Make Cupcakes, Not War

I'm too excited! Next weekend, Jason and I are flying to Galveston, TX to visit with Jason's side of the family for 4 days.  I've never met *most* of his family, since they were unable to make it to the wedding.

While we are in Texas, Jason and I are going to head to Houston to a bakery where Johnny Cupcakes (one of Jason's favorite graphic artists) will be appearing! Jason is so excited.  We own a lot of vintage "Cupcake" shirts, which apparently this guy loves to see at these

 appearances! Here are a couple of my favorites that Jason and I have:

(Images from Google)

We actually don't have that white shirt with the multiple rows of cupcakes, but I love my hippo shirt with cupcakes over their heads!  I'm not a huge fan of the cupcake and crossbones, but that is one of his signature designs.  He is definitely a very unique artist, something my husband always admires in people! He has a pretty great story of how he began making his designs known, and how he avoided all of the "chain" retail stores.  You can check it out at his website I listed above.

We can't wait to go to Houston to meet Johnny Cupcakes.  I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures of one REALLY excited husband when we return from that visit! 

Ugh!

Well, my Wednesday "sick" day turned into my Friday SICK day.  YUCK! I was up all Thursday night laying in my bathroom floor. The same as Wednesday, I'll spare you the details.  Let's just say it was a pretty rough night/morning.  I was finally able to keep nausea medicine down and slept the majority of Friday.

I woke up Saturday feeling pretty weak, but much better.  I decided to brave the outdoors and go get my haircut.  Let me tell you, that small amount of time out of the house was really nice, but completely wore me out.  I took another 4 hour nap, and still slept throughout the entire night.

I made it to church this morning, and went to lunch with my whole family, but was ready to be back in my bed about halfway through lunch.  Another nap in, and I'm finally starting to gain my energy back.  Hopefully this virus is on its way OUT!  Thank goodness Jason didn't get it, he was such a sweetheart taking care of me all weekend.

I'm sorry I don't have much to update right now, it's amazing how much you miss out on when you sleep a whole weekend away!

Sick Day

You all left me the sweetest comments on my last post.  Thank you!  Although I truly love my simple life, I also love life's little surprises, even if it is a sick day.

Nope, I'm not sick, but my poor sister and brother-in-law are REALLY sick. :( Riley had the stomach bug that is going around earlier this week, and my brother-in-law (Adam) barely made it home last night before getting sick himself. Two hours later, my sister starts vomiting too. I'll spare you the details, but it has not been pretty. We actually thing my sister's "bug" is the flu since her temperature is so much higher and she has more symptoms than just a bug.

This morning, after much debate, we decided to send my sweet Riley over to my house to allow Ashley and Adam to go to the doctor, rest and recover. Although I feel awful for my sister and her husband, I'm thrilled that I "had" to stay home from work to spend the day with my gorgeous niece. Of course I took pictures for you all throughout the day!

We started off the morning in our pj's.  Someone still isn't back to 100% after her days of the stomach bug, so she was a bit sleepy/cranky for a few hours.  PJ's make everything better.

After watching some Curious George on TV, Riley was ready to play "peoples."  (Remember the Little People? Riley LOVES them!)

After getting dressed, and ready to head out and play, someone was STILL in a trace over "George."  

I attempted to take a few pictures of the two of us, but I should have probably turned George off first.

"Oh Uncle Paige! What kind of face is that?!" (Yes, she calls me Uncle Paige sometimes.)

After "rest time" (aka, watching Cars in the "big bed" and doze off every few minutes) we played outside, looking for 4 leaf clovers...

She handed me one and called it "a flower."

Sigh.  The ballerina in me wanted to shout: "Riley! Don't you know that sitting position is terrible for your turnout?!"  The aunt in me snapped a picture at how adorable that face is.

We had lots of fun throwing the ball.

It was fun to kick the ball too! Even when we missed:

After lots of time outside, we went inside to color a picture for Mommy and Daddy that said "Get Well Soon!"

She worked very hard on it, and put lots of stickers on it just for Mommy and Daddy.

After Riley finished coloring, we took a trip to Granny and Pappy's (my parents) and spent a few hours over there.  Riley LOVES her Granny and Pappy, and loved snuggling up to them.  After she "taked a bath" and ate her "mac and cheese" it was time for Riley to go home.  Adam was feeling much better, but Ashley is still feeling pretty rough.  Hopefully another great night's sleep Ashley will be feeling much better too.  

