Morgan = Best Husband!!!

I have to take a moment and brag on Morgan. He deserves the "best husband" award. My sweet man does so many things for me on a daily basis that I know I take for granted. Last night and this morning we were kind of in a little mini fight. LONG STORY!!! I went to work and I told my friend Courtney that I was going to give Morgan a test today. Yes, I am well aware that this is not right and all types of wrong, but I was going to do it anyway. I worked yesterday and today so I was beyond exhausted when I got off work tonight. These two days have been really busy. Not the type where we just sit around and eat bohn bohns all day long. I needed to go to Target desperately (almost out of toilet paper, no paper towels, etc.) and tonight after work was the best time for me to go because this weekend is going to be busy. So I told Courtney that I was going to text Morgan, like I always do, and tell him that I was leaving and stopping by Target on my way home. In my perfect, ideal world called "Laura Land," this is when he would text back, "okay, I will meet you there." Morgan knows how much I absolutely HATE going to Target alone. To make it worse, it's freezing cold and windy. So I text him and NO RESPONSE! I ALWAYS get a response from him, nothing. So I am pushing my buggy through Target expecting any minute for him to show up and surprise me. Nope! I'm loading our groceries in my SUV, freezing my butt off, and getting more upset by the second. I call him when I am pulling out of the parking lot and at the same time remind myself of the great advice my friend once told me, PICK YOUR BATTLES. WELL, the reason why he did not meet me at Target is because last night I was telling him how my parents are coming up this weekend and how I was going to have to clean the entire house Saturday before they get here. I asked him if he could just vacuum and I would do the rest. I pull up in the driveway and there he is, as always, waiting outside on the back step to help me carry in the groceries. I walk in to a spotless house. The floors swept and mopped. Trash taken out, dishes from the dishwasher put away. Cat Fed. Lillie Fed. The furniture polished, changed the bath matt in the bath tub, the TOILETS AND SINKS spotless!!! Morgan said, "Laura, I want you to look at the toilets and sinks, you can eat off them." Okay, don't know if I would go THAT far, but they were spotless. This is on top of his long day at work he had and he has to get up at 0630 and go to work in the morning. Plus, he had to leave work at 5pm to go meet his mom at the vet for our sweet Lillie Bear. I love Morgan with allllllll of my heart and am so thankful God had him in mind as my husband. He does a million things for me, half I probably don't even realize, to make my life easier!!!! I love you Morgan and I am sorry that I "tested" you today. Technically, you failed. But really, you passed with flying colors since you cleaned the entire house! YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

K-I-N-D-N-E-S-S

• Today I decided that I would skip the gym and workout outside instead because it is such a beautiful day. I had my MP3 player to listen to music but I still got a little bored. You would think Jake, the neighbor's dog, barking at me every time I walk by would be entertainment enough. No, I needed something else to do. So I decided that every time a car drives by, I would initiate the friendly wave. I was thinking to myself and trying to figure out why are we so weird about waving at complete strangers. So I decided I would see how many people would wave back. ( I know, this sounds silly, but it entertains me...and Jake who likes to bark at the cars.) I would say maybe 10 cars went by and I have to subtract my father in law and Nannie because they don't count. They HAVE to wave at me, haha! I can say, everyone waved back, even the passengers in the car. A couple of times I was disappointed because they waved first. Okay, not really disappointed but I wanted to wave first.
  
  As I was walking I got to thinking lately about efforts I have been trying to make when I come across people. It all started because I have patients and families at work that say to me, "Are you coming back tomorrow? I want you to be my nurse. You are a good nurse are good at your job. etc." No, definitely not bragging on myself but I have to tell you this to tell you why I have started doing what I do. I was thinking, "Man, I like when my patients tell me these things. It makes me feel good and gives me hope in what I am doing. It's nice to feel appreciated."
  
  What I have been doing is that when I go to a store, mainly Target because that's where I go the most, and the cashier is really good at his/her job, I will tell them, "Thank you so much. You are really good and fast at your job. I appreciate it." You should see his/her face. They are shocked and smile and say thank you. That has to be such a thankless job. Dealing with people who really don't want to be standing in line to spend money on groceries? Ya know? I'm sure they don't come across the most friendly people in the world. I've heard once that if you are thinking something nice about someone, you should tell them. None of us receive enough compliments in this life and we all know how compliments make us feel better. I don't only do this at Target. I tan so I see the same girls all the time. If a girl cuts or colors her hair and I really like it, I tell her. Her face lights up and I can tell she really appreciates a stranger noticing something like this on her. I also do this with co-workers. If they have on a cute pair of scrubs, different hair style, etc. I say something and compliment them.
  
  I'm only saying all of this because I think it's something we should all be doing. I challenge everyone that reads this to start complimenting those you come in contact with in your life and see how it blesses you. You can start a domino effect and maybe this world will be a happier place. Being kind to one person may cause them to be kinder to many more. At the very least, you made someone smile.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES!!!

Since my past two blogs were not so much on the bright and sunny side of life, I figured I would tell you about my day today. Let's start with last night...

I was absolutely dreading going to work today based on my past two weeks. Absolutely dreading it. I think I would have rather gone and dug ditches all day than go to work. But I knew I had to go and there was no getting out of it. I was talking to my dad and I was telling him how I felt and that I didn't think I could survive another bad day. That I didn't want to start hating my job. I asked him (and I know he probably told my mom) to say a prayer for me and my work today that it would be a good day. I told him lately that I felt like either God was hearing my prayers and was just not answering them the way I wanted, or they, for whatever reason, weren't getting to Him...which I know isn't true. I know God's plan for our day/patients is not our plan but sometimes it's hard to acccept. Anyway, so my dad said he would pray for me and some how I got this refreshing feeling that it was all going to be okay. Again, I also prayed to God that He would bless me (and my coworkers) with a good day because I didn't want to start hating my job because I was starting to despise it...yes, 99.9% of the time I LOVE it, but that 1% can really do us in as nurses...that's why so many nurses give up after a year. I prayed that I would be a blessing to my patients and that they would be a blessing to me. I also prayed to God that I would acccept my assignment because I will know it's one that He picked out especially for me. I know this might sound nuts to those that aren't too religious, but it works for me. (Just so you know, assignments haven't always been handed out fairly lately.)

I get to work and praise God, we are REALLY staffed well which means we have 3-4 patients a piece. That's unheard of. Then I look at my assignment and I see I have a Gyn patient. A Gyn is usually a lady that has had a hysterectomy. You must know, you've got a 50-50 chance of these types being good patients. They either do everything perfect or everything exactly how you don't want them to do it. I thought to myself, "Dang! UGH!" But then I reminded myself that this was an assignment that God picked out especially for me so it was all going to be okay. Sure enough, my four patients did everything PERFECTLY! My Gyn patient was such a sweet heart and one of the best I have ever had. We had a great day together. Then I got a fresh c/s patient. Another fact you must know, these ladies will either have pain not controlled by the epidural alone, nausea/vomiting, or itching issues. Hallelujah, my lady had NONE of these. When I was receiving report on her the first thing out of the nurse's mouth was, "You will love this couple. They are so sweet, funny, and a joy to take care of." Praise God! They were the nicest couple and the husband had a great sense of humor. I have kind of a dry/sarcastic sense of humor and he totally got it. I am actually sad that I am not working tomorrow so I could take care of all of these wonderful patients I had today.

