The Sandy Bottom Girls

A couple of weeks ago Bradley spent a week with his Grandma Ann and Dad in Florida, so Laura and I spent the week at the beach, trying to enjoy our first ever vacation with just us sisters.  College roomie Stephanie came down for the week too, so Laura and Steph did a good job of distracting me from what was a very long week for me.  I am glad Bradley had time with his Grandma and dad, but this was our first experience with visitation, and I missed B like crazy, having never been away from him for that long before. 

Ready for the road trip

Sacked out with Buzz Lightyear

I've decided to recap the events of the week and mainly the beach and cuisine of the week in this post because this post is gonna be way too long as it is.  Stay tuned for a "Behind the Music" look at the random events of the week...

Now I love the beach, but it was very surreal being back in Florida as a vacationer because everywhere we went I had some sort of negative association with a place.  It took me most of the week before I could relax enough to enjoy myself.  The first night Laura and I went and got sushi at a great place called the Slippery Mermaid.  For this DIVA who doesn't eat fish or seafood of any kind really, I love that I can get a chicken teriaki roll or a steak roll besides a veggie roll that any sushi place will have.

Sunday morning, I got to go to church at my old church, Midway Baptist, which was bittersweet.  I do love and miss the people there and Brother Dennis.  After church I zipped over to pick up Steph, and then the Sandy Bottom Girls hit the beach!

Steph stole some kid's bucket and made sandcastles

We dubbed ourselves the Sandy Bottom Girls because there was a beach store down the road called Sandy Bottoms that we stopped in for supplies.  Furthermore,  the waves were so strong at the beach all week that we each suffered sandy bottoms more than once, and we also thought it sounded similar to the "O Brother Where Art Thou," Soggy Bottom Boys. 

I have never seen so many crabs at the beach- they were everywhere!

 

Sunday night we went to Flounder's in Pensacola Beach to eat so-so food, hear the band Lektrik Mullet and watch old people dance!  This was a highlight of the week for sure.  See the upcoming Behind the Music Beach Post, coming soon, complete with video footage of said old people dancing!

2/3 of the former Sugar Shack residents, waiting on their table

Stephanie at Flounder's- a note to future Flounders patrons- according to both Steph and Laura, do NOT order the crab stuffed Flounder au gratin. 

Sipping nice cool beverages- can you see the family resemblance?

 

Watching drunk old people dance makes us smile!

Nicknames from the UK years: Steppie & Da
Laura, our photographer, was kind enough to get our yacht pictured in the background!

 

Pretty much all we did was eat, sleep, go to the beach (and have sno cones, of course).  Steph and I were content with this routine.  Laura on the other hand was a little irritable by day 4 or 5.  She was a trooper though for my sake!

Another stolen bucket leads to the Queen's castle (Steph's) and the carriage houses for the two stepsisters!

 

Laura playing in the waves

 

How does that Zac Brown Band song go? I got my toes in the sand... or something like that!

More crabs!  I was obsessed with watching them.

At one point, one popped up near my beach chair. "Look at my new friend," I exclaimed happily. "What's his name?" Asked Steph. "Stephanie," I replied without missing a beat.

We all partook in the relaxing beach past time of reading. I finally finished my book on kids food allergies, and then flew through my Tori Spelling book, and several magazines. I wished I had packed another novel by day 4 when I ran out of stuff to read!Along with crabs, I have never in all my years, seen so many seashells at the beach.  Steph was the ultimate sheller, and found all of these in one afternoon!

Along with crabs, I have never in all my years, seen so many seashells at the beach.  Steph was the ultimate sheller, and found all of these in one afternoon!

Our sandcastle masterpiece- it's all about creating a base for height and presentation!

Laura with one of her many grotesque seafood buckets. 

(Yes, I have a thing with food that looks like the actual animal you're consuming.) This was at the Beach Monkey. And yes, Laura got crabs. That joke, along with "That's what she said," was worn out!

Wednesday we went down to the Navarre Pier, newly re-opened last year, which is now the longest pier in the Gulf of New Mexico. We were thinking about fishing, but after observing the stoic seamen, and the skill necessary for casting our lines that high up without snaring a tourist, we gave up the dream!

