Gotta Love Down-time!

These American soldiers serving in Afghanistan have become an internet sensation with their remake of Lady Gaga's song, Telephone. Even though Lady Gaga gets on my last nerve, this was too cute not to share! Have a great weekend!

What Have I Done?

So I finally succeeded in convincing Jeremy to do something that I've been pushing for about a year.

I got him to sign up for Facebook.

In reality he didn't need too much convincing. Once he saw the endless opportunities of reconnecting with high school friends he was sold. Now I'm asking myself, "What have I done?" He's like a mad man with his friend requests, wall posts, status updates and tagging pictures. He's still figuring all the facebook rules of etiquette out, but he's a very fast learner.

I've created a monster.

I guess the upside is that I finally get to show my Facebook friends that I'm married. I've waited long enough...

I give him a week before I'm adding him as a neighbor on Farmville.

Random Dozen

It's time for some random dozen!

1. Have you ever been so lost that you were really afraid?
When I was 16 my parents let me drive to the thriving metropolis that is about 20 minutes from our house. I was going to my boyfriend's house. On the way home, and desperately pushing curfew, I realized that I needed gas. So, I did what any normal person would do. I exited the interstate and began looking for a gas station. It took me all of 20 seconds to realize that I had definitely picked the wrong exit. There were absolutely no businesses in sight, and suffice it to say, I was in the wrong part of town. I called my parents from my Zach Morris cell phone and my Mom was like, "Why did you get off at that exit?" My Dad was able to get me back to the interstate but I definitely learned my lesson about interstate exits that are unfamiliar.

2. Have you ever been to an island?
I have been to both Cozumel and Puerto Rico twice. I'm really excited about visiting Freeport and Nassau this summer.

3. Are you more of a thinker or feeler?
I think I'm a good mix of both.

4. Do you tend to see issues or situations in life as black and white or shades of gray?
It all depends on the issue. Some things are definitely black and white, and other things are completely gray. So vague, I know.

5. If you were stuck on an island, what book would you hope to have with you (Let's pretend the Bible is already there, so you can't say that.)
I would have to say the Harry Potter or Twilight series. I love them both. If it could only be one book then I would say Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

6. What are you most afraid of?
Losing my family.

7. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones?
How about neither...

8. Pretend I'm looking at a scrapbook page about you. There are three spaces for you to drop in individual pictures. What are those pictures of, and why did you select them?
My wedding portrait with Jeremy because it was such an important day, a picture of my family, and a picture of Jackson.

9. If you were re-doing your wedding, what would you do differently? (If you're single, tell me one thing you would do if you were planning a wedding OR huge party.)
I think the only thing I would have changed would have been to make sure that I had a picture done that included both Jeremy and my immediate families together. We have shots with his family and shots with mine, but not all of us together. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.

10. Tell me one thing you know/believe about forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not easy, but forgetting is harder. And although people hurt us in life, we need to be aware that if God can forgive us for all the things we do, then we need to be gracious about forgiving others.

11. You're waiting in a doctor's office. What is your favorite way to pass that time?
Reading a magazine or book, or trying my best to entertain Jackson.

12. If there were a clone of you in a parallel universe what is one way you hope she/he would be the same as you and one way you hope she/he would be better?
I would hope that she still loves her family and her God with all her heart, and I would hope that she has an extra set of arms to multitask better. Cause seriously two hands are just not enough!

Y'all have a great day!

Day Out With Thomas

Saturday a week ago Jeremy and I took Jackson to the Day Out With Thomas. Jackson staged a mini revolt before time to go because he wanted to see James, not Thomas. But by the time we got there Jackson was pretty excited. That is until it was time to get his picture made with Thomas at which point he refused to cooperate...

Luckily feeding the animals brightened his mood...

And he loved the baby cow...

After we were done with the animals it was time to check out the trains...

And Jackson loved the yellow one...

When we were done with that, it was time to check out the Train Table exhibit. Jackson could have played for hours with the "Bookstore train tables"...

Then we were off to the bubble exhibit...

And finally the guest of honor arrived!

Thomas the Train announced his arrival in style!

Jackson's first real train ride was a big hit!

We all had such a great day...

