our garden project: herbs and vegetables

In 2011, I tested my green thumb by planting a variety of herbs on our deck. Needless to say, my thumb didn't turn out to be so green. The poor herbs died a few months later. I missed my plants last year, so when 2013 rolled around I had already decided that somehow, I was going to figure out how I could not only give the herbs another chance, but how I could also dip my does into some potted vegetables.

A friend of mine came over to help me...since I truly had no idea what I was doing. She was gracious enough to supply me with all of the herbs and vegetables that we are growing for this summer: Patio tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, and cherry tomotoes. For herbs: mint, basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley and now rosemary. My little plants make me happy to no end! Admittedly, instead of curbing my desire for a large garden, by diving into this little project, it has made me want to throw all of our stuff in a moving van and hightail it to the nearest farmland available for purchase.

Pictures taken on August 2, 2013

In the evenings lately I have so enjoyed walking outside just before the sun goes down with a glass of wine in hand to check on my plants. And then of course, on a few rare occasions I make a fool of myself in front of my neighbors by squealing and jumping up and down over my budding vegetables...ahem, which I may or may not have done tonight.
The plants are doing really well, except they are all outgrowing their pots. They need bigger spaces. I am hoping to solve that problem next year; I have already started looking at possibilities that would work even in our little patio space.

Fast forward from August 2 to this past Wednesday, August 14. Our first baby tomato was ready to be plucked from its vine. It only lasted long enough for a quick rinse as Parker decided it was the bestest, juicest tomato he had ever seen and promptly popped the whole thing enthusiastically in his mouth. :)  The boys and I picked 3 more this afternoon and those actually made it to the kitchen...no thanks to my tomato-lovin' child. ;)
Have I mentioned how stinkin' happy I am about our little plants!!! They put the biggest smile on my face each day. Truly theraputic...

Picture taken on August 2, 2013

 

"And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness." James 3:18

Library play and Good Readings for 2013

A picture of some of the books I want to read in 2013 and a few that were read back in 2012...

Did you ever play library when you were growing up? Do you remember sitting in the middle of your bedroom floor with your books piled up next to you and carefully stamping the inside cover with your personal name stamp? My stamp was inked in red and had two hearts bordering my first name. After my beloved paperback was stamped I would use a pretend pen type reader (like our hometown library used) to scan the barcode on the back. Some days, when I wasn't playing school, or Agent 99 (from "Get Smart") with childhood friend Ashley (between the two of us, we would take turns playing Max, aka 86, and 99. I had this fabulous compact that served as a secret phone device and of course the perfect lip stick tube that acted as a secret microphone) I would sit for what seemed like hours and pour over my many-times-read-through books. It was the best. I remember going on family vacations and packing multiple books to read while on the car ride alone (thankfully, I didn't have to worry about a queasy tummy back then; I do believe if you dug through some of my mom's old albums you would find pictures of me laid out on the backseat of our van quite happily popping gum with a book in hand.)

Those days of endless hours of reading time have long passed. :) Since having kiddos, I have gone through spells of reading some and reading very little (other than some favorite magazines that come in the mail monthly). Sometime last year I picked up the lifelong love and haven't been able to keep my hands off of books...literally. There have been days that I have carried a book around with me to multiple rooms in an attempt to read just a few pages and then life happened and at the end of the day I might have 3-4 pages read. Hence, part of the reason that if you were to walk into any room of my house right now, you would find at least 1 or 2 of my books sitting out. Though just as intriguing, the books I find myself leaning towards are not quite like the fiction books I used to dive into, but instead, books that I feel will uplift me as a woman, wife, mother, daughter of Christ, etc. and will help me grow. I have decided that this most recent fixation must be due to the fact that I have been depriving myself of one of my happy past times for far too long. Now, if I can just work out a happy balance... ;)

Here are a few of the books I have finished thus far this year:
(and p.s. I really like each of them and would recommend them to be added to your collection. Each one has been lovingly marked and underlined in--after much debate of whether or not I wanted to start marking up all my books I finally dove right in and went to town with the highlighting! :))

One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp

Favorite! Favorite! Love Love!! Just go ahead and purchase it...

