Girls' Day Out!!

Saturday morning I headed to Concord Mills with some friends- Jackie, Cori, Jess (and she brought along a friend, too), for a Girls' Day of shopping, lunch, and hanging out! I didnt know till last minute that I would have to be the one driving all the way down to the mall, so I was really nervous. Yeah, its embarrasing, but I've never driven to Charlotte by myself! Of course the directional thing, plus big cities and lots of traffic make me nervous. But I looked up and printed out directions and went over them with Arnold before I left, so I was pretty confident. Plus I had friends right there with me to help me ;) Its funny, because on my list of "30 things I want to do before Im 30", this was one of them (drive somewhere like that by myself) so I can now mark that off the list! ;) (hey, dont judge-- Im proud!) I was a little offended when Arnold started praying for safety before I left though! Haha, just picking, it was sweet :)

Anyway, I picked up Jackie and Cori first, then met Jess and her friend in a parking lot, and we left from there. Jackie was holding onto my directions and read off to me when I should get onto another road, so I didnt really have to think about it at all! (thanks Jackie!) Who needs a Tom Tom when you have a Jack Jackie?! (a joke Jess made!) I made the girls listen to my Glee cds when we were on the way down there, hehe. We mostly ended up doing a lot of talking and laughing though.. its always so fun to hang out with friends, especially after a stressful week! We ended up getting down there without any trouble, it was soo much easier than I had expected. And as soon as we got there, I called Arnold to brag but of course he didnt answer! We got down there just before 11 and hit the bathrooms before we started our shopping!!

I dont remember the order of the stores we went to, but we went to alot! A stop thats a must is the Books a Million. I could stand and browse in there forever! There was soo many childrens' clearance books, but I couldnt decide what i wanted so I left without buying anything. Right after that we stopped for a lunch break. I dont know what it is about malls, but anytime I go I have to stop by Sbarros and get some of that yummy, greasy pizza, and dip it into ranch dressing. It is sooo good. I know how bad it is, but its fine to indulge once in awhile, right?! After lunch we went to the Gymboree outlet. Now that store can get me into some serious trouble! They had their OWL stuff marked down even further than last time I went to an outlet. I wont lie, I was tempted to scoop it all up and buy it, but I knew Rachel didnt need any more clothes! So we moved on, and I was proud of myself again ;) We went to several more kids' clothing stores, and I didnt buy anything until we got to Crazy 8 (never been into an actual Crazy 8 store) and got Caleb some pjs and Brooke some panties because they were having such a good sale! There was a certain pair I wanted for Brooke and I had Cori digging deep into the pile to find them (that was a sight!) but we never did find them :( Oh well. Later we passed the FYE store, and I saw a Sheldon cutout in the window and Cori and I started running towards it (we loove Sheldon ;) And we made the girls take a picture of us with him. I actually turned the big cutout around so it was facing inside the store.. Im glad none of the workers came over and asked me what I was doing! And then we saw Edward and Jacob cutouts, so we had to get pics with them, too! I saw people looking at us strangely, but who cares?! :)

We eventually came to the candy store, and I went in and got 2 blueberry rock candy sticks (takes me back to my childhood!) and a sweettart sucker. Im glad Arnold wasnt with me, because he usually buys the jellybeans by the lbs and we end up leaving with like a $15 bag of candy (true story!) By then I had only spent $15 on stuff, so I was happy with that. I had taken a lot of cash with me but just couldnt find anything I wanted to buy that badly. Kindof sad that I went all the way to Charlotte and only bought a few things.. but not really because the more important thing to me was time spent with friends :) The trip was totally worth it to me! Anyway, eventually we sat down to rest for awhile on a bench, and we were sitting right in front of an Orange Julius. After awhile it was calling out to me, so I went over and ordered a chocolate milkshake. Yummmm. By then it was getting close to the time we were supposed to leave the mall, so we started making our way back to where we came in. On the way we passed the Christian Book Outlet though, so we stopped in real quick. I found "Power of a Praying Wife" on sale, which Ive actually been wanting to read for a long time! So i got that, along with a new bookmark and a greeting card for a friend of mine.

Around 3pm we finally got around to leaving. We had taken pictures off and on throughout the day, but hadnt gotten a group picture. We needed someone to take it for us though. So here comes an older lady walking around the corner with her husband, and Jess yells out "MAM, can you take our picture for us?!" She was nice about it, and took it for us. We thanked her and she went on her way. Jess was being silly and said. Aww, we didnt even know her name. She looks like a Barbara to me. Dont you think?! And she yelled out THANKS BARBARA! (even though she was pretty much out the door by then and didnt hear) And I said Geez, what if she would have really turned around because that was her name? I would have busted out laughing!!! See, jess says I havent changed at all since highschool, but I dont think she has either!!! ;) Then we headed out to the van, and at first we couldnt find it. Jess said "Just look for the van with the wagon-shaped dent in it!' (yall probably remember my story awhile back about me accidentally backing over the kids' wagon one day) I dont know why I take that kind of abuse from people! haha! ;) But we eventually found it and got back on the road. We ended up getting back home really quickly actually.. probably faster than on the way down (Arnold swears its because I was speeding on the way! who knows ;) But we made it back, and we had an awesome time. I cant wait to do it again!! :)

Jackie and I at lunch

Cori and I. Notice the Sbarros in the pic?!
Cori and I with Sheldon!!! Bazinga punk!! :)

MMMMM, Me and my Man Jacob ;)

Driving down I-85. Yeah I made Jackie take this. And yeah I slowed down and just looked over really quickly. I WAS paying attention to the road.. most of the time!!! ;)

Love of Fall!

Ok so this is sort of out of order, didnt mean to do that! But THANKSGIVING! I love all the foods and spending time with Family. My mom always has a dinner at her house. Have I mentione what a fabulous cook she is? Both my parents are. And I know what you're thinking.. No I DIDNT inherit that from them! ;) Which is why I've never hosted Thanksgiving myself.. who would want to eat that?! ;)

Breaking out the sweaters! And other warm clothes. I love the look of a sweater. They are so warm and cozy, too. I love wearing sweaters, hoodies, and cute jackets. Arnold got me a cute khaki colored jacket for this Fall, and Ive worn it alot already. Plus, with my brown hair and brown eyes, they say "fall colors" look best on me, so I guess I love this time of year for that too!

