Brandon, Jennifer, Baxter & Dugan

Why do I keep peeing on myself?

2011-09-23T16:09:00.005-05:00

Welcome Maddox Grey Whited!!!!

3:20am, Monday, June 13th, 2011: I had to pee, what was new. Pee'd, went back to bed. Got settled and had to pee again! Am i peeing on myself? Geeze, the joys of 39 weeks pregnant. Got back out of bed and pee'd again. Went back to bed and pee'd on my self yet again, and again, and again. WAIT! Did my water break? Na! Jovina said hers was LOTS and this was just a trickle. Back to bed. Brandon got up for work around 7am and headed off to Marianna, about an hour from the house. My trickle was still there 4 hours later so I called my doc. Stupid me! Yes, my water had broke. Called Brandon and we headed to the hospital. By now, it's about 1pm. I walked in, got checked out, hooked up and called the fam! They started me on pitocin around 4pm, epidural around 6pm and at 930pm I started pushing. At 10:08pm, our baby boy was here. It was the smoothest, most wonderful experience ever. God is so good!

We are ALIVE!

2011-09-23T16:03:00.003-05:00

I have been trying to blog, I promise I have. I will try to get caught up in as few posts as possible. For now, an engagement pic by our wonderful gals over at Vue Photography.

Just one thing missing!

2011-03-25T21:50:00.003-06:00

I have to admit I did NOT decorate this nursery. I had some input on the furniture but Brandon made this very easy for me in the sense that he basically did it all. The Stripes on the wall, the painted initials, he put down the bamboo floors, he found the rug, the window panels, the closet, found and bought my recliner,...I think yall get the point. The crazy thing is everything came from different stores and he pieced it all together. So glad I married such a metro sexual guy! ;) Baby, thank you SOOO much for what you have done for us to make this as easy as it can be for me. You are the best husband in the whole world and I love you very much!!

A Sunday Ritual After Church: LUNCH!

2011-03-25T21:45:00.002-06:00

Sweet Liam. They grow up too fast and it makes me sad! Edema and general swelling setting in. BLAH!

Liam with the twins. He loves these girls SO much and vice versa.

Wonder Works

2011-03-25T21:25:00.003-06:00

Liam and Uncle Brandon riding the motorcycles! Brandon thought it would be really cool to lay on the bed of nails......

Then he almost started crying bc it hurt! I will have to say that the T Shirt he was wearing had a little hole in it from one of the nails! Willow! Snaggle Tothed and All!

Liam and Mommy.

Brandon and Dan on...??... Not really sure what this ride was. It went upside down so I was OUT!

Liam Turns Two!!!

2011-03-25T21:09:00.002-06:00

Watersound Beach Club

2011-03-25T09:21:00.002-06:00

This was the last trip of the season to the beach club. Can't wait to see you again in a few weeks!

Enjoying a nice lunch a taking a break from the sun!

A very happy camper!

We're having a baby!

2011-02-27T22:20:00.002-06:00

I debated to tell the WHOLE story but some of it as some of you know, is very emotional, private and to be honest, just not share material. All i can say is we are very blessed to be able to bring a human being into this life. I pray we will be good parents and that our baby boy grows up to appreciate life and love his god!

Not Ready to give up the beach just yet! :)

2010-09-11T22:18:00.006-05:00

This place just never gets old. Thanks to Jovina's in laws again, I got to be part of a very nice day. This time, Bob's parents came down from NY along with Mary's mom and sister from Michigan. Super fun day.

This kid could live in the water.

Here's Jovina and I hogging the kiddie area again as always.
I could have stayed in the spot all day.

Ok. Cool pic. L to R: Bill and Liam. Dr.Bob ( Jovina's Father in law ) and Bob's VERY italian dad, Gene Pettignano. Liam's dad, grand dad and great grand dad.

Snack time!

Had to change positions.

There sea gulls have a nice home huh? After pool time, we walked down to the beach and the water was SO amazing today.

I have not seen it this clear in a few weeks. It looks like Nassau water.

The anit-pasta platter that Nona made. Fresh Mozzerella, Proscuitto, peppers and tomatoes.

Bill's Aunt Maria and I. It was so good to see you. Love you Maria!

Me with the Host and Hostess. AKA: Nona and Nono. Fran and Gene Pettignano. 62 yrs of marriage. :)

Thanks to the Pettignano's. I had such a great day. Brandon comes home tomorrow from his meeting in the Bahamas so tomorrow will be an even better day.

My new Car!!!

2010-08-02T23:48:00.004-05:00

Today I got my company car, a 2010 Mercury Mariner and although it is not something I would pick off the lot I LOVE IT bc it's FREE! hahaha.

One of the many perks of the new job, i know I am going to love it.

Of Course Baxter and Dugan had to give their opinion too! :) They like it!

Bye Bye NY

2010-07-29T22:51:00.002-05:00

WOW! I just packed my last bag and I can not believe that I will be getting on a plane to come home tomorrow. I miss Brandon and my family so bad!!!! Baxter and Dugan too of course! :( I don't know how I got thru this but I FIRMLY believe thru my prayers and my faith I was able to do it with help from the big man upstairs and my wonderful dad who is in his presence. Tomorrow is my final Exam on Bystolic ( treats hypertension ) and my certification on presenting the drug to a doctor. So far I have made a 97 and a 100 on my other two drugs so god is definitely with me. Thank you to family and husband who has supported me thru every minute of this insane ride. Cant wait to see you all tomorrow and I love you!

Classroom and some time in the Hamptons!

2010-07-24T22:02:00.022-05:00

Let me apologize up front f0r all these pics being out of order but there were quite a few so i just threw them up.

My home for three weeks! All we do is sleep here bc we have 18 hour days sometimes. Pretty crazy.
My photos that keep me sane each day! :)

Some of the guys in a different group but same training class as mine.
My TN Bud, Karen Fultz.Now these are the guys in my class. Starting at 5:00 in green shirt; Adam, Dom, Demetrius, Greg, Paul's head and Lucas. All great guys!Bridget and I spent Saturday in the Hamptons at this house and it was too much fun. Exactly what the doctor ordered.
The decor in the house was different in each room, i loved it.

Volleyball anyone? Check out that yard!
The grounds had the most gorgeous hydrangeas everywhere.

A view of the living room from the front door.

(4) Washers???? I'm confused.
Love all the white!!!!
Pool time!

This was one of my favorite rooms!Sauna
Wine Cellar
The Gym

Me, Bridget and Erin. Erin is in our class and was the "connection" to the house! :)

Dining out first weekend with Heather, Karen and Bridge. REAL Italian food! it was great!

SOME down time

2010-07-18T07:26:00.005-05:00

We went to the beach on Saturday and needless to say, we did not stay long. I guess i am just spoiled with powder white sand and blue-green water. The beach was very crowded but fugly! haha

Brown Sand! :( I think pretty typical for the east coast beached though.

After the beach i spent about 3 hours shopping compliments of the debit cards Forest Pharm gave to us for things like dry cleaning, traning supplies toiletries, etc. I spent mine at Whole Foods and H and M. :)

1 week down, two to go. Heading to church today then hitting the books and doing homework! BLAH!

Day One

2010-07-11T07:59:00.006-05:00

My home for the next three weeks.

