Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

Last Saturday, October 18th, my parents celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary!!

 Sorry about the glare on your face mom!!  

Words cannot express what y'all mean to me!!

Love you!!

Happy Birthday Lou!!

I'm a day late posting about Lou's Birthday, but better late than never!!

There are so many things I love about Lou, it's hard to put them all down, but here are a few...that rhymes.

Lou is an amazing cook.  

I like to blame his cooking on the reason I can't/won't lose weight.  

He puts hot sauce on EVERYTHING. 

And not just hot sauce, Dave's Insanity Sauce.

He is a wonderful dad to Jake.

He cares so much for him and wants nothing but the best and will stop at nothing to give Jake what he needs.  He works hard to instill values, morals, and general things that kids should know.  It's not always easy, but he never quits.

He is a wonderful husband.

He puts up with me, so he has to be.  

We agree to disagree on things and he respects my opinions and differences. 

There is never a dull moment and he is always texting or saying something funny.

Sometimes I would like for him to be serious, and he is when he needs to be, but he likes to laugh.

He likes to go to hockey games and loves to go hiking and camping.

He is definitely an outdoorsman!  And I like hockey also, so it's a good fit!

I do stay home when he goes camping.  No bathrooms, no thank you.

He can quote Star Wars like I can quote Steel Magnolias and Dumb and Dumber.

He says he met his soul mate once I started quoting Dumb and Dumber.

What can I say, I got a good one :)

Happy Birthday Lou!!

Liz and Lou Said I Do...One Year Ago

October 12, 2014 was our FIRST Wedding Anniversary!!

What a year it has been!  It has flown by!!

Now it hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies, but I know we are stronger and better and have learned A LOT from this first year.

In true Liz and Lou fashion, we celebrated on Saturday by going to our favorite Mexican restaurant and then heading to a hockey game!!  It was so much fun and the game was awesome!

We slept in on Sunday and went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  (That's what we did the Sunday after we got married, so we thought we would start a tradition.)

Our cake topper was at my parent's house, so my mom brought it over and we took a bite.  It still smelled so sweet, and if we had let it thaw a little longer, it would have probably been pretty good, but one year old cake ain't gonna be fresh.

People say the first year of marriage is the hardest, and if you can get through the first year, you can make it through anything.  It was hard.  It was hard to take two very independent, strong willed, stubborn, bull headed individuals and mash them together.  We did not live together before getting married, so it was truly a learning experience.

Who takes out the trash?  Who does the dishes?  Who cleans the toilets?

I know everyone has expectations of how they want their marriage to be, and I know I had my thoughts and ideas, but it is nothing like I thought it would be.  And not in a bad way.  Sure we had our days, but who doesn't? 

We laugh all the time.  He snores all the time.  We both need our time to be by ourselves, and we have learned to respect that time and tell each other when we need it.

I bug him about certain things and I know there are things that I do that get on his everlasting nerve, but we have learned to just look past those little things and enjoy the time we have. 

It's been a really good year, and I hope that every year after this first one is even better.

Happy Birthday Jake!!

Today is Jake's 12th Birthday!!!

I met Jake when he was only 8 (almost 9).  It has been fun to watch him grow!  

He is extremely smart and funny and loves to ride fast roller coasters!  

This year he is in the 6th grade and is currently a purple belt in Karate!

I have learned that eggs with maple syrup is good to eat at Cracker Barrell, and Pokemon cards are pretty cool.  I can't wait to see what they future holds for you!  

Happy 12th Birthday Jake!!  

Happy 39th Birthday Susan!!

Today is my sister's 39th birthday!!  She is ALMOST 40!!  

But seriously she looks like she is 25.  Lucky.  

I always say that we are completely different, but the same in a lot of ways.
We have completely different views and ideas about lots of things, but that's what makes it fun.

We don't look alike at all, but we are definitely sisters!

Not only is she my biological sister, she is my KD sister!

She's pretty great!
We used to fight - and may still sometimes do - like you would not believe, but the first person to say something or hurt her would get the wrath of Elizabeth.

I would play tricks on her growing up and one time she threw a hair pick at me and I pretended I was blinded and that I couldn't see and she started to run down to call 911 and I had to stop her.

She also used to burn my head with a curling iron on purpose.  Still scars me to this day - hahahahahahaha!!  (Kidding about the scarring.)

She gave birth to my nephews who I love more than life itself!

 She doesn't half do anything, she does it 2000 percent.  She won't say no, and she will do whatever it takes to get a job done and to do it better than right.

She's a dedicated hard worker, and she's my sister!

Happy Birthday!

The countdown to 40 is on!!!

Friday Night Is All Right for Writing

So it's about 9:30 on a Friday night, Lou is already asleep as he has to be at work in Nashville at 6 am, and I keep telling myself I am going to clean tomorrow, but we shall see if that happens.  It actually has to happen.