The Mountains! Taking day trips up there with Arnold or the family. I am so thankful we live in the state we do, so a drive to the beautiful mountains doesnt take long at all! Arnold and I have already taken a day trip once this Fall, and hope to go again soon with the kids. Something about the cool air, changing leaves, picnics, hiking, and "mountain products!" (family joke!)


Halloween candy! Oh man, I love this time of year for all the candy they put out. Although Im sure my waistline doesnt care for it very much! I always love to buy candy corn, candy corn pumpkins, M&Ms, and other yummy goodies. And then the few days after Halloween when they put it on clearance is the best.. you can really stock up! Yeah i am big on chocolate, I wont lie! I have been known to "steal" candy from the kids' buckets after they have been out trick-or-treating. My faves are Reese cups and 3 Musketeers!

The actual holiday of Halloween! Its fun. Although I dont like any scary aspects of it. I know Im weird.. I know its alot of peoples favorite holiday ever. But im a big wimp AND i have a weak stomach, so.. I dont like any scary things or gory stuff. Thats why i dont go to haunted houses, or Scarowinds, or other things like that. I also dont allow the kids to dress up in anything "evil" or "scary" (but thats more along the lines with our beliefs) But i dont mind them dressing up and having fun. we mostly go to Church Trunk or Treats where they can have good, safe fun. And now If you didnt already think I was lame... now you do!!! ;) haha.

Oh I get soo excited in September when our tv shows start back up again! I love watching all the premieres. I feel lost all Summer because there is nothing to watch, unless you like reruns. I become a bigtime tv junkie in the fall. I know thats not good, but its my de-stressing time at night after the kids have gone to bed! So I was excited to see the returns of The Office, Big Bang Theory, Raising Hope, Glee, The Middle, and Modern Family. And we picked up watching Rules of Engagement, Mike & Molly, and the New Girl. I get sad if I miss any new episodes of "my shows." Any other suggestions of good ones????

Changing leaves! This one is a given. But theres something about Fall that just makes everything look so beautiful. I love seeing all the leaves change colors. And then the leaves fall off the trees and they cover the yards. The kids have actually helped their Paw rake leaves a few times this fall, and they love to jump in the leaves. I need to try to get pictures of that soon.. so sweet!

Curling up with a blanket! Love to curl up at night and either watch tv with Arnold, or read a good book. Its so cozy and really says "Fall is here." But with the chilly mornings it makes it even harder to get out of bed in the mornings! And Im already not a morning person!

All the good smells! I especially like Apple Cinnamon scent. I light lots more candles around this time of year, and particularly love Fall scents. I also went to Bath & Body works and got some hand soaps for the bathroom and kitchen that smell like pumpkin!

Black Friday shopping! I've actually only gone a few years. I really do love the thrill of it. More so BEFORE the actual day.. thinking about all the possible scores I could get. Everyone knows I LOVE a good deal. But the other parts of it are not so fun, like watiting in long lines (I am so impatient), the weather (last year it was cold AND raining on us), and facing the crowds. But its a fun tradition if you like that sort of thing. I have been going with my Sister-in-Law, Jenn. We like to hit up Kohls and Target, at least. I am not sure If i will go this year, guess it depends on how the ads look, and if we have the extra $$$.

Mid-Week Randoms

~Well it turns out Arnold is ok (and im relieved!) Our family dr sent him back to the ER because he thought it was appendix too, and he was supposed to me a surgeon there to talk to him about it.. turns out it was the same guy who did my gallbladder surgery. My mom watched the kids while I sat with him in the hospital, although all we did was wait forever. Eventually a dr came in and said that his white blood cell count was back down again, and since he wasnt worsening, the surgeon would not operate on him. They said it could have been a viral thing all alone, but theres no way to know 100%. So he is NOT having to get surgery, and that is awesome news. Kindof stinks that we spent $320 in figuring that out because drs kept stringing us along, but most importantly I am glad Arnold is ok and feeling better. He is already back to work! Thanks to everyone for all the prayers! :)

~So i finished Tina Fey's book "Bossypants" last night. It wasnt as good as I had imagined it would be. Plus I found out a lot of things about her that I didnt really care for, but I guess that can be true with anyone. She is a serious liberal (which I kindof already knew that) and she was also pretty blasphemous in her book, which I didn't care for at all. But its over and done with, and Id never say I really wasted time on a book.

~I was taking Brooke to girlscouts last night and all of a sudden felt us run over something. I thought Hmmm, there is not a speedbump there! And as I drive past I look back and see something in the road, but Im not sure what. So on the way back home I look closely and what is it? None other than a squirrel. A dead squirrel. Flat as a pancake. Poor thing :( I hate that I did that. This makes the 2nd known animal that Ive run over since I have been driving.. not bad for my 10 years I guess! I also ran over one back in highschool. I know its just a rodent, but I have such a sensitive heart for most living things, so RIP little buddy!!

~Speaking of the car ride home.. I was trying to hurry up and get home because it had been a LONG day and I was ready to put Brooke and the other kids to bed. Of course we got stuck behind this person that was going 25 in a 35.. so I would have been going about 15 mph faster than him.. and it felt like we were dragging along so slowly. I must have gotten a little to close to them because they did a brake check on me. I was a few inches from hitting them! Oh and yeah, that set me off. I try to be a kind person, but I was ticked. So I laid down on my horn.. for a good 10 seconds or so. Thank goodness there was no one else on the road at the time to witness this! That must have ticked them off because they did another brake check on me, and faster this time. So yep.. I laid down the horn again. And thank GOODNESS that just happened to be at the point where I was turning off anyway. And at that moment I remembered that Brooke was in the backseat and had seen all that, and then I felt bad. I have horrible road rage, and I always blame it on my Father (if you saw him drive you would so know what I mean!!) Hey, I never said I was perfect! Im just glad we were home in 1 piece! And i know, I know, Ill try to be more patient in the future.. but it really is hard!!

