20 Years

Happy 20^th Birthday R1!

You have grown into a man right before my eyes. The years have past so quickly. 

When I look at you, I still see the 2yr old with a head full of curly hair running around in the front yard. 

I also see the 5yr old on the first day of kindergarten and the 10yrs old with braces. I see the 18yr old during his senior year of high school walking across the stage at graduation to receive his diploma and smiling at his accomplishment. 

But I also see the man you’ve become. The one who is half way through his junior year of college. I see the man working hard toward the goals he set for himself and not stopping till they have been achieved. 

I love having a front row seat to your life. You make me so proud. I’m honored God gave you to me. 

I love you and I hope year 20 is everything you want it to be and more!

15

 Happy 15th Birthday R1! You are the kid that makes me laugh everyday. Your dad and I love you and we hope your day is as wonderful and awesome as you are!

Happy 2020

It's been a hot minute since I wrote my last blog post back in October. Well maybe not a minute but it sure feels that way. 

Baseball season ended with my beloved Astros making it to World Series but losing to the Nationals in 7 games. It was heartbreaking to watch and to listen to Joe Buck's one sided announcing, if you want to even call it that. And even thought our ball club is being picked apart in the office season, I still love my 'Stros.

Then of course November hit and I got just a bit excited about the upcoming holiday season and put our Christmas trees up in the house the first weekend in November. The man cave tree took about 3 hours, the living room tree, it took a week. And now you know why the process begins when it does. R1 said our house looked bi-polar when you walked in, Fall decor still out and the Christmas trees up and decorated. 

We had family over for Thanksgiving and we ate to much and laughed a lot. Once Thanksgiving was over the parade of Christmas parties began. I told Hubs I really wanted to be in the moment of the holiday season/reason and be intentional with our time so even though we were invited to 5 parties, we only attended one. 

Next thing I knew it was Christmas break. See I told you a hot minute. 

Two glorious weeks of no school or schedule. We stayed up way to late, had a ton fun, and of course ate way to much again. I really enjoyed my time with family.

And now here it is January 2020. I was glad to see 2019 go and I'm hoping 2020 is full of blessing. 

Happy New Year!

Still My Favorite Team

Well my beloved Astros didn't win the World Series last night.  It was a heck of series and I loved watching them play.

But the only good thing about last nights game ending was that I no longer have to listen to Joe Buck!

On the bright side spring training starts in 103 days.

Take It Back 2019

My beloved Astros are going to the 2019 World Series!

 

TAKE IT BACK BOYS!

22

Happy 22nd Anniversary Hubs!

I am so thankful that God chose you for me to go through this life with. 

I love you!

HBD Hubs

 Happy Birthday Hubs! 

He's my person. My ride or die. The one whop puts up with all of my craziness and still loves me at the end of the day. He's the one I love doing this life with. 

I hope your day is amazing, even if it is spent doing all this back to school stuff. 

I love you! 

 

Hey 19

R1 turned 19 this month. 19, the last of the teenage years. Even though he's almost a man, he is still my baby, my first born. 

He has turned out to be an amazing young man.   

R1, you are finding out what you need in life, what makes happy and what you need to do to achieve it. You had a terrific first year of college and even made the Dean's list.  You are not afraid of trying new things and taking a risk.

19 is going to be awesome!

I love you!
 
 

Katie

Oh June was such a hard month. 

We lost my 16 year old niece on June 12. It came two days after losing sweet little Christian.

Katie was born with multiple health issues that ultimately lead to her passing. 

But for everything that sweet girl faced in her life, she always had a smile. Katie enjoyed doing what most 16 year old girls do, playing on her phone and her computer. She liked to watch movies and videos. She liked school too. She loved to see her teachers and her friends. But more importantly, she loved her family.  

Oh sweet Katie girl, I love you and I will miss you terribly. 

 

Little Christian

There once was a little girl named Amanda who had a favorite teacher when she was in 4th grade. Her favorite teacher was my husband. 

When that girl grew up, she had a little boy and she named him Christian, after her favorite teacher. 

Sometimes people just grab a hold of your heart and you love them fiercely. Amanda, her little boy Christian, and her entire family are very special to us. 


This little boy was simply amazing and wonderful. He was absolutely precious. 

 
Yesterday, in the early morning hours, little Christian gained his angel wings.

