30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 12

Drag racing. When I was 11 years old, I went to the drag strip for the first time. I was instantly in love with the sport and wanted to learn everything about it. A few hours into race day, I asked my Daddy if I could start drag racing at the age of 16, when most kids get their driver's license. He smiled and told me something along the lines of "We'll see." Later in the afternoon, when walking in the pits, we saw this little bitty race car, a Jr. dragster. We talked to the NHRA reps there and they said kids ages 8-17 got to race those cars. Fast-forward about 9 months and I had my very own dragster that my Daddy spent countless hours and weekends welding, building, fabricating, painting for me. It was awesome! I enjoyed drag racing all throughout my teenager years. We went to races all over Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. I was even lucky enough to race in the Jr. Dragster National Championships at IRP in Indianapolis two different years. I am currently on a drag racing hiatus but I look forward to getting back behind the wheel someday.

Black Magic - Ardmore Sept 2009

the dragster, circa 2008(?)

Ardmore 2009

30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 11

A picture of something I can't stand.... This is a challenge because I had to search for images of stuff I can't stand. Hmm, where do I begin?

I can't stand creepy crawlers, especially spiders. Yuck.

Ke.$ha. I can't get my radio switched or the don't like button on Pandora clicked fast enough when I hear her awful voice. She's terrible. 'Nuff said.

I don't have a picture of this, but paying full price for anything.  Call me cheap, but if I don't have a store coupon or they aren't having a sale, I'm probably not going to shop there at that moment.  I'm not an extreme couponer, I don't have time for that but I would love to get our grocery bill slashed.  I'm a bargain shopper, can't help it.

30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 10

The person I do the silliest stuff with, well that's an easy one, definitely Henry.  Nothing makes you feel like a kid again when you have a child around. I can't tell you how often I find myself making crazy faces, singing like a 3 year old or laughing my head off just to keep him entertained.  He has recently learned how to walk so we play chase and hide and go seek (more like Mama running into the other room and him screaming until he finds me.)  I sure love being silly with my little buddy.

mealtime is always entertaining

wearing a Joe Dirt mullet wig

He has the best cheese face ever!

30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 9

Aside from my family and husband, I have a few friends that have gotten me through so much.  First off, my friend Jeannie.  She and I met at work almost 7 years ago but it feels like she's always been a part of my life.  She's the most loyal friend I've ever had and I love her dearly.  She's been through all of the major challenges and all of the blessings of my adult life.  She's a confidant, an encourager and a great sound board when I need it most. She'll tell me how it is, even if she knows I don't want to hear it. I'm so lucky to have her in my life.

Jeannie and Frank's wedding day - May 17, 2008

about to go skydiving - October 28, 2007

The day I FINALLY graduated college - December 19, 2008

I also have an amazing group of church family that has helped me through some interesting times in my life.  I won't name names for fear of leaving anyone out, but you certainly know who you are.  Not only have you been there for me, but you've been there for my husband and our son and that means everything to me. Y'all have been there during our good days and bad, brought us dinner when our baby was born and helped with daily life obstacles and have prayed for us.  We love each and every one of you, we care for you as you've cared for us. We feel so blessed to have y'all in our lives and can't wait to see what the future holds!

30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 8

I couldn't pick just one picture, so I'm sharing a few of my favorites.

This first one cracks me up, but most of you won't see the humor in it, silly inside joke. But, "Henry has a question!"

Uncle Stephen said he was doing the sprinkler. LOL!

Abby the dog is so melodramatic.

Speaking of melodramatic....  Mama Bear was exhausted after we got home from vacation.

No explanation needed

No set of pics would be complete without one of Henry crying with his girl cousins. The big girls crack me up because while posing for pics, they're trying to get Henry to laugh. Olivia knows something has gone horribly wrong.  Henry, well he's just a sissy.

I love this pic of Henry. I can still hear his laughter when I snapped this shot. The Sock Monkey is always a winner and so is Henry's belly laugh. 

Another funny one that needs explaining.  Mike and I had been married for about 6 months when this one was taken. Out of the blue, Emma walked over to Mike, put her hand on his head and exclaimed "Uncle Mike, what happened to all your hair?!" Absolutely hilarious.

Apparently no one ever told Brock that he was too big to sit in Dady's lap

Look at his tongue

30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 7

My most treasured item would probably be our house.  I loved this place the first time I saw it listed online. It felt like a dream that was years, maybe even decades away. Once the numbers were decided and the house was well within our budget, we made an offer and it was accepted that day. The house seemed so big when we moved that some days I felt a little overwhelmed by all of the responsibility.   That summer we hosted countless barbecues and fight nights.  We've celebrated holidays in our home and enjoyed countless family dinners here.  Lots of memories were made as time went on. 
The day I graduated college, we planted a tree in the front yard. It was gift from Mike and our families, a sign of a new beginning. I love that tree and it's just about the only thing we've planted that I haven't managed to kill. :)

The neighborhood is nice and we've made good friends with our neighbors next door. They are a really nice family and have kids as well so I know more fun times are ahead.  We can also get away with 3 am washer-pitchin' parties because no one lives behind us. There is a greenbelt type section of land behind us with ginormous electrical towers so that will mostly likely be the only thing back there.

notice the Charlie Brown tree

from the front entry

a shot of the living room

part of the master bath

the kitchen from the breakfast nook

the graduation tree - Dec 19, 2008

our first Christmas in our home

This is also the place we brought Henry home for the first time and it's where we plan to raise him until he's grown and on his own, God willing and the creek don't rise.

30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 6

If I could trade places with someone for a day, I'd have to trade places with a billionaire.   The first thing I'd do is donate tons (way more than tithe!!) to our church.  God would take that cash and bless it thousands of times over. I'd donate more money to local animal rescue groups, especially our favorite Legac.y Bo.xer Rescue. I'd pay off our debts and those of our families.  I'd then open a trade account in Mike's name so that he could invest a few more millions, or billions if I had enough.  This would help me the next day when I'm back to my normal self. :)

Not only would I love to be that rich, even for a day, I'd love to see what it's like to have that kind of cash.  Would I be as happy as I am now or happier than I could ever imagine?

30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 5

I'm probably going to sound totally cliche, but I'd have to say my favorite memory is the day Mike and I got married. It was a great day because I knew I was making the right decision, the best decision. The events of the day were a little challenging though. Our ceremony was late because of the bad weather that caused lots of guests to get stuck in traffic. Our video camera was set in a weird spot so the audio isn't great and you can't see us for part of the ceremony, but you know what, none of that matters. I married my best friend that day. My team mate. My partner in life. I remember so much about the feelings that I had that day. Heck, I still get those feelings every day. So in all the chaos of the day, it was the best day of life.

30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 4

A picture of my night would have to include a few of my favorites, Mike, Henry and Eileen. I love hanging out with them in the evenings, especially when it's just us being silly and unwinding from the day.  My favorite evening routine, which happens like clockwork at 7:45 every night, Henry's bath time. We have fun playing in the tub and watching him explore his toys and the tub. Eileen usually comes in a tries to drink from the shower head and Henry just laughs and laughs at her.  After bath, we lather Henry up in smell goods (lavender lotion) and get his jammies on.  He goes to bed after he gets a kiss on each cheek from Mama and Daddy. Once he's in bed, we tackle our chores and then enjoy a little quiet time in front of the tv or reading until bedtime. It's not exactly glamorous, but I wouldn't trade it!