F.F.F.

I know…graduation pictures should be in May…not September but this is a special occasion.  The high school I graduated from – Odessa High in Odessa, Texas is having a Centennial Celebration this weekend…and I am going!

John and I are leaving early in the morning and staying in Odessa Friday & Saturday. I haven't been home since John was born...I am sure things will look different. On Sunday we are driving to Brownwood to eat at Underwood's - the best BBQ in Texas!  Julie &  Ty are going to drive from Austin to meet us - can't wait to see my nephew...who is 6 foot already..&  it will be great to see Jules. I will take plenty of pictures!

I graduated in 1990.Allen graduated in 1975.Larry graduated 1977. 

I think it is really cool that all three of us graduated from the same high school!  I loved high school and had a bunch of fun!  I learned early in my academic career that the more clubs/activities/organizations you belong too…the more you get out of class.  I was in drama, band, FHA, Junior League, HOSA, and several committees.  I would take summer school so that I could have more electives than actual classes!  One of my proudest moments was when I was selected to be apart of  Who’s Who Among High School Students my junior & senior year.  It is hard to believe I graduated 20 years ago!  My reunion will be in June next year…the plans have already started.

I do want to give a special “shout out” to my best friend Debbie-Dew.  Debbie and I have been best buds for many years…over 30 to be exact.  I am looking forward to seeing her this weekend!  I was going to post some of our embarrassing “younger” photos but I decided to post this one…it really shows our true personalities!!

Going home…I can’t wait.

Saturday Fun

John and I got up early today to go to the Walk for Life.  Walk for Life is a fundraiser for the Amarillo CareNet Pregnancy Center.  I volunteered and worked for CareNet for several years and I enjoy going to the Walk each year…especially to show off John.  Our friend Lisa “the enforcer” Donaldson joined us to celebrate life.  Lisa and I bought a get card for Janet (Janet works at the Center) for everyone to sign.  We got a bunch of signatures!  Janet’s brother & sister took it to her right after the Walk.

Here’s a bit of good news!   I had to buy some new pants since my old pants would not stay on!  (BTW – that is a great problem to have -  I lost 5.2 pounds last week!)  I have gone down three sizes in 9 weeks!  I am so excited and re-energized.  I am also excited because some of my favorite friends are going to join WW with me!!  It is so good to have a great support group!

My friend Janet is doing somewhat better.  I have seen her several times this week and I will see her before the weekend is over.  Thank you for your prayers! 

And...my voice has been heard! (Stop it! I know you are saying imagine that!)  The cover of Texas Monthly Magazine a couple of months ago was about the 50 best burgers in Texas. They failed...and I mean really failed to mention ANY from Amarillo! You know it....they got a letter from yours truly! They didn't publish the entire letter but they did mention the most important part - where to get a great burger in Amarillo! Check it out!http://www.texasmonthly.com/2009-10-01/roar.php

F.F.F.

My niece Kelsea had a baby this week.  He is so precious!  His name is Remington Leigh he weighed 6lbs 11 oz and 19 inches long.  Kelsea & baby & Zack are doing wonderful.  I don’t have a picture yet but here is a link to the hospital website to check out our latest family member.   http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=4117ec44-f1ba-4fc2-914e-ce2e6dbb6329&babyid=93ac7704-f7e6-47fd-9f9a-376815446318

Since Kelsea started having Remington on Monday…he didn’t get here until late Tuesday night… I got to spend some quality time with my her brother & sister…my other niece and nephew  - Jake and Lexie. 

They are great teenagers…Lexie is 11 – she is almost there…Jake is 14.  They were VERY polite, funny, and good to be around.  In fact Randy wants to make it a weekly thing to spend time with them.

It amazes me how fast they have grown up.  I started dating Randy 11 years ago…in fact that anniversary is next week…and next month we will be married 10 years!  (God is good!)

It seems like this picture was taken last night!  It is from the Fall of 2000.  Jake was almost 5 and Lexie 2.  The cat was Randy’s baby…his name was Zac…he weigh 25 lbs – he was a gorgeous cat!  Anyway…to see these babies here and see them all…all…big & stuff – it just makes me wanna cry!!

Randomness…and Confessions

* John has never had any type of separation anxiety. He now has it so bad he does not want to stay at MaMa’s house for very long.

* I am nervous about weighing in tomorrow. The past few weeks have not been the best…I have not been giving it my all. But…I have cooked healthy & delicious meals all week. Its not about the weight but I would like to see –2 pounds.

* I hope my brothers and my Odessa Peeps read this blog post and enjoy the music in the background. I get all warm...and fuzzy inside when I hear it. I can't help but smile and think of great times!

* Thank you for praying for my friend Janet. I have seen her two days in a row and she is responding – somewhat. We still don’t know the results of the biopsy are….grrrr. I did make her smile today – which was my high point of the day.

* John has stopped calling me Mommy - he calls me” Ti…na”.

*I am disappointed Ellen will be on A.I.