But apparently the red engine James would have made it even better!

I Just Had No Idea How Talented That Husband Of Mine Is

I knew that Jeremy was a wonderful husband, father, son, and funeral director, but y'all, I had no idea that in his spare time he had become an "extreme angler" and taken on hosting a new show, River Monsters, on Animal Planet. Somehow he apparently found time to add author, explorer, journalist and TV presenter to his pile of hats to wear.

I just had no idea how talented he was.

Who says marriage means no more surprises in a relationship?

I watched River Monsters Sunday night and I was in awe. I admit that I was a little confused at Jeremy Wade's appearance, but I would imagine that wrestling 150lb man-eating fish would age you just a bit, and completely account for the white hair.

At any rate, just because Jeremy has this new talent doesn't mean that I'm cooking whatever he catches, because y'all, I don't clean fish, even if he has taken down some River Monster!

I Like Pink, Just Not For My Eyes

I swear to goodness, Wade's World is falling apart! Between Jackson's intermittent strep throat (currently under control) and Jeremy's swine flu (which is much better), I should have known that it was my turn next.

Friday on the way home from work I got something in my right eye. Luckily I wasn't driving, and even though I know I shouldn't do it, I rubbed and rubbed my eye until I finally felt like whatever was in it got out. I was left with swollen, itchy, and watery eyes that were ever so attractive.

I wasn't looking much better by Saturday morning when I woke up. Not only were my eyes slightly crusty (gross, I know!), but they were still very itchy. Fearing pink eye, I was getting ready to go to the doctor to get my eyes checked out, but after a little while my eyes cleared up. They still itched like all get out, but the white's of my eyes were just as white as they could be. I decided not to go to the doctor because I would feel like an idiot showing up saying, "I think I have pink eye" when my eyes were not pink anymore. I figured it was just allergies so I got some allergy eye drops that helped off an on Saturday. It was hard to not rub my eyes, but I abstained, for the most part.

Then, about 3:00 Sunday morning I woke up and my eyes were killing me with their itchiness, but once again they weren't pink. I started googling things like, "pink eye without pink eyes" and "my eyes are going to fall out from itchiness" without getting any results that actually helped me.

With that in mind, and especially considering that my eye lids were so swollen that I looked like I got sucker punched, I got ready Sunday morning and headed to Primed. Luckily, the wait was very short and I got right in. The doctor dyed my eyes to see if I had any scratches or abrasions, and he didn't spot anything. He told me that I didn't have pink eye (thank goodness!) and I'm not contagious, but possibly I had some kind of eye infection or allergies. He prescribed some antibiotic drops and some drops for the itching.

Last night was still really rough, but hopefully I'm on the mend. At the very least I've learned to not rub my eyes and just try to ignore the itch. Rubbing them does make them feel better, but it's miserable waking up swollen and puffy. It's just not worth it. At least my eyes don't look like anything is wrong with them as long as I keep my hands off. Because seriously the itching is bad enough on it's own without having to worry about people thinking they are going to get the pink eye plague from me.

And just so you know, I'm 99.9% sure that you can't catch whatever it is I've got from the blog-o-sphere. So rest assured that you're safe from me!

Happy Birthday Kellyn!!

I want to wish my favorite sister Kellyn a wonderful 26th birthday! She's always been an amazing sister, and now I get to enjoy watching her become an amazing Mom to Luke. I'm so proud of her, and I just love her to pieces.

Happy Birthday Kellyn!!!

I'm Proud Of Me

I've been going through training at work and let me just tell y'all, I've learned a lot! I've completed restraint training where I learned how to safely restrain students if necessary,taken CPR and first aid training, both of which were refresher courses for me since I was a lifeguard once upon a time, and I've reviewed tons of important policies and procedures. Everything has been relatively easy so far, but I did manage to accomplish something today that made me pretty darn proud of myself;

I managed to eat a sandwich for lunch that had mustard and pickle juice on it.

It was a monumental day for me. A ground-breaking and earth shattering condiment achievement. It's quite amazing what hunger can force you to do.

You should be really be proud of me. I am.

But I'm definitely not planning on a repeat consumption.

We've Been Invaded

Somehow we made it all the way till the end of April, but it's official.

