10 things about ME!

It’s official – I’m a little obsessed.  I’ve started reading blogs – not just blogs of people that I know – but blogs of people at random.  It started as curiosity – I just wanted to know what other people wrote about and what their blogs look like.  Then I realized that there are all these women out there who are blogging, and I have things in common with them!  Could be pregnancy or stepchildren or just seeking inspiration on how to be a better Christian wife.  Knowing that there are people out there who have the same struggles, triumphs, and occasional losses makes me feel better about my life.  I’m going to give all credit to Jenni from the Blog for this – 10 things about me (before the baby comes and no one cares about me anymore.)  Just kidding.  I think.  Also, I’m going to try my best to leave pregnancy out of this – but it’s harder than it sounds at this point.  Let’s go!

Home Sweet Logging Camp - Ketchikan, AK

1.  I live in Georgia, and I love it.  I’ve lived in California and Tennessee with holdovers in Oregon, Alaska, Florida, and Africa.  I’ve done my share of travelling, and one day I’ll strike out again.  Wanderlust runs in my family. 

2.  I was always one of those smart kids in school.  I was tested in kindergarten, deemed ‘gifted’ and got to spend a couple of hours a week doing word puzzles and the like.  I was the salutatorian in my graduating class.  As an adult, it doesn’t seem to make much difference.  My husband says that my logic doesn’t make sense to anyone but me, and left vs. right still sometimes escapes me.  I married one of the smartest people that I’ve ever known.  He challenges me and makes me think critically (even when I’d rather not).  I love him for it.

3.  I work 40+ hours a week for a logistics company.  I was promoted to Account Manager about 3 months ago.  I don’t blog about work.  It’s not that interesting anyway.

4.  I wish I was one of those people who just seem to be born organized.  I’m not.  I’m scattered and always seem to have something better to do than clean or organize anything.  I wanted my life in order, but I just couldn’t figure it out.  I found FlyLady about 6 months ago, and I am now proud to have people come over and visit.

5.  I have a B.A. from Mercer University in Leadership and Community Service (specializing in non-profit business) with a minor in French.  (Go Bears!) I spent 2 years living the sorority life, but it was too much of a time commitment once I moved off campus and got a job.  I believed for some time that I had spoiled any relationships that I might have had with my ADPi sisters for not making it work, but 10 years later, they are some of my nearest and dearest friends.  The last two years of my college career were devoted to historic houses, waiting tables, WesleyFoundation, and this girl.

Pi Love for life!

6.  When I was 15, I met a boy on the interwebs.  We had just gotten AOL, and I was kind of a rebel.  He and I corresponded via email for sometime, then progressed to late night chats on the telephone.  I think it was late in my Junior year of high school that I met him face to face, and I’ll say that I fell in love with him then – though – I probably loved him for some time before that.  We were friends until the summer after my Freshman year of college.  We went our separate ways, learned a few things about life, and grew into adults who knew what they wanted.  In 2009, we reconnected.  In 2010, we moved to Nashville, TN.  In 2011, we moved back to Georgia and got married.  We are expecting our first son a few weeks before our 1 year anniversary.  His big brother and sister are anxiously awaiting his arrival. 

Once upon a long, long time ago!

7.  I have trouble saying ‘no’.  I love to volunteer for things, and I tend to get myself in over my head. 

8.  I am a Christian.  I was raised in the Methodist Church, and I consider the congregation there to be just another part of my huge, extended family.   I am a member of CrossviewCommunity Church, and I serve in the Preschool.  

9.  I am a sucker for puppies.  I am a sucker for dogs.  I have to ration the cute puppy photos that I allow myself on my Facebook because I’m pretty sure that if I posted everything that made me melt with cute, I’d start losing friends.  I adopted Gus from the Walmart parking lot 4 years ago.  Per the little girl who gave him to me, “His daddy was a lab, and his mama was a FOX.”  My mom thinks that he belongs to her, and he wouldn’t be very happy in our little house.  I settle for dog-sitting when she goes out of town.

My favorite puppy and my beautiful sissy!  Double win!

10.  I don’t have much of a filter.  I’m incredibly adept at saying ridiculously inappropriate things at all the wrong times.  My friends think I’m funny.  They say that they love me fiercely, but I think they may just keep me around for entertainment.  It’s easier to keep in check when I’m writing instead of talking, so if you want the true experience, you’ll have to take me to dinner or something.  (I like Chinese food...)

Lessons learned.

I love my hometown.  I do.  I love most small towns, but I love mine the most.  I can probably say this truthfully because I left for most of my 20's, and came back to kick off my 30's. 

Homespun is a yearly festival with arts and crafts, music, rides, food, a parade, a 5k, a duck derby, and topped off with fireworks.  It's always hot and crowded, and for me, at least, it's always worth it.

This year was the first year that I've attended avec bebes, and like pretty much everything else, they only made it more fun.  I have a lot to learn about life with kids, and Saturday was no exception. 

I started the day at 6:30AM by greeting runners who were registering for the 5K.  This was special for me because it is run by our church - Crossview Community Church - and it was the first event that I volunteered for last year when we started attending.  This year was almost twice the size as last year, as now we are a qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race.  It was a busy morning!

