Twins 1st Birthday

I got a groupon for shutterfly do to my engagement book but then decided to use it for Izabele and Sophia's first birthday scrapbook. Here is a preview of what I ordered for them!! :)

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books are the new way to preserve your memories. Create your own today.

Cash Cochran

I'm the nanny to a 9 month little boy! He is the cutest thing ever!! When I first started working he was 6 months old and couldn't sit up by himself, wasn't crawling, didn't have any teeth, and wouldn't hold his own bottle.

Now a couple months later he has two teeth and one more on the way, he is crawling EVERYWHERE, and I mean everywhere! He is just growing up so fast! lol Can't wait to till he starts walking and talking! ( I say that now but probably in a couple months I'll be wishing he was still a baby!) 

Slide time! :)

at the grocery store! 

He is always happy.

Proud to be an American.

Tuesday, I voted in the 2012 Presidential election. I am so grateful that we have been given this opportunity. There was once a time when I wouldn't have been able to vote...twice over. Once for being black, and again for being a women. I love my country and the progress that we have made. And while we still have miles and miles to go 'till we sleep, I wouldn't rather live anywhere else.

Congratulations to President Obama on his reelection. Regardless of any of my feelings towards his beliefs and policies, I pray that God gives him the wisdom to lead our nation. Being president is no small task. I can't believe to understand the pressure he is under. I pray his eyes are opened to truth and I pray for the salvation of him and his family.

Here's my patriotic outfit (Go Red, White, and Blue! lol):

Great quote

Can I say something to young ladies here? I'm trying to pick my words carefully here. Your husband, whoever he is, single ladies, will have an unbelievable amount of influence over your sons and daughters in regards to spiritual things. If you want your children to love Jesus deeply, hold out for a man that is godly. And let me tell you this: I am well aware that Godly men are rare. Lots of neat Christian boys, not a lot of Godly men. And we're working our tails off for you to try to develop some into that. But don't settle, because it's better that you be lonely now than you be married and lonely later. Are you tracking with me? It is better that you be lonely now than for you to get married to a man that will teach your kids everything but the way of Jesus." - Matt Chandler

Balloon Fiesta!!

And we are OFF!! :)

O how I love October in Albuquerque! The early morning skies are lit up by hot air balloons! :) O what a beautiful site it is! :)

This is my 4th Balloon Fiesta but my 3rd year crewing with the clutch crew! :) :)

Alan, my fiancé, got me going when we first started dating in 2010.  It tradition to take the whole week off and do nothing but ballooning stuff. They have fun actives during the week that you can do!

Here are a couple pictures:

me and my honey waiting for the GO!

Even after 3 years of flying I still get nervous going up! :)

Up up and AWAY!!! :) :) 

There is nothing like going up in a hot air balloon!!

Balloon almost up!! 

No one reminded me to blog yesterday! And since I blogged about the fiesta last week I don't know what to right about. I guess I'll just inform my lovely sisters about the solo I might be singing.It's a might because I was going to do it with Amy but she is leaving tomorrow but we'll see how confident I feel. Here's a preview. The vocals are a bit shaking but that's cuz I didn't warm up (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

30 before 30

I was watching an episode of Brothers&Sisters earlier (which was a good series that I just watched entirely on Netflix thanks to a recommendation by Dehli, but I digress) and one of the siblings was turning 30 and had written a list of things when he was a kid that he wanted to do before that ripe old age... And since I am winding up my thirties in a few short years*tear* I thought it would be cool to compile a list of things I'd like to do before my best years are behind me.  