~I.have.lost.my.glasses. Yes, again. Yes, my backup pair. So if I dont find them I am majorly screwed. Either Ill have to drive around without them, or go get another eye exam and pay for a new pair. I've looked all over the place for them.. I have seriously no clue where they could be. This is another one of my big faults, I.lose.everything!!! Just ask Arnold, I know it bugs him to no end. I would lose my head if it wasnt attached (I know thats a corny saying, but its appropriate for this situation) But to be fair, Im not as bad as some people I know at forgetting things! (COUGH COUGH Ray!!!) ;)

~Last night after the kids were in bed I watched the Dr Oz show. It was on "The Top 5 Secrets Men dont want you to Know." How I got Arnold to watch the show with me, Ill never know. I guess he wanted to see what other guys had to say. For the record, I already knew all those "secrets." Especially the one about guys envying their single friends because they still have freedom and now they have to "answer to" their wives! How do I know this? Because Arnold and I have had numerous fights over this very thing! So nice try guys, but we pretty much have you figured out already! But it was an interesting show.. I love Dr Oz. Go to him for my health advice and Dr Phil for my relationship advice ;) Haha.

~Last night Arnold came into the bedroom and brought me a drawing Brooke had made of our family. He said to see if I noticed anything out of the ordinary. Well I looked at it, and I saw a house, a sun, and then a lot of things that looked just like... well.. male reproductive parts! I know I can say the word on here but I am pretty modest and I know Id blush just typing it ;) So i sat there, and sat there some more, studying this picture. Arnold said he wished he could have taken a pic of my face and my shocked expression. I know she doesnt know that what she drew looked like that, but WOW! And Id like to think I am really not THAT dirty-minded, but it looked THAT much like them. I thought about taking a picture of it and putting it on here, but didnt. I plan on keeping that picture though, and maybe embarassing her one day when shes older ;) So from now on I guess I will be worrying about what her drawings look like at school!

~Only 3 more days until our girls' trip! I am stoked! I am a little (ok a LOT) worried about getting lost on the way to Lauryn's house, since she lives so far away from me and I've only been down there a few times, but I am trying to keep the faith that I will get us there! A girls' day is just what we need! I am waiting to see what Arnold's paycheck looks like tomorrow to see how much $$$ I'll have to take with me on the trip. Now Im LOVING the fact that he had so many overtime hours the last two weeks ;) Haha, love you Honey! And girls get ready.. because Sat. morning we are out of here!!! :)

Weekend Review

Friday night the big kids went to my Mom's house for a sleepover, so we got the inlaws to watch Rachel and Arnold and I went out on a date! We first went to Quiznos and ate some dinner. Then we went to the movies to watch "Courageous." I had been wanting to see it forever, and Arnold was a little reluctant because he hates movies that are sad, but I finally convinced him! The movie was SO incredibly good. I feel like half of the time I was crying, and half of the time I was laughing! It was a good mix. Arnold DID end up crying, but he admitted later that it was worth going.. and we talked about it alot afterwards! I wont spoil any of it in case anyone is going to go watch it. But id highly recommend it! Meanwhile, the kids had gone to the movies with my mom to see "Dolphin Tale" and they said they enjoyed it.. then went back to her house to make pizzas. They are spoiled bigtime by their Grandparents, but I wouldnt have it any other way! ;) Then after Arnold and I went to the movies, we went to Walmart to look around for Christmas present ideas for the kids. We were wanting to put a bunch of stuff on layaway, but we never did fill our cart up, so we gave up and decided to try again later. It was soo hard for me to decide what to get the girls. There were way too many options! Brooke loves princesses, and Rachel loves Dora. Anyone have any good ideas??


Saturday morning Arnold had to go into work early. He hardly EVER has to work Saturdays, thats just how crazy its been there lately. But we are going to have a LOT of overtime on his next check, which will be nice. Along with a slight raise, since he got a recent Promotion at work! I am so proud of him, hes hard-working and dedicated to that place, and he really deserves it! He is now Senior R&D tech at his company. Anyway, after he got off work, Rachel and I met him over at Ihop for breakfast. Had been awhile since we'd been there, but we love going. Then Arnold went on down to our church to help clean up (he has joined the cleaning team there as his volunteer job) and I went home and Mom brought the kids home. By the time Arnold ended up getting home, it was almost 1pm, but there was still a yardsale open right up the road from us, so we stopped by to see what was there. Im glad I did.. because I found Rachel a beautiful Christmas dress in her size, to wear this year! I am so excited I got it for so cheap since she wont be wearing it that much at all. The kids also found a few toys.. Caleb found an electronic drum kit which is actually pretty annoying but he loved it, and Brooke found a Melissa & Doug bead jewelry-making set, and it still had the box organizer with it, so that was a great deal. Although I have to work extra hard to keep the small beads away from Rachel!!!

Later on that evening Arnold took Rachel to his parents house and the big kids and I were supposed to have a few friends over for a night-time playdate. Something came up with everyone but Joanne, and she still came over, and brought Logan and Ben. We had some pizza and cookies to eat, then the big kids ran off and played. Sweet baby Ben stayed in the living room with us :) Joanne brought over her Wii and her JUST DANCE game for us to play. I had never played it before, but was excited to try it out. She let me try it out a few times, and I watched her a few times too.. then we did "battle mode." Oh my goodness, it was SO fun. I know I was making a fool of myself and Ben was probably thinking "WHAT are these crazy people doing?!" But i had an awesome time, and by the time I was done, I was sweating like crazy! Its a good workout too! I think playing that made me think even more that we need a Wii in this house! Im not sure if it may become a family Christmas gift or not this year.. I am soo tempted!! But anyway, it was funny because a few times the kids came in and watched us, or actually jumped right in and danced with us too. Brooke was hilarious.. that girl can really break it down! ;) Later on I found out that the kids had been sneaking cookies while we were playing, and they had eaten the whole pack!!!! So yeah.. they were on sugar overload. I guess thats what I get for paying more attention to dancing with Joanne than the kids ;) Hehe. I had a great time and I already told Joanne wed better get together and do it again soon (without kids this time!!)