Laura, walking down the pier

While we didn't fish, we did see plenty of fish, a few dolphins, and my very first sea turtle. What can I say? I'm a Delta Zeta for life, and our mascot is the turtle. I was beyond thrilled to see the large amphibian swimming in the wild, and highly disappointed he didn't resurface so I could snap a picture.

Navarre beach from the pier.

 

After our sightseeing at the pier, we had lunch at the pier bar right there on the ocean.  Laura and I each had cheeseburgers, and oh my gosh, they were so tasty!  By this day, Laura decided it was acceptable to not eat seafood for every meal.  I decided this a long time ago when I vowed not to eat seafood ever. 

The Sandy Bottom Girls

 

As a belated Father's day present for dad since we were in Florida, Laura & I took a picture together in the requisite beach attire of khaki and white (totally impromptu, I might add), developed a good one, and purchased a beachy frame to give to dad when we got back.

Steph and I picked on each other all week, and it certainly helped me to keep laughing.  Steph dubbed me the "drill sergeant" for apparently forcing her to maintain a strenuous pace on our beach walks!

 

To Helenback's Again for pizza on our last night with Steph

Mmmmm, I could eat this whole thing!

After pizza, we splurged for some ice cream at the Twist.  I got some mocha-chocolatey creation, and Laura & Steph got variations of banana ice cream with frozen chocolate bananas. 

The upside of dropping Steph off at the airport at the butt crack of dawn Thursday morning:

On Friday, it actually rained that morning, so Laura & I drove over to the outlet mall. I scored several new clothes for Bradley, and a cute one-piece at the Gap for 6 bucks! On our way back, we were looking for a place to eat, and simultaneously suggested the Hog's Breath Saloon. Practically every place we ate we dined outdoors, and can I just say, I think this is one of life's simple pleasures?! You'd think in Florida it would be too hot to eat outside, but there was always a breeze blowing to make things pleasant.

I'm hungry just looking at this- it was a fantastic Southwestern Chicken Sandwich with avacado, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and bacon (which make everything more delicious) and a spicy mayo sauce. Hands down, the best thing I ate all week.

We also ate at the East Bay Crabhouse during the week, where I did actually order sauteed tilapia, and devoured it since it neither looked nor tasted like fish, and we visited my old favorite restaurant in Navarre, the Cactus Flower Cafe, and had some amazing Mexican food that rivaled the above sandwich and fries.  We definitely ate well this week!

Mine.

It was the weirdest thing- we didn't see any seagulls until our last day, and then, they only appeared because a school of fish had drifted close to the beach, and were visibly jumping out of the water. The birds migrated over appropriately.

 

Saturday morning, we said goodbye to the beach, and hello to Bradley! He was a cranky worn out mess, but I didn't care! We stopped in Alabama on the way home at aunt Peggy's for lunch and to see our cousin Heather, her husband Bob, and kids Ana and Larkin. Bradley ran around playing with his cousins for a while and worked out some of his pent-up energy!

Aunt Peggy pulling B around in the wagon

At this point, it was very late in the afternoon, and Bradley had yet to take a nap, so he wasn't exactly cooperative when it came time for pictures, so this is the best one I got of him and Peggy. He fell asleep soon after getting back on the road though.

At this point, it was very late in the afternoon, and Bradley had yet to take a nap, so he wasn't exactly cooperative when it came time for pictures, so this is the best one I got of him and Peggy.  He fell asleep soon after getting back on the road though. 

If you have made it this far reading/skimming/only looking at the pictures, and you are not my mother, then I commend you.  It was a long week, and we are glad to be home, although not happy to be back at work, and I am certainly missing the lazy days at the beach.  I'll be looking for takers for next summer because I doubt Laura will ever go with me to the beach again!  Seven days on the beach for her was about four days too many!  We took a tough situation, and made the best of it, and for that, I am so thankful for friends & family like Laura and Steph. 

Next up:  the Beach: BTM...