So here goes.... (In no particular order)

1. Go on a cruise
2. Change the oil on a car
3. Shoot a gun... (be afraid)
4. Get to my goal weight (Thank you baby weight for sticking around and wearing out your welcome!)
5.  Have an eighties dance party (because that just seems like something somebody in my generation needs to do at least once in their life!)
6. Go on a road trip with no destination in mind
7. Build something ...out of wood... with my own hands... using power tools and such
8. Learn to drive a stick (again be afraid)
9. Go back to school
10. Move somewhere new
11. Be apart of a flash mob
12. Make homemade croissants 
13. Take ballroom dancing lessons
14. Keep my house "Rose clean" for a week, while the kids ARE home (If you don't understand this then you've never been to my mom's house. Shes a magician for sure)
15. Go somewhere outside of the U.S that I've never been
16. Run a marathon
17. Teach my kids to ride a bike
18. Learn to play the piano
19. Cook a homemade meal for dinner every night of one whole week (and if you know me then you know this would be much be a miracle)
20. Find my soul mate (Ok this might be a bit much before the big 3-0 but you never know. You have not because you ask not, right?! ;))
21. Make an apple pie 
22. Finally read the Bible all the way through
23. Win three people to God
24. Go to Disney World
25. Take my kids to go swim in an ocean
26. Create a nest egg
27. Work on being a better sister, friend, daughter, mother...person
28. Watch a full presidential debate (zzzzzZZZZzzzZZzzz)
29. Memorize the order of the books of the Bible and more scripture
30. Go to a Steelers and/or a Lakers game

And there you have it, my 30 before 30 list... I better get going because the BIG day will be here before I know it... As I mark things off the list I will write about it to keep you updated. I'm excited to see how many of these I'll be able to complete, I hope my sisters are up to some of these challenges because I wont be able to do it alone :)

Venue

Since my plane got delayed from Albuquerque to Dallas. I decided I would blog before I forgot to do it! :)

So this blog is about me and my mom going to see a Wedding Venue today! :)

We went to see the Balloon Fiesta Museum.

I figured since me and my fiancé Alan balloon together that we should get married at the museum where they tell the history of ballooning.

It was very nice and everything I hoped that it would be!

They showed my mom and I about 4 different rooms they had in the museum. But two of the rooms only have about a 40 people limit which I would LOVE to have but I know the wedding will be a bit bigger than 40 people lol which we could turn those two rooms into where the bride and groom gets ready! Which I thought was a great idea, so we can do everything in one place!

This room was upstairs and had a GREAT view of the mountains but it didn't have an outdoor space where we could do the ceremony at. 

They had this exact same room downstairs which had a great outdoor space and a covered patio where we could have a dance floor or cocktail hour at. 

Super glad that I only had to look at one venue to figure out where I wanted to get married at. My mom loved the whole space. So I knew it was the place where Alan and I would start forever at. (which those where his words when I told him I liked the space) 

So at the end of the year I will be booking and putting my deposit down on this place. :) I'm super excited to let me sisters see it so we can start going over decoration ideas!! Thank the lord that my family is the crafting type! (saving money where every I can) 

Albuquerque international balloon fiesta 2012

Ever since I saw the Lost episode where they show Charlie's five proudest/favorite moments (before he dies *sad face), I have been looking for my own. And I am proud to say that I now have an addition to my top 5 favorite moments. Going up in a hot air balloon was an amazing experience! It was too beautiful and peaceful to even think about being scared (to me at least, tasha might have a different opinion). Here are some pictures so you can halfway share in the experience with me.

Texas Country

Better late than never, I always say...haha.

I just got back from a crazy, short, exhausting trip to Dallas for a research project that I'll be working on this year. It was all expenses paid though so thank you, ACU! My classmates are so funny so we had a really good time. Dehli actually came over to the hotel and chatted it up for a little while so that was definitely the icing on the cake!

Anywho...my blog today is about my newfound love for Texas Country music. Having lived in South Texas for the past 8 years, I do listen to Country music and I absolutely love most of it. In recent conversations though, it was discovered that I didn't know any "Texas Country" music...which, if you didn't know, is different than mainstream country and is, apparently, a HUGE deal up here in Abilene. And since I started watching Friday Night Lights, I figured I needed to become a bit more accustomed to the West Texas way of life.