     The last of the sunflowers stands tall in the kitchen garden right off of the porch. It's early, too early, really. The picket fence gate at the side of the garden lies open. I have scissors in hand and hopes for just a ring or two of fresh petals. In the house, empty vases line the counter. Emptiness opened wide for beauty filling. So I have gone looking, always looking.
     The finches, yellow on wing, flit among the high leaves. The ground is damp from the night dreams. I stretch high on the toes to reach a crowning sunflower, perfect. A few lower ones, bowed, still new. I walk the rows of giants and I gather. My arms are wet with dew, full of summer.
     In the house, I trim stems, shear off lower leaves, fill the open vase mouths, and I arrange. I set the vases of the golden heads out. One on the side table by the window, another at the end of the hand hewn-mantel, beam from a barn that the school bus drove past all my childhood. I bring beauty in. I take the last to the table, set its bouquet in the middle of the quilted runner of pinwheel stars that Mama stitched for my birthday, thrifted cotton ginghams, old men's shirts, faded summer work. For a moment, I bend, fingering petals.
     I peer into a wide circle of sunflower, a mother seraching a child's face.

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, by Lysa TerKeurst

     I've heard it said that life would not be so hard if it weren't so daily. Yet the Bible says that each day is a gift from God that we should rejoice in (Psalm 118:24). Daily adventures with God will add an excitement to your life that will change your whole perspective. No longer is your day just one humdrum task after another, but rather a string of divine appointments and hidden treasures waiting to be discovered.
     Seeing life like this opens up God's storehouses of joy. The mark of a truly godly woman is one who reveals the power of God not so much in her doing as in her being. she has opened God's treasure chest of joy and so filled her heart with gratitude and love that just being around her inspires you. She goes about the simplest of tasks, her everyday duties, and even the rough patches of life with such grace that you find yourself wanting to imitate her. She is full of adventure yet not worn out from the journey.

Finding God's Path Through Your Trials, by Elizabeth George

     We view our trials from the "underside," the human side, the earthly side. All we see is a mass of unfortunate trials and tragedies that are many times ugly, confusing and disturbing. But what God wants us to understand is that He is producing works of art.
...
     Exactly what is a stable woman, a woman with staying power? And how would you recognize her? She's one who endures whatever life brings her way. She doesn't crumble under pressure. She persists. For her there's no stopping allowed, no bailing out. There's no giving up and no giving in. And there are no excuses. She keeps on keeping on, staying to the end.
     And that's not all. A stable woman is one who's steady. She's not soon shaken or easily rocked. Like my first mentor, she is a rock. She's constant, even-tempered, never fickle, and not wavering or fitful. She's steadfast and fixed. She's not a flake. She is faithful and solid.

It is now past my bedtime and as I sit here listening to Florida Georgia Line's latest song, "Get Your Shine On" I smile. For what I am about to do is crawl into my cool bed sheets, pick up a near bedside table book, and read a few pages...

May your evening be filled with only good things.

3 new books for my bedside table

January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons. Come, let winter weave her wondrous spell: cold, crisp, woolen-muffler days, long dark evenings of savory suppers, lively conversations, or solitary joys. Outside the temperature drops as the snow falls softly. All of nature is at peace. We should be, too. Draw hearthside. This is the month to dream, to look forward to the year ahead and the journey within. 
     -excerpt taken from Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach

I am one who would choose a quiet bookstore and a cup of chai tea over clothes shopping any day. Three books I am literally giddy about having on my bedside table as I start this new year are One Thousand Gifts, my One Day per Page At-a-Glance Planner, and Simple Abundance: a Daybook of Comfort and Joy!

