Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Friends-SPT
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Feeling Loved At 35!
This is what I found when I returned from taking Maci to swim lessons. Greg, Mackenzi, & Maryn worked like mad to blow up balloons and paint a sign for me. It made my day.
After a fun day spent with Jenny(I am posting about this seperately) Greg & the girls took me to get a good ole' greasy burger and fries at Texas Hamburger Company. When we got home, the Clouses joined us for a Coldstone Snickers Ice Cream cake. We had a fun time eating, dancing, and laughing. Thanks guys for always celebrating our birthdays with us.
Birthday Good Mail
These are a few cards I have gotten this week in the mail. One was from Kelly N. from Oregon. Another was from Amanda S., another from my ward primary, and then the other was from my Nanaw(grandma). Thanks everyone for thinking of me.
A box full of goodies from Bridget. She sent me Doodlebugs notecards, Body butter & spray, and yummy lip gloss from Bath & Body Works, pens, & a cute purse shaped card. Thanks a ton B. I love it all.
Jill didn't let me down. My mail guy hand delivered her package to my front door on my birthday and commented how I have been getting lots of personal things lately. I love my "A" notecards. I also owe Jill a huge thank you for orgainzing the birthday and address list, otherwise no one would have ever known it was my special day. Thanks Jill. You rock!
Ellice & John hand delivered yummy chocolate chip cookies, M&M's(plain & peanut butter), a Sonic card, and a cute cupcake card. Thanks guys. I love it all. Thursday, May 17, 2007
Angie's 35th, Greg's 1st
35 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY WIFE
1. She loves me in spite of me
2. She tells me, with a straight face, that I look better without hair than when I had hair. She doesn't complain about hair in the wrong places.
3. She is a truly wonderful mom to our three girls. I have always said that a guy may have a pretty good idea of what kind of wife the girl he marries will be, but he takes a bit of a gamble on what kind of mom she will be. My gamble has paid off.
4. She supports me in my dreams and makes me think I can accomplish them.
5. She rarely complains about being a "single mom" so often while I am working crazy hours.
6. She surprises me with a shirt or some other gift for no reason.
7. She is a great friend. She often thinks of others who would have no idea that they would be on her mind.
8. We both love Mexican food way too much.
9. She will go out of her way to bring me dinner at the hospital.
10. She manages to have our girls two different places at the same time several times a week. Always doing something, going somewhere. 36000 miles on the minivan in 20 months.
11. She never questioned me when I said that I was going to buy a truck. I had said that I would do this when I signed a job contract, but I jumped the gun by several months.
12. She has a great testimony and lives it more than she says it.
13. She is a good daughter and sister to her family and mine.
14. She loves crafts, etc and looks forward to one day having a room with nothing but her crafts and scrapbooking stuff, etc. I look forward to that too.
15. She understands that somedays, I may just be having a bad day and needs no detailed explanation.
16. She has become very fit and makes her daily walks a priority. In a society that seems to become more sedentary every day without realizing that physical health plays a large role in mental health and spiritual health, this is a great example to our girls.
17. Despite our efforts to be healthy, she will sit down with me a night and share a chocolate shake.
18. She takes the time to look nice (without over-doing it) before she goes out.
19. She looks good even first thing in the morning before she gets out of bed. She is more attractive now than she was when we were married.
20. She makes great chili- hint hint
21. She is a wonderful yard boy and frets when the weeds begin to show.
22. She takes care of the things we have, and has 500 rubbermaids full of girls clothes that look hardly worn. OK maybe not quite 500.
23. She keeps our home neat. but allows it to be lived in.
24. She never forgets to pay our tithing.
25. She goes to the temple more than me.
26. As much as she likes to be clean and look nice, she enjoys being outside, camping and sitting around a campfire, eating Zummo sausages, smelling like a fire pit, telling stories and laughing about growing up. This is one characteristic that attracted me to Angie long before we ever considered dating.
27. I loved her and cared for her as a friend years before we ever even held hands.
28. She has a beautiful smile, even though her face naturally makes this pouty little frown.
29. She brushes her teeth 3 or 4 times a day.
30. She has nice toes. Hopefully our girls will get hers and not mine.
31. She has a southern drawl much more than me. It gets even thicker after she goes back home for a few days.
32. She is teaching our girls to be ladies, but to always be girls too.
33. She remembers names, birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, what she wore 30 years ago in her kindergarten class pictures- all kinds of really important stuff. I can't remember.........what was I just saying?