I am heart broken. I will miss his sweet smile and the hugs he used to give me. We love you Christian and we will miss you so very much.  

50 Years

I turn 50 years old this weekend.
I can remember a time when I thought 30, 40, and 50 were old. And now here I am, 50 years old and it's not as old as I thought. 

I've learned a lot things in my 50 years. But here are a few things I feel are important to know. 

Be fair. Be honest. Be generous. Respect others.

Marriage is hard work. There are highs and lows, but it is very much worth it.

Anyone who judges you by the kind of car you drive or shoes you wear is not someone worth impressing.

I’m fat. I’ve gotten over it and you should too.

Visit or talk to your parents and grandparents often. You will realize once they are gone just how much you got out of those visits and conversations.

Let your kids climb in bed and snuggle with you. One day they won’t, and you will miss it.

Develop a strong handshake (even if you are a woman) No one wants to shake hands with someone who’s hand is limp.

When you mess up, fess up. Apologizing isn’t always easy but it’s the right thing to do.

Be truthful or be quiet.

Your education isn’t complete until you’ve learned to take a hint.

Whatever your passion, pursue it as though your days were numbered, because they are.

Your grown children are simply wonderful. But so are your younger children. Enjoy every moment, it goes by fast.

Drink lots of water. It’s good for you, your brain, and your body.

Treasure your friendships. Keep your circle small. Know it’s also ok to end friendships with compassion and finality.

Be patient with people – most are often just trying to help.

Hug your kids and tell them you love them every day.

Failure is going to happen. Pick yourself up and dust your self off and keep moving forward.

Don’t get caught up with what you see in the mirror, because it reflects only a tiny part of how beautiful you are.

Language is a powerful weapon and the words you say will either soothe, hurt, engage, or damage those around you, including yourself.

Losing a loved one is painful. It’s hard and it’s ugly. But when you remember them, smile no matter what. Over time smiling at the memories will help ease the pain.

Everyone else is just as worried and insecure as you are. Some just hid it better. It doesn’t mean they are smarter.

Laugh often.

It’s just stuff. It gets broken or lost in a flood. But ultimately, it’s just stuff. The memories will always be there.

Don’t judge. You don’t know all the facts. We all have faults and bad habits.

Take the girls trip. Laughter with girlfriends is great medicine.

Always let someone proofread. It usually makes a difference.

Pamper yourself. Get your hair done, get a pedicure. It will always make you feel better.

Happy 14th

Happy 14th Birthday R2!

How can you be 14? Time has really flown by. I know I say this often but only because it really has. 

Your dad and I love you very much and we hope your day is as amazing you are! 

Family

It's been a while since I've sat down to write a blog post that contained of any sustenance. And if I'm being honest, it's been a long while. 

The truth is not really that much has been happening that doesn't happen to other people. The normal and mundane life. I mean I can write everyday that we did homework and had either football or basketball practice. I can write what I or Hubs cooked for dinner. But unless I had a cooking, which I do not, no one wants to read that.

I took an unintentional break to be present in my family's life. As much as I want to chronicle the lives of my family, I decided being present mattered more. I wanted to be there and involved. I wanted to live in moment with them. I wanted to be there with my camera in hand to capture the moment they would one day look back on and remember that millisecond of time.  

I've also learned how to say no to things I felt took to much time away from my family. I've learned how to not feel bad about it either. My family is my first priority and they are the ones who I want to spend my time with,even if we are sitting around watching Harry Potter for the 985412637 time. My time with them is something I'm just not willing to comprise on. 

So I hope you enjoy Thanksgiving with your family. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And maybe I'll drop in here and there but for now, I've given myself permission to be with the ones I love the most, my family.
 

It's Over

Well it's taken me this long to come to terms that the Astros will not be in the world series this year. 

I was really hoping we would be going all the way to the end October. 

This isn't the look of defeat, it's the look of we are taking a few days off, some of us are having surgery, to heal, recoup, and get ready for next season.  We've got 121 days and we will be back.

 Thanks guys for another amazing season, I'm sad it's over. 
 

It's Post Season

It's post season baby! Do work boys.

 

Year 21

You are one of the best gifts God has given me. 

You are my person.
 

You are my friend, my supporter, my soft landing. 

My tough love, my believer of dreams, my validator, my reminder.

My holder of fears, my knower of deep secrets, my release of self doubt. 

My trusted space, my sacred soul, my forever bond. 