On top of it all, I also worked with some great girls. Lydia who keeps me laughing. I swear the two of us could talk allllllll day about the color of the sky. Stephanie is so calm and just something about her, when I work with her, it's always nice and peaceful. Then Christine who ALWAYS makes me laugh. Toni and her stories about her daughter, Emily, and how I get to relive my college years vicariously through her. So fun! BUT.....the best part is that we got to talk forever about DWTS and analyze ALL of the dancers. haha!

So, that was my "gift from above" type of day. I seriously believe and know that God knows what we need. He knows when we are about to reach our breaking point and will give us a break. You may completely disagree with everything I say, but it's what gets me through this crazy, lovely, fantastic, sometimes stressful life of mine. Like my friend Leigh-Taylor just told me (who I also asked to pray for me) "we need these type of days to make us want to come back." So true, LT! So True!!!

Plus, I am so thankful to have parents that I can call in an instant and ask for prayers. I know they have sheltered me through life and I wouldn't have it any other way. Like Lydia's quote today to her parents that goes something like this...NEVER STOP ENABLING ME FOR I WOULD BE LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE! I just love this quote. You can never love your kids too much!!!

JoBs!

Okay, so I am a little frustrated today. WHY is it so hard for people to do their jobs right? I mean, really! Come on!!! I think I have been experiencing a lot of incompetent people lately and today just finally sent me over the edge. I went to Toyota to get my oil changed which normally only takes 30 minutes on a bad day. An hour later, I am still sitting there. So I get up to only see my car sitting there on the drive. I asked the girl who had been helping me why my car was sitting there, how long had it been sitting there, and why haven't they called me. Normally they call my name, I pay, and then they pull my car around. So God knows how long it had been sitting there. She said she didn't know what had happened, apologized, and told me that she would take $5 off my price, big whoop. But, at least she was making an effort. THEN, she said, "they said your air filter needs to be changed." It was checked on some sheet. I asked her, "Why didn't they tell me this while my car was pulled back like they normally do? What's the point in checking it off on a sheet and then telling me when I am about to walk out the door?" Of course she just stared at me like a deer caught in head lights. I was firm, but never raised my voice. Of course, again, she had no answer. I know people are human and make mistakes, but come on. Some common sense would be nice. I had my debit card out ready to pay and she said there would be no charge today. Which honestly, I would almost rather pay because I wasn't making a scene to get a free oil change. I was making a point so it wouldn't happen to me again or another customer. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I treated my patients like this they would die! What if I just ignored that my patient was bleeding too much or her blood pressure was too high? Would I still have a job or a live patient, NO! Okay, I feel a little better now.

Livin' in a Country Song

This week has probably been one of the worse weeks I have had in a while. In the grand scheme of things and in relation to other people's problems I know my problems are nothing, but still...

The other night when Morgan and I were saying our prayers it was his turn and this is what he said, "Dear Lord, Why? Why did our dishwasher decide to flood part of the kitchen? Why did our heater decide to quit working? Why did our electric blanket decide to quit working? Why?" I must say when these words came out of his mouth I couldn't help but smile and think to myself, "that sounds like a country song, all we need is for Lillie (our dog) to run off." Earlier in the week we were sitting here one night watching TV and thankfully for whatever reason, I got up and went in the kitchen. What did I find? A big pile of soap suds on our wood floors. I then screamed, don't ask me why I screamed because this was absolutely nothing to scream over, and Morgan came running in there. Now this is a new dish washer so this should not be an issue, right? But of course this is the week from hell so it decided to flood onto our wood floors. Not sure what was wrong. We cleaned up the soap suds, which isn't fun if you have ever had to do this because they don't really soak into a towel well. Morgan then some how fixed the dish washer. We haven't had any more problems since that night. Then on Wednesday when I woke up our house was like a refrigerator because when we went to bed the night before it was in the 70's outside so of course we had the AC on. I went to turn the heat back on and nope, not working. UGH! So I thought, okay, that sucks but at least we have our electric blanket and space heater tonight. We'll just shut all the doors to our bedroom and we will be fine. So that night I plug the electric blanket in around 2000 so our bed would be nice and toasty when it was bedtime. Finally it's bedtime and nope, bed nice and FREEZING! Again, UGH! Once again, Morgan some how knew what the issue was, fixed it, and we finally got a toasty bed. This is what lead to Morgan's sweet prayer. I say "sweet" because when he was saying it, he wasn't asking God in a hateful tone, but a very sweet, concerned voice. Which, by the way, I have heard people say that we should never ask God "Why" but I completely disagree. I think it is okay to ask God "Why" when something is happening or something is going wrong because that is part of our human nature.

These three events alone are not why I am saying this week has been miserable. Work has been CRAZY!!! JCAHO is here visiting. These are the people that give us our license to continue being a functioning hospital providing patient care so it is a really big deal. Whenever they come, oh my, it's always crazy. They expect us to know everything about EVERYTHING and it's just not possible!!! On top of them coming, we have had sooooooooo many deliveries and Gyn surgeries. Tuesday when I worked we had 21 deliveries. It was crazy! I love my job but some days are just exhausting, just like all jobs, but what makes our job extra exhausting is that it's not only physical or only mental, it's both. I've said this before, you better know how to manage a million balls in the air at one time without dropping a single one or you will drown. That's the only way to explain it. Also, you better have some GREAT co-workers that know the meaning of "team player" because it's inevitable, 3 of your patients will call at one time needing something. It never fails. Plus, my patients this week seem to be more sick and having more issues going on so that makes it more challenging. I like a challenge, but not when 4/5 have something going on. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful that we are booming right now because there are so many people that are losing their jobs. I heard that our field of nursing is recession proof because people can't afford to go out to eat or to the movies so they just stay home and well, ya know what happens...haha!

I wrote this blog to tell those that think that my life is so smooth without any bumps, that there are bumps! I don't mind them, I just don't want every week to be like this week. The thing about weeks like this is that it really makes me appreciate every other week that is nice and calm and "vanilla" so to speak. It makes me extra appreciate my patients that just move on along exactly how they are supposed to without any complications.

OH, to top it off, I almost hit our neighbor's dog on the way home. It's a great big dog, same markings as Lillie. I think it's a Mastiff? Not sure. Anyway, he likes to think he's a hot shot and depending on his mood he will chase me as I drive by. Other days he just stares at me. Not tonight. He came darting out and how I didn't hit him I don't know. Now that really would have been the perfect ending to our "country song" type of week. Also, the reason why I am up right now is thanks to someone texting Morgan some stupid joke at midnight....waking me up!!! Yes, we will have a talk about this in the morning. :)

Tyler State Park

My parents went Thursday to Tyler State Park to camp out for a few days. Okay, let me just tell you that your version of camping out and their version of camping out are most likely completely different. First of all, they have a 5th wheel travel trailer that has stairs and a fire place. Yes, it's fake, but it's still a fire place. It's one of those that you just push a button and instantly you have flames and heat. It cracks me up. Then, of course, they have to have satellite TV. My dad bought an extra Dish to take when they go camping. That cracks me up, too. But the thing that makes me laugh the most about my parents style of camping is that when I got there I asked my mom what she had been up to and she said, "Oh, just finished a load of laundry." HAHA! Yes, they have a washer and dryer in a TRAVEL TRAILER!!! I still can't believe they have these things. They could live out of this trailer and be completely happy. I wouldn't be surprised some day if this is what they do because they LOVE camping so much!!!

