Go to For Keeps Design........

ONLY 63 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS, people!!Its that time of the year when everyone is trying to find and order their Christmas and Holiday cards. There is an awesome site called ForKeepsDesign that designs announcements, invitations, stationary, Holiday cards and much more. One of the designers is my close friend, Laura who does really great, creative graphic design work. After you choose your design and personalize your order, Laura and her design partner personally create your product to assure that every detail is correct. You will LOVE the results and enjoy sharing them with family and friends. They even have specials going on right now for only 0.99 cents!! So check out her website and place your order!!!

The Zoo; Sweet Baby Jacob; Football and fun with Ryan & Carissa

We have been busy as usual the past week since we got back from Bama. Last Saturday Mom came up from Austin and we took Jake to the Fort Worth Zoo. It was the BEST time to go to the zoo. We usually go in the middle of the summer (when all the animals are lethargic), but the weather was perfect and the animals were all out and about. One of our favorites to watch are the monkeys and they put on quite a show for us! So did the baby tigers and some of the parrots...
Jake insisted that I take an action shot of him showing a 'peace' sign:)

The tiger cubs were wrestling the whole time. We watched them for a while and Jake kept shouting "Oooh! I'm pulling for the one in the water!" He LOVED looking at the 'snakey snakes'

This week I finally got to meet up with my friend Audrey and her new baby boy Jacob. We had lunch together with our friend Amanda and got to catch up. Jacob is SO precious and didn't make a peep the whole time!

He didn't like the flashing light too much on the camera, but he decided to wave here...
Our house is still For Sale and we have been showing it A TON!!! Seriously, its been on the market for three weeks and we've shown it 5-7 times a week. Even though its been really hard keeping the house clean and leaving on short notice, we are so thankful for all the traffic! We have two offers 'pending' right now and praying one works out. Because we have to take Timber with us each time we leave for a showing, we've been spending LOTS of time at the park. Friday night was very exciting for Timber! He had his first popsicle from the Icecream truck and he escaped his leash. He had the most amazing 45 seconds of freedom we have ever seen!
Jake had another football game yesterday morning. His team didn't score more touchdowns than the other team this week, but all the boys played hard and did an awesome job. Jake is doing so great with blocking for his teammates.
Yesterday afternoon Ryan and Carissa drove all the way out to our house to hang out with us. We were so excited!! Ryan watched his first Bama football game with Drew (and was exposed to serious football fever) and Carissa and I snuck away for some much needed shopping and girl time!

Family Pics from the beach

We took a lot of pictures while we were at the beach this week, so I thought I would share some more with everyone............... Us and Sarah

I don't know if we were hugging, or about to 'throw down' Daddy & Jake-the-snake

Rachael & Jeremy's Wedding and our trip to the beach

We made that long drive last week to Alabama for Rachael's wedding(Drew's cousin). We absolutely love Rachael and we are so glad she found an amazing guy like Jeremy. We got to Birmingham just in time to catch the end of their rehearsal dinner on Friday night. It was a fun event and we got to hear a lot of funny stories about both of them. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony and Rachael looked amazing in her dress. There was a dinner and DJ at the reception and everyone had a really great time. We're very excited for Rach and Jeremy and we can't wait to go back to Bama and hang out with them as a couple!

As usual, we tried to see as many family and friends as possible while we were there. Here's a pic of Drew and Jake with Aunt Jodie and Uncle J.E.. Aunt Jodie made us a big dinner as soon as we got into Tuscaloosa on our way to the rehearsal dinner. We had a great time seeing friends in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Montgomery between Friday and Sunday.

Andrew's parents are renting a condo on Orange Beach in southern Alabama for the month of October. So on Sunday night we drove down (in their new, shiny red convertible!) and stayed with them and his sister Sarah, on the beach for a few days. It was a beautiful 3 bedroom, 4 bath condo with a big patio, right on the beach. Jake called it the "King-condo." There was an indoor pool, which turned out to be Jake's favorite thing to do. We spent a lot of time in the water, and Jake started swimming like a fish! He also learned how to dive and do a cannon-ball. He had a great time and ended every day looking like a raisin. We also spent some time on the beach and Jake found lots of cool seashells and played in the ocean.

Drew's sister, Sarah lives in Japan so we don't get to see her that often. We enjoyed hanging out with her at the wedding and the beach. Her birthday is coming up so we got to have a little party for her at the condo. We got to have some 'girl time' together with her mom as well, and went shopping all day at the outlet mall near the beach.