One Thousand Gifts had been on my "wish list" for several months before I finally snagged a copy late this fall when it went on sale at Lifeway. I am already midway through this refreshing book, but I know it will be one I will re-read throughout the year. Ann Voskamp's writing makes you want to curl up in your nearest comfy chair and get lost in her inspirational thoughts. She has such a gift for embracing and sharing everyday moments. (Do not be surprised if I share a few lines from her book in the new future.) And if you really want to drool over her work, her words, her everyday pictures, her beautiful simplicity...visit her site. (Drool sounds like such a crude word when you are discussing Ann's work; however, since that is what I was literally doing the first time I visited her site, it was deemed appropriate.)

 

One of the most thought out purchases for me at the end of each year is choosing my new planner. I take my time strolling through the aisles of multiple stores to find exactly what I am looking for in a daytime planner. This year, I had a really hard time finding what I wanted. The last two years I picked up one of the Mead Planners from Target, but I was not able to find them this year. This size and style are perfect for my purse and a quick on-the-go-glance; however, it fits my note-taking style and allows for plenty of daily and future planning. Both years, (the green in 2011, and the pink in 2012) these were my go to calendars. As I studied the planners and calendars in Office Max two days before the New Year, I laughed and then got frustrated when I saw how many adorable pint-sized planners they had in stock. What about real-size planners for real people that have more appointments and activities in a given day than what will fit in a 1/2 inch space?! Now, I do realize that I am slightly more detailed than some people; however, these small things just seemed pointless.

I finally landed on three options. All totally different. The one I am most excited about is the planner mentioned above and pictured below. This One Day Per Page At-a-Glance Planner is currently sitting at my bedside table for all my intricate daily details to be recorded. I have never stuck with Journals longer than the first several fresh pages of the book, but this I can and will do! My calendars always have A LOT of detail. (So much that my friends used to laugh at me in Jr. High when they would open one of the weekly page views. I distinctly remember a Geography class period when one of my girlfriends, Meagan, looked through it and said something to the effect of, "Carrie, I am surprised you do not have the exact times of when you brush your teeth in here, because you certainly have everything else!")

Blank, lined pages for each day of the year. YES!

I get excited just thumbing through the thickness of it!

My second planner that I decided our family needed this upcoming year was a simple Day-Timer Monthly Planner. Last year, had we had one of these in our kitchen, it would have saved a number of questions and quite honestly, just time in general. So, now I have a pretty green monthly calendar that will stay either in our kitchen or at our desk (whichever seems to be the perfect fit for us as we start to use it this month). The only details it will hold will be birthdays and the appts with office location and time. And for the third planner, instead of the Mead planner that I so loved these last two years, I opted for the next best available option, a Blue Sky Weekly/Monthly planner. (I could not find the exact link for mine, but the content iteself is exactly the same. Mine is a simple gray with white stitching around the edges.) The two things I like about it are the size and the cover style. What I do not like about it is that there is no "looking ahead" monthly planning area prior to the two-page monthly spread. I like a place where I can jot down monthly goals and to do's. Also, in the Mead planners, on the weekly page spreads, there is a small area that allows you to jot down notes and to do's for that current week. My Blue Sky planner does not have that space. Those two details make me frown. I am still not sure if I made a right choice by this one, but worse case scenario, if I can't work with the less detailed version, I order a Mead planner from their site. For a usable friendly planner that is practically my best friend throughout the year, the extra $14 would be totally worth it.

Side notes: Next year, I am thinking on splurging on an Erin Condren planner. I probably would have purchased one this year, but my budget was smaller than what my chosen style and preferences were for a personal Erin Condren design. Also, it will be different refering to and using multiple calendars this year, so I am interested to see if I choose to go back down to using just one the following year.

All right, that was way more information on my personal choice in planners that anyone could have ever wanted to read, so on to my third book that totally excites me: Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. I found this jewel at a library sale this past Fall and snagged it for a mere $2. It was in perfect, unused condition. I had never heard of this book, but was immediately drawn to it and after reading a page or two, promptly handed over my two $1 bills. Best book purchase for $2 I made this year. I have been trying to patiently wait to start this book until the first of the year, but I have to admit I skipped ahead to read a few of the monthly selections. Now I am happily starting with the month of January and going through the entire year's passages. I can't get over the fact that I want to highlight every.single.line of this book. The whole collection of daily quotes and inspirational ideas is like a treasure chest filled with single, bright and colorful jewels.

