Missin' Out

For those of you who have never ventured to the dear ol' south... you are not only missing out on entertainment, but also simply life changing experiences.

--Let me explain--

This morning at 11:30 am, my mother and I went to Wal-Mart (aka hell-hole of the world) We left after picking up a few items. As we drove home the car turned into Hardee's. And for those of you who don't have a Hardee's, well... you should probably keep it that way. I always get on my mom because she is heavily addicted to Diet coke. We are talking about a consumption rate at about 80 oz. od DC daily... problem? Possibly. She swears up and down that she didn't turn in to get a coke, that the car is just programed to know what she needs and went there by itself! ya... right.

Pulling up to order her usual, we are greeted by a "Welcome to Hardee's, would you like to try a... (followed by whatever the special of the day is)" Today it was a hamlkjsndfnsdfjksd (aka indecipherable word) chicken tender?" My mom didn't respond to the woman merely because she had no earthly clue what she uttered.

She ordered her coke. We pulled up to the window and right before we got there I said "Mom, did she offer you a hamburger chicken tender?" Mom says "I honestly have no idea." Well she proceeds to ask the woman if that is what she offered us. The attendant responds "Haha, no I said would you like a handkfasdljfldskjflksdjn chicken tender!" Still didn't get it.

We finally figure out that she offered a HAND BREADED CHICKEN TENDER... not a hamburger chicken tender. Bless her heart.. this communication error was most likely due to the lack of teeth the woman had... Never the less we got my mom's coke.. and that is all. that. matters.

Bring Out The Toys

Yesterday I took all the children to see Toy Story 3. What a fabulous movie!! And for those of you who know me... you know what a bleeding heart/emotional wreck/ freak/ uncontrollable tear machine I am. I may or may not have cried ( I'll let yall decide )

I love my children. Well.. they aren't mine but they might as well be. I have people ask me daily how old they are and how old I am... seriously folks. I didn't start conceiving when I was 10...

They highlight of the movie was watching and listening to Miles. He had never been to a 3D movie and the whole time was trying to reach out and touch everything. So cute. BUT he also is quite the little singer. And believe it or not he has a good voice. And at the beginning of the movie I hear him just a-singin' to himself "You've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me." So great. I love all my children, even though they give me a dang good run for my money.

I Changed The Name.

Today, as we all know is Father's Day. And as much as I would love for this to be a special holiday in my life, I can't say that it is. It is more of a day full of sadness and painful memories, but I must always remember the people who have been in my life to be Father Figures.

So today I am changing the name of the day to Men's Day. Yep. I am.

Here is to all the men who have had the largest and greatest impact in my life. Here's to my best friends dad who would take me on vacation with them , to my next door neighbor who mowed our lawn, to my Papaw who gave all he had to make sure we made it, to my "godfather" who has provided for me that past 14 years, to my brothers who have been a rock solid foundation throughout life despite pitfalls and times of breaking down, to my mother (even though she isn't a man) who has played every role in the script to keep our family together.

I would like to thank my nephews. It may seem strange but they sometimes show a greater example of fatherhoo

d than the actual parents who surround them.

-Last night my 8 year old nephew saw my mom about to mow the yard and I could see the light in his eyes and he said " Granny, let me mow the yard for you. I like to do it." In his 8 years of life he has learned many important lessons, and it shows through and through. He proceeded to take the lawn mower (which is about twice his size) and meticulously cut the grass. He did a great job. He knew that she shouldn't be doing what is perceived as a "man's job" and wouldn't have it.

As difficult of a holiday as this is for me anyway, this year I have a new perspective. Since my nephews are here with us, I get to see them react to the feelings and emotions that people express about their fathers. Their own father situation is identical to mine and it breaks my heart. I see them retaliate at times and break down at others due to the absence of their dad. I now know how hard it was for the others in my family to see me at that age and it is truly life changing.

Thank you men of the world who do all that you can to show love and kindness to those around you.

