Thanksgiving and Christmas

Well, this year has flown by and my boy is growing up. He turned 12 and seems to have grown a foot. We enjoyed Thanksgiving this year with Holly and Aaron at their new house!! Aaron's parents and Pawk and Nana were there too. Black Friday shopping was a great success:)

We have much to be thankful for. Heath and I both have our jobs and our family is healthy.

My nephew Teddy and his new bride, Jessalyn, welcomed my great-nephew, Aiden Bryant O'Shell into the world on December 5th. My niece, Erin got engaged to her boyfriend Chris the week after.

I am having a great time in a new position at school and on my way to my Bachelor's program in March. So happy to have a great family. Although there can be differences, we are learning to work through them and appreciate each other.

I am thrilled to have had my sister Holly, her husband Aaron, my dad and stepmom all go to Christmas Eve service with us at our church. We came back home and enjoyed a meal and opened gifts. What a wonderful time we had together. On Christmas Day, Terry came over and we exchanged gifts and enjoyed the view of the snowfall. Later we went to Holly & Aaron's to play in the snow and hang out. It has been nice to be off of work and our of school...but we will get back in the swing of things next week. Hope everyone has a blessed new year!

Happy Birthday, Austin

My "baby" turned 12 on Sunday and I am almost speechless. It doesn't seem like it has been that long ago he was just a little toddler. My how he has grown into such a wonderful young man. We indulged in some Japanese food on Friday; the soccer game on Saturday with some gifts; lunch and a movie with a friend on Sunday; and an impromptu surprise party at my school with all of our little ones and doughnuts-thanks to Miss Stephanie.

We enjoyed having some family join us for this occasion and hope this next year doesn't get here too fast so that he won't have to be turning into a teenager....I am so not ready for that!

Fall Break - 2010

Although it is only Thursday, we have had a full week already. Our area is out of school this

week for our Fall Break. We headed to Birmingham on Tuesday to visit some of our family. Tuesday night we stayed with Nana and Pawk. We were able to track down the highly anticipated mt. pinson, the army-Navy surplus store in downtown Pinson. Austin loved looking at all of the military gear and MRE options...LOL:)

We managed to gather a birthday gift or two there, a Vietnam era ammunition box and a vest. Somehow over the past couple of years, Austin has clung to anything military, especially knives and gear. We went to Oneonta Wednesday morning to see what deals we could find. We must make another trip soon, but just the girls:)

Next it was time to go to Helena to see sister Tina and her family. That night we met Joan and Larry and everyone for half-price appetizers. What a fun tradition Tina suggested. We all got plenty to eat and it was cheap for the seven of us. We then went elsewhere for dessert...Applebee's. From chocolate sundaes to apple pie, we all had our own piece of sweet heaven. We were able to go to Teddy and his bride, Jessalyn's apartment to see how the nursery is coming along. We also got to meet their new addition, their puppy, Cookie. She was so sweet. Since Erin had to work, we didn't get to see much of her until Wednesday night. We also got to meet her new beau, Chris. What a great guy. I am happy and excited to see what God will do next in her life. This morning we hung out with Erin and ran around until it was time for a Milo burger...it is quite sinful not to go to Bham without having this gazillion calorie meal.

Now we are back home to finish up our week off..but have to do homework.

School and more...

Wow, it has been a while, but so much to tell...This summer we discovered the kitchen fiasco of a leak that seeped under the house that resulted in a whole kitchen overhaul. After a summer full of drywall dust and hammering, we thankfully had great insurance and are now enjoying our new kitchen.
Austin has started middle school, I am in a different classroom (Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Pre-K), and school is still keeping me more than busy. Austin is adjusting to the workload of middle school and seems to like it. He is in band, playing the trumpet. He often rides his bike from my work to school, which is not too far. The other days, my dear friend picks him up for me. I am on the tail end of my last Algebra class (can I get a hallelujah?) Whew, it has been a lot harder and time consuming than any other class thus far. But the good news is, if I keep at my current pace, the end of February I will have my Associates in Elementary Ed. and will have another 18 months or so until I have my Bachelors.
Work is ever so fun and realized over the course of the summer that I would be in the DHH PreK class. It is fun working with these precious children every day. I am learning sign language and using it a lot! I am learnng so much from everyone around me. I feel I will be prepared when it is time to have my own classroom. I feel more than blessed to be able to work in this environment as I am studying to be an educator...not everyone has this opportunity.
God has known exactly where I need to be over these last few years as I have made the career move and started back to school. I am thankful for the opportunities that are available and praying that I can keep it up to see the degree that I have put off for way to long!