7 Days of Snow Cones

Here it is:  our home away from home for 7 days:  Tommy's New Orleans Sno Balls.  Each and every day, Laura, Steph, and I would treat ourselves to a small snow cone- a mere $2 of delightful fruity refreshing goodness in a cup.  First we laid some ground rules:   

1. We had to go every day
2. No repeats
3. Everyone would try each other's, and we'd pick a favorite for the day*
4. We would take a picture daily that included us and the snow cones- the angles can be tricky when self-photographing as we did each day. 

(*denotes the group's voted on favorite of the day)

Day One:  Laura:  Hawaiian Delight*, Me:  Mojito

Day Two:  Steph: Jungle Juice, Laura:  Pina Colada*, Me: Cherry Limeaid

Day Three:  Me:  pink lemonade*, Steph: lemon lime, Laura: blue & red raspberry

Funny story about Day Three's snow cone adventure.  I looked at the list of flavors and wondered aloud, I "What's with all those saint-flavored drinks?  Saint?  Or is it street?"  Laura answered knowingly, "it's a New Orleans thing."  She was thinking of the New Orleans Saints like I was, and also because our Snow cone vendor had all kinds of Saints and New Orleans paraphernalia on the cart.  Stephanie was our voice of reason when she laid down her trump card:  "Strawberry?!" She said incredulously.  "Man, I can sure tell you guys are sisters."  We laughed and laughed about that one.

The Saint-like drinks:

Day Four:  Laura:  Polynesian Pineapple, Steph:  Grape*, Me:  Coconut

 

Day Five:  Steph:  Black Cherry, Laura: Tiger's Blood, Me:  Sour Cherry*
(Can you tell Laura was tired of taking pictures by this point?  She was such a good sport!)

Day Six:  Me:  Seaweed*, Laura: Paradise Punch

Day Seven:  Me:  Almond Joy, Laura: Alligator's Blood*

Unfortunately, my Almond Joy flavored one was so nasty I had to throw it out half-uneaten!  I was hesitant to try one of the numerous chocolatey-flavored snow cones, but it was too intriguing not to sample.  I love chocolate, and I love iced lattes and mochas, so this was something I was bound to like, right?  Alas, there is something inherently wrong about chocolate and shaved ice.  It tasted like a chalky Swiss Miss packet over ice!  From now on, I'll be sticking with the fruity flavors.

 Our overall favorite of the week was the Sour Cherry.  I'm sure the girls at Tommy's Sno Balls were sad to see our business go, but we are sure glad to be home.

The Poopy Party

Sorry, we're potty training... it's inevitable that poop is going to the topic of conversation every now and then.

For a long time now (over a year) we've been potty training Bradley.  He has done fairly well going #1 on the potty, but would never, ever attempt to go #2.  So mom bribed him with the promise of a stick horse if he would poop on his potty.  After a while had passed and that bribe didn't seem to be working, I upped the ante.  If you go poop on the potty, I promised, we'll go to Chuck E Cheese.  (We went there for the first and only time months ago with my friend Rachel and her son Mason, and Bradley has talked about it ever since).

Memorial Day weekend was PT boot camp I decided.  I put B in his big boy underwear all day except for diapers at nap time and bedtime, I set my phone alarm, and made him try to go every 30 minutes.  Bradley was not a fan of this method.  However, after this weekend, and wearing underwear at daycare that following week, I am now happy to report that B is wearing his big boy underwear every day now (except for the nap/bed times) and hasn't had one wet accident.  He is great about suddenly telling me when he needs to go potty.  He is very close to being fully potty trained and not needing the diapers when he sleeps.  However, the illusive #2 has become a problem.

Since Memorial Day weekend, when we went exclusively to big boy underwear, Bradley refuses to go #2- AT ALL!  He holds it for days at a time.  He waited and went in his diaper one morning first thing.  Then several more days went by.  Finally, the day after his birthday, on Wednesday, June 8th, after lacing his apple juice with Karo syrup, Bradley finally pooped on his big boy potty.  He was at home with mom when it happened, so I got a picture text at work that morning of the end result.  I have never been so excited to view feces!

To celebrate, he got his stick horse right away, and then we all went to Chuck E Cheese the next night for our aptly-named Poopy Party.

"Bullseye," Bradley's new stick horse

Bradley's still holding it in for several days, but I am happy to report he went #2 again on his potty tonight, so hopefully I have bought my last box of diapers!