34. She said yes to me almost exactly 12 years ago when I asked her to marry me while we were at the riverwalk vacationing with our families. Remember no pictures in this post, but if there were there would be a picture of her and I walking along the riverwalk right after I proposed. I would be weraing a hidious shirt and have the cheezy smile with braces.
35. She is mine.
There you go. My first and probably only post.
I love you Ang- Happy Birthday.
Party Like It's Your Birthday!
I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed that I am turning 35 today. I can't believe I'm that old. I told myself I didn't want to do my own birthday post, but since Jenny linked my blog to her birthday tribute, I figured I needed to have a place for you to comment. Check back later to see what I did for my big day.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
It's Great To Be Eight!!
It is my nephew's 8th birthday and wanted to wish a great day, full of fun things and happy memories. Caleb you are super special and will soon have the privilege of being baptized. Nothing is more special than that. We love you and hope your day as great as you are.
Here are 8 things we love about Caleb.
*He is full of energy, ALWAYS!!
*He is an awesome brother.
*He loves babies and kids younger than himself.
*He is super smart.
*He survives being the only boy of seven grandchildren.
*He loves to play baseball and tries his best.
*He is funny and has a great heart.
*He has a cute Texan accent.
SPT~ Mom
Angie, Mom, & Art in SLC 1973I would like to introduce you to my Mom. She is the oldest of six children and of these only three are still living. After high school she opted to not attend college (I'm sure money was an issue) and married my dad instead when she was 18. She had three kids, one boy and two girls and now has seven grandchildren. Her and my dad will be celebratin gtheir 40th wedding anniversary this summer.
Mom & Angie 1973
My mom is strong. She may not realize this but she has shown me definite strength in everything she does. She had three children with each pregnancy being worse than the previous. She was sick everyday including the day she delivered my younger sister. After being a stay at home mom, once my sister started school, she decided to go to college and earn her degree in nursing. Going to school full time and having a family was extremely hard for her. I remember her staying up many late nights studying for tests, writing papers, and reading and memorizing endless things to fulfill her dream of caring for others. She has always brought home things from patients, their families, and received countless thank you cards for being so selfless at work. She still wors fullitme as an orthopedic nurse, but hopes to retire in the next few years.
My mom is caring. She always puts others first. She rarely ever gets plate of food, when we are all together as a family, before all of the grandkids are situated. Sometimes this means she doesn't get to enjoy her food, but she would rather eat standing and on the go than to not help out the kids. She always offers for Greg & I to go out when they are here visiting. Sure, she wants to see us too, but knows how little time Greg & I spend together so she is willing to sacrifice herseld for us. I remember growing up and her taking us shopping and NEVER buying things for herself. She still does this when I'm visiting her or she is here. We go out shopping and she always insists on paying for the things I get.
Mom(aka Grammy), Angie & Mackenzi
Mackenzi, Maci, & Mom(Grammy)
Mom(Grammy) & Maryn My mom taught us the importance of traditions, spending time together, going on vacations, and cheering each other on at different events we were in.
My mom has taught me everything I know. She molded me into the woman I am today. Not only do I here her in myself, but I got alot of my characteristics from her as well. I'm shy, even though she has outgrown a lot of her shyness. I have only heard her speak twice in church, because she had to. Those two times were my brother's mission farewell and his homecoming. I dread having to get up in front of people so I know I got that from her. I used to give her a hard time about always worryin gabout us growing up, and she told me just wait you will be just like me. Well, I'm not exactly like her in that regard, I would say I'm worse. My girls are my pride and joy and I feel I would do anything to protect them and help them. When I was a little girl when people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would say a Mommy. I believe I owe that to my mom. No other job would I ever want than to be a mom.
