TT #8

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And this is exactly why Romney doesn't have my vote.

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I think that pretty much sums up the Olympics '12.

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"Adventureland" is a seriously underrated movie; every time I sit down and watch it, I find something new to love! Of course, THIS is my most favorite scene ever.

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Yes! Yes to that feeling. Yes to that movie. Yes, yes yes.

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Truer words were ne'er spoken.

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I thought that nothing could ever replace my love for the "soon" memes but the "ermahgerd" memes are a really close second!

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Teenagers, you suck.

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Oh, Jake Gyl-whatever. You have my heart.

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Yep. 

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Loving: The fact that fall is just around the corner! As much as I love that lush, green view pictured above, I cannot wait to watch it start changing to a bouquet of reds, oranges, yellows and browns. There's just something about the autumn months that soothes my soul (maybe it's because I'm a September baby!) - we're all counting down the days 'til Fall arrives at my house.

Reading: I'm still trying to finish up "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater so I can move on to "Linger" and then, finally, to finish with "Forever". I have such a bad habit of only reading book one in three-part series (Fifty Shades of Grey, Matched, etc.) I really need to sit down and finish a series, any series at this point!

Watching: Stephen King horror movies! I spent Saturday night tuned into the Spike channel watching The Shining and then IT afterwards. Now, I really want to watch The Shining mini-series (especially since I did some research and found out it matches the book much more closely!)

Thinking about: Baby #3! I'm dying to know what this baby is, although my heart and mind tells me it's a girl. I would love, love, love a boy - but then again, I feel so comfortable and confident as a mother of girls. Having a boy in the mix would be a total 180! Whatever this little bambino is, he or she will be surrounded by love...and two big sisters who are sure to equally spoil and aggravate him/her! (Sidney will spoil and baby, Rhealen will taunt and torment!)

Anticipating: The beginning of the school year! Sidney is so excited to start Kindergarten, and I couldn't be more excited for her. She's got everything she needs (thanks to her Mamaw, Papaw and Ging-Ging!) - Mom is going to take her to get her final round of boosters this Wednesday, and after that, it's just a waiting game for the first day of school! (Aug. 15th)

Listening to: Country. And lots of it! I go through my genre phases, and right now, I'm all country all the time. Specifically, old country love ballads. Guilty pleasure I'm not ashamed to admit to!

Working on: All the paperwork and hassle that goes with applying for a loan and purchasing a home. We need more space, so the crunch is on! Every day gets us a step closer, I just never realized how many steps there really are to get from start to finish.

Wishing: That these next few weeks would hurry by, and Justin will get off night shift. He only started working nights this past weekend, but already I'm tired of it. I really was taking for granted how nice it was having everyone home at night, every night. Now I'm throwing myself and the girls a little pity party because we never see our Poppa. It's only supposed to last a couple months, so hopefully this'll be over quickly and we can resume our normal nights home together!



Currently series inspired by Danielle.

On Accepting, Not Settling

Hopefully you had the kind of childhood I did, and you were told from day one that you could be anything, do anything, go anywhere and grow up to be exactly the person you wanted to be.

It's a wonderful way to grow up, pushing your own limits and dreaming larger than life. I have envisioned myself traveling to so many places, exploring parts of the world and parts of myself before unseen. I've felt feelings within myself tied to the future, knowing that someday I would really feel that way because of where I was headed in life.

Lately, I've been scaling back my dreams little by little. Instead of anything and everything being possible at any given moment, I'm realizing that some things are impossible for me right now, at this moment in my life. I will not do certain things. I will not go certain places. There are things that I had once dreamt of that will not be realized, not today.

At first, it made me feel incredibly sad. I was going against everything that was natural to me and looking at life with this brand new realization of I have limits. I have a husband and children and a job and a hundred other needs before me that must all be met before my dreams. For them, for us, for me - I have to pull my head from the sky and take a long, hard look at my life. Where am I headed? How can I best get there? What are the things I can realistically do and be and give?

So much is expected of us as daughters, honor roll students, wives, bridesmaids, employees, volunteers, consumers, human beings. We are expected, programmed and encouraged to act a certain way, follow a certain path set out before us and reach certain goals by certain deadlines. If you really take a hard look at it, it's enough to make you freeze and melt.

My life has turned out nothing like my childhood mind saw. I am nowhere near the person I thought I'd be at this age. I have looked within myself and found that I am just a person here, attempting to do the best that I can with what I have and what I can get. I have gladly accepted that for some dreams, this is the end of the line. There are hopes and wishes and a hundred little ideas that are now tucked away behind what's real and important and now.

Being the dreamer that I am, I'm never going to say never. Because maybe someday, they will see the light of day again. Maybe when the kids are grown and the money is right and the time is mine to spend. Maybe, but maybe not. Either way, I have to be willing to accept it. And I have, whole-heartedly.

