best surprise ever

after lunch today i was sitting in my cube and had posted something on fb about getting my bangs trimmed.  trivial.  i know.  my college roommate/sorority big sis (who now lives in NY) commented asking where i worked.  i thought it was an odd question but told her the place where i was in college, senior year (yes, i’m STILL there.)  she then asked the name of it.  again, i thought, this is so random.  but i told her.  about 3 minutes later she and her mom popped their heads in my cube and i think i screamed like a little girl!  and i also teared up b/c i’m an emotional person and happiness makes me cry!

(i just fished up all these old pics from a box and laid them on my table and took pics of them.  please forgive the quality.)

i first met brandi when i pledged kd in the fall of 1999.  she was a year ahead of me and we became friends.  she ended up being my big sis.  over the next 2 years we became the best of friends.  she lived with carrie cage at the time (just down the hall from me in dudley dorm!) and the 3 of us were always together.  one memorable trip…  we decided to all get tattoos.  i went first.  i bared my butt to leroy the skank at ink slingers in monroe and i now have a nice butterfly on my lower back.  after seeing that carrie backed out and went for a belly button piercing.  she nearly passed out and brandi left there completely clean!  ha!  if either are reading this they’ll remember what happened on the way home.  i’m not sure which of their boyfriends heard our entire convo but i’m sure they had a great time making fun of me!!  i remember calling her when the twin towers were hit on 9/11 to see if she’d heard.  she came home and we sat on the couch and watched it all unfold.  i called her in the middle of the night when rett’s mom passed away b/c i knew she wouldn’t mind (and she came home and slept in the apt that night so i wouldn’t be by myself).  we ate more chips and dip in that apt than i care to think about and i know it’s b/c of her that i’m addicted to chips and dip!  we did lots of “drive-bys” of cute boy’s houses.  we danced our butts off at rabbs.  we did ridiculous diets (like cigarettes and pickels! don’t ask.)  she painted the majority of my party cups and never complained about it!  we gossiped, we laughed and we cried.  the memories are just too many to list.

before “bikers and babes” which i believe was fall party.  this was our apt so it had to have been my junior year. 

 

my jr year/her sr year we decided to be roommates in an apt on barnett springs.  that place is so sketch now but back then it was home!  we probably lived together for about a year and a half.  we didn’t leave that apt on the best of terms but we both grew up and reconnected shortly after college.  she and her mom have always held a special place in my heart!  her parents always treated me like i was one of their own.  the last time i saw her was at her wedding to matt in hot springs just over 6 years ago.  and she hasn’t changed a bit!

it was SOOO GREAT seeing them today and i am just on cloud 9.  brandi had flown in today and her mom had picked her up in monroe.  they came to ruston b/c her mom wanted to show her everything that had changed.  and they took time to come see me.  i know you’ll read this brandi so thank you!  it made my day/month/year!

now, if you’ll send me that pic we took today i’ll edit this post to add it! :)

first spaghetti

at least i think this was.  so i documented it last night.  thanks gg for the homemade sauce and meatballs!

kade is 3!

saturday we went to celebrate kade luker’s third bday.  he’s all about some batman.  that was new for this girl mama!  once olivia warmed up she had a blast riding his battery operated john deere and jumping in the jumpy. 

pigskins and pearls 2011

this has quickly become one of my favorite events of the year and it’s only on year 2!  you can read about last year here. 

this year we signed up early (like 4 months ago) b/c i was for sure that the earlier you signed up the better table you got.  i was sorely mistaken.  clearly my name doesn’t have much pull.  :)  but that’s ok.  it was still a great time!  this year’s highlight for me was the running back coach, pierre ???.  he was really funny!

#89 was back which also made my day.  except he let his hair grow out and that just wasn’t doing it for me.  he’s a baby but what a cute baby he is!  :)

it’s no secret how much i love louisiana tech university and  tech football.  the 2 will always hold a special place in my heart.  it makes me happy to attend events like this and in return a great organization is helped.  i’ve done several volunteer hours at the boys and girls club so i’ve seen first hand their needs.  the money raised from this event directly benefits the local b&g club and that makes me smile.  i’ve always said (well, i’ve said it for a few years now) that my dream job is to be a volunteer.  i really love using my time to help others.  i don’t have many talents but my time i can for sure give!  if ever given the opportunity to not work (guess i’ll need to win the lottery or how old does a kid have to be work?  :) ) i would most definitely spend my time volunteering for organizations like this one.

