The last week has been busy!

Robbie and I were able to go see Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan the the BJCC in Birmingham last Friday, and it was awesome!  I went to see Jason, but I think Luke put on a much better show.  Have never heard a country singer rock Enter Sandman by Metallica before, but he did!  And, because I have such wonderful friends, I was able to go backstage and meet Jason Aldean!  Quite a treat for me!

Saturday night we went to Jackson for Phillip Tidwell's surprise 40th birthday dinner.  Always good when Robbie gets to hang out with his best friends - they've all been friends since junior high school, and that says a LOT!  Phillip had no clue about anything, and we were just all the restaurant when he arrived.  It really  meant a lot to him, and we all had a great time!

Monday and Tuesday we went to Slidell to see Jenn and her family.  Karlee keeps getting so big!  She is suck a sweet baby, and never cries.  They went through a lot of heartache to get her here, and I couldn't be happier for them!  I also got to spend some time with Zeke - I miss him being here so much.  He's at that age (11) where friends are way cooler than family, and that's hard for me to take especially because we've always been so close.  I just have to realize that I've been that age too.

Thanksgiving came and went at about light speed!  It's always hectic trying to make sure you see everybody while they're in town, etc. 

And then came...The Iron Bowl.  I was so excited during the first half because Alabama looked way better than I ever thought they would.  But, they decided at halftime that they were through playing for the day and let Auburn come back (from a 21 point deficit) to beat us by 1 freakin' point!  UGH!

Came back to work today.  Had to just to get a little rest!

Puppy Size (really sweet...)

'Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. We've been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this,' the mother told the volunteer.

'What is it she keeps asking for?' the volunteer asked.

'Puppy size!' replied the mother

'Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for..'
'I know..... We have seen most of them, ' the mom said in frustration...

Just then Danielle came walking into the office   'Well, did you find one?' asked her mom. "No, not this time,' Danielle said with sadness in her voice. 'Can we come back on the weekend?'

The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed
'You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply,' the volunteer said.
Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. 'Don't worry, I'll find one this weekend,' she said.

Over the next few days both Mom and Dad had long conversations with her. They both felt she was being too particular. 'It's this weekend or we're not looking any more,' Dad finally said in frustration.

'We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size, either,' Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning . By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs.

Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when Visitors weren't permitted.

Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look.. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one. One by one she said, 'Sorry, but you're not the one.'

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup. The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.

'Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!' She screamed with joy. 'It's the puppy size!'
'But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks,' Mom said.
'No not size... The sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed,' she said.
'Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!'

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both.

'Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms,' she said. Then, holding the puppy up close to her face, she said, 'Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!'

Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that

Makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day..

They are the sighs of God. Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear. 'Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take Our breath away.'

Alabama vs. GSU 11-18-10

Last night Robbie and I took our friends Wiley and Crystal to their first Alabama game.  Anyone who knows me knows I could care less about who we're playing - I just love being in Bryant-Denny Stadium!  So, it was fine with me that they were playing Georgia State - at least I knew we'd win that one for sure!  I did feel kinda bad before the game when I heard that this was GSU's first year to have a football team...

Got there early and did a little walking, visiting, and shopping of course.  Picked up some great new ornaments for my Alabama tree.  (Realized last year that I've accumulated so many Alabama ornaments that I needed a separate tree for them!).  Had quite a scare before I got into the stadium, though.  Everybody knows I'm quite addicted to my iPhone.  I'm constantly checking to make sure I have it.  Well...while walking to the gate last night, I realized I'd lost it!  Robbie was trying to calm me down and called it so I could try and find it in my ginormous purse, and my heart stopped when I heard him say "Who is this?"  I just knew somebody had picked up my phone and I'd never see it again!  Luckily, an honest person had picked it up from me apparently dropping it and ended up meeting him on the other side of the stadium to get it.  There ARE a few honest people left out there!  He wouldn't let me pay him or anything, but I was quite willing too!

We had a great time at the game, though it was quite boring.  We were ahead 42-7 at halftime, and the stadium was clearing out quickly.  But, I always stay til the very end, and that's what we did last night.  Luckily with the new addition to the stadium, a lot of the wind was blocked, so it wasn't even that cold.

Here are a few pics from last night, though I had no idea I looked that terrible last night until I looked at these today!

                                                                  My happy place! :)

                           Final score - way ugly when your 3rd and 4th string play almost the entire 2nd half

Going to see Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan in Birmingham tonight with the hubby, and possible have backstage passes.  SUPER excited!  Will post pics from that soon!

It's Time for Me :)

“There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout: This is me damn it! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me... or leave me. Accept me - or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don't fit your idea of who I should be and don't try to change me to fit your mold. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision. When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad - you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you.” - Stacey Charter

So, this is my new motto. For pretty much all of my life, I've lived for other people. I like for everyone to be happy. I've taken a step back lately to look at what's truly important in my life, and I'm focusing on that.
*I have a wonderful husband who loves me for me, and who puts up with me like no one else on this planet ever would!

*No, I don't have a ton of friends, but this is by choice. The ones I have I know I can count on no matter what. I learned a hard lesson about trust and friendship this year, and I know I am blessed to have a small number of awesome people in my life. These are the ones who have stuck by me, not judged me, and helped me get through my failed "best friendship." A friendship should be a give and take, and looking back, I can see that that's not what that was. But, I'm stronger because of it, though my trust level is pretty low right now.

*I have a great job that I love. It doesn't pay the greatest, but it's rewarding. It frustrates me at times, and I get burnt out at times, but my bills are paid and I have a little left over. :) That's all I can ask for I reckon.

*I'm going back to school this spring! I can't wait!!! I minored in psychology my first go round, so I'm going back to finish my second Bachelor's and at least my master's. I'm hoping I have enough patience and will-power to finish my phD, but we'll see about that. :)

I'm finally at a place in my life where I can see how truly blessed I am, and I'm happier than I've been in a long, long time. Life is good!

Karlee Grace

I'm gonna try and get better about this blog. I've been kinda slacking seeing as how I haven't posted anything in a year!

There's been a lot going on in my life, but the best news lately is that my sister had a baby! Those of you that know me well know how hard it has been for her to have a second child, but Karlee Grace was born on November 1, and she is perfect. :)

Zeke is liking her, so far. :) I miss having them so far away. I'm going to miss so much of her growing up - I was there for so much of Zeke's. Reckon there will just be tons of miles put on my car soon!