With these three books, my bedside table has never looked more welcoming and inviting. Here's to Good Reads in 2013. :)

a "pizza-for-supper" kind of day...

This little one is fighting a full-blown double ear infection...

Between that and all the other random things going on around here, I quickly determined it was going to be a pizza-for-supper kind of day. No one was complaining here (well, except that little twinge of guilt I felt for Cooper that made me pull out peas, fruit, and other healthier leftovers for his little tummy!) ;)

The one weekend this month that we are playing it low around here...should be fun. Now, I just hope Cooper perks up soon. He is pretty pitiful at the moment.

Around New Year's I found my 2012 planner, so I have been diligently filling out dates and notes in there...and have been having quite the fun with it! The green one was last year's (that I found on sale at Target and LOVED!). This year, the pink was the only one left in the formatting style I wanted, so I grabbed it up quickly and decided I could adjust my liking to the color. (pink has never been a favorite color choice of mine.) I think it is already growing on me.

Ooh, I just love getting organized!!! I am certainly not always on top of things, but I like to think that I would be a walking and living disaster if I was not as organized as I am now. It is totally true. Plus, taking notes, setting goals and organizing gives me this amazing high that usually evokes quite a few silly squeals and jumps from my body...in addition to a few curious looks from my husband. ;)

A few of my general goals (I do not care to post my 2 page detailed listing of goals for 2012 for I know you would either laugh, roll your eyes or both...but you'll get the jist from this):
Laugh and play more. worry less. love wholeheartedly. Capture and document. Read. Learn. Listen. Travel. Cook healthier meals. Exercise consistently. Sleep more. Strive. Run. Dream and Soar...and stay on top of my laundry like I did up until 3 months ago.

And to fulfill one of those right now, I am off to bed. I have a feeling my little "Mr. Mr." will be needing me in the wee hours of the morning.

while my boys are in Texas...

On Monday morning (in the wee hours) I dropped all three of my boys off at the airport so they could catch a flight to Texas. I watched them until they quickly disappeared in security, got back in the car and completely and totally lost it. I cried so hard that I missed my exit towards home and had to drive an extra 10 miles in the wrong direction because of the little detour.

I had to laugh at myself later because I have no idea where that came from. Since Cooper has been born (over a year ago) I have not been at the house by myself for more than a couple of hours...and even the times where I had an hour to two by myself was a rarity. I think I have gotten so used to having a chaotic household that I don't know quite what to do with myself when I am home alone. Well, at least for the first few hours anyway....  ;)

Clay, Cooper and Parker at the airport in Texas - November 2011

1st trip for Clay to take both boys on a trip by himself

The funny thing is that I am a very independent person; I always have been. Parker comes along and shocker...I'm thrown for a loop. It didn't take too long for me to work that out though. I wouldn't give anything for our precious boys and the "busyness" that they have brought to and continue to bring to our lives.

Fast-forward to Wednesday...I'm good. ;)
Time to start crossing off things from the bucket list.
#1 Enjoy a plate of strawberries

...chocolate covered. :)

No worries about me. I'm good. Boys are having a blast. I'm enjoying a few "date nights" with myself. It's great. ;)

Tonight I went to see "Breaking Dawn" at the movies. Now, exactly 3 weeks ago I would have scoffed at anyone who mentioned this film to me; my sister-in-laws have been trying to convince me to read the books and check out the movies for over a year now. Every time they mentioned it I would shake my head and respond, "A love story about vampires and werewolves? Yeah right." Almost 3 weeks ago, Twilight came on television. Now, I don't watch a lot of television but I decided to give the movie 10 minutes to check it out and see why so many people thought this was a "must-see." Within 7 minutes, I was shooing my husband and 3 year old away from the room. I was glued to the t.v. for the rest of evening and have been only slightly obsessed ever since. Monday evening, I went and checked out the first three videos in the saga and have played them over and over in the background every single night while I've been doing random things around the house after getting home from work. Aaaahhh. Love it. It's like a modern day Romeo and Juliet..sort of.