Noel our driver, super nice guy.
The single cup coffee/ tea/ cocoa , maker in the lounge. We had one of these at the Sheraton, they ROCK!
Here's Brandon, getting my signed onto the internet before he leaves.

One of several study areas.

Well, i am here at my Hotel on Long Island and Brandon just left. We came up yesterday and stayed at a different hotel then came to the Hyatt where I will be for the next three weeks. I knew saying "see you later" ( i hate the work good bye ) would be hard but man! It was ROUGH!

I am waiting to get into my room since it is only 8am and for now I am in our study lounge at the hotel. Forest Laboratories owns part of the 9th floor and they own the private study lounge and we have our own private gym. It's really nice which will make it at least a LITTLE more tolerable. I will try to blog as much as i can so star tuned..

Sorry a few pics are pit of order

Just Can't get enough

2010-06-26T17:51:00.005-05:00

Back at Watersound today but we went the Golf Course, Club House area where Jo's inlaws are building. Not our usual spot at the beach club but it t was just as nice and much more private. It was a GREAT day. Thanks Bob and Mary!! :)

Jovina and I LOVE the zero entry! We could lay there all day.

The Turtles are coming!! The Turtles are coming!!

2010-06-16T10:30:00.003-05:00

There are some exciting things happening on PC Beach right now. We have SEA TURTLE nests! About 6 at the time i believe. I went out to see them yesterday and it's very exciting. Lord knows we need them bc of the ones that are dieing due to te oil spill! :( My sister got me hooked bc she follows the local Sea Turtle Watch team and told me that one of the nests actually has about 105 eggs. We know they all wont make it but that certainly brings the number that WILL survive up! AND.... to my out of town friends, look at that water. It's still gorgeous and so is the sand so bring your familes and don't put off your vacations! :)

This is for Jovina!!!! :)

2010-06-10T09:13:00.002-05:00

San Francisco

2010-06-08T21:56:00.047-05:00

Let me go ahead and apologize for the long post but i felt like there were too many things i could not leave out. This was such a wonderful trip and we definately plan to go back during harvest season one year. These photos are actually in order (i think!! ) :) Well, not this first one.

This was taken from the plane window of course.Photo of Pebble BeachWe had to go see the Sea Lions of Course. :)

This is at Fisherman's Wharf with Alcatraz in the background.

Loved these little boats, i thought they were so cool! Yes, that crab was as big as it looks in the photo.

Ok, this needs a little explaining. The guy with his back to the camera is the famous "Bush Man" you can go to http://www.sanfrancisco.about.com/ and search bush man or even go to you tube and search San Francisco Bushman. This is his lady friend, they were yelling at each other, he was telling her to get a job after she came over to collect the tips he had made so far. LOL!! Enjoy the pics Brandon took of a couple of the tourists getting scared, it was HILARIOUS. I could have watched it all day.

Lombard Street.

My FAVORITE: China Town

Can you say Sensory Overload??? :)

Yes, I made him put it on! :)

I ended up with a black one! Surprise, Surprise. LOL!

Dried Sea Cumbers! I THOUGHT they were for medicinal purposes and they told me they eat them. Hmmm....

More "odd" things at one of the Chinese Stores.

Of Course I found a doggie to play with. Look at his little face! He LOVED his back getting scratched. In my hand are Chinese Salted, Dried Plums. Jovina and I have eaten them since we were small. Our Grandfather was Chinese and thankfully our mother exposed us to all kinds of foods. When i saw them, i had to get some. Brandon tried one but he "claims" he almost vomited so he spit it out. Geeze!

Ahhhh! One thing I LOVE about big cities are the flower vendors on the streets! A nice patch of grass! Looked like a perfect resting spot for me! :)

We were so tired from walking all day that we stopped for pedicures. I am so lucky bc Brandon loves to get them! This pic of his eyes is perfect bc it shows how tired we were! haha This is my sweet friend BOODAH! A 115 pound Akita. He belonged to the salon owner!

Our Dinner spot with Shayne, Tracey and Bill. It was a GREAT evening.

Horrible, dark pic of the restaurant but i wanted to show how small and quaint it was.

We spent ALL day in Wine Country. We were able to do wineries in Napa and Sonoma.

The Drive was breath taking!

A quick stop for a roadside pic! First and best stop: STERLING!

The grounds here are immaculate.

I LOVE this pic! The entrance going into the Vineyard.

The Gondolas that take you up to the Wine House. On the Gondola.

First stop of five.

Photo from the terrace. In the tasting room after the tour. This wine was gross!

In the parking lot getting one last look at the young vines.

See those little tiny balls? Those will be delicious grapes at the end of September!!After lunch in Napa we were headed to Domaine Carneros and I saw these Old English Sheep Dogs. Oh my! I had to get out. Aren't they adorable??

Domaine Carneros.

Next Stop: Mumm Napa. This tour was SO borring but the Sparkling wine was good so that's all that matters. :)

Demo Vines at Mumm

One of the Restaurants at the Mumm Winery Vines at Mumm Napa
Last Stop:Korbel

The ancient Red Woods were definately the highlight of this one. We drove to Sonoma just to see them.

On the way back into San Fran, a stop at the Golden Gate Bridge. Once the sun starts to set it gets very chilly and windy hence the scarf and jackets. This was around 7pm. We went back to the hotel to drop some things off then went to dinner at Ducca near the hotel. We were BEAT. it was such a great trip and we can't wait to go back next time during harvest season.

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

2010-06-07T18:05:00.007-05:00

The weekend was packed with lots of fun and family that was in town visiting. As always, a trip to Shell Island was a must. I don't know how Dan got us up to the sand but he did! :) I don't think another boat could have fit!

Crossing Shell Island from the Bay Side to the Gulf Side. It is SO pretty!! Look at that sand. :)

The Adams Family! Da da da da! Snap, Snap! Sorry, had to do that! :)

Boodle Bear!

Too much fun for the day!

Mr. and Mrs. Jernberg. Ria and Chad! :)

Me being silly as usual!

from Left t0 Right: Willow, Raquel, Nyla and Raylin

Yes,we are ALL at Sonic after Church. My cousin Reynold (Ging ) from New York LOVES it and we went there so we could all eat some Chili Cheese Conies! :) Clockwise, starting at 8'o clock. Ria, Brandon, Dan (my bro ) Rod ( cousin from Cali ) Ging ( cousin from NY ) my mom and Rayana with her back to the camera. ( cousin from Orlando and the mom of the twins and Nyla )

Yes, this is a school of small manta rays that we saw from the pier.

Ria, Ging, Aunt Letty, Jovina and one of the twins.
Jovina and Boodle

Liam rock'n Uncle Brandon's Oakley's

O' Happy Day!

2010-06-01T10:18:00.002-05:00

I just gave my three week notice to a job I just started and I was scared to death BUT...i have prayed about it and it was the right thing to do. I was offered a new job and Brandon was offered a new job on the same exact day as me. We both had a very grueling three week process, driving, flying, spending the night in hotels to do all these interviews and in the end, it all paid off. Brandon will now be working with Medtronic ( Diabetes Division)and I will be working for Forest Pharameceuticals selling Lexapro, Savella and Bystolic. Company car, gas paid for personal and business use, cell phone, lap top...we just could NOT pass up these opportunities. I have to move to New York in July for one month for training and that will be VERY hard for Brandon and I but we will make it I am sure. Just remember, ask and you shall receive. God is so great!!!

