With All My Heart

For a couple nights this week, Drew had to stay in Monroe overnight for work so I let Livy Lou sleep in the bed with me. I hate being by myself, especially at night, so we had us a little slumber party. 

We had just crawled into bed, I kissed her, and she said,

"Oh Mom, you like me, don't cha?"
"Yes baby. I love you a whole lot. With all my heart!"

"Aww, with all my heart too!"

Labor Day Weekend

For about the first 16 weeks of this pregnancy, I was pretty worthless. Seriously, I did a whole lot of just laying around and trying not to barf. Laundry got way behind, dishes piled up, toys were scattered all over the house, the floors didn't get vacuumed (this actually had nothing to do with me... we had to send our Dyson off the get fixed and it was gone a month!), Livy played by herself or watched TV a lot, Drew didn't get the attention he deserved, etc.

Thankfully those days are behind me and hopefully they won't come back! So the past couple weeks (since I've felt like a normal human being again), I've been trying to play catch-up. Laundry is put away, dishes are clean, toys are... well, toys are still everywhere, I vacuum some part of the house at least once a day, Livy and I have been working on her alphabet/letter sounds/rhyming words, and Drew and I spent the entire Labor Day weekend together. And half of it was kid-free! 

Friday night, we had a date night. Pappy and Annie wanted to take Livy to Chuck-E-Cheese on Saturday, so she got to spend the night with them Friday while we went on our date. I miss my girl like crazy when I'm not with her, but I'll admit it was really nice not needing to be home at a certain time. It was like Drew and I were dating again! 

We ate dinner at Copeland's, went to Target, Old Navy, Academy Sports, and then went to a late movie and watched The Butler. We didn't get home until about 1:30am! 

Then Saturday morning, we woke up early and headed to Hope for a softball tourney. I spent all day watching him play ball and just hanging out with him. It felt so refreshing to just be his wife all day without entertaining Livy. I hope that doesn't sound negative towards Livy because I certainly didn't mean it in a bad way. It was just nice to be together like old times. 

 

Then Sunday night after church, we went to dinner with Pappy, Annie, Uncle Glenn, Aunt Bebbie, Gran, Nana, and Auntie Laura. Livy made her way around the table campaigning her plea for why she needed to go home with Pappy and Annie. She knows how to work a crowd. She spent one more night with them and Drew and I spent the night catching up on our shows we had recorded. 

I know I say it all the time, but I don't think it's ever too much... I love Drew. Really. I can't even describe completely and accurately how I feel about him. I look at him and 11 years worth of memories fill my head. 

I still see...

--that 17 year old boy who used to drive me through Sonic after school... and who would steal a kiss every chance he got...

 

--that 18 year old boy that would spend hours tubing beside me at the lake... and who showed me no mercy just because I'm a girl...

 

--that 19 year old boy who left me roses in my car when I was the Homecoming Queen with the sweetest note that said...

 

 

 

--that 20 year old boy who said I was beautiful even when my skin decided it wanted to act like a pubescent 13 year old kid when I was in college. I know I looked awful, but he told me I'd never been more beautiful to him. (A lie, obviously, but a sweet lie)...

 

--that 21 year old man who got down on one knee on a sandy moonlit beach and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him...

 

--that 22 year old man who held my hand and said I do at the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to...

 

--that 23 year old man who would peek through our blinds with me and laugh as we watched our crazy neighbors carry out their real-life soap opera drama in their driveway... joys of living in the ghetto...

 

--that 24 year old man who sat in the congregation and watched me get baptized when I joined his church. That had been a long road of tears and tough decisions for us, but we made it through, and Calvary is definitely our home...

 

 

--that 25 year old man who held his daughter for the first time. His heart melted a little that day, and having Livy here makes me love him even more...

 

 

--that 26 year old man who spent 4 glorious days with me on vacation in the Virgin Islands... scuba diving, exploring, swimming, snorkeling, eating, and enjoying the island life...

