Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday my sweet girl! Happy 17th Birthday. This is going to be YOUR year, you're a High School Senior! Whoo Hoo! Have fun and enjoy it! I love you!

My Runner

Bekah, I'm so proud of you! More importantly, I hope you are proud of yourself and your accomplishments. You are an amazing young woman. Your healthy living, your decision making, your appreciation for love, life, tradition and family are just some of the attributes that makes you so special. As your junior year in high school wraps up, things will start changing. People will start asking you "what's next", "what college" what are YOU going to do? Stay calm, stay relaxed and be yourself. Make your plans based on what you want to do! Your Dad and I are here to guide you, we want your decisions to be your decisions. I know you have heard me say this quote before "In a world where you can be anything, be yourself" this is so important. Find your passion early.
You did a fantastic job during Saturday's 5K. I know you were not happy with your time, be proud that you did it and that you finished. Your time was not your personal best time, but I have already seen how you are driven to beat not only that time, but previous times as well. I love your drive and determination. I remember when you were first learning to ride a bike. Your brother and the boys in the neighborhood were riding bikes and you were determined that you would as well. You tried so hard and never gave up, even after hitting a tree. You where hurt, you cried for half a second as you climbed back on the bike and asked your Dad to push you off. I love your spirit.

For My Family

In my blog, I write a lot about my family, especially my children. They are my "Sunshine" I love them more than anything and I enjoy every moment with them. When I started this blog, I wrote about my weekends home, away from work, away from Jeffersonville, IN and Louisville, KY. I wrote about Zack being away at boot camp and some of the changes we were going through. We went through those changes and came out on the other side. I continue to grow, learn about myself and appreciate those moments in life that make up time which is so special. We are now being faced with more changes. I am embracing these changes as I have learned that change can be exciting and even invigorating. I'm not saying that it is easy, however, I am remarkably more relaxed now. So, as I get the privilege to spend even more time with Bekah and Rich, (Zack is living in Arizona) I will continue to try to capture a piece of our life together. Maybe when I am gone, my children will have some of my words to reflect on, a little piece of me. Or at least how I was feeling at the time when I entered my "notes" in this blog. I am verbally and emotionally open with my family, so I don't think anything will be a "ah ha" moment or remotely close to a surprise. My hope is that someone will find it comforting, like a journal, as time passes on. With the death of Vonni and Jakki this year, two strong women who left us in their 40s, it reminds me how short life really is and we need to say what we need to say. I love you all.

Florida Conference for Women

On Tuesday, I went to the Florida Conference for Women. I went by myself attending seminars that I hoped would inspire me and get my mind going. It worked, they where just what I needed. I listened to women who went after what they wanted and achieved their goals. It was great to actually hear about their "stories" from the perspective that it wasn't easy, that things were not perfect, that they were human like the rest of us. But mustered up that inner spirit to keep going and to take risks for what they believed in. Their stories started in a surprisingly similar place to my recent story. I felt like they were talking to me.
Tori Johnson was the first keynote speaker, she is the Founder & CEO of Women for Hire & Good Morning America's Career Guru, truly genuine and her story resonated with me. and the second keynote speaker was Ariane de Bonvoisin, Founder & Chief Change Optimist, first30days.com - she was amazing, I could have listened to her speak all day. Even though I was one of a thousand, I connected with her. Her face lite up when she spoke, she was very inspiring.
During lunch there were four speakers, my favorite was Kelly Corrigan. If anyone you know is going through cancer, there is a book by Kelly Corriagn, "The Middle Place" - she talks about how she was in the middle of childhood and adulthood, being a wife and mother of two young children and finding out she had cancer.
She has a great sense of humor and captivated the audience with her story.
The breakout sessions were great, I went to Brand You! All about branding and getting your brand in the marketplace and "Reinvent Yourself" - Strategies for having the career you want. Loved it!
It is so important to feed out minds and spirit. I so needed that. Now I need to put one foot in front of the other and not get overwhelmed with all of the thoughts going through my head! One day at a time... right!

