Whoops!

It's been awhile, and this post will be really short. Just wanted to share some photos from a princess birthday party the girls went to Saturday. We had a great time at the Clemmons' home celebrating Caiden's sixth birthday! Got tons of cute pics, even if Abby was out of sorts with an unfamiliar place and did NOT cooperate with the photo session. I would post a group pic, but don't want to put other people's children's photos online without their permission. Probably wouldn't mind, but still...

Ashleigh was ALL ABOUT posing! Rachel got more candids during the party, but I don't have copies of them yet.

Can it get any hotter?

Wait, don't answer that, because I know the answer is a big, fat YES! Some mornings, the heat and humidity just make me angry as soon as I walk out the door. Ugh. I've lived in Mississippi all my 36 years and you think I'd get used to it. Not so much. I feel like writing Mother Nature a letter and asking her to please turn down the heat. Also, if it's not too much to ask, keep any and all bugs and creepy crawlies out of our house! I can't stand bugs either. Eewwww!

In other news:

Surprisingly to me, I felt more sadness over the announcement of Jon & Kate Gosselin's divorce than Michael's Jackson's death. Trust me, I think that's bizarre and I'm the one who feels that way. Divorces always sadden me. And I guess since Michael Jackson has gone crazy and all I don't feel as connected to him. Not that I should feel connected to Jon & Kate at any rate.

Really Sad

One of my best friends is moving to Arizona. 

I am not happy.

I haven't been this sad since Kelley moved to Texas.

The situations are very similar: leaving me behind is a co-worker who I like very much who also knows how to do their job well. Trust me, this is hard to come by. The differences are that Anthony is a guy so we didn't spend time together outside the office, but he and my husband did.

Anthony is a computer nerd in a cool way. Who will help me with my dilemmas now? I'll be left to muddle through on my own. Will the new guy we hired do a good job? I'm sure. Will we have the same kind of friendship? Doubtful. Anthony and I get excited over the same things like cool fonts and awesome vector art. Free cool stuff really gets us wound up. We have a lot of the same tastes graphics-wise, but we are quite different as well. We compliment each other and help each other out. I help him make ads more "girly" and he helps me de-frill my ads on occasion.

I hear that Flagstaff, Arizona is a great place. But right now, I will hold a grudge against it. Not against Anthony and his wife; I wish them all the best. They are doing what's best for their family and I can't fault them for that.

But Flagstaff? You totally suck.

New Newspaper!

Well, after a few months of keeping quiet, I can finally spill the beans: The Commercial Dispatch has launched a new publication in Starkville, The Starkville Dispatch!

I've gotten to do some pretty interesting things, like put a newspaper in a bulldog's mouth, see below.

I think it's pretty cool that we're starting a new newspaper when so many papers around the country are going out of business....and did I mention it's FREE?

Check it out at http://www.thestarkvilledispatch.com/

#dispatch

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Fifteen years ago today, I married my best friend, Kenneth. I know that is rather corny and cliche, but it is true.

I honestly can't imagine life without him. I can always count on him to be there for me when it counts. I've never doubted his love for me and never had a reason not to trust him completely. He is a wonderful father to our children, which is a good thing because I couldn't be married to him otherwise.

Now, don't get me wrong. He makes me mad regularly, drives me nuts and has habits that annoy me. I will readily tell you if we spend too much time together, we'd kill each other. And he'd tell you the exact same thing about me. When we get angry with one another, there's never any worry that this will be "the end." And I think that's what a happy marriage is all about. It's not about never fighting and always getting along. It's about always being yourself, speaking your mind and knowing that at the end of the day, your spouse loves you in spite of yourself.

Now that I've gotten all that out of the way, here's a photo from our wedding. What a difference 15 years makes!

Rambling...

Well, I'm not exactly keeping up with the once-a-week pledge I made when I started my blog again. But I'm still doing better than some folks, like MY SISTER who hasn't updated her blog since April 1st! Then again, I'll never keep up with Kelley who posts almost daily. In my defense, I do update my status fairly often on Facebook. It's just so easy to do from my phone!

Things have been pretty ho-hum. Our dog, Rusty (aka Little Paw, Monster) is settling in quite nicely and his made himself a part of the family. I just realized I haven't posted a photo of him here, so here you go:
He's a long hair miniature dachshund and will be two years old tomorrow!

Ashleigh got her first "major" haircut this weekend. It was to her waist and while beautiful, was totally unmanageable! No amount of conditioner could make it easy to brush. The only "easy" thing to do was keep it in a French braid and if you rarely ever wear it down, what's the point of having it? I got Kenneth to take her because I didn't want him fussing at me that I got it cut too short! I love my hair dresser and would've liked her to do it, but I wanted him in charge of it! After they left, I began to freak out a bit? What if he cut it off above her shoulders? Would I end up freaking out? In the end, we are all happy with the outcome. Here's a before & after shot. (Her hair is wet in the before.)
It is SO MUCH EASIER to deal with now!! I miss the super-long hair, but we've got to be practical!

I'm currently reading this. It is very interesting and just a little scary! But I managed to buy quite a few organic things this weekend. I want to do the best I can because I owe it to my children to give them the healthiest foods & environment I possibly can. And I owe it to them to be the healthiest Mom I can be!

Just love this picture of Abby. I took it while she was eating breakfast at my parent's house Mother's Day morning.

And to be fair, I'll post one of Ashleigh that shows her face! Also taken Mother's Day morning at my parent's house.

joys of a waiting room

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology & a well behaved child I am posting this from a pediatrician's waiting room. Abby has big insect bite looking spots all over her arms & legs & this isn't the first time so I'm having her checked out. She is currently telling everyone to watch out. She just got though singing for them. My sweet girl!

Other than skin troubles we are well. The dog seems more at game every day. He's now set up in a bigger crate for the day while we're gone & sleeps in bed with us at night. Got a new brush for him that helps pull out loose undercoat hair and he does NOT like that. Found something he doesn't cooperate with. But it makes him so shiny! Better sign of before Abby gets called back!