This time I'm home for good!

Michelle & Jax

See how we make everyone feel welcome at my house...no one is too good for the spoiled, rotten Jax to rest and take a nap on! ha! This has been a whirlwind of two weeks, and I'm needing a vacation from my vacation! lol! I am a major homebody and all this running around is wearing me out! I have one more day trip tomorrow with a girlfriend to work on school stuff, and then I am staying HOME for a long weekend and being a big 'ole couch potato!! Time with old friends is priceless, and I feel bad that Michelle was the last stop in all my trips b/c I was getting ready to just be home for awhile. At least Michelle and I are good at just managing to do nothing! ha! Oh, but we eat well! I won't share what all we ate!!! Michelle - I promise not to wait so long before my next trip! :-)

Now ~ I'll give you the short version of mine and Michelle's (my bff) past few days. (Every year we take a week and spend a few days at each other's houses.) We started at my house this time on Friday b/c Friday night was scrapbook night with all the girls. I was having scrapbooking block though and couldn't come up with any good pages! I think I was putting too much pressure on myself to make my Cozumel pages perfect ~ ahh ... the pressure's of scrapbooking! LOL! Saturday we hung out around the house and let Kevin be our chef, and watched Sweet Home Alabama (Michelle hadn't seen it - with a little one she doesn't have time for movies!) Then, Sunday after church, she picked up her young 'un from his Grandma's, and we headed to NW Arkansas for a few days. See pics below for an illustration of our adventures there! LOL!Chris (my bff's hubby) and Michelle went in with two other couples to buy a boat that needed a some work and would be a party barge for them all to enjoy when they all camp and go to the lake ~ which is quite often. Here is Chris backing the trailer up so we can load the boat ~ can you see just how LONG that trailer is?

The men folk got the boat (whom I'll call Bertha) loaded up on the trailer and pulled her out of the water.....only to discover the tires were FLAT!!! So, we unloaded Bertha and headed to a gas station to air up the tires. Then, back for a second try!

And she loaded up....see why I nicknamed her Bertha? That boat is HUGE!!!

Always an adventure!! :-)

**I will catch up with everyone over the next few days! I've missed ya!

Cozumel Pics & stuff!!!

We are home and had an AMAZING time!! The real world just isn't as much fun! ha! We are sunburned on our backs from our day of snorkeling!!! It was worth it though! Snorkeling ROCKED!!!! We took a guided tour ~ about a 6 hour snorkeling adventure. We stopped at three different places to snorkel and went to a really cool beach for lunch. We saw tons of gorgeous, colorful fish...I felt like I was in awe the entire time!! We also saw 2 stingray, a sea turtle and .... A SHARK!!! I don't know which was cooler - the sea turtle or the shark! The sea turtle was so cute (and the first thought I had was "dude" from Finding Nemo ~ LOL!) The shark ~ I thought I was going to be scared, but something took over and I wanted to get closer to see him better! I couldn't believe I was swimming TO a shark! It was just the coolest thing EVER! I loved the snorkeling!!

We also took a ferry ride to Playa Del Carmen and ate breakfast at a gorgous resort where I saw my only in the wild iguana. Then, we hit the 5th Avenue for some shopping and bargaining. Why is it that no matter how much you get them down to, you always feel like somehow they ripped you off? ha! One guy even said, "Come in so I can rip you off!" LOL!

The rest of the time we relaxed on the beach, shopped some more, saw an amazing sunset almost nightly, swam in the ocean (we never swam in the resort pool ~ why would you with the ocean right there!), ate some good food (especially the last night ~ yum!), relaxed some more, did some light snorkeling along the beach, and just enjoyed our vacation and being together!! (We passed a major dating obstacle in that we know we can travel together and not kill each other! LOL!)

**My BFF is coming to see me tomorrow for a few days and then I'm heading to her house for a few days, so I may be MIA again for a bit! But promise pics when I return! :-)

Vacation....

While I'm gone I thought I'd leave you with two of my new reads to entertain you! :-)

One of my scrap buddies has started a blog llcoolworld ~ check it out! She is getting married and each post she tells you a secret about herself (neat idea I thought!). She's really fun ~ so go show her some bloggin' love!!