"Chillaxing"

"Chillaxing" this is Bekah and Rich's word, but it seemed fitting for our chill weekend we had at the beach. We went camping at Jetty Park and had a chillaxing time! Friday Bekah and Rich drove over in the afternoon, Brianna and I arrived at night due to other commitments we had. Saturday morning before anyone else got up, I went down to the beach to take some pictures. I had fun trying different settings on my camera, exploring and taking lots of pictures. When I walked back to camp, everyone else got up, we ate breakfast and played "Apples to Apples" and "Scattergories" until about noon. We were having so much fun. The weather was perfect, breezy and we were in a shaded spot. In the afternoon we walked down to the beach, put up our umbrella and "chillaxed" some more. Rich tried his hand at sand sculpting at the girl's expense. Bekah became part of an octopus and Brianna became a mermaid. It was fun to watch. Saturday evening, we went to Grills, but there was a 2 hour wait and we were all hungry! So, we walked down to Rusty's and had a great dinner. Got back to the campsite about 9:15 ish... the four of us took a walk on the beach and then walked back to the site. I was tired! Bekah and Brianna went for ice cream and scored by finding a Dairy Queen. Rich, Bekah and Bri ate their blizzards and I turned in for the night. Sunday, we all got up to wish Rich a Happy Birthday! I was also wished a Happy Mother's Day. Bekah ran and got breakfast for everyone (we didn't take a lot of food this trip). Then it was time to start packing up. Bekah and Bri hung out at the beach for a couple hours and Rich and I headed home.
Once home, Rich made a wonderful Mother's Day feast of hamburgers, hot dogs, shrimp, crab legs, corn on the cob, strawberry margaritas, and angel food cake!...then there was the chocolate chip cookie cake for Rich WOW! my mom and Rich's mom came over and we celebrated both Rich's birthday and Mother's Day! Fun weekend...

Wonderful!

I just realized I had not posted the details of our date that we had last Friday. I am sure that you are on the edge of your seat waiting for the update:). As previously said, we went to Leu Gardens to watch a movie on the lawn. It was wonderful. Rich made all the arrangements, the picnic basket full of goodies, brought the blanket and chairs and even the wine. Wonderful! (Okay, so I did embellish just a bit, we don't have a "picnic basket" but we do have Publix reusable bags and a lunch cooler, that worked perfectly.)
We got to Leu Gardens nice and early around 6:00 I believe, the movie was starting at 8:30 PM. I highly recommend anyone that is going to go early, it was fun watching people trying to squeeze into a spot later in the evening. So, we got there, it was a beautiful night. We set up our chairs and blanket and then walked around the gardens and yes, hand in hand...aww! Until my Mother called... just kidding Mom. We Love you! After a quick phone call, we resumed with our hand holding.
Food and Drink - one word "yummy." As we were walking around, we did decide to get a hot dog from the concession to tide us over until the movie and we opened our publix bag of treats. Rich brought cheeses, crackers, prosciutto and salami, little Italian thin bread sticks, grapes, hummus and chips, wine and for dessert, my favorite Milano cookies with chocolate and raspberry. He set it all up on a little bamboo platter and it was perfect.
I've seen the movie P.S. I Love you more than twice, it was one of my five movies when I lived in Louisville last year. I have to say this was by far the best time I have every watched it! It was just wonderful.
Thank you Rich for being you and taking such good care of me. I love you!

Lucky Girl

I am such a lucky girl! I don't think many would have imagined that after getting married at age 19 that I would be still SO IN LOVE with my wonderful man. He is my best friend. Not because he wasn't always wonderful, but because of our age and the length of time we were together before we got engaged. I don't blame those naysayers... with a daughter who is only 2 years younger than I was when I married Rich, I can't imagine her being married at 19. But it worked for us and I couldn't be happier. Rich and I were married when we were 19 and 21. I just turned 19 in August and we married in September of that same year, 1987. I graduated in June of '86, moved in with Rich on New Years Eve of 1986, Rich asked me to marry him on Valentines Day February 14th, 1987, we were married on September 12th, 1987. Wow! And here we are 22 years later, with a 20 year old and a soon to be 17 year old! Wow.. Wow.. Wow!
Just like the saying goes... Time flys when you are having fun!
Rich is so thoughtful, caring, fun, loving, funny and an amazing Father! I am truly a lucky girl! Rich and I grew up together, we grew trying new things, sharing everything we are with our children, opening our minds and hearts to new experiences. We grew together!
Tonight Rich is taking me on a date, Whoo Hoo! He was going to surprise me but he ended up telling me. We are going to Leu Gardens Movie night. We are going to see P.S. I Love you - a movie I really like. He is planning the date and I can't wait. Rich is such a wonderful man! And I am such a lucky girl!

