With the passing of our beloved Grandad last week, I thought it would be a shame not to have a Flashback Friday post in honor of him.  He left behind a legacy of integrity, wisdom, faith and love after a long life of 95 and a half years.

My Grandad truly was the smartest man I knew, always passing along his wisdom to teach others about what he cared about.

I’m so thankful that I had grandparents who loved and cherished me.  At his funeral, my brother-in-law talked about my Grandad’s contentment with sitting at the table just watching his family eat and converse.  His family was his pride and joy.

I have many wonderful memories of times spent with my Grandad, but perhaps what I will remember the most is his face being lit up when Aspen walked up to his chair.

I’m not sure if you can tell, but in this picture they are both sticking their tongues out at each other (doing that spitting trick that babies learn- sorry, it’s hard to explain but I think you know what I’m talking about).  Aspen had crawled over to his chair, pulled up, and just stood there at his knees.  It was the first time she had done that and Grandad was just giddy that she was playing with him.  He called my mom after we left to tell her all about it.

Family is special.  Last week, with the passing of my Grandad as well as two other people I knew, was a reminder to cherish every moment you have with your loved ones.  When life is put into perspective because of loss, nothing else seems important.  You know the saying, “You can choose your friends but you’re stuck with your family”?  Well, I’m thankful for the amazing family I got stuck with.

P.S. Check out my mom’s blog post about my Grandad, too.

Flashback Friday: Random old pictures of me.

There is no theme to today’s post, besides me looking like a dork.  I was just cleaning out my hope chest (which I will tell you more about next week) and found some funny pictures that I wanted to share with you.

Hey look, it’s the Magnificent 7!

Don’t I wish.  That’s me in the 5th place spot.  My second to last position was probably due to the fact that I ran right smack-dab into the vault.  Not over it, into it.  Oh, and I just realized that there are seven girls on the podium but only 6 places…I’m confused.

“Two bits, four bits.  Hey!  Six bits a dollar.  All for the Jackets, stand up and hollar!”

According to this picture, Tiffany, Holly and I are on “hollar”, Deanna is on “stand” and Kendra is on “up”.  So we weren’t in sync, but we sure were cute.  Except for my knobby knees, which were the size of my head!

If we weren’t cheering from the track, we were cheering from the stands.  Football was king in the small Texas town I grew up in and we spent every Friday night at the games.  Jacket tatoo- check.  Loud can to shake- check.  Matching outfits- check.  Are you digging those acid washed jeans and BFF heart necklaces?

And now it’s time for a confession.

In sixth grade, Deanna and I had the privilege of being our homeroom teacher’s pets.  With that privilege came the responsibility to dust the shelves with all the dead animals in jars.  Yeah, what an honor, huh?  Anywho, one morning before school started, we were cleaning when one of the jars fell on the floor.  And broke.  I can’t remember what kind of dead animal or embryo was in the jar, but I do remember that horrible smell.  We were terrified of getting in trouble (and losing our Teacher’s Pet label) so we pinky swore not to tell anyone.  I’m almost certain our teacher figured out what happened by the strong odor of formaldehyde.

And the Grammy goes to…

Debbie Gibson and her sister!  My friend, Stephanie, and I idolized Debbie Gibson.  We knew every word to every song.  Since there was only one Debbie, we created her sister so that we could both pretend to sing and play the piano like her.  And instead of fighting over who got Kirk Cameron as a boyfriend, we made him our brother.

Who wants to travel back in time to Junior High?

Me either.  Such an awkward and hard time in one’s life.  Glad it’s over and even more glad that straight irons were invented.  My hair was as frizzy as Michael Phelps’ arms are long.

I like to call the style in this next picture our Eddie Bauer phase.  I made Brad branch out of his black Mossimo t-shirts box and wear plaid polos and khaki shorts.

Looking back at old pictures always makes me so grateful for the long history I have with my B-rad.  I doubt many women can say that they are still married to their High School sweetheart, much less Junior High sweetheart.

Okay, that’s all for now.  I could bore you all day with all of my old pictures.  I love looking through them and reminiscing of the good ole days.  Happy Friday everyone, have a great weekend!

This past week, I’ve only had one thing on my mind (ha! what a joke, I’ve always got about 382 things on my mind…I’m a multi-tasker and a worry wort).  Aspen’s birthday.  It’s next week folks, and she turns 4.  I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry….

