Re-Capping Things...

Well - this week and weekend seemed to both fly by and move slowly all at the same time. I'm not sure how that works really; things seem to be moving along at a pleasant pace and before you know it, you're waking up on Monday morning. My motto this week is that if I can make it to Friday, then I'll have another three day weekend. Thank goodness for Memorial Day, right? Moving right along...

Eating some sort of pig ear treat - yuck man. He seems to think they're delicious.

Foot picture - Watson even decided to get in on it. Even though he has no shoes....

Finally saw Gatsby on Tuesday night - it was AWESOME.

I have been excited about seeing The Great Gatsby since I first saw previews ages ago (because the movie was originally set to come out around Christmas 2012 and then got moved to May of 2013) but as the time passed...my interest didn't flag, I just wasn't as thrilled about it. Of course, then my sister went to see it and absolutely loved it, my parents went to see it and thought it was excellent and my friend David couldn't quit raving about it. By Tuesday afternoon, I couldn't wait to get off work, down the road and to the theatre. I was not disappointed. I loved it all - perfectly cast, amazingly done; it completely grasped the excess of the roaring 20's and displayed it on screen. I loved it. So much so, that once Lindsey arrived, we saw it again.

On to something else that I find funny - my dog and the TV. When I went to the movies on Tuesday night, I left the TV on for Watson. I've noticed that anytime I'm watching Game of Thrones and there are animals on the screen he reacts - which is really funny to watch. He especially flips out when the dire-wolves (basically just really big wolves) and the dragons are on screen. When I came in Tuesday night after being at the movies, he was just relaxing, watching what I was doing...but right about the time I came in, a dragon came onscreen. My silly little dog heard it screech (scream, squeal...I dunno, it's a dragon...they're not real) and he immediately positioned himself in front of the TV to watch the rest of the scene. Now - what in the world? Every time he does this I have to wonder what is going through his head. What does he think is happening, does he know that it isn't real? I don't know...but he tickles me; his favorite character on Game of Thrones is undoubtedly the dragons. Silly dog.

Watson says "pay attention - the dragons are about to whoop some tail..."

Shoes...you can never have too many of them.

Thursday afternoon, I left work at 4 and headed straight for Jackson to pick up my wonderful little sister. She had 96 hours of leave and decided she would spend those 96 hours with me - how lucky am I? We chatted all the way home and then stopped at Collinsville's prestigious new Mexican restaurant to get supper. I'm pretty sure Los Rodeos is the only thing about Collinsville that is new or different since the last time Lindsey was here, almost a year ago. I guess that's part of small town life, right? Do enjoy the pictures and anecdotes from our weekend together.

The chip was gigantic...seriously. Huge.

Watson immediately claimed Lindsey as his & was her shadow/lap dog for most of the weekend.

Gigi's cupcakes - they're so good...but Lordy, I swear I always feel sick after eating them. Blegh.

Little beggar only left Lindsey's side to come beg some milk off me, because he knows Lindsey doesn't share.

Staring contest on Thursday night!

On Friday, we took McKenna with us to see The Great Gatsby - which, I think caused us to create a monster because afterwards all her Instagram posts were of Leo Dicaprio or Gatsby-related things. Which, I get it McKenna; Leo was foxy 10 years ago and he's still got it now. We made a couple stops in town, visited with Tina, hung out at the house for the afternoon and got to have Nanny's home cooking on Friday night (steaks in the crock pot, homemade mashed potatoes, butter beans and corn - I know your mouth is watering). We also went to the lake with Watson and let him wander around; we also discovered that swinging is still just as much fun as it used to be.

We color coordinated without even trying - we are just that good.

These two - I think they are peas in a pod. I mean, look at those faces.

The lake at dusk...

Sister picture!

Swinging is awesome!

Watson just enjoyed the park bench - he wasn't real sure about the swings.

Soaring through the air...

Walking along the dam - we had to escape to the dam because of rain...

The clouds were so colorful....

Wildflowers everywhere!

