Happy 40th Eric

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUBBY!!!!!!!!!!

On Wednesday Jan 6th my hubby finally caught up in the same age bracket as me.. He turn the BIG 40. Even though I am still 2 yrs older than him I feel like he can't call me old anymore cause he is not in the 30's and me in the 40's at least now we are both in the 40's.. His mom put his picture in the paper from 4 yr old and then one we have done several years ago it was sweet and glad people told me about it cause we would have never known.. He thinks it is just another day so he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. So we skip church and ran a couple of errands and then went to Bojangles with Kim & Scott Hewitt. We were going to do the cake there but Stephen didn't come, you couldn't light the candle so we left and went back to the house but not until the cashier came out there and look at his cake and them looked at him and said "Oh you forty" the way she said it was funny but she need turn around and said he looked good for 40 which I could have told ya that..lol... We went back to the house sang happy birthday, had Kim's cake she made and then I gave him his gift of a ticket to go go to Sprint All Star race in May and a hotel room to stay the night.. Kim got Scott his ticket for Christmas so we are sending them down there...Now all this was the day of....






Fast Foward to January 16th I wanted to make his 40th a good one so and make it a surprise I had plan a big surprise party but when we decided to go on the cruise and use extra money this year to pay for it and Stephen trip I knew that was out of the question so my plan was to go to Wild Wings his favorite resturant and invite all his friends and celebrate his big day and I was hoping that a band we like BlindVision would be out there. Well all of that fell through, Wild Wings didn't want to work with on a table and BlindVision was not playing there some other band was that I never heard of the groups they sounded like. So, after much talking about with others and getting advice I called Chief's and they were all but happy to help us make it a special day for him.. I invited all his friends, got decoratoin, Kim made him a "Life Begins AT 40" cake and with some help from Denise and Kim got things set up and had everybody there by 6 so we could come in and they would all be there. Afterwards a friend of ours is a DJ at the bowling alley so he had a table set up for us out there and we went out there and dance and listen to karokee. We had a great time and I hope now that he gets your 40th bday is not just another day. Thanks to all the people that came and celebrated his bday and help him bring in a new decade...

SURPRISE


All the Old Fart's Friends








Kim husband Scott was there too but I totally forgot to take a picture of them together after he got there.

The Old Fart


Some Birthday fun
His cake was made by Kim will all the things that are as yet to come





I had some more but I can't figure out how to turn the picture around before posting...but they are all on my Facebook.

Can't wait to celebrate his 50th!!!!!!

New Years Eve

This year for News Years we went to Shannan and John house to celebrate the coming on 2010 together. I had all my besties there w/ their families except for Denise.. We all brought appetizers and Ree & Ginger brought sandwich trays. We ate, socialize and then played games of Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples. All the kids hung out in the bonus room watching tv, playing and listening to music. We watch the ball drop and wish each other Happy New Year. I could not ask to bring in the year with anybody but my family and my besties.. Great memories of 2009 were made and looking forward to more to be built in 2010.


Our Host Couple John & Shannan Manley
They were sweet to have all of crazy nuts over w/ our kids...


Tim & Ginger Darwin- wonder if they ever found the pickle?


Keith & Karen Bishop- aren't they sweet looking


Scott & Kim Hewitt- we missed bringing in the year w/ them.. they were the popular ones and had another party to go to...


The Davis- For Christmas next year I am getting them Catch Phrase


Me and my goofball hubby. We have had our ups and down but I think 2009 really put what is the important in our life and brought back that spark w/ us... love ya baby


Some of the best friends a girl could have... Thank you all for great memories of 2009 Can't wait to see what 2010 is going to be!!!


We had kids from 7 to 17 boys and girls but for the most part I think they all got alone and had fun.. Most have we heard a lot of playing around and screaming.. Not sure if that was good or not...






We also had a friendly game of Catch Phrase w/ the ladies vs men plus Kim since our hubbies didn't want to play. The men and Kim won I think John and Keith have played a time or 2 together cause they had there own codes it seem like...







HAPPY 2010 EVERYONE!!!!!!!

