Little changes lead to BIG things....

I have made the decision to change my major (one more time) to Health Education. This means that I will be teaching high school now instead of elementary school and I will graduate May 2010 instead of December 2010. yay!! Now I can go back to work full time during the day due to the classes being at night. Trust me, I really need to go back to work! Please pray that I find a job soon, I have been searching since September! I have also completed the Discovering Grace sessions at church and will be introduced as a new member of Grace Community on Sunday, Nov. 9th! Tyler and I are very excited about it : ) Hey, better late than never!

Happy Halloween

"Trick or treat...smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" : ) Tyler laughed when i sang this last night, but thank goodness he never said to the nice people around us! lol.. We went to the annual Trunk or Treat at Christ United Methodist Church and everyone had the cutest cars decorated. I managed to get a few pictures before my batteries died. As we were pulling into the neighborhood, Tyler saw some of the boys from TaeKwonDo and went house to house in our large neighborhood with them. I slowly followed suit in my car. Tyler had fun and got to have a little sense of independence and he racked up big time! I hope you all had a great Halloween as well. Until next year....here are the pix!

Piglet & Pooh

don't forget Eeyore! Check out this car!

Taekwondo Tyler.."Hi-Yah" : )

Tyler has been a student at the Taekwondo Academy in Mobile for the last 3 weeks, and he is loving it! He will test in December for his yellow belt! He is learning self discipline, control, perserverance, responsibility, and how to live an indominal lifestyle. He works very well with Master Jones. More pictures to come....

SAEA Fall Conference in Huntsville

Yay!! I was re-elected President of the Student Alabama Educators Association! Woo hoo!!


So we had a great weekend in Huntsville...Leigh, Jessica and I were the only ones to respresent the University of South Alabama, but hey....that is our job as officers. I also couldn't ask for better travel mates or room mates! We arrived at the Huntsville Marriott Friday at 3 pm and was so excited to see that we were right next to the Space center. We literally had a rocket right outside our room! How cool is that to look out to! Then we had a late dinner with about 75 other SAEA members from the University of AL, Auburn, UA at Huntsville, Miles College, Jacksonville State, and Alabama State University. We always make friends at these conferences, and have to sit through several 1-2 hour sessions; but, we learn so much. The next conference is being held in Mobile, where the three of us will host hopefully more than 200 students. It is called Outreach to Teach. We are choosing one local elementary school in Prichard to receive a major face lift in March! We will need a lot of prayers to get us through that one! Here are a few pictures from our weekend.




Jessica, me & Leigh



me & Jessica


Leigh, Dr. Duff-Newsome (Miles College), Terry Sellers, and Jess


Ashley and Deanna, University of Alabama

Yay!!...Shana's home..

I'm so glad to have my little sister home for a couple of days. It is always a great time when the two of us get together! Usually winds up with stomach pains, cheeks hurting, eyes dripping a tear or two...all of this, because we are laughing so hard! Good times....lol : )

Forgetting all the I have...for something I want

How sad is the day when you come to realize that you have forgotten about everything good that you have, for something that you want? All I have ever wanted in life was to be a wife and mother; and, while I have the mother part, being a single mother wasn't on the list. I have been searching for a love greater than the love I have for my son and my family. I keep searching for "the one" to fill the space in my heart and that of my child, all the while, continually getting disappointed every time. Tyler must tell me a thousand times a day how much he loves me and needs me. Why is that not enough for me? What is it, that makes me forget about the joy he takes in just being with me?

Today, I decided that we were going to go get lunch and then go play a round of miniature golf at Funntasia. We went to Applebee's for lunch and when the waiter brought the ticket...Tyler pulled out his wallet and said, "I got this momma." ha ha... he pulled out $4 and the waiter laughed. I told him to put his money up and that I would get it. Then we had a fun afternoon playing under the hot sun on the golf course. It is then, that it hit me, as my hot little boy lay passed out in the seat....that i fell in love all over again, with what I already have.

Saying goodbye to Chloe...

Yesterday, my stepdad finally took Chloe to the SPCA. Tyler was originally upset, but he finally understood that we can not have a dog who "terrorizes" the neighborhood, although she may be gentle to us. They did tell him that no harm would come to her, and they would make a note that she needs a large, fenced in back yard to run in. I am going to wait until we have a house of our own, with a fenced in back yard before he gets another dog. He needs a puppy that can grow up with him...maybe a lab or something. We shall see. I hope all is well with everyone else!

