Christmas at the Carters

I heart Christmas.

Growing up, we had a lot of fun Christmas traditions.  We did the classic ones - Christmas light drive, visits to Santa, cookie baking, etc.  But we did some different things also.  On Christmas Eve my brother and I would make pallets on the floor at the foot of our parents bed & sleep in their room.  I don't know how they managed to sneak out for their "Santa duties," but they did.  My brother and I always had a pact to take shifts and stay awake to try & listen for Santa's reindeer.  Of course, one of us always fell asleep during our shift & was to blame when we both awoke Christmas morning and we hadn't heard those famous bells!  Oh, the magic of childhood Christmases.  

We also learned at a young age how important it was to serve others, rather than being served.  We were fortunate to grow up and not really want for anything, but I knew there were many people that were not as fortunate.  My mom always took us and a few friends down to a homeless mission between Thanksgiving and Christmas to serve lunch one day.  A few of us would help in the back with the food preparation, and the rest of us would serve.  It was definitely an eye-opening experience.  I would love to continue this tradition, or something similar, with my little family as it grows.  Right now we participate in our church's Angel Tree ministry, which is a well-known Christmas ministry.  Our church puts up various trees in different locations that have paper angels written with a child's name and one or two gifts.  These children have one, or both parents in prison...which just breaks my heart.  You choose your angel, purchase the gifts listed and turn the wrapped gift in to be delivered.  It is a wonderful program and I am excited for Dane to choose his own angels as he grows.  

Another fun (& unique!) tradition we had was started by my Dad - and is so easy!  He would "disguise" our gifts so we never knew which ones were ours.  For example, one year all of the tags that said "Abigail" were actually my brother's and vice versa.  Another year all of mine had the bow in the right corner, his in the left.  So we always had to try and find out the puzzle of whose gifts belonged to who.  So fun!  

Below is the Carter Christmas list of 2015.  Fun family activities I would love to do this holiday season.

What are your favorite family traditions for the holidays?  I am always looking for new ideas to add to the list!

Merry, Merry to you!

DotMom...recap!

Last weekend was INCREDIBLE (caps totally needed).  

My friend and former co-worker (wah), Adrienne and I decided to head to Nashville, TN for a girls trip/Mommy conference.  Last year one of the bloggers we both stalk follow posted about a conference called DotMom that was a Christian based conference that focused on marriage & motherhood.  Not sure why it is called "DotMom"...it has nothing to do with computers or blogging.  But the decor is all dots & all sorts of cute, so I guess I get it now.  Anyway, we registered months ago and have been counting down the days for weeks.  Both of us were Nashville rookies...now how or why is still unknown.  Nashville is the Los Angeles of the South.  Being that both of us are obsessed with all things celebrity, it was the perfect location for our weekend away.

We kissed our babies & daddies goodbye & headed out Thursday morning.  Only 1.5 hours behind, but I call that winning.  We loaded up, grabbed Starbucks & got on the road.  Who doesn't love 5+ hours in a car with your best of friends?  We listened to our favorite tunes, caught up on life, made sure we were headed in the right direction & had a lot of snacks.  Like a lot of snacks.

Almost 6 hours later we pulled into our hotel & unloaded.  Our hotel was in Franklin, which apparently is the most visited town in Tennessee (even over Nashville).  Just picture the nicest place you have ever visited...and then multiply by 100.  That's Franklin.

We might have left the kids at home, but we brought their snacks.  

Thursday night we were pretty exhausted & decided not to venture out too much.  But, the conference didn't start until Friday morning, so we wanted to do something around the area before the next day.  We tried to make it to the Grand 'Ol Opry, but the traffic was bad & we don't like traffic or lines so we passed.  And we went to Target instead.  Hey - you can take the girls out of Indiana, but you can't take the Target away...or something like that.  Multiple dollar bin purchases later, we headed back to the hotel to change for dinner.

