just my opinion...

For those of you who are American Idol fans like my family is....

There are two contestants that i can't stand and who I don't even know how they got through the auditions.

Annoying contestant #1 ----- Tatiana ---- Her voice isn't the worst, but she is soooooo annoying. If you've watched, you know what I mean. I'm so glad she's gone.

Annoying contestant #2 --- Nick (aka Norman Gentle). It's a joke...


But, on the brighter side of things----- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these two the best so far.....

Alexis Grace is my favorite girl so far.


And Danny Gokey is my favorite guy...
What do you think??? Who are your favorites?

Happy Birthday Heather....

Today is my youngest sister, Heather's birthday. I don't get to see her but once a year, because her and her family live in Virginia, but we talk on the phone alot, and I'm really glad we are so close. I love you tons Heather and hope you have the best day ever!!!

Ready for school to start again...

In our school district, some of the elementary schools are on year round school. So instead of having a 3 month summer break, they only get like 6 weeks off, then a few times throughout the year, they have extended breaks. Well, my girls were off track for 3-1/2 weeks, from the end of January until now (they go back to school on Monday). They have had alot of fun, but they are so ready to go back to school.

Here's just a few of the fun things they got to do:

I took the girls to Arizona for a week and we stayed with their Grandma Verna for a few days.

While in Arizona, they loved visiting with their brother, Rocky, for his 21st birthday.

They had so much fun staying a few days at their Aunt Melissa's house and spending time with her and their cousin, Nicole, and of course, Roxy the dog.

Taylor and Madison loved spending time with good friends. Taylor and Hannah were best friends when we lived in Arizona.

Madison, Tatum, Hannah and Taylor

Fun overnight with the girls.

Taylor got to fly to Florida with her dad, when he was going to the Daytona 500. She was able to spend time with her cousins Parker and Natalie, Grandma Barb, Aunt Karen, Aunt Lisa and Uncle John. They were able to get a bit of sight seeing in.

Taylor with Natalie and Parker at St. Augustine

Taylor visiting Ripley's Believe it or Not - standing next to a wax tourist.

Along with the fun trips, they went on a few fun field trips with their friends, saw a few movies, played with friends all day long, slept in, went to birthday parties, we made brownies, had picnics with friends ------ Can I just say one thing? I need a break ---- I'm exhausted!!!! But we had a blast, and I will miss all of the fun days with the girls, and spending so much time with them.

Happy heart day...

Today is not only Valentines Day, but it's the day Russ & I were married 11 years ago. We picked this day to be married because we thought this would be a very special day forever to celebrate our anniversary on. The song that's playing by Martina McBride was the song we had chosen to be sung at our wedding. The day couldn't have been more perfect in every way.





I love you Russ! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! You are a wonderful husband and father, and I am thankful every day to have you in my life..

love love love my new hair color...

OK - I took this picture of myself, because my little photographer daughter, Taylor, is out of town. I woke up this morning at 4:00 a.m. to take Russ and Taylor to the airport. Russ was planning on going to Florida with his family to go to the NASCAR races - Daytona 500. He's gone the past few years, and at the last minute, his sister called and said he should bring Taylor, because her cousin, Natalie, who is the same age, would be there also. So lucky Taylor, she got to go too. Of course the kids and a few adults aren't attending the 500, so they stay at the condo, which is on the beach, and hang out, maybe swim in the heated pool, and will also go to Disney World on Saturday.

Anyways, back to my color. I missed my hair appointment while I was in Arizona a few weeks ago, and my hairdresser couldn't get me in for another month. You all know how it goes --- when you can't wait, you can't wait. So I had someone come to my house, and she did my hair. I was a bit nervous.... Here is the outcome...... I love the cut and color...

Feelings of frustration, then thankfulness...

Last month at this time, when I got home from work one evening, I can't even explain the feelings I had. But to give you a little bit of an idea, they were feelings of confusion, loss, betrayal, shock, abandonment, deception, dishonesty, disloyalty, let down, hurt, blind sided, disappointed, surprised----- I could go on and on...

I had worked at my current job for 3 years, and had been a very loyal, trusted, responsible, hard working, employee, and have really felt like my boss depended on me and respected me and my work. Of course, the real estate market has slowed down quite a bit over the past year, and as alot of real estate companies, and other companies in this line of work have had to do recently, we'd had to lay a few staff people off recently, and it had been hard to see. However, my boss had never made me feel like I was in jeopardy of losing my job at all. So on a Monday, right after we got back from the new years holiday, after the day was over and I was getting ready to leave, he walked into my office and told me he had to do a few more cutbacks, and unfortunately this time it involved my position. He said it was purely financial because, me being the Operations Manager, he could eliminate my income, and split all my duties between two people that made less. I could tell when he was in my office how hard it was for him to do this, but I still felt completely blindsided... To think that even when people asked me over the past year about my job, and I would say that I could never leave there because I love my job so much, and I could never do that to my boss... haha! So on this day, I felt the loyalty only went one way.

Fast forward to today --- I have alot more comfort and calmness. First of all, I know that everything happens for a reason, and I am in the best place now.. Able to spend more time with my children and husband at home, have more time to work on myself, have more time to get things done at home, and still able to do some work from home. I believe now more than ever, that things don't just 'happen', It all works out how it's supposed to and with a purpose.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!!!