Girls Night Out 8-15-08

I am always up for a night out with my best friends. We always have the best times when we are together! Last night, we all met up at Azteca's for dinner and drinks and then went across the street to watch the karaoke competition at Touchdown Tavern. We spent five hours together laughing non-stop, taking pictures, dancing around and just thoroughly enjoying each others company. Here are just a few of our pictures!

A lot can happen in a week...whew!

Well, last Saturday i posted about Jorge passing away, on Sunday I received a call from a friend of mines mother. Her son, one of my beloved friends also passed away on 8-1-08 somewhere between 8:30a-11 am. Donna found him at 12:30 when she came home for lunch. He died from a massive brain aneurism that burst. He was 25 years old. He was such a good man. Monday night, I attended his wake and I have never seen so many people come to pay their respects to one person. Josh would have been so proud and I know he was looking down at all of us. We buried him Tuesday morning. He will truly truly be missed. : (


Tuesday afternoon, Tyler and I headed out to E.R. Dickson to meet his 2nd grade teacher...Mrs. Lisa Hafizi! She is going to be great for Tyler, I can feel it! She was so sweet and really had Tyler laughing a lot. Cross your fingers, it is going to be a great school year for him! I am excited. School starts on Monday! Wednesday, if I recall, I got a much needed break.


Thursday, my mom and Gary took Tyler to Ono Island with them so that I could have my wine and cheese party with all my girlfriends! We had so much fun last night, and I took plenty of pictures. It is good to be able to gather with the girls and laugh. I laughed so hard last night, my cheeks hurt when i quit! Good times!! Good times!!



Melissa MacDonald



Ashley G. Long (5 months along)



me



Hilliary & my nephew Riddick (3 months)






Heather


Taylor

It's Friday! Today I took my best friend Hilliary to lunch for her 29th birthday! It is my last night free before I leave for Ono Island in the morning to spend the rest of the weekend on the beach! I'm so excited!!

Goodbye Jorge...8-1-08

Last night, the Subirats family endured a great loss. Jorge Subirats ended his battle with brain cancer as he took his last breath at 7 pm. He was a loving husband, father, son and friend. He will be truly missed. I recieved the call from Hilliary at 9 pm and she made a very profound statement before getting off the phone; she said, "Jorge finally achieved his ultimate goal in life....he met GOD tonight". He strived for the best of everything, and to make you see the best in yourself at all times. He loved to make you laugh, make you work hard, give you a hard time and do what he could to make you smile. His family and church came first before any thing else. He will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with Valerie and the rest of Jorge's family during this time.

A memorial service is being held Tuesday night, at Dauphinway Baptist church at 7 pm for friends.

Son of a gun...we had to say goodbye to "Coffey"

Tonight on Nashville Star, I was so excited to see the first of my two winning picks move on to the finale next week (Shawn Mayer). I really thought my second pick, Coffey, was going to move on as well; however, he was let go. The finale now comes down to Shawn Mayer, Melissa Lawson (who happens to be very good as well) and Gabe Garcia.

Music & video's....

Thank you Donna, for telling me how to add some music to my blog! I love this song. I first heard it on The Bachelorette and now it is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it to. I also added a video link to one my other new favorite songs, Halo by Haley James Scott. I couldn't get her song to post on the playlist, so I found the video. It is the first one, I dont know why they had to put all sorts on that line...anyway, enjoy! talk soon.

I got a post card out of the blue...it said:

Dance with God, and he will let the right man cut in. I can't imagine who sent it to me, but boy did they send it at just the right time or what?!! So thank you for reminding me that I am not in control....whoever you are. : )

Can you tell me how to add music?

I have this song that I want to add to my blog, but I can not figure out how to do it. Help! It is so beautiful.

Bootcamp...what a loss!!

As earlier stated in a post about bootcamp, it was expressed and guaranteed to us to lose inches. Well not only did I lose five pounds, i lost 6 inches all over! I am very proud of myself. It is the motivation I needed to continue on my journey. I used this class as my jumping off point for exercise and conditioned my body to get used to being exercised. I am so excited. I am starting the Biggest Loser work out dvd's and the Micheal Thurmond 6 Week Body Makeover workout to keep up my progress. Kudo's to me!

Falling on deaf ears??

The other day, as I was playing with my two month old nephew Riddick, I noticed that he wasn't responding to sound like he should be doing at his age. I clapped my hands next to his ears...got nothing. I spoke close to his ears, again nothing. I called my mom into the room and showed her, he still didn't respond. So then i did the finger trick to see if he could follow my finger, again..he didn't. Finally, we told Taylor. Riddick had a doctors appointment yesterday anyway for his two month shots, so ask Dr. Blanchard and see what she thinks.

