Wordless Wednesday...

Why do I blog?

I laid in bed last night for over an hour thinking about this.

I started this blog for two main reasons. One was to document the things going on in our lives that I may forget. I'm not the best about writing things down and I don't scrapbook. It gives me an opportunity to document the little things going on with Hailie and in our lives. She has grown up so fast.

The second was to meet other people. I'm not the best person for getting out and making friends. My life centers around school and my family. We don't go out - we stay in. I have enjoyed reading so many other blogs. I have encountered so many amazing people thanks to places like cr8buzz. Truth is - I am almost intimidated by some of these people and their amazing ability to really say things.

I realized though, that there is a lot more to me that I don't ever post about. I have always loved writing. I'm not the best at it, but I love to do it. I have always been drawn to words - in books, movies, and music. There have been so many occasions where I couldn't find the words to describe how I feel. I would find these words in a quote, in a song lyric, or in a book.

One of the things I realized is that I haven't really let myself post so many of the things that go on in my head. I haven't shared any of my own writing. I haven't let any of you inside my head. Why?

I always have the tendency to shut people out and not let them in. I always hesitate to share because of judgment, among other things. This happens in real life for me all the time.

I know that many of our friends and family "in real life" read this blog and I figured they have enough excuses to think I'm crazy.

I decided though, this is MY blog, though. If I want people to really read and respond to me I have to open myself up and let them really see ME.

There will be some changes coming around here, that's for sure!

Our story: Part II

So when I left off we had just moved me into our apartment. The next month or so was fairly uneventful. We settled into life living together. It was an easy transition. I loved waking up next to him every morning.

We celebrated our first Christmas together - spending it with both of our families. Our first New Years Eve was spent together at home with a bottle of wine and just relaxing. He would have to work the next day so it was an early night. It was around that time I realized I never wanted to be with anyone else. He was my best friend and I didn't have as much fun with anyone else as I did him. Needless to say I wasn't the only one thinking these things. Less than a week later he proposed. He asked my parents for permission. It wasn't some fairy tale proposal. We were at home. It was perfect for me though.

We started planning the wedding. We changed the date 3 times before we finally settled. The first day would have been April '07. That was well over a year away and we decided we really didn't want to wait that long. It was moved to December. That ended up being the week of his finals. We finally decided we didn't want to wait anymore so we moved it to March 11, 2006. Just about 7 weeks away.

The night of our bachelor/bachelorette parties was February 25th. We started the night off together with our friends drinking at my mom and dad's house. The boys were then going to a strip club (my dad's idea). The girls and I (along with my mother in law) were going to go to a couple bars. I ended up tired and really ready to go to bed. I had done enough drinking and the night was over for me. We headed back to my parents house. While we were out the boys had their adventures at the strip club. Anthony apparently spent most of it wasted trying to call me. I heard at one point they had to take his phone away. He came back to my parents house and we slept on the couch that night. Fun times.

The day of our wedding was perfect. Thanks to our parents we pulled it off. We had somewhere around 200 people show up. Our reception was held in my parents backyard. It couldn't have been the more perfect location.

We didn't get to go on a honeymoon. We did drive down to Galveston and stayed at the fabulous San Luis Resort in one of their big suites. The next day we had breakfast at McDonalds and went back to get our gifts. The rest of our day was spent putting together the new entertainment center we had bought for our apartment.

It would be a short three weeks later on a Sunday morning that I realize something wasn't right with me. I decided to take a pregnancy test. It was positive.

Stay Tuned for Part III - Hailie's arrival!

Our story.. part 1.

Anthony and I met for the first time September 30, 2005. We had been e-mailing each other for just over a week or so. That Friday night I went to an Astros game and dinner with my best friend Brittany. Little did I know the rest of my life would change forever that night. I was 23 and still living at home. This particular night I wasn't dressed up for a date - in fact - I was in jeans, tennis shoes, with an Astros jersey and hat on. I had bright red hair (check out my hair color horror story here). I decided at dinner that I wasn't ready to go home. So I sent him an e-mail through my phone. It was something along the lines of "If you are actually home on a Friday night and want to meet up give me a call.."

To my surprise, he actually called. We decided to meet up for a movie. The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I was freaking out at this point.. I would have never thought he would respond. I wasn't dressed for a date -especially a FIRST date! I dropped Brittany off and borrowed her makeup so I would at least look a little presentable.