Angie, Mom, & Allison
A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM...
who is never more than a phone call away.
because no one understands girls like a mom.
to tell her that beauty never fades if you look in the right places.
to teach her to love her friends, no matter what they do.
to teach her how to cook.
to teach her how to be a lady.
because there are some things a dad just can't handle.
to read to her.to show her how to give back to others.
to help her on her wedding day.
to catch her if she falls.
to soothe the pain of a broken heart.
to remind her, on the bad days, that she is not alone.
to protect her from strangers.
to encourage her to be whatever she wants to be.
to show her how to put a little love in everything she does.
to prepare her for becoming a wife.
to show her how to raise a family.
to show her how to love someone with all her heart.
to encourage her to be grateful.
to teach her not to wait until tomorrow to say, "I'm sorry."
to teach her that the path taken means as much as the destination.
to teach her that her body is a temple.
to instill patience in her.
to tell her that the road to happiness is not always straight.
to teach her how to care for children.
to encourage her to laugh as often as possible.
to encourage her to be grateful.
to teach her to make thankfulness a habit.
because without her she will have less than she deserves.
Allison, Angie, Mom, & Jessica
Thanks Mom for all your guidance, support, patience, understanding, teaching, and unconditional love. I would not be the daughter, granddaughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend I am without such a wonderful example of all of these. I love you.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mother's Day
Jenny gave me this card that resemebles the way I look most days (except all three of these happy, beautiful kids should be girls). And on the inside it says...
They seemed like a good idea at the time, didn't they? Just Kidding!
When things get crazy and unbearable I remind myself how blessed I am to have three beautiful, healthy girls. No other job or calling did I ever dream of having, except that of a Mommy. I wouldn't trade my days spent with them for an office job or any other job. I'm rewarded more by the things they do and the things they say and my paycheck is priceless. I truly feel blessed to be called a Mother.
Here is something I found quite interesting and funny about being moms.
You Know You're a Mother When ...
You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.
You have time to shave only one leg at a time.
You hide in the bathroom to be alone.
Your kid throws-up and you catch it.
Someone else's kid throws up at a party. You keep eating.
As you cling to the high moral ground on toy weapons; your child chews his toast into the shape of a gun.
You hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats.
You find yourself cutting your husband's sandwiches into cute shapes.
You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!"
You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.
You donate to charities in the hope that your child won't get that disease.
You hire a sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids.
You use your own saliva to clean your child's face.
You say at least once a day, "I'm not cut out for this job", but you know you wouldn't trade it for anything".
I hope you all had a fantastic Mother's Day. Stay tuned for more on Tuesdays, SPT.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Good Day
With it being May, and with Mother's Day and my birthday always in the same week, it makes me feel double special. I have been the recipient of several items of good mail lately. So here is what has been dropped off for me .
Cute package from Lisa P. She sent me her favorite treat, milk duds and popcorn. The cutest cow and chicken magnets, a pig notepad, a sweet note written on a chicken card, and fun farm animal ribbon. Thanks for my fun stuff, Lisa.
Kelly A. sent me a package from Houston. I have mentioned before on my blog how Maryn has excema. Kelly has dealt with this in her home and sent me some of her favorites, Burt's Bee's, for making it better. She also told me about a great sunscreen foe sensitive skin called California Baby. I will for sure be getting this for the summer. Thanks for including the Houston postcard. I love it all.
Natasha sent me a package for my birthday month. Everyone knoes how addicted to Diet Coke I am, right? Natasha found a cool Diet Coke charm and on the back it says, "She'll see to it you get your caffiene without the calories". And at the bottom it says, "Pepsi, I think NOT!". Thanks Natasha for thinking of me drung my birthday month. The handmade card is too cute.
I got a box in the mal for Mother's Day from my in-laws. I wanted to wait until Sunday to open it, but I found my girls were too curious to wait and opened it for me. Inside was a sweet card and a Willow Tree statue of a Mother & Daughter. Thanks for my day.
Jenny brought me Peanut Butter M&M's, a cute decorated "A" for my future craft room. She also found a classic Mother's Day card, with a mom and her three screaming kids on it. Thanks for thinking of me and making me smile when not much will.
After I slept, all of my frustrations somewhat seemed smaller than before. I was able to think of many things in my life that fall into the good category, and for these I'm truly grateful.
Good...
Husband ~who works, sacrifices, gives, understands, praises, encourages, cares, cheers, lifts, and loves more than anyone I know. I often feel unworthy of his thoughtfulness and love. Thanks for everything you are and everything you do. I love you, Greg.