10 Obnoxious Songs

As referenced in my blog from yesterday, I started thinking about what my least-favorite songs were.  I came up with ten of the most annoying songs I'm sick of, and would be happy if I never heard again.  In no particular order:

1. Two Princes- Spin Doctors
2. Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down- Collective Soul
3. These Are the Days- Natalie Merchant
4. Mr. Mom- Lonestar
5. Watchin You- Rodney Atkins
6. How you Remind Me- Nickelback
7. What's Goin On- Four Non-Blondes
8. You're Beautiful- James Blunt
9. Fast Car- Tracy Chapman
10. All I Wanna Do- (or any other song by) Sugarland

I'd love to hear about your favorite songs you love to hate on.

Neurosis

There was one day the week before last when I thought I was absolutely losing my mind.  I had been operating on very little sleep, simultaneously getting ready for Rhonda's baby shower, and Bradley's birthday.  While dropping Bradley off at daycare that morning, I stood at the door staring at the keypad.  All of a sudden, my mind went blank and I couldn't for the life of me remember the code I needed to punch to get in.  Mind you, this is a code I punch nearly every day of my life and has become so routine that I normally don't think twice about it.  But this morning I had a mental block.  Slowly the numbers came to me, but not in the right order.  I finally had to waive through the window and have one of the other teachers let me, the crazy mom who forgot the door code, into the building.  So that's how my day began.

Fast forward to that morning at work.  Do you ever get songs stuck in your head?  The main problem with this is that it's never the entire song on repeat running through your subconscious, but rather the same two or three lines, over and over.  This morning the song in question was Britney Spears' latest, about dancing till the world ends.  I don't even like the song, so that's even more maddening to keep singing the lines over and over.  Eventually, my subconscious must have turned its attention elsewhere, and I was able to concentrate on work instead of techno dancing at a club. 

Later that afternoon however, it happened again with a different song- the Spin Doctor's Two Princes.  This song easily makes it to my top 10 list of irritating songs that I never want to hear again, and here it was, on repeat in my head.  What is wrong with me today, I thought?!  First forgetting the daycare code, then that stupid Britney Spears song, and now the Spin Doctors.  I am neurotic, I thought.  The scariest part to me was that I couldn't trace why I would have this song in my head.  I hadn't heard it recently, so what was it that triggered this tune?

Then I had my Ah-ha moment. 

I glanced down at a work-related letter I just sent sent someone.  The person's email address began with "2stinsons@..."  At once I had to laugh at myself!  My brain had associated "2stinsons" with Two Princes.  (Say them both out loud, and you'll know what I mean.)  At least having traced the source of my current neurosis, I felt a little better.  Whenever I get a song stuck in my head, I play a little game with myself and see if I can determine the subconscious culprit of why a particular ditty has camped out in my brain.  I feel that if I can at least determine the cause for the repetitive tune popping up out of seemingly nowhere, it makes me feel a little more sane.  So on this day, I won the game.  And I lost, because really, that Spin Doctors son just grates on your nerves.

367 days later

It's hard to imagine that an entire year has gone by since we've been back in Tennessee.

I have always tried to paint the best picture of my life without oversharing or airing my dirty laundry on the internet. Still, it's no secret that in not too long a time period I met my future husband, married, had Bradley and got divorced.
Last summer I struggled as I watched one week pass being home in Tennessee, then one month, then two, then six.  And then the date of June 6th loomed in the distance.  I began to count down to the one-year mark, and have thought back to the events of last spring with so much sadness.  It was nearing the end, but I didn't know it at the time.  But here it is, one year later. 

Trust me, I never agreed with divorce.  I truly saw things in black and white and believed that marriage was forever, whether you were happy or not.  Fortunately, I am seeing things in shades of gray nowadays, and I, like all of us, am a work in progress with Jesus.  I still believe that God hates divorce.  God hates all sin.  But staying together in a toxic relationship didn't cover the multitude of sins that our relationship created, nor were we doing ourselves or Bradley any favors.  Not surprisingly, Brian and I are both happier with this result.  I trust God with the overall big picture, but it's the little things I'm struggling to turn over to Him.    I guess I am still in the grieving period, even though I am overall a much happier and healthier person these days.
So this day comes, and I mourn the loss of a dream, and I celebrate the hope for the future. 