Adrienne found an adorable restaurant in downtown Franklin that we wanted to try.  Brick walls, live band, kid-free, & bottomless drinks.  Ok, not bottomless - but wouldn't that be nice?  Taylor Swift recently had dined at this restaurant & we were pretty sure we sat at her table.  So basically she should have given us free tickets to her concert (that was in Nashville that weekend...what are the chances?!)  The best part of Thursday night was our dessert.  It was indescribable.  We are still talking about.  It was made by a local pie company called "Papa C's" & we had the waiter surprise us on what flavor to choose from.  And he did a dang good job.  He brought the Ghirardelli Chocolate Fudge Pie & we were both sure we haven't tasted anything better.  But lucky for us Papa C ships his pies across the country, so we hope Santa is reading this post.  We walked through Franklin a little bit after dinner, and headed back to our hotel for the evening.  Both asleep in less than 10 minutes.

Friday morning we woke up early, showered & grabbed Starbucks to go shopping before the conference started at noon.  Again downtown Franklin was calling our name.  The whole town is very faith based & everywhere we went we heard "Have a blessed day" and saw signs of Jesus-loving people on every corner.  So refreshing.  Our favorite store was called "Philanthropy" and was just the most adorable boutique.  One whole wall in the boutique was a dedicated "prayer wall" covered in candles and soft music.  You could choose a ticket to write a prayer request on & then take someone else's to pray for.  Some were even written by children.  I chose one written by a sweet person asked for prayer in starting her family either biologically or through adoption.  Such a neat, neat idea.  We left Philanthropy with matching shirts which didn't surprise us because we left Chicago with matching Hunter boots when we were there a few years ago. #justcallusMaryKateandAshley

We ventured into a precious toy store next to grab something for the kiddos.  We ended up talking to the store owner for a good 30 minutes about the celebrities she has come in her store.  Faith Hill? Yes.  Carrie Underood?  Saw her at Whole Foods last week.  Eric Church?  Just in a few days ago.  But the best story was about the local locksmith who was recently called to hurry and unlock a rental car that was locked in the parking garage (that we were in!).  The rental car was being driven by none other than Johnny Depp.  Oh my.   Like I said - the L.A. of the South.

After a quick lunch in Franklin, we were on our way to Brentwood Baptist for the start of DotMom!  After checking in, we headed in to the worship opener and the first speaker.  After the keynote speaker, we had both signed up for the same two sessions: Kids & Emotions and Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys.  Both were AMAZING and so informative.  The leader of the breakout, David Thomas, is a Christian Family and Child counselor & author.  He was just incredible to hear.  We could have heard him speak all day.  We both were furiously taking notes & trying to take it all in.  David spoke about kids & their emotions and how we, as Moms, can handle the different emotions that arise in different stages of their development.  We also learned so much about the development of boys and what they need from us.  A lot of the ideas and advice he spoke about really resonated with me & I am already changing some things I do and say with Dane.  Even something as simple as giving directions needs to be different with boys than girls.  If you ever have the chance to hear David speak, DO IT.  And tell me when you are going.

The conference broke for dinner that evening & we ended up making our way to downtown Nashville on the "strip."  Otherwise known as Nash-Vegas.  Talk about fun.  We ate at a local bbq joint that was highly recommended by several friends & it was good.  Not good was me throwing away my credit card in the trash.  I blame the newspaper and paper towels covering my tray.  After digging through  the trash for about 2 seconds, we threw in the towel & Adrienne said she had my back the rest of the night.  We tried a few other places & ended up at a fun place on the corner where the band played everything from Garth Brooks to Gretchen Wilson.  We headed back to our hotel around 1am and dropped.  Such a fun, but long day.

Saturday we woke up super early, packed everything and headed out to the last morning of the conference.  But, we forgot to pack the 100 boxes of Kleenex we would need when hearing the keynote speaker.  Karen Kingsbury is a New York Times best-selling author of Christian fiction, and I had heard of her but hadn't read anything of hers.  Well, that is about to change.  Karen spoke for almost 1.5 hours and there was not a dry eye in the house.  She is a story-teller, so naturally would be an excelled speaker as well.  She spoke about our "lasts" with our children, and how we need to hold on and cherish those little moments.  The last bottle your baby takes, the last time they sit on their daddy's shoulders, the last high school game they will play, the last cuddle in their bed.  I couldn't handle it.  Her speech was focused around creating our own best-selling novel.  The characters in our story are our family and the hero is God.  What a wonderful best-seller that would be.  We could barely see straight to make it to the first session after Karen was finished.

