Let the fun begin...

It's going to be a super busy weekend around here.  As if the last few months weren't busy too!  We have a sitter coming tonight and staying for the weekend so that we can attend a Rehearsal Dinner tonight, Jon can take Lucas to his baseball tournament on Saturday as I am getting prepped for the wedding, then Jon will rush to meet me there and after what will likely be little to no sleep we will start over on Sunday at the ballpark yet again for Sunday's games.  Whew...that was a mouthful.

I can't wait to post pictures of this wedding.  It's going to be so pretty with all the burlap, lace, mason jars, babies breath and such.  I lucked out and get to walk down the aisle with my stepbrother so at least there will be no "awkward mumbling because you don't really know this person" for that day!!  I also know that he will at least boost my confidence if I'm having a Jenny Downer moment...because y'all these things happen regularly around here.

It appears we will not be slowing down as a family until the end of October.  I am ready for a weekend of absolute nothingness.  It's supposed to start cooling down significantly soon.  For me, this is when I want to stay in my pj's all day, pull out my favorite blanket and watch my old school movies (About Last Night, Steel Magnolia's, Footloose, you name it and I'll watch it) or read (this is my favorite).  I have actually been prepping for slow time and I just downloaded about 5 new books to my Kindle...I'm ready!

Anyone out there started shopping for Christmas yet?  If you tell me you are done then we are no longer friends.  I have every intention of being finished by Black Friday - which really translates to I will be opening my door every 10 minutes on Christmas Eve to see if my last packages have arrived from my last minute shop-a-thon online!!!  I'm tired just thinking about it.

Keep your eyes out (the one or two of you who read here) for the pictures to come soon!

Bachelorette Weekend

This past weekend I had my good friend's, Nicole, bachelorette weekend in Austin.  A few of us went down on Friday and stayed at one of my friends houses from high school.  We had dinner at Gattiland, rode bumper cars and visited afterwards.

The rest of the ladies met up with us on Saturday when we headed into Austin for the rest of the festivities.  We got a suite at the Embassy Suites and piled 9 of us into it for the night.  We had a lingerie shower and then headed to Iron Cactus for dinner.  From there we hit two bars or dance clubs - not really sure what they are called. 

It was a fun but tiring weekend and I enjoyed getting to catch up with some pretty outrageously funny ladies!

Must be true

In my previous post I mentioned how the saying that bad things happen in 3's was on my mind...well I guess there may be a shred of truth to that.  If not that, then the coincidence is amazing.

 

My heart has been heavy since late Friday night.  Some of you have probably seen it on the news if you are from our area.  This sweet high school senior passed in a car crash late Friday afternoon.  Due to our age gap and the way life work, we did not know each other very well.  However I should have.  She is the daughter of one of my fathers lifelong best friends.

 

I got the opportunity to be around and chat with her at the beginning of the summer when she, her sister and her father came over to my dad's for a barbecue.  She was incredibly sweet, humble and such a beautiful young girl.

 

My heart aches for this family.  I understand what it feels like to lose a child.  While the circumstances are different and this family got to spend 17 years becoming bonded with her, I can still take the pain that I felt and multiply that times 17.  I can feel my heart constrict just thinking of it now.

 

 

I don't know when he and my dad became friends but I do know it was before they were in high school.  I remember a lifetime spend of listening to my dad and mom tell stories that involved this man.  If my dad got into trouble, he was there and if my dad needed help to get out of trouble, he was there.

 

I would be willing to say that this man is a huge part of the reason that I have the father that I do today.  Maybe not in a way that most would think of but he stood beside my dad when he was at his lowest of lows and helped to pull him out when no one else really could or would.

 

Because of all these things, my heart just break even more for him and his family.

 

If you could take just a few moments out to say a prayer for this sweet family and help lift them up, I would be appreciative.

In 3's

Do bad things really happen in 3's?  If they do then I probably need to have my guard up for the unforeseeable future.

Over Labor Day weekend our company lost one of our salesmen.  Several of our "guys" from one of our Connecticut offices decided that they wanted to go camping and decided that the Long Island Sound was as good of a place as any to do that.  In order to get there you have to cross a large sandbar that's about 40+ yards.  They all crossed at low tide which they tell us was about mid-thigh deep.  After several hours and it getting dark, several of the guys got cold and decided that they wanted to cross back to shore and go to a hotel for the night.  It was dark and it was high tide.  One of our salesmen took in water, panicked and took in a final breath with even more water.  The rest of the guys made it over to the shore without realizing that anyone was missing.  They were worried but figured he decided to stay with the others.  The next morning the rest of them crossed back over to mainland and they all realized one was missing.  It took another full 24 hours for his body to wash up to shore.  Needless to say, our entire work family has felt the effects of this loss.