Happy 21 Anniversary Hubs! I love you.  

God's Timing Is Perfect

I posted this on Facebook on August 28. Which marked one year after Hurricane Harvey. 

"I am not the same person I was a year ago. Harvey changed me. 

We along with so many others we know lost our homes and everything we held close. I lost the sense of security my home provided for me and my family. 

But today I am focusing on the positive. I am choosing to see God's hand in all of this. I know it was only by His grace, peace, and timing we are where we are today. 

I'm not discounting the struggle to get here. It was tough. The emotional ties to certain items we lost still makes my breath catch when I think of them and still brings me to tears. And even thought we had a brand new home 3 months later, we were still fighting with the insurance company for another 4 months. 

However, in the midst of all the chaos I always felt peace. I felt God's presence and knew he would take care of us. I am so grateful for friends, high school classmates, family, and strangers who helped us. We are so much better off today than we were before Harvey. 

God's timing is always perfect."

It has been a whirlwind since I posted this.

Between all the memories of the one year anniversary stirred up combined with the Facebook memories which weren't helping either, I was feeling a sad. I had a Facebook memory pop up two days later that had me crying at the words R1 spoke.

There has been so much sadness that only piled on to those memories. This past week our community lost two teenagers in a tragic car accident. R1 had known one of them since kindergarten and the other since 8th grade, he even took her to their senior prom in May. 

So as you can see it's been a hard week.

But again I chose to focus on the positive and the one who gave me faith and hope.

The Last Supper

I posted this picture one year ago yesterday on Facebook with the comment that said Harvey isn't stopping Hubs. 

Little did I know that would be the last meal we ever ate in our house. The next day was a flurry of packing up things, moving things to higher ground, and just preparing to evacuate. 

We evacuated on August 28, 2017 and by the next morning we had several feet of water of in our home. 

It's so hard to believe it has been a year. 

I still have several friends that are not back in the their homes. I have several that are still in the middle of rebuilding. 

I have chosen to see the blessing in what was Hurricane Harvey. My family and I are doing amazing. We are truly blessed and I for that I am so grateful and thankful. 

And Then There Was One

First day of school 2018. My big 8th grader.

For the first time in what feels like forever, I only had one child in the first day of school picture. I also only had one child to fill out paper work for school and only one for meet the teacher. I won't lie, it felt weird and it made me a little sad.

R2, I hope you have an amazing school year. I pray things come easy for you and if they don't, I know your never quit attitude will help you conquer anything. 

And please Father Time, can you slow down just a little bit. These years are going by way to fast!

18

Happy 18th Birthday R1!

How did we get here so fast. It seems as if I have been saying this a lot lately.  Eighteen years have come and gone in the blink of an eye. 

I remember holding you in my arms for the first time after you were born. The walk into school and down the kindergarten hallway to Mrs. Dunivant's class room, watching you get that first hit off of the baseball tee, the first time you ran out onto the football, when I let you drive my car around the neighborhood, driving you up to the school to see if you made the high school baseball team, and the senior walk with your classmates back at the elementary school (well that one was just a few months ago). 

 
These precious memories and so many others feel as if they just happened. 

But as you are just beginning the beautiful road ahead and while you begin to navigate your next life steps, just know that you will face a number of different experiences and here are a few things you need to know. 

1. Do not accept anything less than what you need. Find out makes you happy and learn to not settle for anything less.

2.  Create a list of things you want to achieve and work on making them happen. Dream big and find out ways to make them reality. 


3. Don't be afraid of failing, be afraid of not trying. You're bound to fail because reaching goals is never easy. Keep working on your goals and learn from failures. If you do not try, you might it regret it one day. Do not give up!

4. Listen to your parents and spend time with them. Yes we know you are an adult but learn to appreciate everything we have done for you. Know that we are and always be your biggest cheerleaders in life. We will always be your safe place to land. When you come to visit do not knock on the door, just walk in and right into our arms for a big hug.

5. Do not be consumed with technology all the time. Unplug. Enjoy the conversation of others around you. You will be happier for it. 

6. Make memories. Live your life and create memories that will last a lifetime. People come and go in your life, make the most of it and live in the moment. You have so much in your life that you have yet to experience. Just remember not to take a single moment for granted. Keep your eyes open and embrace everything that life has to offer. 

The next 18 years of your life will be even greater than the first 18. I promise!