My parents invited us out a few days ago but I wasn't sure if we would be able to go. Morgan worked until noon and then he was also on call for work. Luckily, it's not the super busy time of the year...YET...SO we really didn't have much to worry about. Tyler is about 2hrs and 15 min away from our house so if he got a call, he would kind of be "screwed" for a lack of a better word. Anyway, I didn't think we should go. I thought it was too chilly and windy. I thought Morgan would agree with me because I didn't think he'd be in the mood for driving that much in one day after just finishing working 6 days in a row. But, he wanted to go so I agreed.

I am so glad we went. We had a wonderful time! Despite us fighting...if that's what you want to call it...on the way down there because Morgan likes to take the back way every where and that drives me crazy. I'd rather just get on central expressway to 20 and be done with it. Nope, we've got to take the scenic route which included MANY stop lights, slow speeds, and construction, ugh! Seriously, we don't fight unless we're in the car. We finally get there and hang out for a while. Then I decided it would be a good idea to take a walk around the lake. That sounds like a pretty short trip, but it's about 2 miles and it was really cold. I had fun, though. It was a nice little work out with a beautiful view!!! We then came back and chilled out with my parents and had dinner. Let me just say, once again, I have the BEST dad on the face of this earth. I ALWAYS crave smores when we're "camping." My dad taste tested the year old smores stash and determined that it was no good. After I insisted that he did not have to go to the store and get smores stuff, he did. He would do anything in the world for me without hesitation! After we had a fresh smores stash to work with, we made smores on the oven burner which is kind of hard because it's easy to burn your marsh mellow which apparently isn't an issue since we all enjoy our marsh mellows as black as possible. After watching Funniest Home Videos we were on our way home...this time 20 to central expressway...haha!

We had such a lovely time "camping" today with my parents. It brought back great memories of when I was a child taking many hikes around the lake. It was just nice to finally have the BEST husband to take that walk with. I'm beginning to realize that the times in life I hesitate about going some where but do eventually go, turn out to be the greatest days!!! Thanks mom and dad for today, we really enjoyed it and look forward to another "camping" day with the two of you. I know Lillie also enjoyed the few days she spent with y'all camping. After all, that was her first home.

Facebook & Myspace

I am beginning to think Facebook and Myspace are an evil part of my life. Here lately, I feel like they are consuming way too much of my time. How do I know? The other day Morgan told me that I should have married the computer. That just made me really sad. Then today I read my friend Cassie's blog and she was suggesting the same thing and that she was giving it up for "lent" even though our religion doesn't do that. I thought that was pretty neat of her to do. This Myspace and Facebook is almost like a sick addiction. What's everyone doing? What's the latest status on everyone? What's everyone's mood? If I go work out, go to Target, go eat with Morgan, I always feel like I have to check both of these sites when I get home. Afraid I am going to miss something. I know I am not the only one that feels this way because some of my friends and I have talked about it. Why is this? For me, I feel like I get to connect with my friends more, especially through Facebook. I'm really starting to enjoy Facebook more than Myspace because more of my friends seem to be on there and plus, it is just easier to talk to people. The only problem is, the relationship that means the absolute most to me in the entire world is starting to suffer. I am only admitting what I am about to say to prove my point and maybe wake up someone else who also has this issue...

Yesterday I worked which means I leave the house at 0540 and get home at 2000. That's a long day and a looong time to be away from Morgan. What did I do when I got home? I ate dinner and then checked my email because my cell phone told me that I had an email from my dad. My dad and I email almost every night and I really enjoy it. That's where it should have stopped, but it didn't. Of course I had to check my Facebook and Myspace. I some how got sucked into Facebook by some of my friends when we all got into a conversation. Who should I have been conversing with? Morgan, the love of my life. Was I? No. He was laying on the couch watching TV and I was sitting in bed. To top it off, my friend Lydia and I were texting on our cell phones...after I had just spent 12 hours at work with her. I ended up going to bed at 2145. I woke up at 0130 and Morgan was still in the living room asleep on the couch with the lights and TV on. No, this is not a typical night for us, but it is a night that really opened my eyes! IT SHOULD NOT BE THIS WAY!!! So, from now on to all my friends that I love talking to and keeping up with through Myspace but mainly Facebook, I am going to stay off of it at night when Morgan comes home. I don't want to ruin our relationship over Myspace and Facebook.

Now that I have typed all of this, I am wondering if there should be a self help group for all of us addicted to Facebook and Myspace. I think these sites are wonderful for bringing old friends together and keeping up with everyone, but there comes a point when it's a problem. I've reached that point and am not afraid to admit it! But I am not just admitting it, I am DOING something about it. Get ready Morgan, you are about to get a whole lot of Laura back in your life...haha!!! You spoil me and treat me like a princess and deserve my attention!!!!! I love you tons, Morgan!!!

Learn About Us!

Now that I have people tell me they actually read this blog and have learned more about Morgan and me through it, I decided to do this fun questionnaire and post it for everyone.

♥ How long have you been together?
We have been married for 9 months and "together" for a total of 2 years and 4 months.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We went on our first date within 4 days of meeting each other, but "dating" about a week and a half.

♥ Who asked who out?
He asked me out.

♥ How old are each of you?
We are both 31, but I am 6 months older than him.

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
We see his brother all the time. At least every week.

♥ Do you have any children together?
No, not yet. Hopefully someday soon.

♥ What about pets?
We have a pug named Lillie Bear who is spoiled rotten!

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Communication! His entire family is bad at communicating so I get frustrated easily with that, but it's getting better.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
No

♥ Are you from the same home town?
No. I am from Fort Worth and he is from Blue Ridge.

♥ Who is the smartest?
Morgan says I am but it really depends on the issue or topic at hand. Morgan is smart, too.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Oh, definitely me. Hands down, me!!!

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Well, I love MiCocina but there is also a great local Mexican restaurant in McKinney that we go to a lot and this fish place in Princeton that we really like, too. The good thing with both of these places is that it's always the same people working so we get to know them.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
We went to Jamaica for our honeymoon. We also drove to Colorado one summer. That's where Morgan wants to live someday.

♥ Who has the craziest exes?
Fortunately, neither of us have crazy exes but if I had to say, I would say Morgan.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Hmmm...good question. I am a perfectionist and if something is not going right, I could get bent out of shape. Morgan also has a temper but he never shows it to me. You get Morgan, his brother, and his dad together working cows and oh my, tempers flying everywhere. It's crazy! They can sit there and yell, scream, curse at each other and the second they are done working cows, it's all good. Laughing and getting along. It's the most bizarre thing I have ever seen.


♥ Who does the cooking?
We both do. I came home from work tonight and Morgan had dinner ready...thank goodness for sweet husbands!!!

♥ Who is more social?
Definitely me!!! I love meeting new people. Morgan will hardly talk if he doesn't know you. Get some alcohol in him and he'll talk to anyone.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
Me!!!!!!!!!! Although, Morgan is neat too. Never have that problem with underwear, socks, shoes laying on the floor. He's so good about picking up after himself. I got lucky when I married him!!!


♥ Who is the more stubborn?
Me!!! He tells me this all of the time. Morgan is so laid back, easy going.