I drove to the movie theater and called him to see if he had made it yet. He wasn't. My stomach was in knots and I was so nervous. He called and said he was walking up towards the movie theater. I remember thinking the first minute I saw him that he was hot and I knew at that moment I would marry him.

The movie was a blur. I remember seeing a preview for The Mist.. I grabbed his arm. Oh how I loved how they felt. (and still do!)

We sat in the parking lot of the movie theater that night until 4am just talking. It was an amazing night that I know I didn't want to end.

He met my parents the next weekend. We went out to dinner with them. My parents loved him from the start. (I mean, come on, he was brave enough to meet my parents right away!)

The next few weeks were a blur. We were together as much as we could be. I met his dad and stepmom. I met his mom and stepdad. I met Katy, his youngest sister, and his stepbrother Jonathan.

By the end of October I was practically living with him already.. so we officially moved me out of my parents house for the last time into our first apartment together. It had been just 7 weeks since we met.

Part II coming soon!


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Make sure you check out other How I met my honey posts here

I deleted my last post - so those of you who read and commented - thank you.

I was just having a long night. I tend to overanalyze everything and school has just had me so bogged down. My weight loss has been at a stand still (I've actually gained about 3 pounds of it back.) I am having a hard time staying motivated with school. Trying to figure out money issues and if my staying home is going to remain feasible with gas and food prices going up.

I'm much better this morning.

New post coming soon.. lots of new stuff.

Top 10... Life is Beautiful.

This weeks top ten: Songs I can't get enough of right now.

10. Gavin DeGraw - In Love With a Girl
9. All Time Low - Dear Maria, Count Me In
8. Sixx:A.M. - Life is Beautiful
7. Flyleaf - All Around Me
6. A Perfect Circle - Passive
5. Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife
4. Chevelle - I Get It
3. Apocalyptica - I'm Not Jesus (feeaturing Corey Taylor)
2. Paramore - That's What You Get
1. Paramore - Misery Business

Family history.

I love old pictures. When my grandmother died my parents took boxes of pictures to her house. I worked on this crazy dvd for Christmas and I scanned in a ton of them. Some of the coolest ones I found were from the early 1900s. I haven't had the opportunity to go through every picture and to try and figure out who they are, but that is on my list of projects. A lot of them need to restored. Thank God for photoshop!

Anyway, all this talk about old pictures reminded me of a story I had found when I was tracing my family history. I thought it was funny, so I thought I would share with you all. The story takes place back in the early 1800s, prior to Texas becoming a part of the United States. This is the story of Mr. and Mrs. George Washington Ethington and their adventure from Indiana to Texas.

Mr. and Mrs. George Washington Ethington were residents of Terre Haute, Indiana. The Ethingtons, who had two children, decided to construct a large raft, launch it on the Wabash River and float down the stream 100 miles in search of some rich soil that they might acquire for farming purposes.

Before they arrived at a spot they believed suitable for landing, however, the river was flooded and their raft was carried swiftly into first the Ohio and then the Mississippi Rivers.

After they had passed their approximate destination, Mr. Ethington decided that they might as well ride the crest of the flood. The family would float past New Orleans into the Gulf of Mexico.

They would drift in the Gulf for 3 weeks. Eventually they reached what is now known as Matagorda Bay, then unnamed, and there they landed. They had no idea in what water they had been drifting nor on what land they had landed.

They were greeted by Indians. They were recieved as if the Indians believed they were sent from the Indian's Happy Hunting Grounds.

After a few days, the Indiana family started inland and established their first Texas home on a large acreage about eight miles from the present day town of La Grange.

Something else I found interesting - is that George Washington Ethington was English and his wife Irish. He was poor while his wife was considered wealthy. The courtship did not have the approval of her parents. She was more or less imprisoned in an upstairs room but that didn't stop the romance. They would correspond by notes attached to apples tossed in and out of the window.

My favorite sounds.

So I was woken up tonight by thunder. The lightning is something fierce. I love how it lights up a dark room. I remember my days of being scared.

Since I was a little worried about losing power and Anthony not getting up for work here I am, at almost 3am, awake. I grabbed a couple videos of the storm outside. It's a little dark - but you get the jist of it. I love these types of storms. I love the sound of thunderstorms.

I also love the sound of Hailie's laugh... this was on the camera when I uploaded the other videos. I thought I'd share.

What are your favorite sounds?

Mothers Day...

