Thursday already?

Well, technically, it's almost Friday! I should be asleep. I should have been asleep an hour ago... but the blog was calling!! 

I've been in a bit of a fog recently - not quite sure why. Things are good here. Super busy, though, and really pretty scattered. Maybe that's what it is.  Monday I had Bible Study (Esther... soooo good!!) and then Bennett managed to get his form tip at Tae Kwon Do. I'm not sure how that kid does it, but he seems to pull it off every time. He didn't know it a few days before - he cried and pouted when I 'made' him practice it over the weekend. But, he had confidence (and was probably partially driven by the traditional Dairy Queen celebration that follows a tip being awarded.) I was adventurous and got the flavor of the month - midnight truffle or something like that. Such a disappointment :(  But Brad was sweet and swapped with me, so it was all good :)

Tuesday Bennett came home from school (with a friend, which is very exciting) and complained about being cold and feeling like his legs were broken. At first, being the astute mother that I am, I thought nothing of it. Then, it dawned on me (as he was 'resting' while his friend was playing) that maybe he had a fever. He did. The good news: one dose of advil and he was all better. The bad news: 24 hour fever-free rule at school. So, he got to stay home and felt fine. Bonus.

Today I spent with Meg, shopping and getting REALLY good deals on some awesome pajamas. $10 a pair at the barn sale! I won't embarrass myself by telling how many I bought - but I'll just say that I have enough cute pajamas now to last a few years. Maybe 20 years. Who knows. And, I bought some to share :)

The Scrap Etc. event is getting close and we are busy doing lots of great stuff!! The Artist's workshop is going to be so great!! I just cut magnetic owls, 3x3 and 4x6 pieces of cardstock for several projects and a class. Oh, it is going to be SO good. I can't wait!!

Ok, I'm going to leave you with a few pictures I took last weekend (that I have been messing around with in Photoshop). Bennett and Brad humored me on Saturday with a little photoshoot at the Botanical Gardens. It helps to have such handsome subjects :)  What do you think? (about my edits and pictures - not about their cuteness :)

Ok, now it's time for bed! Lots to do tomorrow- it's field day at Bennett's school. And it's gonna be hot. Yippee!!

bloggy catch up

There's been a lot going on around here! April is always a big month, and this year was no exception (and it's only half over!!).  After Bennett's birthday weekend, Brad and I got to celebrate our 10th anniversary by a little weekend get-away to New Orleans.  I know that it's hard to believe, but this was my first time there! Brad planned every aspect of our trip - the hotel, the dinner (lunch and breakfast!!) reservations, the plane tickets, even arrangements for Bennett's care. All I had to do was pack (and trust!!).

We had a great time away. It was just the right time away (Thursday through Saturday). We stayed at the Windsor Court, and it was SO nice. We ate REALLY good... Commander's Palace for lunch on Thursday...

August for dinner Thursday night, Cafe Du Monde, Cafe Maspero, and Galatoire's on Friday, and Court of Two Sisters on Saturday...

Other than eating, we saw a lot of the city. Walked and walked and walked (and took a little horse-drawn buggy tour with a guide who yelled 'folks' and 'm'am' every 3 to 5 seconds as he pointed out much of what we had already discovered ourselves. But Brad humored me because I really wanted to take that tour...) It was such a relaxing trip and so great to be away with Brad and reconnect after 10 long (and short!!) years. 

Ten years is really a 'big' anniversary, don't you think? I mean, 10 years is a milestone in my book. We've been though so much (good & bad) together... great vacations, meeting new friends, moving in (and out) of 3 new houses, Bennett, finishing residency and getting new jobs, infertility, 2 dogs and a cat... the list goes on and on. It hasn't always been easy, but we've grown though out it all! Thanks for hangin' in there with me, Brad!! I love you!

Ok, sorry for getting sappy... back to what else has been going on. Our flight was delayed on the way home (and I almost cried in the airport because I was ready to get home to Bennett and end the spoiling that was going on while we were gone!). We got home, chatted with Bennett (whose excitement over our arrival created the best homecoming EVER!), wrote a little note to the Easter Bunny about protecting our jelly bean trail from Roger, and headed to bed.

