I am...

Just because I saw this and really liked it.....

I am strong because I have been weak.

I am a lover because I am a fighter.

I am fearless because I have been afraid.

I am wise because I have been foolish.

I can laugh because I have also known sadness.

I know my past, yet I can see my future will be great!

11 Years and The Olive Room

Friday, September 10th, was our anniversary!  11 years!  Wes had flowers delivered- something he hasn't done since....well, I don't remember the last time!  When his grandmother was still alive and she and his aunt Ginger owned Kelley's florist in Tuscaloosa, I used to get flowers.  But that was before we were married and had moved out of town!  I'm perfectly fine with not getting flowers because I am pretty practical when it comes to spending money, but it was a very nice surprise!  He also made us reservations (RESERVATIONS!) at the Olive Room.  I've only heard about the Olive Room and we've certainly never eaten there.  He had arranged for us to have the one private booth in the restaraunt.  It is actually a small old elevator that has a table set up in it with candles.  It was super romantic!  We felt like we were the only people in the world for a little while!  And our food was DELICIOUS!  We had a bottle of the best wine ever and hummus for an appetizer.  Wes had tuna that was out of this world and I had a shrimp pasta.  Yummy!  We will have to start saving up for dinner there next year!

After dinner we went by Haynes.  Because were else do you go on your anniversary while you have a babysitter but work? :) Then we headed back to Millbrook with a stop by Dairy Queen for a Heath blizzard and the bank for said babysitter's money!  It was a great anniversary.  Hopefully we'll celebrate many, many more!

ROLL TIDE and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Alyssa's 10th birthday fell on Alabama's season opener against San Jose State and Labor Day weekend!  We celebrated all weekend.  I'm a BIG birthday person- I think birthdays are a big deal and love making birthday girls (or boys) feel special.  She had a couple friends over Friday night and we had our friends and their kids over Saturday to watch the game.  Wes's mom and grandmother came down and spent the day with us so Alyssa got to see them on her birthday.  Jill and Josh also came so that ALWAYS makes for lots of fun!  Alyssa didn't ask for anything big for her birthday- just surprises.  She got a cute new hair dryer and straightener (although Anniston may have been more excited!), a Ramona and Beezus book, a picture for her room she'd wanted, a new binder and a few other small things.  The 3 girls who moved in to our old house spent the night with us Saturday night- how neat!  We took her shopping on Labor Day to spend her gift cards and birthday money.  And then that night we had 2 other friends over for a sleepover!  Lots of spend the night company but I love listening to the girls play and make up dances to blaring music.  I know God knew what he was doing when he gave me daughters! 
Oh, and Alabama won (not surprising, but still exciting!).
ROLL TIDE!!!!

Remember When

Most of my blogs are about our girls.  Because they are way cuter and much more exciting than myself and Wes!  But...Wes and I do have a life as well, surprisingly!  Of course, our kids are a HUGE part of our lives and I don't know what we would do without them but there will come a day when it's just me and Wes again.  Isn't that the goal- to raise independent, self sufficient children who will one day spread their wings and fly (not too far away from home, please!)?  And that will leave us with, well each other.  I must tell you, I'm not rushing this season in life for one second, but when we get to that next season, I plan to enjoy it just as much as where we are now!  Wes and I love the country song that says, "When the children grow up and move away, we won't be sad, we'll be glad, for all the life we've had....And we'll remember when."  I am just SO glad for all the life we've had up to this point- and we've done a lot of living!  But I know there will come a day when I have even more life behind me and so will our girls. 
This December will be 15 years since Wes and I had our first date!  We were both 16 year old juniors with several of the same classes and we lived about 5 houses away from one another.  And he somehow still managed to be late picking me up to go see "Seven".  It is still one of our favorite movies.  I was the quiet girl on yearbook staff and he was the cute baseball player who was always goofing off.  Match made in Heaven, right?  But one date led to another and another and then to prom and long talks and becoming best friends and falling in love.  I'm pretty sure no matter what had happened after those first couple of years, we would have always had a special place in one anothers heart.  There is just something about first real loves....we shared so many firsts with one another and we were young and crazy in love and  did stupid crazy teenage things and grew into adults together.  So much so that we got married at the ripe old age of 20.  I will say this, I hope my daughters get married when they are mature enough to understand and take on the commitment of marriage.  I knew at 20, standing in a gazebo beside the ocean in Jamaica, that I meant and fully intended to keep the vows I was taking.  And I can tell you, at 30, when Wes totally surprised me with a surprise vow renewal for our 10 year anniversary, I meant and fully intended to keep those vows as well.  I am a HUGE believer in doing what you say and keeping your word.  So if I say I'm going to do something, you can pretty well take it to the bank.  That doesn't mean that those 10 years were always easy and perfect in between, but I wouldn't trade any of them for a day with another person.
This past year of marriage has by far been the most difficult year for us!  We've had 3 very involved and active girls and major stress factors to deal with.  (You try keeping a house 5 people live in clean enough to be shown to potential buyers at a moments notice- STRESSFUL!)  :)  But, we have pressed on and as our 11th anniversary approaches, I love my husband more today than I did yesterday and more today than I did 11 years ago.  And I was REALLY in love with him back then!  ;)  I love the man that he is and I love him even more for the man that he wants to become.  I love him not only because he gave me our girls, but because of the Daddy he is to them.  I love him not only because he provides for us, but because he does it out of love and not duty.  I love him not only because he loves me, but because he loves me at my best AND my worst.  And at the end of the day, I love him at his best and worst- and I've seen him at both ends of the spectrum.  When I am unlovable, he loves me anyway.  And when he is unlovable, I've kept on loving him.  "One day we're gonna look back and say 'Look at us now' ".......  I've repeated this line from dear ol' Reba so many times.  Being married isn't really about being storybook happy every day.  It is great on the days that we are living a fairy tale.  But being married is about seeing the other person for who they are and who you know they can be.  It's about forgiving when forgiving is the last thing you want to do.  It's about looking forward with your spouse rather than looking back without them.  It's about seeing beyond their flaws and remembering their perfections.  It's about being your spouses biggest cheerleader even if you are the only one on the squad.  It's about knowing their worth even when they don't.  It's about choices- making the best ones and working through it when you don't.  It's about honesty and trust and keeping what is precious to you near and dear.  It's a conscious and daily effort you can never take for granted.  It's easier said than done.  It's a huge commitment.  But, it's worth it.
I love you, babe.

Happy 11th Anniversary!

"Remember When"
Remember when I was young and so were you
And time stood still and love was all we knew

You were the first, so was I

We made love and then you cried
 Remember when

Remember when we vowed the vows

And walked the walk

Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard

We lived and learned, life threw curves

There was joy, there was hurtRemember when



Remember when old ones died and new were born

And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged

We came together, fell apart

And broke each other's hearts

Remember when



Remember when the sound of little feet

Was the music

We danced to week to week

Brought back the love, we found trust

Vowed we'd never give it up

Remember when



Remember when thirty seemed so old

Now lookn' back it's just a steppin' stone

To where we are,

Where we've been

Said we'd do it all again

Remember when

 Remember when we said when we turned gray

When the children grow up and move away

We won't be sad, we'll be glad

For all the life we've had

And we'll remember when.