Our Halloween Baby

Dear Kimberly,

It was my first ever Homemaking Day at Relief Society. I was nine months pregnant and nine days overdue. I'd been having some small pains, but nothing too bad. I accepted a ride to church with a friend because I didn't want to go to my first Relief Society meeting by myself. All through the lesson, I watched the clock. The pains were pretty regular, but I thought if it was the real thing, they would be much worse. When I got home that morning, I did what any first time mom would do...I called my mom and asked her if she thought I was in labor. When she told me that she was sure I was, I had to call my sisters and ask them. Then I called the doctor.

Aunt Patti came and picked me up in her van that had no seats in the back, and drove me to the doctors office where I met your dad. It was confirmed...I was in labor and needed to go straight to the hospital. Upon arrival, the nurses informed me that there were lots of moms going into labor that day. They blamed it on the barometric pressure and the fact that we were having our first snow storm of the season. They said it happened every year when the first snow came.

I think back at how young I was and how unsure I was that I would ever be able to care for a child of my own. Imagine, me a mom. At 5:12 p.m. you made your entrance into this world. Absolutely perfect in every way. Every feature, every inch of your little body was perfect. I remember holding you for the first time and being amazed at how beautiful you were.

I continue to be amazed by you. I admire your gentle loving spirit. I admire your dedication and perseverance. I admire your positive attitude and fun personality. You've taught me a lot over the years. Being the first child in our family you have had to pave the way for all the rest. I know that hasn't always been the easiest thing to do, but you have done it with grace. For this and so much more, I thank you...

Thank you for making me laugh. No one laughs like we do when we're together.


Thank you for making wise choices.

Thank you for being such a great mom to my wonderful grandchildren.

Thank you for loving me in spite of my faults, and for being not only my daughter, but also my best friend.

I thank my Heavenly Father every day for sending you to me. You've come a long way baby, but the best is yet to come. Happy Birthday!!

Love, Mom

Quirks, Who Me?

I was tagged by my good friend Vicky http://www.davevicky.blogspot.com/ to share six of my quirks.

Here are the rules: Link the person who tagged you. Mention the rules on your blog. Tell about six of your quirks, and tag six fellow bloggers to do the same. Then leave a comment to let them know they've been tagged.

Sounds pretty easy. You mean I only have to mention six? OK, here goes nothing:

1. Anyone who knows me very well can tell you that I have a very difficult time making decisions. Just ask my husband about remodeling our home in California. When it came time to paint the outside of the house, he decided he would try to expedite the decision making process by convincing me this was an easy decision that could be made by looking at a small paint chip from the store. He assured me I would be happy with the color. Besides, it's only paint...if we hate it, we'll just re-paint. Bad decision. The house looked like a big peach. We re-painted. After the peachy color disaster, we settled on a nice Cape Cod look of grey, white, and navy blue. So if you can imagine the decisions that go into a remodel, you'll understand Bob's frustration. We made it through the whole process and were happy with the results, then we got transferred and built a home.....AAUGH!
2. I fall asleep with the TV on. It's like a sedative to me. They say you shouldn't do it, but I do. It's actually pretty dumb too, because at some point I fall asleep only to be awakened by it to turn it off.
3. I'm a little anal about drying the shower. Yes, we have a squeegee, but I have to take a towel and dry the whole thing out. We moved into a fixer-upper in California and the hard water had really done a number on the shower tiles. I swore I'd never let our new shower look that way. Thus my decision to dry the shower.
4. I can't talk about blood. I do fine when I have shots, but when my blood is being sucked into a tube via a needle, you'd better be ready to catch me. I've gotten much better at having my blood drawn, but have yet to plop myself onto a cot voluntarily and have more than a tube drawn. It makes me weak just thinking about it. And PLEASE don't show me the veins in your arms!
5. I don't like to wear shoes in the house. I'll put socks on my feet, but never shoes. Unfortunately, my DH and I don't share this same little quirk. Does he know where those shoes have been???
6. I'm a little obsessed with dental floss. I always have it with me. I LOVE to floss.

So this was probably a little TMI, but there you have it. Trust me, there's a lot more where those came from. I hope to read your lists revealing your quirks. If you'd like to join in, I'd like to tag: Kimberly, Robyn, Michael, Susie, Purple Diva, and Christie...or anyone who would like to play along.

Friday nights in Music City

Making a name for yourself in Music City can be a challenge, even for the best singer songwriter. Many hopefuls arrive here with dreams of getting their big break, and they take every opportunity they can to perform their music. Because of this, it is not uncommon to happen upon a free concert now and then.

Last Friday, Bob and I did just that. We drove into historic downtown Franklin (which I lovingly refer to as Mayberry) and went to Pucketts for dinner. Sounds fancy right? Yeah, it's about as classy as it sounds. It's actually called Pucketts Grocery. I have to say though that it is a "must see" on the list of tourist attractions. If you visit, you'll want to go there. The food is...well...southern. Yes, that's a good description. There's lots of barbecue, fried foods, and claims of having the best sweet tea in the south. But best of all, there's lots of southern hospitality and atmosphere galore.

Shortly after being seated, we realized we were going to be treated to a free concert by a group called Baillie and the Boys. This group isn't a bunch of wannabes...they've actually been pretty successful. If you listened to some of their music, you'd recognize it.

These pictures aren't too great, but they're the best we could get using a cell phone....

Baillie and the Boys

The Roys

Kathie Baillie introduced their guest band "The Roys" and said they have just released a new single called "Grandpas Barn". I guess they just toured with George Jones, so they're not totally unknown.

It turns out this was a benefit concert in behalf of the 100 Club which raises money for the families of fallen police officers. We were happy to donate when the hat they passed around for donations came our way. It was a good night with good people, good music, all for a good cause.

Overheard

Something I heard at dinner tonight has got me thinking. What if? What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about?! Whoa Dude...that's heavy!

Back on the Blog

I've been off my blog for a while...a bubble off, a taco short of a combination plate, or maybe even a few bricks shy of a full load. Yep...that's how I've felt. I think, like many of you, I have felt as though I've just run a long "401K" race and gotten my "you know what" kicked. Luckily for my DH he was away this week in beautiful New Jersey. Notice I use the word "beautiful" to describe this place I've never been. I guess it's just that those business trips always sound so glamorous! I know they're not, but when you're home and you've got tough decisions to make like what show to watch, which cereal to eat for dinner, or whether or not you'll finally finish your last "vampire" book, that business life sounds a little more exciting.

One night I actually did all three of those things simultaneously. And I thought I couldn't multitask. HA! I turned on Grey's Anatomy, ate a bowl of Kashi Strawberry Fields, and finished "Breaking Dawn". In the end, the only thing I wasn't disappointed in was the cereal. Grey's Anatomy may never be added to my TIVO (that is if I ever get it) if the story line keeps going the direction it is. As for "Breaking Dawn"....I LOVED it up until the last two chapters. I had to FORCE myself to read the last two chapters of the book. (If you haven't read these books, you may not want to read the next paragraph.)

I guess I wanted a good fight with an exciting victory. I'm glad it ended like it did, but disappointed it all went so smoothly. It just didn't seem right that all those vampires could work together better than our real life Congress. I mean even the Volturi Coven were able to reach across the aisle. Do you suppose they're Democrat or Republican? I do think, however, that Alice would be the best sister-in-law ever!!