It was a fun, eventful week. The only bad thing was the long drive back home that we made in the middle of the night. It goes by faster when Jake is sleeping. He woke up at 9:00am this morning, as we're pulling into our driveway, and says, "Daddy, how'd you get here so fast?"

Some pics from the wedding......
"Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Garrett"
She did a skit with the bridesmaids and sang R-E-S-P-E-C-T to Jeremy. It was hilarious

Me and my little man

Jake with his cousins, Ross and Gracie

Grand Dad and Jake at the reception With Drew and his cousins Daniel, Michael, and Amanda Drew was a bridesmaid wanna-be :) The happy couple

Jake with Copper (Mark's dog) Us with Drew's friend, Mark at his house in Montgomery This was our fun ride to the beach (the hot guy in the front seat is my husband) Jake after "another LOONG drive" One view from the patio of the condo
He found Nemo One of the MANY times Jake said "watch me, watch me"

Help a Scentsy-sista out....

My friend Misty is an independent consultant for a company called Scentsy, which sells wickless (safe) candles. Heres a little bit about the company (from her website)...

"Scentsy “Makes Perfect Scents”. We are pioneering the move away from the smoky, sooty candles of today to safe, healthy, fun and creative ways to bring the scents that make us happy into our lives. We offer over 80 high quality fragrances delivered in a variety of ways. Our flagship product is the Authentic Scentsy Bar, an impressively fragrant wickless candle bar that is warmed in a warmer rather than burned with a flame.Each year thousands of homes are damaged or destroyed by burning candles. The enthusiastic response we receive from our customers, our consultants, and more particularly fire-fighters, reflects the nationwide concern over the devastation burning candles can cause. This was our initial motivation – to create a safe alternative to burning candles. Our passion has grown from offering a safe alternative to offering a better alternative. Going wickless has allowed us to offer the public a better, more cost effective method of scenting their world."

Misty is starting a new blog soley devoted to her Scentsy business, but she needs some help naming her blog. So go to her blog page.... http://toddandmisty.blogspot.com/ . Then vote for the name you like the best and you will be entered into a drawing to win a great Scentsy prize (a super-cute warmer with a fragrance of your choice). Then you can check out her website and the great products she has to offer.

I have a stun-gun and I'm NOT afraid to use it....

So its was 7:30am this morning and I was driving home from the hospital when my car slowly starts driving weird and kinda shaking. I call Drew and tell him he's gonna have to get the car checked out today before we can drive it to Bama later this week. As soon as I get off the phone, I hear a noise near the front of the driver's side and it hits me, What if its my tire?? So I pull over onto the side of one of the many-busy-Dallas highways (and yes Grandma, I was way over- a safe distance from the 60 mph traffic:) I get out to discover... I was right, my tire had a huge gash in it and was COMPLETELY flat:(

So I call Drew to come help and he says he is about to drop Jake off at school and I knew I was still 20 minutes from home, so it would take a while. He tells me he's on his way, but to wait and see if anyone stops to help. "WHAT??!! I don't want help from some stranger! Thats how people get killed!" is my response. He calms me down, as usual, and I sit.... and wait. Minutes later an 18-wheeler pulls over in front of me, and..... well, I FREAK OUT! I don't know this person, he's probably a serial killer! My fear subsides (a little) as I realize, THIS could be my opportunity to FINALLY use my STUN-GUN!! Its situations like this that my dad equipped me with it.

So the man gets out his truck and asks if I have a spare. He's an older man who is friendly and seems like he really just wants to help me. So I take my hand off my stun-gun thats now in my scrub pocket. He gets the spare out of the trunk for me as a regular truck pulls over as well. Two men, probably about my age, get out and start helping the trucker. The trucker says he's going to let them take over and asks if its okay if he leaves. I say 'yes' and thank him repeatedly for stopping. He smiles, says 'no problem' and leaves in his truck. So now my attention is focused on these two men (who don't speak English, so I can't really talk to them) that just look up and smile now and then, while trying to get the original tire off. I'm standing in a large ditch on the other side of the car as I notice all the trash laying around. COME ON PEOPLE.... Don't mess with Texas, even my 5-year-old knows its not ok to "glitter".