Sunday morning Arnold wasnt feeling good.. he woke up with a stomach ache and said he didnt feel like going to church. So i went on by myself. It was funny because everyone kept asking me where Arnold and the kids were. It felt strange to be there alone! Lauryn was there.. yay... and she, Melissa, Ray, Camille and I all sat together on a row during church. We started the series this week called "The Reason for God" and the first message was awesome.. I cant wait to hear the rest of them! Jesse is always awesome at getting me to understand things.. and cracking me up ;) And they had had a baptism at the earlier service, so I got to see the big pool they are using for my baptism next month! I am getting even more excited about it now!! After church they had training class for all the people who are starting to volunteer for the kids' ministry at church. They had a lunch for us first, of BBQ and chips, and they had bowls of candy set out at all the tables too, so I was munching on gummy bears during the service ;) Then we had a few worship songs led by the Student pastor, and then the classes started. We learned a whole bunch of information, filled out paperwork, and got tshirts that we will wear during the Sunday services! The application to work had a bunch of personal questions on it, and one of the questions said "Describe Yourself in 1 Word." That was tough, but I wrote down "Curious." I think anyone who knows me well will say that this fits!!! Anyway, Lauryn was taking the class too, so we got to sit together and catch up on our girl chat ;) I loved spending so much time with her yesterday!


Yesterday evening, Arnold was feeling wore on his stomach, and was hardly able to move around. A lot of people told him it might be appendix, so he decided he wanted to go to the ER and get it checked out in case. We dropped the kids off at his parents' house and I drove him over there. I know he hated the ride because he always reminds me what a horrible driver I am, and I know all the bumps and curbs and things I hit along the way couldnt have helped his pain that much ;) We got there and waited forever like usual, and then they got him checked into a room and did some blood work. They also gave him a shot of morphine, and it was his first time ever having any of that, so he was pretty cute to watch ;) His blood tests came back with slightly elevated white blood cell counts, but the CT scan he had done didnt prove it was his appedix, so the Dr was a little stumped. He felt all over his stomach and could def tell he was in pain, and they also mentioned his stomach was a little hard. He said it was still very possible that it was still his appendix. So they told him to go home and if it got worse over the next 12 hrs to come back in and get a re-check. We ended up getting the kids and getting home and in bed around midnight. This morning he was a little worse, but then a little better, but hes still in a lot of pain, so he has a dr appt with his regular dr this afternoon and we will see what might be going on!!

Joanne and I right after playing Just Dance. You can tell how sweaty we are! Haha, im so out of shape, but it was so fun!!

The kids lounging around
Arnold and I at the movies

Lauryn and I at church on Sunday

6 Years!

Since this Oct. marks 6 years since I met and started dating Arnold, i thought I would write a blog about us and in honor of us :) I can't believe its been 6 years already, it seems like a lot longer! ;) 6 years ago in Oct of 2005 we met. I didn't even really like him at first (and he knows this!) Our very first date was going to Pizza Hut for dinner, then to the movies, then to Oktoberfest. Then after a few days something just seemed to click and I realized that I really, really liked this guy! He was sweet, caring, thoughtful.. and I started to think the world of him! After that we were pretty much inseperable. I am so thankful to God for placing him in my life. We were married in Jan. of 2006. And in these past 6 years we have been through a LOT. Some people say we have been through more in our 6 years than some people go through in a lifetime. Its been a crazy ride, thats for sure.

And here are some of the things we have gone through in the past 6 years..

~2,000 some days together, and until recently, they were all in a row!

~3 pregnancies, and the births of our 3 amazing children

~A "threatend" miscarriage

~The loss of two childhood dogs (his Scarlett and my Macy)

~Dozens of concerts together, including Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd (several times), Joe Bonamassa, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & The Blowfish, and several others.

~A few big fights that almost broke us, but they didnt.

~Major health scares with our parents

~Watching our daughter go through an EEG, MRI, and several other tests and learning she has epilepsy.

~The loss of a wonderful Aunt in 2010, who we still miss every single day

~A near-death experience that landed me in the hospital for over a week

~The decision not to have any more children after my big health scare

~3 surgeries and recoveries

~Big milestone birthdays (my 21st and we're almost to Arnold's 30th!!)

~Took a marriage class that transformed our marriage

~Several sleepless nights, tears cried, cleanup of pee, poop, puke and other unmentionables, stomach bugs, pink eye, Hand, food, and Mouth disease.

~Getting the stomach bug together, and having to have our parents watch the kids while we laid in bed together, and too turns puking ;)

~Started attending a church we loved, joined a lifegroup, taken classes, and now decided to join that church together next month.



There are lots and lots more stories and memories, but I could go on for days ;) The main point is that we have been through so much, and yet come out so much stronger together. I cant imagine going through life with anyone else by my side. Arnold is my supporter, best friend, and love for life. Happy 6 Years honey! :)


And for some laughs and enjoyment, here are some pics of Arnold and I over the past 6 years ;)

When we first met. Yes, his hair was almost as long as mine! I loved it!

Our wedding day, on Jan 21st, 2006
on Calebs 2nd birthday, 2009

Pregnant with Rachel

Fall, 2009

Arnold's 29th Birthday

Our 5 year wedding anniversary

Trip to the mtns for our anniversary

And most recently, in Blowing Rock. Oct 2011!

Mid-Week Randoms

-This has been a crazy week so far! All week long Arnold has been having extra stuff to do at work, so he has been having to go in at 6:30 am (he is used to going in after 8 every day!) So the days have been extremely long for both of us. He usually drops the kids off at school on his way to work, but Ive been taking them in. So getting them all 3 up, dressed, fed and off to school before 7:30 is definately a challenge! Ive been going to bed early, needless to say! Poor Arnold was wiped out last night, and fell asleep beside me in the bed at 7:30 (yes, the night owl really did go to bed that early!)while I stayed on the laptop for awhile. I will be ready for this week to be over!!