Zack

I couldn't be more proud of Zack. Today I found out that he was recommended by his Staff Sargent for a Meritorious Corporal Board. This is an amazing achievement. The Staff Sargent recognizing Zack this way really says a lot about his character, his work ethic and his discipline. What makes this even more amazing is that Zack has only been a Lance Corporal for a couple of months. Way to go Zack! You are amazing!

Peaceful

Special moments become special memories that will last forever. On Thursday, Bekah and I spent the afternoon together. Nothing grand was scheduled, just going to lunch somewhere on Park Ave. We hadn't even decided where. It was a gorgeous day outside and we thought it would be nice to stroll through Central Park, Winter Park. I took my camera, I told Bekah she looked so pretty that I may have to snap some pictures while we were there. I love spending time with Bekah. We have great conversations and I thoroughly enjoy her company.
After we enjoyed our lunch at "Spice" one of our favorite places, Bekah took the orchid from her plate and put it behind her ear. We were walking over by the rose garden and I snapped this shot. I love the way it came out, Bekah looks so peaceful. I will always cherish the special moments I spend with her. Capturing as many pictures as possible is "Saving my sunshine" - my children are my sunshine.

I used a Hof3 Sanded Overlay frame.

Moonlight Mystery Prom 2009

Days Like This

After a very emotional Friday and Saturday visiting the family and attending Jakki's viewing and memorial service, it was nice to be able to just "hang out" with Rich and Bekah. The memorial service was very nice, standing room only in the YMCA gym. Jakki touched so many lives and it was apparent at her service. She will be missed by so many. Jakki, the way you lived your life is an inspiration to so many. It was good to see my cousins. The Allen family is such a loving family. So after traveling back and forth to Jacksonville on Friday and Saturday, Sunday was a day to reflect, relax and just be with one another.
We started the day very leisurely, checking email, searching the Internet, checking facebook, listening to music and watching a bit of TV. About 11ish, we mustered the energy to take the dogs to the dog park. Blue and BeeBee love going to the dog park. I am amazed how close they stay to us when not leashed. I think they may be afraid we might trade them in on another dog... :) Blue especially is very jealous. I also took the time to practice different settings on my camera and getting some action shots. It was a beautiful day outside, perfect for being outside. There was at one point when we lost sight of BeeBee. Bekah said "there she is" looking towards the lake. Rich made the comment how did she get over there so fast. (As I said before, they typically stay very close). So we walked down to the lake and marveled at how fast BeeBee was running and playing with other dogs, as this is not typical, until we realized we were taking pictures of a pug that was NOT BeeBee! This pug even had the same collar! It was a little embarrassing to say the least. I got some great shots. See below. You can see that this pug is much younger then BeeBee. We found BeeBee about 2ft from where we originated, she wasn't running around and we realized that's our dog!
During the car ride to the dog park we were contemplating lunch. Do we take it with us? What should we get? We ended up deciding to take the dogs first, then go to lunch. So after the dog park visit we took Blue and BeeBee home.
We settled on the Cuban Cafe in Winter Park, right off of Park Ave. They have the best homemade plantains. We enjoyed our lunch, sitting outside in our beautiful weather. After lunch, it was time for ice cream. Rich headed towards Cold Stone, which apparently according to Bekah is ick... we had to divert and go across the street to Marble Slab. That was a close call! Once again, we sat outside and had our ice cream dessert. As we were sitting outside we looked at our feet and legs, OMG! They were completely filthy from the dog park. So, after the ice cream, we sprinted home, washed our feet and legs and headed to the Mall of Millennium. Wasn't Rich's first choice, or second or third, but Bekah had a mall gift certificate that she had since Christmas and wanted to use it. Rich survived, Bekah spent some money and home we went. It doesn't matter what we are doing, as long as we are together we are having fun. I love my family! Rich, Bekah, Zack and of course BeeBee and Blue! I love days like this.
Not BeeBee
BeeBee

Happy Easter 2009

Happy Easter! Today was a very nice relaxing day. Rich's Mom, Dad, and Uncle came over today for Easter Brunch. It was just the 6 of us, plus the 2 dogs! My Mom and Bill are in Tennessee.
We did it up Southern style with a recipe from Paula Deen for French Toast Casserole with a praline topping, biscuits, chicken and gravy. We sat outside to eat as it was a beautiful day. Rich and Bekah went on a bike ride down to Lake Eola in the afternoon and we ended the day with the three of us watching a movie together. We called Zack and left a message for him wishing him a Happy Easter, we hope he gets a break as he has been very busy working! We hope he had a good day.
Happy Easter.