So I go over to the other side of the car to monitor the progress and I see that the two guys are still having trouble getting one of the bolts off the original tire. I can't help but think how my dad would have already ripped that thing off with his bare hands! But I keep silent and smile back at them when they look up. (By the way, I could write a book about my dad fixing situations I got my poor car into from back in the day:) A few minutes later, they're almost finished when I am faced with my next dilemma.... do you pay people for changing your tire?? I mean, am I suppose to 'tip' them?? I decide 'no' as they finish up, hand me my jack and give me the thumbs up. Then one of them stands back and keeps looking at the tire. I can't decide if he is just admiring his hard work or trying to figure out if he did it right. He finally nods at me, So I thank them repeatedly and smile and wave as I get back onto the freeway. The funny thing is, as soon as I get back on my way, my first thought is... I'm SO gonna blog about this experience....... even though I didn't get to use my stun-gun.

I have now witnessed first hand that there are still good people out there that are willing to help a complete stranger and expect absolutely nothing in return. THANK YOU to the three men who went out of their way to help me out!! I also got to see the effects of littering.... "gross, people!! keep your trash to yourself." And I have yet to use my stun-gun people, so stay tuned and I will keep you posted:)

I've been tagged.....

I joined 'The Secrets in the Sauce' which is a little blogging society. I've already met some cool chicks and am having a good time with it. I met another Misty, who is married and has an adorable little boy (sounds familiar, doesn't it?) She tagged me, so here it goes.......

1. I LOVE Ultimate Fighting (UFC). My husband is an avid UFC fan and a couple of years ago I watched the UFC reality series where 16 men fought to win a contract with the UFC. Now, I'm hooked! I have gotten to know a lot of the fighters and I look forward to some of the fights. The funniest thing is that my favorite fighter to watch has been Tito Ortiz, who is this cocky, kinda obnoxious guy who everyone is surprised to hear I like. He's very entertaining though, and a good fighter. He recently fought his 'last' fight (and, I'm sad to say... lost). I'm gonna miss you, Tito.

2. I HATE wearing shoes! I think I get this from my mom. I only wear shoes when I absolutely have to, and I always take them off AS SOON as I get in the house. My shoe of choice is always the trusty flip-flop. I just feel so free in them, I guess.

3. I get REALLY excited about using power tools!! I know I get this from my dad, who can build and/or fix anything. I've gotten a big kick out of fixing up the house recently (in between being stressed about it, of course) because I've been able to use the drill, a sander and a staple gun. I realize a staple gun isn't exactly a tool, but OOO SO FUN! I really want to learn how to build furniture or something like that, where I can use tools and have a great 'finished product.' I wanna get my hands on a saw, a big one!

4. I'm addicted..... to Starbucks. I know, its an expensive habit! If I had a dollar for every time I have ordered a Grande Nonfat Caramel Macchiato, I'd be a rich woman. I've actually cut down A LOT in the past few months because Drew and Jake got me an espresso maker for Mothers Day. I love that thing! I have been whipping up all kinds of drinks. They're delicious and, oh so cheap;) Barista's everywhere should be jealous!

5.I like to use the !!!!! and the ........ A LOT. Just read on, and you'll see.......... (see?)

6.I am a writer, not a speaker. I have always been told that I am a good speaker and very articulate. But I am not very good at expressing my feelings or making a point by talking out loud. I am much better at expressing thoughts, feelings and opinions in writing. It also doesn't help that I do not like to talk about my feelings anyway. Lets just keep it all in, people... where it belongs;) My husband has learned this the hard way.... I have written him emails and notes before that made him realize what I had been trying to say for weeks. I'm working on this though.

7. I love to run. I ran the 100 meter, 200 meter and sprint relay in high school. My dream back then was to run in the 2004 or 2008 Olympics and, as I'm sure you're aware... I wasn't in Beijing. So that dream has officially died. So I was kinda sad as I watched track and field back in August. But I still love to run, now I'm getting into longer distances. I ran a 5K in May and I am planning to run a 5K or 10K in a couple months. My ultimate goal is to do a half relay next year and the New York Marathon in 2009 or 2010. So thats that.... And now, I tag:

Laura from: http://thestaplesfamilyblog.blogspot.com/

Tanya from: http://bradshawfamily08.blogspot.com/

Danielle from: http://lafamigliaevita.blogspot.com/

Jane from: http://haleofastory.blogspot.com/

Judy from: http://feathersinmynest.blogspot.com/

Lyndi from: http://everyoneknowsitslyndi.blogspot.com/

Nicole from: http://madsennicole.blogspot.com/