5minutesformom.com is hosting a photo contest for Mothers Day. To be completely honest I couldn't pick just one picture. I have been so blessed to be around so many incredible women in my life that I thought I would use this occasion to honor all of them. Unfortunately two of them were taken from me as a teenager.. but I will never forget how much they meant to me and what they did to make me the woman and mother I am today.

This is my grandma Helen, my mom's mom. I scanned in several pictures of her when she was younger, but her eyes in this one just stood out. It is uncanny just how much she, my mother, and I all look alike. I see so many of the same traits in Hailie.

This is my Grandma Dee, my dad's mom. She is pregnant with my dad in this picture. My dad is the youngest of 9 children. She was an amazing woman. She passed away when I was 15. I miss her a lot. We called her "Mama Dee"

This picture is my parents taken back in 1982. This picture was taken at the Battleship Texas on Nov 10, the day before I was born. They were 18 years old.

This is my mom and I when I was only a few days old.

This is my "Aunt" Billie. When I was born my parents lived in an apartment and she lived across the hall. She adopted us as her family. She did so much for us I can't even begin to say. She moved in with us when I was 15, right after she had a stroke. She would pass away when I was 16. She had a profound effect on me.. and I miss her more than words can say.

I know she's looking down on me and is proud of everything I have accomplished.

Some of my favorite memories were when I was little I would go over to her apt and spent the night every Friday. She would buy me notebooks so I could write my novel and we would watch TGIF.

This is my mother and I right before I got married. She did so much to make my day perfect. She always did that as I was growing up. She was my best friend when I need a friend and a parent when I needed a parent. I knew I could always count on her no matter what. That still applies today. She is my rock - and I thank God she is my mom.

This is Hailie and I when she was just a few days old. She has taught me what it truly means to love someone unconditionally. I never knew I could love someone so much. Nothing brightens my day more than when she runs into my arms to give me a hug. No matter how bad things might be she reminds me everyday just how great God is.

I just have to say writing this post made me tear up.

Movies from my childhood...

I read this blog post about movies from your childhood and it got me thinking.

I watched a lot of Disney movies as a kid. I still watch them. I have made it a point to collect the DVDs for Hailie. My mom still has all of our Disney VHS movies.

Besides those, there were a few movies that will remain a permanent fixture in my head that I saw as a kid.

The Goonies - just a classic movie.
Gremlins - The big ones scared me. The little one was CUTE.
Nightmare on Elm Street & Friday the 13th - SCARED. THE. CRAP. OUT. OF. ME!

• I will never forget the scene when the waterbed opened up. I had a waterbed and was terrified I was going to get taken.
• I will never forget the night I woke up and went to sleep on the floor in my parents room (I did this for a long time!) and my parents had fallen asleep with their tv on. I ended up watching Friday the 13th. I had nightmares for weeks after that.

As a teenager my favorite movie that I could watch over and over again (and still can) was Dazed and Confused. One of the greatest soundtracks ever.

The Goonies



The Gremlins.. Found this - funny!


Dazed and Confused tribute!





Brings back a lot of memories!



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To join in and publish a post on this theme, copy the list of participants and add it to the bottom of your post -- and don't forget to add yourself!

For more posts on the “Something about movies when I was a kid…” theme, click these...

Mrs. Flinger
Oh The Joys
Mamalogues
Sweetney
Izzy Mom
Frances
Irishkat

Pool time!

Anthony's mom got Hailie a pool and bubble machine.. These were from Wednesday. Looks like the pool especially was a hit!

Yep.

1 final down today, 4 more to go.

Things that I did/realized today:

1. My summer off has turned into less than a month off before I am back in school. I took the spanish placement exam and come to find out I need to take another class before I can take the two I need to graduate.

2. I got a 77 on my final today. There will likely be a curve, but I still will only end up with a B+ or A-. Could be worse.

3. I registered for 11 hours in the summer. One class will last from June-August. The other two are only half of the summer. Luckily one is in the first half and the other the second.

4. I registered for 18 hours in the fall. I will likely drop one class. The good news? My spring semester AKA my last semester in school will not be a heavy load.

5. I really have to get back on my diet. I'm suffering and have gained some of the weight back. I've been too stressed out lately.

6. Anthony is sick and I'm thinking it's likely that either I will get it, Hailie will get it, or we both will get it. NOT good timing. I laid down to go to sleep and have started feeling achy.