* When I went to the grocery store this afternoon they had just put out hot loaves of french bread. I thought that would go great with our dinner. On the way home I tore a piece and devoured it. I immediately went down an alley and threw the entire loaf away in the first open dumpster. (I know…there are starving children all over the world – and what a waste of $1.75!) But the temptation was too great ya’ll. All I could think about was getting it home and buttering it up! Ugh!!!

* My sister & brother are on a cruise right now. It looks like so much fun. She is blogging with great pictures! Check out LeeLee’s blog! It’s like we’re there without packing!

* So I had enough points to enjoy a piece of bread but I have worked too hard to blow it.

* The last episode of Jon & Kate made me cry. Divorce sucks.

*I have an awesome seat on my bike for John. We love to ride! We ride almost daily…anytime the door to the garage opens he immediately runs to the bike! It cracks me up though…when we are done riding he walks around panting…like he’s tired!!

* I love my DVR. It is the coolest invention.

* Going to Odessa next week…I am really excited. My high school is having a centennial celebration. My Mom & John are going with me and my brother Allen & Gloria are going to met us there. I am most excited about touring the school with my brother…to see how different the school was when he was there (class of 75) and when I was there (class of 90). Plus I am excited to see Debbie, Dollie, & DeeDee…my triple D’s!

* Football season rocks.

* My niece had a baby boy this week. 6lb 11 oz – he is soo cute! Maybe we should have just one more.

*Spoiler Alert* I am glad the chicken farmer won.

* John walked out of a room he is not suppose to be in today…I asked him “what are you doing?” He looked at me so sweetly and said “nothing”.

* God answered an amazing prayer this weekend. I will go into great detail later. But all I can say is Our God is an AWESOME God!

* I have to go to a party this weekend & I am not to “kicked” up about it. It is sort of a fancy party…and I have to take John which makes me nervous. Plus…there’s a buffet…I will drink plenty of water and will probably eat something before I go…that I don’t blow my points.

* I got all of my Halloween decorations down. I am excited about decorating…not excited about how many times I will have to tell John “no”.

* Speaking of “no”…I wonder why I think that saying “no..no..no..no..no..no.no” 50 times really fast will make John stop whatever he is not suppose to be doing. Melissa – count me down from 30 this time – and make it fast!

*Is it Friday yet??

F.F.F.

As summer has ended and Fall is creeping in I was thinking of my favorite summer vacations.  Almost every summer as a child we would take a summer vacation to West Virginia to visit with all of our extended family.  It was so much fun.  We would be gone for two full weeks and time would fly by.

Mom would start packing a week before the trip – all the clothes would be folded on the guest bed…I always got a couple new outfits & a new bathing suit, the cooler would be pulled out and cleaned, and Mom would buy the best snacks for the road!  We would get up by 5am to be on the road before the sun came up.  It was so hard to sleep the night before – it was like Christmas!

We usually took the same route every time.  I like remembering how Mom would make me be real quite when we would go through the big cites like Dallas, Memphis, and Little Rock.  Dad would always have to AC on high and freeze me and Mom to death…and he would always get lost - every year in Elizabeth Town, Kentucky!  We would stop at Stuckey’s and starve ourselves until we found a Shoney’s…ohh…and I would get the fudge ice cream cake - yummy!!  We would play road games, sing, and pick all the good nuts out of the can – only the peanuts were left.  I wanna go back…one more time….just one more time.  I want Dad to drive, me in the backseat, & Mom telling Dad he was going the wrong way….just one more time.

We would always make it to Nashville, Tennessee the first night and stay at the Opryland Hotel and my folks would take me to Opryland Amusement park.  I have the best memories ya’ll!  I wish I could just let you take a peek…I am laughing & crying right now!!  There was this one hotel Dad got us…the Fiddlers Inn…and it was bunk beds…Mom was not thrilled – we ended up driving until we found a Holiday inn.

Once we would get to Seth, West Virginia – the next afternoon it was non-stop.  I would usually stay with my cousin Donna – her kids were my age…her daughter Lisa is 2 days younger than me.  Donna makes the BEST homemade biscuits & sausage gravy!  (No wonder I have a weight issue…btw I gained 0.8 of a pound this week. grrrr!!!!)  I would bounce from house to house…I would have to check in with Mom once a day but other than that I was free!  There was a river, wild blackberries, the mountains, 4wheelers, fishing, lots of cousins for lots of games, the swinging bridges…and the Racine community pool.  I lived at that pool for two weeks – it was the place to be!!

The point to my F.F.F. – sorry ya’ll…I was just going down Tina-lane and forgot to get on with the getting on! 

One summer my family decided to pitch in money and RENT the pool for the day.  It was so awesome!  We had a huge picnic – tons of food (there I go again!!), games, swimming, laughing, and my Daddy.

I thought I was going to die when I seen my Daddy get out of the car!  There he was…with his farmer’s tan…in his swimming trunks, cowboy boots, and a hat!  Everyone laughed – it was the best.  That was my Daddy.  The life of the party…the jokester…the crazy one!  I cherish this picture and the memories.  Thanks Mom & Dad…there is no amount of money or material things in this world that could replace my wonderful childhood memories!