Reflection of 2009 & Hopes for 2010

This is one thing I like about blogging I can go back and look and see what my resolutions for 2009 and reflect on those. Here is post from last year. Now did I achieve them well half and half...

1. I am still working on the weight lost but I didn't gain this year. I did lose and gain as of today I am the same or little under than what I weigh last year at this time.

2. This year I am more ready to move to Goucher than I was last year it could be cause of it might be a half to situation but I am prepare mentally for it. We did get Tyler room paint and somewhat of a room now. He has Eric's old bedroom set in his room now and our old entertainment center we still have a few things to do in it and I have my paint picked out for my living room. Still not organize.

3. I did send out few cards not birthday but just thinking of you cards. Maybe this year I will do more.

4. Being compassion and having a heart, I think I am doing it. I have it but acting on it pushes me out of my comfort zone alot of times. This year I will pray for this one.

5. All 5 of us did go camping with the Hewitt's so we did have a family vacation. Stephen, Tyler went with us on the mission trip to West Virginia and we went to the beach. Ryan is 17 and we are totally uncool people to him.. Eric and I did reconnect more this year than in years pass we finally went away over night first in February to Gatlinburg and then in July for our anniversary to Savannah and we had many date nights. We still do date nights maybe not every Friday night like we were doing but we do when we can and we are going to Savannah again in February and on our a cruise in September..

6. Didn't learn a new thing at all this year.

7. I think I have done this one pretty much. I try and see the silver lining in everything and I have learn when you do that you have more of a positive outlook on things.

8. I have had a blast to reconnecting with old friends and family. I get to keep up with nieces, 2nd cousins through Facebook, I have been blessed to have a second chance spending time with myside of family and thank God for it. I got to spend my aunts 80th bday with her, Christmas w/ my family, visiting with family memembers and getting to know them now. I went this summer to meet up with my best friends from middle school Cindy, Amy & Jamie and had lunch. I still have lunch with Jamie at least once a month if not more since we work down from each other. I also reconnected with my childhood best friend Robbie and to this day we are in contact we text, fb message each other at least once a week and meet up once a month, matter of fact I am having breakfast with her tomorrow. I love being on Facebook and keeping up with old friends.

9. This one I think I will be working on forever which is a good thing. I haven't done the devotions, the daily quite time, memorize scriptures but I am learning more and I have faith and trust in God and I know it is not about my timing but His.

So what is new for 2010?? Well I do want to get my house in shape and painted, I want to send more cards out and give more gifts, I am praying for the compassionate hearth, I want to spend more time doing family things and couple things with Eric, I pray for many more family get together with myside and memomries to be made and realtionships to be restore, I do want to learn to concrete I didn't have a clue last year what I wanted to learn but this year I do know what I want to learn and I want to continue to look at the positive side of everything. But this year I have 2 main goals...

1. I want to loose at least 60lbs by September for our cruise. You know it is like if you are sitting in church and you hear a good sermon and doing the invitation you are crying it is called conviction. I have felt it and I have finally responded to it. Well, now I sit watching (listening at work) to the Biggest Loser and hear these people reason to loose weight and I am in tears listening to them. Liz from this past year said so many things during on her interviews that got to me. I am coming to figure out why I am like I am I figuring out the emotinonal part and I am praying about them and dealing with them so this year I pray that with God's help I will achieve my goal. I can't do it alone and I pray for the support system to come and for God's help.

2. I pray this year to have a true relationship with Jesus to know him more and more, to honestly have that quite time and to memorize scripture and most important go to him every morning before I get out of bed pray for wisdom for that day and dress in His armour each day. I am going on Tuesday night to Southern Sisters Sweet and Coffee Shop from 7-8 to hear a praying, Godly lady Cheryl Cannon teach me what the bible says. She is down to earth and the way she teaches it I get it and I am learning so much out of Esp. I am on the Women2Women leadership board and I have many ladies on there that encourage me and are such wonderful mentor. SO this year I pray for that relationship to develop between me and God and for myself to KNOW his word and not just know it but speak it and live it.

I pray for a happy, healthy, many blessings, full of love, happiness, patience, family and friends memories for 2010.

