Next Week

In approximately 2 days and 18 hours we will be on an airplane headed here for an entire week. Words cannot come even close to expressing how unbelievably excited I am about this trip, so we'll suffice it to say I am really, really excited.

If you need me next week, my apologies. I'll either be on the beach or at the pool eating popsicles, reading books, playing in the ocean and having an all-around fabulous time. I don't mean to rub it in but hey, these types of trips don't happen very often. In our case, never. And we wouldn't be going on this one were it not for the generosity of some of our very awesome friends, who we can't wait to hang out with next week. Like I always say - Good Friends + Good Food = Good Times!! It doesn't get any better than that.

So please pray for safe travels and lots of sunshine. We're all flying into Miami and driving to Key West. I tried to talk Mr. Big Jeff into driving, but he heard 18 hours one way and quickly vetoed that idea. So flying we are, which is ok with me. Flying = more skymiles, which = more trips later on.

We also have an awesome couple from our SS class house sitting for us while we're away. The only problem with this set-up is it means I really have to clean up before we leave. I always try to clean things up before a trip, but I find myself dragging my feet knowing that I have to clean this time. And do you think I've started packing yet - of course not. In fact I haven't even thought about it yet, except to think about the fact that I haven't thought about it, and then just to put it off another day. I did put together a menu and grocery list this morning, since we'll be cooking most of our meals in - and dining on the upper deck with a panoramic view of Key West I might add. Gotta hate that.

So Aloha for now friends (that means hello and goodbye in Hawaiian). Catch ya in a few!

Babycakes

I thought I found my calling last week. I had the best time making these cute cupcakes for my sister's shower.

Here is a close-up so you can fully appreciate the cuteness of these things. Although I take full credit for the craftsmanship, I give full credit for the cuteness to my husband. Let's just suffice it to say my first round of babyfaces didn't really look like babyfaces.

This picture disturbs me just a little bit.

Anyway, back to my new calling. I had a blast making the cupcakes. But then I figured up that it took me about 5 hours, from start to finish (this includes making both the fondant and buttercream icing, desiging the faces, then baking and decorating the cupcakes) to complete this project. If I charged $30 for 24 super cute cupcakes, minus $5 in supplies, I'd be earning a whopping $6 an hour for these things. Now if I didn't have to make all of the icings, or could do several batches at once, it might be worth it as a side endeavor. But until I become more efficient, or grow another set of hands, I'm afraid cupcake decorating is not in my future.

The glowing mother-to-be demonstrating the art of slinging - thanks for the idea, Amy!

Sisters - isn't she absolutely glowing? Pregnancy really does become her. She's leaving me some big shoes to fill when my time comes...

I've had many people ask me if I find it weird/akward/strange that my baby sister got pregnant before me. To be honest about it - yes it was in the beginning, just a little bit. I mean she IS my BABY sister. How could she possibly get through this without me forging ahead of her to pave the way?? Never mind that millions of women have been through this before her and survived:) But I quickly got over my fears, and also my secret but brief dissapointment that we lost our last chance at having the first biological grandkid on either side. I was able to let go of my recovering type A personality have to be #1 at everything because none of that is important. It doesn't matter how far down the list you are, or who goes about it first. What matters is enjoying every step of the journey, no matter who goes ahead before you, and also the people you meet along the way. In 2 months I am going to be a doting aunt, and my sister is going to be a fantastic mother - again. So I am genuine when I say I am thrilled for her, and can't wait to be a part of this new chapter of her life. We are so blessed!

We had our monthly supper club Sunday night, a rockin cajun fest complete with boudan sausage and jazz music. What a fun group!

I hope that face means Hank is really enjoying the garlic cheese bread I made (A favorite Pioneer Woman Recipe).