Great pics from our memorial day weekend coming soon!

Living on vacation??

2010-05-22T16:10:00.004-05:00

ok, this pic really is not of Liam's back but WHAT is floating by the trurtles? OH, my bad, that's me! I freakn LOVE that zero entry pool! :)

Holy Moly, what a MAHI! :)

2010-05-17T22:06:00.012-05:00

This past weekend we went to Delray Beach to see Ria and Chad again and to do a little fishing. Brandon FINALLY got to get his Mahi so he was very excited. Seas were rough 4-5 ft.) and I got sick for the first time but it was WELL worth it. So much fun and can't wait to doit again.

I liked the way this pic turned out...there was salt on the lens! oops! Ria is helping Brandon get his belt on.

This was pretty cool bc we hit a school of mahi and at one point everyone hit! Here we are all scrambling! :)

These fish are gorgeous under the water and ever more gorgeous in your boat! haha

Watching Chad clean the fish! It was ICKY!

Relaxing at Chad's parents house after fishing! It's becoming our ritual! What a way to wind down after getting up at 445am.The beautiful Sagitarius. A 52 foot Tiara. Chad's mom is a lucky woman! :)

PASSED OUT COLD!

Later that evening, we went to the Old Key Lime House. They have a ring toss and here they are a tossin'! :)

Our lovely hosts!!!

Thanks you guys! We had a blast!

A Wonderful Sunday

2010-05-09T22:49:00.004-05:00

Hope all you moms had a wonderful day today. Brandon and I went to church, had lunch with my fam and then enjoyed a gorgeous day at the beach. We BOTH fell asleep on the sand it was so pretty today! Pics no particular order--sorry!

Raylin and Liam! He LOVES them!

The Fam!! Brandon and Bill are always the only americans! :)

Jovina and Bill

A Whole New Experience for me!

2010-05-07T08:43:00.005-05:00

Since Wed, Jovina and Bill have been out at Watersound getting to enjoy the beautiful Watersound Beach Club. I have never been there because it's for members and guests only and since Bill's parents are building a house out there, they got to spend a weekend in one if the builder condos and invited me to come hang out. I have to say, it was so amazing! One of the most relaxing and most serene places I've ever been. The great thing about the 30A area are the beaches bc they are "untouched" there are still dunes with lots of vegetation. Just beautiful out there.

You will notice Brandon is not in any of the pics, he had to fly to Memphis for training. I wish he could have been here..he missed a great time.

This was Wed. Night. We walked around seaside and took these funny pics! :)

Watersound community. That's the gulf of mexico in the background.

Jovina and Liam.

Part of the beach club

The Watersound Beach Club

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these turtles in the pool! They were so much fun!

Jovina and Bill "relaxing"!!! I had to get a pic of that since it never happens!

See, everyone LOVED the turtles. At one point Jovina and I made ourselves get off them bc we were "hogging" them! haha

Pete and Re-Peat!

Waling the boardwalk from the Beach Club down to the sand!

Yup! He spotted an airplane and was showing all of us!

One of our local TV stations is WMBB 13. World's most beautiful beaches. I can say i been to the Bahamas, Mexico, Tahiti and the sand is NEVER this gorgeous!

Passed out!!!

Check out some of these flowers that grown in BEACH SAND! Who knew! It was in the parking lost so it was part of the landscape and not wild.

Thanks to Jovina and Bill for inviting me out! I have to go now so i can suite up for another beautiful day with them! :)

18th Weather Squadron: USAF

2010-05-07T08:18:00.006-05:00

Every year for the past ten + years, my parents took part in my dad's Air Force Reunion. They would go anyway from Orlando and Texas to Germany. Well, this is the first year that they gathered with out our dad so they decided to hold the reuion in PC Beach. It was nice to see all of them!!

One thing on the agenda was a visit to our dad's grave site. It was so sweet to hear what they had to say about him. Lots of tears!
Mr. Dewey Vaughn presenting our mom with a plaque in honor of our dad.

Dining at Cptn. Anderson's

Bill's WHOLE snapper...it was DEEE-LISH!

The whole gang! Of course it was three times larger ten years ago! :( Let's just say our dad has some of his Aif Force buds in heaven! :)

Jovina and Bill in front of the big Dolphin Fountain.

911, what is your emergency?

2010-04-25T18:03:00.004-05:00

Jen: Ummm....yes mam....ummm....i have an alligator in my yard!!!!!
Dispatcher: Oh wow! One moment while i connect you to beach police.

8:30am 4/25/2010: Ding Dong! Door bell rings. Brandon looks at me and says....hmmm...this BETTER be good at 830 on a Sunday morning. Brandon opens the door and our neighbor says "Good morning, you have an alligator in your yard!" We go outside and VOILA! There he is! Rewind two weeks ago, we got an email from our home owners association telling everyone to beware that there have been sightings of an alligator in some of the yards on Middleburg Drive. We immediately said, "OMG, what would you do if we had a freaking alligator in our yard?" Ya, well, we were those lucky people today. Apparently about two months ago this same gator was caught and the mouth was taped but he escaped on back beach road...HOW this happens is beyond me but this is what the guy said with the FL Wildlife and Game Comm. Anyway, that is why his mouth is taped up and he is so skinny bc he had not eaten in a couple of months. They were taking him to Zoo World to get him healthy and then releasing him back into the wild. Bye Bye Mr. Alligator, hope you got lots of chicken at the zoo!

This is where he was found in our side yard against the house and fence.

It was such a sight in the neighborhood. Two beach police office in separate vehicles and the wildlife dude in his vehicle with the cages in the back. What did this officer plan to do with his shovel??? GEEZE!

What a wonderful weekend!

2010-04-18T17:59:00.005-05:00

This weekend was filled with fun, relaxation and enjoyment!!

On Saturday Brandon and I rented a boat with my brother and Willow and as usual, it was very fun and relaxing. Here's our fearless little skipper, Willow!
Flipper and his buddy!

Schooners! The last local beach club! ;)

Cptn. Brandon pulling Dan on the knee board in St. Andrew's Bay.

This was really cool and something I had never seen before. There was a little island created by the tide in the middle of the pass that leads out to the Gulf. Willow had fun running all the sea gulls off!!!

Dan the man!

The Jetties!

Buggy!!!!!!

OK, let me explain my "Diego" shades. I LOVE my Maui Jims but they are so big that they leave a HORRIBLE racoon eye tan on my face SO i decided to by some child sunglasses that were small in the eye area to minimize my racoon eyes! :) You all know you want a pair too!!!

Later that evening we got to hang out with Sharon and Kate and Emma. They were in town as a last minute decision with Sharon's parents and I am glad we got to spend the evening with them!!

Brandon and I decided to ride the ferris wheel while Sharon took the girls to the restroom. I dont really like doing things i dont have control over but this sure was a beautiful view over pier park!!!

Me and My baby on top of the ferris wheel.

Loving the Carousel!!!

This is the original Ferris Wheel from The Miracle Strip Amusement park and I was so gladthe girls gave me an excuse to ride. It has been probably 25 years since I rode it!

On Sunday, we decided to ride our bikes around Rosemary and Alys beach. It was such a beautiful day that i could have done it all day!

The house above has this view! Bummer huh?

Sitting on the green at the amphitheater at Alys Beach.