I love my time with sweet Riley, and although I'm sad Ashley and Adam felt so awful today, I'm thrilled that I got to spend an entire day with the most beautiful 2 year old I've ever seen. :)

I Love a Typical Evening

My life isn't crazy exciting.  I get up, go to a job that I adore and feel rewarded for everyday, come home, make dinner, snuggle up on the couch with my husband, head to bed.

I LOVE it.

I love my simple life.  I love my family.  One thing I really love is a typical evening at home with my husband and sweet pup (well, PUPS this week-we are pet sitting for my parents dog too) doing  absolutely nothing but spend time together.  We work well together with our productivity, which even makes doing laundry enjoyable.

One of my favorite things of all time are the evenings that my husband decides to come into the kitchen while I'm making dinner and decides to dance with me.  We don't require music, or even any reason.  We just do.  Some of my most favorite memories of our first year of marriage are the two of us slow dancing in the kitchen for no reason at all.  :)  It always makes me smile, and tonight was no exception.  

I adore my sweet husband.

Wishful Wednesday

'I wish' .... I could win the lottery REAL soon, and I would hope to ________.

**The real question is would you

1.) quit your job/career
2.) continue working

I definitely would continue working for a little while. I adore my job, and my kiddos really count on me. My clients have been through so many therapists and behavioral specialists that they cannot seem to build a relationship with anyone. They just expect everyone to walk out on them. I just couldn't walk away from them so soon after entering their lives.

However, if I won the lottery, I would definitely stop working once Jason and I started a family. I REALLY want to be a stay at home mom, and would definitely seize that opportunity! :)

Head over to Kelsey's Blog to participate!

The Price of Beauty

Ok guys. Make me feel better. Am I the only one that watched Jessica Simpson's new show The Price of Beauty?

I used to be a HUGE Jessica Simpson fan during her "Newlywed" days with Nick Lachey. I was so disappointed when they divorced I haven't paid any attention to anything she or Nick have been involved in since. I just happened to be flipping through tonight after 20/20's Inside the Bachelor and saw that the series premiere was on.

Seriously. I LOVE this show. This show had laughing until I cried when she and her friends ate the "fried worms" that the Thai people believe to be good for their skin. Their gagging, over dramatic facial expressions had me nearly falling off my couch.

This show also really tugged at my heartstrings a bit too. It showed a Thai woman that went too far for beauty in her country, and resulted with a horrific skin condition. It was definitely sad to see the reality of the emphasis that all cultures put on external beauty, and the things many women will go through to achieve that.

I can't wait until next week's episode! Tell me, did any of you watch?

Your Questions Answered!

Hey guys! Here are your questions answered by my husband! Other than the links back to your blogs, everything is 100% copied and pasted from my husband's e-mail he drafted to answer your questions! :)  Without further ado: 

First of all i just want to say hello everyone!  Im glad i have the chance to answer some questions

from yall, this should be fun!  So sit back realx and enjoy the answering stylings of me!

Heather asked:

What is your favorite thing about your wife? 

Well besides the obvious answer of everything!  I would have to say my favorite thing is the way Paige lights up a room.  It doesnt matter whats going on she has a smile to her that is contagious and she is so loving that it makes me smile everytime at first glance.

Shannon asked:

How many children do you want, and if you could "pick" the genders, what would you pick? And order counts :) 

Hmm...as far as children i think 2 would be nice and if i had a choice in gender i would pick both girls.  I think i would love to have daughters and they could be daddys little girls.  

Besides the obvious romance, what was the best part of your honeymoon? 

Oh man! Overall the honeymoon was beyond words, the food, the scenery and most of all i had the best company.  We did alot of tours and layed out but i think the best part about the honeymoon was to see some of the mayan ruins, i love old historic destinations so seeing the structures and to think of the history of the area was pretty awesome. 

Sarah asked:

Who should Jake have picked? Vienna or Tenley?

Alright so im guilty of watching the bachelor and loving it.  I think its hilarious but i def. think Tenley should have won, actually Ally was my favorite and she probably would have won if she stuck around.  

Who are your top three fav of American Idol?