Toy Story 3rd Birthday Party

This year I didn't do a big party, but invited family and close friends the Reeds over to celebrate Bradley turning 3 years old.  I purchased a couple of decorations from Party City, and used the mantle to display all of Bradley's Toy Story figurines and action figures.  Laura and Mom made us a Mexican fiesta spread of quesadillas, rice, beans, pico de gayo, and fresh guacamole.

The birthday boy enjoyed his dinner.  Andrew & Alesia's little 8 month old Jackson, and he was the best baby!  He sat in the high chair and ate puffs (aka Baby crack) while we stuffed ourselves with Mexican, and then was content to play with the ribbons from Bradley's presents.  I love the picture of Bradley and Ya-ya (Sandy).

For one of his gifts, Bradley was presented with his first baseball glove from Papa

He also got several puzzles since that's one of his favorite things to do right now, as well as a water table, new bedding, a Superman figure, and a Fischer Price Stand and Play race track that's really cute.

Jackson playing with the ribbon

Laura & George got Bradley a set of Toy Story figures that he was very excited about.  (Isn't Lu tres fashionable in her nod to Victoria Beckham with her birthday hat?)

The cake was a point of contention between me and my sister. This one came from Publix. I wanted to make a box mix and decorate it myself, however, I was coerced into buying one.  After tasting the expensive Publix cake, I determined I must have cheap taste because I would rather have Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines any day!  Bradley liked the icing and Buzz & Woody figures on top, so I guess that's all that matters.

Shoveling in the cake and ice cream

I ordered Bradley this adorable shirt on Etsy for his birthday

The party guests (Left to Right):  Tim, Dad, Parker, Sandy, Alesia, George, Mom, Bradley, Me, Jackson, & Laura

Bradley & Papa

Happy Birthday, Bradley!  Here's to celebrating more birthdays to infinity and beyond!

Happy 3rd Birthday

Bradley is officially 3 years old today.  Time flies, and all that other cliche stuff.  We had a Toy Story themed birthday party for him last night, and didn't get him to bed til 10 o'clock, so I didn't even think about trying to go through pictures or get a blog done last night.  Tonight after putting him to bed, I had high hopes for myself, and for the waning DivaDomain.  Alas, editing and organizing said birthday party photos took up my entire evening, and now I am spent!! 

There just are not enough hours in the day.  So the party will have to be recapped later.  Here are a few shots from today, because if I don't at least get something posted now, I fear I never will!

Carrying on my family's tradition of putting a present on Bradley's bed to open first thing in the morning on his birthday- this was a set of 3 dinosaur puzzles.

 Eating leftover birthday cake and ice cream in his birthday t-shirt I ordered from Etsy.

 Bradley & Grandma B

 Bradley & mommy

 The new bedding I got for B from Target.  He's also wearing new pjs from Aunt Conley...

 ... and proudly displaying the pillow that Ya-ya (Sandy) made for him

 Putting a band-aid on Buzz Lightyear's boo-boo.  We're all about the boo-boos these days.  It's a hot topic for conversation, and many a boo-boo, both genuine and fictitious, have been doctored up with a brightly colored band-aid. 

We go for his 3 year check up tomorrow, so I will post the official stats soon.  Happy birthday, B!  Becoming a mom 3 years ago has changed me, and made me a better person.  Having you was the most unexpected blessing I have ever been given, and even though I'm 30 and still don't know what career path suits me best, I know one thing:  being a mom is the best job I never knew I wanted. 

Free advertising

Bradley's current catch phrase that he's learned:  makes us laugh every time!

(For the non-locals, Barbe-Cutie is a local barbeque place, and that is their slogan.)

Spring cleaning

So I decided I would do a little spring cleaning to start out the long weekend and get that behind me so I can enjoy my days off.  I got the bathroom spic and span, and even hauled the Clorox mop up the stairs.  Give me a regular sponge mop any day.  The roommates don't know it yet, but I apparently pressed down too hard on the mop and cracked the handle.  How the heck are you supposed to get floors clean if you can't put some weight into it?