The Thunderbirds

2010-04-13T08:31:00.006-05:00

Growing up, our dad always took us to see the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. He was a pilot and LOVED to do go to them and we as kids, began to enjoy them just as much. Brandon had never seen the Air Force Team fly so on Saturday we headed to Eglin AFB. It was so much fun and we got HORRIBLE farmer tans! hahaha!!

The ground ceremony is always my favorite! NO.....it has nothing to do with the pilots in uniform, i just like the ceremony. Ok......i'm lying! :) Love the men in uniforms! :)

Meet Gracie!

2010-04-06T10:44:00.002-05:00

I love this doggie SO much! She is a 4 year old wheaten terrier and she belongs to the owner of our gym. She is soooo sweet! :)

Fun Day with Liam

2010-04-05T20:28:00.003-05:00

Today I spent some quality time with Mr. Liam at the park, it was such a beautiful day!
Such a big boy now! :(

The park is by our church, here he is with St. Joseph. :)

And so the blogging begins....

2010-04-03T18:13:00.012-06:00

Dear Beach, we have waited all winter long to be with you again! O, how we have missed the sand between our toes, the smell of suntan lotion, the colorful umbrellas, the boats going by...ok.........i am drifting off to another land now! :) Can you tell we are glad to officially have BEACH weather.

Well, what have we been up to the past few months? Let's see..Brandon has been working his rear end off and I have NOT! :) Haha I actually have not worked since Jan ( it's way over rated ) and i have LOVED every minute of my time off. :) Unfortunately, it has come to an end so off to work i go....soon i hope. My little nephew Liam is getting so big and My niece Willow is getting more and more beautiful. She was student of the month at her school last month and continues to make straight A's! She's too smart and takes after her mommy and daddy. We have a trip coming up next weekend and will get to go explore Wine Country ( San Fran ) in June. Other than that, we are counting our blessings and praising god for all the good in our lives. During Holy Week this week, i have been reminded of how blessed I am. Church on Holy Thursday was so beautiful and yesterday was the veneration of the cross where i witnessed liam (17 mo ) kiss the feet of Jesus. Jovina had kneeled to kiss the cross and he kissed his feet. I bout lost it! I can only hope that he grows up to love Jesus like his mommy and daddy and his "Tita Jen". Happy Easter Everyone!

We started the day out at the beach and it was so beautiful. Blue skies, high 70's and a light breeze! GORGEOUS!

After the beach, later in the afternoon, we loaded up our bikes and rode around Carillon Beach!

Beach, just west of Carillon. This is Pinnacle Port to be exact.

One of the walk overs at Carillon. The houses out there are insane!

Uncle Brandon and his favorite Nephew! :)

Believe it or not, we are STILL here! :)

2010-03-31T20:55:00.003-06:00

The beach is getting warm and the blog will be updated with some trips we will be taking and of course with some much needed time spent on the sand! This weekend is supposed to be near 80 and believe I will have the do not disturb sign next to my beach chair! :) More to come......

Updates Coming Soon...PROMISE! :)

2010-01-04T17:48:00.001-06:00

I can assure you all we are still here. Brandon has been working his rear end off, i am undergoing changes at my job with new management ( this is a good thing ) and of course all the holidays this year with out my amazing father was ROUGH. More to come......

Jen and Brandon

We're having a Baby and this is our story......

2010-01-03T13:44:00.010-06:00

Brandon and I were married on April 29, 2006. We always knew we wanted a baby but quite honestly, it has always been a very scary thing for me. Raising a child? I want us to be good parents! Can i give them what my parents gave me? Will they love going to church? SO much to think about, so much to worry about. Well.....a day around July 2008 came and i was HURTING! My stomach! My insides! OUCH! Something was not right. I had Brandon take me to the ER, my sister and parents met me there but my pain went away shortly after we got there so we went home. Brandon was convinced it was gas pains! HUH! I called my doc the next day, went to see her the same day and she sent me for xrays and an ultrasound. Two days later, i went back for results and she told me if I wanted children, i needed surgery and was referred to Sacred Heart Hospital in Destin. I had stage 4 endometriosis and a 7cm cyst on my right ovary that needed to be removed asap. They were not promising me that i would keep the ovary. I had surgery the next week and i was able to keep my ovary. Come to find out it was not as easy as it seemed. My doctor was not able to remove the cyst because of the size and my endometriosis was so bad so......she popped it, cleaned up what she could and was hopeful we could start to try to have a baby. This brings us to Aug. 2008. We tried to conceive in Sept. 2008 and no baby. Oct. 2008, we tried and no baby. Nov...No baby! Dec: My Doc referred to us to the #1 fertility specialist in the Panhandle and we tested this, tested that, drew blood, drew more blood, and more blood. Brandon was tested and everything went well. Around our third appointment, we did an ultrasound and my evil cyst was BACK! Over 7 cm this time, i had to wait until March to have it removed......now we are at Jan. 2009. In Feb. my father passed away and i wanted to put off trying to get pregnant, i did not think i wanted to deal with the emotional roller coaster as i had so much on my plate already. March 2009, i had my second surgery by our amazing fertility specialist and the case lasted over 2 hours. Dr. Ripps told my mother and Brandon that it was one of the worst cases of enodmetriosis he had ever seen. He removed my cyst, cleaned up my endometriosis and saved my ovary!!! Yea! We were so relieved. March 2009-Aug. 2009 we did not try to conceive....we prevented until i felt i was ready. In Sept. we gave it 1/2 a try....i wont go into details on that..haha.... and in Oct. 2009 we tried for the first time to conceive. we learned in Nov. 2009 after "3" home pregnancy tests and an ultrasound that we were pregnant. We went to the doc in Dec. and saw our little bean on the screen and saw the heartbeat, everything looked good. I had very little to zero morning sickness and craved Oranges!!!! i thought i was going to turn orange! haha. Our next appointment was in Jan. and this put me at 12 weeks. We had another ultrasound and by the look on the doc's face, we knew something was not right. There was no heartbeat. :(. After several attempts to find a heartbeat, it was official that we had miscarried. DEVASTATION is an understatement! I opted out of a DNC because i already had two surgeries and just did not want to have to go thru that again SO....i took an oral med called Cytotec to pass the pregnancy naturally. Let me say it was one of the most painful, scariest things i have ever been thru! Thank you Lord for my amazing husband for taking such wonderful care of me. We were instructed to wait one cycle to start trying again which brings us to first week in March 2010. March=No Baby. April: No Baby. May: we both got new jobs and would have training in NY and LA so we did not try until I was done with home study and back from NY in Aug. After some thought we decided to start with IUI treatments. The first round was Aug. 2010 and although my body responded great to the medications, it was not a success.

Sept: 28, 2010: IUI Round Two

Oct. 11, 2010: Blood Test for Pregnancy

Oct. 12, 2010: Call from Fertility Office......POSITIVE!

Excitement sets in for a second time but naturally we were very careful not to get too excited. We went for an ultrasound and heard the heart beat. Fast forward to today, i am 16 weeks and we ave had 6 Ultrasounds and so far so good. I have been sick as a dog with the vomiting and bad headaches but hopefully it is coming to an end. We still have a long road ahead of us so we are praying for a healthy pregnancy. Thank you Lord for all you have blessed us with!