--that 27 year old man who stayed by my side and cried with me as we lost our 2nd little baby that we never got to meet...

 

--and that 28 year old man who works so hard for us, who provides everything we need, who prays for me and our children, who loves us and doesn't hesitate to show us, whose loyalty I never doubt, and who is about to become a father for the second time...

 

He means the world to me, and I loved everything about this past weekend with him.

 

Noodles on the Wall

Livy took a nap this afternoon, and I decided to look through some old pictures just for fun. I found so many that made me laugh, and if I didn't have to scan them one by one to put them on the computer, I would probably add them all. But this one really made my day.

Notice the noodle on the wall?

This picture was taken when Drew and I first got married. We were living in our dream home (2 bedroom, 1.5 bath tiny little house in the ghetto) but it was ours! I'm pretty sure I would've lived in a camper as long as it meant that I got to fall asleep to him every night and wake up to him every morning. I had loved him since I was 15 and had dreamed of the day we would finally be old enough to get married. So yes, I guess that made it my dream home.

Back to the picture... one night we were cooking spaghetti in our tiny little kitchen, and we got to talking about how we had heard if you threw a spaghetti noodle on the wall and it stuck, then it was done cooking. I remember we had one of those moments where we just looked at each other, realized we no longer had parents around to tell us not to make a mess... so we went for it! We started throwing noodles on the wall. I don't remember how many we threw or how many ended up on the floor, but I do remember laughing our heads off.

That's one of the many reasons I love Drew. He always knows how to make me laugh... even when I don't want to laugh at him. He makes me smile, and he makes me happy.

It's not about what our house looks like... but the amount of love in our house.
It's not about the vehicles we drive... but holding hands in the truck wherever we're going.
It's not about the clothes we wear... but reminding each other how attracted we are to the other.
It's not about the extravagant vacations we can't afford... but making the most of the time we spend together every day.
It's not always the BIG things in a marriage that make it fun... but the littlest things, like throwing noodles on the wall.

Daddy

Livy Lou loves her daddy. All morning she kept saying,

"I just love my daddy. I want to see him. I just want my daddy."

"Daddy's at work, baby."

"But I love him!"

"You'll see him tonight, OK?"

"But I just want my daddy."

How sweet and pitiful is that??

Then during breakfast she actually broke down and cried because she missed him. So, like any good mom would do, I tried to comfort her and tell her everything was OK I snapped a picture...

Just kidding! OK, I did take her picture, but I held her through the rest of breakfast and even bought her a toy!
 

Drew went fishing in a tournament tonight. He had just messaged me to say he was on his way home when Livy came in the living room and said,

"I need to get my daddy back so he can kiss my cheek cause my cheek hurts!"

"Daddy's on his way home."

"He is?? That'll be so fun!"

She does have the best daddy. 

 

 

AWANA Closing Program

Tonight our little Puggle had her closing program at AWANA. All the kids got to say their Bible verses in the microphone:
Mason- "God saw that it was good."
Abby- "Praise Him."
Livy- "God is Love..."
Thatcher- "Give thanks."

 

 

I can't believe our Livy Lou is old enough to stand up in front of the church and say a Bible verse! I'm so proud of her. I feel like I always say this, but I LOVE this stage of her life! She's so much fun! She has finished her first year of AWANA, and she has her first dance recital Friday night... we can't wait!

 

 



Reunited...

...and it feels so good!

 

We are so thankful to be back at home with our Livy Lou. I don't think Drew was quite as thrilled, just because he had to get up early, head back to work, and get back in the swing of things this morning. Luckily, I'm already retired, so I slept in. LOL

We did have an awesome time on our mini vacation! Last year, we had a terrible time with our flights due to stormy weather causing delayed flights, causing us to miss connecting flights, causing us to make it all the way to the Virgin Islands without our luggage... but it was nothing like that this year! We were prepared. We crammed everything we needed into our carry-on bags, so we never had to worry about checking our bags or dealing with baggage claim. It was wonderful. If you can, that's definitely the way to go!