Adrienne and I split up for the next session and she attended one on raising girls, while I went to one on Mothering From a Place of Rest...or slowing down.  We might not all be able to stay home with our children, but what are some areas that CAN slow down so that we can spend more quality time with these precious little people?  She definitely had some great ideas and advice to share.

The conference ended later that afternoon & we were back in the car.  The weekend was almost over. We spent the next hour or so just debriefing everything we had learned over the weekend.  Who else is better to talk to than another sweet mama?  No one.  We promised we would come back next year because there were so many other sessions we wanted to attend.

This blog post would be about 1,000 pages long if I listed everything we learned about motherhood &  marriage.  But something that David Thomas said has really stuck with me, and I keep thinking about it.  I love analogies so it is simply perfect.

Raising children is like shooting a bow and arrow.  If you do not have precision and focus, when you release that arrow it will go all over the place...perhaps even causing major damage.  But, if you release it with strength and are pointing it in the right direction, it will hit that bullseye every time.  Dane is my arrow.  God is our strength & I plan on hitting the bullseye & offering him the best little life possible on Earth.  

Thank you to Lifeway Christian for offering such an incredible conference.  Thanks to Nashville for being...well, Nashville.  We weren't prepared for all of the fun you had to offer.  Thank you to our hubbies who didn't complain (to our faces, at least) for leaving them with the littles all weekend.

And thanks to Adrienne for just being you.  An incredible wife, mommy & friend.
Just 359 days until next year.  ;)

Show & Tell Tuesday...Who's coming to dinner?

I am joining in this Tuesday's "Show & Tell" topic with Momfessionals!  A few weeks ago I joined in with "Who were you in High School?" topic & it was so fun!  This week's Show & Tell is What 5 people would you invite to dinner?

I decided to go with people who are all living for my dinner party.  I can immediately think of SO many non-living people I would love to invite, but no way I could narrow that down to 5.  I also went a little Hollywood with my choices - ha!

1) Kate Middleton
I mean, no brainer.  Is there anyone who is not a fan of Princess Kate?  Her style, her beauty, the way she carries herself, etc.  She just seems like an amazing woman to have dinner with!  Plus, I want to hear all the dirt on the Queen.  When she and Prince William were married my bestie Adrienne & I had a Royal Wedding Party and put our old prom dresses on (we served pizza, not exactly royal but whatever) and had the best.time.ever.  So, of course she would definitely be on my dinner invite list.  And Dane could play with George & Charlotte! :)

2) Jimmy Fallon
I have loved Jimmy Fallon since his SNL days.  He is obviously hilarious, but not in a mean way.  If there were any down times at dinner you know he would fill that space.  Especially with the next person I would invite...

3) Justin Timberlake
Ahhh, JT.  You had me back in the 90s with your blonde curls & matching denim outfit with Britney.  Justin can literally do it all.  Sing, dance, act, anything!  He should be on SNL himself, he is SO funny.  And Justin with Jimmy?  I doubt any dinner would be eaten with those two cracking jokes!

4) Jennifer Aniston & Courtney Cox
When Devin & I were first married, we spent one of our ENTIRE Christmas breaks watching Friends from beginning to end.  We still watch it all the time.  Chandler & Monica's adoption process is so similar to ours & I love that a popular television show decided to finally portray adoption as the amazing experience it is.  I couldn't pick between Jennifer or Courtney, so I would just invite them both & call it a package deal.  I want to know all of Friends secrets & beg them to sign-on for a reunion show!

5.  Oprah
Another no-brainer here.  I know there are a lot of Oprah haters out there, but I ain't one of 'em.  I would run off the bus growing up, grab a snack and watch it every afternoon with my mom at 4:00.  Interestingly enough, she was actually asked to appear as a guest on the show back in the 90s!  Oprah was planning a show on people who never go anywhere without make-up on.  After every show, they asked audience members about upcoming shows and if they knew anyone who would be good for that particular topic.  One of the audience members was a friend of my mom's and knew she never went anywhere without make-up!  Oprah's producers called my Mom and she agreed, but then they ended up going with a different topic.  Her consolation prize however, was a front row ticket to one of the tapings and she met Oprah as well!  Not bad!  Oprah would just be a fabulous dinner guest & I could probably talk to her for hours!

Those are my 5 dinner guests!  Who would you invite?