Good-bye for now lake - thank you for the lovely scenery.

Saturday morning, we had to have waffle making round two - sadly on Friday morning they didn't quite turn out the way they were supposed to. Someone (maybe me...) forgot that there was supposed to be an egg in the batter. Whoops. Blessedly, Saturday was a roaring success! After we ate breakfast, we met up with Hope and did some shopping in town, had lunch at Mugshots, visited with our grandparents and then came home to chill again. I cooked some chicken enchiladas for supper and we had some more visitors - an aunt and uncle, a grandma and a brother. My house was very popular this weekend.

Look at that face...what in the world?

Successful waffles and a dog that wants a bite very badly. I shared. :)

This poodle was enormous - seriously, when he stood up he was level with my waist. This picture does not do him justice.  His foot was bigger than Lindsey's....

Shopping at The Atrium - Lindsey got the dress she's wearing. I'd have loved to get that awesome chandelier...

Using the arbor at Plant the Earth for our photo taking pleasure. 

So many gorgeous plants at Plant the Earth - I loved it.

My purchases for the day - nothing too crazy or expensive, but I love them

Typical Lindsey shots - making a "cave" over the vent, pretending to be Marilyn Monroe & tucking her hair under her dress strap to eat...

David's visit stole a little of Lindsey's constant Watson love - he had to visit with David some too.

Having an in-depth sibling conversation I'm sure...

He was so sleepy....but he had to beg for some milk.

Sunday morning we headed off to Jackson - we got some breakfast at Cracker Barrel before I dropped Lindsey at the airport. I was sad to see her go but I'll see her again in less than a month, so I suppose I can make it till then.

Morning cuddles.

Saying good-bye for now.

Yummy breakfast...makes me want some hash brown casserole right now.

Saying good-bye at the airport.

Just me again - passing the time on my own for now. 

Happiness....

What makes a person happy? The world seems like it is getting to be a really dark place at times, so I thought I'd just share ten things that make me truly happy - because we all need a little extra happiness every now and then.

1. My family; time spent with my family is one the easiest and quickest ways for me to get happy.

2. Music; I love music of all kinds - I am usually not too picky about what I like to listen to but one thing is for sure, I need music like I need oxygen. I think that life should have a soundtrack and I'm always putting songs to moments in my life. Thankfully, where I work we can listen to music while we work. Granted it isn't always something I like but any music is better than no music and when I find a song I really like, for about 3 minutes I am just in heaven. The song of the moment is Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray.

3. Reading a good book - there is just nothing like being able to sink into another world for a little while...or a long while. You know, like those books where you tell yourself that you'll just read one more chapter and just one more chapter and then just one more chapter... Characters that you mourn for when they aren't there anymore, places you want to visit because of the rich detail with which they're described; yeah, reading a good book makes me insanely happy.

This is so true - especially if the book is good.

4. The feeling you get on Saturday morning when you wake up, realize it is Saturday and you have nothing to do and can therefore roll over and go back to sleep. That is a special kind of truly happy right there.

5. The love that I get from all the sweet little kids in the church nursery - being the nursery coordinator isn't always so easy; dealing with the adults is often the most frustrating part, but the babies almost always make up for it. There is something about the funny things they say, their sweet little smiles and hug from little arms. The love of a child makes you feel pretty happy too.

6. Cooking something new; especially when it turns out to be just as good or better than I imagined it would be.

7. Traveling. Seeing new places and returning to old favorites. There is a whole world out there to see and I plan to do my best to see as much of it as I can in the time I'm given because getting to see new things and experience all that the world has to offer - that makes me happy.

This is on the list...heck, the whole world is on the list.

8. That 5 o'clock feeling - you know, the one you get when you walk out of the door of work at the end of the day knowing that the rest of the day is yours to enjoy. Even if you love your job, I think you probably love 5 o'clock just as much as I do. It makes all of us members of the work force pretty happy.

9. My friends make me happy; my friends who know me and even when we've been apart for a few weeks, a few months...even a few years, we can pick up where we left off and everything is just perfect. I have wonderful friends and they make me so happy.