It just happen to work out that the 4th part of the saga was coming out in the theaters while my boys were out of town. Tonight, I think the guy at the ticket desk at Regal Cinemas thought I was crazy when he handed me my ticket and I looked at him and asked, "Is this for one person?" What happened to the little red single ticket stubs you used to get? Or the little bitty individual ticket stubs that 5 years ago just had the name of the title of the movie you were going to see? Tonight, I got this credit card sized (if not larger) ticket plus some other slip that I was to show to the attendant. Then I sat down right in the middle of the theater with my popcorn and coke and watched the previews for when the screen popped up to "silence your phone"... and then came the message.... "No texting allowed." That's when I realized how old I was getting.

I think it was at that point when my mind went back to my Jr High days. The movie theater experience in my hometown was a little different experience than this. Not in a bad way...just different. I couldn't help but smile as I sat there and had flashbacks of my Saturday evenings at the movie theater. Simple ticket stubs, sticky floors that literally stuck to your shoes, bouncy seats (due to age), theater building right next door to the Pizza Hut and McDonalds...and usually you knew 3/4 of the people in there. There was no pre-entertainment commercials...the lights would dim, the previews would come on and the movie would start. There was typically a 5-10 min silent period where one would enter, take their seats and nothing was playing on the screen...it was at this time all the jr highers and highschoolers would goof off and check the room to see who was there on this particular evening. Who was on a date with who, what group of girls were having a girls night...so fun thinking back on all of that.

Funny thing..about the time all of this was running through my head...when I was reminiscing about my youth, the preview for "Titanic" came on. Who knew it was coming back to theaters? I couldn't help it; I had to laugh because it was this movie that I went to see twice...and both times I was asked to leave because I was crying so hard. True story.

Some things never change. Within 15 minutes of Breaking Dawn starting, I had tissues in my hand and was sniffling...was it from the movie itself or the fact that I was having a girls night all to myself...who knows? Either way, it was fun. Ashee, please don't forget my books at Christmas. I have some reading to catch up on this December. :)

Time to head to bed. I have quite a few more things to cross of my bucket list before Sunday, so I'd better get my beauty sleep tonight. ;) I can't believe I've just stayed up this late...

ridiculously inspired

I originally saw this video on Liz's blog and her thoughts were mine exactly...ridiculously inspired.
Lately, I've been inspired and excited about every little thing (it seems like more so than usual but maybe not) :)

-Crazy inspired to clean and organize my entire household (basement especially!)
-Excitedly inspired to create healthy, simple and inexpensive meals each weeknight for my family.
-Inspired to read a variety of magazines and books that have been calling my name for some time.
-Every day inspired to smush my little Cooper's face with hugs and kissses and to grab Parker when he's not expecting it and loudly smooch on his little face and give him ginormous bear hugs!
-Determined and inspired to prepare each and every week for our Small Group's Love and Respect session...thereby strengthening my marriage and our family.
-Challenged and inspired to always provide a nurturing and loving home to my precious boys.
-Crazy inspired to capture and document our family's everyday moments.
-Ambitiously inspired to imperfectly perfect all that I do (seamless mornings with the boys from start to finish, leave work feeling as if I've performed at 110%...I would never expect any of these things to always be perfect, but I do love to try!!)
-Ridicuously inspired to travel, create, perform, document, LOVE, laugh, bake, organize, manage, speak, listen, photograph, teach, decorate, read, relax, study, learn and pray. I am daily inspired to be a better Daughter of Christ, wife, mother, sister, daughter, granddaughter, friend, employee, citizen of this blessed country. I am so very grateful for my life and the inspiring individuals and moments that surround me.

