Time is 'ROARING' On

We are already half-way through summer break, and I can already feel the burn of school rearing it's ugly head.  Good thing we are making the most of our free time, and by our, I mean Matt and the kids.  This is my first official summer working full-time, and I haven't been able to spend as much time with my kids as I would like.  Thank goodness their dad is wonderful and has accepted the challenge of keeping them occupied and entertained.  Karson kicked off summer break in WKU's Volleyball Camp which actually landed on the last day of school and following two days (Wednesday-Friday).  Matt decided to take the kids to swim that Friday - the last day of camp.  Prior to Friday, I had all of her stuff laid out for her - knee pads, outfit, got her hair pulled up, water bottle, etc.  Both she and Matt were responsible for the Friday stuff - they managed to forget her socks, clean underwear and water bottle.  Instead of making a trip back home, they improvised with using her bikini bottoms as underwear and borrowing a pair of socks from our friends.  I had to laugh and asked my friend Tammy to snap some pictures of her for me since I wouldn't be picking her up that day.  I told Tammy I couldn't promise she would be camera-worthy and explained about what had happened.  She told me her daughter was in the same boat and had swam all day and done her hair too.  TWINS =).

Karson and her friend Kaitlyn.  These two have been almost inseparable this summer.  They've participated in volleyball camps, clinics, open gyms and had lots of fun swimming (and texting).

We got to celebrate Emmie Lou's 8th birthday at The Skate Box in early June.  It's funny to me that Matt's youngest first cousin is the age of our youngest child.  The Skate Box was toasty warm.  One of the regulars there told me the air had been out for two summers.  Whew.  We were ready to go after three hours of skating but had a good time and got to celebrate with Emmie.

The cats still occupy most of Karson's time.  She spends every single second she can with them.

Our parents (Matt's and mine) had the opportunity to take a cruise this summer with friends.  They put us in charge of the cats and watering the plants.  Matt snapped this cute picture at their house when the kids were missing Pap and Nana.

Miles and his buddy Trapper playing a heated game of war.  I'm pretty sure these two are exact replicas of Matt and Weston at this age.

Writing lots of books and drawing is a great way to spend summer break.

I have been in the full thrush of summer camp at SKyPAC the past two weeks.  I knew it was going to be a fast and furious kind of thing.  Prior to that, I wanted to take the kids to do something special before all of my free time (and energy) was drained out of me.  We opted for the trampoline park in Nashville - called SKY Jump.  I highly recommend this place for kids.  Adults, not so much.  Matt and I should've taken cues from the other adults and NOT purchased tickets to jump.  I spent about two hours bouncing around and paid for it later.  There's a reason I keep Advil handy.  My body was subjected to a total readjustment =).

Our kids had the most fun playing trampoline dodgeball.  They asked me to join them for a couple of rounds.  I did what any good mother would do and joined them.  When I was waiting in line, a kid started trash talking me and essentially told me I was a "goner" in the ring.  He said, "everyone is going to go after you because you are an easy target."  WHAT?!?  I can't imagine any child going after the 37-year old mother on the court.  Thankfully they didn't.  I'm fairly certain they were avoiding me if anything.  The only kids trying to peg me were my own and vice versa.  I forgot how much fun a game of dodgeball is.

Karson attended the South Warren Spartans High School Basketball camp.  She won a defensive award this year and was treated to a chocolate milkshake.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed she be a part of this team in the future.

Matt took the kids to the waterpark last week.  Nothing screams waterpark enjoyment like a bright blue snow cone and tongue to match.

I had the opportunity to see Katy Perry's movie "Part of Me" a while back.  I thought to myself if I ever have the opportunity to see her in concert, I'm going to take it.  Her tickets came up for grabs for the Prism tour early this year.  I snagged a couple for me and my peeps.  I surprised Karson with the tickets on Easter.   Lisa scored us some cool t-shirts which we decorated at our traditional "pre-concert" shirt decorating party.  Fringe, beads, a night full of laughs, doing some impromptu Zumba, noshing on Zaxby's and jamming to KP got us pumped!

The day finally arrived Last Friday Night (hah- no pun intended). We got all glammed up with hair chalk, sticker nails, make-up, our shirts and headed to Nasvhille. I can't tell you how many compliments we got on our shirts - people were asking us where we got them. They were pretty awesome!

We took the girls to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville for dinner. Karson was tickled with her Viking balloon hat. 

Bridgestone was hopping before the concert - the energy in downtown Nashville so much fun!

Covergirl knows exactly how to market their products.  Their name was smattered all over everything - 3-D glasses, posters, and a gigantic InstaGlam booth where you got a free 3x5 picture.  If you had your picture made at one of the above posters, you were given coupons and free lip gloss and nail polish.  All the pictures made at the InstaGlam booth were posted continually on the jumbotron before the concert and between sets. I tried to take a picture but always missed our InstaGlam.  Capital Cities opened for Katy Perry.  They didn't take the stage until after 8 p.m., and they were loud.  Our seats were rattling, and all I heard were synthesizers.  The only song I recognized was "Safe and Sound".  The group played for about 45 minutes, and Katy took the stage after 9.  I was kind of surprised that she started that late especially since more than half of her audience was young people.  My iPhone pictures of the concert weren't the best.  However, there is no way a picture could capture the show.  It was entertaining from start to finish with Acts, costume changes, acrobats, crazy sets, etc.  We didn't get in bed until almost 2 a.m. and loved every single minute ROARING.