Show & Tell Tuesday....High School

A few of my favorite blogger moms, Andrea,  Shay & Erika, always do a Tuesday series called "Show & Tell" and they have a different topic to discuss every week.  Anyone can join and post the topic on their blog.  I have never done it until today, but thought this week's topic looked fun...and hilarious too!

What were you like in HIGH SCHOOL?

Classic over-the-shoulder Senior pic.  Devin calls my bangs "wings" 

 I graduated from Danville High School in 2000.  I grew up in Danville (a small town in the west side of Indianapolis) and attended school there Kindergarten-High School.  My mom was a Special Education teacher in the district, and Danville is the type of town where everyone knew everyone.  I graduated with about 130 students - so pretty small!  I loved high school & still keep in contact with friends through Facebook & even went to college with my best friend from high school, which was pretty neat!

I don't think we went tanning enough??

I was a good student and hardly remember having much homework.  All of us girls would meet in the cafeteria before school and do our homework together in the mornings, and I don't remember having to do a lot at night.  I loved to read (and still do) and would always have a book in my hand as well.

However, my life in high school was CONSUMED by this:  cheerleading.  I grew up participating in dance, gymnastics and cheerleading so was hopeful I would make the team my freshmen year.  I made Junior Varsity as a freshman and then cheered for Varsity Sophomore-Senior year.  I was super close to the girls I cheered with (one of their moms even made all of our uniforms...now that is talent!)  Cheerleading was the thing to do in my county, and competition cheerleading in the summer was even bigger.  The summer competition squad was another separate team to try-out for, and I made it my freshmen year.  #toetouch #herkie  We competed in numerous competitions all over the state, and even out of state as well.  But the big win for us was taking the county trophy that summer and beating out a squad that had won for years.  Of course now it seems trivial, but we thought we were on top of the WORLD when they announced us as winners!  My husband went to a rival high school just a few miles away (we didn't know each other though) & was actually at that competition watching his high school's squad perform.  #webeatthem #sorelosers  It is crazy to think he was in the audience that night!  

big winners.  

Cheerleading took up a ton of my time, and we would often have practice before school and after school as well.  My first cheerleading coach, Michelle, was the meanest toughest person I have ever met.  Like Jillian Michaels times 1,000 tough.  She was married to a Colts player and had been a Pro cheerleader herself.  You could always bet on about half of the squad either bleeding from falls, or crying by the end of every practice.  But, we were dang good.  Of course Friday nights were spent cheering on the sidelines of football and basketball games...although I still know very little about either sport.  I blame it on not being able to see over the players!  Our football team made it to state my Senior year, which was a huge deal.  I still remember my last high school football game, which was in the RCA Dome for the State title, and wondering if I would cheer for football ever again.  (I ended up cheering in college too - so yay!  Not my last game).  Unfortunately we were killed in the State game #catholicschoolsrecruit so we went home pretty sad.  

Top Right "flyer" 

On my way down.  

Our "before we lost State" smiles.  

Other than cheerleading, I was involved in FCA (Fellowship Of Christian Athletes) & Student Council.  My senior year Danville hosted the State Student Council Convention.  Otherwise known as  a ton of work.  Basically any student council in the state could register, and it was a weekend-long convention/retreat where councils learned about different types of school leadership, did team building activities and just had fun.  We had almost 1,000 students registered for the convention and the theme was "W.O.W."...or We Own The World.  I was in charge of host families for the convention, which meant I had to find hundreds of families in our community to each host several students for the weekend.    They had to be willing to pick their students up Friday night, feed them dinner and breakfast on Saturday and then transport them back to school on Saturday and repeat that night.  It was a TON of work and I remember being excused during numerous classes that Fall so I could work on organizing all of the host families.   Aaaaaaand, I may or may not have chosen the cute boys (each registration packet came with a school picture) to stay at my house.  OOPS!  

I wore my W.O.W shirt OUT.  Just ask Devin.  I just threw it out a few months ago.  

I didn't have much time for an after school job in high school, but I did work at a local car dealership on Saturdays.  I made coffee, answered phones, made appointments for salesmen, and processed new paperwork when vehicles were purchased on Saturdays.  I still can't believe they allowed a high school student to do paperwork like that, but oh well!  It was a great job and I loved the guys I worked with.  This was the time before cell phones, Facebook & texting, so all of us just talked and goofed off during the day.  Some of the salesmen even came to my wedding!  The best part of that job though, was choosing any car to go pick up lunch.  I always chose well.  ;)

Most likely the first & last time I will ever drive a BMW convertible.  