Bama vs TN

2009-10-24T21:40:00.006-05:00

Gas $50

New Game Day Attire: $250

Tickets: $200

Bama blocking TN's winning field goal with 4 seconds in the game: PRICELESS!!!!

40 yrd line, 26 rows up....not bad huh????

This one is for Lindsey. Galette's anyone? We walked in, walked right out! NO THANKS!

If this looks like a BAMA jeep pulling a stuffed toy "Smokey"....it is!

Chris, Brent, Brandon and Rodney

Me and Karen

Yea! My Bama cake that Diane helped me make! :)

Chris and Karen

What next???? A true test of house divided? Bama vs FL in Atalnta...Dec. 6th! :)

Happy Bday Liam!

2009-10-18T22:28:00.004-05:00

Allow me to do the play by play...

Wow! IS this my little cake??C'mon mommy...hurry and bring that thing over.

Ok...not TOO sure about this.....If someone does not clean my hands....i am going to LOSE it! This SO isn't funny anymore.

Whew! All better now! These are some really cool toys!

Happy Birthday Baby! Sorry we all pushed that cake on you! :)

Halloween 2009

2009-10-15T21:26:00.003-05:00

Probably my favorite holiday! :) This year Willow was in town and got to join in the fun..we had a great day and cant wait to do it again next year!!!

Name that Food

2009-10-11T22:34:00.002-05:00

Yes, the people at our Publix think we are NUTS! I had to get a photo with THIS.....is was too funny not to!

Silly Boy

2009-10-05T19:16:00.005-05:00

Jovina saw my bag and wondered if Liam would fit in it SO.....we did what bored sisters will do and we put the baby in the bag! hahaha....he ended up LOVING it and was so content! Awe!

Just stop it! look at those little legs all crossed in there! :)

What the heck?

2009-10-05T19:12:00.002-05:00

Brandon and i goofing off at Publix again. What IS this thing?

A Great Weekend

2009-09-13T18:10:00.003-05:00

Despite the fact that i worked 14 hours on Friday, Sat and Sunday made up for it completely. I have the pleausre of keeping Willow, Raylin and Raquel on Sat and we all rode with Brandon to Ft. Walton to get his new car. The girls we SO good the whole time, i had to take them all to Target when we got home so they each could pick out something they wanted. Willow ended up with a Barbie Kitchen set and the twins seelcted the same thing which was a barbie type thing that came with diaries..i think the diary is what cuaght their eye! :) Anyway, it was a great day!

Iphones are fantastic for long rides....it kept the girls busy. O, i allowed them to download fee games but somehow ended up with (16) Lady Gaga songs as well. HILARIOUS!

Sasha rode with us bc my mother is in NYC!

Willow amd the twins

Ready for football?

2009-09-01T19:20:00.002-05:00

The Smith clan is!

A wonderful weekend fishing in Boca!

2009-08-31T20:13:00.009-05:00

Well, here's another long post but i just couldn't leave some of the pics out. In no particular order sorry, i was too lazy to load these just perfectly!

This yact on the intercoastal made me want to vomit! How gorgeous huh?
well.....a shark bit this one right as Brandon was bringing it in. RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! Geeze!

Yes, that is Ria's hand from behind me for reinforement on the rod. I think this was right after I was yelling "Chad, Chad!!...it's running...crap!!....it's going under the boat!" DRAMA QUEEN I AM!

Im sorry but i did not realize what a pretty fish Bonita is.

On the way in the guys wanted to stop at lake Boca for a dip! Wonder why???? ;)

Gun show anyone? hahaha

My sweet, pretty Ria!

Yum!

My favorite of all houses we passed on the intercoastal! My second favorite!

I have to admit one of my favorite parts of getting up early to fish is seeing the sunrise over the water. MAN!
Yes, we swam when we got in...IN THE RAIN! :)

AWE! Our lovely hosts! Ria ( cousin ) and Chad ( Cousin in law :) )

POURING and not a care in the world! haha

Chad's parent's were so kind to let us stay at one of their vacation houses right on the intercoastal. Chad keeps his boat here and it was so nice to be able to wake up and walk outside and go. Thanks Kenny and Pam! :)

The boat that brought is 12 Bonita and (2) Kings! NO SKUNK ON THIS BOAT! hahaha....

So pretty!

I think im gonna vomit! Fish blood that splattered on Chad's face! Ouch! :(

Why so serious?

FAT Bonita and YES..this is the one that had me screaming! MAN those little suckers can put up a fight! Vomit again! Apparantly there was alot that made me want to vomit! hahaha

Ok, Ria and the net! We were trying to catch these Jelly fish that were so HUGE and gorgeous. They were RED....then we got in trouble with Chad! :) We forgot that he has to stick his hand in the net all the time.

Our gracious Cptn, our deck hand, our tour guide, our educator.... etc. Thanks Chad! On the way out around 6am! zzzzzzzz.......

Thanks again guys, cant wait to do it again!

We're Back Home

2009-08-30T20:43:00.004-05:00

We're exhausted so here's just a few from this weekend. I'll try to give the full story tomorrow.

More about this pic later! :)

Deep Sea Fishing

2009-08-21T22:49:00.002-05:00

Ok, this might be a small temporary addiction but we sure are "hooked"...no pun intended. On Friday we fly south to the West Palm Beach area to try out the east coast. My little ( no so little ) cousin and her husband have a beautiful boat that we will get to play on all day on Sat. These kids are NO JOKE and take their fishing very serious. I mean, to give you an idea, they had some of their wedding pics taken on their boat! CUTE! Wish us luck and hope that this expensive hobby subsides a little in the very near future.

Grand Cayman

2009-08-17T20:47:00.011-05:00

This is by far the longest post i have ever done but i just felt like there was so much i did not want to leave out. Brandon and I had an amazing time and we certainly lived out the term "maximize your stay! " :)

Here we are at Sting Ray City

Justin, Craig's ( our guide ) son was such a litle dare devil....this little boy was not scared of anything!

Rum Point Baby! We took the wave runners from the NW part of the island to Stingray City and then over to Rum Point which is on the complete opposite side of the island. We traveled a total of about 10 miles. Definately the best way to see Sting Ray City!

Finding these starfish was a treat Craig had for us.....so cool! Here is fearless Justin again!

Sting Ray City!

Not too sure here!

Yes, i am backing up!

This was before we got on heading to Stingray City...the weather was HORRIBLE..no rain just windy. I am staring out into that open water like.....hmmmmm...... so glad we did it.

This is about 730am on Sat. Blue water off shore in about 10 minutes.

Brandon and a brilliant idea of tropical fish food! I kept waiting for JAWS to swim up! COOL pic huh? This guy was feeding the fish a bagel!

Yuk!

Here's what happens when you get stuck in the ATL airport for 7 hours coming home. Tropical Storm Claudette was NOT my friend but this spa certainly was. Thanks to my sweet hubby, he let us get three services each to ease the pain. zzzzzzzz..............

A 4x4 jeep..the ONLY way to see that beautiful island!

From the plane about to land.

This was the shore where the Blow holes were....reminds me of the NE shores of the US.

Blow Hole

YUK again but this time sun bathng in the tree! This guy was about 4 feet long.

Paradise rest. bar and grill in George Town...YUM!

Coming back into Morgan's Harbor from fishing...we got to see alot of the coral, it was so beautiful!