More summer fun to come...

Sometime in March 1996...

Our first HFC spring banquet as a couple.

I met my match.  He was an orange North-Face jacket wearing', gold Acura driven', blue eyed hunk, that I knew almost instantly I would wind up with permanently.  We met at the Hilltopper's for Christ on Western's campus and have been inseparable since.  I rummaged through old pictures and found a handful that highlight our 18 years together.  This post should've happened on June 5 as we celebrated our 15 years of married life.  We had a super romantic day - consisting of both of us going to work, dropping and picking Karson up at WKU volleyball camp and then my sweet mom cooking us dinner that evening along with my grandparents who have been married for 66 years now and share the same anniversary as us.

Our early days of dating - Ben was five (5) years old.  Ben then...

Ben now…he's a little older and larger.

We spent lots of time at Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley and Fairfield Glade with the entire Deaton family.  One of my favorite pictures from Patti's Restaurant.

Concerts at Opryland were always fun during our dating years.  I snapped this pic of Matt handing his golf cap to Willie so he could autograph it.  

Most of our dating years consisted of time with our HFC friends.  We vacationed in Daytona with about 50 of us staying in a two-bedroom condo.

Many spring and summer breaks were also spent doing mission work in Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and Guatemala.

We met lots of great friends and helped many churches with VBS's, small building projects, and spreading the gospel to people who had never heard of Jesus.

Matt baptizing one of many people in his life.

Retreats, conferences, mission work, school, part-time jobs, church and that was the gist of our college days at WKU.

I believe this was during a trip to Pigeon Forge when around 50 of us stayed in cabin made for a family of 12.  That was typical for us poor college kids.

Visiting the Alamo post one of our mission trips to Mexico - being in San Antonio was always a nice way to end Spring Break.

Matt marrying a couple that couldn't afford a church wedding - no telling how many wedding ceremonies Matt has conducted in our 18 years together.

I am fairly certain we took this picture the night we got engaged - or soon after - but don't know for sure (that suitcase in the background with an airport tag is throwing me off).  Matt's proposal was simple and happened around Christmas (December 13th I believe).  We went to Nashville, ate dinner at The Cooker and went to the Opryland Hotel to see the lights.  He didn't 'pop the question' at any of those places.  He asked me around 11:30 p.m. that night when I was in my pj's at home in BG and everyone I knew was fast asleep.  He told me he was really nervous and wasn't sure what I'd say -- he had the ring in his pocket the entire time.

Graduating from Western - who knew Matt would STILL be in school after 15 years of marriage.  He is a perpetual student who has more degrees than the average high school teacher.  I have a feeling Karson is going to follow in his footsteps.  Some people are just cut out for school - me, one and done, I can't ever imagine going back to school.  Never say never though.

I had a slew of wedding showers.  I don't think I've ever written that many thank you notes in my life.  In the picture above, we are holding a Love One Another cross stitch piece that my sister's mother-in-law made us.  It's currently hanging in my dining room and one of my favorites.  Thanks Vicky!

We spent our honeymoon on a cruise - Royal Caribbean - Sovereign of the Seas.  We were practically kids and although I feel like I've aged significantly (three babies, a muffin top, crow's feet around the eyes), Matt still looks almost the same.  

 Matt had a dream of becoming a professional golfer during the onset of our marriage which took us to Lake Park, Georgia (right outside of Valdosta).  A friend involved with the HFC's (from that area) put us in touch with a small church there looking for a charismatic youth and associate minister.  We met Evans and Lenora McMullen and the congregation of Lake Park Church of Christ.  It was a 9-hour fit for us, especially when I landed a job immediately at the Valdosta Times as an account representative in advertising sales.  Matt spent his days on the golf course determined - I spent my days in sales.  We both worked closely with the church.

Matt sitting on Shirley Tucker's couch snuggling with all her adopted babies.  Ms. Shirley was one of those rare people that truly defines selflessness.  She's right up there with Mother Teresa in our book.  She felt a calling to open her home up to small children when she witnessed a young child being back-handed off the porch by their guardians.  Matt went there weekly for visits.  Lake Park was a wonderful experience and testament of God's work - the people there treated us like family.  I can't think of many nights that people didn't open their homes up to us.  We had our dinner card filled 90% of the time.  We soon realized that golf was a dream and nothing more and living 9-hours from our family was harder than we thought.  It was a tough decision (but also joy-filled) when we left after eight short months and returned to Bowling Green.  If we could've scooped up that entire community and brought them home with us, we would have. We were leaving family to return to family.  It was truly heartbreaking.  I'm thankful for our time there, the relationships made, and that we are all united in Christ and will meet again one day.