♥ Who hogs the bed?
Definitely Morgan! Even though we have a king size bed, he will still hog it. Although he would probably say I do because I sleep with a body pillow on each side of me. Thanks to my friend Lynn's recommendation, I now sleep with a body pillow between us because he hogs the bed sooooo bad and it has helped. He's still bad though!!!

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
I wake up at 0445 when I work, otherwise it's 0900. Morgan wakes up at 0600 six days a week.

♥ Where was your first date?
Black Eyed Pea...I had a stomach virus and the only thing that sounded good was soup and salad. We then went to a movie.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
We both have big families, but his is probably bigger.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
I used too. Not anymore. Doesn't bother me though. I insisted that he better not get me flowers for Valentine's Day tomorrow because they are too expensive. Actually, the last time he got me flowers was last Valentine's Day. He had them sent to my work because I worked that day. Oh well, I am really not a flower girl.

♥How do you spend the holidays?
We spend time with both of our families.


♥ Who is more jealous?
Neither of us are jealous...it's great!!! I have friends whose husbands drill them if they are going out with their girlfriends or text/call while they are out. Morgan isn't like that at all! He's like, "Have fun, I love you, and I will see you when you get home!" He's so awesome!!!

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
A week and a half. I knew I was going to marry him the second he smiled at me.

.♥ Who does/did the laundry?
Another perk to being married to Morgan, we both do. He's so helpful.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Typing...definitely me!!! As far as if something goes wrong and fixing it? Definitely Morgan!

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Well, driving is practically the only time we fight. If we are in a hurry, me!!! I'd say Morgan drives 60% of the time. He hates the way I drive and he drives okay. He's just too cautious and
it can drive me crazy!!!

Rodeo!!!

My dad, my brother and me when I was 2 1/2 yrs old before the Rodeo.

My Cowboy and Me!

My wonderful parents!

The grand entry...one of my favorite parts!

Love the racing!

Bull riding...makes me nervous!

Morgan and I were lucky enough to get to spend a few days in Fort Worth this week. Morgan always takes a few days off work for the stock show and especially this part of it, the steer show. He just loves it and soaks it all in. He would wake up and get down there about 8 and come home around 8. Since I have met Morgan, I have a completely different view on the Stock Show. Before I met him, I just wondered around, looking at animals, kind of clueless I guess you could say. Now that I am married to Morgan, I get to go where they are preparing to show the cattle, see what they do, and it's actually very interesting. We watch the cattle shows and he explains to me everything that is going on. We also sometimes watch the sale of the animals, which is the part that breaks my heart. Some of the kids get so attached to these animals because they have raised the animal since birth, preparing it for this exact moment. The kids become attached and when some of them are on the auction block with their animal,s they are crying. It's so sad to me. I am weird and also look at it from the animals perspective. I some how think they know what's going on and that they are actually going to miss their owners, which I know is absolutely absurd. Anyway, Morgan explains to me what's going on at the auction. At first when they would say, "Sold, for four and a quarter." I was like, "What! That steer is only worth $4.25?!" Morgan laughs and explains to me that it is $4.25 per pound and that it will actually bring thousands of dollars. That's how clueless I am. I think I really entertain Morgan sometimes with how little I know. I also think he thoroughly enjoys explaining everything to me, too.

We always like to go to the Rodeo and this year we wanted my parents to go with us. I was so happy they decided to go with us. We always have so much fun with them. My favorite part of the Rodeo is the grand entry. Actually, it's ALL my favorite. I started reading down the list of events and I was like, "Oh, I love that event. I love that event, etc." My mom just started laughing at me because I love the rodeo! Who would've thought, right? The funniest part of the night, which I probably shouldn't admit was when I was saying, "Oh, I want cotton candy. Oh, I want a snow cone." I turned to my mom and said, "I guess I regress to a 2 yr old when I am at the rodeo." My mom's response to that was, "Well as long as you don't turn to me and say 'mommy, i just wet my pants,' like you did when you were 2 yrs old." I busted out laughing. My parents love to tell this story. Apparently, when I was 2 1/2 my parents took my brother and me to the rodeo. They dressed us up in matching button up shirts, wranglers, and boots. I guess I was only semi potty trained because right when the grand entry started, I decided it was time to also pee in my pants. Thankfully, my parents had brought a change of clothes in the car and so my dad took me out and changed me. My parents used to always take us to the rodeo every year and I have always loved it. The picture of my dad, my brother, and me is one of my favorites! It's been many years since I had the chance to go with my parents to the rodeo and I was so happy I had the opportunity this year. Maybe we can start making it a yearly thing again like it was when I was younger. Hopefully, some day Morgan and I will have our own little ones to take to the rodeo and I swear if one of them turns to me and says, "Mommy, I think I just wet my pants," we will all bust out laughing!!!

Sugar Cookies & The Wii!!!

A couple of weeks ago on a Monday, the day before it turned icy, I got together with these two fantabulous girls...Leslie and Veronica. I love these girls and we always have so much fun. Leslie used to make these awesome sugar cookies with this yummy icing and bring them to work. We would eat them so fast and we all insisted they were the best sugar cookies we have ever had. So, Veronica and I insisted that we were going to come over and learn how she does them and learn what her secret ingredients are.

So, first we went to lunch at this really good Mexican food restaurant. I think the three of us could eat Mexican food every day if we had to, that's how much we love it. We always talk about our jobs and I am always amazed at their stories. They take care of some seriously ill children that have a lot of issues and I can't help but think how great it is to know these two girls that have this wonderful ability to do this every day they go to work. There is no way I could go to work every day knowing that I was going to be taking care of some pretty sick kids that also sometimes have some really bad home lives. It would be too hard for me. But, they do it and seem to love it. Both of these girls are really smart and I always feel better after spending a day with them.

After lunch, we came back to Leslie's place and it was time to make sugar cookies. It was so much fun. The cookies have "cream of tartar powder" and Veronica and I looked at each other and busted out laughing when we thought it mean "tartar sauce." Ick! Could you imagine? The hardest part is rolling the cookie dough out because you have to get it a certain thickness. I can tell that when Leslie and Veronica have children, they will be spectacular mothers! I, on the other hand, will have to keep practicing with the dough thing because I am not that good at it. We made all different shapes from flowers to hearts. I think we might have eaten more cookie dough than we cooked because it was so yummy! We then decorated them and that was lots of fun. The icing was really good, too. Making these cookies is definitely a team effort because it's time consuming, but really fun when you are in great company.

After we made and decorated the sugar cookies, it was time to play the Wii. I think the most fun was designing myself and what I looked like. I gave myself these really huge lips because that's what I would change about myself if I could. I don't have any lips and that's what I always notice on everyone else. After we designed ourselves, it was time to play. We played a couple of games but the most fun was bowling. I was probably the worse, which isn't too far off from reality, then Leslie, and then Veronica was the best. She kept getting strikes and Leslie and I were like, "What the heck?!" We didn't realize we were in the presence of a CHEATER! haha! Veronica had this little trick she knew to get strikes and she finally spilled her secret. After that, we were all making strikes. It was so much fun.

This was a great day for me spending time with these two girls. It was a cold, rainy day outside and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it. It was so cozy in Leslie's place, making sugar cookies, and playing the Wii. It was definitely a perfect day!!!