pop’s bday!

yesterday pops turned 59 (i think; regadless, i’m close.)!!  i don’t know what we’d do if jackie wasn’t always so on top of things!  she always comes to the rescue with a fab party for all of the fam!  thanks jackie!  and happy bday pop!

tech fan fest

after church and a quick lunch today we headed to the tac for fan fest.  i’ll be honest.  we weren’t there to meet the players.  (even though we had to walk in with them b/c we were late!)  that’s just not our thing.  we go for the fun girly things; jumping, cheerleaders, dancers, champ, tech xx.  you get the point.  well…  maybe o wasn’t quite ready for all that this year.  she still hates champ, wasn’t interested in the cheerleaders or dancers, wanted to jump but was scared of all the big kids and was barely interested in tech xx (and considering her love of all animals i was shocked.)  after she finally got off my hip she walked around for a little while and then i finally called it quits.  and she cried the whole way out wanting to jump.  it will be better next year!

this shirt she’s wearing…that was a dress last year.  my baby is growing up!  and for all those wondering (b/c i know that you are SOOO interested in our lives!  ha!) potty training was a complete bust.  but it’s ok.  we’ll just wait a while and try again later.  but this pic was cute of her in her minnie mouse panties that she picked out.

happy place and hill’s 29th

i haven’t blogged in over a week.  i don’t have a lot going on but i am finally finding my happy place in this world and it feels good.  over the past several months i’ve become content with who i am, what i have and where i’m going.  and honestly, i like it like this!  it’s really freeing just to let it all go and trust God. 

today is hillary’s 29th bday!  happy bday hill!  we celebrated last night at portico and then today at raw for lunch.  i’m blessed beyond measure with the best of friends. i’m going to start potty training olivia on saturday.  we’re doing this like i’ve done every thing else with her…cold turkey!  we’re going to walmart tmrw after work so she can pick out her big girl panties and so that i can stock up on carpet cleaner.  :)  i’m not sure if she’s totally ready for this but we’re gonna give it a try.  and if by noon on saturday i’ve had enough and i give up i’m not going to beat myself up about it.  we’ll just wait a month and try again.  so there.  i’ve put it out there so there is no turning back now!  wish me luck!

3 cute stories i don’t want to forget

these are just some random things o has said over the past week that i don’t want to forget.

yesterday while i was at work my mom dropped off some cookies for olivia.  she always wraps them like a present.  we got home and i told o that gg had left something for her and pointed to the table.  o got really excited and said, “present, present!  open, open it mama!”  i got it down and helped her open it and then heard, “cookies mama!  cookies mama!  i want to eat them mama!” 

every morning i grab a bottle of water before walking out of the door.  i also let o put her milk in the fridge so she can have it after school.  the other morning i told her it was time to go and she says, “milk fridge mama.  milk fridge.”  so i open it for her and she puts it on the bottom shelf.  then i hear, “watey mama, watey.” (she calls water “watey”.)  i said, “no olivia you just had milk.”  then she insists.  so i open the door (b/c i have to get my water anyway) and she gets excited, opens the drawer, pulls out a bottle and says, “here mama, watey.  here mama.”  she’d gotten my water for me!  so sweet!

and she has FINALLY started trying to say her own name.  she’ll say “weva” and the occasional “oweva” but it’s hard to get her to do it.  and it’s the sweetest word i’ve ever heard her say.

for so long i was so worried about her speech.  she didn’t really start talking until well after her 1st bday and when her friends were talking in sentences she was still sticking with 1 to 2 word phrases.  i have decided that she just doesn’t want to mess up the pronunciation of a word so she just doesn’t say it until it’s right.  she is pretty much talking in sentences and i can understand about 95% of it.  that’s crazy to me!  she’s still my baby!  she still won’t talk much in front of others (strangers to her) and i don’t totally understand that but she’s doing it at home and that’s what counts.  we’re also finally counting to 10 (leaving out 4 but whatever, she’s got the concept) and trying to say the abc’s.  i can tell she wants to say them with me and she does get a few of the letters but she’s not totally ready to commit to the whole thing so she kind of hums along with me.  our colors aren’t going so good.  EVERYTHING is red.  and when i say “no, this is green.” she’ll repeat green and then when i come back to it she says red again.  i just don’t get it!  i’ve been working on colors forever!  but she is only 2 so i’m not ready to have her tested for color blindness.  the way i figure it; as long as she knows them by pre-k then i’m happy.  :)  we’ll just keep working!