This is my life, as it is today with all the bells and whistles I can afford and manage to carry, shiny or dull as they may seem to you. I am making no promises to myself or others to do more or be more than my dreams can allow; only to be more and do more good of my own accord and ability. To me, this is accepting at its finest, and I don't feel as though I've had to settle for anything less than this wonderful life I call my own.

TT #7

Another Tuesday, another round of the finer things Tumblr has to offer these days.

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This is (sort of) the story of my life; except lately, I wake up before it's even fully light outside. Now...getting up is a different story. 

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I love this man so much, especially now. Justin and I are both huge TBBT lovers; we watch the reruns constantly! 

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I deleted my Pinterest months ago and haven't looked back (except to sigh a little sigh of relief) it was making me feel crazy, unmotivated, unorganized and lazy. Which I totally am, I just don't need daily reminders. 

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Hey all you teenagers, No Doubt has been around since before most of you were born! Stop embarrassing yourselves (and making me feel so old)! 

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You're stoked, right?! Fall can't get here fast enough for a number of reasons, but this is definitely in my top 3! 

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The 100 Abandoned Houses series is hauntingly beautiful, as expected. 

Flashback Friday

So there was a night, many moons ago, when Justin was living out on his own and we were but still "girlfriend-boyfriend" - and he and his good buddy TJ wanted to get all sweet for us ladies. So, they decided to cook a fancy little dinner.

And I say cook because, if memory serves, the baked potatoes never quite got done in the oven. The charcoal grill was only lit a few minutes before they began to cook, so there was heavy dousing of lighter fluid happening (which gave the meat a lovely taste that even ketchup could not conceal) and the cork for the wine bottle somehow got lodged down inside the glass.

Still, the idea was sweet and in that moment, we would've eaten anything (obviously!) - plus, doesn't Justin look so baby-faced here? It's only been five years ago, but he looks like such a kid!

Sister, Sister

I may not always be on the "inside" of their little jokes and games; but that's okay with me. I love to just sit back and watch them giggle for hours together. Having a sister sure looks like fun (even though we're already dealing with fights, hair-pulling and smacking) - it makes me a little sad to know they might not remember this special time when it was just the two of them, so I hope these videos and pictures will serve as a reminder that they really did love each other way back when. They really were two peas in a pod! 

Last night I had a dream about Joe - I was sitting on a set of bleachers watching a game of something I can't remember. I scanned the crowd next to me, and there he sat. Black beanie on, black pea-coat - just sitting with a group of people watching the game in front of us.

In my (dreaming) mind, I tried to figure out how it was possible that he was there. Finally, after sitting there watching him for what felt like hours, I went up to him and asked him how he got there.

"I just woke up the other day."
"But it's been years now."
"I know, I can't remember what happened. But, here I am."

In my dream, I hugged him long and hard - which probably would've never happened in reality, but in my dream it felt amazing. It felt real.

Normally my dreams are just a reflection of what's happened throughout my day, and I don't remember Joe coming into my day-to-day routine yesterday - but he sure was front and center in my dream. And it felt kind of nice to surprise myself. I heard his voice, felt the height difference between us again, and it was just a simple little comfort.

I was never super, super close with Joseph, but I feel like what we had was a special little friendship. I think he had many relationships like that; he made people feel a certain way, and sharing a friendship with him felt very personal and unique.

Part of me feels like I should just stop talking about him, that I shouldn't keep bringing him up (and in a lot of real-life situations, I do try to stay off the subject in certain company) - but then another part of me feels like I should never feel bad for wanting to say his name out loud. If he's on my heart and mind, then I should just let it out. Let him out.

And so I do, because in all honesty, I couldn't stop myself if I tried. 

TT #6

I'm bringing TT back, yeah. It's been over a year, but here we go again! 

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The oh-so famous Times Square kiss...in color! 

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This is exactly what it's like trying to pick a place to eat when Justin and I go out. 

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I think we've all been there before. 

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This is how my husband fixes EVERYTHING. 

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I wish it were still that way; I had the hardest time explaining to Sidney that I don't get to stop working just because it's summertime! She's only four but even she can see the problem in that. 

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The real Romeo & Juliet - I loved researching more about this romantic pair! 

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Honey, if you got him to believe it, then more power to you! 

What Really Matters

Earlier today, I was feeling a lull of guilt that, after nearly four years of blogging, I haven't really made much definable "progress".

I don't have a huge following of readers. I don't publish ads and make money off of blogging. I'm not working with other networks to post as a co-author on another site. I'm not trendy or popular or insert adjective here.

And for a brief moment, that made me kind of sad. I've put a lot of time and effort and tears and stories into this space; it's been my outlet of choice for years now, and I can't imagine not having this blog to come to and speak my mind. I feel like I should be able to measure how well this blog is doing and show some kind of improvement for my time and effort.

Then, I just said fuck that.