After the race, I met Mom, Cameron and the kiddos at the First Methodist church for my favorite Homespun tradition - hot breakfast cooked by the Methodist men.  Unfortunately, after breakfast, Cameron had to head off for work, leaving the kiddos and me to our own devices.  We made one lap around the festival to check it all out and decided that as soon as the parade was over, we'd head back toward the bouncy houses.

1st lesson - You CAN have too many balloons.

Too many balloons leads to tangles and general mayhem.  These are fantastic kids, though - Tyler lost a balloon, so Des let him have one of hers.  A little later, Des lost her remaining balloon and Tyler gave her one back.  This was all with NO prompting.  *happysigh*

Des loved the parade - it was her favorite part of the day.  She loved the clowns, and she positively beamed when one threw confetti on her.  I watched her jump up and down on her toes in an act of completely unbridled joy.  {For a minute, in my eyes, she was 4 years old again.}  She also wanted to ride on the firetruck.  She says that she'll be a cheerleader if she can ride on the firetruck.  That brought me back to the present.

We did some bouncing on the bouncy houses post-parade and then headed home for cool-down, lunch, and naptime.

When Cameron got home, we headed back down for his favorite part, the food trucks.

There was chicken on a stick, homemade chips (ribbon fries?), fried fish, fried pickles, a blooming onion, and fried cheesecake.

2nd lesson - Take a blanket.

We sat in the grass to eat our fill of greasy fried deliciousness.  The tables were all full, and because I'm usually content to stand and eat, the logistics of sharing platefuls of food off the ground with two kiddos under 7 who were overly concerned with grass and every tiny bug that crawled by didn't occur to me until we were in the moment.  No harm, no foul, I suppose.

3rd lesson - Kiddo tummies are much MUCH more hardy than mine at this point.

Just watching this happen directly after eating made me queasy - but the boys enjoyed it.  Each of the kids got to choose one activity post-dinner.  This was explained to them very specifically.  Destyni did a great job standing with me and watching the boys go round and round.  Once his ride was over, we walked back to the bouncy houses.

4th lesson - Des will ALWAYS choose the bouncy houses.

Tyler was very unhappy to watch his sister bounce without him.  Those blue eyes welled up, and the bottom lip started to quiver.  It hurt my heart - and Cameron's too, but he had been presented with his options.  We had to stick to it.  I would not tell him, for obvious reasons, but I will tell you, dear Peekers, that sometimes working to raise responsible human beings sucks.  My heart wants to give them everything that they want now.  It's so hard to say 'no', but my prayer is that they will learn the hard lessons, and one day say 'no' to their children - so that I won't have to.  (Isn't that what we have to look forward to as grandparents??)

5th lesson - There's always time for one more ride.

As we walked to the car, we saw a train of carts pulled by a John Deere lawnmower making laps around the park.  We had seen it in the parade earlier, and it was just too good to pass up.  The kiddos hopped in for a spin, and Cameron and I stood in the relative quiet, holding hands, and taking it all in.  I love my family.  I love my life.  I love Homespun.  I already can't wait for next year.

Final lesson - ...

Weekend Review

I've had my IPhone for 4 days now.  I'm obsessed.  It's official.  I'd love to say that it has made me the model of productivity, but really, I've just played a lot of Words With Friends.  I was really looking forward to downloading the FlyLady application, but it turns out that there isn't one!!  Seriously, FlyLady - I need you on the bandwagon.  There is an app that apparently works well with the system, but as of now, I can't convince myself to actually pay for an application. 

I came home on Friday to find a package from my dear friend and old roommate, One Rad Mother.  It contained a tshirt which I immediately donned for picture purposes... have I mentioned that I have a new IPhone??  ;)

This photo was met with cries of, "Really? Booty shot but no bump shot!?! DENIED"

So, of course, I had Cameron take another shot.  I had kept the belly in hiding long enough.  I had intended to put on makeup or any of the amazing maternity clothes that have been passed on to me.  None of this happened. 

There it is.  All 24 weeks of pregnant belly.  As C said, "Time flies when you're having crazy."  He's so supportive.

Being pregnant seems like such an invasion of space.  You get fatter and feel awkward, and people want to talk about your body.. what you are doing - or not doing... they want to see the belly and touch the belly, and suddenly, you are the center of attention.  It takes some getting used to.  Maybe it's best to take advantage of the time... no one is going to pay any attention to me once Bo gets here.  I'm okay with it.

Sunday was a win.  C got baptised - only fair to outwardly recommit your life when you are embarking on a new journey.  The icing on the cake was that the preacher was wearing an Avengers shirt.

It's not a GREAT photo.  I should have turned on the flash.  The old blackberry didn't have one.

After an afternoon nap, we spent the evening at Mom's house.  C grilled lamb steaks and we had creamed corn and an awesome salad with veggies from Jackson Lowe Vegetable Farm.  After coming home, while playing Words With Friends, I felt the first external bump from Baby Bo.  I can't wait for C to get a kick.  It's coming, honey!  Don't worry!