Brandon's shirt that had blood all over it. One of his tuna's that he caught was bitten off by another fish when he was reeling it in. It was still alive and flaping around squirtung his blood everywhere. GROSS.

Blackfin Tuna!

A Baracuda.

Best seat in the house on the way out.

HAD to take this one for my mommy!

In the Courtyard of the hotel

Our Boat that we chartered.

Edoardo's...FANTASTIC rest.

Cementary Beach....

Yes..the beach is really at a cementary...it's a highly recommended snorkeling spot.

My little yellowfin tuna! hehe
The videos..some are quite funny. That's our story folks and we're sticking to it! :)

Another Video

2009-08-09T14:24:00.003-05:00

Thanks Dan! He took this with our camera!

Another Fun Weekend

2009-08-08T22:14:00.006-05:00

We hung out on/in the water with Dan and Willow today and had a blast! Thanks Dan for all your help in always being our driver! :)

Brandon bought me an underwater cage for my little Cannon Powershot for when we go to Grand Cayman this coming weekend....we played around with it today and got a couple of neat shots! These fish were in an area near the jetties/Shell Island Brandon goofing around with the Sea Cucumber that Crocodile Dundee Dan Found!

ICK!

Forgot to wipe the lense off! :(

I know, I know...i am so biased but MAN! She's such a pretty little girl! :)

Brandon talked me into flipping the Sea Cucumber over! So DISGUSTING!

Typical afternoon storm in Florida. We gave it 45 minutes then we were in the clear.

Grand Cayman

2009-08-08T21:10:00.003-05:00

We've never been, leaving on Friday. Hope the weather cooperates bc we are deep sea fishing on Sat. We'll let ya'll know how it goes!

Thanks Nikon!

2009-08-07T21:54:00.003-05:00

We took advantage of a beauiful night tonight with My mom, Dan and Willow. After dinner, we took the golf cart across the street so we could walk down the pier and VOILA! Brandon snaped this gorgeous shot of the shore.

Got Aloe?

2009-08-02T20:38:00.004-05:00

Our usual biweekly trip to Publix after church turned into complete silliness in the produce section today.

Brandon said there wasnt enough room in the attic so i could not buy the aloe. I almost fell out when he said that! :)

Here i am using it as a cell phone! :)

Rosemary Beach

2009-07-26T18:17:00.003-05:00

We headed about 9 miles west today and beached it at Rosemary! Love it here. I really would like to spend more time here this summer but i think we are a little spoiled with the convenience of being able to take the golf cart across the street.

Playing around with the new camera

2009-07-25T23:12:00.003-05:00

I am so excited bc Jovina and I are going to take a photograpy class for SLR camera users in Sept. It will be at Gulf Coast Community College and it cant come soon enouogh! In the meantime, i'll use the automatic settings and enjoy the pretty pictures this great camera takes.

B took this in our kitchen....not sure why i like it but i do!

????

WHOA! ok, i am brave to post this i know but who cares..i love the depth of field in this one...cant wait to learn more about it in my class. Disclaimer: cloth headbands are ok if you are at your moms, when hubby says go over by the window and turn around...you say "ok".....make up is for work and church, family loves you no matter what you look like! :)

Loving the dog bowl!

My favorite part of Summer 2009

2009-07-24T21:31:00.002-05:00

I like to call it a very fond craving rather than an addiction but what ever you decide is ok with me. I have been know to have two in one day or 4-5 a week. They are my FAVORITE. I like the strawberry colada and i always get it with out the fruit topping on top. Go get one, you WONT be disappointed!

New Toys

2009-07-21T22:39:00.003-05:00

Our Cannon Rebel was not my favorite anymore so my sweet husband got me the FAB Nikon D90 and I love it. OK, ok,ok...i admit, i have been jealous every since Jovina got the D90 bc it takes such amazing pics. I cant wait to learn all about it's bells and whitles. Oh, Brandon spoiled himself and got and Xbox complete with the wireless kit n kaboodle so he and Gabe can play eachother. Pretty cool i have to admit that they can talk to each other with those headsets

Of COURSE Brandon had to get NCAA Football....

Look how serious this is!

Yea, Christmas came early.

Work, beach and a beautiful sunset..

2009-07-20T20:51:00.007-05:00

This past Saturday was my 6th straight Saturday going into work and thinking about that Hotel all day. Today, i left at 2pm and headed straight for the sand. The water was as clear as glass and the sun was a pleasant 84-ish....simply beautiful! BTW, the pics are all out of order..sorry!

Clear, clear, clear today!

This puppy loved the water and just hung out with his owner!

Not a cloud in the sky

We almost got a neat pic!

Of COURSE, this one for Landrum. Yes, that is a rascal pulling the fishing gear!

Tuna- The Chicken of the Sea!

2009-07-19T13:33:00.002-05:00

Big ole boy huh? He weighed 120 pounds! WOW! He won first place and $38k.

Bad turned good!

2009-07-19T12:30:00.009-05:00

We had plans to spend the day on the water with friends yesterday and it the weather just wasn't looking good but we were determined and we hung in there and i am glad we did!

Ms. Ada, a friend from work.

Yes, we forgot a bottle opener!

This was when it started to pour so we took shelter in the cabin!

We were laughing bc we were "couped" up for about 15 minutes.

It ended up being a beautiful day! We ended the day at the Bilfish Tournament always held at Bay Point.

Miss Savy-Anna ( Savanah and Caleb )the little and not so little skippers of the day! :)

Chad, Daddy of the Little Skippers, owner of the boat, Mr. "it", what else??? :)

Farewell Roux and HELLO Pnut Butter Balls!

2009-07-12T22:34:00.005-05:00

A friend gave me the recipie and i have never tried to do it. Let me say this is tiring BUT well worth it! O, we took Roux home tonight too.....see ya next time buddy! :(

Do you think i had their attention?

Brandon caught me, i just gave Roux some Pnut Butter!

Roux, we had fun with you this weekend, we'll see you at the end of the month! :)

Pier Park with Roux

2009-07-11T16:33:00.004-05:00

We are dog sitting Roux for the weekend and we are having too much fun with him. He was such a "star" with all the Patrons of Pier Park.

We took the golf cart and he loved it. When he got home, he kept wanting to get back in it.

In front of Guy Harvey's

Here he is in front of Smoothie King waiting on Brandon to get his smoothie.

Palmetto Pond

2009-07-05T19:56:00.003-05:00

That's what i call this great little pond in our subdivision. We like to walk the dogs here and let them off their leashes. Then we have to bathe them! :( That's the not so fun part but it's stil worth it bc they have so much fun!

What a day!

2009-07-05T08:29:00.004-05:00

It started off with this! All the flippers were so playful today and they were all out. After about the 20th dolphin, we did not even get the cameras out! Thanks Diane, Jerry, Dan, Willow and my hubby for such a perfect day! This mamma was nursing her baby! :)

I wanted to jump in and kiss him!

I always forget that this beautiful paradise is my home and where i grew up. I hate to admit we take it forgranted all the time.

Cptn. Willow

Yup, shell Island and all the boats that make me want to vomit. In a couple of years, yall will find us here on our boat! :)

One on Crocodile Dundee Dan's finds. Dont worry, we threw him back!We were watvhing Dan find all his creepy stuff in the bay out by Tyndall Airforce Base! Sea Urchins, Horse shoes crabs, Giant Clams, you name it, he was pulling it up!