After hearing some of the names, I did know a few...I just didn't know they were classified different from the rest, like Pat Green, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Randy Rogers Band, Eli Young Band (although, they are pretty mainstream now), and Kevin Fowler. But I guess you learn something new each day...

A friend from church made me two mixed CD's for my birthday stocked full of what he calls the best in Texas Country...and I must say, I really like it! So good job, Kirk! A couple are a little too Honky Tonk for my taste but the rest are really good.

Dehli, here's a picture of some of them, you need to check 'em out.

My top three songs right now are:
1. Who I am by Wade Bowen
2. Next to Heaven by Aaron Watson
3. Good Night for Dancing by Josh Abbott Band

Honorable Mentions - Constantly by CCR, Crazy by Casey Donahew Band, and Feet Don't Touch the Ground by Stoney LaRue.

Del, I'll try to figure out dropbox and see if I can send 'em over to you lol.

Well I'm gonna curl up with Revenge so ttyl!

State Fair..

I totally SPACED yesterday and forgot to blog! :(  So I'm doing it today! :)

I went to the Dallas State Fair last Monday with my boss and her family. It was my first fair that I could remember  It was SO much fun. They had tons of booths, games, rides, people, and animals! 

My ticket to get in

Dallas state fair is known for their fried food. Yes I said FRIED. They have the most fried for EVER. Anything you can imagine its fried! So of course being a cooking and food tasting guru I just HAD to taste a couple of things! (fried beer, fried cheesecake, fried butter, fried bacon cinnamon rolls, fried salsa, fried cookie dough)

 Here is the fried jambalaya served with a onion ring and spicy sauce. It was to die for!! This was the first year having it. It also won the best tasting award this year. Which, in my opinion, it was well deserved. I could have eaten about ten more of them. lol

 Here is the BIG Texan. lol :) he is in the middle of everything. :)

 Next on the taste test was fried mac-n-cheese. Which i thought was okay. If they used my mommas homemade mac-n-cheese it would have been a WHOLE lot better! Plus the bun that they used made it to breadie if that makes any sense. :)

 One of the waterfalls. :)

 They last thing we tried that was fried was the guacamole!! :)

 My boss and I waiting for our order of guacamole!

 (and YES i did wear my redskins jersey to a DALLAS event)

 The inside of the guacamole. It was pretty good. A bit spicy and the batter was just a bit too thick. But over all it was good. Better than the mac-n-cheese but not as good as the jambalaya.

Midway is where all the rides are! We didn't ride any rides but we saw some pretty crazy and scary rides!

 See i told you.. Anything you can think of they have it fried. Fried bubblegum! Did not try it but talked  with a lady in line who said it was a sugar rush.

 You can't go to a fair and not have funnel cake!! but red velvet sounds even better!

 The last then we ate before we left was of course the funnel cake. It was very delicious. It was nice and hot and soft. Yum. Just melts in your mouth kinda goodness! :)

This was the tickets that we had to use to buy everything. They don't use cash or credit cards. So everywhere there are stands to get tickets so you can buy food, water, games. Something I thought was pretty different. 

Friday Funday

Today is a good day. The kids and I will be hitting the road tonight after work to head to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We are going to visit my parents and will be there for a week. All of the sisters will be through at some point during that week and I cannot wait. It feels like it's been forever since we've seen each other. We are going for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and are so excited we can barely contain it!!!

We will all be blogging about out experiences there in the next couples of weeks. We will have a whole week dedicate to the Fiesta :)

I hope you are as excited about clocking out on this Friday evening as I am!