4th of July

It was nice to get away from the dust and smell of plywood for a few days as we headed to Water Sound Beach, FL. We made it down Thursday and met Dad, Nana, Holly, and Aaron at Betty's home. Later her son, John with Nicole and Jimmy joined us from California. We had a houseful but Austin so enjoyed spending time with his new found family friends. We of course had to go to Reggae J's in Panama City for dinner on Thursday..we can't go to the beach without that tradition. Friday, we had the Seaside Art Walk and got rained on a little. Saturday, Heath, Holly, Aaron, and I rented bikes and rode to Alys Beach. From where we were staying, it was about a 4 mile ride one way. I was proud that all of us made it there and back; especially Heath and I being the older ones:)

We attended the 4th of July parade in Seaside again this year. It was cool to see the characters that have fun participating in this event! And Betty was gracious enough to prepare a fabulous BBQ lunch for all of us and we were able to celebrate Dad's birthday too:)

The beach was good and weather was pleasant, not too hot. A few rain showers came our way but overall a great trip!!!

Summer is finally here!

In May, Austin's soccer team, Brasil Bandits got 2nd place in the Mud Bowl city tournament! These boys work so well together. Unfortunately a few boys have to move up another level due to age. Congrats to them all...

I cannot believe my only child will be headed to middle school in August. Is it already here? Where does all the time go?

I did find out that I will have a job next school year...Praise the Lord! Austin will be able to go to middle school with his peers that he has been with for the past two years, yeah!

We went out on Lake Allatoona on Memorial Day with Terry on his boat and had a good time.

My college classes are going well. Vacation Bible School is coming up next week. I am excited to be a part of it again. This is Austin's last year:( But he can possibly be a helper next year.

Austin went swimming in the lake today...although it gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking of it. For those who don't know, I do not swim in any water I cannot see the bottom of.

It is sad when your dog minds better than your kid...LOL:)

It's Spring....

It is Spring and everything is beautifully in bloom, including the sinuses:)

We are in the midst of doing some yard work as well as attempting to start the repopening process of the pool. What a whirlwind the last couple of months have been. There has been a lot going on. Rocket Launcher, 5th Grade trip to Stone Mtn, Easter, Spring Break, and oh yeah, the CRCT tests for Austin. And soccer is back in session - GO BRASIL BANDITS! So much to do, but hanging in there. We have less than five weeks of school left now. Hope to get better at updating blog when school gets out. Enjoy the weather...until it gets too hot to enjoy!

Happy Early Valentine's Day

The weekend before Valentine's Day we heard of a special for a couple's massage. Heath's back had been bothering him, so I thought this would be a great thing to do. We dropped Austin off at Terry's and whisked off to our massage. Although Heath had done this before, I was a little nervous....but not for long. Oh my goodness, what have I been waiting on??? This was so nice and relaxing. We were in the same room, with the dim lights and calming music. Who knew how fast this hour would go by! Afterwards, we had a few minutes and ran in Starbuck's. I still had a gift card, so we indulged. Heath had never been to Starbuck's before, so I had to get proof. Even though he is only drinking hot chocolate, it still counts! We then headed to meet Terry and Austin and have dinner at the Marietta Fish Market. It was wonderful, even though the weather was not! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Father and Son Day...Priceless Memories

While Heath and Austin took a trip south to Paul's property to shoot guns, ride four wheelers and the scooter, I ate lunch with Holly, Aaron, and Missy at Marietta Diner. We overate but had fun anyway:)

Heath and Austin had such a good time. These times are very few and far between due to work and sports. I know they will both remember this trip and hopefully will be able to go more often. Pause the music at the bottom of the page and check out the video!

The New Year

We spend New Year's Eve with some friends, playing cards and hanging out. We enjoyed it so much. Soon after school was back in session, a FEW snowflakes came and we got to stay home. The roads were icy, but not too much accumulation. As you can see from the pics, not too much of anything but very, very cold. 19 degrees was a great prescription to stay inside by the fire.

For a good laugh, check out this link from a local you tube video of how we southerners get so excited at the first threat of snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6mli6qSWfQ

Christmas

We enjoyed the past several days being at home with our family. Although we wished our extended family lived closer it was nice taking it easy and not traveling.

On Christmas Eve, Austin and I made some cookies and other goodies and took them to our local firehouse. We so appreciate everything they do to keep us as safe as possible. That night we headed to church for our traditional Christmas Eve service, it was very nice. Then off to dinner with the Kemp family. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed it!

On Christmas morning, we were able to sleep in a little since Austin didn't come out of his room until about 9am, thinking we were still sleeping. What a sweetie:) Terry (Paw Paw) came over and we were able to hang out together and he and Austin played dominoes. For lunch, it was the untraditional steaks and baked potatoes. We ended up watching movies that night and enjoying each other's company.

It doesn't have to be fancy to be enjoyable...we are truly blessed. We are ready to see what God has in store for 2010.

