Happy 19th Birthday, My Beautiful Daughter

Yes, 19 years ago today, I gave birth to my firstborn daughter, Brittany...and so my love affair with motherhood began. Since that unforgettable day of welcoming her into the world, my heart has been forever transformed. Brittany has grown into such a remarkable and confident young woman. She knows what she wants out of life and she goes out and gets it! I can hardly think of a time when I've been around her that she hasn't been smiling about SOMETHING...she just lights up the room! Her sense of humor makes it next to impossible not to laugh when you're around her. We can take one look at each other...and the rest is history!

Unfortunately, with her attending college 5 1/2 hours away in another state, this is the first birthday in 19 years that I haven't been with her to help her celebrate...and I miss her so much! I suppose this is yet another step in the process of letting go. I'm realizing more and more all the time that things have changed; not necessarily in a bad way, but they're just "different" from how they were before. My choice is to fight it or to simply to embrace it as being a stepping stone toward personal growth. I choose to embrace my new "normal" and be so grateful for all the memories we've shared over the years. I trust that better things are just around the bend!

Dear Britt,

If you're reading this, I hope you know how proud I am of the strong young woman you've grown up to be. You not only are my daughter, but one of my best friends. I love how we can be completely open and honest with each other and how we can find a little humor in just about every situation. I thank God for bestowing on me the privilege of being your mom these last 19 years. I hope you know that I've always tried hard to provide you with love, understanding, and guidance while allowing you room to grow and find your own place in this world. Let there never be any question in your mind that I will always be here for you, regardless of the distance that comes between us.

So, on your special day, I'm wishing you HAPPINESS, CONTENTMENT and a never-ending sense of ADVENTURE! Remember...this is YOUR life to live...make the most of what God has given you! There is one thing I know for sure...the world is a much better place because you're in it! I LOVE YOU with all my heart...Have a HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Much Love,

Mom :) (AKA Mother Goose)

GLORIOUS!

I don't know about where you live, but our weather here over the weekend was phenomenal! The temps. got up to just above 70 degrees! I fooled myself into believing that Spring is just over the horizon, but I know better than to get my hopes up too high. Last year, in February, we got about 4 incles of snow. So, as the saying goes, "It ain't over 'til it's over!" Nevertheless, I couldn't resist the opporunity to get outside and soak up that warm SUNSHINE! Abby joined me and we decided to take our cameras with us so we could capture some of the pretty sights we saw. Here's a few of the shots I took...

We always have ducks swimming in the lake behind our house. As I stood on the banks, this little beauty came in really close to us.

She paddled away for just a moment,then decided to come back for a quick "Hello".

I glanced up and spotted this mighty blue heron, with wings outstretched, preparing for a landing! I'm still not 100% convinced it wasn't a pterodactyl!

This was Abby's idea...she's becoming a talented photographer and has such a good eye for composing pictures. We enjoy learning together!

We went to a local park yesterday and there were geese EVERYWHERE!

I've always loved the look of sunshine filtering through the trees.

New LIFE was popping up all around us!

Yes, we definitely had a "picture perfect" weekend! It felt like the whole world was rejoicing!



P.S. Just a reminder for you to come back this Wednesday for my GIVEAWAY!!! You won't want to miss it!

There's Always a Lesson To Be Learned!

I have been intending to fill you in on Brittany's latest "love interest"...who is now a thing of the past (YES!). My reason for doing so is not to drag him through the mud, but to make the point that God is constantly teaching us lessons, if we'll only be still long enough to LISTEN.

OK...where do I begin? Let's see, I think I should start with Brittany bringing her boyfriend of several months home with her over Christmas Break. We agreed to allow D to stay at our house for 2 nights before flying out of Atlanta to visit his sister in Alaska. Brittany was very taken with D....they'd been dating for almost 3 months. Chris had met him once before, but it was my and Abby's first time to be introduced to him.

Well, shortly after Brittany and D left college to make the 5 1/2 hr. trip to Atlanta, she sent me a text message asking if it would be alright for her and D to get lunch. I didn't think much about it at the time. Chris told me a bit later that she had called him and asked the same thing. We thought it was a bit odd. They got to our house around 6:15 PM that evening. Brittany pulled me aside and told me that D didn't even offer to buy her lunch. She said they stopped to eat, but she ordered first, then D placed his order and made no move to pay. So, she said she had no option but to buy his lunch, too. Not off to a good start!

Everything went fine that evening. We went to Abby's choral performance at school, then came back and ate dinner. D seemed very nice and was quite mannerly. The next day, Chris and I told Brittany that we were going to the mall to have lunch and to do some Christmas shopping and suggested that she and D do the same. She had to talk him into going, but they left shortly after we did. We got back around 3:30 PM and D and Brittany popped through the door a few minutes later. I took one look at Brittany's face and could tell that things were not right. About that time, D walked over to the fridge, got out the leftover spaghetti from the night before, warmed some up on a plate, and that was their (LATE) lunch. As soon as I had a chance, I asked Brittany what had happened. She said they went to the mall and that D wasn't interested in doing anything. Again, he didn't even offer to treat her to lunch, so they ended up having a huge disagreement and decided to come home. Things were heading south real quick!