While I was on my cleaning streak (yes, it's considered a streak for me to get the bathroom wiped down, floors swept and mopped, and cleaned the mirrors all in one fell swoop), I decided to do a little more cleaning- this time on Facebook.

We are all guilty of having way too many "friends" on there.  I don't know my exact number, but it was around 400.  Just like phone numbers stored in my cell phone, it was hard to let some of you go, because, what if, just what if, I need to talk to you?  And then how embarrassing would it be to have to re-friend request you?  That darn Facebook, I don't why it keeps "deleting" my friends... we've all heard it before.  Usually I'm on the receiving end of that comment because I'm too much of a pack rat to purge the people I will never ever talk to.  But tonight I scrolled through the alphabet once, and unfriended the people I truly don't have a need to stay in touch with.  I may have only eliminated 20 or so, but it felt good to get that number down a little bit.

Now if only the number on the scale would move down that much too!

Cicada Cinema

A few short videos to document the Middle Tennessee cicadas:

Measuring time in cicada years

It's cicada time in middle Tennessee. These are the nasty 13 year breed that hatch out of the ground, shed their brown exoskeletons, and mate, only to die, and have their babies burrow underground til the next 13 years. It's strange to think of the baker's-dozen-year increments of my life that have gone by with each infestation of these nasty bugs.

1985- I was five years old. I suppose I was enjoying my last days of childhood before starting school that August. I have a vivid memory of watching my dad cutting the grass in between our house, and Mr. Hutto's. He's wearing a brown corduroy shirt with the shirt sleeves cut off. There are cicadas swarming all over him. I can still picture the bugs crawling all over his shirt, which are attracted to the loud noise of the mower.
1998- I was nearing the end of my junior year of high school. I can remember somebody bet David Danztler a dollar to eat one that was caught in the senior courtyard standing outside Ms. Bayrd's AP U.S. History class. We would linger in the hallway for as long as possible because Ms. Bayrd's classroom was so cold. I can also remember sitting through BHS's graduation which was held outside on the football field back then, and thinking how nasty those swarming bugs were. I was up in the bleachers, but I remember feeling sorry for the graduates and their families who were down there on the field with the swarming pests.
2011- Now I'm an adult, and I'm a mom. I dreaded their coming this year. I had no idea how Bradley would take to them. Apparently I have nothing to worry about. He makes a game of stepping on as many of them as he can, and he and some of his classmates picked them up and chased their teacher with them yesterday. The cicadas inconvenience my life right now. In the warm days of late spring and early summer, when I'd like to be eating my lunch outside, or enjoying a drive with my sunroof open, I can't for fear of the pesky insects landing on me, or dive bombing my car. Even as you drive along the interstate, you can see them swarming in the air, and splatting on your car windshield.
The sound of them humming in the trees when you go outside is deafening. And if you've never experienced them, yes, you can still hear them in your car or inside the house. I will be glad when their time here is up, and I can go another 13 years without this bug bother. The next time they come, Lord willing, I will be 43, and Bradley will be almost 16, which is too overwhelming to think about! In that respect, I wish I could make the cicada time stand still.

Mother's Day recap

I don't exaggerate when I say that Mother's Day 2010 was one of the worst days of my life.  Though I didn't know it at the time, it was nearing the end of my marriage.  All I can say is, what a difference a year makes.  This year was relaxing, precious, and stress-free.  I got several home-made gifts from Bradley that absolutely melted my heart, and I got to spend Mother's Day with my mom, too.

I was awakened to breakfast in bed early on Sunday morning.

 I got this vase as a baby shower gift 3 years ago, and Mother's Day was the first time I got a flower in it from Bradley- "for all the short-stemmed flowers your little ones bring to you"

Sunday marked my first time back in the choir loft at Brentwood Baptist, and it felt so good to make a joyful noise!  God was with me.  We even sang "Mighty to Save," a song that will forever remind me of Midway Baptist, but there were no tears, only joy on this morning.  Emily even texted me from France to tell me she saw me on the BBC Internet broadcast!

When I went to pick Bradley up from church, I received a card and flower pot decorated with thumbprint flowers.