God, Sully, and the Hudson River

I think this picture is truly amazing and just reminds me so much that even though we can't see God, He is always there for us! I know a lot of bad things happen in this world and we don't understand why, but God does work miracles. I think God had the best pilot that day, Sully, flying the plane and a man that was able to stay amazingly calm in a terrifying situation. Yes, pilots train for this kind of thing but training and actually handling a real life situation are two completely different things. What an amazing man Sully is and with the best co-pilot anyone could have, God, the plane landed safely on the Hudson River and everyone survived. After hearing this story, how could anyone doubt that God does exist?! I would much rather believe than not believe.

How The Sweetest Cowboy & The City Girl Met

Morgan and I get asked quite frequently how we met because we are so different. Morgan was born and raised in the country. Grew up showing cattle, riding horses, and having his life revolve around animals. Me, on the other hand, used to be absolutely terrified of cows. I know that sounds crazy, but it seriously freaked me out to just drive by them. I was born and raised in the city so I wasn't around too many cows. I was used to horses because I used to go to some kind of horse camp for two weeks in the summer and learn how to groom them, etc. If you were to tell me that I would marry a Cowboy, I would have never believed it. Although, honestly, I have always thought cowboys were handsome in their boots, hats, and those cute jeans...haha. It seems like Cowboys have always had good manners and seem to treat a lady right. I had just never really dated a "true cowboy" before so I didn't know this way of life. But, I can say it's great! I'm no longer afraid of cows. Just yesterday I was out there with the guys while they were working the cows. I was 2 feet away from them at times with them running straight at me and I never flinched or even thought of getting scared. I've come a loooooooong way since meeting my sweet cowboy. He's been so patient with me!!!

Okay, so how we met...

My cousin, Theresa, had been wanting to set me up with Morgan for a LONG time. (Theresa is married to Shawn, who used to work with Morgan in McKinney). I would have to say for over a year, but I always told her no. I wasn't interested. I had just gotten out of a serious relationship and didn't want to date anyone at the time. I needed time to myself and the thought of dating again annoyed me. I just wanted to be with me, myself, and I. :) I finally got to where I started dating again. Went out with several guys but none of them were what I was looking for. I actually had a really good friend, named Scott, that I hung out with a lot and I really didn't feel the need to have a "boyfriend" in my life. Scott and I would go to lunch, movies, even go out on the weekends but it was absolutely NEVER a date!!! I seriously believe God put us in each others lives for a reason. We were meant to be friends and nothing more. He had just lost his mom 2 months before we started hanging out and I was mending a broken heart. I know it sounds odd, but it was a great friendship. Anyway, so I wasn't really into dating.

In October 2006, I had to have a hernia repair. (Note to everyone, make sure you don't cough too hard when you have a sinus infection.) I was off work for 3 weeks and was getting bored. Theresa called me up one night...and again...was telling me how Morgan wanted to meet me and was asking for my number. I know this sounds bad, but I was tired of being so bored so I finally told her to give him my number. He called me that night and I think we talked for 3 hours. It was a Wednesday night. After that, we talked every night for 2-3 hours. You must know something, neither of us like talking on the phone. Actually, we both HATE talking on the phone so the fact that I could talk to him this long was telling me something. Plus, he's got the cutest accent so that made me want to talk to him even more. What's funny, now that I am married to Morgan, I am AMAZED that he talked that much to me. He's actually really quiet, even now he's a man of few words. He's a smart man, but just doesn't talk much.

So that Sunday, we decided he would drive down and we would go to lunch. At the time, I lived in southwest Fort Worth and he lived north of McKinney. We were at complete opposite ends of the metroplex...ugh! When Morgan got down to my apt and knocked on the door I was so nervous. We had no clue what each other looked like. So I opened the door and I'm not kidding when I say this...my first thought was, "This is the man I am going to marry." No, it wasn't love or lust at first sight. He just looked so darn cute and had the sweetest smile on his face and I just knew. So we went out and had a great time. THEN...I didn't hear for him for a week. I was a little frustrated. I sent him a text and said something to the fact that I was done with this, that I didn't understand what happened, but I was over it. Sorry, I didn't have time to play stupid games. He called me that night and we talked. He explained that the distance was freaking him out. He wanted to date me but he didn't know how we could ever work out the distance issue. We decided to give it a try and thankfully we did!!! But, actually, I ended up breaking up with him for about 5 days about 8 months into our relationship because I freaked out about the distance. It's amazing we ever got married with this distance issue...haha! It was then his turn to explain to me why it wasn't a big deal and it worked! We've now been married for 8 months!!! Looking back, since I only work 3 days a week, the distance thing was never really that big of an issue.

So that's how the Sweetest Cowboy and the City Girl met. Morgan is the sweetest man! I am so thankful that I was bored on that Wednesday night in October and told my cousin to give him my number!!! God works in mysterious and amazing ways!!!! I thank God every day that I have been blessed to marry a man that not only treats me like a lady, but let's me know daily that I am the center of his world...as he is mine!!!

Sausage Balls

I know this is not typical blog material...but these are sooooooooo good I had to post it for everyone. Plus it's really easy. The Sunday after Christmas Morgan's ENTIRE family got together and one of his family member's brought these sausage balls. They were so yummy! The best I have ever had!!! Everyone loved them and they went really quick! I had to tell my friend Lydia at work about them and I printed her a recipe. It was funny because patients were walking by and we were talking about them so I had to print them a recipe, too! haha! I've only made them once but it's really easy. It just takes a while to make all of the little balls but thankfully, if you recruit your husband to help, it's not so bad. :) Lydia had a good idea to get a melon ball scooper...or something like that. That's about the size of the sausage ball you need to make.

Do not cook the sausage. It will cook in the oven. I used the Owens Regular Flavor Sausage.
The Velveeta I grated because I didn't want to chop into tiny pieces. I actually added all the ingredients at once, then mixed, and it worked well that way, too.

SAUSAGE BALLS

1lb-hot sausage
16oz-Velveeta cheese
2 cups Bisquick

Mix the sausage and cheese together in a large bowl. Add the Bisquick a little at a time. Once the mixture is mixed well (this is the messy part), shape into balls. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Morgan turns 31!!!

My Wonderful Husband, Morgan!

Such a Stud!!! :)

Our Sweet Moms...the best moms ever!!!

Matt and Morgan...brotherly Love!

I equally hate these two pics of us and couldn't choose...so I put them both up. Note to self...must hit the gym routinely asap!!!

Morgan's birthday is January 10th. He's six months younger than me and doesn't let me ever forget it...haha! The funny thing is, his brother and his wife were born on the same day and so they are exactly 6 years apart. Anyway, so Morgan is now 31 and so we had to celebrate.

For some reason, Morgan slept in until 10. That is completely NOT like him. So we turned on the tv and just watched tv until his brother Matt started banging on our back door. He came over to say good morning and wish Morgan a Happy Birthday. It's so funny to watch the two of them together. They pick on each other and Matt felt the need to start harassing him and flippin' our covers all over the place trying to get us out of bed. Besides Morgan, Matt is the only one who I will let see me in the morning because I have no choice. I am absolutely NOT a pretty sight to see in the morning...glasses, cream on my face, and curly hair does not do well when one sleeps on it. Thankfully, Matt has never said anything about the way I look which I am sure he really has to bite his tongue on that. So Matt stayed over until noon. Before he left he put one of my flip flops in front of the tv and turned it off. That way, if we wanted it back on we had to get out of bed and do it. Our bedroom is in the back of the house and everyone comes to the back door because we can't hear anyone at the front door. When Matt left, he left the door to our backroom/laundry room open, the door to outside propped open, and then the screen door propped open. It was FREEZING that day. I got up to see what the heck he was doing and he was just standing out there laughing...he's a nut! When I see Matt and Morgan together I realize that brothers have this special bond that is VERY hard to break.

