Summer, why dost thou pass so quickly?

I can't believe summer is almost over. I'm going to the school with Melanie and Jaime tomorrow for our first unofficial work day. I have had the absolute best summer of all time! My hubby is working 2nd shift so I have been able to spend nearly every day with him AND Camden. It's been so great considering when I go back to work I will only see David on the weekends. I've been so many places this summer...St. Louis, Atlanta, Panama City, Chattanooga...and I've had a lot of wonderful experiences and some great times even here at home. Paint nights, swim days, and several days with my niece and nephew, and seeing some great movies has made this just a down right fun summer!

But at times like this when it's all coming to an end, I find myself envying mom's who get to stay at home with their families. I guess that is just not in the cards for me at this time in my life and probably will not be in the near future, so I'm just trying to make the best of the situation and try to be successful at a career that I once loved. I truly want to find that love again, and I'm hoping to do so this year. If not, I will have to find a new job of some sort.

But on to a more positive note here are some things to look forward to in the near future. Bring on the bullets!

• Going on our annual family vacay to Tim's Ford with my mom, dad, sister, brother in law, niece, and nephew. This is always a good time! We play games, eat, swim, eat, nap, eat, take walks, eat, and sometimes go out on the boat. Did I mention we eat because we do!
• Alabama football. Enough said.
• World Series. My Cardinals are finishing pretty strongly here toward the end of regular season play. Can't wait to see if they make the big cut. If not, I still enjoy watching championship games even if I am not invested in a team who is competing.
• Friends and Family Day at church is always an awesome day. Seeing God's house packed to the gills with people that you know and love is always a blessing. I hope to see more of my friends there this year (hint, hint). September 12th, I believe.
• Camden's birthday party will be on October the 2nd and it will be a Robot extravaganza! I can't believe my little baby will be 2. **Tear**
• The holiday season will be here before we know it. I fully intend to start Christmas shopping in the next few weeks. My goal is to purchase more thoughtful and personal gifts this year.

You know, life is good. I'm so blessed and have so much to look forward to every day! Shame on me for the times when I feel so down in the dumps :)

Man vs. Food

Anybody else watch this mess? haha The host (can't remember his name, God love him, and I'm watching it right now! haha) goes around to all these restaurants and tries to eat these massive amounts of food. For example, this episode he is at Shula's Steakhouse trying to eat a 48 oz. ribeye! I love this show for some reason. I think I am jealous. I have a sickening infatuation with food, and I guess I just wish I could throw all this weight loss crap away and just embrace my largeness and eat what I want! Seriously, I know that is not what would make me happy. I'm too vain for that. But it is interesting to watch him attempt to eat like a mad man to win these competitions.

I'm Just Sayin'...

Ok, so I adore the show "Bethenny Getting Married?" BUT I am truly annoyed by these richies and their baby nurses. I mean, come on. You can build a multi-million dollar company but you cannot take care of your own baby without a nurse around? Please. Put your big girl panties on and deal with it! How do they think we poor folks handle it? I'm just sayin'...

Hotlanta and Other Thoughts...

Last Thursday night my sister, grandmother, and I went to Atlanta to meet up with my aunt to see The Phantom of the Opera. In all honesty, I just did not want to go! I feel like I have been on the road for the whole summer and just really wanted some down time. But my great-aunt and cousin were supposed to go but could not because of a family illness, and I did not want my aunt Lynne to be stuck with two tickets, so I bit the dust and went.

The play was performed at the historic Fox Theatre in Atlanta. I learned that this theatre premiered Gone With the Wind in the 30's. Cool! I was so glad that I went to the play. It was simply uh-maze-ing!! I love live theatre. I get chills and tears and all that dorky stuff when I see a play performed live. It is my secret life-long dream to act on a live stage. To me, those actors are the real deal. No re-takes. No room for error. Every move has to be on point at all times. They amaze me!

On another note, I am so obsessed with "Jersey" television shows. "Jersey Couture," "Jerseylicious," and, of course, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" are my absolute favorite shows on t.v. right now! Love the accents. Love the attitudes. HATE the guys! Sheesh! These girls seem so strong-willed and confident, it's amazing that they choose to be in relationships with these dudes that are such douches.