I know this is super blurry, but we saw Anthony Bourdain at the Atlanta airport. He was on the same flight with us to Jacksonville!

Thursday:
We got to the resort Thursday afternoon around 1 I think. We changed into our swim suits and headed toward the beach. Our resort wasn't on the beach, but it ran a shuttle back and forth to The Cabana Beach Club, which is a private beach connected with the resort... just a 5 minute ride. We ate a late lunch at the restaurant there that overlooks the beach, and then we spent the afternoon playing in the ocean like some little kids. It was freezing, but it was so much fun! That evening we had to be back at the resort for a "Meet & Greet." When we got back to our rooms that night, it was late, so we ordered room service, watched Full House, and cried a little because Michelle reminded us so much of Livy. (Drew is adamant that he did not cry, but I know he wanted to...) :)

This really doesn't do the beach much justice, but somehow it's the only picture we took of the beach?!

Friday:
We slept in a little, but then headed straight for the beach again. We didn't have to be back at the resort until about 5:30 to get cleaned up for dinner, so we wanted to soak up all the sun we could that day... and boy, did we! We went back and forth between laying out on the sand to beside the pool, and occasionally getting in the water, but mostly laying out, relaxing. At one point, I even dozed off while I was laying on my stomach. Biggest mistake ever!

Normally, all the funny comments and conversations are reserved for Livy... but this one is all about Drew. We were each given a gift card to spend at the resort. We could either use it for a round of golf or use it at the spa, so we had been considering our options. While we were hanging out in the pool, Drew said:

Drew- "You need to take your feet and go get one of those... what are they called?"
Me- "Pedicure?"
Drew- "Amputation."

Hahaha! I laughed and laughed and laughed when he said that. My heels are in bad shape from always walking around barefoot, but I was not expecting him to say that! It was hilarious! He has a way of making me feel so special ;)

That night we got all dressed up for the Central Region dinner at the 619 Ocean View restaurant at the Cabana Beach Club. The food was wonderful! Scallops, cold cucumber soup, filet mignon, asparagus, golden Yukon potatoes puree, cinnamon bread pudding... sounds fancy right? Some of it, I have never cared much for, but at this restaurant, it was amazing!

When we got back to our room that night, we were both pretty sunburned. I think I was in a little more pain than Drew since I had fallen asleep while laying out. That night was pure misery. I was freezing because of the sunburn, but under the covers, it felt like I was literally on fire. I couldn't even touch my legs together because they were so hot. I tossed and turned until about 3am. I got up to go to the bathroom, but I could barely even stand up. The back of my legs were so burned I guess my skin had tightened up, and I couldn't even straighten my legs out to stand. It felt like the entire back of my legs would cramp every time I stood or tried to walk. I eventually made it to the bathroom and put a cold wet wash cloth on the back of my legs... anything to ease the pain! I was just about to shuffle my way back to bed when this overwhelming sick feeling washed over me. And sure enough, I got sick. Oh, I was miserable! A few other wives got sick that night too, so I'm not sure if it was the food or too much sun?! Drew was sweet enough to put some more aloe vera on the back of my legs for me, then I stayed in bed until 11:30 the next morning!

Saturday:
When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt so much better, but I still could hardly walk! It was like a baby giraffe walking for the first time... miserable for me, but I'm sure hilarious to watch!

Drew went fishing early that morning with some other guys and fell overboard! Ok, it wasn't quite as bad as it sounds, but he did fall off the boat! Lol! The boat was pretty small and there were no sides. They just stood right on the edge and fished. He said he had gotten his pole caught on some other poles that were stored above his head, and as he was trying to shake it loose, he lost his balance and fell right in. Haha!! I'm laughing as I type this. I so wish I could've been there to witness it! Some of the guys got his picture, but none of him actually in the water... they were probably too busy laughing. Poor Drew ruined his phone and soaked his wallet, but he did catch some fish; and it's a great story, so all in all, I count it a success!