~Yesterday was my Mom's 60th Birthday! She hates me admitting how old she is, she says between this blog and FB people know way too much about her, thru me! ;) For the record, she doesnt look or act that old! And im not just saying that because she is my Mom! She is still extremely active and hard-working. And a really fun Grandma to the kids! When I called her yesterday she said "Yeah, the old lady is still hanging around!" Haha, she is so silly.

~I haven't said anything about it yet, but Monday I started my next step of lowering my anxiety medicine doseage and weaning off more. I am now down to a quarter pill in the morning and afternoon. I can tell the difference, because I have been really irritable this week.. its been hard to be patient with the kids! And I had to fight off a panic attack this morning, but I was able to get it under control, so I was proud of myself. I know one of these days I will beat this anxiety thing. And Im not at all ashamed that I have taken pills for it. No shame in asking for help sometimes. But of course a pill wont cure you, you have to work hard at it!

~I got that book "Forgotten God" in the mail the other day, and read it in one day. It was a quick read, but I was also very into it. I love Francis Chan now, does anyone know if he has any more books out? Because Id love to read them! I also got "Bossypants" by Tina Fey in the mail lately and I guess that will be the next one I start. Arnold said he is thinking about getting me a Kindle for Christmas and I wonder if I am going to like it, since I am so used to my actual BOOKS. But I am excited about the thought of having a little portable device to throw in my purse and take along everywhere with me. The kindle Fire looks awesome! so much you can do on it.. not just read books.

~Tonight is Lifegroups again! I am always looking forward to that day of the week now. I have made some good friends. Cant stress enough how awesome these groups are, and that everyone should seriously consider being in one! Plus, Ray has been on his FB break all week, so its been strange not to see him on there every day! I know we all miss him. I hope he will come back tomorrow. Come to think of it, I need to take a FB break sometime.. I know it would be good for me. But I cant seem to tear myself away!! I dont know why i feel the need to stay connected to everyone at all times, like Im afraid Ill miss something!

~This morning I took Rachel to a playdate at the mall with two friends and their kids. Beth brought homeade blueberry muffins for everyone, thought that was so sweet of her! I am not big on muffins OR blueberrys, but these were soo good! I wish I had the love for cooking/baking like a lot of people I know, we would be eating GOOD a lot more often ;) But anyway, the kids had a great time playing together, and I had fun chatting with friends.. i cant believe how quickly the hour and a half passed that we were down there! Then we all decided to take some laps around the mall for some exercise. Although we didnt get to go very fast because Rachel insisted on "helping" push one of the strollers :) Around 11 Joanne had to go home, and Beth, the kids and I went to have lunch. I got Rachel and I Chick-fil-A (its become one of her favorites!) I hadnt been planning to eat at the mall but Rachel started saying "lunch, lunch!" and I cant resist her cuteness ;)

~Even though money has been kind of tight this week, Ive managed to put back just enough for Arnold and I to go on a little date Friday night. My mom is picking the big kids up from school and taking them out, then for a sleepover at her house. So we are going to try to get the inlaws to take Rachel, and Arnold and I hope to go to the movies. We will need a date after this week, for sure!! I had planned on going on a Girls' Trip to Concord Mills this weekend, but money ended up being tighter than I had thought, and I knew I wouldnt have enough for the gas, lunch, and shopping, so we changed it to next Saturday instead. Arnold is supposed to get his bonus check next week at work, so its perfect timing! Even though most of that $$$ is going to have to go to heating oil. Which is sooo expensive by the way, its ridiculous. But Im hoping Ill have a little extra to start Christmas Shopping! Or continue I should say, because Ive already started filling up a closet with stuff Ive been buying along the way :)

The Weekend!

Friday morning I spent my time cleaning up the house like a mad woman. Its incredible how quickly the kids can trash this place, seriously!! At 11:30 Mom came over and we went to the school to have lunch with Brooke and Caleb. it was funny because the day before Brooke told me "youd better call Grandma and tell her to come have lunch with me!" And of course my Mom never turns her down ;) But anyway, we waited in the lunchroom FOREVER and couldn't figure out why we never did see Caleb (his lunch time is first) and finally we went back to his classroom to ask, and his teacher told us that they were eating in the classroom that day. Thank goodness we walked back there, we at least got to see him for a few minutes before his lunch was over! Then we went to see Brooke, and we got to see first-hand how strict her teacher is at lunch, those kids were QUIET! I guess she really knows what shes doing, although I still think sometimes she can be too harsh! When we left the school, Mom took Rachel and me to the Christian bookstore and I looked around for a new Bible. I got a "Women of Faith" bible, and its purple leather on the outside, and I love it! It has lots of interesting side notes, and it looked like something id really like. Mom got it for me as a gift. I am looking forward to using it as I get more into Bible study these days :)


That evening we went to a Halloween party Joanne had at her house. The kids got to wear their Halloween costumes, so they were ecstatic. Thank goodness it was pretty warm out, because Brooke's costume is pretty short and thin. We couldnt find Calebs mask that went along with his costume (he had been playing with it lately) and so he wore another mask, so he was mismatched, but oh well, of course no one cared! ;) The party was a lot of fun, we ate, had cupcakes, and the kids played and then did a craft and played Pin-the-mouth on the skeleton. Arnold ate waay too much sugar while there and was pretty hyper (hes as bad as a kid!) I thought he would complain that I dragged him to another kids' party, but he seemed to have a pretty good time too ;) Too bad Rachel wouldnt keep her hat on.. her costume is sooo cute! I loved it on her! Before we went home, Joanne and I played Singstar and we sang "Poker Face." It was hilarious because I was belting it out and everyone was making fun of me and Rachel was even crying ;) Turns out Arnold took a video of it and was begging me to post it on FB but I said no way ;)


Saturday morning I took Brooke with me to the grocery store to do our shopping. I am not a morning person at all, but turns out that early is the time to go, because the store was prety much bare, and I got in and out of there pretty quick-- gotta remember that!! Around lunch time I took the big kids to Jackie's house for her son Chris' birthday party. We all ate and then had some of the Pirates of the Carribean cake (which was so yummy by the way!) and then we stood outside and talked while the kids played. When we got home we went out and took some things by OUAC to sell, and we actually did pretty good making some extra $$$, so I was happy. And then we went to Walmart to buy some household things and snacks. You can tell I was trying to save money this week if I went to Walmart, I hate that place.. it just stresses me out bigtime!!!