After Matt forced us to get out of bed, we decided to go to a movie. Well, actually, I had decided I wanted to go to a movie the day before. Morgan agreed and unfortunately, the movie I have been really wanting to see is Bride Wars...complete chick flick. I told him we didn't have to go see it but he insisted because he knew how bad I wanted to see it. Poor thing, here he is on his birthday sitting in a movie theater watching a chick flick. He actually fell asleep. I've never seen him fall asleep in a movie, but I didn't have the heart to wake him. After all, it was HIS birthday so he could do whatever he wanted.

That evening, Morgan's family and my parents went to dinner to celebrate. Morgan's dad chose Trail Dust, outside of Denton, so my parents could meet us. It was a lot of fun. I had never been there before. It's a steak place and it has a dance floor with a country-type band. Morgan and I country danced and he was sweet to dance with his aunt and his mother. I danced with my father in law. It was really fun when Melissa (my sister in law), Becky (our aunt), and Sandra got out on the dance floor to do line dancing and this other dance. I was so worn out after those two dances. I knew I was out of shape, but that out of shape? I was sweating...ugh! The good thing about Morgan's birthday celebrating this year was that Sandra could dance...his mom. Last year right after Christmas she had double knee replacement...wow!!! I told her she was crazy for doing both at one time, but she did it anyway. She was walking around with a walker and not feeling so great at all! It was so good to see her out there dancing with us.

So, that was Morgan's 31st birthday celebrating events. I had to write about it because we don't have children yet. I see my friends write about their children's birthdays and so I wrote about Morgan...ha! :)

Football

Here's a picture of our Christmas football game and the day that did me in for a while. Sweet Angie just sent it to me. Just wish I wasn't wearing Morgan's shirt here. I had a pretty pink sweater on but after being tackled a few times and having grass all in it, I figured I would change. Plus, I have my ugly glasses on because I scratched the cornea in my right eye. Ugh!!!Anyway, good times...

I was on the team with Matt (my brother in law) and Jose (Angie's husband). We were the "green team" because we all happened to have green shirts on. I also think we were the team that won...haha! Honestly, we didn't keep score but we did seem to score a lot of touch downs. Angie was great in that she seemed to score a lot of touch downs for her team, too. I was basically only good for kicking the ball straight and then throwing it directly into the other team's hands. Oh well. We had so much fun. I would like to say this would be a yearly thing, but not for me. I think I will take to the side lines next time and just cheer my sweet hubby on because my body can't handle all of that again.

Nursing and Why I Love My Job!!!

Since I have been off work for 16 days I have started to really miss work and all of the girls I work with. I know that sounds crazy because most people would love to have that much time off. I am just so fortunate to work with some pretty great girls that are fun and always keep me laughing. I have never worked where I enjoy working with everyone. Usually there is that one nurse who I would dread going to work with, but not here at this hospital. Everyone is so supportive of each other, we tell stories, and the day just goes by fast. Don't get me wrong, we are a busy bunch of nurses. We tend to have 5-6 patients a piece and you really have to know how to manage your time, deal with different patients in different stages of recovery, and also deal with all of the family and friends that come to see them. I really love doing post partum nursing because it is usually a happy time in a couple's lives. Doing this type of nursing really teaches us to know how to relate with a wide variety of people from all different types of cultures. I think that one thing that I hate to hear is that we are "pill pushers and pillow fluffers." That drives me crazy!!! I would love for anyone who thinks that to come to work with me for one day. I'm sure the second they see a patient go bad as fast as they can blink an eye, they would think differently. Nursing is a very rewarding job and in those bad, horrible days where every thing is going wrong and nothing you try to do works...we have to remember that we are only human and can only do so much. Thankfully, those days are few and far between. So, back to why I love where I work...here's a list of the reasons why I am so thankful that God placed me exactly where I needed to be...

1. Lydia...who is NEVER in a bad mood and if she is, she doesn't show it. Plus, she always has yummy recipes for all of us.

2. Rebecca...the BEST tech ever!!! No matter how awful the day is going, if she's there, it will be alright because she is a huge support to all of us. There are days I know I wouldn't have made it without her. Always up beat and willing to do anything for us.

3. Courtney...always makes us laugh! Will get up from her secretary chair and help us make beds, etc without one word of hesitation.

4. Lynn...who is like my mama! I feel like I have so much to learn from her about nursing and when I have a baby I want her to be my L&D nurse.

5. Jill...the day I met her I felt like I found a long lost sister. We've got so much in common it's crazy!!!

6. Michelle...my twin, although we look nothing alike other than we have brunette hair and are around the same age. Everyone else seems to get us mixed up with each other. Still can't figure that one out.

7. Frances...the way she says "Girlllll" and her sassy little walk. She's so helpful and won't hesitate to help a patient shower or take her to the bathroom.

8. Shyney...who is always looking out for us and making sure we are doing okay and not drowning.

9. Christine...I know when I am going to work with her I will be laughing all day. She makes me laugh without even trying to.

10. Barbara...the only person I have ever known that can say whatever she wants to whoever she wants to and get away with it because she has the cutest accent.

11. Amy...she is really smart and sarcastic at time and makes me laugh. She is a very sweet person and would probably give you her right arm if you asked her to.

12. Joanna...all her wild stories from the past...WOW!!!

13. Lizy...half the time I have to make her repeat herself because I can't understand what she's saying, but she's really sweet and she's my partner for switching days. If we can, we always switch days for each other.

14. Yasmin...always makes me laugh at shift change and giving her report.

15. Deb...and how the "world is coming to an end" point of view. I try to ignore what she says but she's probably right to some degree...:)

16. Roz...and her magic stick that she waves around. I laughed so hard that day!

17. Ellen...a quiet charge nurse who is going around helping our patients when they call out and never saying a peep about it.

18. Judy...our boss! She's a great Christian woman who sends cards to us when those close to us pass away. She comes around making sure our day is going good and has an "open door" policy which is nice when we want to take...steal...candy from her office...haha!

19. Carmella...where to begin...always smiling, shakin' her booty, etc. She's a WILD woman, but oh so fun!!!

20. Janene...don't really get to work with her much, but she's really sweet!

I could go on and on and on and on...I am so grateful to have the chance to be a part of this great group of girls!!!!!!!

Cowboy Rules!

I am posting this in honor of my sweet, cowboy husband...

1. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head ain't crooked.

3. Let's get this straight: it's called a 'gravel road.' I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way. (THIS ONE CRACKS ME UP BECAUSE IT'S SO TRUE! EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WE GET STUCK BEHIND ONE OF THESE PEOPLE AND THEY DRIVE SOOOOOO SLOW!!!)

4. They are cattle. That's why they smell like cattle. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-10 & I-40 go east and west, I-17 & I-15 goes north and south. Pick one and go. (OH, THIS IS MORGAN. EVERY TIME IT "SMELLS" NOT SO FRESH, IF YA KNOW WHAT I MEAN, MORGAN ALWAYS SAYS IT SMELLS LIKE MONEY. ME, PERSONALLY, I THINK IT SMELLS LIKE SOMETHIN' ELSE...HA!)