Year of 2009 picture review from facebook

Christmas 2009

Do you say every year you are going to be done with Christmas before December? Well, I do and I am out until the stores are closed on Christmas Eve and back at Walgreens with everybody else at 10-11pm.. This year I can say by Christmas Eve lunch I was DONE with everything but the stocking stuffers and they were done by 5:15. That is a record for me... The older boys only wanted an IPOD Touch so they got it along with some clothes and Tyler wanted DSI so he got that w/ 3 games a case, some movies and games. The boy has more toys than he knows what to do with and doesn't touch half of them so this year not only with the Eric work slack but also I didn't want to focus on all the presents we got them the big thing they wanted and a few other things. We didn't put one present under the tree until Christmas Eve night and Santa came and wrap all the gifts put them under the tree and place there stocking in front of there piles, ate his cookies and drank the milk and he left. The only disappointment we got was Tyler wanted My Sims Agent for the Wii not the DSI I thought they were the same game but he got over it as quick as he got on it..lol

I get up on Christmas take pictures of the boys opening gifts as Eric video tapes and then after all is open and they are off playing later on I cook french toast, bacon, grits and eggs for our breakfast it is one meal we all sit at the table w/the TV off and are like a real family..lol.. Well this year we didn't eat until 12:30 cause I went back to bed until 10 got up and started cooking, got the french toast, the bacon all done and started the eggs and the breaker for our stove blew it so we had to cook eggs on the indoor grill and it took a lot longer than we wanted it to. We still enjoy our meal just a little later and a little cold. Also, while all of this was going on the picture tube in the TV went out. Which has been kinda good as of today we still don't have fix but I have gone to bed w/ Eric everynight and I think he likes that so I am not sure if it will get fix..lol.. I can't get down about any of this cause I text my high school best friend Lorraine to wish her Merry Christmas and she called me right back to let me know she needed prayers. Her son Devin that 3 days younger than Stephen was buring trash for them and he had put an aersol can in the trash a couple of days before and forgot about it as he was poking at the fire it exploeded and caught his face, arms and hands on fire and they took him to the hospital which transfer him Augusta Burn Center. He has 3rd degree burns they let him come home for Christmas but he is back there now as of today and don't know if they get to come back tonight or have to wait a couple of weeks. He can't lay down so he has to sleepin the recliner, he can't get them wet or go out cause of the wounds. He was conditioning for baseball and don't know where he stands with that or school. Then to top it all off the day before it all happen she found our her niece that is husband sister daughter that is in her 30's with a child 7 and I think 5 is dying of ovarian cancer and only has 9 months to a year to live... So, after talking to her and then praying for her and her family I had to look around and my Christmas became my Thanksgiving and I am thankful that I have a healthly family and I focus on what Christmas was about, about Jesus being born and who He is to me.. I know that Lorraine is getting along cause she has Jesus walking beside her comforting her, giving her strength and He will be the healer for Devin and Crystal. He will be there to give her peace with whatever He plans become. So me being w/ out a TV or a stove my kids not having a living room full of Christmas gifts they won't touch after of them well it all didn't matter. God has blessed us with so many things and Him being born was the greatest gift of all...






By the way, I do plan to start my shopping even stocking stuffer early for 2010 maybe this year will be my year to have it all done by December 1st... and I plan to do better with pictures next year too... Hope you all had a Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!!!

Christmas w/ Family and Friends

After our day of spending time with my family that night we went and spent time at the Hewitt's for their Christmas party. It was great fun we had wonderful food, laughter, great friends, did a Christmas swap we got $10 gift card to Bronco's and Carolina koozie and some mulling spices. It was a great time all around and thank you Kim & Scott for having us all over. To see more and Kim side check out her blog

Kim & Lisa


Eric, Scott & Donnie hiding out while they are eating.


The teen boys guarding the food


Eric opening his gift


On Christmas Eve we go to Eric's mom for dinner. This year we missed having Susan and the kids there they were all home sick, it wasn't the same w/out them. We had enough food for at least 2 more families to come but that just means left overs for Eric. We swap gifts this is our Santa place we got our lugguage for our cruise and money.