No actually, I like her age and I have high hopes for this year.  Just like my marriage, every year gets better.  When I look back at pictures of Aspen as a baby, I can’t believe how cute she was it makes me sad that she is getting older so fast.  I ”oooh” and ”awwww”….and then realize that she is much easier now than she was as a baby and I have way more fun with her.  It’s like I momentarily forget how hard those first couple years were (I’ll spare you the details).  I guess it’s normal, and a good thing, to only remember the good times.

So anyways, for Flashback Friday I bring you Aspen’s first birthday.

My aunt and uncle were kind enough to host the shin-dig at their house so that we could enjoy the pool.  This was actually our second 1st birthday party to throw that year.  Our first foster son was with us when he turned one and we had a huge party.  The combination of our big family, numerous friends, and everyone’s excitement about us finally being parents made for a large gathering.  We kept it simple and smaller for Aspen’s big day.

The cool kids wore orange (me and bro-in-law, Kyle).

Brad and Katy were not cool.

The big question at a one-year-old’s birthday party is how they will do with the cake.  For a kid that had to be force fed, the crowd was on pins and needles.

I remember her touching it gingerly, like she didn’t like her fingers getting dirty.  But after some help and encouragement, she went for it.

Dang, she was cute!  Even with a squooshy face.  That was a fun trick.

My parents got her a little riding horse that she loved to wheel around.  Hey, maybe that’s what started her love of horses.  Now she just wants to ride a real one all the time.  Ahem, Mamo!

Oh my word I love that face.  I want to eat it.

Well, was that walk down memory lane as fun for you as it was for me?  I guess in 4 more years I will look back at pictures from this year’s party and think the same thing as I do now.  I better live in the moment and thank God for every second I have with her.

Okay, now I’m crying…

Summertime, summertime, sum-sum summertime is officially here.  It’s felt like summer for quite some time now, but the weatherman told me that the season technically changed two days ago.  So in honor of the heat-stroke-inducing time of year, Flashback Friday is all about fun in the sun.  I’ve been at my parents’ all week, so finding old pics was a breeze and a blast.  I love looking through old albums!

Let’s begin with an “awww” moment.

Dude, check out my rad sunnies!  They look like the ones I bought for Aspen that I actually wear more than she does. 

Considering I only like fish if it’s on a plate in front of me waiting to be consumed, I’m pretty impressed with this catch.

It looks like I’m wet from head to toe, which means I got into the water.  Impressed again.

This next picture cracks me plum up.  Care to take a gander as to why?

Not the 80′s bangs or tall, slouchy socks.  Look how we are all standing perfectly straight with our arms to our sides.  We look like statues!  Maybe we were nervous about crossing the border into Mexico.  Or just hot, tired and sick of each other?  Nah.

Speaking of tall, slouchy socks…

I’m just glad my big, red glasses matched my outfit   I was shocked at how blonde my hair used to get when I was out in the sun.  I remember one summer when my hair turned in to straw.  After a few days of my hair being stiff and coarse, my mom asked me when the last time I washed it was.  Uhhh…I couldn’t remember because I thought swimming was a bath replacement.  And yes, it turned green a couple times, too.  That’s what summer is really about, right?  And swimmer’s ear?

Dude, check out my rad sunnies again! 

I wish I still had those, I would totally wear them.  That was at Sea World where we were introduced to the wonderful world of Shamu (I actually typed Shamoo but thought I better Google it).  Can you believe I haven’t been to Sea World since?!

And what’s a summer without endless miles on the bike?

Looks like I was helping Katy learn to ride without training wheels.  Now I walk along Aspen as she learns to ride her bike, but not while wearing overalls with only one strap latched.  That was a dumb trend if I do say so myself.  While you have 80′s style on the brain, have you seen Rock of Ages?  It’s awesome.  Like totally for sure.     

It’s that time of year where the party supply isles at the stores are filled with graduation caps and confetti, and all the signs say “Gifts for Grads and Dads”.  The graduation paper plates at the grocery store brought back all those memories the other day and I had to go look at my old pictures.  It was this time 14 years ago that I graduated High School.  Whoa.  I remember how all I could think about was finishing my senior year to get the heck outa there.  If I only knew how easy and fun life was at the time instead of wishing it away, maybe I would have enjoyed it more.   Oh well, I’ll just use that as a lesson to enjoy this season of life I’m in now.

Confession:  I took a picture of these pictures instead of taking the time to scan them.  Laziness at it’s finest right there.

Katy and I on the first day of school, 1997.