Lastly, I am being such an underachiever in my last grad class. I just can't bring myself to do this work. It will be over next week, though, and then I have to try my best to prepare for this comprehensive exam!

Destination Vacation

So, I have already taken two of my getaways and have not taken the time to blog about either trip, so here goes! Our trip to Missouri was wonderful! We arrived late Friday night and spent Saturday re-grouping from the car ride and letting Camden get back in sync with David and Gina. Sunday we went to the St. Louis Zoo. It was so much fun! Camden loved the fish most of all, and he very reluctantly petted a goat at the Emerson Children's Zoo (we love some Emerson's! haha), but he was still so pooped, he fell asleep during some of my favorite parts. The next day we went to the Cardinals game. Camden behaved so well. I just couldn't believe it. Even with a 2 hour rain delay, he was a trooper the entire time! The rest of the trip we spent around the house. We love the time we get to spend with David's dad's family, and we look forward to seeing them again here in Alabama on July 23rd!

Our beach trip was pretty much a bust! We left early Sunday morning and arrived in Panama City around 1:00. The sun was out and beautiful, so we went to the pool and lounged there until we could no longer see the sun. We went to our favorite spot, Captain Jacks, for some all you can eat crab legs! YUMMY! (Yeah, Weight Watchers does not exist in PCB! LOL) The next morning we woke up to thunder, rain, and massive waves. We piddled for a while and realized the sun wasn't going to come out anytime soon, so we went for lunch and a movie. We watched "Grown Ups" and it was hilarious. I've always had a crush on Adam Sandler, so if he's in it, I'm buying it! After the movie, the sun was still nowhere to be seen so we did some shopping! That night, we visited a little spot known as Coyote Ugly (you may have heard of it) and saw things that would make a stripper blush! haha I had more fun making fun of the people there than their drunk tails had making fools of themselves. Friends, please ask me about the "Penalty Shots" if I forget to tell you! haha The next morning, still no sun. We decided to head home a day early. I can shop and watch movies at home...with my child there. No sense in staying away when the weather is like that. I was so glad to get home to my Bubby! I missed him tons, but it was so nice to have some "me" time. I think I deserve it once a year!

A couple of days later, I got to celebrate my 29th birthday with my hubby and baby. We went to Staples and got me a fab new laptop, and had lunch at Logans. My mother-in-law desperately wanted to see Camden because they were leaving for Missouri for a few days, so I dropped him off at her house and went to Ulta for some new makeup and then to Alana's volleyball game. Pretty good day! Now, I'm looking forward to celebrting birthdays today with my Book Club pals. Can't wait to see my girls tonight for "Guys Night Out"/"Amandameliapalooza"!!!

Bye, Bye Binky!

Well, I shall begin chronicling my effort to wean my little 20 month old from his pacifier. While we were in St. Louis, I kept telling Camden that when we got home we were going to throw his pacifier aways. I repeated it over and over again. My plan was to give it to him for naptime and bedtime only for a few days then to get rid of it. After he took his nap today, I told him he had to leave it in his bed, and he did. Fast forward a few hours, and we were playing and he says "Pa-pey?" I respond by saying, "Pa-pey is gone. Where did your ball go? Can you throw the ball?" I totally changed the subject, and it worked, so I built up some confidence to take it even further. I sat down to rock him with his sip cup and blanket and some good reading and he asked again. I took the opportunity to say, "Pa-pay is gone-gone. Pa-pay is for babies and you're a big boy! You don't need a pa-pay anymore because they are for babies." Surprisingly, he responds by saying, "Gone-gone." He does fine and falls asleep without it. Now, he has not made it through the night, so I have not counted it a success yet, but I'm hoping we are on the right track! We will see how this night goes :)

The Final Countdown!

Well, folks it's officially the last week of school. WHO-'effin-RAY! (haha) My little darlings are getting weaker by the minute, and in turn, making me more and more thankful to be nearing the end of the school year. This has actually been one of my best years, but it's still nice when they come to an end! Here are some plans that we have for the summer:

• First stop-Missouri. We are heading to Missouri for Memorial Day weekend. The zoo and a Cardinals game are two of the destinations on the agenda. I can't wait to get there. I love David's family that lives there. We will get to see baby Lydia for the first time, and just visit with some great folks! I can't wait to get there.