And, my next new fav read won't be a huge surprise to those who know me ~ this blog is crazy about her Great Dane's like I am about my fur kids! :-) And she scrapbooks!!! ha! Go check out Great Dane Addict.

Hugs until I'm back! :-)

Wordless Wednesday:

These feet are beach ready!!

My New Look...

I am digging my new layout ~ thanks once again to Lindsay over at Splat Designs!!! If you click on Splat Designs at the bottom of my sidebar, it will take you to see more of her work. She is AWESOME to work with if you want a new look for your blog!!!! THANK YOU LINDSAY!!

She has put me into a new blogger that is supposed to be lots easier to work with ~ so I'm going to get sucked into the computer first thing this mornin'! LOL!

So...what do you think? It's purdy ~ ain't it??? :-)

PS. It's my reward to myself for not smoking for almost 8 months now!!!! :-)

Fun at the Lake

The first night Kevin served up a shrimp boil and steaks....YUMMY!!! I really can't even tell you how good it was - it was THAT good! ha! Shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob...mmmm!!!
Mom and Dad got there about 9:30 Friday night and had Autumn's (my niece) new puppy with them. CUTE!!!! It is a shih tzu and schnauzer mix (have no idea if I spelled those right!). That puppy is the most laid back puppy I have ever seen!! You start petting her, and she just rolls over on her back and gives you her belly to rub for as long as you will do it! Too funny!
And, of course, we jumped off the cliffs! I even jumped this time - TWICE!! Although, the second time I wondered WHY I had climbed up there again! The first time I did it to try and make Taylor (my Bubby's girlfriend's daughter) feel a little better about jumping. HA! I got up there and looked down and was like "Woe - I'm not doing this!!" She ended up jumping before me! The pics of me jumping are on my Mom's camera - if I don't look like a cow, I will show you when I get them! LOL! That is my niece in the pic above jumping - she has no fear of it at all!!!
Kevin and I on an afternoon boat ride! And the crazy hair is because the boat was in motion! ha! And, yep, I did some major cropping on this one to get my swimsuit out of the pic!! ha
My Bubby on the sea-doo that Mom says has a limited number of days left in our possession! The men make us a nervous wreck on that thing! They get as close as they can to splash the heck out of you ~ Mom and I are the worriers ~ everyone else thinks it is funny! I say it is dangerous!! I guess I'm gettin' old!! LOL!

Our Hiking Trip today!

Kevin, Jax (the rotten boxer) and I went for a hike this morning at Lake Sylvia - a very neat place that I didn't know existed!! It was only about a 45 minute drive and will be a cool spot to go back and camp. I am sure we will head back in the fall!! It will really be gorgeous when the leaves are changing colors!!!
This is me and Jax at the beginning of the hike when we both had energy and thought this is easy! ha! Notice at the moment we are on flat ground....the climbing was soon to begin!! You will also notice Jax in the lead here - he thinks he has to be in front at all times! But, he is just as out of shape as I am and at times, he fell to the back of the line!! He made it though or rather WE made it! LOL!
The view from the top was worth the effort to get there!!
The dam was really to see up close!
My two favorite boys leading the way!!

A great day!!! :-)

Home from Camping!!

Woo-hoo! We are back and even with all the rainy and yucky weather last week, WE DIDN'T GET RAINED ON ONE SINGLE TIME!!! YAY!! Friday it was storming so bad here that cancelling was a serious option. I'm glad we didn't!! Yesterday and today were gorgeous days to be out on the lake. As you can see by my niece's excitement riding the tube! :-)
I will share more pics and stories tomorrow and get caught up on everyone's blog!!