As of right now my top three favorite idol hopefulls are, Crystal Bowersox, Andrew Garcia and Michael Lynch

When are you going to take your wife on a trip to the wonderful city of Lubbock?? 

Man i would love to get over to Lubbock and see yall we will be in Galveson in April but that is still is a far drive.  So maybe in the near future we can make it there!

Katie asked:

What are you thoughts about Fenway? The dog. Not the field.

Fenway is AWESOME!  haha...he is so cute, he can be a pain at times but man that dog loves to cuddle.  When we first got him I wasnt sure about a poodle but as soon as i held him and he licked my nose once and snuggled up I knew we had a winner.

Did you like sending out a picture christmas card or could you have lived without?

I dont mind sending out Christmas cards because i really enjoy getting them in the mail, so i would hope everyone enjoys it also.  Its like getting a break from bills in the mail when you open a card and someone is smiling at you on it!

Mac or PC?

Alright this is my life so Mac all the way.  Being a graphic designer i couldnt use anything else but a Mac, if i could have Apple everything id buy it all.

Reese's Pieces or Reese's Cups? (hello, I gave up sweets for lent - I have to live through others!)

Im a huge fan of Reese's Pieces ever since i was little i guess thats ET and Drew Barrymores fault

Lisa (a.k.a. Paige's Mom) asked:

Who is your favorite Mother in Law? (giggle)

Well since your my only Mother in Law you win but even if you werent hands down you have the favorite Mother in Law title!

Kristin asked:

How did you propose?!!

Alright so back in Feb 2008 i had completed Paige's ring and was so ready to finally ask her to marry me.  The day of Feb 9th i had to work that morning so i had Paige's mom help me out and place a box outside her door with a note from me that said put this on and ill pick you up at 3 oclock.  So while making her wait until then i went to a local

cave in Bowling Green that has a long walking path that can take you down into the cave.  So along the path i went and hid envelopes that contained pictures and had writing on the backs of them all a progression of our relationship and things that i loved about her.  So at 3 i picked her up and in her pretty green dress we went to the trail and at the time it was 60 degrees but it was much colder so she got a but chilly.  We started our walk and i pulled the envelopes out one by one and let her read each photo as we slowly got closer to the cave entrance that had an area where the river flowed into it.  As we reached the bottom my roommate at the time and his gf had a camera and video camera set up for the big moment. I walked Paige down to the river area which was brown and gross but still keep on trucking cause it was going to be beautiful no matter what.  At this point in the cave area it was prob about 45 degrees the dress paige was wearing was now not such a good idea cause she was real cold haha.  So i had a spot marked so the cameras could get it all and i got down on one knee and told her how much i needed her in my life forever and that having my best friend there by my side each day would mean the world to me.  She squealed a little and gave me a huge hug and i started putting the ring on the wrong hand cause i was a bit nervous at the time.  It was awesome cause we have it all on tape and pictures which are so cool to see.

Laura asked:

Where do you see you guys in 10 tens? (I think this is supposed to read in 10 years.)

I think 10 years from now, i see us with children maybe one or two by then, probably in another house by then just depends on space when we have little ones.  I love my job now but who knows in 10 yrs someday i want my own business but that maybe later down the road.

If you could visit anywhere in the world...where would you pick?

Ive been alot of places in the US but the one place in the world is Italy!  Italy has so much art id love to see and i dont even know where i would want to start.  Its so beautiful and would be incredibly romantic.  Im a fan of architecture and of artist like Michelangelo, and Da Vinci.   Im half Italian and i would like to go to Sicily where my family is originally from and hopefully see where they may have lived and see the country where my name and family began.

Thanks so much for participating you all! :)

A-B-C's!

So for a fun, small, weekend post, I stole this from Katie. :)

ABC's of Me!

Age: Loving 23 :)

Bed Size: Queen size.  My dog takes up way too much room sometimes though, so I wish we had a king! :)

Chore you hate: Folding laundry.  I don't mind taking it in and out of the washer/dryer, but I hate to fold! 

Dog’s name: My sweet little Fenway. 

Essential “start the day” item: Sweet Tea.

Favorite color: I am currently on a purple with green kick.  I really do love  all colors, and it depends on my mood which one I want to go with. :)

Gold or Silver: I usually prefer white gold or silver.

Height: Somewhere around 5'7"

Instruments you play: I used to rock the recorder in elementary school.  does that count?