This is my blog, my space, my voice. Ten years from now, when I look back on my archives, I know I'm going to be so incredibly grateful that I spent my time blogging about the mundane things my kids did and the mini-vacations my family took and the crazy nights my friends and I spent. I'm going to love the little things, because it's the little things that often get forgotten.

There are a million and one moments stored away here, and a million and one more to come. These are the things I will cherish and miss and wish for more of. It won't be the sponsored posts or the c/o items or the hits per published page. All of that will mean absolutely nothing compared to the true memories, the moments forever frozen in time because I just so happened to post randomly about it on any given day.

I'm just so grateful, and reminded to be so, for this blog. It's mine, all mine, and I want to remember to document the mundane, the little, the nuances that are often forgotten. Here, they won't be forgotten. Even if they exist only buried deep within my archives, it's nice to know they're written down somewhere for all of time.

Flashback Friday

Sidney and her good buddy Logan, three crazy short/crazy long years ago.

It's insane to see the growth in these two; but it warms my heart to know they still love hanging out anytime they get together. Sidney and I hate that Logan and Ashley are all the way back in Michigan now, but summertime means playtime for these two. I'm glad SidMo and Logie got in plenty of quality time last month; we'll miss you, Logan!

Winning the Lottery Would Make This Decision 100x Easier, I've Decided

Justin and I are seriously, seriously into the 'house hunting' business these days. We're looking at everything imaginable: site-built, modular, manufactured, fixer-uppers. You name it, we're considering it.

The thing is, we really were hoping to put this off for another year or two, at least, but with the new baby's impending arrival, our plans kind of got kick-started into overdrive. Now, there's a bit of a time crunch happening and we need something bigger stat.

But the question we have right now: how big? We're not sure about anything, and making a decision this monumental is driving us crazy, believe me. Part of us wants to go ahead and jump in and buy "the one" house right now, even though it would be a bigger strain on our wallets. The other part of us wants to simply get a little bigger right now and then re-visit the house hunting/building scenario 10 or so years down the road.

But in this economy? Who knows what to do. (We sure don't! If you do, feel free to give me your unbiased opinion!)

One thing is for sure: we need more room.

We're just not sure how to get there. Being an adult really is the pits sometimes. 

come here, go there: link love

• Emily shares 10 awesome ways to tie your shoes -- who knew there were so many possibilities?! 
• Siri Pinter (you know, Carson Daly's girlfriend) has the most amazing food blog; simple, easy to navigate and awesome recipes. I want to try out these Zucchini & Parmesan fritters! 
• Rebecca is giving away a pretty sweet high-chair; and can I just say, I feel like a total "mom dork" for getting excited about free highchairs! 
• Alex shares 17 tips to make your life easier; some good stuff in there. I love the one about store-bought icing! 
• Noelle is speaking my language exactly; and I'm months behind her! 
• Kinsey shared some Red Velvet Pancakes on her blog that had my mouth watering! 
• Jess has some great "at home" beauty tips; I can't wait to try them out. 

Other note-worthy stories:

• This concept idea for a "Euthanasia Coaster" may be the most intriguing thing I've read about in a long time; really makes you stop and think. 
• Y'all know I'm terrified of sharks, right? Well, this story about a man on a kayak being trailed by a great white has my skin crawling (even before I saw the pictures)! 
• "Humanae is a chromatic inventory, a project that reflects on the colors beyond the borders of our codes by referencing the PANTONE® color scheme." That's how they say it; I just think it's incredible. 

This video has nothing to do with anything; I just haven't been able to get this song out of my head for two days now, and it's driving me CRAZY. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

Flashback Friday

This certainly isn't an "old" picture - I took this one about two months ago when I did a little session with Cassie and Gerald to celebrate their engagement. But I don't think I ever posted those photos here, and after tomorrow, they'll be married!

I'm so excited to travel to Middlesboro this evening and spend tonight and tomorrow celebrating these two. Cassie and I have been through so much, she's always been right by my side - I'm so excited to stand by hers tomorrow as she marries the love of her life. You've worked so hard putting this wedding together, Cassie, I can't wait to see what the final result looks like!

Congratulations, Cassie - no matter what, remember you'll always be my butch! I love you! 

Haircut for Summer!

Back in January, I took Sidney to get her hair cut "professionally", and as you may well remember, we only barely survived. So, as we were sitting at my Mom's house on Saturday and I mentioned the idea of taking Sid in for another haircut, I realized I could just do it myself.

So I did.

Her hair is super thick and curly, so it's very forgiving - because, believe me, I'm no perfectionist or talented hairstylist. I have zero skill or style when it comes to this sort of thing.

But, I believe it's almost like a right of passage. Everyone should have pictures of themselves as kids with awful haircuts given by their parents with shaky hands. I know I've got my fair share of photos showcasing crooked bangs and bad bowl cuts!

Either way, her hair is now short and easy to manage - and everyone is 1,000x happier!