Becca and Nate Part 2

Becca, Tess, Me and Katie

Her beautiful hair and her piece that matched her dress!

Double fisting it with water and Champagne!

Korean Friends!

The beautiful dress and garter! Such a beautiful bride!

Becca and Nate's Wedding

Well a few weeks ago my beautiful cousin married her best friend! I was so honored to be part of the beautiful day and it was just that; BEAUTIFUL! Everything came together and her venue was amazing! That morning it rained a lot but then right when the wedding was to start the clouds disappeared and the sun came out to make the ceremony a spectacular event! Weddings make me cry and I didn't have my camera for the ceremony or reception. Here are some pictures of everything before!



The Newlywed's



Becca and her new sister Lauren!



Becca, Nate, Jo and my Mom Kathy



Becca, Jo her mom and Sam her brother!



Finally Becca, Nate and our grandparents Bill and Joan!

New Teacher Blog

So I started a new teacher blog www.teacherwhiz.blogspot.com to have a place to brain dump all things school. I hope that I can inspire other teachers with ideas and confidence that they aren't alone! I have added three posts already and three are in the works. I just need to get my camera and get some pictures so I can really make the post make sense.

Bucket List

So I haven't posted in months and my first post back is my bucket list. No nothing is wrong with me but I have been thinking about the future a lot! I am a goal setter and like to look forward to something. Being a teacher I get that luxary each year, but with my ADHD I tend to lose focus easliy and not really enjoy the journey. With that said I have been thinking about all the things I want to do before I die. Here is the list that I hope to accomplish before I kick the bucket.

Random Order

1. Go to all inclusive resort in Fiji with my husband for a week
2. Jump out of an airplane
3. have two more children
4. go to Africa on a Safari
5. see the grand canyon
6. take my family on a two week European excursion
7. own at least ten acres of land and a horse
8. become a pretty good photographer
9. swim with a dolphin
10. get lasik

to be continued...

Tillman the Two Year Old

Tillman is two. Wow time flies! I am amazed with this little person who is my son. I watched him the other day problem solve some legos and I thought to myself wow he is a human being that I created! He is a little of me, and little of Matt and a lot of himself! I started to tear up thinking that he is becoming such a little boy these days!

Well his second birthday was so much fun! His aunt and uncle came to help with the weekend event which was a life saver! I had big ideas but lacked execution. Katie ran around to different stores to get things with me and then spent the rest of the morning making everything with me! Chris mowed our lawn and helped clean the downstairs! Thanks to Jill for making the awesome invites which made it all come together!

I wanted a Super Hero theme but not to commercial. Again I had big ideas and the internet made things look so easy but from the pictures you can see that my execution wasn't that great!

It started with cape making since all super heroes need a cape. Each kid had a cape and their initial that would stick to the cape. The decorated using foam shapes and then we tied them around their neck and off they went!

Grady working on his cape!

Amelia putting her cape on!

Then it was eating time! We had kid favorites which was fun but we ran out of ketchup; of course! It was ok though everyone had a full belly in the end.


Buffet style and the red bags were their super hero survival packs!


I made the cake with the help of uncle Chris! Chocolate layers with strawberries in between! The fondant was made by hand and we had a blast doing it!

Then it was time to zap the bad guys. I could this table cloth with bad guys from the batman comic. Each kid was blind folded spun three times and then had to use silly string to spray the bad guy! It was so much fun and super easy to clean up.


Tillman needed a little mommy help!


Lastly each kid received a super hero medal made out of choc. chip cookies and a super hero survival pack!


Tillman and his medal!

Our little family! I love these boys more than anything in this world!

I didn't come up with a single thing on my own I stole everything off the internet! I had so much fun and I love to host a good party! :) I wish that I had planned it a little better and really executed each thing to its fullest potential but I learned a lot from this party and hope to make the next one even better! Thanks to all my amazing friends who attended and spent such a special day with us!

Becca's Bridal Shower

Becca is getting married and I am super excited about it! I wanted to host her shower and she so graciously let me! I couldn't wait for everyone to get there and play my goofy games! I made her an edible arrangement that we ate from and she got to keep the bowl. I wanted the bowl to be something she could use for hosting!



We first scrappbooked pages for her to put pictures on. I was able to use all my scrapbooking things which was so nice! The ladies had so much fun making pages that were from their heart! I hope that these memories shine through the pages!


This handsome man wanted to be part of everything! He loved having Becca and Grandma there and when they left he kept saying "Becca Home!"


This is grandma Joan! Her health limits her from a lot but she was so excited to come to the shower! She loved the scrapbooking and games we played! I was so excited to have her spend time with Tillman as well!

Where did my baby boy go?

