Week in the country

Last week, my hubby had to be away on business so we packed up and headed to my parents. Brooks loves to spend time "in the country" playing outside and doing all things boy. Here are just a few things he does each time we go for a visit:

*ride in the farm truck down to the pond to throw rocks in the water

*play in Poppa's toolbox in the bed of his truck and get absolutely filthy

*get the keys to the shed out of dad's bathroom(he knows where they are), walk out to the shed, unlock the door -with Baba's help- and play on the four wheeler's

*play on the big, blue tractor

*hit golf balls

*new activity:work in Poppa's garden

He has so much fun and is exhausted when we get home. Fun times!!

Snuggling with Poppa before bedtime..they adore each other!!
We went to visit my Aunt Dona and Brooks wouldn't cooperate for a pic until we bribed him with M & M's
Playdate with Duncan..reading books which only lasted about 2 seconds. Brooks is very busy these days and moves quickly.
Showing Mimi and Papa how to work in the garden
He loved these plastic garden tools

I have been tagged

Melody, a sweet friend of J's, tagged me and I'm a few days late getting this posted. She is just as creative as Jamie and I've loved getting to know her through blogging. Thanks for tagging me M!!



10 years ago what was I doing?
In 1998, I was in my junior year at Texas Tech University. My major was Elementary Education, so I was spending a lot of time in classrooms and doing stupid projects that would not help me in the least once I started teaching!! Hadn't met Bryan, my hubby, yet.

5 things on my "to do" list today?
1. Make Bryan & I dentist apt.'s
2. Go to Target to shop for our trip to the beach next week
3. Grocery shop
4. Work out with Ame
5. Go to the post office to complain about the mail lady not delivering our mail b/c contractors park in front of our mailbox. A few weeks ago, she bundled our mail with a rubber band and wrote on a piece, "mail undeliverable b/c box couldn't be reached"??? Does she not have legs to get out of her truck and walk over to our box??

Things that I have actually gotten done today...
Brooks and I went to Target before nap. When he wakes up, we'll head to the grocery store and post office. I am not a complainer, but this lady has not picked up my bills for the last time...I did have the red flag up that should've alerted her!!


If I was a billionaire I would...
Put an end to puppy mills, tithe 10% to my church, buy a home in Hawaii, travel thru Europe, open some sort of outreach center for underprivileged kids to come after school and learn how to cook, garden, paint, etc...


What are my 3 bad habits?
1.Cokes with great ice
2. dipped cones from Dairy Queen
3. reading People magazine


Where are 5 places I have lived? we move a lot
1. Atlanta, TX hometown
2.Arkadelphia, AR
3. Lubbock, TX
4. Amarillo, TX
5. Abilene, TX
6. Mill Creek, WA (north of Seattle)



What are 5 jobs I have had?
1. Texas Dept of Transportation-job in high school thru the DECA program
2.Pam's Hallmark
3. Double T bookstore in college, only for several months
4. Teacher- 2nd, 3rd, & 4th grades
5. Mommy to Brooks


3 people I would like to know more about?
J fill this out I know you love em', and anyone else reading that wants to

$2.50 a dozen

Take a look at these beauties...I kid you not, they are sold for $2.50 a dozen about 6 months out of the year in the city where I live. My house will be full of them all summer long. They are not only beautiful but smell yummy too!! I got red ones for Mother's Day.

"El Rancho Not So Grande"

Sorry it's taken me so long to post something new!! We've been busy since returning to Texas in November and haven't slowed down a bit.
We spent the last weekend of April in Llano, TX at my brother-in-law's place on the river. "El Rancho Not So Grande" is so fabulous and we'd missed spending time there while living in Seattle. We ate lots of yummy food, Brooks fished for the first time, and just relaxed. It was a perfect weekend. Enjoy the pics:

Lunch at Stonewalls was so good

The fam at lunch minus a few

Brooks was so excited about sharing a pizza with his Baba

Playing at the park downtown Llano with Aunt T after lunch

Ton, Mimi, and I did a little shopping on the square after lunch

Uncle Dale getting Brooks' fishing pole ready

My two fishermen

Brooks is not the least bit happy about posing for a picture with all of the men

Headin' down to the river

Isn't that sweet

He caught a fish

My grandparents dancing on the screened in porch

Jax is a little river rat
Mimi and Papa
Brooks loves our Jaxon so much..they are buddies.

This is what I did most of the weekend..caught up on my magazines and relaxed.

Brooks was sick and running a fever during our trip. I took him to the ped after we got home and he had a double ear infection. His very first one and I had no idea. He never pulled on his ears or complained of them hurting. But, he did have a tough time sleeping at night. The last night we were there he woke up and cried out about 15 times. I felt like the worst mommy in the world!! He did have a really great time and played hard.

Not sure what to title this post

For the most part, this blog has been about my life raising a precious baby boy. Lots of pictures and posts of many happy times...BUT today I just need to, I guess, share some pretty personal stuff with the four of you who read this blog.