We awoke the next morning to this:

It's hard to see here, but the Easter Bunny had taped each jelly bean to the floor so that Roger could not get them while we slept. What a clever little bunny! And Bennett (along with a little help from Brad) picked up each jelly bean before he even peeked at his basket! And his basket was goooood....

This week we tried to get back to 'normal' or as close to normal as we can possibly pretend to be. Unfortunately, Bennett's birthday attention and grandparent spoiling has created some interesting power struggles (and lectures and finally light saber removal). I'm hoping that losing the light sabers (and all other Star Wars-ish weaponry) will create a new and improved six-year-old. A girl can dream :)

I hope you have a great weekend! Next week will be exciting, I'm sure!!

You asked for it...

well, ok, really 2 of you asked for it... So, Katie and Lisa, here is the story about how Brad and I met :)

After I graduated from college, I took at job at UAB doing neuropsychological testing for memory disorders. Since this job paid just a little more than NOTHING, I was thrilled when I found out that the medical school was looking for people to be fake patients for medical student practical exams. The pay was great - and the payoff in the long run was even better :)

On this particular night I was pretending to be a patient with a thyroid problem. I had learned all the facts, would respond to the fake doctors (aka medical students), fake symptoms and responses, and then grade them after they left. And I did all of this in my hospital gown and socks :)

So, on this night, the last round of students came through and I was giving my last scores when the course coordinator (my boss) came in and said 'What are you doing in here?'  I freaked and asked her what she meant and she said that there was a medical student out there that was asking about me and saying that I was cute... WHAT?!?!?!???!?  Immediately I wanted to know - who was it? She told me his name, and I looked him up on the picture sheet (we had to have their pictures to make sure that they were really who they said they were...) His name was Brad. He choked me during the exam and made me cough :) He was cute, but that was the end of it. Right?

So I told my friends about it and they said that I needed to find out more about him. TOTALLY NOT MY STYLE... I mean, I had had like one boyfriend in my whole life. And he really didn't count. He was too dorky. I mainly just had guys that were friends. Anyway, after a lot of pushing and encouragement, I asked the course coordinator for Brad's phone number. I figured that since I was a 'fake' patient and he was a 'fake' doctor' that the whole doctor/patient relationship wouldn't be a big issue :)

So, I got his number and after more encouragement and pushing from my friends (I'm sure that they thought I'd NEVER do it!) I thought 'what the heck... what do I have to lose!' and called him. 

But, he had moved. But the lady there was kind enough to give me his new number, so I called him again. And the conversation went something like this:

Him: Hello

Me: Hi, um, you don't know me, and I really never do this, but, my name is, well, um, Lucy, the course director, gave me your number, and I, um, well, I'm the girl from room Green 3, and well, um, I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime.

Him: OOOOKKAAAAAYYY. Um, sure. 

And the rest is history, I guess. Never in my life had I asked someone out. Ever. I mean, he didn't even know my real name (only my patient alias!). Our first date was interesting, to say the least... the good: he drove a honda civic (it was white, but that's ok - it's close to silver), he was nice, he was cute, he paid, and he brought me a rose. The bad: he took me to a Japanese restaurant and fed me food that I didn't like (but how was he supposed to know??) Oh, and the best part? He asked me out again!!

So there you have it - fake patient falls in love with fake doctor. Not exactly the stuff of romance novels, but it's our story.

Oh, and Brad's version of the story is a bit different. He says that the other students were complaining about the test and he was just trying to give the course coordinator a hard time. But, he still chose to ask about me, so I guess that's all that matters... I'm so thankful he did!

11 years ago today...

I actually wrote this post a few days ago and thought that I had it set up to post yesterday (and then promptly forgot!!) Anyway, pretend that this was posted yesterday, April 5, ok? Thanks!

11 years ago today Brad and I got engaged!!! Wow. 11 years. The story is kinda funny (and sweet) so I'll share it here...