Sunday we got ready and went to church. It was the last message on "The End of the World" and I really enjoyed it. Hardly anyone was at church.. they were either sick, or slept in or something!! I missed seeing all my buddies! After church we went and got some lunch real quick, then took the kids to the park. I love that is is already October and still warm enough to play outside alot! Although it looks like the weather will start really cooling down in anotherd day or two, so we'll see! And that afternoon the kids worked on coloring their face masks their Grandma had brought them home from her trip to visit Uncle Alex at his new apartment. Yesterday evening Arnold and I did a Bible Study together after we put the kids to bed. We are starting to study Psalms. So i am already getting good use out of my new Bible!!! :) :) It was a great weekend!!!

My mis-matched Transformer, Cinderella, and a Strawberry!!

Brooke and her buddy Logan, at the Halloween Party!
One of my very best friends! :)

The kids at Chris' Birthday Party

Me holding baby Ben! the cutest little bear Ive ever seen! :)

Mid-Week Randoms

~I gained two more followers! Now up to 46! Haha, i feel special :)

~Rachel has now started telling me when she needs to be changed. She will come up to me and say "IM WET!" or "CHANGE CHANGE!" Isnt that one of the signs of being ready to start potty-training? we've tried her out on the potty before but she usually just runs away screaming.. so I gave up on that!

~I saved my game pieces from Mcdonalds the other day, and I got a free Mcflurry! Score! haha! We went out for icecream the other night and I was able to cash it in and get one with M&Ms. I always pick around with Arnold and ask him what he would do if we won $$$ from the game, and he just rolls his eyes at me. Hey, its ok to dream, right?! :)

~So Brooke's Girlscout nut sales end this weekend. ive tried to get some sales, but failed miserably. I told yall I was a bad salesperson! Then Arnold took her sheet into work and came home with 9 orders! I have an awesome husband! I asked him how he did it, and he said it helps to actually see the people in person and they usually dont say no when you corner them ;) I told Brooke shed better hug her daddy and thank him when he got home, for all his help! She now has enough orders for the patches and we'll see how many more orders I can get before the weekend.. still gotta hit up the grandparents ;)

~The other night I was reading an interesting article online. I like to read (no shocker there!) and I know lots of useless trivia. but anyway! It was about the "8 most common birth defects." Did yall know that dimples are a birth defect?! Who knew?! Something about shortened facial muscles. Arnold has one, and I absolutely love it! it looks so sexy when he smiles. I was joking around with him and told him he was "defected." ;) But see? you learn something new every day!

~Brooke came home with another "frowny face" in her planner this week. She said she got it for talking at lunch. Her teacher is VERY oldschool and they have strict rules even at lunch. I think they have to whisper only and she was too loud? But anyway.. I asked her if she had to walk laps for it and she said no, because it was raining. Well thank goodness for that! Somedays I am thankful for her teacher's discipline methods, and somedays I think shes too harsh. I dont know what to think. This mom thing is harder than I ever realized!!

~I loved the "Crazy Love" book by Francis Chan so much that I decided to try another one of his books. The other day when Barnes and Noble offered a 15% off coupon online (i always get into trouble with those!!) I ordered "Forgotten God." It is supposed to be delivered today actually, and Im getting excited about reading it! In the meantime, I am reading the last in the "House of Hope" series by Neta Jackson. She is a great writer, also. Then I need to hit up my friend Jackie to read the rest of Nicholas Sparks books that I never got around to reading. She is a big fan, so has most of his collection ;)

~Tuesdays nights are bumming me out right now. They have the games on Fox right now, so that means Glee and Raising Hope wont be coming back until next month! Boooo! But I heard that Damien from GLEE PROJECT is supposed to appear on the next episode that comes on, so I cant wait to see that. He was my favorite on the show! And he won!

~I have been trying to save money this week, and I have not gone ANYWHERE. I guess it helps that its been cold and rainy, and that my friend Erika, whom I usually meet up with alot, has been busy. But that just makes me feel blah, because I get stuck in these ruts where all I want to do is sit on the computer or whatever. I like the days when Rachel and I get out of the house and stay busy. Maybe next week will be better!

~Calebs assistant teacher is pregnant! I hadnt wanted to ask her anything, just in case, but now there is an obvious baby bump and I saw her the other day in car-rider line with the infamous stand.. hands on hips, with stomach sticking out a little :) She is so cute. She is tall and thin so its taken her longer to show I guess. I wonder when shes due?! I want to buy her a baby gift! haha.. I know.. I am sick arent I? I just love babies! But i really am excited for her!! :)

Blessings!

Sunday morning we got up and got ready for church. We sat with Amy and her husband Chase this week. Erika wasnt there this week *cries!* haha. There was another great message this week on the "End of the World." I am really liking this series. We heard that the Christ Church band was going to be playing at Oktoberfest that afternoon at 1pm, so we decided to go see them after church. We picked up some lunch on the way (because we all know how expensive it can get feeding 5 people at a festival.. you can easily drop a lot of $$$!) But when we got there, we did give the kids a bag of cotton candy to share. Rachel used to be confused by that stuff but now she loves it and begs for more and more.. she's definately Arnold's kid! Anyway, we sat out on some of the bleachers and waited for the show to start. When the music started Arnold took the kids up closer and they were dancing around, it was so cute. By now I know a lot of the songs they do, so I am able to sing along by heart. I love the more modern music, that is one of the things that made us fall in love with Christ Church. You cant go in there and NOT leave smiling!