Updates & Happenings

Poker ~ I went to play poker last night with some friends from summer school. YUCK! (not to the friends but to poker!) I hated it! And not because I lost either (I know that is what you were thinking! ha!) I went with $20 and left with $23.75. Not bad for a first timer. It was dealers choice, and there were way too many games to learn in one night for my adult ADD brain to handle!! I won't be going back unless it is as a spectator to watch Kevin play! ha! I am sure the other regular players won't mind that one bit b/c I am pretty sure they got tired of my questions! :-)

Kevin's job search ~ He had a great week as far as making some good connections!! Turns out one of his fraternity/college friends works at one of the companies he was looking into. Once he got there, the friend showed him around and introduced him to some people. The next day, he pulled his app for him and took to someone who then gave Kevin a phone interview. So, this is a promising lead. Then, he hooked up with another friend (the one who snagged him the awesome catering job a few weeks ago!) and that friend is working on getting him in the door there. I feel certain one of these will pan out over the next few weeks.

Summer plans ~ Today was the last day of summer school!!! Woo-hoo! So...I officially begin my summer break! The only bummer is we were all a little disappointed in our summer school paycheck today. Payroll got messed up ~ long story, but I am going to pay off two bills tomorrow. So, it only sits in my account for a day anyway! ha! On the bright side, at least I have the funds to pay off the bills! :-)

Vacation to Mexico ~ To clear up any and all misconceptions (b/c I've been asked a few times!!) Read this sentence aloud: Kevin and I are NOT getting married in Cozumel. We are JUST going on a much needed vacation!! LOL! Now, to those who know me and know that the last time I went on vacation with a boyfriend, I came back married! ha! That must be where this idea entered your head. I promise this is not a repeat performance!! I do love Kevin with all my heart, but neither one of us is ready for marriage again yet! :-) AND I PROMISE to give you all advance notice before we do anything crazy like that! ha!

Now...I'm going to get ready for my weekend camping trip!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Another Award!! I can't believe it! :-)

A bloggin' princess I am!!!! Thanks for the award Lindsay!

I feel like a princess this week with Kevin here - taking me on a vacation, cooking for me, making me a tropical CD mix to listen to get ready for our trip!! I am gettin' spoiled! (and lovin' it!!!!)

Now - it is my turn to give this award to three other deserving bloggin' gals!

In no certain order:

My newest blog read is Double Duty. She just called herself a princess the other day and a drama queen today so who could be more deserving!?!

I also have to award The Emancipation of the Drama Queen...she is a riot!!! I would love to meet her in person!

And...this is hard b/c everyone is a favorite! But, I am going to give it to Trina at Son Up to Son Down - She is raising 5 boys and homeschooling them! Who better to deserve a Bloggin' princess award! Now if only we could send some princess pampering her way with the award! ha!

Ok - ladies - go out and award some other great bloggers! :-)

Life is good!!!

July is looking up to be a GREAT month!!! :-)

Thursday is my last day of summer school AND pay day!!! :-)
Friday, I am heading out with the pop-up again for a weekend camping trip!
And the next Friday, Kevin and I leave for Cozumel!!!! Ahhhh!!!!!!
We get home just in time for scrap night with the ladies! (priorities!! ha!)
And, my BFF, Michelle is coming to spend a few days with me, and then I'll follow her home and spend a few days at her house!

It will so hard to go back to work! LOL!

Mexico ~ here we come!!!!!

"Vacation all I ever wanted...vacation have to get away..." Remember that song? That is my theme song this month, because my awesome, wonderful, handsome boyfriend is taking me on a vacation!!!!! Yep, I haven't been on a vacation in 4 years!!!! How does that happen? Well, I know how it happens ~ it's called living on a budget and no funds for a vacation! ha!

But later this month ~ in 2 weeks actually ~ Kevin is taking me to Cozumel!!!! FOR 5 DAYS!!! Ahhhh...the beach, the spa, relaxing, snorkeling, the beach....Oh, yes, Kevin is a keeper all right! :-) I am giddy, and it's almost like a dream!! I think we've both earned it though ~ Kevin's had a rough year and things are looking up! So we are celebrating with a trip!! hip hip hooray!! (think of the scrapbook pages I'll get out of this! ha!)

In other exciting news ~ Kevin has two job interviews HERE in central Arkansas tomorrow. So ~ send the boy some good thoughts!! We are ready to put the 3 hour drive behind us and move forward!!! :-)

Happy Birthday Kevin!!