What Do YOU think of this??

F.F.F.

Have you ever had a prayer that you thought would never be answered but through faith…you would continually prayed a certain prayer…night after night and day after day…with no results?  Randy and I had a prayer like this…for years.

One day…God answered our prayers.  Here is a great picture of our answered prayer…her name is Gloria.  Gloria is a precious gift from God to our family...she is my sister-in-law.  Randy and I asked the Lord to bring a special companion to my brother Allen.  We wanted someone sweet, loving, kind, thoughtful, a helpmate, and someone to bring joy to his life.  We asked specifically for a Christian woman with outstanding morals & values.  The Lord answered…and He answered big.  Gloria is all the above…and then some!  She has been one…if not the best thing that has ever happened to my brother.  When you see them together it is like they have been together – forever.  I am so thankful that my brother has someone that respects and honors him.

What I didn’t pray for was a great sister-in-law.  I was too busy praying for the big details that I forget about the small ones.  The Lord was thinking of even the small details…& didn’t miss a thing – Gloria is a wonderful sister-in-law.   Gloria an d I have become very good friends…she is a great encourager and spiritual mentor to me. She is a lot of fun to be around& fun to laugh with!  She  also has an amazing talent for creating things…like a stick horse for John that he loves…& plays with everyday – this is no ordinary horse – very detailed & sooo cute!  She has made me, Mom & John our own soft & beautiful throws…and she made John an awesome quilt that goes perfect in his cowboy room. 

All this is leading to wishing my sister a HAPPY BIRTHDAY on Saturday!  Thanks for being you.  I am…We are blessed to have you in our family!  Much love!!  xxooxxooxxoo

Updates….

The birthday party and festivities are over…Mother’s Day Out has begun, and John has started having a swinging time in gymnastics!

The birthday party was some crazy fun last week.  I like to think that Randy and I have a large home….especially the dining room and den area but when you add 20 twenty people…the rooms tend to shrink.  John had a blast but he was overwhelmed and didn’t understand why he would unwrap a gift…have to put it aside…and unwrap another gift!  John was very blessed with many gifts…so many that some went straight to the attic for Christmas!  Thomas the Train was the big hit and he loves playing with his trains everyday…and every night he has to give them all a kiss goodnight – it is very sweet! 

I am so thankful that my sister quit teaching school and became a photographer.  She took all the photos – which turned out great!  I(Thanks LeeLee!  I love the pictures!)

 Here’s John and his cousin Bennett. This is a perfect picture of John blowing his candle out!

John started gymnastics last week.  The class is offered through the college and it is a Mommy & Me class.  The first class didn’t go so well…John was too busy exploring and checking things out – the teacher said that was very normal.  This week….was excellent!  John did some new things…like letting me push him like a wheelbarrow, hanging & swinging from the uneven bars, and walking on a balancing beam like he had done that sort of thing a million times before.  It was so much fun!  I am looking forward to next week.

The next big adventure this week was Mother’s Day Out - MDO. Randy and I decided earlier this year that it was time for John to start making some little friends and doing new things.  Randy and I went all over Amarillo looking at different MDO classes this spring and nothing seemed like a fit…plus most classes were  full before registration even opened!!  My best buddy Melissa sent me and several other “Mommy” friends an e-mail telling us that she would be teaching a MDO class at the church were her kiddos went to MDO and would love to have our kiddos there.  Without hesitation Randy and I decided to sign John up…we had never seen the place but we trusted Melissa judgment! 

So John went to his first play date on Tuesday and Melissa was right – it was perfect!  Have you ever walked in a place and it just felt right…you knew you had made the right decision?  That’s how it was for me & Randy…and John.  John immediately went to Ms. Melissa and started playing puzzles & games…he did not even bat an eye when we left.  (Side note…I did good – no tears but Randy –well we won’t go there….it was precious.  If you would have told me 5 years ago that Randy Hare would be like he is over a baby I would have thought you were nuts!  It is the most amazing thing!!)  When we picked John up he was pretty mad at us…when we walked in the room he glanced at us and did not come running…you could tell he had been crying.  Apparently there were issues with nap time - they nap between 11 and 12 and John has never napped that early.  John usually only naps at home…he never naps at my folks house or anywhere else.  Melissa told me not to worry that they would figure something out..she said John played good and had fun all day.  I think John has a new friend Ethan…they go to MDO and gymnastic class together – maybe this will be his buddy.

For what it is worth…I am the oldest Mother BY FAR in all of these classes!  I look around and all of these other Mother’s can’t be past 25…ugh….I feel so old.  I go to WW today…I am positive I gained weight this week…I have worked out everyday but Randy bought some Oreo’s…something I have never craved before!  Needless to say I asked Randy to never bring those home again…leave them at the store…or his office!

Here are some random pictures of John…sleeping.