Well the past couple weeks Tillman is starting to show how much of a toddler he has become. Between the word combinations and just inquisitiveness I am amazed with how much he learns in such a short period of time! We were at a restaurant and he was calling out the shapes and trying to color them! I got teary eyed because here was my little baby who is now an independent little two year old!

Falling apart at the seems!

Well the past week has been a crazy week! I am normally a pretty healthy person. I don't get sick really and injuries are rare! Well the past week I have had two injuries or ailments that haven't gone away!

My right knee started hurting last Saturday after I ran. It feels like there is a ton of pressure under my knee cap. I went to Raleigh Orthopedic and she said she thinks it is soft tissue and an MRI is what I need to show if there are any tears. Great there goes another 1000 dollars down the drain! Then my brain tells me that it is better to be safe then sorry! I don't want to be 45 needing a knee replacement because I didn't take care of the two I have.

While my knee was hurting and I was icing it, I noticed a lump on my hand. It didn't hurt and seemed to be just a cyst. Then as the week progress it started to hurt really bad. It is attached to the middle finger of my right hand and moves with it. Then it starts to cause a burning sensation in my hand. It is sore to close my hand or even type. Raleigh Ortho said I needed to go to hand specialist because of the pain. So I have to make an appointment on Monday!

I hope this covers me for a few years! I will update you on the prognosis of both!

6 years and counting!

Well today marked the final day of our sixth year of marriage! Five years didn't seem like a lot but six seems like a ton! Not sure how that works but it does! Matt and I have been together for a total of 8 years since we dated for two years before getting married. 8 years I have been part of his family as they accepted me the day he introduced me to them!

Don't let anyone fool you marriage is hard work! Everyday you make a choice to be married and to fully give yourself to someone! We are all so judgmental of other peoples marriages and compare ours to theirs but in the end I believe that each marriage is unique and what works for us may not work for you! Matt and I have a marriage that is equal but also independent. We don't do each others laundry but we both do chores around the house. We share a bank account but each get an allowance. We love to hang out together but also enjoy having our quiet time alone doing hobbies we love! I love our marriage and it works for us! We like any couple have our ups and downs but I think they make us stronger and eager to reach the next mile stone.

My parents divorced after ten years and I always thought that after ten years how could you leave all that you have created together. Again I wasn't in their marriage so I am not being judgmental but I am reflecting on my marriage because I don't want to end up in a divorce. One thing we learned in our marriage camp that we attended six months after we were married was that each person should give 90% and expect 10%. If you both do that then you will surpass each others expectations and live happily ever after! This is something that sits with me because most days I don't give 90%. Most days I expect 90% and only give 10% maybe 15%. With this said, I do have to say that my husband is one amazing fella! He puts up with a lot! I am a busy person who has mood swings like the tides of the ocean! He knows how to defuse me and how to push my buttons! He cares deeply about our son and our family and works his butt off to support us! Those days that I only give 5% I regret because I know that he is always working to give his all to our family!

Reflection I think is one key component in a marriage and without it your marriage will fail. Matt and I will have days where we will reflect on an old argument or conversation and share with each other how we felt with what was said. This helps for the next time!

I can't wait to look back in six years and read this post to see how things have grown and changed for the better! Posting without a picture is lame! Here is the family on vacation in Orlando!

Growing old...

Well this post is more of a ramble but I wanted to put my thoughts into words as if I let them swim around my own head I will be drowned with my own thoughts.

I started to read the book Water for Elephants as I want to see the movie eventually and I will never read a book after watching the movie, but will always see the movie if I have read the book. I was really interested in the plot as it was about a veterinarian who traveled with a circus. Now way back when I used to want to be a vet. I rode horses for years and spent many a nights on the farm watching foals be born or horses have colic and just was intrigued by a vets wits and willingness/stubbornness to find the answer. Now this dream was shattered with my barely 2.0 highschool GPA and the fact I wouldn't even be considered by NC State. Back to the point, the book seemed interesting and I needed a good vacation read. As I started the book I had a freak out moment as the book is set in the 30's and I really hate books set a long time ago as I can't visualize the scenes and characters so I get bored easily. I pushed through and just pictured the few movie clips that I had seen and let my imagination wonder. The author goes back and forth between the main character as he is now and his life in the circus. He is 90-93 or 20-23 depending on where you are in the book. I really like this and when he is 93 he spends time reflecting on getting old which got me thinking....