Tyler with his Ben 10 stuff


Pappa and Gigi w/ our kids


Gigi took this picture.. Not sure what angle she was going for


After Santa elf went shopping for stocking stuffers and went home and made a cake Myself, Eric and Tyler went with the Darwin's to Ginger mom & dad for our annual Christmas Eve breakfast dinner. They have been super sweet to us and I just adore her family. About 3 or 4 years ago I think I made a comment once we are done at Eric's mom at lunch we are done with family. She gets to together with her parents and just does breakfast dinner and invited us and year after year they still invite us and I have learn you don't tell Marge Waters no..lol... They make the best breakfast real biscuts, country ham, grits and yest I have tired the red eye gravy it was good, eggs, bacon just the whole works. The Darwins/Waters family are wonderful..

Tim, Ginger, Caroline & Jake Darwin..
If Caroline gets her way and she marries Tyler me and Ginger won't have to make them decided where to have Christmas since we are spend Christmas Eve together we can just take turns and have them to come to our houses for Christmas Eve breakfast..



Ginger and her sweet mamma and wonderful cook daddy.



Her mom got us all "Find The Pickle" supposely you hid it on the tree on Christmas Eve and then in the morning whoever finds it gets an extra present...


Christmas night we hit our last friends gathering and went to the Hewitts for leftovers. They share what they had left over from Christmas with Scott family and we took our leftovers we had. After dinner we exchange gifts the boys got Hollister t-shirts that say Sweet, Tyler got Mexican Train cause Kim knows how much he loves that game and well she went above and beyond with mine and Eric's gift she got us tickets to see Rodney Carrington with them and them Monday's in January. It was discuss and since I am trying to not to do so much so we can save for a cruise I told them Eric and I were not going so instead she brought our tickets so we can. I am excited I think Rodney is funny and it is 2 days after my birthday.

The oil was part of Ryan's gag gift from Zack and we got Zack some Modern Warfare sleep pants which I think he liked..lol






We had a wonderful Christmas with our family and friends!!!!!!!!

Christmas w/ my family

This was far the best in several years for gatherings at Christmas. I have not really spend Christmas with my whole family in many, many, many years and this year I went to my aunts in Piedmont to see cousins, their kids, aunts and uncles and I left there feeling sad and bless all at once. Sad cause I missed sooooo many of those gathering, I see my boys with my cousins kids and think about they are some what close in age and live nearly close enough that they could have all grown up together and share stories of growing up something that I feel bad for my kids for cause they really won't have memories of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparent like I do. They will have other memories but not family ones. But I feel blessed that we have a 2nd chance to make memories and we get to spend time with my family. The boys have a chance to get know my family and their 2nd cousins and they are still somewhat young enough that they can go from here.. My cousin Rita took her daddy's old home movies and Costco and had them put on DVD and we watch that and seeing my uncle Doyle, Jim and Mamma and Pappa in those videos brought back a sense of sweet memories of each one of these people from Doyle asking picking on me asking if I have plug the sun when I got up in the morning to asking me why my neck was so red, must be cause I was I redneck. I loved going on to the Chastin and spending time with them. My uncle Jim his pipes and his distinguish look he always reminded me of a dad from Leave It To Beaver. Then my wonderful sweetest grandparent John & Ethel Yates words can't explain the love they had for all of us. Papa would take us for walks and scare the dogs off with his cane, he would give us a $1 for chewing gum (this was when you could get it for .25 cents), his little jig he would do sometimes, Mamma and her banana pudding, "delaw", rings and necklace that she would let me play with when sitting on the couch together, Price Is Right, lunch at mamma and papa was a 12pm and if you were late well get in the back of the line, her doll beds made out of baskets. There are so many memories on Beattie St.. Then the memories of Daytona Beach 1st week of August that we would go. This was when you could go to Sea World and Disney World in a day, some restaurant we had to cross over a long bridge to get too and we got sherbet for dessert, Rita and her pageants and getting stung by a jellyfish. Andy and his stories and laughter I think GOd was right on when he called him to preach. Greg and the Yates boys talking about Monty Python sometimes there talks went right over my head. Johnny holding onto me as we were on the Swamp Fox at the beach so I would not fall out, him and Evelyn living in the apartment in Mauldin, the stories of him, Lisa & Lynn alot involved somebody laughing so hard they peed on theirselves. Of course Karen our summers we spend together for a week at her house for VBS and her our sandwiches w/ potato chips then we would go over to mamma and papa and spend the night and me, Karen and Mamma would all sleep together on her pulled out couch and how could I forget Ahchi Foxichi the monster that lived the closet. My aunts, Johnnie Ruth, Katheryn and Susan the example they have set before me of Godly Christian woman and their sweet quite, submissive wife's they were and are to their husbands they were some wonderful examples. Yes, I have many happy memories and I treasure each of them... I pray that 2010 will bring more family time together and new memories will be made. I have always love my cousin Rita and always thought the world of her and I believe that if distant was not the case we might would have stayed more connected. Her and John has raise 4 great young adults and she gave me the best advice that day.."I talk to much" not in general (sure some will say yes to that) but with my kids and I got what she was saying and took it to heart cause she too got the same advice from her mother. See these are the things I am glad to have back in my life... I thank my sisters Lisa and Lynn for making me come around the family and for inviting me. Whatever difference are there with any family members it is not worth losing a great group that came from the John & Ethel. So, yes this family gathering was a well blessed and cherish time. I can't wait until the next one...