TGIF

School might not be so overrated

I've never been excited about my college major; Accounting. When asked why I chose it I'd reply very vaguely with a 'I'm good at math' or 'job security.' It's not awful by any means but I sure wasn't passionate about it. Yesterday, however, we had a guest speaker, Perry something or other, a NMSU graduate who majored in accounting. Mr. Perry didn't just give a lecture for an hour and a half; he told us a little about his background and let us ask questions. He spoke of all the different things you can do with an accounting degree, he pushed graduate school while you are still in school mode (bleh), he informed us that he currently makes 2 MILLION dollars a year, and that we, as entry level public accounting students, can make a starting salary of about $50,000. All that made me VERY excited but my favorite part about Perry was that he took every chance he got to glorify God, which is uncommon on a college campus. He said that putting faith and family before your career is the most important thing you can do. 

So basically 2 and a half years later I know I made the right choice sticking with accounting. Who knows maybe that'll be me in 30 years making the big bucks, giving inspirational speeches, but most importantly using a career field to uplift my God.

Loss for words

I don't have anything blog worthy to say today so I'm going to leave you with this picture. It so perfect, I think, don't you?! Its not over yet...

P.S. Since my sisters and I started our new blogging schedule to make sure we all get on here at least once a week I have realized I have no life. I need to change that so I will have something besides my reality tv worthy drama to talk about!!!  :)

Favorite Scripture

Whew...it's my day again. This past week just flew by! Today, I thought I'd write about my favorite scripture (Our blog is totally and completely random, but I guess, that's the beauty in the chaos).

When people ask me what my favorite scripture is I usually freeze. My mind goes blank and the only scripture I can ever think of is John 3:16...which is a great scripture, and probably the first I ever memorized...long before we were ever attending church...however, it is NOT my favorite. LOL. It is (or it was):

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

And basically, I said alllllllll that to say that my new favorite scripture is:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:5-7

I think that above all else, we must be in love with God. Only when we truly LOVE him will we be able to passionately live for him and obey his word. I really like this scripture because it shows the important of spreading that love around to other people, specifically at four different times throughout our day:

1. When you sit at home - That means when you're sitting down to eat dinner, when you're sitting on the couch, when you're sitting out on the porch with family, God should never been far from your thoughts and conversations. God isn't just something for Sunday Morning church services, but He must be taken home with you. Instead of eating with the TV on and the cellphone out, try talking about God or reading your Bible. 

2. When you walk along the road - Since they walked most everywhere they went back in the day, I imagine that God meant for them to talk about Him when they walked to and from work and when they went to draw water from the well and when they headed over to the neighbor's house to share the latest gossip. Turn the radio off in the car every once in a while, say a prayer for the people you pass (or that pass you, if you don't have a lead foot, like me). Take your headphones out of your ears, say hi to the people you walk by. 

3. When you lie down - Bedtime prayers...not something invented by parent's to make children sleepy. Hahaha. Right before bed a great time to unwind from the day, to check back in with God. 

4. When you get up - The Bible says in Psalms 3 that we lie down and sleep and wake the next day because the Lord sustained us...thank Him for it :)

I bet we would be amazed at the opportunities we miss every day to talk to someone about God or even just the chances we have to be kind to someone because we are so distracted by other things. Or how about all those things that he's waiting to tell you about your life, things that you are eager to hear as well, things that he hasn't gotten the chance to tell you yet, because you just haven't spent any time with him lately.

Pay attention.

Be aware of the people around you.

Make time for the Creator of your world.

Keep your eyes open.

Fashion Show

Well I guess while I'm waiting for my pictures to upload to my computer I can start writing! :)

So if you don't know already I am engaged! :) I got engaged April 11, 2012!

This past weekend was my first EVER wedding event that I went too! It was so much fun!

Hotel it was held at.

It started out with a fashion show. It had about 8 bridesmaid dress and about 10 wedding dresses. I fell in LOVE with one of the wedding dresses!! I will try it on in March/april when its time to start dress shopping!! After the fashion show they had tons of vendors upstairs showing off what they do. They had about 50vendors giving away free stuff. It was pretty neat. I got a couple cute ideas from all the displays that they had.  They had cake tasting and people walking around with different types of hors d'oeuvres. 