There are times that I close my eyes and let my mind wander to the years ahead when I am 93 and what life will be like. I am scared of the unknown but also have a sense of peace as to know my faith will carry me through. I still wonder if my faith is strong enough though...I know I just contradicted myself but I am trying to get my thoughts out. Having faith is believing right? So if you question your faith does that mean you don't believe? I promise I am going somewhere with this. Growing old is scary I wonder what will happen to civilization and how much will Satan succeed in his quest to conquer all. I think about the Earth and how as humans we seem to be on our way to complete destruction. I fear the future but don't dwell in that fear but at times when I am alone it floods my mind and I can't stop thinking about it. I am scared for what will become of this world we live in. If you go through this blog you will see this fear and wonderment comes around every few years and I still seem to wonder the same things. How does one have faith in something that seems so uncertain? Is the uncertainty the lack of knowledge? Am I uncertain because I am not a Christian? I consider myself a Christian but ask me what that means I would give the textbook answer of, he is my personal savior who died on the cross for my sins. What does that mean? I don't have that answer. I say I am a Christian because I believe in something bigger than me. Having Tillman reiterated the fact that in order for every single cell to come together perfectly to create this baby there had to be a bigger set of hands weaving the pieces together! This swims in my head all the time. I run from the thoughts mostly because it scares me. I run because I don't have the answers and maybe I am scared to find them. I run because I feel dumb when thinking them out loud. Many people know I can be very black or white in my thoughts and I tend to have an issue with the gray! (Totally googled how to spell gray because I struggle with it being either grey or gray. Here is what I found and now I will never forget! I love things like this. grAy is how it's spelled in America
grEy is how it's spelled in England. Such an ADD moment..sorry)

Wow my head hurts from thinking about all this! See what I mean about the thoughts flood my mind! To lighten to mood here are some pictures of Tillman on our way to dinner! Man do I love this little guy!

Family Vacation 2011

Well we are this year we are enjoying our first family vacation as a family of three! Last year we went to KY for a reunion which could be considered our first, but this year seems to be more real since is so much more interactive and we are doing more vacation type things!

Our week started off rough because Tillman got car sick on the way to Charlotte and threw up all over the car! So the car stunk and we had to drive 12 hours to Orlando. Well with cleaning and Fabreeze we were able to get the stink out and start our trip.

The drive down was great nothing but easy sailing a few stops for food and leg breaks and we made it just in time for dinner!

Our first day we spent food shopping and some pool time. He loves the water! I was so worried he would be scared or just not like it! He loved splashing and squirting water on everyone I mean everyone even strangers! He loved to walk in and out of the water which was so cute to watch with his water shoes on! I drank fruity drinks and watched Grandma play in the water with him!

I also ran four miles because Tillman decided to wake up way to early! I figured I better make the best of the time and try to keep all the food I was going to consume go straight to my butt! We also got pedicures and I had her put a little flower on my big toes and man does it make this vacation feel a little bit sweeter!

The second day we had to go back to the food store and Target to get some supplies and then spent the rest of the day at the pool! Where again fruity drinks were my companion! :)

The third day we went to a different pool and Tillman went down a water slide with Matt. Matt is such an insurance guy and he would not go down the slide because it said one rider at a time and he wanted to go with Tillman. The height rule was also taller than Tillman. Well then we saw a lady go down with her daughter who was shorter than Tillman which made Matt think...hmmm maybe we can go down. Finally with enough badgering from me, he took him down and Tillman loved it! I took a couple videos and the first time Matt stopped halfway down because didn't want to go to fast and so he had to scoot the rest of the way! Oh the memories!

Then that night we went to Outback for dinner and I ate a 12 ounce steak! Man was I glad I ran another four miles that morning! Hopefully I will get home and not have gained a pound!

Today I am excited because we are on our way to Universal Studios! Matt wanted to take Tillman to Magic Kingdom but I convinced him that was way to much to spend on a two year old that won't remember it! So he suggested we go to the park just the two of us! I liked that idea way better! We haven't seen the new Harry Potter section so I am excited to see something new! We love rides and hopefully we get our monies worth today! Grandma and Pop will be watching TMan for the day! So happy we don't have to pay a babysitter!

Well I am off to enjoy the rest of my vacation which is only two more days....makes me sad just thinking about it!

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Well since we are leaving in a week for vacation I bought a couple new books. I was so excited about them that I started to read one. Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult is by far one of her BEST books! I haven't finished it and I really am only half way through but man is it good!

I want to write about what the story is about but I am scared to give away all the good details! What I love most about Jodi is how she tells the story through the different characters! I think I have become a snob when it comes to reading books because her style. If I get confused in a book I tend to put it down. Her style makes it easy to relate to each character but she also pushes the envelope when it comes to who you take a side with! Since each character has their own story and she tells their story each time you begin to relate to each one.

This is what she wrote "In the aftermath of of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rages, some people-even those she loves and trusts the most-don't want that to happen." This synopsus doesn't do the story justice! Man she really gets you pulled in with her provocative story lines and really makes you think. She also takes many twists and turns!

You have to go out and get this book! It really is amazing!