This past weekend it was cool enough to pull out my hat. Scout was really excited about it too, can't you tell. And Saturday I slept until 10:30 AM and Jeff slept until 2:30PM, can you believe it? That only happens on days when it's raining and we have nothing to do, which is about once every 3 years. I probably could have slept until 2:30PM as well, but my recovering type A personality isn't there just yet. Instead I moved to the couch, sipped coffee, munched on crepes and read my book. A GREAT way to spend a rainy Saturday.

Hope everyone has a great week!

The Daily Trudge

I've tried very hard to be positive about my work situation this year. Working for the state, is, well, working for the state. But there are many advantages to this position. For example, I get almost as many federal holidays as my husband, who works for a bank. My hours are 8:00am-4:30pm, although in my case it's more like 8:15am-5:00pm. But come 4:31pm I am typically the last person left in the office, so technically if I wasn't such a goodie-goodie I could leave at 4:30pm with everyone else. And I think I get paid relatively well, considering what I do, although some might beg to differ.

But no matter how positive I try to be about my current job situation, I CANNOT bring myself to find anything good to say about the daily trudge to my car and back. I've even included a photo below so you can see for yourself I am not exaggerating when I say it takes me at least 10 minutes to get from my car to my office. And that's only when the weather is good and I'm wearing an outfit that allows me to walk really really fast. When it's 150 degrees outside, or raining, you can add an extra 2-5 minutes to said commute. In the dead of the winter, there are some days I'm able to cut it to 9 minutes, but even on my fastest days that is as good as it gets. Anything below that would require an actual sprint, which is hard to do in high heels and dry clean only clothes.

View from the roof of my car to the FRONT of the hospital (Note my office is in the BACK of the hospital)

Now the hospital does offer a shuttle service, but honestly, by the time they pick you up, and then pick everyone else in the parking lot up, you'd have been better off walking. When I tear into the parking lot at 8:05am, I cannot afford to spend 13 minutes on the shuttle when I know I can hoof it in 10. My (recovering) Type A personality simply will not support that level of inefficiency:)

My point in saying all of this is to explain why, on days like today, I really have a hard time finding anything positive to say about work.

Because this means that today, I am going to wet, potentially really wet, before I even set foot in the building. And for someone who is always freezing, even on a normal day, that is almost enough to make me turn around and head straight for the house, and in turn my warm, comfortable bed.

Even this beautiful umbrella that I got from my sister-in-law last christmas doesn't cut it when the rain starts blowing sideways, and the water in the stadium gets deeper by the minute. And to top it all off, we park in a stadium, and tailgaiting is like a religion around here. So for weeks after a game, there is garbage, and tons and tons of chicken leg bones, floating around when it rains. It's like a freaking chicken cemetary. I can hardly stand the sight (or smell) of it now, I have no idea how I'll handle it when I'm pregnant. But that is another story for another day.

One day last month it rained so hard we were all drenched/soaked/completely saturated from the WAIST down by the time we got to the office. Not just our shoes and socks folks, but EVERYTHING from the waist down. And of course our office is always freezing, so on that particular day we all sat shivering at our cubicles until some kind soul brought us a hairdryer to help with the drying process. It was possibly my worst day of work to date. Joint Commission visit - no problem. Complete clothing saturation before 8:30am - it's all over. Since the "prime" parking spots are assigned based on your tenure, I can look forward to at least 10 more years of hoofing it (if I stay that long) before securing a place in the garage.

Now I know what you are all thinking, that the cold shouldn't bother me because I'm from Alaska. Well let me tell you about that - in AK, save the rare 80 degree days in the summer, it's almost always warmer inside than it is outside. That's why you can still wear your cute little outfits, even in the winter, because you know you'll be okay once you get inside. In the south, you go from 150 degrees outside to 50 degrees inside, so even if you want to dress for the season you, or at least I can't because there is a serious risk of contracting hypothermia everytime you step into a building. Also, AK is very dry, so unless it's below zero outside you can usually put on enough clothes to stay warm. In MS, the humidity makes 50 degrees feel like 15 degrees, and the cold just goes right through you no matter how many layers you have on. I'd take middle of Alaska winters to Missisippi cold snaps anytime!

