LOVE YOU BRANDON!!!!!!!
MUY MUCHO!!!!!!!

An AWESOME 3rd baseman
Congrats on your big hit, Tyler! We knew you could do it!

Lily stretching in gymnastics class
(her back-bend)
She had a little trouble with the parallel bar concept.

Jackson and his friends Ryan and Kade and his girlfriend, Maddie, at school
Jackson receives the Presidential Physical Fitness Award

Catchin' Up

I have been lazy in my updates for this blog. Sorry. Here's the latest:
I am running in a thousand different directions getting ready to go on vacation. I'm going to need a vacation after this vacation! Not only is Brandon out of town while I am trying to get everything packed, but half of getting ready for a weekend in the mountains requires his help: getting bikes, roof racks, etc. I have it covered though! Thanks so much, Scott and Oompa! Jack and Lily are already there with Mom, Dad, Alaina, and her two babes. I have just finished packing myself and Tyler and now I have to pack Brandon who plans to meet us there from his business trip in Chattanooga.
I have seriously gained too much weight! Gross!
Sorry, just had to throw that in there because I feel gross right now.
Anyway, I won an award at work today! It's called a Titleist Award and it is only awarded by nomination from colleagues and presented by the Regional Manager. This award is given once a year and only awarded to ONE person who holds my position across the region of North Alabama. Pretty big deal, I'd say. I was honored to say the least, but dang it, I deserved that award and it feels good to have it! It also came with 1000 points added to my account (redeemable for fun stuff like trips, tickets, food, etc) and a chance to win a spot on the Peak Performers trip to Las Vegas in January. How cool would that be???? Don't worry, I won't have time to try my hand at gambling again since the winners will be staying in the brand-spanking-new Ritz Carlton with lots of pools, spas, shopping, restaurants, etc. Who cares about a slot machine when you can stay in the ever-so-plush bed of a room at the Ritz? Not me!
Enough about me. Tyler has finished his regular season with a great last game! He's been in a hitting slump until his last at-bat when he hit a ringer down the third base line and got a triple out of it. In the same game, he also scored a double play by catching a pop fly and running a kid down at third! Way to go Tyler!
Jackson still has 2 games to play that are make up games and it looks like he won't be there to play them. One is Thursday and the other will probably be scheduled for Friday or Saturday. Oh well, if we make it to city tournaments, he'll get another chance to strut his stuff.
Brandon got his first deal approved this week!!!!!! I am so proud of how hard he is working. It seems as if the big deals the other folks in his office get are somehow falling in their laps and the big bosses are closing deals without them. They just get to have all the commission and glory. But Brandon has not had a deal just fall on him....he works like a champ for what he's gotten and I am extremely proud, even though I miss him like crazy when he's gone!
There you go: you're caught up.

Staying Put

After much careful deliberation and lots of number crunching, we have decided to stay where we are for at least another year. With the economy the way it is and with inflation on the rise, we are finding it harder and harder to plan for anything outside our budget. Therefore, we have decided to stop looking for a new house and take ours off the market. The kids are fine with it and Brandon is fine with it; I guess it's just me who has to get used to the idea of staying put.....a concept easily lost on me.

Mother's Day

I had an awesome Mother's Day! The best one yet!
Thanks Brandon for the pearl necklace and earrings! I absolutely adore you and the gifts you give to me. You are the sweetest man on the planet and I love you dearly.

Thanks Tyler, Jackson, and Lily for the stadium chair, the key chain, and the cards. I love you guys so much!!! You make it easy to be a good mom, and I am so lucky to have you guys to take care of! I enjoyed spending time with all of you out at Lulu's, and it was fun to watch you guys play and catch fish!

Thanks Mom and Dad for the Cinderella Pop-Up book! Lily and I have enjoyed it so much......we can't stop looking at it.

Making Plans

Brandon and I now have our house for sale. We are selling it ourselves, and we hope to have it sold within a few months. We aren't really in any hurry and haven't even looked at a house to buy, but we know that we need to make plans to get into a bigger house.

I am about to start a training program to be able to run the Steeplechase 8K next year in Decatur. I was looking at pictures of myself when I was in great shape and I know I can do it again. I love to run. I enjoy the cadence and rhythm and the way I feel after a good run. I need to do this to lose weight and ultimately to accomplish something not work or relationship-related! This will be for ME! I have picked out some running shoes to purchase and plan to start my program after I get them. This will ensure consistency and help avoid injury, not to mention, give me time to start preparing by walking and planning a daily routine to exercise.

Brandon and I are also busy planning our vacation to Cabo this September for our Honeymoon / First Anniversary! We will be staying at Riu Palace, an all-inclusive resort for 5 nights of sheer pleasure!

Lots going on and lots to do.......just how we like it! Wish us luck!

Tiny bit of luck......

I did have a tiny bit of luck. I was trying to go to sleep last night after crying to Brandon on the phone about how miserable I felt about losing a diamond earring, and I kept thinking about all the things that were in the bag where I kept my jewelry. I got out of bed and wandered to the medicine cabinet with a tiny hope that maybe my earring fell into my travel medicine case.....to my surprise, it did! I called Brandon right away and cried some more......Man, if tears were luck, I'd be the luckiest chick alive!

Worst Vacation EVER!!!!

Brandon and I were looking forward to our first get-away together since we've been together - 1 year 5/5. We decided that we were the luckiest people alive to meet our soulmate when we least expected it so why not try our luck out in Tunica at the slot machines.......no luck there! Learned our lesson about gambling! So let's just focus on the quality time we have together......no luck there either! I get sick and snot, sneeze, and cough all over Brandon. Well at least we can come home to the people and things we love and get back to normal.....no luck there! It seems I lost one of my diamond earrings while in Tunica. I officially HATE Tunica......the wholes state of Mississippi! I am completely distraught about losing one of my precious earrings, not to mention the state of my bank account. Oh well, we can't be lucky ALL the time! We were lucky in love, but that's where the luck runs out!

Scrapbooking and Crafts Website

Go check out www.etsy.com which is an auction forum with ONLY handmade craft items of any sort imaginable. You can buy and sell here and the prices are much cheaper than Ebay due to low cost. Alaina, you should put your stuff on there to sell!