Rebekah Lauren Mills

Bekah on the Disney Wonder

Disney Cruise Spring Break 2009

Playing around with the Blog

Well, I am trying to figure out this HTML thing, I have always wanted to learn it. So, I am playing around with the blog, adding a background from House of Three at http://www.houseof3.com/blog-couture.html. When I did this, I had to change the template on the blogger site, it changed the look and removed some of my links, etc. So now I am trying to figure out how to put them back! I lost my poem and it added my profile at the top of the blog, which is not where I want it. So... more to come. I will keep playing with it until I am happy with it. Hopefully I will be able to make it work.

Dress Blues March '09

It was great to get this picture from Zack.
Here he is in his dress blues, I'm not sure what the event is, but he looks great! Very handsome. Zack I am so proud of you!
Semper Fi!

Faces of Bekah 2009

Friends Forever

Our Joy

Welcome to House of Lime

Welcome to House of Lime

Bekah

My Dear Friend

A dear friend passed away today. My friend has been struggling for awhile but that doesn't make it any easier when you lose a friend. It has been a couple years of struggles and victories alike. Vonni was diagnosed with lymphoma Cancer. She under went aggressive treatment and chemotherapy for the cancer. She went into remission. I remember the phone call letting me know that she had just gotten back from the doctor and there was no cancer, I remember this call like it was yesterday. She was so excited as any of us would be.
Vonni was still a newlywed, married to a wonderful man she met bowling, his name is Willie. If you knew Vonni she bowled on a bowling league since about 1975! To hear her talk, the bowling was fun... but the margaritas made her game better! Oh.. and no salt please. She was free to live her life with Willie... she was so happy.
While Vonni was in remission for the cancer, she started having issues with her breathing. After many many doctor visits, it was determined that she had congential heart failure due to the agressive medication to cure the cancer. Apparently, this is a known risk and only happens to about 3% of the people who undergo the treatment. Vonni had issues with her heart and she also had challenges with kidney failure. Vonni worked really hard at keeping her spirit up and living her life, but daily it became more challenging. What I remember most about Vonni is how she always made me laugh. She had the best sense of humor of anyone I've ever known. She was always "on"! She loved life and lived out loud! She was so much fun to be around. I was so fortunate to know her and work with her. She was a great partner. I will miss her dearly. I know she laughing again, now in heaven.

A concert, trips with friends and seeing Zack... a great few months ahead!

Time to write, yes folks it is time to write again. I'm not really sure who "folks" are, as I don't believe anyone reads my blog except for Rich and occasionally Bekah. Which is okay with me, I do this for me, if someone stumbles across it and reads it that is okay too. It's a nice record of personal thoughts, events and photos. It is 8:05 PM on a Thursday night, the house is quiet, I can hear the occasional car drive down the street. Rich and Bekah are at the dentist getting their 6 month cleaning and the dogs are laying down quietly. I am sitting on the sofa, first checking out Facebook, then reading email and following up on a couple of things. One annual event that is rather exciting is going to see the Dave Matthews Band concert, I just got done purchasing our tickets! Yeah! The concert is 8/15/09 in West Palm Beach, a great birthday gift for me! This year we are going with a couple that we met 2 years ago in WPB at the DMB concert. Can't believe how time flies. We met them at the bar in our hotel in WPB, went bar hoping until &^%$@ in the morning and had great time. We have stayed in touch, although we haven't gotten together as much as we would have liked, especially with me traveling all last year, we still make it a point to stay in touch. They are wonderful people and a ton of fun to hang out with. This spring is looking to be lots of fun with friends, in March Rich and I are going to NYC with two other couples. I can't wait... we love NYC! Looking forward to the shopping, eating, drinking and laughing with our friends in a fantastic city. Then at the end of March, first few days into April, Rich, Bekah and I are going on a Disney cruise with the Kosiewski Family. This will be our first cruise, so we are really excited! Rich surprised me with a massage beach side at Castaway Cay Island. I can't wait. We have also been invited to go on another cruise in October with more great friends. I 'm ready to sign up... just hoping Rich will enjoy the first cruise. (I know he will, he just wants to be sure)
In the immediate future... next week I am going to San Jose for work, the most exciting thing about going is that I will see Zack over the weekend. He is going to pick me up at the airport in Phoenix. I am going to spend the weekend with him before heading home. Can't wait to see him!
So far so good for 2009! It is shaping up to be a fun filled year!