Babysitters aka Spawns of Satan

So today was a lovely day at work. For those of you who don't know... I have the greatest most awesome job in the world. I am a nanny for 2 precious little angels. And sometimes 2 1/2. (Jack lives about an hour away and comes to visit a couple times a week.) and angels describes them perfectly.... well most of the time.

Laruen- 9 years old.

Emily- 6 years old.

Jack- 2 years old.

We started off the day with breakfast. Then it was piano time so Lauren and I headed to her house to play for 3o minutes. After piano, it was time to read. The girls have to read for 30 minutes a day so today Emily and I read Dr. Seuss's "Are You My Mother?" 40 pages later, Emily said her voice was tired so could I please finish it. So cute.

Alvin and the Chipmunks was the feature film today (we watch a lot of movies.) Lunch time came and then the best part of the day was here.... SWIMMING. We swimm every day.

Sometimes Emily gets nervous in the water and always wants to come in the deep end but just can't do it, which is fine! Well she really wanted to today. I told her it was up to her and that we would love for her to join us in the deep-end. I then got the following response for no staying the in shallow end with her.

E: "I don't like you Madison."

M: "Okay."

E: "I want a new babysitter."

M: "Okay."

E: "WHY ARE YOU ONLY SAYING OKAY!!!!"

It was rather humorous. She gets riled up so easily and it was hilarious! We then continued our swim day and had several interesting conversations. They went from skinny dipping (emily doesn't like to wear cloths and wanted to strip and swim) to why we get tan lines, and then to what the "brown things" on your boobies were.

Today was full of humor, laughter, screaming, and memories.

Words of Wisdom

My aunt came by my house today. Let's keep in mind that I only see her about every 10 months... perhaps longer. As she was leaving the house and putting my Mamaw's things into the trunk (or trying) she spoke some very inspiring words.

Mamaw's stuff wasn't fitting in the trunk. This was due to the massive amount of shopping bags that were currently inhabiting the space. She gave a perplexed look and a comment was spouted off by my uncle "That might fit if you didn't shop so much" ( in a very loving voice of course)

She then uttered quite possibly the most important phrase I have ever or will ever hear in my life.

"What? It's not my fault I like to help out the economy!"

LOVE IT!!!

I will now use that as my opposing arguement when people tell me I shop too much. I live to shop and I shop to live. What can I say... I have a problem. But it is a problem I LOVE HAVING!!!

These are my confessions.....

Ok. as much as I truly dread to make this post, I must.

It all happened 3 days ago. I blame is partly on the sloughing of my endometrial lining. (pardon me if any males may be reading this post.)

I ate chocolate. 4 times. In one day. And I liked it. What is going on here?!

And then tonight... I had a cupcake. And this was no ordinary cupcake. This was a red velvet cupcake. ( which i had never eaten.) But we put chocolate frosting on them. And I didn't just stop at one. I accidentally ate 4. Only tonight couldn't be blamed on anything except my pure and growing love for chocolate.

There. I said it.

This.... is my confession. I like chocolate. It hasn't grown to a love yet, but definitely a like.

Believing is Seeing

Tonight, as I sat on the beach to watch the sunset, I saw something much greater than a huge star drifting from my sight. Of course, the colors were magnificently painted across the sky, but it was the man standing beneath the splash of color that held my gaze.

I watched him and his wife slowly cross the boardwalk to the waters edge. I assume they were approaching their late 60s and they appeared to be absorbing the beauty of the evening. The closer I observed I noticed he was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. She was tenderly hold his hand and then I saw his walking stick. He was blind.

The couple stood in the crashing waves, staring into the sunset. It was obvious they were in love. She was so gentle with them. She offered her shoulder to steady his balance and they stood with their fingers laced between one another.

I was truly amazed at this man. He couldn't even see the very thing that he was there to see. but still, somehow, I could tell that he knew it was there.

I couldn't help but wonder what my life would be life if I were to lose one of my major senses. What if I could never see the ocean again? Or the pure beauty of a sunset? What if?