Run Elizabeth Run!

Totally corny title but that is how I have felt the past month! I have started to run....ok ok I would say more or less jog these days! I hate running! I really hate running but I love to set goals and meet them! Running is a quick way for me to set a goal and work towards it! I also like the affect it is having on my weight loss plan!

These are all good reasons but the best reason is that I have two great running partners that motivate me and encourage me! Having someone run with you and tell you how great your doing really makes a difference. It also helps to have someone who runs so much better than you because it motivates you!

I bought a pair of new running shoes to help me be motivated but also help with making it easier. :)


I bought a new pair of running pants and a running shirt. I was totally one who thought spending money on that was a waste but man do they really help with the sweat and the keeping me cool.


I also downloaded an app on my phone to track my runs and to tell me my speed and elevation. I am so darn competitive that I keeping track makes me push myself a little more.

I can't believe I am saying this but I am looking for award to each time I run now which is so odd since I hate running! :)

Busy Busy Busy

Well all I can say is life is crazy busy! Being a family of three has really sucked up all that down time we had two years ago! This is a good thin in many aspects but in others it can be overwhelming!

Well we have been busy since January! First I made a resolution to get healthy! I know you snickered just then! If you go back in the archives weight has always been a topic but I needed to get serious in January! I have really worked hard the past couple months and I feel great! I have kept off consistently 8 pounds! I am 142 solidly and have been that for a few weeks. I have started to run which is exciting because I hate running! :) I hate running but I am super competative so I set these mini goals for me and when I meet them I am on a high! It is great! The running is starting to get my fat under control. Two times a week I take a weight lifting class which has really strengthened my arms and legs. I can actually do ten pushups!! So needless today this resolution is still going strong!

Something else that is pretty exciting is that I was accepted into NC State University for their graduate program in administration! I am really excite but totally scared out of my mind. There are nights where I have a panic moment and think what have I done! I applied to a distance learning program so I am still waiting to hear about my acceptance there! Keep your fingers crossed!

School is great I love second grade and my kids are amazing! I have really enjoy a new curriculum and challenges that brings! I am excited to start a new year with having this year under my belt! Next year will be so much better since I will know everything about second grade!

Now to the main show! Tillman is great! He amazes me so much these days! He is so verbal and knows so many words! He loves to eat and play with balls and cars! He knows most animal sounds. He knows the letter B and R. He loves to sit with his "TapTop" laptop in his lap while we have ours in our laps. He LOVES "Ella" Stella to pieces but we have to watch ourselves because he mimics everything we do. When we yell at her he yells too! He is 28 pounds of all boy but can be such a drama king! He loves to be "utside" outside watching the big boys play basket ball then we will walk to the park and go down the "ide" slide! He has learned the word help which is nice since he doesn't whine as much when he wants something. He says ouch for anything he doesn't like you doing to him such as changing his diaper or picking him up to bring him inside. We are working on our letters and colors which he has the attention span of a fly so that is fun!

We are busy busy busy but loving every moment of it!

Turn your head for one minute....

This is what happens when your turn your head for one minute!




I was upstairs working on my graduate school application! All of a sudden I hear Oh God Oh God Oh God, progressivly getting louder! I run downstairs to find Tillman sitting in the kitchen table chair with a marker in his hand! Oh boy did he look stunned like "Huh what did I do?" I laughed and then ran to get my camera! He had scribbled all over the table and the outside of the envelope that my National Boards Certificate was in. It was so funny!

Such a lame momma!

So this Christmas I was so lame...I took NO pictures except for Christmas Eve! I was in shock once I sat down when we got home and realized no pictures of Tillman's second Christmas. At least when we have a second kid they won't feel like I took tons of pictures of Tillman and not them...I won't have any of anybody! Here are a couple of us hanging out around the tree watching Mr. Show Off!

If only he knew...

So as a mom you have many opp. to take pictures of your kid in the most funny perdicaments.

I heard Matt laughing in hall and he yelled for me to get my camera. I walked around the corner and this is what I caught....couldn't stop laughing! He did it all by himself!

Alternate World...

So in another lifetime I would like to be a photgorapher. I am not an artsy person which is why I think I am not one in this lifetime. I don't have that artsy eye which in turn makes my photos genaric or odd looking. I LOVE to take pictures and learn about how to make pictures better but I am not one of those people that execute ideas.

Well with the birth of baby Liam I have been playing around with my camera. I am a visual person so when Tillman had his portraits done as a newborn I watched and asked TONS of questions in hopes of mimicing what she did. Well needless to say I am not near as good.

I am going to blame it on the fact that I need a better body to my camera but I also know that I lack a lot of knowledge on light and apeture settings. Here are a couple I took and editted with my stock computer program.