We recently took a trip to Disney World and made a quick detour to Lake Park to see our first home (a townhouse) and the church we worked with.

Early Beginnings

We survived our first year of marriage and celebrated on anniversary at The Blue Mountain Mist Bed and Breakfast right outside Gatlinburg. We celebrated a little early because we had church camp on the agenda for our actual anniversary week.

We took our cake topper to Alvaton's church camp because our anniversary was actually during camp.  Matt's brothers enjoyed a piece of year-old cake as well.  I honestly can't remember if it tasted any good, but it didn't make any of us sick.

On the Belle of Louisville celebrating 50 years of marriage with my dad's parents - Margaret and the late Jack Pogue.

We spent our 2nd anniversary in Pigeon Forge staying at Eight Gables Bed and Breakfast. We hiked the Chimney Tops which was gorgeous, but we were bummed that a guy packing a baby on his back and trekking with a toddler made it up the hill faster than us 'young' people.  We nicknamed him "Babyback".  Little did we know, we would soon be having babies of our own...

I could probably upload a million more pictures, each with a story behind it.  I love taking pictures and creating memories - I love blogging and cataloging the events of our lives.  I love being a wife, a mother and a child of God.  I have been very fortunate - love the Dallas Willard quote (which is hanging in my office as a reminder). I hope believe I'm becoming better - as a wife, mother and child of God.  Here's to many more years together...

Free at LAST

The school year is officially over, finished, finito, closed, ceased, ended, you name it - any word to describe DONE!  I can't remember a time in my entire academic career (nor the kids) where school was extended into June.  That's plain crazy!  Don't get me wrong, it's nice having an unexpected snow day or two or even three during the winter season, but 13, are you kidding me?  To top it off, I believe there was only snow/ice on two of them.  Never mind.  We are out of school people, but prior to closing it out, we always end the school year with awards day.  I never have managed to attend all three kids awards ceremonies.  The teachers do their best to stagger them, but with three kids, it's nearly impossible to get to all of them.

Miles ceremony began promptly at 12:30 p.m.  His eyes lit up when I arrived in his classroom.  I walked over and gave him a great big smooch 'cause that's how I roll.  I took my seat with the other parents, and he quickly made his way over to sit right next to me.  He whispered, " do you think I passed and will get to go to 2nd grade?"  Ms. Ferry played the class video which I've attached to this blog (for current and future viewing)
Miles's 1st Grade Video

After the video, Ms. Ferry handed out class awards to the students.  Each teacher has different methods when it comes to handing out awards.  Some teachers give their students all of their awards at once when they come up in front of the class.  Some teachers give each student one award -making sure all students receive one initially- and then go back through and add the additional awards (perfect attendance, special(s) awards, etc.).  I'm not sure which I prefer because both last around the same amount of time.  Ms. Ferry chose the all-in-one method.  She also made a special effort with each child bragging on them and talking about their growth and progress through the school year.  Miles received the music award from Ms. Cothran, an artistic award and promotion to 2nd grade award.  I think he was most excited about the promotion to 2nd grade =) than anything.  He and I had to sneak out of his classroom and make our way down to Isaac's room for his ceremony which started at 1 p.m. (which was also the same time as Karson's).  Ms. Victery was talking to the class and parents when I arrived.  Miles and I snagged some seats in the back row.  Isaac's teacher did the one per student award method. Isaac ended up receiving the music award as well along with Ravenous Reader AR Award, Art Awards and Perfect Attendance.  Since I was at his ceremony, you'd think I would snap a picture or two, oops I forgot.  Thankfully my school BFF's husband snapped some 'candid' photos of Isaac simply because he was comical to watch. Thanks Jim.

At least his finger wasn't straight up his nose like usual.

Thank goodness I have wonderful friends, like Christy, who can take pictures for me, and I have an empathetic daughter who understands that I couldn't be present at her ceremony.  My ambitious child only has one award in mind each year, and that is to receive the PE award (awww, so much like her mama and Aunt Shannon - PE is the only one that matters, right).  I doubt their are many girls Karson's age that have devoted as much time and energy as she has to both basketball (playing since 1st grade) and volleyball (playing the last two years).  Not only does she commit to a sports season, she generally participates in summer camps and clinics for both.  For the last two months, she has been attending SWMS's open gym for volleyball. She can't accommodate the basketball one because it ends too early.  This child is both smart and athletic and I think she's pretty cute too.  After school today, her LAST day of school, she got home, changed into volleyball clothes, and I took her straight to WKU for a 3-hour volleyball camp.  Like I said, committed.  She's equally committed to academics and received six awards today - All A Honor Roll, Robotics, Academic Team, Student Lighthouse Team, Outstanding Leadership, and last but not least, the coveted PE award =).  I am continually proud of all three of our kids, they are always outstanding in my book.  Bring on summer break, we are SO ready!