If you are not already ridiculously inspired by day to day living, watch this video...maybe it will spark a little muse! :)

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

10 years...Then & Now

This post has been in the works for quite a few weeks now. But with a three year old, an almost 8 month old, a new job and keeping up with the daily do's of being a wife and mommy, it was put on the backburner. Rest assured, it has not been due to a lack of reminiscing over the weekend and my visits with each of you. To my friends and classmates of Kirk Academy's Class of 2001, I thank you for the memories that we shared and the kinships that we made. I hope that each of you can look back as fondly as I can at the years spent at Kirk. To pigtails and braces, Boys II Men and awkward dances, Jaudon's lab to diploma's in hand, we made it through....and I think we turned out pretty darn good :)

Thanks to everyone who came to help make the night successful; we missed those of you who couldn't attend. Classmates came from Colorado, Tennessee, New York, Minnesota ;) and of course nearby parts of Mississippi. Here's to another ten years of great moments, successful days, and many blessings from above.

I hope that reading this post "made you Look. made you Smile. made you Laugh. made you Remember..."

Both kiddos are now up and running...supper is calling my name and I have quite a bit of laundry waiting for me downstairs. The reminiscing will have to end and greet me again another day. Back to today's moment and reality...

With love,
Carrie

P.S. This song, "Here's to the Night" by Eve 6 -- hit play at bottom of pg if you can't hear music -- was playing on the radio in my bedroom as I got dressed on the night of our graduation

Last month, I flew back home for my ten year highschool class reunion. To be able to see some of my best friends and classmates that I haven't seen since graduation was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to the South. You know, everyone has different memories and thoughts about jr high/highschool experiences. My husband graduated with over 900 classmates; I graduated with 50. Growing up in a small town has its challenges (the main one being everyone knowing your business before you know about it :)) but it also has its sweet moments and I wouldn't take anything for my childhood/youth in good ole' Gtown (as it is fondly referred to by graduates). The memories and moments that I experienced at Kirk Academy, be it good, bad and/or ugly have helped to make me the person that I am today. I truly had been looking forward to this event for months (cheesy, I know...but hey, I was not the only one! Lindsey M. (who drove in with her husband from Nashville, TN) --btw, I will be referring to everyone mentioned in this post by first name and maiden initial--admitted that she had been talking about to everyone for months. We may have been a small class, but for the most part, we were pretty closeknit.

This past winter and spring, during all the preparation and planning with the girls (aka Ashley, Natalie, Terra and myself), quite a few afternoons during the boys' naptimes and my "clean-the-house, do-the-laundry, organize-the-pantry" mommy time I would find my mind drifting to those days at Kirk. Throwing in a load of sheets...thinking about Friday night football games. Ironing clothes for the next day (which I can assure you did not happen very often until recently!)...thinking about Mrs. Bain's Honors English class and Mr. Jaudon's Chemistry Contract and the "Bible." Picking up a pizza for Parker and me for supper on the way home from being out and about all day...thinking about a large group of us in Jr High who used to always meet up at Pizza Hut (next to our movie theater) then on to the movie...afterwards, we'd hit McDonalds to play on the playground until our parents picked us up (well, this happened a few goofy nights until we got in trouble by the McDonalds employees who told us we were too big to be on the playground equipment). Oh, and Homecoming weeks were the best. 

Carrie, Terra, Ashley, Natalie

Jr. High (9th grade)

Funny enough, the four of us were always the class officers except for our Jr year when the guys in our class thought it would be a great joke to put all guys in the spots (who truly could have cared less about the position) ...well, except for the President spot, which Ashley maintained. Our Senior year, when the idea was considered once again, one of the class sponsers spoke up and reminded them that the officers were the ones in charge of Class reunions and quite a few graduation tasks...the guys didn't think that was so funny. They quickly dismissed the idea.) ;)

 Carrie, Ashley, Terra, Natalie

2011

The night before the class events, a few of us girls got together at a local restaurant to grab some appetizers and drinks while we played catch up. What I love about my Grenada Girls is how we can go months without seeing each other, but when we get together there's always laughter, catch-up-on-everyone's latest news and life, walks down memory lane and talks about the future.

