My mom sent me the sweetest thing for my birthday. Kid4 called it a "looking cake".

I promise I'll be back to blogging soon. If it's not one thing it's another around here. My kids have had been fighting the flu and losing lately. Kid4 threw up last week almost all week and then again on Sunday. Mr. B's been out of town and we all know I'm NOT a good single parent. When he gets back tonight I might hide under my bed for a week.

I miss you.

A birthday wish from my little darling

rest

we just have not taken pictures like we normally do.
we're resting.
we're shopping.
we're eating.
we're RESTING
did I say that already?

Today lovely Hilton Head Island

Tomorrow stunning Charleston

beyond that... who can know...

my life is good

I'm off on an adventure with BatGirl. There is no telling the things we will see and do while we're gone.

Don't worry I'll have stories to tell I'm sure!

Thing 2

Thursday I opened up Kid4's homework folder to find a little note tucked away that said "please remember that tomorrow is dress up like your favorite Dr. Seuss character day"

and. I. FAH-REAKED!

I had not seen the previous note, explanation or reminder about this day....

I am not a good mom...

I do not read notes.

So... I frantically ran to Wal Mart and gathered things to make her into her favorite Dr. Seuss character.... (she doesn't have one but thing2 appealed to her and I)

here's what we came up with.

I. promise. to. read. notes. (probably)

Our “meetiversary”

Yesterday Mr. B. and I were talking about how old we are and how much time has passed us by and he reminded me that he remembers the day we met so well because we met on his birthday. I always tell this story when people ask about how we met, when and where…

I was 15 and he was turning 20 that day. He came to church because he was feeling guilty about not going, his ship was in port and my church was within walking distance. It was fate or luck or something but we met that day 19 years ago.

I was at the greeting table with my friend Theresa handing out bulletins and welcoming our guests when he walked up. I can still see him in his jeans and grey t-shirt, I can still see his smile and how charming I thought he was. As he approached the table I leaned over to Theresa and said “I’m going to marry him”. She laughed at my youngness and teased about me being a dreamer.

Mr. B. arrived at the table as I stood and handed him a bulletin and welcomed him I said “Hi I’m Ashley, so do you have a girlfriend or anything”? He smiled and laughed a little and said “I’m engaged”. I smiled even bigger because I love a challenge!

He will tell you that he was thinking how hard it was going to be to stay engaged.

We met several times like that, he would come to church and I was there waiting. We would spend more and more time talking. In my Bible I still have his last name on a piece of paper that I wrote so I wouldn’t forget it.

A few days after we met, I turned 16 and felt so much older and wiser, I planned dates for us and broke up with my boyfriend- yes I had a boyfriend. Mr. B. was out to sea a lot when we first started seeing each other. I would wait all week for him to be there on Sunday or Wednesday not sure if his ship was out to sea or not. One Monday night I called Mike and broke up with him knowing that my heart wasn’t in it anymore. Little did I know he had called Alicia that very same Monday and broken up with her telling her how he just wasn’t ready to settle down. That Wednesday night at church we told each other that we were single and free and the rest is history…

So now you understand our “meetiversary”.

That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

I love you Mr. B- thanks for this life, thanks for being you and thanks for the “meetiversary”, without it we wouldn’t be here together today!

Happy Birthday baby

My favorite picture of us MANY years ago

To the one I love.

Dear love of my life I love you more than I could ever say. You are so good to me. I remember your 21st birthday, how young we were, how you were so excited to buy beer and get carded and they didn’t even ask you! (I know it’s a trashy story but it’s true and we were REALLY young).

I remember your laugh back then before time took a toll on us. I remember thinking how we’d never be over 30 and here we are tempting the hands of time and still loving each other. Is it possible that some of our kids are grown and as old as we were when we met? Do you ever look at them and wonder how we did it?

When I look at you I see a patient man who has loved me through thick and thin. I see a man who has a deep understanding of me and doesn’t get enough credit for the way he loves me. I see a kind man who deserves the whole world handed to him but is happy with just plain ol’ me.

The odds were so very against us when we started out all those years ago and I know I don’t have to remind you of all those years later when we actually chose each other and realized how we were truly in love.

That’s the thing about you and I, I don’t have to “remind” you of many things because you were there. You were witnessing my life right along beside me, you were there when our babies were born, you were there when we fell in love with the T kids and knew we’d never let them go. You were there on the hard and easy days and I don’t have to tell you about them. I love that you’ve been the witness to my life.

Happy Birthday to you, my dear husband. I am looking forward to celebrating many many more birthdays together!

paris in February....

The Eiffel tower…

Paris in February...

OH where to begin...

Have you ever been? It’s quite lovely this time of year… flat dry land, dead trees, ranches, cows and horses…

Okay okay… it was the Eiffel tower in Paris TEXAS but who cares! It was a great memory and we had fun… well it was really cold but it was a memory.

I have been travelling to Paris Texas since I was a baby and Bat Girl lived there for more years than she cares to admit too and I had never been. So on our long trek to visit friends and family we stopped by to be impressed provoked by the size of the Eiffel tower in Paris Texas.

We went, we saw, we probably won’t go again.

If you're driving through give it a look. At least you can say you've been to the Eiffel tower and if your a good liar people will be very impressed! Trust me- Bat Girl have thrown the word "Paris" around lots!

ummmm......what's a blog?

Blogging…?

What’s blogging?

blog (blŏg)
n. A weblog.
intr.v. blogged, blog•ging, blogs
To write entries in, add material to, or maintain a weblog.

Did you think I forgot about blogging? If I even told you all the things going on in my life right now, you wouldn’t believe it.

I’ll try to catch up soon.
I miss you.