The little ones enjoying some ribs!

Here's the clan! A great way to end the day....fireworks at pier park.

The Pier is open, the pier is open! :)

2009-07-03T17:09:00.003-05:00

We have waited a very long time for this and it's finally here. I think Pier Park is complete now that the pier is open. I still think there are some things to finalize but it was nice to walk over 1500 feet over the Gulf of Mexico.

Look how far out we were....crazy!

This guy caught this king fish off the pier!

Two little Monkeys...

2009-06-22T22:26:00.004-05:00

We had a nice treat the past few days, Gabe and Sharon brought Kate and Emma to the beach. It was great to spend some quiet time with all of them.

Yes, playing in the dogs' water. Now, she's washing off her pacifiers! And here is when the walls get soggy! :) Notice there is an additional towel under the bowl now!

Kate watching Sprout in our bed. Baxter and Dugan ate all the chips she dropped! :)

Another for Landrum from Brandon

2009-06-17T19:43:00.003-05:00

No Description needed!

Before and After!

2009-06-14T18:57:00.003-05:00

The Snapper was Yummy. We all went over to my mom's and she fried it up and made a mango chutney to go with. If anyone is looking for a good deep sea fishing charter when you come to the beach, Captain John Law is the BEST!

A Super FUN TRIP!

2009-06-13T15:26:00.006-05:00

We have been wanting to go deep sea fishing for sometime now and finally Bill had a Saturday at home so we BOOKED it.

Jovina and Bill. They look different with out Liam in their arms! :)

Heading towwards the pass....lots of boats behind us.

No CLUE what Jovina is doing! :) Pete and repeat!

Nothing like a few beers at 7am!

I was so excited. This is the first Red Snapper I have ever caught!

Brandon bringing in a King Mackeral....they are little fighters! Look at the teeth on this dang fish!
This was hilarious! I kept saying...i can't, I can't , i can't! My little arms were so tired! :)

Brandon playing aroud with a sucker fish! He was sticking him to his arm!

Jovina and I with Captain Law. He and Jeremy his deck hand are FANTASTIC!! We caught our limit of Snapper in 30 minutes!And here we are with our little treasures!!! :) Can't wait to do it again!

fun in the SUN!

2009-06-08T20:59:00.003-05:00

In no particular order....

Dont ask! Brandon is looking at his Diane's toe. He was actually trying to talk her into surgery so he could sell the doc one of his screws! hahaha j/j!

Jerry doing what he does best! RELAXING!

All the pretty boats!Diane's definition of relaxation!

here's the Bay Point Lady. This is the water shuttle that runs from the resort over to shell island each day!

His foot is white! YUK!

2009-06-08T14:20:00.002-05:00

I sure am glad that Brandon loves his job bc someone has to do it and I'm glad it's not me.

Ok, this looks like something we have in the garage! Bunch of screw drivers and some drill bits! hahaha!

OUCH!!!!

2009-06-03T19:52:00.001-05:00

I was the victim of a very mad yellow fly. Is it normal for the bite to swell to the size of 1/2 a golf ball??? I am MISERABLE!!

What a weekend....F-U-N!

2009-05-31T19:15:00.010-05:00

This was another great weekend here. On Sat, we started out with Jovina and lLiam at the pool again and then we ended up with an afternoon trip to the beach. Liam LOVES the water....it is so cute!

Look at this little face! :)

And this is how we roll to the beach. Chairs? Check! Towels? Check? Sunscreen? Check! We're off!

Brandon once again, had to take this pic for Landrum. Yes, this guy was by himself and yes this guy was wasted and yes, this guy had on an Alambama hat!

PC Bay watch! hahaha

Happier than pigs in mud!

On Sunday we went with one of B's docs on his boat.....this was TOO relaxing! This is treasure Island Marina.

Brandon and Chad...

Dont ask! This is by FAR the ugliest face, with a slight double chin but i was about to start snoring at this point!!!

Tita Jen and Willow..she's still my favorite little girl!

Yes, those are my Maui Jims that she has on....so funny!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T21:01:00.006-05:00

First off, thank you to everyone who gave their life...without you, our Nation would not be what it is today. Happy Memorial Day!!

Brandon and I had a great day with Jovina and Liam at the pool and then we got to baby sit a baby chocolate lab for a friend. It was a great day and night!

Baxter and Roux! He is a beautiful little lab!

Happy 6th bday Willow!

2009-05-23T15:50:00.001-05:00

Happy bday Bug!

Tita Jen and chunk! :)

The Divinci Center and Wright Medical

2009-05-16T13:19:00.006-05:00

Brandon just got back from Miami last night. He has spent the last (2) days with a local orthopedic surgeon at a training session for total ankle replacements. The Divinci Center looks first class and Brandon came back pooped but learned some good stuff.

Visitor

2009-05-06T21:05:00.003-05:00

I rarely get mad at Brandon but tonight he really tested me. This is what was on our back porch where our dogs go several times a day. Brandon "felt sorry" for him and refused to kill it so he just let it run off into the yard!!!! I am always scared of the dogs getting bit by a poisonous snake.

Anniversary Weekend at the JW Marriott in Orlando

2009-05-03T15:14:00.006-05:00

We loved this hotel so much for our second anniversary that we decided to go back! It was great again!!

Chef Melissa Kelly's ( of Primo at the Hotel ) Organic herb Garden. I just love this spot...you are welcome to go in and sample the herbs if you want.

Bibb Lettuce..i was being silly...

2nd Anniversary Same spot, 3rd Anniversary.

Since the Peabody hotel was only about 3 miles from the JW, we went over to see the "Famous" ducks. For those of you that dont know, they are marched down everyday at 11am from their "own" suite by their very own duck master in ther very own elevator. They enjoy the fountain in the lobby all day until 5pm when they go back to their suite to eat dinner and spend the night. It was really neat to see. The "Duck Master"...yes, a full time job that requires training. I HAD to ask.And here they go on their red carpet to the elevator...

Here it is....their own elevator.O, and the very pretty Cirque Du Soleil building at Downtown Disney.

Our Million Dollar Doggie and worth every penny!

2009-04-25T21:30:00.002-05:00

Well, Baxter survived his ACL surgery but it's going to be a long 3 weeks. He has been doing well but his first night home was pretty rough.

Thanks Natalie!

2009-04-20T20:53:00.005-05:00

So, here are the rules...

1. When given the award, you list 7 things that you love.

2. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love. Be sure to tag them and let them know they've won. (You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard.)

1. Praying

2. My Sweet Husband

3. My Family

4. Relaxing on the beach

5. Banana Laffy Taffy

6. A good night's sleep

7. Premium Denim! :)

Jovina

Jami

Ria

Rayana

Sharon

Karen

Jen Hughes

The World's Most Expensive Dog

2009-04-20T15:14:00.003-05:00

Baxter goes in on Wed. for ACL surgery.....this boy I swear keeps us so broke! He's worth it though!

Easter Weekend...

2009-04-13T19:23:00.005-05:00

Pool time at our subdivision on Sat!Pete and repeat...

Me and my amazing hubby! Please forgive the no makeupface. I cried it all off in church!

The twins looking for eggs...

The filipinas eating on the back porch.....

The twins.....

Liam and Uncle B

The little Lamb!