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $250,000 Combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year. (YEP! SO TRUE!)

6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept. (TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET USE TO MORGAN WAVING AT EVERYONE AS WE PASSED THEM ON THE ROAD AND THEM ACTUALLY WAVING BACK!!! AT FIRST I ALWAYS ASKED IF HE KNEW THEM AND HE WOULD SAY, "NO, IT'S JUST WHAT WE DO OUT HERE IN THE COUNTRY.")

7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves are comin' in during the hunts, we WILL shoot it outa your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time. (THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO HIM, BUT IT'S PRETTY FUNNY TO ME.)

8. Yeah. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.

9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November. (THANK GOODNESS THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO MORGAN! I SAID I WOULD NEVER MARRY A HUNTER BECAUSE WHO REALLY WANTS TO BE A WIDOW ON WEEKENDS EVERY FALL? NOT ME!)

10. We open doors for women. That's applied to all women, regardless of age. (SO TRUE! SO TRUE!)

11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak, or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham and turkey. (YEP!!!)

12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup! Oh, yeah . . We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat . . IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!! (I HAVE NEVER, EVER, SEEN SOMEONE USE AS MUCH PEPPER AS MORGAN DOES! IT'S A LITTLE EXCESSIVE IF YOU AS ME. :) LOVE YOU MORGAN!)

13. You bring 'Coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair. (ACTUALLY, MORGAN IS THE FIRST GUY I HAVE EVER KNOWN THAT PREFERS SHORT HAIR...BUT HE DOES LIKE FOR ME TO KNOW HOW TO DRIVE HIS TRUCK. IT'S A LITTLE TO BIG FOR ME, BUT I CAN DRIVE IT.)

14. College and High School Football is as important here as the Giants, the Yankees, the Mets, the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.

15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.

16. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers! Refer back to #1! (PERSONALLY, I LIKE THIS ONE! HOW CAN ANYONE ENJOY MUSIC THAT IS EXTREMELY LOUD?!!!)

Simple Day...What A Blessing You Are!!!

I just have to write about today because it was such a wonderful day and basically because it was just a simple day that I would normally take for granted. But, because I have been sick lately with dizziness and blurred vision and am finally feeling better and almost back to normal, I realize what a blessing today was.

I woke up this morning and was afraid to sit up in bed due to the fact that the past 3-4 days I have woken up and sat up, I had been really dizzy. I always pray before I go to bed...as well as through out the day when I think of anything that I am thankful for or feel concerned about...so, I prayed to God that he take this dizziness away because I was about to go crazy. I couldn't work two days because of it and strangely enough, I was really missing work and all of my girls!!! Plus, who wants to be walking around dizzy with blurred vision all day? Not me! Back to when I woke up this morning, I was afraid to sit up and just laid there in bed for a little bit before Lillie perked up and started running around. I then had no choice but to get up...so up I was and praise God I was barely dizzy and the blurred vision had pretty much gone away! YAY to God for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I then took Lillie outside and preparing for it to be cold like usual I was bundled up to only walk outside and realize it was nice, warm, and breezy. Clear blue sky and what a beautiful day it was...in JANUARY!!!

So, I showered and Morgan got off work at noon and was off to the Youth Barn. The Youth Barn is where high school kids show cattle. Morgan still helps them from time to time with grooming the cattle...whatever that means. I'm still clueless and probably always will be. Anyway, he called and wanted me to go up there and since I hadn't been out of the house hardly in the past few days and it was a beautiful day, I went. Got lost like 4 times...no joke...on the way because it had been a while since I had been, but I didn't want to let Morgan down so I didn't give up till I found it. I must say, every time I go I feel REALLY out of place. All of the girls have these cute western shirts, jeans, boots, and these country sparkly belts that I have never seen till I moved up here. Here I am in t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. I told Morgan that I felt REALLY out of place but he reassured me that I was okay and then I thought to myself, "Why do I care what these people think of me?" and then I was over it.

On the way home I decided that since it was such a beautiful day that I wanted to cook out, but when we cook out we usually cook out at Robert & Sandra's house (aka my in laws) because it's big and open and just easy for everyone to meet there. I called Morgan and told him of my plan and he called the whole gang up which consists of his parents, his brother and his wife, his aunt and uncle, his nannie and his dad's best friend from college and his wife. The good thing about his family is that everyone is so close and always ready for anything. So it was set, dinner at 1830 and Morgan's doing the grilling. So everyone got together for a "spring cook out in January" and had fun. You never know where the conversation will go with this group but it's NEVER boring!!!

After dinner we came home and I cuddled on the couch with Morgan and Lillie...our Pug. We watched the Colts lose...tears...the game in overtime. Not usually a big football fan unless it's the Cowboys or UT but some how I got sucked into this game. To top it all off, Saturday Night Live is on with Beyonce and Justin Timberlake and it's a rerun...it's the one that makes me cry from laughing so hard because Beyonce has "back up dancers" that are males. It's the funniest thing ever!!!

As I am sitting here typing this I am looking at Lillie asleep in her dog bed next to ours and Morgan is already snoring. I can't help but be so thankful for them and the joy they bring to my life!!!

So that was my day today. I had to write about it because it felt like a gift from God. Then again, isn't everyday a gift from God!!!

Christmas 2008!!!

This year, Christmas was a bit of an experience...
We celebrated Christmas Eve with his dad's side of the family like always. It was a lot of fun. We did Chinese Gifts this year and that was an experience in itself, but fun. All of us couples ended up ganging up on each other to get what we wanted...haha! I was scheduled to work Christmas Day but several of us got the day off...which was a true blessing...and so we spent Christmas with Morgan's mother's side of the family. They all came up from Fort Worth and we had sooooo much fun!!! It all started when Morgan had a football and told me to "go long" to run and catch it. Well, Angie, who is Morgan's cousin and also a track star in college, jumped out there before I could even register what he said to me and she caught the ball. Well that was it, a football game began and it was tons of fun, but I will NEVER and I mean NEVER do that again!!! The next couple of days I was in EXTREME pain, to say the least. It hurt worse than any of the two surgeries I have had!!! I am not being exagerant when I say this, I could hardly walk the next day. We were going to my parents that Friday to celebrate Christmas and I was a complete mess. I couldn't dress myself or anything. To make matters a million times worse, Lillie was sick with mainly vomiting. She vomited allllll the way to Fort Worth. So, here I am in the back seat with Lillie trying to comfort her while in EXTREME pain myself!!! We got to my parents house and out walked my mom to say HI and I just started crying...let me just say I am not one to usually cry!!!!!! I was a mess! But, thankfully I have the best, supportive, loving husband who could handle all of this and took it all in stride. Morgan has got to be one of the most patient men I know! Christmas with my parents got interrupted with us having to take Lillie to the vet, which thankfully Dr Morris worked his magic and a few pretty dollars later, she was all better. So, to you mom and dad, we love you so much and am sooo sorrrrry that our Christmas was celebrated with a few bumps. We promise that next year will be much better, it has to be!!!

Texas Gaylord Hotel ICE!!!