• Next Stop- my Bestie Lora and I are taking a girl trip to the beach. We really wanted to get a big group of gals to come with us, but it didn't work out that way, so we are heading that way alone. We will still have a blast, of course, because we always do. I'm looking forward to sunning by the pool all day and shirking some responsibility for a few days. It's hard being a mommy, wife, student, and working a full-time job. I think I deserve a little R&R. I will miss my boys like crazy, but they will be fine without me, and I'll be able to come back refreshed and ready to attack my last class EVER at UNA.

• Final stop- Family vacation...destination TBA! Of course, no summer would be complete without some time with my boys! We have flirted with the idea of going to the beach, but who knows. We will definitely make a weekend getaway to Chattanooga to take Camden to the aquarium. He will love it! He adores "shish" (fish) and "wa-wa" (water), so I know he will be thrilled to be surrounded with them.

I am also looking forward to spending time with my boys every day! With David working 2nd shift, we will get to spend all of our daytime hours together. I know that will make this summer even more special. Of course, I can't wait for those sporadic scrapbook sessions with my favorite working gals, Jaime and Melanie, and a few swim days with my Besties. I HEART SUMMER!

Proud to be a gLeek!

So, I have a new obsession...Glee! It's my new favorite tv show. I have always been a sucker for musicals, theatre, and what not, and this show is a combination of all things I love. There is something for everybody in this show. There is a gay guy character which seems to be a requirement in my tv commitments (LOL), there is a hot guy or two for me to lust over, and random song and dance numbers...who doesn't love that! I have used this opportunity to start showing my theatre classes the show during our class periods and they also LOVE it. They want to watch it every day. Being the end of the school year, that is ideal for me! We are all burned out on real work anyway, so it's nice to have this show to justify our laziness. So between me and my students, gLee has a large following at Tanner High School-we are official gLeeks! Here are some of my favorite moments so far:

• Kurt singing "Single Ladies" in his bedroom and his dad walking in and catching him prissing like Beyonce in a black leotard!

• Quinn singing "Papa Don't Preach" while babysitting three little monsters. Quinn is a pregnant teenager who has made up her mind, she's keeping her baby! Well, at that point she was!

• The McKinley Glee Club singing and signing"Imagine" with the glee club from the school for the deaf.

• Mr. Schue requring the glee club members to use wheelchairs for a week to make them sympathize with Artie. As a result, they do a number singing "Proud Mary" while in wheelchairs.

• Mr. Schue and the "Accafellas" singing "This Is How We Do It." It took everything in my power not to get up and dane in front of my class when that came on!

So there are a few teasers for the non-gLeeks! Tune in Wednesday nights on Fox for the new episodes. If you are a fan of musicals, you will LOVE this show!

My Feet Say It's Summertime!

Just a few snippets about my life this week:

I got my first pedicure of the season today! YAY! It's been warm enough to wear flip flops for about a week now, but my feet were not quite ready to take the plunge. So today, Jaime, Melanie and I went to "4 Eva Nails" (so classy!) to get our pedis. I can't wait to break out the flip flops tomorrow. Thank goodness I have a boss that allows us to wear them. Rumor has it that the state may change our dress code next year, so I'll have to get all the wear I can this year.

Tomorrow I'm going for my consultation for my LASIK eye surgery. Even though I've been thinking about having the procedure done for a couple of years, I feel like its all happening very quickly. I called this morning thinking it would take a couple of weeks to get me in and to my surprise, it was the next day instead. Wish me luck! So excited but super nervous at the same time.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Happy Easter to all four of my followers :) Just wanted to do a little bullet list of all the exciting things happening this weekend. Updates to follow on Monday!