On April 1, 1998 I had my gall bladder removed. It was NOT a joke. At least not a nice one. I had suffered for quite a while with this crazy debilitating pain, and while my 'real' doctor could not accurately diagnose me, my medical student boyfriend kept telling me that it was my gallbladder. What did he know? :) Well, turns out he was right. I ended up in the ER on March 31 and lost that little organ on April 1. Brad was in Huntsville doing a medical school rotation, and when my mom had to go out of town on a long-planned trip, Brad came down for the weekend to take care of me.

As I got to feel a little better on the 5th, Brad talked me in to going for a walk at the Botanical Gardens. A short walk. I still wasn't feeling good, right? I just had surgery, right?  So, we walked around. And we walked. And walked. Finally, we stopped and sat down. Brad started talking about 'us'. He was talking about how he wanted someone that had similar interests - someone who enjoyed doing things together, etc. Honestly, I thought he was breaking up with me. Thankfully, he wasn't!!  Finally, he asked me to marry him!!!

Well, as you know, I said yes. This is a layout that I made about the 'big' day... [warning!!! OLD SCHOOL SCRAPBOOK PAGE BELOW!!!!!]

See how my eyes are still sleepy?? :) Fresh from surgery. Probably still on pain meds. Still a long way back to the car... But still the best decision I've ever made!!! We'd dated for about a year, and I'd known since shortly after we started dating that Brad was the one God had chosen for me. I'm so thankful for the path that we've been on ever since!!

I'll post our 'how we met' story next week (just in case you are the one person in the city that hasn't heard it!!)

Oh, and I was NOT on drugs when I made that page, so I don't really have a good excuse :)

The day he'd always been waiting for... for his entire life

Last night as I was going to scrapbook and the boys were going to soccer practice, I kissed Bennett goodbye and said 'This is the last kiss that I'll give you while you are 5! Tomorrow morning when I kiss you, you'll be 6!!'  He replied 'I know! I can't wait! Tomorrow is the day that I've always been waiting for! For my entire life I've been waiting to be 6!!'

Tonight as we were going to bed (after a day crammed with celebrations with family and friends) I asked him if he had had a good day. 'The best of my life! This was the best day of my while entire life!' His favorite parts? Toys and cake, he said. As he drifted off to sleep, he recounted the day... light sabers, tae kwon do kicks and punches, Easter Egg hunts, pony rides, silly Gigi and Bubba, legos, and R2D2 cake. 

My favorite parts? Watching the excitement that he displayed each time someone told him 'Happy Birthday'. Seeing him break that board at his Tae Kwon Do party during the board breaking demonstration - and doing it with ease. He was so proud to show his friends all his hard work. Seeing him not get upset when, at the Easter Egg hunt, all the eggs were gone by the time we got out to the field (don't worry - they re-hid the eggs... but still, he didn't get upset at all!!).  Seeing him hug his friends and family with such love. Watching him blow out 6 - SIX - candles on that cake. Where did 6 years go? 

Today has been filled with 'I remember 6 years ago...' memories. Bennett loves to hear the story of his birth... of how we prayed for him and were so excited to meet him. How we went to the hospital and the doctor took him out of my tummy (so far the c-section has saved me the explanation of the 'real' way babies come out...that's the best thing about the c-section, by far!! :) 

Six years ago - at this very minute (9:54 PM) I was at the hospital - just me, Brad, and Bennett - and I was in awe at the gift that God had just placed in my arms at 7:16 AM that morning. The 7 pound, 6 ounce baby that I had prayed for for over 2 years. The miracle that could only have been given to us by Him.  Six years ago, I had no idea how that little baby was going to change me (I foolishly thought that I was the one who would be changing the baby!!) 

So, here is my baby today - 6 years old (and his breakfast request this morning?? Ice cream. And, yes, I did give it to him - just 'cause it was his birthday request...)

So, Bennett, Happy Birthday, baby! You'll always be my baby - no matter how grown-up you get!!! Thank you for the 6 most wonderful years of my life - I love you!   Mommy