I am so fortunate and blessed to be married to a man that is always ready for anything! The other day we were sitting there bored at home when I remembered how I have been wanting to go see ICE at the Gaylord since LAST YEAR!!! So, I told Morgan to get dressed because we were going to have some fun. ICE is so neat, kinda expensive but it's neat to do once. It's only 9 degrees in there so they gave us these huge parkas to wear. If you go, bring gloves because we forgot and our hands got a little chilly. Practically everything is made out of ice. There's a bridge made out of ice, gingerbread house, and even an ice slide. We both did the slide and it was so cute because even people in their 80's were doing the slide. Honestly, I wanted to do the slide again because I am such a kid at heart. We had the BEST day. What started as a quick, 1 hour trip to see ICE, turned into an all day event at the Gaylord. We had such a great time walking around, looking at the shops, and eating dinner at night on the Riverwalk with all of the Christmas lights around. It was so pretty!!! Hopefully some day we will get to spend the night...for a special occasion or something. :)

Matt & Melissa's Wedding November 29, 2008

Matt and Melissa had a beautiful wedding with pretty fall colors!!! Their wedding was in an older church and they wanted to get married in "candle light" which was absolutely gorgeous! Melissa was a beautiful bride. They had their reception at a Ranch that was so neat. I didn't take many pictures because the lights were dimmed down so my camera didn't take pictures well. It was pretty much all wood with white lights every where and a huge dance floor! Morgan and I had soooo much fun dancing!!! I'm so glad I married a man who is not afraid to shake his booty. :) He's so adorable! But, this is a wedding that NO ONE will forget because practically everyone got sick. Sweet, cute, adorable Hannah, who I am holding in this picture, brought with her a nasty stomach bug. Poor thing was so sick and ended up in the hospital on IV fluids. After that, it was down hill from there. My poor mother in law left the reception early because she was so sick. Didn't even get to dance with her son. :( Matt, the groom, almost didn't make the plane for his honeymoon...7 day cruise through Mexico...because he was so sick. Once he got there the cruise ship quaranteened him and he couldn't leave his tiny room for 2 days. :( We all joke that some day when Hannah is older, we will tell her how she made everyone soooo sick. But look at her, who could be mad at that sweet child!!!

My 3 M's

This is a picture of me with my 3 M's. I call them my 3 M's because there names are Melissa, Matt, and Morgan. :) Of course you know by now that Morgan is my sweet, adorable, and loving husband. Matt is Morgan's brother and Melissa is soon to be Matt's wife. They are getting married this November 29th and we are all super excited about it. When I married into this family, I gained the best brother in law I could have ever asked for. He has helped us soooo much with remodeling our "old farm house." He built this amazing entertainment center around this yucky old fireplace that was falling apart. I have to admit, I was about ready to give up on this house when it came to the living room. I had no clue how it would ever be "livable" for us. The ceiling was falling down, the fireplace was falling apart, and it needed a serious paint job. Luckily, we have Matt in our lives who saved the day and built the entertainment center and helped Morgan fix our ceiling. Now it's so wonderful! It's my favorite room in the house and I NEVER thought I would say that!!! Melissa is a great girl and I couldn't imagine a more perfect girl for him. Here lately we have had the pleasure of hanging out with them more and through this, I have come to really enjoy their company and see how perfect they are for each other. The main activity that the 4 of us do is cook out and sip on some nice cold beverages. Matt is our bartender and makes us some great drinks! Matt, if you ever read this, will please stop bringing Lillie "treats." Matt's version of a "treat" for Lillie are either live or dead things he finds around out here in the country. For example, one time he called me and he was on the way over with a "treat" for Lillie. It was a snake in a jar. Then just a few days ago he had me come outside because once again he had a "treat" for Lillie. This time I was onto him and knew better. He pulled 3 freshly cut cow legs out of the back of his truck. Really? Seriously? Gross!!! I think Matt just gets a kick out of me and how I react to it and finds it quite funny...but it's not!!! Anyway, so these are the 3 M's in my life and I am so thankful to have them!!!

My Pappasito's Girls!

I call Christy and Stacey my "Pappasito's Girls" simply for the fact that we have chosen to meet there every time we get together. There's just something about the table side guacamole that we just can't resist! I actually have known these two girls for quite some time. I can't remember if we all went to elementary school together, but I do know we went to Junior High & High School. I, unfortunately, lost touch with both of these beautiful girls after high school. But oh how grateful I am for classmates and myspace. Stacey and I regained touch a few years back, I am guessing 6 years back. I found my sweet Stacey on classmates and contacted her immediately. She was my bud in high school and I missed her. Over the past 6 years we have kept in touch and try to get together frequently for lunch and some shopping. Christy and I regained touch on myspace. Ever since then, the three of us like to meet for lunch and have great girl time. Christy has a little girl Maddie, who is absolutely adorable, who sometimes joins us and she's so good that we hardly even notice she's there. She's the most "girly girl" I have ever seen and it's absolutely adorable. Christy~she's ALWAYS welcome at our lunches!!! So, I am so thankful for the creators of myspace and classmates for bringing the three of us back together!!!!!!

Loving Parents

Morgan and I have been blessed to each have wonderful parents! My parents have been married for 40 years and are the best example of a Christian-loving marriage I have ever seen. They are truly the best people I know. They have been there through everything with me, the good and the bad. They always know the perfect thing to say to make it all better. I have gone through some hard times in my life and they have always helped me keep my faith strong in God when I could have so easily doubted. My mother is the sweetest lady you could ever meet. My friends always fall in love with her when they meet her. She would do anything in the world for me! She is my rock and the person I turn to when my world falls apart. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. My dad is the most amazing man I know. He would drop whatever he was doing without question and come to my rescue. I always joke that when I am 50 and have a flat tire, he will be the one to save the day. Yes, of course I have my wonderful Morgan, but I think there is just something about how a daughter will always need her dad. My dad is not only there for me, but he is there for everyone. We all know that if we ever need anything, he will be there. Also, he can make the BEST chocolate chip cookies you could ever have!!! I love my parents with alllllllllllll of my heart and I hope and pray they know how much they mean to me. They have always made my life easier and some may call me "sheltered" but I am completely fine with that. I am thankful to God every day that he chose me to be their daughter!

Morgan's parents are also great. He's sleeping right now or I would ask him how long they have been married. They are college sweet hearts. When you are at the Airhart house there is never a dull moment. His mom is very out going and has never met a stranger. His dad is more laid back and quiet. They have been wonderful to me and have accepted me with open arms and as one of their own. I feel blessed to have such wonderful in laws! This picture of all of us was taken right when we got back from Jamaica. His mom will probably kill me when she sees it, but it's the only one I have of the 6 of us together.

Halloween

Hallowen happens to be one of my favorite holidays. Yes, I know, kinda weird. I think it's because Fall is my favorite season and so I relate Fall and Halloween together. Plus, I think it's just fun to dress up. This year Stacey and I went Halloween shopping and I couldn't find anything for Morgan & I to wear that just really screamed at me. I was about to give up when I saw a white trash outfit. That's when I realized that is what we would be going as for Halloween. Morgan hates it when I say this, but what he wore is pretty much what he wears every day. No, the cigarrettes are not real, but they did blow out white smoke which is kind of neat. We had these crazy hickey tattoos that Stacey and I thought were hilarious. Everyone loved them except they kind of looked like burns. Oh well! We had fun!!!