After being there for around an hour we had to go home and get the kids changed, because Arnold and I had our 2nd and last Membership class that afternoon. While we were at home I was painting Brooke's nails purple and Rachel seemed interested so I painted hers soo.. first time shes had them done! :) And Caleb asked too.. but Arnold said no way ;) Anyway, we dropped the kids off at the childcare and then went into our class. This week's class was more about the things that are expected to you when you become members. We took notes and listened to a few speakers. And we were going around the room telling a time when we felt closest to God. Arnold's was when we thought we were losing Caleb (we had a treatened miscarriage around 12 wks when I was pregnant with him) And mine was just here recently! Everything Ive been going through this past year has made me so much more closer to God its incredible. I always called myself a Christian, but wasnt really LIVING it and WALKING the walk, if you know what I mean. Now i find myself wanting to change, and live better. I smile more, have more patience with the kids and other people, work harder on my marriage, try to be a better friend, pray more, and all sorts of things like that, and all because I know God wants me to, and it brings me joy. Not trying to be all mushy, but I am serious. I am so thankful for so many things at this point in my life!!! :) :)

Now back to the class... speaking in front of the 25+ people in there was still sort of embarassing to me, but i am getting better and better at talking in front of a crowd I think. After the class they had a dinner for us. They made.. wait for it.. chicken on a bone! What are the odds of that? That id be faced with that 2 times in one week. Haha... Arnold says it was like a sign Im supposed to be eating it.. he loves it. He cut the meat off the bone for me, what a sweet husband (i felt like a kid at that moment and im sure we got a few looks, but who cares!) And then after dinner they had an icecream bar set up, with all sorts of toppings.. sprinkles, syrup, crushed oreos, nuts, cherries.. you name it! So that was delicious!!! And after we ate dinner we talked to people who worked in the areas we were interested in serving at in church. I cant quite make up my mind.. I was thinking along the lines of helping with the kids.. And the "Boxcar Babies" group which is ages birth-2yrs, because everyone knows how much I love babies! Plus, id get to be in Rachel's class some Sundays. Arnold is thinking along the lines of helping with setup/take down and cleaning, etc. More hands on stuff around the building. So we will see where the place us!


So now that we are done with the classes, we officially stand up in front of our church and become members, on Nov. 27th at the 11:00 service. I am happy they arent doing it until then, because my parents will be out of town at the end of this month, and I really want them to be there. Also, I will be Baptized!!! I am so excited about this. I was "christened" as a baby, but never baptized, so I think it will be neat to do it as an adult, in front of everyone, and proclaim the changes Im making in my life. And yes, im aware that it will be in NOV and COLD.. but thats ok with me! They have an indoor jacuzzi they are going to use, and I had the option of "sprinking" or full-on DUNKING, and im going for the dunk. I figured why not.. if im going to do it in the first place, might as well go BOLD!!! :) So on that day I plan on inviting my family and friends so they can be there with me, and hopefully my lifegroup will be there too. Hoping my video testimony goes over well too, I am planning to start working on that soon! And afterwards we will all go to lunch at Dos Amigos with everyone.. that is the plan, anyway. I am so excited about that week.. it also happens to be the week of Thanksgiving.. so that will be a fun week!! :)

3 things in life im *extremely* thankful for!!! :)

Mountain Date

Friday Arnold and I decided to go on a "date date." The older kids were of course in school, and we asked the inlaws to watch Rachel. And that morning we headed up to the mountains. We hadnt had a date in awhile, and we wanted to do something we dont do all the time, plus this time of year its BEAUTIFUL in the mountains, with all the leaves changing colors. And we couldnt have asked for nicer weather. I needed a jacket early that morning, but later on it was so warm I was fine in my short-sleeve shirt!

We drove up there with no music on most of the time.. just talking. Amazing how much you can talk about when you dont have kids in the backseat yelling, whining and singing! When we got up there we first stopped at Blowing Rock. We paid to go on the nature walk, and it was really worth it. The views were amazing, and so beautiful. And what would a day out be without tons of picture-taking by me? Haha.. we set up the camera on timer on several occasions and took pictures of Arnold and I together. Since we had gotten there so early we basically had the place all to ourselves, it was so quiet and peaceful! I always love to look out over God's magnificent creations, makes me instantly feel closer to Him :) Anyway, when we were done with the walk we went back into the gift shop before we left and picked up some candy.. Nerds for Arnold and blue raspberry rock candy for me ;) Then we drove to Julian Price Park and walked around there and took pics too.

And you know you cant go to the mountains without stopping at the outlet stores! I love outlets! We of course first hit up the childrens' stores. I was proud of myself in Carters and Oskkosh.. didnt buy a single thing (although Id have loved to!) The kids dont really need any more clothes at all! Then we went into Gymboree though, and that store is a weakness for me. One of their lines was an owl line, so I got Rachel some things. Could.not.resist! I could tell Arnold was getting bored by then though.. I know he hates lingering in the kids' stores while I oooh and ahh over all the cute stuff! We went into the Levis outlet then, and Arnold actually bought a shirt to wear that day, because he was wearing a thin sweater and was way too hot by then. And lastly we stopped in the Gap outlet. And surprisingly I bought something for MYSELF intstead of the kids.. shocker! They had some hoodies with the Gap Logo marked down to $13.99 and they had a deal going that weekend with extra % off clearance, so I got a hoodie for $8.. cant beat that! And Arnold picked up some new sunglasses.. they were all on clearance too since Summer is over. So we didnt spend too much, but we had a great time. And on the way home we stopped at Chilis for lunch. I got the potato soup and sandwich (that soup is one of my new fave foods!) and Arnold got a Blue Moon with his lunch (Ill never understand the love for beer--its gross!!)

That night we dropped the big kids off at a friends' church. They were taking all the kids to a local corn maze. We were supposed to send the kids along with flashlights and in tennis shoes, and they said theyd feed them and take them into the corn maze. Arnold and I still had Rachel, but we were thrilled to have even more "down time" that evening. We went over to Erika and Billy's house while we waited on the kids to get back home. And that worked well because Rachel and Kenzie got to play together! Can i just say how much I love all of their dogs! Haha! Their house is full of them.. they were everywhere, and so cute. I guess they could tell I was a dog-lover, because they came up to me and wanted me to pet them :) Anyway, us adults played Wii bowling. I have played once or twice before. i wasnt even really paying attention, but ended up getting several strikes.. how does that happen?! Haha.. it was so much fun though. The more and more I play Wii at other friends' houses, the more Im convinced we need one at our house!