My sales buddies always made me stop by for prom pictures.  

I also worked several class periods during the school day as an office helper and then graded papers for my biology teacher.  I'm not sure how I was able to manage missing several class periods in order to do that, but no one seemed to mind?  The typewriter I used in my office job was pretty sweet too.  

The office workers.  

High School prom.  Ahhh those were the days.  Prom just isn't the same anymore, from what I hear, and like half of the juniors/seniors don't even go I guess!  I went twice my Junior year and once my Senior year.  My junior year I went with a friend, and then again with a guy I worked with who went to another school.  That was a disaster though, and I think I burned those pictures.  My senior year I went with another friend, but I had just started dating my most serious boyfriend (haha, serious boyfriend), Kyle.  I was head.over.heels for him.  Sadly, he had already told someone else he would go to prom with them, so I went with a close guy friend.  BUT, Kyle redeemed himself by calling me one night and telling me to put my prom dress on because he was at my front door.  We took his dad's convertible and went out that night.  Ummm, boyfriend points.  Too bad we broke up right before I left for college & I cried myself to sleep for days.  I remember my dad telling me to get a hold of myself, I was graduating soon, and would find "The One" while in college.  I guess he was right.  ;)  The highlight of my senior Prom was my corsage though.  It was the talk of the night.  It had tiny little lights in it & lit up the dance floor when the lights were off.  Too bad the battery pack it was attached to was so heavy & made me have carpal tunnel by the end of the night.  #beautyispain

I doodled his last name as mine daily.  

Can you see the twinkle lights?  

High School was a fun time for me, and I have a lot of great memories from those four years.  I tell Devin all the time that kids are just different now.  I don't remember kids being mean or bullying others like they do now.  I'm sure it definitely happened, but I wasn't a part of it.  I remember at graduation wondering how college could ever top High School.  Boy, was I wrong.  I loved high school, but not the same kind of love that was given to college.  Maybe that will be another Tuesday topic soon!

Class of 2000

What were you like in High School?!  I would love to hear your stories! 

  

Friday Favorites

YAY, Friday!  I'm trying something fun & linking up with one of my new favorite mama bloggers, Erika, for Friday Favorites!  Here are some things I am loving right now...

ONE

I have four words.  The park is open.  Two more words.  Chris Pratt.  Get your popcorn, smuggle in your candy & run to the theatre.  

TWO

THE BEST chocolate chip cookie.  Google Sally's Baking Addiction "Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookie" & be prepared.  There are none better.  

THREE

I hate drinking water.  Like really hate it.  I could survive on two cups of coffee a day & rarely even drink anything for meals (I know, so bad).  However, a friend gave me the above tumbler & it has helped soothe my water hatred.  Check out Quest Hydration if you are a fellow water hater. 

FOUR

Erin Condren Life Planner.  My sister-in-law bought my first few & I have been hooked ever since.  My whole life is in this thing.  They are pricey, but SO worth it.  The above picture is the design I ordered (photo from website) but I added a family picture on the cover.  

FIVE

Skechers GOWalk sandals.  These were a gift & also like walking on clouds.  Perfect for around the house or the pool.  They also come in a variety of colors!  My friend Adrienne has the GoWalk flats that are equally as cloud-comfy & super cute.  

What are your favorite things right now?  Happy weekend!

What's in my pool bag?

When I was growing up, my brother & I spent every single day at the pool.  My mom was a teacher which meant summers off, & our summer days were like Groundhog's Day.  Wake-up.  Eat breakfast. Watch tv while my mom did chores (I'm sure we helped at some point), pack up and go to the pool.  Stay all day.  Come home when my Dad got off work.  Eat dinner.  Catch lightning bugs.  Go to bed.   Repeat.
Pure bliss.

My mom always had a huge pool bag that was the equivalent to Mary Poppins' magic bag.  Need rings to throw?  Right here.  Want a snack?  Check this pouch.  Cheeks getting burnt?  10 types of sunscreen within arms reach.