Practicing

I know.. my writting has gone by the way side with my new hobby! No one reads what I write anyway, it really is just for me. Here are a couple more pages. I need to get back to the class so I can learn more techniques, right now I am practicing what I have learned. I also need to get my scrapbook items organized before I buy more, unfortunatly I got a little frustrated when I tried to use ACDsee, I couldn't stop my pictures from loading. I will try again soon.

These overlays are from House of 3.

Just another Sunday Morning...

I am having so much fun learning to digi scrapbook. I have a fantastic subject too... she makes for some pretty pages! The only problem I am having is that I am not getting anything else done! LOL!

Sweetheart Dance 021409

Tonight Bekah went to EHS Sweetheart Dance. Hair and make-up by Robert. Bekah decided not to go with a date this year, she went with friends instead. She wanted to be able to dance with everyone she said!

Bekah's Style

Holiday Traditions Layout

I like the way this one turned out. I like the techiques used in this layout. I know I haven't been writting too much lately in my blog, I have just been posting pictures. I will soon! I need to get back to writting! :) But until then... here's another picture.

Beautiful

Beautiful you, by Jessica Sprague- Beautiful You kit.

The Good Stuff

I decided to sign up for a Digi-scrapbooking online class. Wow, what a difference it makes to actually watch the steps that need to be taken. It is very helpful. I was searching for an online class and found Jessica Sprague on FB, Google and had seen her layouts before. I decided to try her classes because she has step by step video that can be paused and replayed as many times as needed. I have looked at other website but hers seemed straight forward and easy to follow. So here is my first layout from the class. It is very basic, a little more basic than the one I did of Bekah from "Digital Designs 2" but the nice thing about it is the step by step instructions and really showing an easier way to get the layouts completed. I am getting ready to start my next lesson.

It has been a very lazy day, I can't remember when I spent the entire day in the house? With the traveling this week and the stress of work, I just needed a day to decompress. I didn't even work! I will have to tomorrow some, but for today, I watched the entire season 1 of Lipstick Jungle, organized files on my new laptop and finished lesson 1 in the "Up and Running with Photoshop" with Jessica Sprague. http://www.jessicaspraque.com/. I guess you would say I took a "personal day".

Beautiful, inside and out

Bekah Our Sunshine

I am reading the book, digital designs 2 for scrapbooking. This is where I found the design ideas. I am having fun learning about digi scrapbooking... I can't wait to learn more! 

Special bond between Father & Daughter

Playing with Pictures

I haven't taken a class yet, I'm just seeing what can do with Photoshop Elements... I have a lot to learn but I like the idea behind this photo.  Pictures from Bekah's Homecoming game and dance 2008.  

My Weekend

The weekend is over.  I am happy to say that I was able to accomplish a few things this weekend that I needed to.  I finished cleaning out the computer armoire, I purchased a new laptop online (I can't wait until it comes!), we straightened and swept the house, I bought a birthday present for a friend and sent a Valentine's gift to Zack, went to lunch at Sonny's, went to a movie and did not see it (sold out), came home and watched a couple rentals while we enjoyed popcorn and snow caps.  We bought a new mattress for Bekah, went to the grocery store, took a walk to the local diner for breakfast and watched the Pittsburgh Steelers become the AFC Champions going to the Superbowl. 

 I would say all in all it was a very productive weekend.  

This year my goal is to simplify and organize. Time to get rid of those things we haven't looked at for awhile or used in the last 6 months. Cancel those magazine subscriptions that I never have time to read and start combating all the junk mail.  Time to simplify! 

As I said before in one of my postings, this year, I really want to learn how to do digital scrapbooking.  I started going through some old photos and scanning them for organizational purposes and for safe keeping. It is so much fun going through old photos.  This is all part of my organizational goals this year.  Little by little it will get done.  

It's back to work tomorrow, I am positive that my day will go well. 

This picture is of Rich coming out of the College Park Diner this morning when we went for breakfast.  

Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go!

I'm really enjoying this year's football season. Rich, Bekah and I have been watching the games together, going out to sports restaurants or watching them at home. It has been fun dressing the part in our jerseys, hats and waving our Terrible Towels cheering on our favorite team! We make sure we text Zack during the game to see if he too is watching! It's a family affair!

Go Steelers!