Kevin ~ you know how you tease me relentlessly about being a mere 6 months older??!!? Well...you are now 34 also and not getting any younger! HA! Now, just in case you can't remember your younger days, I've attached some pics to help you! :-) I couldn't resist! I think this was 10th grade!!! My football hero ~ remember when I wore your jersey to dance in when I was on the drill team? I think that was our Jr. year and you were #77? I would try to find THAT picture, but I would rather focus on you today! LOL!

The one below is grainy but it wasn't a great quality of picture and then I scanned it!

Happy 34th Birthday!! May all your birthday wishes come true!

**His birthday is tomorrow (Friday), but he is on his way here now, and I would soooo get busted posting these high school pics! LOL!

HorseShow Pics of the Cowgirls in the family...Autumn AND Mom!

Cool Slideshows!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

My Saturday

I had these great plans on Saturday of sleeping in late (morning after scrappin', it's a must! We scrap until early mornin' hours!), maybe doing a bit more scrappin', laying around a bit and being lazy, and then heading out to Autumn's (my niece) horse show. NOT what happened! First of all, everytime I would roll over, Jax (the most rotten dog in the world!!) would get up and start whining and jumping around thinking it was time to get up! urgh! Then, when I finally DID cave in and get up, I decided...hmmm...a McDonald's breakfast sounds good! Load the spoiled rotten dog into the car thinking a car ride will satisfy him and we can nap later! NOPE! The car is DEAD!!! Yep...won't start! Worst part is that I had taken it to two different stores in the past two weeks for a battery check and neither place would sell me a battery - long story! Well...now I have to 'phone a husband' to borrow...who to call? who to call? Who is next on my rotation of heroes to save my day? ha! Did I mention that the spoiled dog is still expecting his car ride and won't get out of the car!?! It took me 15 minutes to coax him out of the car!! He thought I was playing a game! LOL! Anyway...Troy was the lucky hubby who got to come over and help me get a new battery!!! THANKS TROY! And, yes this is the same 'rent a hubby' who changed my flat tire about a month or so ago!!! Isn't he a lucky guy? LOL! I am thinking my name is about to be blocked from their phone! ha! Seriously, I am SO blessed to live close by family members who help me out from time to time. God certainly led me in the right direction when he led me to buy this house!!!

After the battery was repaired, I did manage to take a short nap and head out to the Horse Show. I will have to post a slide show of some of the pics tomorrow. It was at a really neat horse ranch on 200 acres ~ lots of cool stuff!!!

I'll leave you with a video today of my niece riding Sergio in the pole event (I'm sure there is a more specific name but I'm not the horse person in the family.) This is the best she has done in this event so far!! yay! (Sorry it is a bit blurry ~ it is the video on my camera and sometimes doesn't get focused before she takes off!)


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Scrapbookers...what a bunch!

Well...I opted NOT to feed my scrappers hot dogs Friday night! Although, I did tell them they could take a package home as their doorprize for the evening! ha! I thought since we were surprising our soon-to-be married scrapper, Laura, I would make something nicer than hot dogs! So...baked spaghetti and a salad with cherry tomatoes from the garden it was! yum! I am loving the cherry tomatoes!!! All of us chipped in and got Laura the stainless steel microwave she wanted and apparently, it was the gift to get!! It was the one thing she really wanted that she hadn't gotten yet ~ whew! You have never seen anyone so excited about a microwave! She really is a hoot! Congrats Laura!! She is getting married later this month in Jamaica ~ FUN!We actually had quite the night between surprising Laura and all the wedding count-down. Then, one of our other scrappin' buds announced she was pregnant WITH TWINS!!! She has been trying for a long time so this was really exciting news!! Yay!!! Are you seeing all the scrapbook possibilities???? :-)

Then, things just took a turn for the silly when these scrappers realized they all had the same phone in different colors ~ they thought they were like Charlie's Angels or something! LOL! Can you tell we all love scrapbook night?!? And yes, we manage to scrapbook too ~ only this month, not as much as we usually do! :-)