A few more San Angelo Pics

Taking time to smell the flowers

Annaleigh got some good cuddle time in with Mimi
It's a miracle! She is actually sitting still for a picture!
Wait a minute! I know there is something I should be getting in to!!
We had so much fun with Mimi and Pop last week. Annaleigh and I were both spoiled rotten!!!

San Angelo

We have been in San Angelo all week visiting Mimi and Pop while Russell is at camp in Oklahoma. Here are pictures of some of the highlights:

Finished!

I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last night! It's fabulous and will not disappoint if you are a Potter fan. Now I can get back to going to bed at a decent hour...

Finally

The above picture was the scene at our house last night around 12:15 (thanks to fabulous hubby who made the book run!) I can pretty much guarantee this is the exact way I will spending my weekend so I apologize in advance in the event I don't answer emails, phone calls, etc. for the next few days.

Bath time fun!

" Maybe if I smile really big mom and dad will stop taking my picture in the bath tub"

"Yuck! These bubbles don't taste as good as they look!"
" CHEESE!!!!"

Have a great Day!

First trip to Six Flags

We took the youth group to Six Flags on Saturday so we thought we would bring Annaleigh along and see what she thought:The Merry Go Round was pretty fun

Not quite sure about the trainShe doesn't take after her daddy!! She LOVES heights! (Annaleigh is waving at Russell below...he is the one wearing the orange hat.)Trying to go for a swim in the fountains

Ohhhh...The "Pink Things" are SOOOOOOO good!

mom jeans

Please tell yourself today "I will not wear mom jeans, I will not wear mom jeans." Then go out and buy yourself a new pair of hip jeans ( not from JCPenney, please!)

Giving Credit where Credit is due

By popular request: To get a snazzy new blog design just click on the icon under "Credits" on the left sidebar of my blog. You will be redirected to the sight I got mine from. Just look for the label "Free Blog Skins," click, and it should take you through step-by-step directions...it was pretty easy even for a computer challenged person like myself. There are actually several other sights you can use too....Just Google "Free Blog Templates" or "Free Blog Skins" and have fun!

picture of the day: Observation deck of the Vulcan Statue in Birmingham, AL.

Harry Potter

So, I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I mean, it's not something I really talk about that often, but I am not kidding when I tell you I have read every book at least 4 times and own all the movies. Unless you live under a rock, you probably know the movie is coming out this week and the new book is soon to follow....and yes, I will drag my husband to the theatre to watch the movie, most likely this weekend...Usually when the movies or books have come out, I start at book 1 and read all the way through...but seeing as there are now 6 books and I am mother of a toddler, I cant quite handle that anymore so I am starting with the "The Order of the Phoenix" ....and then I will move on to read "The Half Blood Prince" in anticipation of the final installment "The Deathly Hallows."

For those of you who haven't tried to get into Harry Potter books, I want to tell you these are going to be classics that our children will read....and our children's children. They are brilliantly imaginative and unbelievably descriptive...plus, since they are really written for children, are super fast reads.

Go have some summer reading fun!!!

Red, White, Black, & Blue

Happy 4th of July! Check out the shiner my little girl got from falling on the hearth last Friday. Poor Baby!!!! and NO wise cracks about calling CPS. I already feel bad enough!!!

Sweet Visions of God...

Some of the precious people and places where I saw God's face last week in Honduras...

And I will never be the same. Amen.

My 100

We are finally back for a few weeks and settling in. After back to back trips to Birmingham, AL for mission trip then to Honduras, you can imagine how tired we are! I have a lot to catch up on, but first I want to get my "100 things about me" list out of the way. I have been secretly dreading doing this for quite some time, but I figured since I enjoyed reading everyone elses list so much I should do it too.

So in no particular order....