All my friends wore dresses that day, but I wanted to be different so I wore shorts.  That’s about the extent of this goody two shoes’ rebellion in high school. 

No wait!  I also wore my hair down for Prom.  Yes, that actually was rebellion because you’re supposed to wear it in a French twist with a strand hanging down on the side of your face. 

Just in case you’re new to the blog, I’m not posting pics of an old boyfriend.  That cute guy happens to be my husband of almost 12 years!  And here he is again at my graduation, sans the facial hair that he’s had forevah.

 

Now brace yourself, you’re about to see me in Cowgirl clothes.  This was for Homecoming week and I promise I had to borrow everything I’m wearing.

 

Another event for Homecoming week was “Hippie Day”, so my friends and I made tie dye t-shirts at my house.

Did you notice the harvest gold stove?  Ooh la la.  That kitchen has been remodeled at least 4 times since then.  My parents are into that sort of thing.

In a small Texas town, football is a way of life.  Fridays at school were all about the Pep Rallys.  “I say Yellow, you say Jackets!”

My friends and I had a Christmas tradition to spend the night together, exchange gifts, and eat junk food.  We also posed for ridiculous pictures, but I’ll refrain from putting you through such torture.  Jennie gave us monogrammed towels and I still think it’s a great gift.

Oh the good ole days, eh?  Those are fun memories and I’m grateful to still have those friends in my life.  And I’m grateful that these photos are far away and blurry enough that you can’t see my bushy eyebrows and crooked teeth.

What fond memories do you have of your senior year?  Or are you just happy not to be in high school anymore?  Just in case you are wondering, our class song was “The Road Goes On Forever, but the Party Never Ends”.  Yeah, classy.

A week from today is Good Friday, which means that Easter is approaching quickly.  A good thing, in my opinion, because I happen to love this holiday.  Family, food, playing outside, dressing up for church, the whole nine yards.  Last year was fun because Aspen was old enough to hunt for eggs and not just eat the first thing she found, even if it was a blade of grass. 

I think her competitive edge is showing here a little bit.  She gets that from her dad, definitely not me.  I don’t remember hunting Easter eggs as a child, but I’m sure I let everyone run over me to fill their baskets as I stood there empty handed. 

I didn’t grow up participating in the tradional holiday activities that most kids do, so it’s fun for me to watch Aspen do them.  I still haven’t ever dyed Easter eggs.  Maybe this is the year.

Now don’t go all feeling sorry for me, thinking I was a deprived child.  The best part about Easter (well, besides Jesus dying on the cross and arising…) is buying a new dress to wear to church, and that we did do.  I still love getting something new to wear, and having a daughter to dress up makes it even more fun.

My sister, Emily, and I just happen to be in Old Navy together last year before Easter and got matching dresses for our little girls.  Trying to get a picture of them together, smiling and posing was impossible.  You can still see how cute they were.

Aspen has sass, along with some snot, written all over her face. 

 

We are looking forward to celebrating Easter at three different family events next weekend.  I hope the weather is nice and warm for all the outdoor egg hunts.  Can y’all believe it’s almost April?!  If you want to get anything done in March, tomorrow is your last chance.  Have a good weekend, my friends.

TGIF, baby!  I hope you’ve had a great week and have some fun plans for the weekend.  To help you kick it off, I’m offering you a look at some old pictures of Ugly and Fatso.  Or, more commonly known as, Katy and Melody.  We used to call each other those sweet names, but it seems as we got older, they weren’t so cute anymore.  Glad we grew out of that phase. 

So let’s get to it!  Here we are with my parents at my graduation baccalaureate service in 1998.

I think Katy’s smile is from pride of her Limited Too dress.  She was obsessed with that store.  The next picture is quite the Kodak moment.  We were at my aunt’s house for a family event and I was so sick, which was often the case for me at holidays.  I still call her for comfort when I’m down.

I think I heard a few of you say “Awww”.  Here’s another “Awww” worthy pic of us with my Grandad.

I love everything about this picture except for one thing.  Can you guess what makes me cringe?

MY NAILS!!!  Are those oversized Lee press-ons, or what?! 

Katy and I have always loved to sing together.  From Disney songs, to hymns, to Karaoke love songs.  Here we are singing a little Tim and Faith at my parents’ house.

Unlike most people who need a little liquid courage before taking the mic, we’ll sing in front of anyone.  Anytime.  I like seeing pictures of my parents’ house because it has changed so much throughout the years.  They are constantly painting, rearranging, and buying new furniture.  We definitely got our DIY skillz from them.

