I think this is my earliest childhood memory of camping with my family. My grandparents had a Winnebago and they took us to Gulf Shores for a week every summer. It's was "grand kids week" and my parents would usually come down at the end of the week and we would move into the tent with them for a second week. I LOVE thinking about the fact that my parents do the very same thing with our girls. The Winne was so cool. My grandparents had two twin beds in their "room" and the dinette folded out for a double bed at the other end (seen below). The coolest part, to me, was that there were cabinets above both beds that folded down into a bunk. I loved sleeping up there, even though there was only about 18 inches between the mattress and the ceiling. And even though we know of at least two times ...
Wise Words
I was joking with Josh a few weeks ago that Facebook has turned into a vehicle for sharing blog posts and articles found on the web. I cannot scroll through my news feed without fourteen different shares related to how my faith is outdated, my political candidate is the devil, a recent movie is sacrilegious, my disciplinary efforts are ineffective or my Easter basket is too full. Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion and can share away, and this isn't an indictment on those who share or those who relate to those articles in any way. More often than not, though, I'm left feeling like I'm doing something so wrong that my children will be scarred for life and never, ever want to speak to me again.Over the weekend, a friend shared a list of 100 Wise Words for Everyone and I clicked ...
5 on Friday
It's time for 5 on Friday! This week was a good one and I have lots of fun things to share. ONE // We were en route to Ella's dance competition when we got the call that our sweet baby Hayven was on her way! Josh's brother and his wife, Caycie, were expecting their little nugget next month, but she decided to make an early arrival. We were so worried that we would miss it while we were in Montgomery, but thanks to a long labor she didn't debut until early Sunday morning. I drove Josh crazy reading him middle of the night text updates and showing off pictures while it was still dark outside! I got word that Hayven Ruby made her way into the world at 4:40 in the morning, weighing 7 pounds even and measuring 19.5 inches long. Ella and I decided they could be "name twins" since her middle ...
Tuesday’s Art
On Tuesday, our elementary school hosted art night and awarded ribbons and medals to the winners. Ella won second place in the first grade for her flower drawing "Garden". She was tickled pink! You can see last year's art show here. ...
Our Love Story | The Big Day
I've been married for almost twelve years and it's starting to be weird to look back on my wedding day. For some amount of time after your wedding, you look at the photographs and say "I wouldn't change a thing!" And I wouldn't change a thing about how the day went or how I felt or how happy I was then or how happy I am now. But after twelve years, my style has changed SO much and it's weird to think about what a wedding would look like if I were planning it today. The day was perfect. It helped that I had a three ring binder full of tear sheets that I had been saving for years. Not to mention that my mom is pretty much Martha Stewart and she runs a tight ship. I hear girls talk about how stressful wedding planning can be and how overwhelmed they felt and I just didn't. I had no idea ...
Platinum Dance | In Ella’s Words
This weekend was a whirlwind. Josh had baseball games, I was wrapping up design orders, our family welcomed a new baby into the mix and we spent the better part of our Saturday watching tiny people dance. When Ella started dancing five years ago, I had no idea competitive dance was even a thing. I was vaguely aware of the television drama that follows a group of dancers around, but that was so far out of my daily norm that it probably didn't even register. Last year was her first year to compete and we were clearly the new kids on the block. In all honesty, after the complaints about being exhausted all year long, I never expected her to want to do it again (let me interject that she LOVED competing, it was the practice she tried to avoid). The fall of this year was what you'd expect ...
5 on Friday
Woah. That's how I feel about the last seven days. It has been packed wall to wall with all sorts of things and hasn't left much time for blogging or reading or eating or sleeping. You know, anything fun at all. ONE // Last Saturday morning I ran for the first time since the Mercedes Half Marathon. This is the second year that our high school held a 5k to raise money for the school. I finished second in my division last year and third this year. I squeezed in under 29 minutes this time around, but if I had been training I probably could have shaved off a few additional minutes. This course is hard! There are lots of hills and an especially tough one right at the end. It was fun to see friends from high school and participate in something to benefit the kids in our community. TWO ...
at Rickwood Field
Do you know about Rickwood Field? It's America's oldest ballpark and it's only about an hour from our house. I had never been before last Saturday, but I'm glad I did. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but Josh is helping coach the varsity baseball team at our alma mater this year and we've been trying to catch the local games. Especially since some of them are within walking distance. This past weekend, they played at legendary Rickwood Field and we couldn't resist the opportunity to soak up the sun and watch our sweet daddy on the field. I spent a lot of time at the baseball field in high school, watching him through the fence and hoping for a signal from the field. It's weird to think that these kids are the same age we were when we met and started dating, but I'm glad for the ...