Job Title: Behavioral Health Specialist

Kids: None at the moment.  Babies are definitely on the brain more than what they used to be, but hopefully not until finances are more in order to allow me to stay home.  

Living Arrangements: I love my beautiful home. 

Mom’s Name: Lisa!

Nickname: My mom used to call me Rooter because of the way I used to move around when she was pregnant with me.

Overnight hospital stays: Hopefully none unless I'm having a baby.

Pet peeve: People that refuse to see their blessings.

Quote from a movie: "I have a strict policy that no one cries alone in my presence." -Steele Magnolias

Righty of Lefty: Righty

Siblings: 1 seester.

Time you wake up: Around 7.

Underwear: Yes.  It's essential.

Veggie you dislike: Probably zucchini.  I love vegetables.

Ways that make you late: Traffic.  I leave at the same time everyday, but traffic does not always allow me to be on time.  Thank goodness for a flexible work environment!

X-rays you have had: I had an x-ray on my arm when I fell in middle school.  Thankfully no broken bones!

Yummy food you make: Smothered Enchiladas, King Ranch Chicken, Chicken Bruschetta

Zoo animals you like: Elephants!

P.S. Jason is going to draft is question and answer post to be posted on Monday! You all have asked some great questions! Keep them coming here! :)

Wishful Wednesday

I haven't participated in Wishful Wednesday in forever! I definitely have missed it, and I'm so excited to participate again! Head over to Kelsey's blog if you want to participate too!

This weeks topic:

'I wish' .... I could wear/could have worn _____ dress on my wedding day!

I loved my wedding dress. But if I had to do it all over again, I would have had a destination wedding. There were definitely a lot of things I would have much rather avoided on our wedding day, and the beach definitely would have been the ticket. (Disclaimer: The day I married Jason was the best day of my life. The days leading up to it were not.)

Anyway, since I would have had a beach wedding, I would have to change my dress! This is the one I'd change it to:

This is a Maggie Sottero gown in her "Destination" collection. I love unique necklines, which is what made me fall in love with my original wedding dress. I love the flow to this one and how beautiful it would look in the wind on a beach.

Such a fun post! Thanks Kelsey!

P.S. Don't forget to ask my husband your questions HERE! And if you've already asked a question, and thought of another, go right ahead! :)

He's Agreed!

After a LOT of convincing and reassuring, my handsome husband has finally agreed to do a "Ask Me Anything" guest blog!

So come on, ladies! Ask my husband anything!  I'll give you all a few days to get your questions in, and then I'll have him draft a post answering all of your questions! :)

Fenway's Weekend Playdate

My brother-in-law whisked my sister off for a wonderful 4 day trip to New York City for her birthday, so Jason and I have been taking great care of their dog, Jackson! Riley went to stay with my parents, and Fenway has a playmate! Jackson is about 5 years old, so he's really not into that puppy "hyper" stuff anymore. We did finally get them to play together last night, and we took some videos! The second video will give you all an idea of how silly my husband is!

A Story About Gas...

...not that kind of gas. Gasoline.

I am really, really good about keeping plenty of gas in my car. Really. My Dad always taught me to fill up when I had about a quarter of a tank left. I have never run out of gas before. I've been especially particular about my gas tank since I have a commute to work now. However, this past Thursday, I made an uh-oh.

First of all, let me show you what my gas gauge looks like (this is not my actual car, just a Google image, but you get the idea):

See the squares? Each little square turns off as my gasoline level decreases. When I get down to 2 squares, it means I have just under 2 gallons of gas left. I usually fill up around 5 squares. My cute little Honda gets about 25 miles to the gallon on the highway, which is fantastic. I work about 20-25 miles from home, and do quite a bit of driving around town during the day for my job.

Anyway, now that you have the logistics, I can explain what happened. I was at about 6 or 7 squares when I arrived to work on Wednesday morning, which is great. I headed back to town, and decided to swing by my parent's house for a bit before going home. On my way home, I noticed that I was down to 3 squares on my gas gauge! It was way past dark, and since I am such a weenie when it comes to the dark, I decided to go on home and leave a bit earlier the next morning to fill up before my commute.