I think the above picture was taken at our nephew, Carter’s, t-ball game around 2000 (01 or 02 maybe).  Check out our shiz-ades!  I was so proud of mine because they were my first Brighton purchase and I loved them.  I’m fascinated by how quickly trends come and go.  I started collecting my sunglasses just because the style changes so much and it will be fun to look back at them one day.  Or maybe even wear them again if the trend makes a comeback.  You never know.

Lastly, here’s a picture from me and Brad’s going away party before we moved to Kansas City.

So many memories…

Well, thanks for taking a look at pictures of the CCC girls of yore.  This is Melody, and I approved this message.  Katy did not.

Since I celebrated my birthday earlier this week, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my 30th birthday for Flashback Friday.  Well, fun for me anyways.  You probably don’t care how I celebrated my day of birth two years ago.  And if you don’t, I completely understand and excuse you to move on to the next blog that you read.

It started off with a shopping spree at the Galleria in Dallas.  Holla!  It was like a dream come true!  I mean, I had a limit of course, but it was still so fun.  We had two toddlers at the time and Brad was so sweet to push them around in the double stroller while I did my shopping.  He would even walk them around the mall so I could stroll around a store alone.

Not sure if Aspen was kissing the theft device thingy, or trying to eat it.  Considering that this was a time in her life when she mean and wouldn’t eat (even made herself vomit at meal times), she was probably just biting it.  That was not a fun stage.

We also celebrated with my parents and Katy and Kyle after church that weekend at Cheesecake Factory.  My mom’s birthday is the day before mine so it was a double whammy.

Make a wish!

I don’t remember how those treats tasted, but they sure look yummy!  And as if shopping and going out to eat weren’t enough, Brad had this spread on the table when I came home from my life group on my actual birthday.

Isn’t he the best?  Wow, I’m spoiled. 

That was actually a very stressful season for us and looking at these pictures gives me a twitch in the neck.  So I guess this walk down memory lane wasn’t so fun after all.  Just kidding.  If anything, it’s a reminder of God’s grace and protection and makes me very grateful for all the blessings in my life.  A wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, and a loving, supportive family.   

Flashback Friday has returned! *applause*  For today, anyway.  We took a break from FF because we were having a hard time coming up with a new blast from the past every week.  So today I bring you a walk down mine and Brad’s honeymoon memory lane, as long as I can remember some of the details.  It was 11 years ago people!  We got married in September but since we wanted to go skiing to celebrate our nuptials, we had to wait until December.  And it turned out that Aspen, CO was all decked out for Christmas, so it was kinda festive.

Looks like I was greeted with some pretty flowers as we walked into our room.  10 points for Brad.

Note to self, don’t ever wear a conehead hat again.  Ever.  And try not to get sick right before a trip or you’ll have a puffy, red nose in all the pictures.

Gettin’ all toasty by the fire in the lobby, cuz baby it was cold outside!  This picture reminds me of how obsessed I was with American Eagle.  I wore that sweater more often than Lady Gaga dyes her hair.  And apparently I had rubbed off on Brad because he is dressed in all AE, too.  One night, we were walking back to the hotel from having dinner, and all of the sudden I’m face first in the snow next to the sidewalk.  My sweet hubby had given me a little nudge that resulted in this imprint in the powder. 

Those deep indentations to the left are where my elbows saved my life and if you look closely you can see the zipper of my coat down the middle.  Thanks hun.  Skiing in Aspen was very different than any other skiing we had experienced before.  We were used to Spring Break skiing where you can shed your coat at mid-day and be free from gators and goggles.  But this was more like white-out blizzard conditions.

That’s me by the way.  Cold.  Tired.  And wanting down the mountain to thaw out in the warmth of…anywhere indoors.  But that was no easy task due to a ski competition that had half of the trails roped off.  Every time we made our way down a little bit, the trail would dead end at a ski lift that would take us further up.  Have you ever had tears freeze on your cheeks and eyelashes?  Yep, that happened.  That day was bad but we did enjoy 2 other days of good skiing.

What’s better than skiing in the beautiful mountains with the man of your dreams?  Not much, in my book.  We’re headed back to the Rockies in January to try out a new twist on our usual skiing.  Our brown-eyed beauty is going with us and you better believe we are putting our 3 year old daughter on some skies.  Her name is Aspen, after all.