Thankfully, even though it was drizzling when I got to work this morning, I did not get wet. We'll see what happens on the way home.

Okay, enough griping for now. I think I'm going to invest in one of these for future commutes. It's what I used to fish in in AK, and it kept me dry on the worst of days. Wouldn't that be a site to see:)

SUPER Easy, SUPER Yummy Pumpkin Muffins

It’s embarrassing how easy these are, but they are so delicious I have to share.

(1) box dry yellow cake mix (just the dry mix, don’t prepare it)
(1) 15oz can of pumpkin pie mix
(1) tsp Cinnamon
(1/2) tsp nutmeg

Mix everything together, drop spoonfulls into a cupcake pan (batter is very thick) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Not only are these muffins healthy (cake mix w/o the egg and oil is not bad for you) and delicious, they make your house smell heavenly for hours.

I LOVE this time of year.

Bring on the Rain!

Despite Mother Nature's best efforts to thwart our plans, we had a wonderful trip to Atlanta last weekend.

It's been a bittersweet summer for both of us, so a chance to relax and unwind with dear friends was just what we needed.

Jeff's new girl - melt my heart!















The Keim Kids















Jeff and Doug, our amazing mentor/friend




















My sweet, sweet grandparents (who let us invade their house and host a party at their place)















More bars in more places:) How's that for advertising.















Alyssa getting a lift through the muddy stormwaters















Even a little (lot of) rain couldn't deter these partygoers




















End of the evening meltdown - "But mommy I want that chair!" Notice the wet behind, compliments of Mother Nature's fury all afternoon and the resulting dampness that evening.















Old neighbor and friend Meta, and new baby Ishma














Lunch with Lisa, Stacie, Hadley and Lindsey















(Former) Shepherd love - Courtney, Stacie and Josh


We don't miss the traffic.
We don't miss the inflation.
We don't miss the smog.
We don't miss all of the shopping, theaters and entertainment.
We don't even miss our old house.
But we REALLY miss our ATL friends.


A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.
Fr. Jerome Cummings


There is nothing worth the wear of winning, but laughter and the love of friends.
Hillaire Belloc

Hello, Atlanta!

We're headed to Atlanta tonight, our city home for 5 crazy/wonderful years. We're big homebodies, so our very low key plans for the weekend include visiting with friends and my grandparents. In a way this trip is our own little Tour-D'Atlanta, since some of our friends live 45 minutes away from each other on opposite ends of the city. It blows my mind that I can drive from Jackson to Vickburg in the same amount of time it takes to drive from our old house in Marietta to our friend's houses in Norcross. As they say, distance is very relative.

I think I can safely say that we won't be visiting Six Flags this trip. I wonder if you can make a water slide out of a roller coaster?















Seriously though, if you haven't had a chance to check out the flooding in Atlanta, take a minute to do so here . It is amazing and horrific what Atlantans have been through this week. When we left a year ago, the city was still in the midst of one of the worst droughts in history (going on 3 years I think), so this recent diluge was quite unexpected. Thankfully we only had one friend seriously affected (their basement flooded), but it could have been much worse. Please keep all of the families that lost so much this week in your prayers.

I am a little nervous about visiting our old house and subdivision. We had a creek in the backyard that had a tendency to jump its bank after the slightest rain. See the last pictures of this post. Fortunately, even though we didn't understand why at the time, the house was in a 100 year flood zone and required flood insurance. So hopefully if water did any damage to the house, it was covered. I'm just thankful we aren't the ones having to deal with it right now!

Happy weekend!

A Letter

Dear Husband,

The next time you cook with jalapenos and scratch the seeds out with your bare fingers, please refrain from touching me or anything I might come into contact with (including our bedsheets) for at least 2 days. In fact, you might want to sleep in the guest bedroom and wear gloves around the house, just to be safe.