This week has been weird.  Weird in a good way and weird in a bad way.  Not really sure why.

I have been really bothered by all that is going on in Iraq and stumbled across a video that I will never ever be able to erase from my mind, and cannot believe what I saw, but I know that is happening all the time and it is so hard for me to just sit here and not be able to do anything.  But I have been praying.  Not really knowing what to say at all, but telling God that I don't know what to say.

I was driving out of school and at a stop sign looked at FB really quick and saw all of the posts of Robin Williams death.  I literally gasped and yelled NO in the car.  It's just shocking!

Two, TWO!! tanker trucks carrying gasoline wrecked and exploded here around Nashville in the last few days.  Not connected in any way, but still so random.  One driver lost his life and I cannot imagine what the family is going through.  The traffic is going to be horrendous for the next few months because it was under two bridges - one new and one old - and the new one was not complete, but they both have to be torn down.  In an already horribly congested area with construction, this is going to be nightmarish for months.  But someone's life was lost and it was not intentional and it could happen to anyone, so we have to remember the family and deal with what happens.  Thankfully I don't have to travel this way on a daily basis, but most of the families in my program do and every back road imaginable will now become clogged with more traffic trying to fight it's way into Nashville.  It's so easy to think about how our lives are going to be completely turned upside down, when this man's family is being turned upside down also.  I need a new mindset.

A mom I know is battling cancer.  She said I could ask for prayers for her.  The chemo is making her sick and I am just heartbroken for her and her family.  She has an amazing support system, but it is so hard to know she is fighting a horrible battle.

Here I am complaining that our HOA had made a new rule that we can't have our charcoal grill anymore, and there are people who are literally fighting to stay alive.  

There are just so many people and situations to pray for right now.  I don't even know what to pray for, but again God knows. 

With school starting and all of the school supplies being out everywhere, it literally makes my heart ache.  The thought of never being able to teach in my own classroom again is painful.  I know there is a reason I am not in the classroom, and I know that there is something bigger and better than I could ever imagine around the corner, and I am really learning to be patient and wait.  It's not easy, but what else can I do?  It's not in my time. 

In other news, work has been good!  We started our first full week of school programming and the response has been great!  I have kids whose parents come to pick them up and they are upset and don't want to go home, so the parents let them stay!  Our enrollment has skyrocketed!  I am truly blessed with a great staff and great kiddos and parents!

I am still washi tape cray cray and saw a roll on a fb page and looked through 35 pages of product on Etsy to find it and eventually did, but it was pennant banner/flags, so it was worth the hunt.

I got a much needed cut and color this week, and trying to be a little more brave with the cuts, so I got a cute bob, but you really can't tell, but I know so that's cool. 

I showed restraint at the Wal-Mart (on a day I actually went to 3 different Wal-Marts) when wanting to buy the stuff to make new living room curtains, but knew that I needed to wait.  Gotta clean first before I can make new ones.  And my reasoning for going to 3 Wal-Marts in one day???  Went to the first one for work, the second one to see if they had the grosgrain ribbon decorative adhesive tape that I found at the Wal-Mart by my house (that I despise going to with all of my being), and then finally had to go to my Wal-Mart and found what I wanted.  In my opinion, the best places to buy washi tape is Michael's.  I'm not really sure why Hobby Lobby hasn't jumped on the bandwagon and really taken stock in that.  They could make a killing!  I do however get my really cute stickers there. 

Trying to wrap my mind around a kind of emotional roller coaster of a week, but I know it will all be okay.  It will all get figured out.  That was my motto for the summer - We will figure it out.  And we always did and no one suffered and all was well.

So this Friday night has been a random modge podge of stuff, but that is how my brain has been for the last week.  I hope to clean tomorrow to get that out of my head and have every intention to, but after I catch up on my DVR'd episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, though I must say Robert Stack will always be my first pick for host.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy 9th Birthday Braxton!

Yesterday was my nephew Braxton's 9th birthday!!  

What can I say about this kid other than he changed my life. 

 I was an aunt for the first time.  

I was the biggest baby hog you have ever seen. 

 I probably took more pictures of him than his parents.  Not kidding either.  

Words can't even begin to describe how this child made my life completely different.  

I acted as if he was mine, but of course I didn't do the all night feedings, so it was even more perfect!  

I can't take credit for him, but I would if I could.  

He captured my heart the minute I saw him and hasn't let go.

My heart hurts that he is getting too big to come and cuddle up with Aunt Wiz (as he used to call me), and it embarrasses him when I want to give him a kiss, but there are those times when he looks me in the eye and asks me not to go that just make me want to cry, like I am doing now.

 I worry about Braxton and Thatcher growing up and making the right choices, and will they be careful when they start driving, and I know I have a few years, but I still worry.

I'm a sucker for them!

This pic is about 2 years old, but it's one of my favorites.

Braxton, always know that Aunt Liz loves you and will do anything for you!

Thank you for making me an aunt!!