Now that Dane is older and our pool days are getting longer, I knew I had to find the perfect pool bag for us.  I sit mine right on our lockers by the garage door & it is always packed & ready to go.  When we come in for the day, I usually clean out any leftover snacks & take out the towels (I don't wash every day, more like every other day) and replace them with new ones right away.  We have more beach towels than I have socks, so our supply is pretty stellar.   The pool bag is then restocked & ready to head out the door!

Below is everything I have in mine:

1) Thirty-One thermal tote.  I purchased this awhile ago and I don't think it is even technically a beach bag, but I use it as one.  It's huge, it zips & it's thermal so it will keep any snacks/drinks you have cold!

2) Land's End towel.  Otherwise known as the best pool towel ever.  I have two - both gifts from my sister's in law.  They are BIG & fluffy and cover a whole chair which is key in laying out (not that I lay out anymore, but still).  Plus the embroidery is a plus!  (All of these items are sitting on Dane's child-size towel which I always have in the bag as well.)

3) Thirty-One zipper pouch.  I bought this when I got tired of my sunscreens being all over the place.  Small zipper pouch that holds a lot!

4) Old Navy child's beach bag.  This was also a gift from a sister-in-law (I seriously am 3/3 on sister-in-law quality) and it fits inside my big bag.  Inside are all of Dane's pool necessities: toys, swim diapers, beach hats, snacks, & a change of clothes.  You never know when a toddler will go rogue on you & you have to bounce fast.  A change of clothes + a regular diaper are key.  I wasn't nearly as prepared this summer for pool toys & one minute in the baby pool with other kids clearly made me make a mandatory trip to Wal-Mart for more toys.  I mean, doesn't every kid need 4 types of water guns?!  Yikes.  Back in my pool days we had these fancy toys called quarters (sometimes pennies too) that my mom would throw in and we would fish out.  Ahhh, the good 'ol days.

5) The product of my Wal-Mart run.  $3 fishing net and plastic fish.  Actually pretty cute and I guess encourages good hand-eye coordination, plus fine motor skills - so I'll approve!

6) Plastic bags.  Probably the most important component of my pool bag.  When were going through the adoption process, I had several baby showers to help prepare.  One of the best pieces of advice I got from a friend was to "keep a lot of Kroger sacks in the house."  I thought it was strange at first, but I use them every day (sorry Earth!)  I keep a stash in my car and in my pool bag too.  They are perfect for wet clothes, dirty diapers, any lunch trash, etc.  Thank you friend for that advice - long live Kroger sacks!

And that is pretty much it.   All of these items surprisingly fit well in my bag, which I love!  I wish there was a 7) that included trashy magazines and/or books, but I have come to terms that those days are over.  And I am ok with that!  

What all do you have in your pool bag that I should add to mine?  Please share!

And, Happy Pool Days.

Summer Bucket List

Summer is here.  Front porch sitting, watermelon slices, sun tans & flip flops.  Ahhhhh.  

Below are a few things on our Summer Bucket List this year - what is on yours?  

Dear Summer, 

I love you.  

Look For Littles

Once upon time, there was a girl who loved to shop.  She didn't care when, where, or with whom.  It was just fun.  Then, she adopted a baby and didn't shop for herself anymore.   She only shopped for her son.  It didn't matter if it was 2 degrees below zero & they didn't leave the house for days.  Her baby always looked cute.  What if a baby modeling agent came door-to-door looking for new clients?  He had to be ready.  The end.  

A few weeks ago I saw Wifessionals, a mama/blogger that I follow on instagram, announce that she was hosting a Look for Littles swap.  The rules were simple: sign up on her blog, indicating the gender/age of your child & you would be matched with another momma with the same age child.  Then, contact each other, decide how much you want to spend & put together a "look" for their little.  How FUN!  And fun is right up my alley.  Not only would I be able to shop for another precious baby, I would be excited to receive my own special package in the mail!  The "Look" had to consist of a top, bottom, and two accessories (shoes, socks, hat, etc).  I signed up right away & awaited my match!

A few days later I was given the information for my LFL (Look For Littles) match - a sweet mom from Texas!  She has two boys, one a baby close in age to Dane.  We emailed back and forth and discussed size, how much we wanted to spend, and exchanged home addresses.  It was fun chatting with another young mom, even though she was miles away.  We ended up talking about our kids, jobs & just giving advice & encouragement to each other.  @tjwest21 - if I'm ever in Texas, I'm going to look you up!  Maybe we can visit Southfork & pretend we are in Dallas?!