Me, Bradley, and Mom on Mother's Day

Proudly holding up my homemade gifts B made for me in daycare

Holding up the hand print mold that Grandma & Papa helped Bradley make for me

A photo session with Laura is never dull...take one...

Take two...

Take three... she's still goofing off here, but it was the best one we got!

We took mom to Chuy's for an early dinner, and had a great afternoon all together.  I love being a mom, and  I love my mom.  She's one of my best friends, and a great roommate (ha ha!).  It was a decidedly sweet Mother's Day.

Black eyes or bust

Did anyone else catch that I goofed and posed my Terrible Twosdays post on a Monday?  Man, I guess I am just ready for this week to be over already!  I didn't catch it until I was pondering a catchy title for tonight's post when I realized that tonight was not Wednesday, but Tuesday, and that I posted the wrong heading for yesterday.  Oh well.  You love me, and you forgive me.

A bit of randomness for the week so far:

• I saw my first cicada.  I am dreading the infestation.  Right now Bradley freaks out if a fly lands on him.  That *may* or may not have to do with the fact that one day I freaked out because a roach-like bug was crawling on him, and he's been scared of bugs landing on him ever since... maybe... so what is he going to do when a ginormous flying insect with beady red little eyes land on him?  Only time will tell...
• My boss called to ask me if I had put my personal items on her Outlook calendar.  I don't think so, I replied.  Well, said she, there's a note on here that says pray for so-and-so's job interview, and another one that says 'lunch with MAB,' and I don't know who MAB is! I was so embarrassed!  Work Fail!
• I then called my boss back to ask her if she prayed for my friend's job interview at least, because since it wasn't on my calendar, I had forgotten!
• I caved and let Bradley sleep with me last night.  Wrong move.  He was all over the bed, and at one point I was jolted awake by a kick so hard to my face that I thought I was going to wind up with the black eye that I've always wanted, though not in the cool way I would have liked to have gotten it.  He was restless all night, and up at 5:30 a.m.  I am exhausted.
• Yes, I admit.  I have always not-so-secretly dreamed of having a black eye... that, and a broken arm.  I think it has something to do with a deep desire to live dangerously coupled with all of the fifteen minutes of fame attention you would get from having both.  Did I really just admit that in print?  Whatever.
• While Laura and I griped for 20 minutes about rush hour traffic this afternoon on our cell phones, she waved at me while passing me on the interstate.  I love living close to my family.
• Tomorrow night is my second choir rehearsal back at BBC.  It's so good to be back!

Alright kids, it's off to bed for me.  Here's hoping that B stays asleep tonight because I can't handle any late night kicks to the face- at least not without some battle wounds to justify the interruption of my REM cycle.

Terrible Twosdays: Blue Steele

At this age, it's so easy to teach Bradley to say anything.  He's both a parot and a sponge.  He will repeat whatever you tell him to, and repeat it back to you at a later date when you think there's no way he'll remember.  I've taken advantage of that, and taught him two Bible verses.  I've also taught him things to amuse myself, such as who the coach of the Kentucky Wildcats is, and this, his model face:

You Zoolander fans might recognize this as Blue Steele.  We're still working on Magnum.  It's not quite ready for a public appearance yet.

Mother's Day Revelation

It's like a light bulb went off today.  Something I head my mom telling me for years finally clicked.  I went to pick up Bradley from his classroom at church this morning, and outside in the hallway was a little flower pot with his name, and his finger print flower designs on it.  Once inside the room, I was presented with a homemade card, too.  My heart melted.  This, I thought, was all I wanted for Mother's Day; a homemade gift, not anything of monetary value, nothing that came from a store, but something personal from Bradley to me, something representative of his age and stage of life;  that's what I wanted for Mother's Day, only I didn't know it til now, and now my day is complete.

Suddenly I made a mental check list of what Laura and I had gotten for mom this year, and scanned back through the memories of past Mother's days when we were kids and would make mom crafts, or cards, or coupon books.  This year's gifts seemed trivial.  I asked my mom, suddenly understanding.  You'd rather have homemade gifts every year wouldn't you?  It was more a statement than a question, because at long last, being a mother myself, I finally understood.  With her affirmative answer, I realized I will probably never outgrow that simple desire of preferring a homemade gift to a bought one.  It doesn't matter how old Bradley gets. 