Our Christmas Tree 2008

Christmas 2008

Another Christmas Season is behind us... well almost behind us, there are still remnants of Christmas decorations, opened gifts that haven't found a home, oh and the Christmas tree is still prominently displayed in all its grandeur. But besides that, Christmas is "almost" behind us. We had a very relaxing Christmas Holiday this year (even though I wasn't able to get away from work). We started with a cookie bake with Lisa and Kyle Broesch, on Dec. 23rd, Rich, Bekah and I went to Disney for the day. We had a great time visiting all the places, eateries and rides that we enjoyed as kids. "Gotta have a pineapple whip... you know from the place across from Swiss Family Robinson Tree House!" We also enjoyed the Christmas decorations, the lights and holiday performances. We jumped on the monorail from Magic Kingdom to Epcot so we can visit the Countries and see their holiday decor. We bought candy in Italy, listened to Santa in Canada and ate a hot dog in America all in one day. We then made our way back to the Magic Kingdom to see Cinderella's Castle light up! It has been a few years, many in fact, since we have been to Disney. We enjoyed the day, taking our time strolling through the park, taking pictures and enjoying each other's company. Christmas Eve was a Mexican Fiesta! Fred, Amy, Katie and Lauren invited us over for a fiesta, we had maracas, sombreros, fajitas, burritos, Mexican decorations to set the mood. We even played "Pin the tail on the donkey" of which Rich proudly won a sombrero wearing rubber ducky. When we got home, Rich and I finished up the wrapping (yes, we were still wrapping) and Rich finished working on his "surprise" for Bekah.

Then alas it was Christmas Day, the gifts were presented beautifully under tree. Rich's surprise was dressed magnificently next to the tree.... okay, so here's the story on the surprise. Bekah was sharing with us how she loved the way we "presented" gifts under the tree. She loved the Presentation! When she was little, presentations were easier to do, we always left one big gift unwrapped under the tree. Whether it was a baby doll or skateboard with all the accessories, the presentation of the gift meant a lot to her. So this year, I asked Rich to make a manikin of sorts! As a teenager, the gifts are usually clothes or electronics, and such which makes it a little more difficult for the big presentation. Clothes laying out on the floor just isn't the same, that happens after Christmas! So Rich built a manikin out of 2X4s and a sign. My resident MacGiver. We dressed the manikin with Lucky Jeans, a sweater and a wrap and hat (to add flair). We contemplated printing a picture of Bekah to paste on a head, but frankly we were too tired! (Bekah said that would have scared her anyway, I think we made the right decision). The manikin looked great! She was surprised all right! The manikin stood between her new jewelry box and the Christmas tree. Now you know the story... I will get back to Christmas Day. It was the three of us Christmas morning. We had a nice leisurely morning. We made Cinnamon rolls like we do every Christmas morning. We were excited to watch each other open the gifts. We missed Zack this year and did talk to him to wish him a Merry Christmas. We were also missing my mom and Bill this year as they were celebrating Christmas in TN with Bill's parents and my sister and her kids. Later that evening, Rich's Mom, Dad and Uncle Rich came over along with my best friend Lisa. We had a nice ham dinner, very laid back and relaxing.

I am so appreciative of all my blessings. I enjoy so much spending time with friends and family. Whether it's a big planned event or just hanging out together.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Bekah with her manikin and Cinnamon roll. Bekah with the outfit on and her favorite gift...a Pippi Longstocking picture! :)

Well it is 4:26 PM and I am really just starting my working day. What I mean is that I started around 8:30 AM this morning, but with all the work I have left to do, it really is only the beginning. I like the financial freedom my job provides, we are not "rich" in monetary standards by any stretch of the imagination, but we do well for ourselves, have had the opportunities take vacations, be entertained, to entertain and provide for our family and not have to watch every dime we spend. It is a good feeling. Sometimes the stress of my job makes me wonder if it the "appropriate" amount of stress? What if I did something completely different, artistic, free spirited... would I be just trading off one stress for another? Helping to provide for our family and live like we are used too for the stress of not knowing if I can pay the bills? I don't know? But what I do know, is my daughter is happy! Where did that come from within this post you may be asking yourself. Well, I'll tell you, no matter what choices I have made or Rich and I have made together, we did right by our children. They are both happy, productive, well adjusted young adults. Bekah tells us often how grateful she is that we are her parents. She enjoys laughing with us, spending time with us and is truly appreciative of the way we have raised her. So, at the end of the day... to me, that is all that really matters! The rest will figure its self out. So for now, its back to work.
(This picture is from Christmas 2007, when we rented a cottage in Savannah, GA for the week)

Thank our Troops