1. I don't like my feet
2. Serving God makes me happier than anything else in this world.
3. Serving/Spending time with my family comes a close second.
4. I have wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl and am just now making that a reality.
5. I loved my time at Lipscomb, but I should have been a better student.
6. I have never had a job using my degree.
7. I have a lot of regrets in life but I strongly feel like those experiences have made me a better person and witness today.
8. I like my red hair.
9. I like having a large circle of friends but I treasure my best friend and guard those relationships very closely.
10. I am a cat person, but not a crazy cat person.
11. Having Annaleigh is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
12. I worry about her when she sleeps and still keep a monitor right by my ear at night.
13. I will often turn the volume high enough so I can hear her breath.
14. I try very hard to be content with what God has blessed me with.
15. But it's something I have to work on every day.
16. I hate it that there are starving people in the world.
17. I struggle with being consistent with my actions, words, etc. I work on it all the time.
18. I know I am too hard on myself.
19. I read Southern Living cover to cover every month.
20. I usually try at least one new recipe from the magazine every month.
21. Some of my favorite recipes are from Southern Living.
22. I wish I could sew.
23. I have been meaning to learn for a long time.
24. I look up to my grandmother more than any person on this earth.
25. I think she is the wisest person I know.
26. I truly feel if everyone could know my grandmother they would feel better about themselves and be more the wiser because of her influence.
27. I think it is important to respect older people and spend time with them.
28. I like living in Texas way more than I ever thought I ever would.
29. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to travel and experience new places and cultures.
30. I also love to be at home.
31. Russell inspires me to be a better person
32. He is one of the most loyal people I know.
33. I spend way to much time surfing the Internet
34. I am a neat freak...
35. But not so much a clean freak
36. I can't go to sleep if there are dishes in the sink or anything laying on the floor
37. But I don't like to clean showers or tubs or wipe the bathroom floor and definitely should do it more often.
38. It makes me feel great to make lists and mark things off
39. I like to shop but get way more of a thrill when I find incredible bargains.
40. I would never dream of buying anything regular price.
41. I think I love my in-laws as much as my family.
42. I think my mother in law is one of the most fun people in the world.
43. I love to sit back and watch my little girl.
44. I pray over her everyday and beg God to protect her and keep her from ever hurting.
45. I was born in Virginia
46. I lived most of my life in Athens, GA.
47. I don't really miss the town, but I miss my close family and friends.
48. I went to Africa one summer on a mission trip.
49. The poverty in the Nairobi slums is devastating and will forever be imprinted on my mind.
50. I want to learn how to speak Spanish.
51. I think my little sister Rachel is so cool and incredibly talented.
52. All the clothes in my closet are organized according to color.
53. I HATE to iron and out of protest refuse to own an ironing board.
54. I do own an iron and in desperate times will iron clothes on a towel on the kitchen table.
55. I think I am creative but I can never seem to make my ideas come out the way I envision.
56. I love to swim and lay out in the sun (I know it's bad!!!)
57. I am walking 60 miles in 3 days in October for Cancer.
58. I am afraid I will get breast cancer because my grandmother had it.
59. I never miss my annual check-up.
60. I find I often disclose way too much information during normal conversations.
61. SO I am trying to be more of a "listener" and less of a "talker"
62. Sometimes I have to literally bite my tongue to accomplish the above.
63. I am proud of Russell and honored to be working by his side in ministry.
64. I am so humbled by the way our lives have been blessed.
65. I think we have done really well learning to overcome adversity...
66. But, by no means, do I think we have learned all there is to learn.
67. My close friends inspire me by their accomplishments.
68. I am truly proud of them....and not at all jealous.
69. I like almost every kind of food.
70. The only food I can think of I really don't like is cherries. They make me literally gag.
71. I am not athletic at all.
72. Or competitive
73 I played soccer all during high school but only because it was a social outlet.
74. My soccer coach once got mad at me because I told her she shouldn't be so hard on everyone...we were all there just to have fun.
75. I sat on the bench for the next 2 games.
76. I never really wanted to play soccer again after that.
77. I really don't like sports but I read Sports Illustrated cover to cover every week.
78. It's only because I love to read any and everything I can find.
79. It's not uncommon for me to start a book one day and never put it down until I have finished it.
80. I have worked crossword puzzles almost every night before bed for the last 10 years.
81. I have a hard time falling asleep without going through my "bedtime routine"
82. I am NOT a morning person (shocker to all of those who know me well)
83. But I have gotten better since having a child
84. Thankfully, she doesn't usually wake up until 8AM or so.
85. I HAVE to have some form of caffeine in the morning to get me going.
86. I am pretty unimpressed by designer labels or accumulation of luxury items.
87. I would not consider myself a "high maintenance" girl but I rarely leave the house without eyeliner and mascara.
88. I wear it because my brows and lashes are so blond and everyone asks me if I am "sick" or "tired" if I forget to put it on.
89. I am very put off by rudeness.
90. I am also very big on customer service.
91. I really don't like to drive and only do out of necessity.
92. I would describe my personal style as Shabby Chic
93. I have never mowed grass in my life.
94. But I like to work in the yard.
95. I take pride in dressing my daughter up cute.
96. I wish I was more eloquent.
97. I am so thankful for the never ending love Russell and I have for each other.
98. I miss my best friends that live in other states.
99. I think it takes a village to raise a child.
100. I think it's important to be a good steward of everything in my life and try to take it very seriously.