Remember When...

I got married the day after my 25th birthday. Pretty smart, IMHO--you see, I will never forget my wedding anniversary...unless of course, I start forgetting my own birthday...which would mean that I would be forgetting a lot of other stuff too, so I probably wouldn't even know I was forgetting it...buttttt I digress.

Looking back, I remember how much fun it was to celebrate my birthday at the rehearsal dinner! Under a big tent (twinkly lights and all) set up outside my Granny Lee's house, surrounded by my family & closest friends, I couldn't think of a better place & time to celebrate turning 25 and starting a new chapter in my life.

I will also never forget the MENU for that night: BBQ, brunswick stew, fried chicken, hushpuppies, cole slaw & sweet tea. Ahhhh....Bullock's...I do love you so.

Fast forward several years, and that brings us to my 11th wedding anniversary. I can't think of a more appropriate way to celebrate it than by going to a BBQ (read 'pig pickin') with my family and friends. Our neighbor's friend set up a big grill in the cul-de-sac, and cooked a hawg all day. By dinnertime, tents were up, shielding us from the hot summer sun, and tables lined the top part of the cul-de-sac. Women came, bearing all types of side items and desserts. We had all the traditional fixins': cole slaw, baked beans, hushpuppies, corn on the cob, and mac n' cheese casserole. Of course, there was sweet tea...you didn't even have to ask, did you?

What a fun night! We ate, drank, talked, played corn hole, ate some more, laughed and danced!!!
Most importantly, I got a chance to "remember when"...to go back to when it all started. My friend Claudia was making the playlist for the night, and I asked her if I could surprise Bryan by playing our wedding song during the party. She agreed, we downloaded it from I-tunes, and then neither one of us thought about it again (we had food to cook).

Later that evening, when the party was starting to settle down--our song came on. I was actually already out on our makeshift dance floor (um, driveway) dancing with my sister and the kids. When I heard the first few notes, I immediately started looking for Bryan. He had just finished up a game of corn hole. It took him a minute, but it was so much fun to see the moment of recognition on his face. He looked over to me, and immediately walked over to embrace me. It was a sweet moment for us. We danced to the wonderful song, Yours, and I couldn't help but think about how much I loved this man. And how after all this time, the lyrics still ring true:

I am passionately...

Yours
And the saddest eyes are
Yours
And the softest skin is
Yours
And the hope I borrow is
Yours
So won't you let me in I'm yours
All that I begin is yours
Every prize I win is yours
At your feet again I'm yours
All I am is yours

I love you Bryan. Happy 11th Anniversary!

The Sweetest Day

It was my birthday a month ago yesterday. I am finally getting around to blogging about it. Yes, that is sad. But in a way, I guess it's not. I mean, if you think about it, I've been so busy with LIFE, that I haven't had time to document it.

I really loved my birthday this year. After enjoying a relaxing morning at home, I spent the afternoon with my kids at AV's pool. Thank you AV, for inviting us over and for hanging out with us. We had fun splashing and swimming, and for me...well, I was sunning (is that a verb?).

Later that evening, Bryan came home and surprised me with a cake, a card, and 2 new bottles of wine. Thanks, honey--I love you for thinking of me on my birthday.

Kelsey was actually staying at our house for a few days, and so she agreed to watch the kids for us so that we could go on a DATE. Woohoo!!! We decided to go downtown, and I picked The Red Room as our destination. I love the idea of tapas for dinner. Our friends, The Moores, joined us for dinner & desserts (that's right, plural). We had a fun time at dinner...our waitress was so sweet to bring out TWO free desserts in honor of my birthday. And even though I know that should have been enough sweets...I had my heart set on getting my birthday cupcake at The Cupcake Shoppe. So, we strolled down to Sara's bakery, and we got the cupcakes 'to go'.

When I came back home after a fun evening out (thank you B, Andy & Kim), I had yet another surprise waiting for me. Kelsey, Kate & Aaron made a beautiful Happy Birthday banner, and a cute slideshow...just for me! I loved it. It really was like the icing on the cake...so sweet and something I will remember fondly for a long time to come. Thanks Kelsey for making that happen!

God sure did bless me with a wonderful birthday. I am so thankful for all of you...my friends and family--you are 'gifts' that I get to enjoy all year long!

Here is a layout of my birthday night:

Indian Beach

After my family left the beach on Thursday, the Riveras joined us at The Ocean Club for the remainder of the week. The kids played really well together (read 'left us alone'), and the adults enjoyed some sun, fun conversation and a little relaxation. All of us loved the beachfront pool, especially the kids. We treated them to a NIGHT SWIM (I remember doing this as a child and thought it was so cool).

who's the bigger kid here?