Taylor and Austin

We made our way to Flowery Branch to spend some time with our cousins on Wednesday. It is always a treat to see the excitement of Christmas through the eyes of a toddler. After playing for a while we headed to LaParilla to eat. What a great time. I am glad we had the chance to see them all and exchange pictures. Merry Christmas Leigh Ann, Jason, Taylor and Jan!

Christmas is coming...

This past weekend we were able to go to Birmingham and spend an early Christmas with some of our family. We first had a great lunch with Dad, Nana, Holly, Aaron, Betty, Ricky, John, Kat, and Ginny. We had a great time catching up and guys enjoyed football. Saturday evening we went to see Joan and the rest of my family. Heath unfortunately couldn't seem to find the sidewalk and ended up half in the yard and half on the sidewalk twisting his ankle. Sunday, we came home, spent a few hours in urgent care finding out it was thankfully just a sprain. He has worked this week, but still is having some swelling if he is on his feet for too long.

Our Life Group Christmas party was last night. We played Bunco, a first for many of us.
I am looking forward to a relaxing week catching up on some much needed housework before Christmas and then some time working on my final projects for school. Rest is key and fun along the way, too.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday!

I had an incredible week. Preparing for Thanksgiving was easier having a few days off. We were honored to have the Kemp family join us for Thanksgiving dinner. Bryan, Missy, and their fun brood entertained Austin the whole day. It was so fun to eat, sit around and get to know our new friends better. The Russell's stopped by for a while from Charlotte. It is always nice to catch up with old friends too. Terry came over for dinner and the guys finished watching the Dallas Cowboys win...it is always better in our house if that happens! LOL!
After the game we headed to Birmingham to see another side of our family. We went to my Dad and Stepmom's. The girls got up early and headed shopping to see if we could catch some deals. Not too bad of a crowd and we each seemed to find some bargains. We made it back and the boys tossed around the football getting ready for the big game. For the Iron Bowl, we headed to see my sister and her family. We were able to stay a while after the football game, enjoy a bonfire, and play our own game, Apples to Apples (very fun)! We went back to my Dad's for the evening to enjoy dessert, which included my cookie cake...YUMMY. My family knows what I like.
I am so blessed with a wonderful family and great group of friends. I am truly thankful for them all:)

It has been a great few weeks...celebrating Heath's birthday, our 17th wedding anniversary and winding down to our Thanksgiving break. This past week was fun at school with the kiddies...making scarecrows, pilgrims, and other activities.

I am excited about the coming week to enjoy our family and friends. So often it seems that we lose sight of what really matters. May everyone enjoy this Thanksgiving and be thankful for whoever is around you, not necessary what things may fill your life.

Austin's costume was supposed to be a Mafia guy, wearing a suit and hat and carrying a toy gun. He asks Friday night when we were going to "get" his costume. Oops...I thought he would be wearing clothes he already had. We went out this morning on the hunt for a costume. He ended up choosing this escaped convict costume. He paid for it himself and was happy as can be with it. He put it on to go to work at PumkinFest, our church's annual community outreach Halloween event. Everyone got a big kick out of it and with him claiming to be "working off" his 100 hours of community service. We had fun even though it ended up being a misty, wet day! He had fun trick-or-treating with a couple of friends tonight, so all is well!

The Fair and Fun

It was close to Austin's birthday, so I took him to the fair. He ate a foot-long corn dog and I attempted to eat a funnel cake...too greasy. I made him ride the flying ship ride, rocking back and forth. He wasn't a big fan. Hopefully I haven't scarred him too bad! For his birthday he wanted to go out to eat with our family to the Japanese steakhouse for hibatchi. it was fun.

We have had so much rain, not much time to actually play soccer. Hopefully, drier weather is coming our way to enjoy the last few weeks of the season. Go Spain.

The Flood of 2009

We are very fortunate that our house didn't get much damage, just a little wet carpet and some water in our garage. There are so many people that live not too far from us that suffered horrific damage. Clarkdale Elementary School was totally lost. Two other elementary schools in the area worked very hard to get ready to receive the students and teachers. Other areas were extremely effected as well. Donations are being taken at grocery stores, churches and schools all around for so many people who suffered. Please donate clothing, school supplies, nonperishable food items, or gift cards wherever you can. Also, keep all of these families in your prayers.

It's the Mafia!

What a great night planned by Eric and Leigh Anne Lynch. Our Life Group usually gets together for dinner and fellowship once a month. This time was much different...Mafia night. From the red and white checkered table cloths, Lasagna as the meal and our Mafia costumes, this night was such a blast. We topped it off by playing the "who done it game, Mafia". A game we must get do again soon:) The gun is real, but not loaded!