I have been in contact by email with many of his family members and let me tell you that they have such grace in the eye of what must be a horrific emotional storm.  They have been kind, appreciative of our support and just...graceful.

Then on Sunday one of our salesmen left a football party in Illinois and got into a car accident.  He was rushed to surgery and had to have pins put in his leg and will require an additional surgery but thankfully he will be just fine.

What's number 3?  I know that one shouldn't look for trouble, beg trouble or borrow trouble but isn't that how the saying goes?

If you happen to be reading this, I hope that you will pray for the sweet family mentioned above because I know that they need it now.

The Weekend

Lucas had a baseball tournament this weekend in Waco.  Braxton took full advantage of the beautiful weather and napped in his stroller (even through all the noise) and chased bugs.  Lucas played two games Saturday and one on Sunday.  We didn't have the greatest win/loss record this weekend but the boys gained some experience and had fun.  We are trying out a new position this year (the same position his Daddy played), Catcher, and he LOVES it!

 

 

 

 

The Biggest Little...

Do y'all ever have days, weeks, months, years or even moments that just feel like they were gone with the blink of an eye?  Every time I look at Lucas lately that is how I feel.  I can remember, like it was yesterday, being in Columbus, Ohio without any family other than Jon, and being told that we were having his sweet little self immediately.  Talk about being scared!  I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or how to be a mom but here we are 8 years later and I think he's turned out pretty darn great!

 



{Last week playing in the tub with Littlest Little!}

{After he "styled" his own hair!}

{He busted his lip fielding a grounder at a tournament in 2011}

{At a cousins birthday party in 2009}

{After the cubs game in 2010}

{Bandaged up from our trip to the emergency room in 2005 or 2006}

 

{Driving his daddy's boat for the first time - probably 2007}



 {His very first Christmas!!}

{Valentine's Day 2006}

{See, even he thinks all his toys are RIDICULOUS!!}

{The END...aren't I cute??!!}

Viva Las Vegas



Number 1 thing that I learned while I was in Las Vegas this time...I'm OLD!!  We went with a group of our "work family" over the Labor Day weekend and this time we stayed at the Wynn hotel and casino.  Jon & I typically stay at the Bellagio when we go but we had a Fairy Godmother that was able to get all of our rooms comped this time around.  Two of our very close friends are getting married in the next month and we decided that some of us would go celebrate there.

 

Number 2 thing that I learned while I was in Las Vegas this time...I can't keep up with 25 year olds - heck I can't even keep up with people my own age!  I can't drink as much.  I can't dress as hip & cute.  I can't sport as high or heels.  I don't smoke cigarettes.  I can't sleep as late.  I'm sure that there is more "I can'ts" but those are the ones forefront in my mind!

 

We did have such a good time though!  We got in late on Friday night and all went to eat at Benihana's and then headed back to the Wynn to hang out.  Well what we ladies really did was people watch.  Y'all wouldn't believe the outfits that some of those girls walk around in so that they can get admitted into the clubs.  We say girls who had dresses on so short you could see their vajayjays or tops so low cut you got a peek of tatas.  Nicole asked me while we were watching, "Don't these girls have friends?"...too true!  Y'all slap me around if ever you see that kind of junk outta me!

 

Saturday we lazed around, had brunch, went to eat at Tao and then went to Tao Nightclub.  This is how I realized my age.  They had reserved a VIP table with bottle service so that we didn't have to fight the crowds.  Jon stayed a maximum of 30 minutes because let's be honest, it's not really his scene (or mine too much).  I had a drink or two but mostly spend my time laughing at the girl dancing.  I wound up catching a cab back to our hotel and they stayed on enjoying the night!

 

Sunday the guys went golfing and us girls lounged in the pool and under the shade of a cabana.  It was so relaxing.  Never did I imagine wanting to go to Vegas to sit by the pool but it was wonderful!  We went that evening to eat at a restaurant beside the water called Lakeside and the food was AMAZING!

 

All in all, it was a pretty great trip with some pretty fun people!  We missed Ryan & Ashley (she's 6.5 months pregnant and didn't go) so we made a Flat Ashley so she could still feel like she was with us!!

 

{I labeled this picture "Too Much Me"!!  Who knows what I was doing.}

 

 {Jon & I before we went to eat at Tao.  See, he's already super impressed! Ha!}

 

 {Again before dinner at Lakeside...see a theme...food!}

 

{Cheri & I at the nightclub...must have been early bc I still see Jon's arm here!}

{Me, Nicole & Julie in front of the Bellagio...that's another story all together.}

{The future Mr. & Mrs. Jeff (El Heffe) Hughes!  LOVE them!}

{Jon, Jeff & Corey enjoying their escape from the ladies and golfing!}

{Mary, Nicole, Julie, Lindsy, Me & Cheri}

{One of our nights where Flat Ashley got to join!}

{The Sanchez's - Corey & Julie}