Kathryn, Meagan, Terra, Carrie and Ashley

Topics of our conversations may have included (but certainly not limited to)...a 22 and 38 special complete with a proud TN armed license permit holder, a special roommate and an odd situation, potential burglars and husbands who can't hear worth a darn toot, raw shrimp, Kirk memories...and maybe another 2 1/2 hrs worth of random topics that lifelong girlfriends might be caught getting chatty about. I love these girls with all my heart and are so thankful for their friendship.

...the picture below may have included the part of about the raw shrimp...but I could be wrong. Ashley is going to kill me for posting this pic..but it was either this or Kathryn proudly flashing her new license (with her whole wallet and important personal details showing, half the picture would be blacked out for fear that some crazed maniac would look her up and attack her...not sure why I'm worried about her though...she's the one with the guns and the license to use them) :)

Saturday morning we were out at Kirk's playground for our class picnic...
photo below taken by Jan Moody

Class Picnic at Kirk Playground

...and our families

Miss Terra and myself :)

We toured the elementary and highschool buildings...they've changed a little bit in the last 10 years...still brought back plenty of recess, sidepocket, and achievement test memories though :)

Parker and his buddy Case were hard at work and play Saturday morning...

thanks for snagging these pictures of the boys, Mrs. Jan!

Photo below taken by Jan Moody

The precious new additions to Aleesha J's family...are these girls not adorable?!

Cooper tuckered out about midway through the morning.

Saturday night it was dinner and a band at First and Green in Downtown Grenada.

At 5pm the downtown square was quiet...

...not so much at 10pm...leave it to these guys to liven it up a bit...
Who needs a band, dancing, flowers, lights and food?

"Just bring on a tailgate, friends and a cold beer and we're good to go!"
So, the officers have all talked and next time we're saving everyone some money (and Ashley a whole lot of time in planning!!) and having a crawfish boil outside...on someone's tailgate. ;)

Well, at least Chad F and Meg broke it down on the dance floor...these two were precious to watch!

Well, Ashley, Terra, Natalie and I never made it outside to the tailgate party but we had quite the time chatting it up inside with our feet propped by the end of the evening. ha ha!
Thankful for this sweet fellow for flying in overnight just to be with me at this special event.

Funny how much things change over ten years. Back then we worried about what we were going to wear to the movie on Friday night or how we were going to finish Jaudon's contract in time. Now, most of are married with kids and are wondering how to get our little angels to sleep through the night so that we have energy for the next day of work. (Lindsay G, I think we're almost over the constipation thing...sleep training has started so hopefully, we'll be slumbering peacefully around here soon..I'll keep you updated) :)

7 hours later...mommy mode again...on a flight headed back to Minne...more than a little tired.

During the flight attendant's announcements, the hair pulling and the sleepy yawns, I might have drifted back into "KA memory mode" and smiled a few times. Here's to the Class of 2001 and the memories yet to come for each and every one of us!

"Made You Look"

One bright and shining moment,

when life seemed fresh and new,

With courage and determined steps,

we walked these halls anew.

Adventures waited anxiously,

to celebrate our days,

To laugh, to cry, to dance,

to sing, a time of wondering.

These ever-present memories,

captured in pictures of the mind,

Fashion a bridge to look ahead,

and all that’s left behind.

Within the hearts of each of us,

there lies a tie that binds,

Some quiet, gentle whisperings---

we look that one last time.

And looking , reach—and with one touch,

become unsung heroes tried and true,

We follow dreams and leave a past,

for those who surely follow, too.

With Him, our Guide, beside us----

age to age and heart to heart,

Our memories once again enrich,

though we are far apart.

Made you look, made you think,

made you bid farewell,

Made you face a new tomorrow---

embrace, embrace it well.

Written by Terry Jones

for Kirk Academy Class of 2001 Yearbook "Made You Look"