Love,
Your Wife

Sweet Summer

Although we’ve weathered some devastating losses, overall our summer has been one to remember. A few highlights..warning lots of pictures.

My sister is pregnant with her first baby, Marshal, due in December. You can see pictures of her expanding waistline here: http://charlieslittleangel.blogspot.com/

Visits from our Atlanta friends

The Whitlarks

Suzanna, Julie, Mike, Madeline and Caroline

A visit from my cousin, albeit under sad circumstances

My good friend/fellow debate team member/roommate after college Lauren Lee married her high school sweetheart.

The maids


Beautiful, beautiful Bride

Many fun days/evenings on the boat

Amy and Eric welcomed their 6th child, Isaac. Here they are at Mawmaw's memorial, just a week before Amy delivered.

An unexpected, but nice, trip to DeRidder.

Casey, Landon and Carter

Heather and Tate

David, Casey and Landon

I can't post about LA without a gratuitous farm shot. Here's Pop trying to get the hay in the barn before it rained. He absolutely could not have done it without me snapping pictures from the sideline.

Jordan (my flower girl) and Fiona

Establishment of the Bridgepointe Supper Club

The Lighthouse Lane Ladies (minus Dana). And no, we did not coordinate our outfits. This is not the stepford wife club or desperate housewives of Mississippi, sorry. We just all have really good taste:)


The Gents (Minus Brad and Hank)

Getting a little crazy in here!

A lovely visit from Jeff's family



Finally talked Uncle Matt and Aunt Mary Sue into visiting


Heather and Jeff beating the heat


Mom and Pop (I love it when Dads flip their hats)

Enjoying a steak dinner "Smith" style

(Love you Heather!!)

Good times with Neighbor Friends



Jeff finished the dining room table AND the entertainment center, and they both look AWESOME!

Remember this?



Redneck no more!

I found curtains for the front windows AND a rug for the entry way. This would not be a big deal for most people, but for someone as picky as me, who has a hard time making up her mind, it’s monumental. Over the past 3 months I’ve purchased, tried out and returned no fewer than 25 rugs for the entryway and have been scouting out curtains online and at local stores for months. So, if anyone else out there is looking for curtains in the Jackson area, let me know. I can probably hook you up!

I found brand new bikes on Craigslist for $50 each. The husband of the lady we bought them from didn’t like the way they looked (they are vintage PINK and BLUE beach cruisers), thus the sale. I LOVE , LOVE, LOVE them, and for $50 Jeff says he’ll get over the embarrassment of riding a blue beach cruiser:)

And to end, the photo of the day.

What does it mean, you ask? Maybe it's a snapshot of my current mental state, or perhaps my frustrations with society, the government, and where it's all headed.

Or maybe it's just a picture of me crawling out of the back of Jeff's parent's car, broom in hand, ready to clean the world (or beat anyone that gets in my way).

Just keeping it real here, friends!

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake

It’s been difficult for me absorb the finality of death - the whole “I’ll never see you again in this lifetime” piece. For me it’s kind of like trying to imagine eternity – I just can’t seem to get my head around it. Fortunately, until this summer, I hadn’t had to think about it (death) all that much. Unfortunately, this year to date, we’ve lost 6 loved ones: Both of Jeff’s great grandmothers, his paternal grandmother, his great aunt, my paternal grandmother and a good friend of mine from Alaska.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

My grandmother passed away in May after a 5 month battle with Congestive Heart Failure. She was cremated, and honored with 2 memorials – one in Alaska and the other here in Mississippi. Having only been to one other funeral, I had no idea what to expect at her service. It was heartwrenchingly sad, but there was no casket, or really even any flowers, because it was the 2nd service a month after her death. We sang her favorite songs and watched a beautiful slideshow of her life. I sat between my grandfather and father and bawled my eyes out. That was only the 2nd time I’d seen my father cry – the first was at my wedding (I cried then too). But even after all of that it still doesn’t feel like she’s “really” gone. She spent most of her time in Alaska, so there are still times that I call up there, halfway expecting to hear her soft voice on the other end of the phone - “Hey Darling,” she always used to say. And when I visit with my grandfather now, I still have to remind myself that she’s not just in the back room laying down. Crazy isn’t it?