Low and behold, she made Riddick an appointment with a specialist on September 8th. That is the first day he can get in. We keep trying different things, but still no response. We are hoping that he is not deaf and that hopefully maybe his eu-something tubes are just clogged up?? Sorry, I can't remember the word my mom said. ha ha! Anyway, as soon as we find out more, I will update again.

Oh, i also made a bet that at that checkup he would weigh in at 12 pounds. Taylor said he weighed in at 12 lbs. 6 oz. 24 inches long!

July 4th!

What is better on a hot July day, than to celebrate with family, fireworks, watermelon and farm animals...?? We all piled in the car and drove down to the Grand Bay Watermelon Festival, something that my mom and I have not done in at least 15-16 years. So it was a treat to take Tyler and my stepdad down there. Mom and Gary went off to the "adult" things (antiques, arts/crafts, etc.) and Tyler and I headed for the family area. While we waited patiently for his turn on the train, we decided to go into the petting zoo and feed some animals. The rabbits, as you can see, were more than happy to be picked up and loved on. Wilbur the pig, honestly, I think was getting sick of kids being around! ha ha! He wouldn't eat...he just decided to sit still for a moment so that Tyler could say cheese. They also had geese, miniature horses, chickens, goats and a donkey. The ducks were so not having anyone come near them! It was cute.

Then came the train ride. Tyler had to be in the caboose and say "what's up" to everyone that the train passed. I thought, "only my child".... He briefly made an appearance in the air jump before spotting my parents and jumped out. He was so disappointed that he missed the seed spitting contest, that he anxiously awaited for all morning long. So we decided to go get some free watermelon, and he didn't like it. So the contest would have been a waste of money anyway. (Thank you Lord). The picture you see up top, I had to make him take that picture. He was merely acting like he was eating it, for the sake of my blog. Thank you Tyler... :)

I hope that everyone had a wonderful, safe and happy holiday weekend. God bless America!

So much for happily ever after....

Just two days after a great weekend, the start to my week has turned extremely sour. Last night, Eric and I broke up. I won't go into detail, but only to say that trust and theft (two words that should never be used in the same sentence) are involved. I put all the pieces of the puzzle together, and realized that I was being taken for a ride. Six months down the drain! He finally admitted stealing from me about thirty minutes ago. Such a shame. I cried hysterically last night, wishing I could just talk to my sister. But I couldn't. I cried on my mom and Gary's shoulders and then cried myself to sleep. I woke up this morning, swollen, bitter, and very tired. I contemplated not going to bootcamp today, but something told me to go. When I got to class, my teacher asked if I needed a boxing bag. "What a great idea", I thought! I punched the hell out of that bag, I kicked and kicked, and punched and punched.....great stress reducer!! Then I came home and emailed Becky Bryars and told her that Tyler and I were about to become regulars at church and I need guidance. I am no longer crying. I am no longer extremely upset...in a wierd way, I am already finding solice and I like what I am seeing. So long for now. Shana, check your email.

This weekend...

I love weddings! Saturday, my dad's little sister got remarried at St. Mary's Sister's of Mercy Building. She donned a black and white cocktail dress and black hat. So typical of couple from Springhill, lol! At any rate, she was absolutely stunning and the look of happiness could not be erased. The majority of my dad's brothers and sisters flew/drove in for the event, so it wound up being more like a mini family reunion for all of us. It was wonderful. The only one missing was Shana (who seems to be having her own troubles on her European vacation).

This wedding was also the first time my dad's side of the family (the majority of my family) got to meet Eric. Everyone, and I mean everyone, fell in love with him and complimented me on him. Tyler was very proud to be standing next to him and I was just in awe of my little "family". My Meme said that Sam was the 56th person to enter into our family, and then asked Eric if he was going to #57. Eric looked at me, then looked back at her...and said yes. She cried through the whole ceremony and kept saying how proud she was that her daughter had found happiness again. It was so sweet.



Of course, my camera died after only 5 pictures...so i had to wait until heading to the after party to get some more batteries. So here are some pix from both. Enjoy.




Daddy & Nancy


Mr. & Mrs. Sam Baughn 6-28-08




me & daddy

Eric & Tyler I love my boys!

I passed the APTTP exam!!!

According to the State of Alabama Board of Education, you must pass three exams and the exit exam and hold a Bachelors Degree in Education in order to teach.....well, I took my second exam last month and received the results today!!! I PASSED!!! That is two down and two to go. I was really nervous about this one, because it is what stands in your way of being able to student teach; and now, I don't have to worry about that. I will begin student teaching in January! Kudos to me!!!