10. My sweet puppy - especially when he climbs in my lap and lays his head in my lap or when I come home at the end of the day and he dances around excitedly when he sees me coming. As Charles Schulz said in his Peanuts comic strip, Happiness is a warm puppy. You're so right.

Exactly.

And That's A Wrap...

Well - I think this post will be pretty short and sweet. This past week really seemed to fly by - I feel like I blinked and it was Friday night again. Granted, there were hours within the week that seemed like they lasted for days but as a whole...this week flew by me and I was left standing in the dust as the weekend disappeared into the distance. Crazy.

Taking a walk with the dog...in the drizzle.

This is the face of someone that is tired of all the rain...

Even if the rain makes pretty patterns on the leaves. 

Wow - this picture does not translate well. This was the last scene on Sunday night's (5/5/13)  episode of Game of Thrones & if Westeros was a real place, I'd be booking my vacation. It looks really grainy here though...

Lunch with a friend on Tuesday - the calzone wasn't that great but the Blackberry Blood Orange Tea; it was divine.

Sweetest little face - love this little guy.

This tree smells like Christmas - which is a wonderful smell. Watson & I may have stood & sniffed the tree for awhile.

Wednesday or Thursday's picture of the day - no wrinkles; not bad. Ha-ha!

It was meant to be a taco ring but I bought the wrong kind of crescent rolls, so it became a taco poof. Which was fine; it still tasted good.

Another photo of the day - my addiction. No doubt what I'm currently addicted to - addicted in a bad way; but hey, it's not alcohol or drugs, right? Love this show.

Iron Man 3 - Excellent! Go see it.

I can at least elaborate on seeing Iron Man 3. You see, I tried to go see the movie last weekend when it opened. The movie was playing in three theaters and I never imagined that all three theaters would be sold out. I wasn't adverse to seeing it in 3D although I really just wanted to see it in 2D, but either one worked. Well let me tell you, I drove the 30 minutes from my house to the theater and marched myself inside prepared to enjoy some action and excitement. All 3 showings of it were completely sold out. So here I stood at 1 in the afternoon; the movie wasn't showing again until 3:55, 4:15 or 4:35...and I had nothing I needed to do or buy in town. I finally just resigned myself to the movie being sold out, trudged back to my car and decided I'd wait for another day. Thankfully this Saturday it wasn't sold out and I got to enjoy the action and excitement. Well worth it - the movie was excellent. I'm pretty ambivalent about Gwyneth Paltrow (she seems kind of annoying in real life) but she is a great Pepper Potts...but Robert Downey Jr.; I'd watch him paint walls; that man can act like nobodies business and he's gorgeous. So, yep - there you go. Go see Iron Man 3!

This dog is obsessed with the treadmill - not sure what he thinks is going on.

Saturday afternoon shower - good for just laying around the house & watching the rain fall.

I purged some things that I'd been holding on to for a while & found some other things I forgot I had.  I've got lots of learning...ha-ha!

I hope the earlier part of this week passes quickly...but then once Thursday afternoon rolls around, things can slow down. That way I can utilize every minute with my sweet little sister. I'm sure time will only seem to speed up once she gets here, but I'm sure we will make the most of every minute we've got together. Sorry this week's wrap up was so short - I can assure you next week's will be much longer. I'll leave you with Watson making a face when he realized that Monday was just around the corner.

This little face - he says "seriously, is it already Sunday night..."

A Message to my Mom

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her saying, Many daughters have done worth but you have surpassed them all." Proverbs 31:28-29

Happy Mother's Day to my very first best friend. You have loved me since before I was born; loved me more than I'm yet capable to know since I've yet to have my own children. You taught me the important things in life, like wrong from right, sharing with others, treating everyone with kindness and to always seek the Lord in all the things I do. You also taught me that you should never wear white after Labor Day, that some people don't have the sense God gave a billy goat and chocolate is always good for curing life's little (and sometimes big) ills.