Grandpa, Granny and Courtney Spring 2007

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Last weekend we buried Jeff’s grandmother, who also lost a battle with congestive heart failure. They unhooked the respirator on Tuesday, and with angels singing in the distance (her words) she drifted peacefully from this life into the next. We made it to LA Thursday evening in time to catch the final few minutes of the visitation. They had her in her best dress, in an open casket, looking better than she had in years. Friday morning was the funeral – Jeff and all of his cousins were the pallbearers. I held my nephew in my lap for most of the service - a welcome distraction. But then came the moment for the family to say goodbye. I wanted to be strong for Jeff, for his family, but with the pain of my loss still fresh, and watching my husband break down beside me, I lost it. My heart broke for his family, for his grandfather - slumped over in his wheelchair - sobbing as the love of his life was carried away from him and lowered into the ground. 56 years they were married, 56 YEARS. That’s almost twice as long as I’ve been alive. And after years of thinking he would go first, his Pawpaw is now left alone, confined to a hospital bed, just waiting until he can join her in heaven. They think he has alzheimer’s, and much of the time doesn’t remember that she’s gone. But he remembered each time he saw me – he says I look so much like her. When I leaned over to hug him goodbye, he held me as tight as his arthritis crippled joints would allow, and sobbed “56 years is a long time.” Yes Pawpaw, it is. Then Jeff prayed with him and we left, both knowing in our hearts, but not wanting to admit, that this might be our last time visit with him as well.

Courtney, Jeff, Pawpaw and MawMaw December 2007

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

I’ve heard before, that you lose a little bit of yourself when somebody you love dies, and really didn’t understand what that meant until that summer. I’ve had friends who have lost siblings, and parents – and even now I can’t begin to fathom the depth of their loss, and how profoundly it has affected those left behind. As a Christian, I know I will see my loved ones again. And I know in time that knowledge will bring much comfort. But right now, it still hurts. My Grandpa was also married for 57 (I think) years. That is a long time to be with someone...something this ADD, instant gratification, "I deserve to be happy" generation cannot comprehend. But even though pop culture and society may try their best to demean life, committment, marriage even...I rest soundly in the knowledge that we were designed by our Creator to love deeply, and in times like these, mourn deeply. And that, my friends, is very much okay.

Thanks to all of our dear friends for your prayers, love, support, cards, emails and calls during these sad times. In the midst of mourning, your love reminds us that we have much to be thankful for.

A Prayer

We give them back to you, O God, those whom you gave to us. You did not lose them when you gave them to us – and we do not lose them by their return to you. Your dear Son has taught us that life is eternal and that love cannot die, so death is only an horizon – and an horizon is only the limit of our sight. Open our eyes to see more clearly and draw us close to you – that we may know that we are nearer to our loved ones – who are with you.You have told us that you are preparing a place for us. Prepare us, that where you are we may be – always.

Heavenly Father, of all the changes we have to face as we journey through life, the hardest of all is the loss through death of someone we love. LORD, you know everything about each one of us and you see and feel our pain, our tears, our loneliness, our regrets and our despair. Comfort us in our sorrow and help us to move on. Change the, at times, overwhelming grief and sadness to peaceful acceptance and our weakness to strength. Help us to cope and to adjust to a different pattern of life, never for a moment forgetting those who have gone, but trusting You to keep them safe for us. Help us to remember that Spring always follows Winter.

6 Years Ago

Six years ago last Sunday..

I married the love of my life.

It hasn't always been easy...

but so worth the effort.

And after 5 moves, 2 apartments, 2 houses, 2 dogs, 1 cat

5 cars, 5 jobs (between us), 2 states and 6 years.....

It just keeps getting better and better.


I love you!!