It's kind of like going out to eat when you're a kid and watching as the adults fight over who gets to pay the bill.  You think to yourself, when I grow up, I'm never going to argue about that.  If someone else wants to pay the bill, I'll let them!  But then you grow up and your perspective changes.  So now I really, really get it.  The best gifts aren't ones that cost a lot of money; they aren't even items hand-picked by you and put on a wish list; they are ones handcrafted with love, and time, and all that is one of a kind and personal.

So for this year, sorry mom, but I promise I'll do better next year!

Celebrating my sister

My baby sister is officially in her late 20's. She turned 27 on May 1st. To celebrate, I met up with her and a group of her friends and coworkers on Friday for dinner and drinks at the Brewhouse, and then went to a classy cool springs establishment called Losers, where I aptly "lost" my debit card. We sang, we danced, we tried on Leah's designer shoes, and we conversed with the "regulars."

On Sunday morning, on Laura's actual birthday and the one-year anniversary of the great Nashville floods, we braved the torrential rains to go to a swanky spot in Franklin called "55" for brunch. It's a southern-seafood-Cajun-type place. Oddly enough, this is where Laura ate last year for her birthday too, before we knew just how bad the flooding would get, so it was a bit eerie to be there again this year with all of the continual rain and storms we've been having.

Laura & George shared some kind of oyster appetizer while I tried not to look. Then they got seafood-poached egg- blah-blah-blah for breakfast- more food that I won't eat. Mom and I ordered the french toast and the bacon & cheese quiche, which were both amazing, but I honestly could have done with bigger portions on both. I wish I had taken pictures of the food because the presentation was very nice. For dessert they brought Laura a heaping ice cream sundae that had chocolate sauce and nuts poured over the outside of the glass, and ice cream-cake-chocolaty-yumminess on the inside. That I DID remember to take a picture of. Note to self: take Bradley to more seafood restaurants. The crackers on the table kept him busy!

After brunch, and opening her presents at the house, I went down to the Hill to help Laura organize her closet while Bradley napped. I DO love a good organizational project! For dinner we went to the Olive Garden, and finished the evening with some homemade strawberry birthday cake back at the Murdoch place.

Laura & Bradley

 Sisters being silly

 Birthday girl with mom & dad

 the Birthday Ween

 Blowing out her candles on the homemade strawberry cake- a combo of Paula Deen & Sandra Lee's recipes

I was happy to have spent so much time with Lu this weekend. Now we have a month reprieve from birthdays until my favorite little guy turns 3 next month. Holy cow, I cannot believe I am about to be able to say, "I have a 3 year old!" Time sure does fly when you're having fun, (or when you have a boring 8 to 5 job).  Happy 27th, little Sis!

Worship Wednesdays: Making a joyful noise

Tonight I made a joyful noise unto the Lord, and it felt great!
After a long hiatus, I am back singing in the Worship Choir at Brentwood Baptist Church. Singing does wonders for my soul, and I'm so happy to be leading worship again, and so thankful for the relationships I know I will begin (and pick up where they left off) through this ministry. My heart aches every Sunday, even after all these months of being back in Tennessee. The praise and worship time during Sunday morning service covers the gamut of emotions for me. I cry almost weekly. Either a song proclaims that same brokenness and need for the Lord that I am experiencing, and I weep silently while I sing the words that ring true for me. Or perhaps it's a joyous hymn, and I am so grateful at what God has done for me, that I weep tears of joy. Or the saddest one, we will sing a chorus that we used to do at Midway Baptist, my church home in Florida, and I will weep, grieving for the life that I have lost.

Music is one of the strongest way I personally commune with God, and so I finally feel that I am ready to take that next step towards healing from the divorce, and sing from the choir loft once again. You'll be able to spot me from where you sit- I'll be the one wiping my eyes in between the songs! Or maybe not. Maybe I will be the one grinning from ear to ear because the Lord has healed me of any pain and sadness! Whatever it is, I am so glad to be using the gifts that God has given me and making a joyful noise for HIM. And he will heal me and use me for his Glory in his way and time. My job is just to follow... and to sing!