Richard loved relaxing in the hot tub!

ladies by the pool

We went out to dinner one night, at a place called McCurdy's. The food was really yummy, but unfortunately, we chose to sit outside and realized only too late that there was NO BREEZE. I got so hot, that it made me sick to my stomach, and left me unable to finish my wonderful fish. Bummer. I'll have to try it again next time, sitting INSIDE, sipping a cool sweet tea!

If you are ever near Atlantic Beach, check this place out!

Mahi mahi with mango, freshed steamed veggies, sweet potato & hushpuppies (of course!)

Sunday came too soon (as always when you are at the beach) and our time was up. We really had a fun trip this year, with good weather and NO sickness! The kids' swimming really progressed--Aaron was fearless in swimmies, and Kate swam underwater from one side of the shallow end to the other. I love the beach, and will always have fond memories of our time spent here together.

A sun-tanned Aaron is ready for the ride home!

Katelyn loved her new necklace that we bought at one of the beach shops!

And finally, my finished layout:

Politics and Religion...

Ha! I thought that would get your attention. Actually, I'm sure that just seeing something besides "Part Deux" got your attention, right? I'm sorry to say that I don't have a lot of new stuff to post because I'm trying to digitally scrapbook things FIRST and then post them on my blog. Yeah...it's not working out so good. I have a hard time finishing my pages, and therefore, I end up never blogging. I've heard from both of my readers this week, and they've informed me that I REALLY need to post something new. Okay. Yes.

So....in an effort to keep current, I will post the layout I did for my family's beach trip. I am also going to add some of the pics that didn't make the spread (I had so many cute ones...I'll probably have to do another page at some point when I have more time...please don't ask me when that will be).



Here are some photos that didn't make the cut:

Macho, Macho men...

The weather was a bit overcast and rainy the first few days of our trip

Nanay and Aaron on our soundfront condo's balcony

It was actually a lot of fun to look at all the birds!

This bird seemed to be enjoying the rain about as much as us...

One night, Ashley & Carrie decided to do our hair...lovely, huh?

Guess that lemon was a bit sour, huh? Can't believe both my kids love to eat lemons.

Dree-Dree with Ashley & Carrie...at the seafood restaurant.

Me & Kekey sporting our pinks...

What up Nanay? Watch your back, B.

After the restaurant, we played putt-putt. Aaron's only demand was for a BLUE colored ball.

Cousins.

He really enjoyed playing...even though he did cheat...a little bit.

Kate was a little more serious this time...and she actually got a hole-in-one on #13!! Go Kate!

My kids are DY-NO-MITE!

Aaron is still not wanting to look at the camera these days, so here's the best Daddy could get!
He is so sweet I could eat his little cheeks (Aaron's, not Daddy's, ahem...just in case you were confused).

*****************************

I am also including a cute one page layout of Kate's first day of school, one of her progression from kindergarten to second grade, and another layout of Aaron's bath time (all of these have been posted on FB, so sorry that you aren't really seeing anything new here):

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy PART DEUX

Sigh...where does the time go? Summer is just so busy for us! I'm sorry that I've continued to be remiss in my bloggin' duties.

Okay, where did I leave off?

This was so cool to me! This waterfall is called Bridal Veil, and the neat thing is that you can
drive under the fall (see the road in the second pic?)!

Friday was "make-your-own-pizza" night at the Sherman cottage. I was surprised how much fun my kids had making the pizza, and ACTUALLY eating a slice. You know how picky Kate can be...she ONLY eats Papa John's pepperoni pizza with LIGHT sauce. Yep. She was hesitant to take a bite of her creation, but I think she realized that Pop's feelings would be hurt...so she gobbled up a slice!

Another milestone--Aaron's first fishing trip with his very own rod and reel (thanks Pop). Here is Pop and Aaron getting ready for the big outing!

Our little guy, excited about catching his first fish!

He did it! Pop cheers him on as Aaron reels in his first fish! And like a typical boy, he wants to touch it.Katelyn caught her first fish too! And in true girl fashion, she really didn't want to touch it.

Another fish...look at the expression on his face! I think he was enjoying himself.

On our last day, we 'hiked' to Sunset Rock to enjoy the beautiful views. I like this one the best!

Mommy & Kate

Mema and Aaron

I tried to capture the cool lighting that would peek through the thick canopy of trees.

I just like this picture...my family outlined in the shadows of the overlook.

Here is a before and after shot (kinda). The first picture was taken at Sunset Rock, when Bryan and I were dating! Awww...yes, it was so sweet. And the second pic is one from this trip--my, how we've grown!