Susan and her daughter Kim went with me. Susan is my nephews grandmother.  They have been so great welcoming into their little family since all my family is away from me. They had a great time too! They got some goodies. :)  

The models at the show were very good. Some of them were kinda stiff but the others were very good. Working the runway! 

The Models in the last dresses. :) 

Here is the wedding dress I fell in love with at the show. 

It's from Victoria Nicole. It's a vintage old lace with a bow-tie in the back with a pinkish tint underneath the lace. That is Victorias signature color.(pink) so every collection has a couple dresses with pink. It was very pretty. All three of us did the OO as soon as we saw it. I looked it up online and WANT to try it on when I do my wedding shopping. it will be a must. :) 

Here are just a couple pictures from the events 

And the last picture of the event!  ME! :) I thought i would wear my favorite color. YELLOW which will be also the color of the wedding. My wedding colors will be yellow and grey. I'm super excited to go to my wedding events to get more ideas for my big day! 

Homework Help (with 13 Minutes to spare)

I'm taking a creative writing class this semester and this was our first fiction short story...It had to have a man and a woman interacting, a cat, and a burglar. Feel free to make corrections because I think I have great ideas but I the execution is never as great as I imagine it. what ever suggestions y'all have let me know by Tuesday cuz that's when it's due! Please and Thank you!

Fine by Me If You Never Leave

Screams were all she could muster. Words haven’t been able to form in her my since the day he left. Her family opted to stay behind knowing she’d only be taking her anger out on them. But anger is a step up from the suffocating emptiness she felt before the realization that he’s never coming back. Her screams turn into sobs, her anger to pain. As time passed the sobs turn into something that resembled a moan and her pain to fear; Fear that she’ll never feel the happiness being with him gave her, fear that no matter how bright the sun shines it will never bring her the warmth that the touch of his skin gave her, fear that the emptiness with never cease to be.

I still remember the first time I saw her. Her smile pierced through the darkness like the sun at dawn on the eastern horizon. The light from the bon fire highlighted her flawless skin. She was laughing, at the fool who tripped over nothing into a group of unsuspecting girls, with one of her friends. As I observed from afar, trying not to be creepy, I just knew by the end of the night I had to know her name. As I unsuccessfully thought of ways to start a conversation with her, one of MY friends called her name: Hayden. He waved her over and she obliged. She shyly shook her head as he tried handing her a guitar; she smiled playfully and after some coercion accepted the guitar. The party continued on but as she began to strum I could look at nothing else and as she opened her mouth I was mesmerized by the voice of an angel singing Andy Grammar’s Fine by Me. At that moment I knew I didn’t just want to know her name, I wanted to know everything about her.

“Why?” It’s the first word she’s uttered since…she couldn’t even remember had it been days, weeks? Her days have transformed in to a never ending nightmare where time is irrelevant, if only you could wake yourself, but she can’t. “Why did he leave me?” the words barely audible slip from her lips. Feeling every negative emotions surging to the surface, she turns to leave, to go back to…to what? Their house where everything reminds her of him, to live the rest of her days in solitude?

“Happy Anniversary, Hayden” I uncovered her eyes as we approached the front steps to a quaint beige brick house. She was always talking about how small our apartment was and after a year of her putting up with it I knew it was the perfect first anniversary present. Tears welled up in her eyes as she asked “is it ours?” I couldn’t help but laugh “No, I brought you all the way out here to surprise you with someone else’s house.” She punched me in the gut as was usual with my sarcasm. “It’s…” she turned to me with the smile that still makes me catch my breath “it’s perfect” she finished. She was never one to cry without a reason, was never at a loss for words, and never gave compliments. So with that simple response I knew I had just made her the happiest woman on the whole east coast.

She can’t hold down the anger any longer, Whipping her head back around she begins screaming again only this time words come flowing out “I said ‘why did you leave me?’” Lowering her voice slightly “you said ‘you’d always be here to protect the heart I so hesitantly gave you.’ You said ‘I’ll make you believe in love yet, Hayden.” And that he did. He captured her heart in a way others could only try. He made her believe in true love and happily ever afters.