7. It takes me forever to fall asleep, regardless of how tired I am.

8. I have A LOT of studying/reading/writing to do in the next week and I don't know how I am going to get it all done.

That's about it. My blog posts are lacking right now... but school is keeping me busy. Lots of good stuff coming up, I promise!

Wordless Wednesday: How I love to climb.

Pondering.

I do most of my thinking at night. When I lay down my head tends to go about a million miles a minute. Most of the time the thinking is about what bills I need to pay and things I need to get done. The other night in particular I was thinking about a blog post I had read awhile back in which the person wrote a letter to themselves at 18.

I started thinking about what I would say to myself.

I then started wondering what my life would've been like if I hadn't
....gone to LSU?
....moved back to Houston after just one year?
....had that long distance relationship with M?
....moved out of my parents house into that apartment?
....joined a sorority?
....left school?
....e-mailed Anthony to meet up the night of our first date?

It was then that I realized that doing just one thing different could have altered the eventual path my life would take. I was unhappy for a long time. I made a lot of mistakes and definitely made a lot of stupid decisions that I wish I could change.

Then again - had I not done those things I may not have ever met my husband or had my daughter when I did. I couldn't imagine my life without them.

It was then I realized that despite all the unhappiness and difficult roads my life had taken - I am so incredibly blessed and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Green thumb? Not so much.

So it was a productive day in our household.

We actually managed to get most of the house clean (most of it...) We drove up and borrowed the carpet shampooer from my parents. My carpets look so much better now.

We then decided to go outside and tackle the yard that we haven't done much to since we moved in last summer in June. Yes I realize it's been almost a year.

I raked leaves for God knows how long. I have three blisters on my hands. I am definitely not used to that at all. I can't tell you how many leaves we picked up. Anthony spent the time digging up the roots of the bushes that were in front of my house. They were HIDEOUS. I want color. We headed to Home Depot and picked up some flower seeds to plant and a few other things.

We spent a good 3-4 hours outside. We still have lots of work to do. Once my flowers grow I will post some pictures.. I did take some before pictures. Let's hope the flowers grow!

The yard and house look a million times better. The goal now is to not find other things I can do to put off my studying for finals.

I love spring.

On a funny note - Hailie tried eating the dirt. The kid was CAKED full of it. The bath water was almost black. She loved it though! Wish I had pictures/videos. Ah well. Next time!

11 years...

Hard to believe 11 years has passed since they met.

It was 1997 and their freshman year in high school. They lived on two different sides of town, but found their way to the same high school. The first day they met was in their business program computer class. That year saw one date someone that the other would never let her live down.

Over those four years these two were not inseperable like you expect most best friends to be. It was a friendship of understanding. It was two girls who were so different, but shared a bond that most people didn't get. They just "got each other." They didn't need to spend a lot of time together to know how much they both valued each other's friendship. They were always there when the other needed someone.

As their senior year drew to close both girls knew that college would lead them to two different states.

One would end up in Florida and the other in Louisiana. AOL Instant messenger was a godsend. They kept in touch through away messages and profiles. They developed a love for college football. Every time the one in Florida drove back to Texas she would stop in Louisiana just to eat lunch and have a chance to catch up.

One would end up back in Texas. It didn't change anything. Over the course of the next few years there would be unforgettable trips to Florida. Then there was college graduation and law school for one, marriage, a kid, and the eventual return to school for the other.

It has been 11 years, but that friendship remains as rock solid as it was then.

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Next month my best friend Lauren will be graduating from law school.

I just want you to know how proud of you I am. No matter what has happened in our lives our friendship has always been one of the constants in my life. I am so thankful for our lunches at Ninfas, DMB, college football, and our "is that a pole?!" days. I know our lives have gone in two different directions and we don't talk as much as we should - but I just want you to know how much I cherish our friendship. NOW GET BACK TO TEXAS, DAMMIT!

I came across my senior yearbook.. and I think this still applies today.

"I never claim to have best friends, because now-a-days, that term gets used too loosely. But you, are, without a doubt a best friend. Know that I will always be there for you to vent to and I expect you to do the same for me. Whenever I hear a DMB song, I'll think of you and smile."

Looking for some book recommendations.

Anthony and I watched a movie tonight on Encore, The Covenant. It was a decent movie. It just got me thinking I need some new books to read.

I would have to say that fantasy (in addition to historical fiction) is one of my absolute favorite book genres to read. I don't know what it is but I just find myself so immersed in some of them I can't put them down. Most of the time I think it's about getting lost in a make believe world full of magic and intrigue. I just love it. (Yes, I am a Harry Potter addict!)