After emailing several times, we both set out to shop!  We mailed our packages the same week & this is what I sent her little guy.  I also included a note for her & some chocolate...because what mom doesn't like coming home to a big Reese Cup?!

The Look she sent Dane is precious!  She included a sweet note to both of us with plenty of y'alls...a true Texan!  I stuck it in Dane's baby book for him to read one day.  And those suspenders?!  No words.  A few days later I received another package from my new momma friend - how sweet!  I especially looooooove the boombox shirt.  Little did she know I am a 90s rapper at heart.

Overrall, the LFL swap was so fun & something I would love to do again!  I got to shop for another little, get something for Dane & make a new friend along the way.  I call that winning.

Where are some of your favorite places to shop for your littles?

When you wish upon a star...or a gold chain.

6:30 am...last Thursday.  My phone rings.  BFF on the other line.  Dream about to come true:

Abs: Hello?
BFF: What are you doing?
Abs: Driving to school.
BFF: What concert would we absolutely die to go to?!
Abs: Nelly. (doy)
BFF: BINGO!  He's going to be Indy this weekend & you and I are going!
Abs: (scream), OK!  Details?! When? Where? How? (trying to keep the car on the road)

Let's back up.  If you know me at all, then you know that I: don't ever put caps on water bottles, I could live off Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee & I was born a gangsta.

Nelly encompasses my college career.  Getting ready to go out Friday night?  Blast Ride Wit Me.  In the car with 10 girls to hit up the $1 tanning bed in town?  Crank up Country Grammar.    Shoe shopping?  Air Force Ones for motivation.  I love my St. Louis boy.

Saturday came fast, along with two VIP tickets (thanks, Adrienne), aviator sunglasses & the most ghetto hat I could find.  He, along with Chingy & Murphy Lee put on a GREAT show and both us may or may not have shed some tears when Nelly came on.  Front row.  Gold chains.  Diamond watch.  Otherwise known as paying cash, first class, sittin' next to Vanna White.

The evening shenanigans involved getting stern looks from his HUGE bodyguard, an autographed poster from our St. Louis boys, a 3 am diner breakfast with some drag queens & a 911 call.  Turns out white vans with no windows parked next to you can be a tad scary.

A - thanks for being my rapper wing man...there is no one else I would rather wear a bullet proof vest to a concert with than you (kidding.  Only crossed our minds once.)  And Nelly...thanks for the memories.  I got to cross that off my Life List. (#24)  I'll be blaring your tunes in the car now for the next 10 years days. 

Happy almost weekend...go holla at your friends & make one of your dreams come true!

 

 

Coffee Date Friday

Another week in the books - goodbye June!

If we were having coffee today, I would tell you....

* That I am going camping next week.  

Time to pack up the tent, fishing poles, bug spray & reserve The Hilton just in case.  Here is a picture of our last camping experience.  No caption needed.

* I am smoothie obsessed.  They are the perfect summer treat.  

My favorite is this pistachio mint one from Dashing Dish.  YUM!

* DC & I accomplished most of the things on our Spring Bucket List..  Time for a summer one!

* Last weekend we thought we were attending the engagement party of Devin's sister.  Psych.  It was really their wedding & I couldn't be happier for them!  Any party that includes skeet shooting, unlimited bbq sandwiches & a tandem bike is a win in my book of love.  Congrats, Meggie!  

* I have a baby shower tomorrow.  I love presents, friends, family & food.  SO excited to celebrate this little baby with people I love.  And it helps make the waiting a little better. 

What 5 things would you tell me if we had coffee?

Summer Snapshots

I was going to write a very thought-provoking post tonight, but then my hands started sweating while watching the man on the tight rope cross the Grand Canyon.  Um, wow.  Even Devin had to get up and walk away during it.  I think the riskiest thing I have ever done was go bungee jumping in Gatlinburg.  Followed by a trip to Dollywood.  Which might have been riskier.

Therefore...enter Summer Snapshots.

porch flowers

summer buddy

easy fudgesicles...recipe here

lunch for two

nap time 

humidity

maxi

special delivery

church softball & my favorite summer snapshot.

Happy last week of June.  Go do something risky.