My freshman year in high school, I started dating a guy named Brandon. He was a cutie and I just fell head over heels very quickly. We dated for two years and he became a part of our family. My parents weren't to thrilled about us dating at first, but grew to love him. Our relationship had many bumps in the road: an ex girlfriend who wasn't the least bit thrilled that a freshman had taken her man, he cheated several times, he and I were both very jealous and fought quite a bit, my friends didn't approve at first..the list could go on and on. I loved him and he loved me and truly I thought we would get married. His life at home was troubled a bit and I think he found peace with my family. The summer before my senior year, I met a guy and suddenly broke up with B. He was devastated. A few weeks after the breakup, my family went to Gulf Shores, AL for vacation. The night before we left, B's b-day, he came over to see me and wanted to talk about getting back together. That was the last time I saw his precious face. The night we returned from GS, he was tragically killed in a car accident. My world stopped. I felt like I had been run over by an eighteen wheeler..it sucked the life out of me. To be so young and have something of that magnitude happen to you is just not easy to overcome.
I feel very strongly that God is the reason I broke up with B several weeks before this happened. It gave me a small space of time to distance myself from him.

I have a wonderful family and had a beautiful group of girls who swooped in and really helped me with the whole healing process. It changed me, luckily I turned to the Lord and he just carried me through all of the tough years of continued healing that followed. Brandon will always have a small piece of my heart and I am still saddened that his life was cut short.

After my senior year of high school, I spent the first year of college close to home and then just had to get as far away as I could. So, I moved eight hours from home to Lubbock, TX and spent the remainder of my college days at Texas Tech. I never dated anyone seriously until I met my husband Bryan. Six years later after all of that heartache, God answered all of my prayers. Isn't He amazing?? And He even threw in a beautiful little boy named Brooks!!

The main reason for writing this post was just to share a small piece of my 30 year journey through life with you. One of the things I really love about blogging is that it is such a great outlet for women to express their thoughts and feelings. I haven't written a lot about my faith or the deep love that I have for Jesus Christ on our blog. I feel so blessed to have been born into a family who loves the Lord and raised me in the church. I just can't imagine going through something like this and not having Him to turn to. Thanks for reading and letting me share a small piece of me.

Haggard Family Reunion

Last weekend, Brooks and I went back to my parents to attend the Haggard Family Reunion. This is my mom's side of the family and we haven't gotten together in about ten years. There were around 75 people there and I hate to say that I had no idea who half of them were. I spent the afternoon chasing a 2 year old around and didn't get to do much visiting. We had fried catfish, french fries, hushpuppies, coleslaw, and several yummy deserts. (If you don't know what catfish or hushpuppies are, it is a southern thing and you are missing out if you haven't tried them!!) Speaking of..the first pic is of an Italian Cream Cake that was to die for!! Why must deserts be fattening..couldn't there just be something that is absolutely yummy with zero calories or fat grams????

Sinful...

Two remaining Haggard brothers: My Uncle Rudy and the sweetest man I know "my Papa" George Haggard (red shirt).

My mom's brother Mitchell and his daughter Lacey
My mom's other brother Dale and his nieces: myself, Lacey, and Tonya
My family..you can't see Brooks, he's hiding behind my Papa



The fish fryers..our cousin Munsey, my dad, and uncle Dale..sorry it's so dark
My grandparents, Aunt Thelma & Uncle Rudy, Aunt Snooks

Playing golf in the back of Poppa's truck

Brooks was so tired after playing at Baba and Poppa's Friday and then the reunion on Saturday that he slept the entire way home...over 3 hours!!

Proof to why he's worn out when we leave "the country":

He wakes up at the crack of dawn and plays outside the entire time we are there...

Playing with mine and T's childhood desk

Filthy after playing in the toolbox on Poppa's truck

"Resting" after playing in the shop

Trip to Little Rock

B went to Phoenix the first week in April, so Brooks, Jax, and I went on a road trip. We took B to the airport Monday morning and headed to my parents. Brooks' interpretation,

"dada work hairp"=daddy work airplane. So cute!! I dropped Brooks off with mom and headed to spend a few days with JLeah.

Lunch at Trio's while R was at school
Fun goodie basket from J
H & J's Francesca's purchases..if you do not know about this store, please check out their website. Very cute and trendy stuff for not so much!! They have locations in Dallas, San Antonio, and Little Rock and I'm sure many other cities.
Fun boxes to hold Brooks' artwork from church and Mother's Day Out and a super cute Texas towel for the kitchen. I want to get a Texas and Washington pillow for our home.
Home of the best red velvet cupcake that have ever crossed these lips.
What a precious family..I love them!!

Rhett striking a pose with his purple cupcake. He is a sweet sweet boy. :)

Monday afternoon we took R to his swim lesson at their gym. J and I exercised for 30 minutes during his lesson. That night we had dinner at Macaroni Grill and went to see The Other Boleyn Girl..great girls night out. Tuesday, we took R to school and power shopped for several hours before a quick lunch and picking him up. It was a fun morning. That night Lane and J got a babysitter and we went to dinner at Bonefish Grill. I had crab cakes and a raspberry martini that was fabulous. After dinner, we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks and hit the Container Store. I could have spent so much money there..it is the greatest. Wednesday, we had an early lunch and then I headed back to my parents. I'm not ever sure that Brooks knew I had been gone for two days. He has so much fun "in the country" with my parents. Thanks sweet J for a super fun visit..funny to think that the distance between us now is only a 4 hour drive as opposed to a 4 hour plane flight!! Can't wait until our beach trip.

Thanks mom and dad for keeping Brooks and allowing me some time away!!