• My inlaws are visiting from St. Louis this weekend. They have not seen Camden in person since Christmas, and they were itching to head South to see him. I'm so glad they are here to see him during Easter festivities. They miss most holidays so I know they are thrilled to be a part of this one.
• We have an egg hunt with all my friends and their children this weekend. It's supposed to rain this weekend, but only Saturday morning, so I'm hoping we will have great weather for the event. I'm hoping this will be an annual thing! Camden's cousins are older, so it will be great for him to be able to hunt with other children his own age.
• We always spend Easter Sunday at mom's. Our meals are usually odd...we normally have pizza! LOL This happens because my mom is always in Nashville at a church conference Thursday, Friday, and Saturday every Easter weekend, so she does not have time to fix the fancy meals. No matter! We still have an egg hunt and good company...isn't that all that matters?
• Last, but definitely not least, is the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today is Good Friday, and I've never put a lot of thought into the importance of today. How awesome is it to know that on this day a little less than 2,000 years ago He died for us. I will never be able to understand love like that. I would die for my child, but I don't know that I could die for anyone else's. Thank God for His Son and the price They paid for us!

Have a great Easter weekend!!!

Mrs Lonely

David is working night shift for the time being, and I'm finding myself extremely lonely at night. The longer the shift drags on, the lonelier I feel so I have to occupy my time. Sure, Camden is here, but our conversations consist of me naming an animal and asking him what the animal says and he replies with the sound. Then we repeat the cycle with the handful of animals he knows. Then he goes to bed at 8. Now, you would think with all this free time I would catch up on my school work; not so! Here are some of the other ways in which I occupy my time:



I love to snack. I love food. I believe that this is obvious when you see me :) I have always been an emotional eater. Since this does not fit in with my new Weight Watcher journey, I have to try other things to do instead of eating.



I have been shopping more in the past three weeks than I shopped all last year! I'm sure my husband would rather I eat then shop, but oh well. I could go all day without eating as long as I am shopping. I heart spending money. It makes me happy. Even if it's not for me. I spent an hour tonight looking for a visor for my husband! I just like to buy, but eventually the malls close, and I have to go home.



Yep, I'm a facebook addict. When Camden goes to bed and it's all quiet in the house, I stay on facebook just waiting on something interesting to happen. Sad, I know, but hey, at least I'm not out on the streets!



So, after Facebook land is sleeping, I usually tune to TV Land to watch old episodes of Roseanne as I doze off. I love that show! My favorite episode is when "Becky cut the cheese" but I haven't seen that one in a while.

The bad thing about Facebook and TV is that my ugly #1 hobby wants to creep into the mix. Luckily these days I'm making better snack choices. I usually grab an apple or a 100 cal pack of pocorn to curb my cravings. Tonight, I munched on a piece of fish. LOL Random, I know, but hey, better than digging into Camdens Reeses Easter Eggs I purchased today. Oh, crap! Why did I put that in my head????

Peace!

What a Week!

Yay for Spring Break! I've loved every single mintue of this week, and I hate that I have to go back to work in a few days, but that's life. Here's a little bit about what has happened this week:

• Monday- We were very lazy! We didn't leave the house and we slept late. It was great! Camden and I played while Daddy slept. We stayed in our pj's all day. That's the life!
• Tuesday- Super fun day with Jaime shopping at the outlets in Lebanon, TN. I bought Camden tons of clothes and a denim jacket for myself. I've been searching for one for a while, so I was glad to find one I liked. Of course, we had to have a weirdo shenaningan along the way. Some weirdo food court worker gave us a free soft pretzel and diet coke after he swiped my card but wasn't sure that it worked. Well, Jaime's was definitely free, but mine is questionable. I'm just praying that I don't have a $100 debit on my card for it since I didn't get a receipt. Only time will tell! Tuesday night we had weight watchers. I lost a pound this week making my total 13.8. I'm still a little frustrated with the slowness of my process, but I've got to stop comparing my results with everyone else. I guess I'm just a competitive person! I feel like I'm "losing" the competition! LOL
• Wednesday- Also an interesting day with friends. Lora, Casey, Jill and I decided to do some Goodwill shopping which was interesting to say the least. I didn't find any treasures, but the three of them found a cute dress, brand new for around $5. We saw some great characters in the store and had plenty of laughs along the way.
• Thursday- Best day of the week! David did not have to work Thursday night so we spent the whole day together, with Cam, and did some shopping in Huntsville. I was thrilled to find a pair of Sperry's for Camden for $18 at Belk! I'm so excited to see him in them with no socks and shorts ;) We had dinner at Casa Blanca and just had an all around great day together.
• Friday- Another lazy day at home! I did some grocery shopping early while David and Camden played. I went to Publix and saved around $35 on my total bill and spent around $65. I also went to Walgreens and got 4/12 pack Diet Mountain Dews for $10! Woot Woot! When I got home, the boys were napping, so I piddled around the house. When the woke up, we played outside and rode the four wheeler. Camden LOVES outside! He cried so much when we camed back in. I tried a new Weight Watcher recipe for fish and chips. It was delish! I also made a Weight Watcher imitation of the Wendy's Frostie and um, hello! It was amazing and only 2 points per serving. Gotta love it!