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the great fall...

RIP iPhone

Needless to say I did not lay out at all for the rest of the trip! Saturday afternoon, we took a shuttle over to The Players Clubhouse and explored the place. Since The Players Championship was only 2 weeks away, we weren't supposed to walk around the golf course, but no one ever stopped us! Drew was determined to see the famous 17th hole... so we snuck down there. It was beautiful!

We made it to the 17th hole!

This is the view from the back of the Clubhouse.

That night, we had the awards dinner there. We actually ate in the very room where Tiger Woods made his famous confession about all his infidelities. Before the awards were given out, they had a cocktail hour... so Drew and I, having an hour to kill, decided to go explore the clubhouse a little more. A super sweet volunteer lady asked if we had any questions, we told her we were just looking around, so she said, "Well, come on, I'll give you a tour!" She took us to places that the public isn't allowed to see! The entire place was just gorgeous! She said they just remodeled the clubhouse back in 2007 for a mere $66 million! Shucks!

 

Since the 1970's, the champion of the TPC has donated a golf club.

The President's Cup

 

Inside the locker room at the Clubhouse

After our tour, we made our way back upstairs to the dinner and it was time for the awards. In order to earn this vacation, the salesmen's rental revenue must be at least $2 million. Drew brought in $4.5 million last year... just in rentals! That's not even counting the equipment he sold! I could not be more proud of him. Watching him walk up to the front of the room to accept his award while everyone was clapping (and guys were hollering "Splash!" because of his fishing excursion)... I was just beaming with pride. I love him so much. He does work hard for us. Long hours. Little sleep. Very little free time. Unhappy customers. The sales world is a tough one, but he always handles himself like a champ, and I'm so glad he loves me even when I don't deserve it.

In front of the Clubhouse

 

Awards dinner

 

The same place where the awards were announced Saturday night, is where Tiger Woods made his "announcement"

Dinner Saturday night

 

Have I mentioned I love this man?

The proud wives... I had such a great time hanging out with these sweet ladies!

Sunday:

I started off my last day in Florida with a facial at the spa. It was so relaxing. Then we packed up, headed for the airport, and made our way back to good ole Magnolia to see our girl! It feels so good to be back home with her.

I took a few million pictures from the plane to show Livy...

Ponte Vedra Vacation

So, tomorrow's the day. The day I've been dreading and looking forward to! We're leaving tomorrow afternoon to go stay the night with Brad and Abby, and then we'll fly out first thing Thursday morning for the Sawgrass Resort in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Too bad it's a Volvo Rents vacation, or Livy Lou would be tagging along. I'm really tempted to just stuff her in my carry-on bag. I'm sure she's way under the weight limit... it could work!

I am super sick about leaving my girl. Last year when we went on our vacation, I was most worried about being away from her for so long. She was still so young and I wasn't sure she would understand. This year, we'll be able to talk with her on the phone (and actually have a conversation) so I'm not really as worried about that... I'm more worried about the flying. I hate flying. Always have. I guess I'm just a chicken! So all these horrid thoughts keep flashing through my mind. Like what if our plane goes down, we die, and Livy's an orphan?? (Julie, does our agreement still stand?!) LOL I know it's terribly stupid, but I just can't help but be a little anxious until we're on solid ground again!

I racked up in the $1 section of Target yesterday, so I got Livy some little surprises to open every day that we're gone. And the cards will help her count down the days until we get to see her again!

With that being said, I'm so excited about getting to spend time with Drew. We're definitely that couple who still enjoys our alone time... we sneak in a date night every chance we get! It's awesome being married to my best friend. And knowing he loves me even more now than when I was barely 15, skinny, and could still rock a bikini... well, that makes it even better! :) Because those bikini days are long gone!