This man was an example to me, even though he doesn't know it. I am so grateful for the huge blessings that I sometimes forget about. He proved tonight that seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing. He couldn't see the breaking waves, the blueness of the water, the sunset, or even the seaweed that was taking over the water, but somehow he believed it was all there. And how lucky he is to have a loving wife to let him experience the wonderful things of life!

Perfection in Paradise

So basically today was the most perfect day. Here is a quick rundown.....

[5:00 am] rise and shine, it's fishin' time!

-Pop pop and I went down to the brand new pier in Navarre to do some fishing

[10:00 am] come back to the beach house and head out to the water

-The water was absolutely PERFECT today. Crystal clear for a good 50 yards outs. Now creatures, no nothing. And let us all keep in mind that Madison never, ever, ever, ever gets in the water at the beach. So this was a big deal.

[11:45 am] Lunch

-Cheese dip and chips.... my weakness and favorite.

[12:15 pm] Nap and iPod

-Took a little snooze on the deck in the beautiful sun.

[1:30 pm] Nap on couch

-The sun got a little too blistering so I moved my nap inside.

[3:00 pm] Boogie

-No... unfortunately this isn't dancing time... rather BOOGIE BOARDS BABY!

[5:00 pm] Reading

-I lost myself in my book on the deck, overlooking the beach. ( although I am enjoying my book, I can't get Miley Cyrus out of my mind... she kind of ruined the Last Song for me)

[6:45 pm] Run

-Running at the beach. Now that is something that makes running enjoyable.

[8:00 pm] Crabs

-The nightly ritual of crabbing on the beach. Full of squeeling children and enthusiastic adults!

Now I am about to hit the hay, from an all out perfect day. Thank you Florida, thank you.

Looks Like We Made It

Well yesterday was a bitter sweet day. It marked the 14th year of me and my mom and my siblings being on our own. Why bitter sweet you might wonder.... well. Although growing up without a 'man-of-the-house' had been one of the most difficult times of mine and my families life, it has shown us things about ourselves that we would have not learned otherwise. It has taught me that no matter what, if you put hard work, faith, love, and hope into something, you will win. It has taught me how to care for others in ways I never thought imaginable. It has taught me that people are a lot stronger than they think. It has shown me the mercy of the Lord. It has shown me the strength of loved ones. It has shown me to myself.

Although I would never desire to go through this again

in my lifetime, I have learned life lessons that are irreplaceable.

The last, and most important thing that this has taught me is, Sometimes the best example is the one not set. We may look around us and see the good and the bad things, but it is up to us to choose the example we follow, even if it is the one not seen.

Thank you to everyone who has had part in helping my family through the years. You will never know how much you mean to us!

My Family in 1992

My Family Now

A Perfect Day in the Fort

Well, as summer comes into swing, I realize how much I LOVE being home. Sure, it is full of old memories, some bad and some good. It is full of old people, some bad and some good. It is full of heat and humidity. It is full of boring times and strange adventures.

This past week was full of all of those things combined. Memories, old friends, boring times, and new adventures.

My brother and his wife came to visit for the long week

end. We got together early friday morning with my best and oldest friends Kaitlin and went to play some tennis... Or should I say They went to play some tennis and I went to 'learn' some tennis!! Definitely not my forte! But I LOVED IT!! I progressed throughout the morning, and a quick tennis trip turned into a 2 and a half hour tennis outing! My brother commented to his wife "Liz, I don't get it. Madison is so coordinated and good at dancing, but man... she does not have a talent for sports!" haha. I can't help but laugh because it is so true!

We then went swimming and ending the evening with burgers on the grill and riding go-karts. what a day!!

It doesn't take much to have a great day!

My Best Friend Kaitlin!

My Dear Brother Posing With Artie at Michael's... what a treat!

Just when I thought I couldn't stand to be in the Fort, I couldn't have been more wrong. I love being home.