I loved this week, and I'm going to enjoy this weekend. When we go back to school, we will be there for 10 weeks straight! Wish us luck!!!!!

New Blog Name

I need to revamp my blog. I think if it was cuter I would feel more inspired to write! I've spent many moons trying to think of a new title for my blog but with no real success. So, I'm asking for those of you who know me best to help me with a new blog title! Bring me your creative prowess.

J...it's a big one!

Some of the most special people in my life have names beginning with "J" they are even the same name but spelled differently.

Jami- This is my big sister. I simply cannot imagine life without her. She knows me better than anyone in the whole world. We have some of the best memories as kids even though she did not love me so much. I guess sometimes I was a better playmate than she realized ;)

Jaime- This girl is one of the best people in the world! She is an awesome mommy and a great example for me. Jaime is so funny once you get to know her. As much as I do not miss going to UNA, I do miss our car rides and all of our chats we had along the way. I do get to see her every day so that makes it ok. We still get a kick out of the same things...especially those having to do with our kiddos at THS!

James- That's my dad! Just wanted to mention him but I've already written about him and how much I love him in a couple of other blogs. My dad is the best!!!!

Justin Timberlake- Well, I don't know him, but I've always loved him ;) I just think he is amazing. Great singer, great personality, great dancer. I can remember my poster in my bedroom from when he was with N'Sync. He had that blonde curly hair. I taught my niece to say "Justin" when she saw it. It was one of her first words. Hahaha

Jennifer Anniston-again, I don't know her but I think she is AMAZING! Boo Brad and Angelina, I'm team Jennifer all the way. Love her hair and her body...wish I could look like that! "Friends" is one of my all-time favorite sitcoms.

Jim Halpert-fictional character from "The Office" who I am rapidly falling in love with. Just recently started watching the show, and I love him! I wish I was his Pam.

Juno- I adore this movie. I love the dry humor and the way she says "Vag" all the time.

Jerky- I am a beef jerky FREAK! I love it. I can eat it every day. Jack Links brand is my fave. I will eat a bag in one sitting if I have one.

That's all for now...I think!

Down in the Dumps

Well, I'm feeling super down in the dumps today, so I thought maybe if I blogged I would feel a little better. It's all this weight-loss hoo-hah that has me down. I know, I should be friggin thrilled that I've lost 7.2 pounds. Trust me, I'm glad it's gone, but this is just such a slow painful process! I'm wanting to see more results as far as when I look in the mirror and when I put on my clothes. I'm not noticing any real changes. I understand that I am trying to lose 46 lbs and I've only lost 7.2 which is not really a lot of weight. I'm just sooo frustrated that I let myself get to the point where I even have to do this. I'm determined that once I get this weight off, I will never have to worry about it again.

I is for ME!

I couldn't really think of anything to blog for the letter "I" so I thought I would make a list of things that "I" want to update about my life!

-I wish that I would blog more often but have no idea what to say!
-I am currently doing Weight Watchers and I have lost 4.8 lbs so far
-I am afraid of the scales tomorrow night
-I am currently reading "The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James. It's a slow read for me.
-I am so thankful for the friends I have in my life
-I am amazed that my son is already 15 months old. He is so hilarious.
-I wish I could make him eat. Today (and most days recently) he is surviving on Vanilla Wafers and milk!