I fingered the ring in my pocket. It was a nervous habit that developed over the two months I’ve had it just waiting for the right time. She had been hurt so many times before I just wanted to make he believe that I’d never be that guy but THE guy. I wanted to make her believe in love, but more importantly in my love. “Hayden, I’ve practiced this a billion times in a million different ways; there was going to be a band, rose pedals, and even a cat named after you but it just didn’t seem right. So here I am just a man and a ring.” I took the ring out of my pocket as the realization of what was happening settled in. Her face, unreadable so I continue “I meant it when I said I’d always be here to protect the heart you so hesitantly gave me. Will you marry me Hayden Lawrence?” “Do you remember the night we met? The last thing you said to me before we parted, for what I thought was going to be forever, you said ‘I’ll make you believe in love yet’ and that you did Dante Jackson you wormed your way into my heart and I said all that to say, yes!”

A suburb couple found after being shot by burglar, one dead the other in critical condition. Suspect has been apprehended.

Hayden was in the shower when the intruder came through the down stairs window. Dante was out back taunting Lawrence, the couple’s cat, with yarn unaware of any ill doings until he heard the gun shot. There it was again. He ran as fast as he could through the house but came to an abrupt stop in the foyer when he saw a hooded figure at the top of the stairs holding a gun. Before Dante could register what was happening he heard a third shot and felt a sharp pain in his abdomen before everything went black.

***

The oranges, pinks, and purples of sunset began to paint the sky and he knows his time here is drawing to a close. He kneels, puts his hand gently on the marble slap that reads:

Hayden Jackson

May 17 1985-September 27 2012

“It’s fine by me if you never leave”

 “Please don’t go”

“We both know I have to go”

“If you go I’ll be all alone”

“You’ve got family up there right? Tell them I say hi and tell Dante Jr. Daddy loves him.”

She knows it’s time for him to go and live out the rest of his days, as she prepares to spend an eternity with her Savior and the son she miscarried two years earlier. The anger had subsided; there was no place for that in heaven. All she felt now was peace and love. “Don’t ever forget me”

I’ll never forget the beautiful memories we shared, your voice of an angel, or that smile. Oh God that smile. 

Amidst the Rubble

My heart aches, my soul moans
I try to keep up the facade but
It's clear to me these smiles are just on loan.

They say be strong, you'll be fine
That life is better off this way
Why did my life have to unwind

If my heart could speak today that is what it would sound like. 

I do not apologize for the days like today when I sobbed uncontrollably. They are necessary in this thing called life. My life has been thrown some curve balls this year (I recently finalized a divorce and am now raising two kids alone and my sister/best friend moved four hours away leaving me with no immediate family nearby) and I'd like to think I have handle them fairly well considering most of what I held dear was yanked from me and my life was turned upside down. I will come out of all this much stronger and ready to attack anything that comes my way. 

If you are in the middle of a storm, hold on. It will get better. You may feel like your world is crashing in around you and it may be but you can stand amidst the rubble and choose to rebuild. It is possible. :)



Alex

Cheers

Cheers to new beginnings and fresh starts.

Cheers to chasing dreams and finding your calling.

Cheers to meeting new people and saying goodbye to the old.

A little over a month ago, I moved (Yes...the girl afraid to leave left) to the big city of Abilene, Texas (haha).
Not too far, but it got me out on my own.
And hey, I'm still in Texas...wearing horse shirts (haha) :D

Since attending Abilene Christian University, I have:

1. Fallen in love with the campus and coffee (yikes),

2. Seen my favorite move in an old, restored theater,

3. Gone to the West Texas Fair & Rodeo 4 times in one week,

4. and turned TWENTY-FOUR!!!

Overall, I can say that this is right where I am meant to be.

I am beyond excited to see where the next two years take me.