Kids ~who make me proud in all they do and say. They are each beautiful in her own special way. They love others and each other. They laugh and smile which melts my heart. They try their best and succeed in things they attempt.
Friends~who know just the right time to call and then know what to say or to just listen and say nothing. They treat our girls like their own when with them. They make us laugh and smile, sometimes even to the point I snort or wet my pants. They are our double date partners. They are our family when ours is far away.
Parents~who love and support us like noone else. They treat us like adults, but know when we like to be treated like their kids(taken out to dinner, $$ stashed in my purse after leaving their house...). They shaped us into the people we are today and think they did a pretty darn good job.
Times~spent with our girls. Laughing, smiling, crying, playing, hanging out. Times spent with Greg. As of late, time together has been in short supply. Last night Jenny & Doug took are girls so we could grab a quick bite to eat. Nothing fancy or planned, but definitely nice to sit and chat just the two of us. Watching our favorite TV shows together as been lacking too, so we sat down last night and ate ice cream while we watched a little on the tube. Good times!
Life~is going well around our house. When I look at all we are undertaking, I realize how fortunate and blessed our life is. We can see the end of our long journey. It is so close it is almost scary. We have three beautiful and good daughters. We have each other and the love we share together has never been stronger. We have many great friends who are like family to us. Our parents and siblings are always just a phone call away and lend their support and love always. We have many great memories of times spent with everyone we care about and love. Life is for sure GOOD!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
SPT~Cinco de Mayo
Usually on May 5th we plan to go out to dinner and eat one of our favorites, Mexican food. During med school we always hit the local Papasitos for half price fajitas. We would eat until we were ill, soemthing we do often. This year things were a little different. Greg was here in San Antonio on call, and the girls and I went home for my dad's birthday. My sister has called a few weeks ago and wanted to surprise him with one of his favorite summertime cuisines,(if you can call mud bugs cuisine) a crawfish boil. I'm not a huge fan of crawfish but if seasoned just right I can do just a few of them. If any of you have ever been to a crawfish boil, you know that the spicier the better. I really like the potatoes and corn on the cob that are thrown in the mix. We had a fun time, my dad really enjoyed his surprise, the kids played until they were filthy and worn out. Not your average CInco De Mayo celebration, but it worked.
Maci with her mud bug. She loves crawfish.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Happy Birthday Poppy
Poppy and Mackenzi 1997
Poppy and Maci 2000
Poppy and Maryn 2004Thursday, May 03, 2007
May Day~A Few Days Late
Our Maypole 1978
I had gone through some of my childhood picture a few weeks ago and came across the pictures of celebrating May Day when I was in Kindergarten. I thought I should post them on May 1st, but of course forgot about it, until Bridget mentioned it on her blog. In May of 1978(yes that means I'm getting old), I participated in a Maypole dance. One girl and one boy were selected from each Kinder class to do this. All of the girls wore white dresses and the boys wore white shirts and pants.
Each "couple" was given a specific color ribbon that represented their class. I was in Mrs. Mudd's class and we were assigned the pink ribbon. I felt so lucky to get the pink one, but my partner, Bobby Slaughter(I had a secret crush on him), probably wasn't equally as thrilled. I ore a pink bow in my hair and a pink sash around my waist. He wore a pink bow tie and cumberbun(homemade versions of these). We then held onto long pink ribbons that were attached to the pole. I can't remember the actual dance itself, but I do remember weave in and out, over and under and when the dance was over the pole was a weave of all different colored ribbons. To see more about the Maypole dance and other May Day celebrations click here.
My partner Bobby & I in the pink ribbon.**Did you celebrate May Day as a kid? Do you celebrate it now?**
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Birthday Wishes
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARA
Today is my great friend Tara's, 34th birthday. Tara holds a special place in my heart. She may not know this but my life has changed for the better since becoming friends with her. Both Tara and I always wonder why we weren't friends long before we became friends. We really connected, shared our feelings, and became great buds, but all of this happened just a few short months before she moved. She now lives in Austin (which is less than 2 hours away) but getting to see each other has proven to be a great challenge. Tara is a wonderful person in more ways than one. Here are some of the things that I love about her and make her who she is.
