger than that. We were so young we couldn't even rent a car on our honeymoon! Something I had inscribed on the inside of Paul's ring, was "I love you, my favorite." The funny thing about that is, Paul was the ONLY guy I ever dated. But it's because I only wanted to date my favorite. Why waste my time on non-favorites, right?! This picture was taken right before our high school's Jr/Sr. Paul and I dated in high school and we went to the Jr/Sr 3 years in a row together. We had a great group of friends and always went out after football games. I was a cheerleader, he was....the waterboy. But, a very athletic waterboy I'll have you know. He loved being around the team and encouraging them. Paul started speaking in high school and has been a pastor for the past 11 years. I have LOVED being his partner in ministry.

Alright, it's about to get really sappy. But I have to say a few words about my husband. So, if you can't stomach the mushiness, just skip to the slideshow! :)

I never knew when we said our vows..."for better or worse", what that all really meant. I knew that I loved Paul and I wanted to be with him forever. But now that we have been through some "worse" times, I know that he really means he's not going anywhere. And neither am I. I am so proud of him. He truly has a servant's heart and not just in ministry. He is a servant in our home. He has shown my boys how to love and respect me. He cleans the bathrooms - HUGE BONUS, and if you were to walk into our bathroom right now, you'd know which sink is his...the CLEAN one. Mine's full of products and flat irons. He listens to me talk in circles until I finally come to my point. And, he somehow understands every word of it. He tells me what to order at restaurants because he knows me better than I do. He stirs my coffee just the way I like it. He squishes bugs for me. He watches movies like "You've Got Mail", and "Sweet Home Alabama" with me. (I do think he actually likes those, hee, hee). He's fiercely loyal, example (Dallas Cowboys, our church, Starbucks, David Letterman) But what I love the most about him is that he is authentic. He does everything out of genuine love for God and his family. I can tell you one thing for SURE...whatever comes our way, I will stand by my man and support him. I love you babe! Happy Anniversary!!!

Paul used to give me single cassettes in high school. The first 2 songs on my playlist were some that he gave me. "When You Love Someone" by Bryan Adams, and "I Swear" by All 4 One". A little walk down memory lane.