Meet Chloe!

Tyler has a new pet....Chloe! She is a two year old Lhapsa Apsa/Border Collie Mix. He is so happy to have a dog again. A co-worker at the hospital couldn't handle her anymore with a new baby in the house, so my mom told her we would take her. Her original name is "Baby"; however, we all use "baby" as pet names for everyone in the house. So when I woke up yesterday morning, Tyler informed me that he changed her name to Chloe and she seems to like it. She is getting the cold shoulder from our other two dogs and I can't understand why. They are Border collies as well. Oh well, I am sure that they will soon all be lifelong friends... let's hope anyway.

Now that everyone is better....

I am really hoping to have a very relaxing Father's Day weekend with my family. I hope you all can do the same.

Happy Fathers Day!

Just couldn't help himself...

My poor Eric! I guess he thought me being sick looked like to much fun to do by myself, now he is down with Strep! Luckily, having family in high places (Shana) we were able to get him on antibiotics fast! Thank you so much. But he has been asleep all day long. It is my sincere hope that Tyler doesn't come down with it to. Aaaaagggghhhhh! What a nightmare that will be... :)

Catching Up!

Hi all! Lots of things have been happening around here since my last post. Tyler has started summer camp at Daysprings Baptist and is having a blast. This is his second week. He get to go swimming, skating, bowling and an additional field trip every week! Next week, they are going to the BayBears baseball game on Wednesday.

The summer semester is getting under way for me as well. I am taking five classes, one of which is a required PE course. I decided to take Aerobics; however, it has become what we all now affectionately call "Bootcamp". Guaranteed to lose weight and inches all over your body, so I should be in good shape by the end ..... : )

Eric decided to leave his old job for personal reasons and has found new employment with ARS overseeing a Naval project in Gulfport, MS and Pensacola, Fl. It is a four year contract, rebuilding all the military housing in both places. He is very excited and can't wait to start next week. We are looking forward to Fathers day weekend at the Gulf! It will be the first time in two weeks that we will have all the kids back together and they are super excited as well.

I am very fortuante to have such a wonderful man in mine & Tyler's life. My family loves him as much as I do, and he takes such good care of us. When bad things happen to the ones you love, it is nice to know that you have more than one person who are there for you. This is something that has happened two weeks ago, and my parents and I invited him to move in with us. It is very important to have people you can trust around you. We are so happy that he is here. He has been getting up with Tyler in the mornings and getting him off to camp. Tyler loves having him here full time and I must admit, so do I! When we went to bed last night, i wasnt feeling so great, but he noticed something else was wrong. He stayed up all night long watching me and when he dropped tyler off this morning, he came back and took me to the doctor. The doctors informed me that Mono is running rampid across campus and tested me for it. Thankfully, that isn't my problem. Unfortunately, I have an acute case of strep throat and pharyngitis.
Once we arrived back at the house, he immediately stripped the bed and put new linens on and made me some chicken noodle soup and went to Walmart to get my antibiotics. So now i am sitting in my bed with nothing better to do than to update my blog.

Happy Memorial Day!

To all the military guys and gals in our family, to those who have fallen and to those who are still fighting this war....God bless you. You continue to be in our prayers everyday.

Tylers report card came today...

drum roll please........dun ta dah....lol.

Tyler passed 1st grade! First grade has been very hard for him this year, and we have a LOT to work on this summer, so that second grade can hopefully be a little better for him. If anyone knows of some great math tricks to help him learn...Please let me know.

I call it an anniversary.....lol

Happy Anniversary Eric! It has been a wonderful four months and I am looking forward to making so many more memories with you and the kids. I love you.....

Happy Birthday Shana!

To the greatest sister in the world...I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I love you.

Wrapping up another school year...

Tyler is on his way to successfully finishing yet another school year! I have just completed my umpteenth semester in school, lol, and will start back again in two weeks. : ( I am so over school!!! I can not wait til the kids and I are on the same school schedule and I am working again; things will just be so much easier. Times have been trying to say the least this school year, but I am happy to say that it is just about over and Tyler can finally relax for the next 10-12 weeks or however long he has. Summer camp, here he comes. Summer school....here I come. : (

Mothers Day

This Mothers Day was absolutely wonderful! This is the second holiday I have had with Eric, and we took this opportunity to introduce our parents to each other at a special dinner at Nan Seas! We all had a fun time! On Sunday, I was able to sleep late and take advantage of some peace and quiet until after lunch time. We swam in my parents new inground pool until 7 pm that night. We had a wonderful time together as always and I look forward to sharing many more days together with them. Check out a few pictures.