Last year's Volvo Rents vacation at Sugar Bay Resort in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. That place will be hard to beat! It was amazing!

I didn't want to tell Livy too early that we were leaving because I knew she'd be way too excited about getting to stay with Pappy and Annie, so we held off until tonight. And here's how it went:

"Livy, did you know that Mama and Daddy are gonna go fly on an airplane? And you get to stay with Pappy and Annie for 4 nights! Won't that be fun?"
*Gasp* "Yeaa!!! ...Aww I miss you!"
"Oh, I'm gonna miss you too! A whole bunch!"
*She grabbed my cheeks* "It ok, Mama. I'll see you in a minute."
"Aww, thank you."
"You're the biggest tower I've ever seen!!!"
^^ Umm, I'm gonna pretend that didn't mean what it sounded like!

Then later, when I was putting her in bed, I thought I'd bring it up again... just to make sure she understood:
"You'll have to say your prayers for Mama and Daddy while we're gone, ok?"
"Ok. I will."
"Do you remember where Mama and Daddy are going? On a..."
"Airpane!"
"That's right! And we're gonna miss you!"
"Let me get my map..."
*Reached behind her head (like Dora), and she unrolled a map*
"Hmm, let's see... where do we go first? First, we go to Walmart."
*Really trying to hold back my laughter* "We do? Then where do we go?"
"First, we go to Walmart. Then to the airpane!"

Oh, I'm gonna miss her so much! But she just makes coming home so much sweeter!

All About Aunt Lori

This post is all about Aunt Lori!

My sister is not one who enjoys being the center of attention. I think that's why we've always made a good team. When we were little, we were constantly creating dance and synchronized swimming routines, music videos, recitals, plays, etc. I was always the one with no shame. I'd get out in front, be silly, and make a fool of myself. Lori, on the other hand, was always the mastermind behind the scenes. Sometimes, I could convince her to join me, but she was much more comfortable with a smaller "side job." But in this post, she's getting all the attention, like it or not! Because she deserves the recognition!

When she was 13, she moved to White Hall with my parents. Away from me. I was in college so I stayed in Magnolia, but she was just in Jr. High and had no choice in the matter. Until she moved, we had always been close. We shared clothes, shoes, make-up and hair supplies, etc. We even moved my bed into her room so we could turn my old room into our very own "walk-in closet!" So when she moved, it was hard. But I know she had it a lot harder than I did. She had to start a brand new school, make all new friends... basically start from scratch. I've always admired her for being able to do that.

Then she graduated from High School with honors and started college at UCA. Without a doubt, she has excelled in all her classes. I always pick on her for being so dedicated to her studies, but clearly I should've been more like her in college! :) I changed my major 3 times, while she has always been the girl with a plan. She's known from day one what she wanted to do and has followed that plan exactly.

She had an interview last Thursday at Baptist in Little Rock in hopes of getting into the Medical Technology program there. We helped her pick out a new cute, but very business-like, outfit just for the interview, and she even studied all 25 possible interview questions so she'd be prepared. When she left, they told her she might know something by the next week. The very next morning I got a text from her that said Baptist had already called her back, and she got accepted! I never had a doubt in my mind because when she sets out to do something, she will practice and prepare for it until she has it down-right perfect. Obviously, it didn't take them long to decide that their Med Tech program needed a smart, dedicated, hard working student like Lori Monk. We are so thrilled for her! Now we get to relax on the beach in June before she starts school in July!

The last several months have not been easy for her, but her faith in the Lord has never wavered! She's such a great role model for my sweet Olivia, and I am so proud to call her my sister!

Here are a few pictures from our celebration supper Friday night:

And here are just some random pictures of my beautiful sister:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I mention she cut off her hair to donate it to Locks of Love?

 

...and she ran a HALF MARATHON!!!

 

 

 We love you so much, Aunt Lori!!!!