Christmas 1984

Riding the carousel.

An early family photo.

As I grew older, you taught me that life is not always fair. When I got into a scrape, accident or just got plain sick you made sure to be there taking care of me - cleaning and bandaging bo-bos, laying a rag on my fevered brow and making sure I had some chicken soup to soothe a sore throat. When friends (or life in general) seemed fickle, you let me know that I was always loved and perfect just the way I was; of course there was nothing wrong with me, it was the other kid that was crazy. I personally have to agree with you, ha-ha.

High School Days...

18th Birthday!

Graduating from high school - starting a new chapter in life.

You (along with Daddy) have taught me the importance of finding a man of God to spend my life with. The Lord hasn't seen fit yet to bless me with that man, but I know from watching you interact with my Daddy that a man of such character is worth waiting for. You taught me to value myself, not through the world's eyes but through the eyes of Christ. You taught me (and are still teaching me, through prayer) that sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for - even if it seems that I've been waiting forever. I am comforted in knowing that I can only be the Godly wife and mother that the Lord would have me be by waiting for the Godly man he has for me. A lesson again learned by watching you lead by example with my Daddy.

Easter Sunday

MSU Football Game!

Thank you for being the best mother I could have never asked for. The Lord knows what we want and also what we need and what he gives us will always far surpass anything we could have asked for or imagined in our own minds - you are proof of that. You are a loving, kind, compassionate and patient Mother. You have seem me through the highs and lows of the past twenty-eight years and through it all, I've always known without a doubt that I was loved. Thank you for being my Momma - If I can one day be just a fraction of the Momma to my children that you have been to me, I will consider myself successful. I love you and hope you have a wonderful Mother' Day.

And to the other Mommas in my life - the ones that aren't with me anymore, the one that is still with me although she doesn't know it and the one that lives right next door - I love you all too. Even though none of you will read this; I love you.

Grandma Summerlin & I

To the sweet memories that I have with those women - a woman who raised my Grandpa and also did a little raising of of my Daddy. A woman with a mind as sharp as a tack, even in the last few days of her life - she never forgot to tell my sister and I the story of how my Dad was always afraid of the cows that lived next door. My Grandma Summerlin was a true Proverbs 31 woman and a blessing to me for the time I had with her. She is the great-grandmother I knew best; I don't remember Grandma Williams, Grandma Watson or Grandma Rogers very well but I know they were special women because they raised special people that were influential in my life - I may not remember them but I see their influence in my life daily through the people they raised.

Mamaw & I

My Mamaw, my Daddy's Momma. I was her first grand baby and I have the fondest memories of my time spent with her. I remember the ever present bug bite stick that she used when I'd come in from following my Pops around in the garden, insuring that every bite was covered and cared for. I remember Friday night sleepovers at her house; she would color with me for hours at the kitchen table. Every time our family got together to eat she would be sure to cook butter beans and when I came in she would say "I cooked butter beans for you Natalie"...it was the small things that let me know I was loved by her. In what may be the cruelest of fates, she is still here but her mind is not. The sweet woman who used to smile each time she saw my face no longer knows who I am but I do hope that every once in a while she can remember that I love her and I cling to the precious memories we made before she was sick; that she is a wonderful Grandma to me and will always be my Mamaw. And to my Daddy, I'm sorry if reading this made you cry - it made me cry writing it.

And lastly, to my Momma's Momma - my Nanny. The lady that has always been there to offer a listening ear and a word of encouragement. When we would all go shopping together, I knew you were my secret weapon - if I tried something on, you would rave about it non-stop and more than likely my Momma would be persuaded to buy it. You are a lesson in action when it comes to faith; you are still a woman who looks to God in times of struggle and your unwavering faith is both an inspiration and a lesson. Since my Momma is farther away now, your nearness to me is more important and I'm glad that I can always come running to your house when things get a little less than okay. My Nanny, I hope you keep on kicking for quite some time because I don't know what I'd do without your love, encouragement and support.

Nanny & I