My uncle Wallace, my daddy, cousin/Godfather Al, his beautiful daughter that just graduated w/ CJ Spillers Elizabeth and my mom


Tyler took this picture of most of us but not all.


Some of the Chastin/Shealy kids- James Shealy, Amy Chastin, Patrick Chastin and Melody Shealy- some great kids.


My cutie Tyler w/ my beautiful niece Olivia. They hit it off the 1st time he met her.


Funny, just another memory hit me was at the Chastin was all the golf balls and Eric took the kids across the street to the golf course to find some and I think there a couple in my car still rolling around... I do hate I didn't take more pictures next time I will..

Christmas Performances

In one week we had 3 performances to go to for the boys to show us their singing and playing skills I have no idea who they get it from.

Our first performance was Ryan playing with our youth band Ready To Rise at Christmas with a Mission at the church. It was a great night of hearing people share about the missions trips they went on durning the year and what it meant to them, Kim & Michael Lord singing some great all time favorite Christmas songs and seeing all our Pastors do the Elf dance what a site seeing some of them getting down..lol.. Then Ready Rise help end the night and this group of young adults can play Carol Of Bells wonderful and since it was not a night of worship per say the boys really let loose on that song and then all the others that they were just about what this season is all about. It was a great night and I would love to have the DVD.. I do wish I had taken my camera but oh course Ryan doesn't tell me alot of what they doing when performing so I was not prepare..

Ryan in the burgany shirt playing bass


Jessie putting on a show durning Carol Of Bells


Ready TO Rise


Next up was our Flyin Nijina Turtle night sing for us. Tyler was in the children choir and then did a Christmas Shop Around the Corner the kids were great with the singing, the ones that had lines did a wonderful job, the adults were great, a BIG thank you goes out to Joye Hall and her group for all the time they put in with the kids and with all the props and customes. It was an awesome night...

Tyler the Flyin Nijina Turtle along w/ some of the 12 days of Christmas..



I love to watch his face when he is singing..lol




Our children choir and durning the performance



A couple of days later all in one day we had a school concerts. Started off with Tyler Christmas on Candy Cane Lane at school. We was a tree and had a small speaking part. After the concert we went back to his room to make candy houses.

The 1st graders- he is a the top on the left and his future wife that he says is on the bottom left at the end.


His big debut speaking part as a tree


Not only can Daddy build houses he can build Candy houses too and Gigi came to see all about it. The finish product



We left Tyler at school and Mr & Mrs. Santa went to Greenville to enjoy a day of shopping and having lunch together. That night we went to Stephen Dorman Singers Christmas Concert. I must say the boy cleans up pretty handsome.. They were all great.





One other thing we had this month was Tyler Breakfast w/ Santa. The school has breakfast for the kids and their family, they have crafts to do and they get to go and see Santa.. For some reason Tyler wasn't to much sitting on Santa lap but he was ok going and telling him what he would like...