Chris and Brittany drove D the 45 mins. to the airport the next afternoon. I'm sorry to say, but I was glad to see him leave! There were things about him that were RED FLAGS, in my mind.
First of all, in the 3 months they dated, D, not once, took Brittany out to lunch or to dinner. Call me old-fashioned, but that's just strange to me. He continually made promises to her that he never followed up on, such as taking her to Ruth Chris Steakhouse, taking her to Forever 21 and buying her an outfit of her choice, giving her a "special gift" he, supposedly bought her on Black Friday to show how much he cared. The list goes on and on! Now, it isn't that Brittany EXPECTED these kinds of things because she's about as down-to-earth as they come, however, he shouldn't have told her he was going to do something...and never do it.

While he was in Alaska, he stayed up all night long playing video games with his brother-in-law and ended up sleeping until about 4:30 PM every day! That's so opposite of Brittany...she's a fairly early riser and likes to be on the GO! He kept telling her that when he got back home, he was going to be a "much better" boyfriend to her, so she had high hopes. I, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

Well, long story short, Brittany got back to Mobile at the end of last week so she could be reunited with D after not seeing him for nearly a month. Needless to say, the day after they got back together, everything fell completely apart. She called me up in tears saying that D hadn't seen her the entire day because he had "tire troubles". So, she went over to his parents' house where he lives and they sat around and watched a couple of movies. She said she was so frustrated with him because all he wanted to do was sit around and do nothing. He didn't call her, at all, the next day to try and make things better, so she decided to end their relationship. She simply wasn't happy...end of story! She had a rough first day, but from that point on, she's been doing just great!

I've shared with Brittany that there was just something about D that gave me a feeling of uneasiness. I felt like he wasn't being forthright about a lot of things and was only saying what he thought Brittany wanted to hear. I assured Brittany that God has designed someone just for her. I told her that it might take years for her to find that "special one", but not to lose heart. God allows us to go through certain trials to help us understand how to lean on Him more for guidance and direction.

I prayed long and hard that Brittany's eyes would be opened to the REAL deal about D. She has since started going to a Bible study at the church she's been attending and I know that God's hand has been in it. It's so hard as a parent to fight the urge to make decisions for your kids that could impact the rest of their lives. You just want to steer them in the right direction so they'll avoid making some of the same mistakes you made when you were younger. Thankfully, God knows exactly what's best and will work it all out in His own perfect timing. This experience for Brittany was definitely a lesson learned...and only one of many more to come.

And to think that I still have this kind of stuff to go through with Abby yet! :)

New Specs For Her Peepers

Abby got new glasses on Tuesday and I think they look so good on her! They really make her eyes stand out. I can't believe she's been wearing glasses ever since she was in preschool!

As you may recall, we tried diligently to get her fitted for contact lenses several months ago with no luck. She has a severe astigmatism, which makes it hard to find just the right pair. Some she tried felt comfortable to her, but made her vision blurry. Others were on the borderline of being painful for her to wear and they caused her vision to fluctuate. We're going to get another opinion sometime this summer. For now, though, I think she looks so beautiful and grown up in her new specs. Where, oh, where did my baby girl go?

Sure Is QUIET 'Round Here...

Abby headed back to school today after being out for an entire week due to all the snow and ice we got a little over a week ago. They had 3 snow days worked into the school calendar, but they're still trying to figure out how to make up the remaining 2 days. Brittany, of course, left to head back to Alabama at the end of last week; she started classes today. I miss having my girls around!

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE having a clean and orderly house! I seem to function better when everything is put away in it's rightful place. Having a quiet house isn't so bad, either. It's refreshing to be able to get in touch with your inner thoughts. However, when my girls are home and we're all together as a family, there's just 'something' about their clutter and the noise they stir up that makes my heart swell.

Here's some of the sights I miss already...

Seeing Brittany's "beauty supplies" scattered all over the counter in our office bathroom.

Finding nearly everything but the kitchen sink stacked on the floor beside her bed.

Seeing her check her Facebook every morning she was here...with Bella snuggling behind her.


Abby pulling the covers up over her head because she wants to sleep in just a little while longer.


So, at this point, I'm not too sure that a neat and quiet house is all it's cracked up to be. I think I'd choose the messy bathroom, clothes strewn all over the bed, loud laughter (and even arguing!) ANY DAY! That, to me, makes a house a HOME!

I ♥ Faces...Wintertime FUN!

Never in a million years did I think I'd ever see the kind of snow and ice we had here in the Atlanta area last week! We got close to 8 inches of snow in some areas! It was our first snow of 2011. Everything completely shut down and we couldn't venture out of our house until about Thursday of last week. Abby, in fact, has missed 5 consecutive days of school...tomorrow will be her first day back. Brittany headed back to college several days ago and, thankfully, made it back without any trouble.

While the snow was here, we enjoyed playing in it to the max! Sledding was so much FUN! Now, since I Heart Faces is having a Winter Wonderland theme for their photo contest this week, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate!

Here's a picture I took of Abby that makes me giggle everytime I look at it. My hubby threw a snowball at her and she turned around at just the 'right' time to get it square in the face. We all about laughed ourselves silly at how the snow got stuck behind her glasses...including Abby!

Now, be sure to check out all the other wintertime entries at I Heart Faces! I know I sure will!