She's beautiful.
She has a great sense of humor.
Her smile radiates around her.
She always thinks of others before herself.
She is a very devoted wife.
She is a great mom to her four cuties.
She loves the gospel.
She has a great testimony.
She plays the piano well.
She understands others.
She is a giver.
Her hair always looks great even on her nonwash days.
She loves to run.
She has an eye for decorating.
She takes fabulous pictures.
She enjoys Hula Hut & Chuy's about as much as I do.
She loves to chat on the phone.
She has an infectious laugh.
She loves her family and serves them always.
She loves to drink water.
She is a great cook.
She's stylish.
She always has a candy stash.
She is a wonderful daughter and sister.
She loves to go shopping.
She reads lots of magazines.
She watches every Oprah episode.
She drives the same Honda Odyssey has I do.
We have daughters with the same name just different spelling. (Maci & Macie)
She likes to watch HGTV.
She never seems overwhelmed even when she is.
She is a great listener.
She is always up for a girl's night out.
She is a great friend.
I hope you have a fabulous day. Love and miss you!!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
SPT-Show & Tell
I'm sure a lot of us will choose to show and tell our wedding rings. It truly is my most treasured possession. It represents our love for each other and our eternal marriage.
I remember when Greg and I were talking about spending the rest of our lives together, and the excitement I felt. We went and looked at rings and I recall my heart skipping a beat and having a bounce in my step as I tried on ring after ring. I didn't want to pick my own ring out, and Greg didn't want me too either. He was mainly trying to get an idea about the style and size ring I liked. When he proposed to me, on the Riverwalk in San Antonio(ironic this is where we now call home) he didn't have my ring. I had no idea, but he decided to design a ring for me instead of just buying one at the local jewelry store, and it was taking a bit longer to finish than he expected. He hated proposing without a ring to give me, but he couldn't wait to ask me to be his wife.
On the night he gave me my ring we had gone to dinner at Outback. I knew he was up to "no good" when he wasn't himself. You can always tell when Greg is nervous, stressed or upset. He doesn't talk and if you know Greg, this is definitely a sign something's up. He pretended to leave his wallet in the car and exused himself to retrieve it. When he returned, he sat down but couldn't keep his I off the cute girl at the hostess stand. Finally, after what seemed like forever the hostess brought over a gold gift bag with a an elegant ribbon attached. I knew then what was inside. Me being the very shy girl I am, immediately thought about all of the people that must have been staring at me. I opened the bag, and then the small box inside. I then opened the clear, jewel shaped ring box to find the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. My heart began to pound harder and was sure you could see it through my shirt. I quickly closed the ring box not sure what to do. I remember having the biggest smile on my face, and being embarrassed. Not emarrassed because of my ring but because all the attention that seemed to be directed towards me. Greg was worried I didn't like it and asked if he could put it on me. I shyly agreed and he placed it on my hand where it has remained (I have taken it off very few times) since that day. He reminded me of all of the rings, their shapes, and sizes that I had tried on. He said as you can see your ring looks nothing like any of those. He let me in on his secret. He had a ring that was left to him by a great uncle. It was a man's ring that had seven diamonds in it. He thought he would never wear this ring so took it to a jewelry store to see about trading(the dealer in him) it in towards my engagement ring. The girl that examined the ring was nice enough to tell him for him to get the quality and clarity of diamonds that were present in the man's ring would be very difficult. She suggested taking it to another jeweler and have him make my ring using the diamonds. He took her advice and did just that. Not only did have a very unique ring, that you couldn't find in stores, but it was a special heirloom so to speak.
I love my ring and cherish it, as well as the man that gave it to me. Greg always says he wants to get me a bigger ring someday. I tell him over and over that I don't need a bigger diamond. It wouldn't be the same if he gave me another ring. I love it and will cherish it forever. I think about the road I would have traveled and where I would be today if I never received my ring nearly 12 years ago. I am so blessed. I have a wonderful husband who sacrifices so much and works extremely hard for our family. My three girls are the love of my life and bring more joy to me than I could have ever imagined. I love everything that has happened to me since receiving my treasure. This priceless treasure will forever hold a special place in my heart.