I'm an idiot. I got on the interstate the next morning completely forgetting to fill up. I have 1 exit about 2 miles after my on ramp , but there are no immediate gas stations on that exit. After that exit, I have no options until I arrive in my designated county, which thankfully has a station as soon as I get off the ramp. Just as I passed my only exit option, my 3 squares went down to 2 and my gas light turned on. Uh-oh! I rolled my eyes at myself for forgetting, but was not worried about making it to my exit. I had about 16 miles to go, and as I said, my car gets about 25 miles per gallon. Since I had just under 2 gallons, I felt confident that I would make it with no trouble (even though I should never cut it that close.) So I drove along.

12 miles to go. My gauge quickly goes down to 1 square. I started to get worried then, because those stupid squares were just turning off way too fast! I called Jason. Jason reassured me I would make it with no problems.

Mile Marker 7. 1.2 miles to go. My FINAL square disappeared! I FREAKED! I called Jason again. I still had a mile or so until I made it to the gas station. I knew for sure that I was going to be stuck on the exit ramp, gas station in sight with no ability to reach it. I can only imagine my husband trying to hold in his laughter when I screamed: "I HAVE ZERO, COUNT THEM, NO YOU CAN'T BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ANY! MY GAS LINE IS EMPTY! I'M GOING TO BE STUCK ON AN EXIT RAMP LIKE AN IDIOT BECAUSE I AM AN IDIOT!"

I told him he was going to have to make the drive to help me push my car.

He finally laughed.

He told me that I'd make it.

I told him that he was dead wrong.

He asked if my car was sputtering.

I asked what that meant.

He laughed again.

I reminded him that I've never run out of gas before, so it wasn't my fault that I didn't know what sputtering was.

He told me that if I didn't notice anything different in my usual driving, then my car wasn't sputtering and that I would make it.

I made it. Just barely. Thank you Honda, for good gas mileage, even if your squares don't represent it. Thank you, Pilot Station, for being exactly where you needed to be.

Lucky 7

I wore pink to work today.

Today, I remembered moments of sitting in the waiting room, praying to understand.  I thought about the moments that would follow, and wondered just what the future was going to bring.  I watched my Dad sit in agony, and not speak a word to anyone else that was in the room with us that day.  I remembered watching the hospital bed wheel away, with only hope to hold on to what the next few hours would bring. 

I thought about the few weeks before that wait in the hospital, and the confusion I felt.  I thought about the total emptiness I felt.  I remembered how I (wrongly) felt that no one understood what my family and I were going through.  I remembered attempting to isolate myself, and doing anything I could to avoid facing what was right in front of me.  I remember the outpouring of love from people my family and I hardly knew.  

I thought about the relief we all felt after what felt like days in the waiting room.  I thought about the fears of the other news that we were still waiting on.  I remember it being a terrible, emotional, fearful day.  As I remember it now, those fears and emotions were certainly not enjoyable, but I'm thankful for them now.

Because today, I celebrate.  7 years ago today, my Mom became a survivor.

I will never forget hearing the news that my Mom was about to go through.  Most importantly, I will never forget her bravery and strength.  I know she had to be, but I certainly do not ever remember fear coming from Mom.  I remember how sick the chemo made her, and the battle she went through physically.  I remember hearing her say how sick she was of being sick.  Never once did she say that she was scared.  Being a survivor was her only option.  I will never forget that bravery.

The doctors always gave Mom goals and how they would decrease her percentage of her cancer coming back.  They would shoot for 1 year, then 5 years (the BIG one-so they say), and so on.  What we have learned since coming to know so many cancer patients that it does not matter what your percentage of recurrence may be.  We have met women who were 20 year survivors that have begun their battle again.  While that can was very discouraging for us to learn-it made us appreciate each moment and each year.  It has certainly always kept us guarded, but that guard has allowed us to bond in a way that we might not have otherwise.  That guard allowed us all to bond as a family, and allowed us all to develop a closer relationship with God.  

We have had many fearful moments of the possibility of cancer return over the seven years, and have been so relieved each time tests came back clearly.  Because of those scary moments, and because of Mom's bravery, my family and I are so thankful and happy to have her still here with us.  I am so thankful for each March that she can add to her survivor years.  I am so proud of her for facing such a scary disease with such grace and strength.  I am proud to tell everyone exactly why I wore pink to work today. :)

Happy 7 years Mom! Olive Juice.