It turned out to be an awesome day!! :) :)

At the moutains

Arnold wanted to take this one. I was smiling and trying not to laugh the whole time!

Arnold took this at the outlets. They had pretty fall decorations out. Too bad the sun was in my eyes and they were halfway closed!

Lunch at Chilis before we headed home. Arnold with his Blue Moon!

Jam-Packed Thursday

Thursday morning Rachel and I went out shopping before we went to Arnold's work to have lunch with him. At Kohl's they had some of their bedding on clearance, and I found Brooke a twin set that had a comforter and sham for $17.99, I was so excited. She will love it. I also picked up two more books from the Kohls' Cares stuff thats out right now. I am saving them for Christmas. The books are just precious this time around! Then around 11 we went and picked up lunch at Taco Bell for us and Arnold. His mom usually packs his lunch every day for work (Yes im serious!! His dad and him work at the same company, so she just went ahead and sends an extra lunch to him every day too.. works out great, saves us money! ;) But anyway, his Mom and Dad were both off work this week on vacation so I took him lunch. We had lunch outside his work on the picnic tables and then took some laps around the building for some exercise.. much to Rachel's protest, haha :)

After lunch, Rachel and I headed to a local flower shop to order a plant. A member of our lifegroup had recently lost her Grandmother, and we gathered money to send her family a plant to let them know we were thinking of them. This is just one example of how wonderful lifegroups are. The group genuinely cares about one another, and is there to support and encourage along the way, through lifes ups and downs. It means the world to me, and Im so glad I joined one! Anyway, since Ive somehow taken over an "admin role" to help Ray out, I took up the money and went to order the flowers. I dont know much about flowers and plants (the ones Ive had in the past have died pretty quickly!) I told them I didnt care what they sent, as long as it was nice.. since they obviously knew what they were doing! They ended up sending peace lillies, and I heard they were really pretty, so I am happy! And the service there was great by the way, they even gave Rachel a free smiley face balloon while she was waiting. Thanks to Jamie for recommending the place to me!!

And then one more stop before we went home.. we went to Ritas! Yes, again! We met Erika and Mackenzie there.. they had never been, and I swore Id get her hooked too, which I did ;) Erika got pumpkin pie italian ice (i dont like pumpkin pie, but she swears it was good!) and I got Wild black cherry, because they didnt have any of "my flavors" that day. So now I have tried five different flavors in all, and I liked them all, but I think strawberry margarita will always be my favorite!! The girls shared a "smores" italian ice. They seemed to love it, and made quite the mess. Rachel ended up spilling a lot of hers on the floor and the girl working mopped it up for us.. thank goodness she was a nice person.. some people get very irritated when kids make messes! After we finished, we went outside and tried to get a few pictures of the girls together. When we told them it was time to say bye-bye, they gave each other a hug! It was the most precious thing ever! I am so happy Rachel has a friend that she can play with throughout the week while the big kids are at school. Her and Kenzie have become quite the BFFs!!! :) :) Just like their moms ;)

That evening I went to the volunteer banquet for the Pregnancy Care Center. They had a big dinner at a local church to "celebrate all the volunteers" and what they do there at the center. I had originally wanted Arnold to go with me as my guest, but we couldnt find sitters. So Erika stepped in as my date! ;) First off, I wasnt even sure if Id make it there, because I had NO clue where this church was, and everyone knows how I am with directions. But I followed the directions on what it said online and somehow ended up finding the actual road by MISTAKE. I kept looking for a certain road in the step BEFORE the actual road, and somehow ended up driving by the church. I was pleasantly surprised, thats the easiest Ive ever found anything! ;) Anyway, the place was decorated so nicely, with fall decorations on the tables and walls. The thing about being a volunteer (especially a call-in for now) I dont know that many people. There are TONS of volunteers, but only a select few I get to see on the particular nights I work. So I didnt know hardly anybody there, so I just picked a random table to sit at. But the people there seemed very nice, and it was comfortable talking to them. It was funny because everyone who came up to say Hi to me, I made sure to tell them Arnold couldnt make it, so my friend Erika filled in. Just about everyone brought their husbands as their guest, so Im sure I looked funny with another girl there but Erika was a good sport about it ;) Did i mention what a GOOD date she was? She even offered to cut up my chicken for me. But let me back up.. for dinner they had CHICKEN ON A BONE. Ahh everyone knows I dont eat meat on the bone.. call me weird, but it just grosses me out. But thats all they had, so I tried to be polite.. even though I was feeling a little queasy! Erika even took a picture of it with her phone to prove to Arnold that I had eaten it ;) Halfway thru the process of trying to cut pieces off my plastic knife broke off in the middle of the chicken. I think the people at the table were pretty amused. I however gave up! At least the rest of the food was good.. potatoes, green beans, and a big cake for dessert! After we ate, the head of the center talked for awhile and then had different groups stand up and introduce themselves. I was not only the youngest there, but the one who had been there the least amount of time. Everyone was saying Ive been here BLANK years, and I said Um... 2 months! Haha, but at least its a start! I love what I am doing, and I am excited about it, because God seems to be doing big things there! I loved hearing the stories and personal testimonies of people that stood up and talked about things that had happened while they had been working there. And some peoople have been volunteering there for over 10 YEARS. Now that is dedication people! Anyway, I had a great time, and I am so thankful to Erika, who took time out of her busy schedule to be there for me, it meant a lot to me! And when we left, and it was dark, I was thankful to her for leading me out of there and letting me follow her so I didnt get lost. Did i mention that she is the BEST?! She is a great friend!!!! :) :)

My torn-apart chicken! hahaha!

Rachel and Kenzie-- best buds!
Giving each other a hug! :) :)