2009-04-02T19:22:00.002-06:00

I can't believe he's getting so big! Makes me sad! :(

Eric and Angela's Baby Shower

2009-03-30T19:35:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we had the pleasure of co- hosting Eric and Angela's baby shower..we had a great time and it was nice to see everyone!

This pic is so cute!!!

Bama booties of course! :)

The cute cake!

Brandon just could not resist doing the baby food game on Eric. Out of squash, peas and macaroni and cheese he did not get any of them right. I almost puked just watching!!!Thank goodness Eric had his beer to help wash it down!

Somebody is growing up way too fast! :)

2009-03-30T11:53:00.004-06:00

This weekend we were in BHM hosting Eric and Angela's baby shower. Althuogh we were not there long, it was great to see everyone, especially the little monkeys Kate and Emma. Emma was asleep so i did not get pics of her! :(

Spring Planting!

2009-03-26T17:30:00.003-06:00

Our back porch needed some color so we thought roses, roses, roses!!! It looks much better now thanks to Brandon! :)

My sweet, sweet Dugan! She loved being outside with us!

Feb. Chamber of Commerce Dinner

2009-03-26T17:21:00.002-06:00

I know, I know. Long overdue but yall know i did not blog for a while. This is me with Lindsey ( Wedding Coordinator for Bay Point ) and Frances ( SMERF Sales Manager ). Brandon says Frances was "seducing" the camera with her eyes! haha. These girls and I CONSTANTLY crack up at work. I would be lost without them!!! Love you guys!

First Beach Weekend of 2009

2009-03-22T16:56:00.004-06:00

It was so pretty this weekend, we HAD to get out and enjoy the beach for a bit!!!

This picture only took about 10 minutes to take. I kept getting mad bc in order for Brandon to take the pic, he of course acted like he was taking one of me. He said he owed this one to "Landrum"!!!
The water was so pretty..

We're Still Here

2009-03-19T19:07:00.003-06:00

Thank you to everyone that sent beautiful cards, plants and flowers. This has been the most difficult time for my family but we are taking it one day at a time. I was not sure if i even wanted to start my blog back up but i used to love blogging and definately want to love it again. Please dont stop praying for me and my family. Ret. Major Jimmie Joe Smith

July 2, 1927- Feb. 7, 2009

Graft Jacket: It's What's for Dinner

2009-01-14T19:54:00.002-06:00

Yes, this is the sort if thing i open my fridge to these days. One of Brandon's products that he sells is called Graft Jacket, it is human cadaver skin and it is used for things such as diabetic foot ulcers. It's really kinda gross. I think i need to throw out my butter huh???

What's been going on

2009-01-13T09:57:00.007-06:00

I feel like I have missed months and months of posts so after two weeks of not posting Christmas, i decided to just give up. :) Brandon has started his new job and LOVES it. I am still at Bay Point and although most days are very stressful ( welcome to sales) I love the associates I am surrounded by and my upper management is fantastic! My dad continues to make improvements with his speech but we know he still has a ways to go. Thank you to everyone that had prayed for him. We are loking forward to the warm weather and boring you all with weekly pics of us at the beach!! :) Here's a few pics from Christmas and other things...VERY out of order!

Here's Brandon with his 85 pound lap dog! Dinner at The Shrimp Boat in St. Andrew's. For those of you that travel to PC. This is a restarunt that was completely redone in town in Panama City. It is very good. Check it out next time. IT'S HUGE!
Here's Rayana ( expert mom ) making sure Ria holds Liam correctly. Ria's face cracks me up!

Baxter watching everyone open gifts at Jerry and Diane's as he always does!

Nyla up to no good! :)
Ok, this is a great one. Jovina opened a pair of shoes that Aunt Letty gave to Liam. Yup, they are both for the right foot and one is about two sizes smaller than the other. We laughed so hard!

Kate in the middle of all her gifts not caring about anything but the book that is about a year old.

Emma hating me at the moment! :) Look at that little face! My goodness!

Somebody PLEASE tell me this gets better!

2009-01-05T21:35:00.004-06:00

I was really bumbed about this show tonight. I have to admit I am a Bachelor/Bachelorette fanatic and i have been looking forward to this season for three months and i was a bit let down. I did not have any real favorites tonight so i certainly hope some of the personalities get a little better and Jason finds a really great girl.

This is FAIR warning!

2008-12-25T22:37:00.002-06:00

If you go see this movie, bring a BOX of tissue and not just one! Have to admit, it was as good as the book! :)

Merry Christmas to US!

2008-12-25T20:43:00.006-06:00

Brandon got us the best Christmas Present EVER....a new JOB! :) hahaha...i am so proud of him bc he has worked really hard to get to where he is and never lost focus of his goal. He officially does not start until Jan 1st but has already gone on a few cases with his boss and he LOVED it! Yea! :) O, the new job is in sales with Wright Medical. His product line is foot and ankle orthopedics.

Liam's Baptism

2008-12-21T16:06:00.006-06:00

Today my sweet little nephew was baptised. Brandon and I are Liam's godparents and we are very honored! After church, my whole family had a nice lunch together at Olive Garden.
Here's Jovina and Bill lighting the advent wreath.

Here i am praying that Liam doesn't start screaming his head off....he did so well...barely a wimper out of him the whole ceremony.

Willow and her daddy!

Bapa (uncle ) Rod is on his xmas break from Notre Dame, it's so nice to have family home for the holidays!

Here's Raylin, Raquel and Willow trying to declare who likes Brandon the most...it was pretty funny!

This pic was from Friday night. The girls were putting things on Brandon's head to see if he could balance it all.....he did pretty good too! :)

4,4,and 4

2008-12-20T15:00:00.005-06:00

I got the idea from someone else so i admit i did not come up with this on my own. ( Thanks to Steece's Pieces' Blog ). Go to your computer where you have all your photos. Go to your fourth folder, then go to your fouth photo and explain that photo. NO CHEATING! Last, tag 4 people and have them do it.

Geeze, here' my photo. This was last summer in Atlantis. Brandon was waiting on me, bored I guess, taking pics.
I tag Jovina, Ria, Rayana and Natalie Landrum.

Long Overdue

2008-12-15T20:15:00.005-06:00

Here is a pic of our very non traditional tree. Yes, those are butterflies and feathers all over it!!

Below is what happens when Dugan is left in the house for more than 2 hours! What a spoiled rotten_____! Ok, im sorry! I take that back!

Brandon and Dan being GOOFY of course!

Brandon was such a good sport!

2008-12-06T22:12:00.002-06:00

A lot of blue and orange and not so much Crimson and White. We had a fun night with my family and i actully felt a little bad that Bama did not win. Touch Down!!!

Pete and repeat!

Please excuse Willow's ice cream cone face! :)

No Title Needed!

2008-12-06T20:47:00.003-06:00

Some Thanksgivng Day Pics

2008-11-28T20:44:00.004-06:00

Baby Liam and his Mommy!
Sharon and Emma.

Kate being a big sister!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-26T21:14:00.001-06:00

Hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving with their family!

This is how they roll!

2008-11-19T22:49:00.004-06:00

This pic is from Tuesday i believe while our dad was still in the hospital. i kid you not, they are glued at the hip!! Just bc he was in the hospital did not mean they were not going to cuddle like they have done every night for the last 40 years. :) Yes, my mother crawled in the hospital bed with him!!