Two of my absolute favorite authors are Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels Trilogy is amazing) and Kelley Armstrong.

So let me hear your suggestions. I'm all ears!

Too big.

So Hailie has learned how to climb up on the chairs to get things off of our dining room table. This morning she grabbed a drink and spilled it all over herself. Since she needs a bath I just stuck one of my tshirts on her.. She looked too cute not to take a few pictures.

Photohunt: Thirteen

For this weeks theme I chose two pictures.

The first: Chapter 13 in the book for my communications class. The joys of studying for finals!

The second picture is me at 13 - 7th grade basketball picture. No laughing please.

Adventures in sweeping.

So Hailie has discovered a love of sweeping. Over the last few days it never fails that when we go outside to play in the yard she makes a beeline for the broom as soon as we get into the garage. I compiled a video of Hailie's sweeping. She's so funny.

Top 10.

This weeks Top 10 songs I play when depressed/angry/mad.

10. Ben Harper - Another Lonely Day
9. Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street
8. Crossfade - Starless
7. Crossfade - Broken Like An Angel
6. Matt Nathanson - Continue Dreaming
5. Michelle Branch - Til I Get Over You
4. Nine Inch Nails - Every Day is Exactly the Same
3. Nine Inch Nails - Something I Can Never Have
2. Shinedown - 45
1. A Perfect Circle - Passive

Check out last weeks top 10 here.

The joys of wireless.

I am sitting up at UH on my laptop waiting for my commmunications class to meet to give our speeches. I am about 2 1/2 hours early. I waited to the last minute to put it together so this gives me a chance to get some practicing in. I'm surprisingly not nervous, considering I was freaked out about the previous two speeches. I will be debating another girl in our class on school uniforms. My position is against. Easy enough.

Anthony has gotten into the bad habit of not waking up to the alarm - which means I have to wake him up in the mornings. Well, since I have been going to bed so late I sometimes don't remember waking up and turning the alarm off. So this morning, he was late. Of all days - the day I needed him to get home so I could go up to school.

Luckily I was able to drop Hailie off at my parents house and I will pick her up on my way home. Hopefully we are out of here at a decent time tonight.

Sorry my blog entries are so blah at the moment - it's getting close to finals time and my internet time has to be limited if I want to pass all of my exams.

Blair Witch Project Baby Edition

and the verdict is in...

I had to have a root canal done on one tooth and a filling in the other. Also had a cleaning. That is all I could afford at the moment, BUT that should take care of the toothache.

Stayed tuned - when I get home from the library I will be uploading the Blair Witch Project: Baby edition. :)

I am still numb.. kinda wish it wouldn't wear off. I'm not looking foward to pain.

Whoa, picture overload!

This is what I found when I heard Hailie wake up from her nap.

This is the face she made when finally grew tired of me taking pictures.

What is even cooler about the whole thing? She FINALLY looked at me when I was taking pictures. Yippee!

Nervous, scared, you name it.

So I haven't been to the dentist in a LONG time. I'm talking the last time was to get my wisdom teeth out and that was at least 5 years ago.

Now, seems like everytime the weather goes from warmer to cooler my teeth hurt.

So I'm going to the dentist tomorrow. I AM FREAKING OUT! I have this huge fear of the dental office and always have. Truth be told - I know I am going to have to get a good bit of work done. This happens when you don't go to the dentist.

Any tips to help calm my fears? My appointment is tomorrow morning at 11:30. God help me.

I don't need a title.

I went up to the Y tonight a lot later than I normally do. I have to say that I was much happier with it. I really enjoyed my workout. There weren't a lot of people and I didn't have to wait to use any of the machines. I might make it a point to start going later on those days that Anthony is home.

I posted my link on my myspace - so to all of our family and friends that are checking out the page for the first time - hello, welcome, make yourself and home! I wasn't sure how much people would like checking it out so I always hesitated to post it, but it's out there now.

Our day.

It was a fun day. Hailie and I went and had lunch with my friend Michelle, who I used to work with and had not seen in a long time. It was nice catching up. It definitely felt a little weird walking into that office again. I didn't leave on the best terms, so that made for some awkwardness.

After that went up to UH to turn my paper in and headed home. Fairly uneventful after that. Here a few little videos I caught today.. I know they might be a little boring, but hey I love my new toy!

Hailie babbling in the car


Hailie running away from the dog across the street