Wade's World has been invaded with the swine flu.

Jeremy had noticed that he was not feeling great for the past few days with a runny nose and a very slight fever. Today at work he began to have chills and body aches. After a quick trip to the doctor it was confirmed that we have the swine flu up in our house. We've gone into some preemptive actions for now. Jackson is going to stay at my parents house and I'll just keep my fingers crossed that I don't get it. I don't know what else to do other than disinfect the whole house. Luckily for us all Jackson received the vaccination, so we're going to cross our fingers that it helps prevent him from getting it.

And as much as I completely and totally hate that Jeremy is sick right now, I also can't help but not be surprised at all that it was Jeremy that went down with this.

Yeah, I'm not surprised at all..

So keep us in your prayers. It's going to be yuck for a few days.

I'd Call It A Successful Day

After Jackson's near adventure on the playground the other day, Jeremy and I have been very cautious about receiving reports about Jackson's day. Now that he's tried to potty on the playground we aren't quite sure what else he might try in the course of the day. Today when I got home I spent a few minutes with Jackson talking about his day. I found myself relieved when Jackson's only report for the day was, "I had peaches for lunch and I didn't potty on the playground today. It was a good day!"

If that's the litmas test for a good day, then I'd say I also had a really good day!

Watch Out For Blubs

We are on our way to go see Thomas the train and when we got on the interstate Jackson kept telling me that I needed to be watching the sky for "blubs." It took me a few minutes to realize that he was referring to a blimp he spotted flying around yesterday. In all fairness, we probably should watch out for blubs too!

Have a great day!

I'm Alive And Well

So it's been forever since I blogged. In fact, I think this is the longest that I've ever been apart from y'all and I've missed you! I've just been super busy getting to know my new job and other than the fact that I thought my brain was going to implode from information overload the first day, it's been amazing. Right now I'm doing my training in a small town that is about 1 1/2 hours away from my house, so I've been having 12 hour days going to and from the office. By the time I get home in the afternoon I'm just beat. Luckily, I've been able to ride in with my brother-in-law for a few days because y'all, this place is out in the boonies! I don't have the best sense of direction but I've learned that GPS is my friend!

But I'm going to LOVE this job, especially once I figure out what in the world I'm! This job is right up my alley and I'm very excited about finally getting to use some of what I used in college. Training has been very eye opening. In a nutshell, this agency is a residential behavioral treatment center for juveniles. I'll be working with DHR's around our state to make sure that they know about our programs and what we can offer, and basically to keep the beds full. It's marketing and community relations at the same time, and since I love to talk to people, I'm going to have a blast!

And since it's been a few days I have some new non jobish stuff to share:

1. Jeremy was ordained as a deacon in our church this past Sunday night and I'm so very proud of him. Our church considers deacons to be servant leaders in the church, and Jeremy will do such a good job. His parents were able to come up for the ordination service and we had a great time visiting with them over the weekend. I'll post pictures soon.

2. We're going to meet Thomas the Train on Saturday. I thought Jackson would be thrilled, and he really better like it for what we paid, but after I told him what we were doing, his first response was, "But Mom, I wanted to meet James!" Well sorry kiddo, but James the train doesn't have quite the following that Thomas does!

3. Jackson was diagnosed over the weekend with strep throat for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. On top of that, he had a nasty fever virus that kept him running a fever for 4 days straight. He was out of school for Monday and Tuesday. Luckily, he's back to normal now.

4. And Jackson has a new trick: His teacher came up to me when I was picking Jackson up yesterday. I asked her how his day was and she said it was fine. Then, she added, "But you might want to have a little talk with him about where it's okay to use the potty." Little man had tried to potty on the playground yesterday! When Mrs. Deanna asked him about it, he quickly said, "Well my Daddy lets me potty in the backyard at home." His teacher quickly told me that he didn't get in trouble, but just got a little talk! Jackson just kept saying, "But Daddy lets me do it!"

So now Jeremy and Jackson have been given "the talk" about where it's okay to use the potty and the backyard and the school playground are not the place!

My Mom was just glad that it wasn't our church playground!

I gotta run now, but I'll be back really soon, hopefully with pictures to share. Y'all take care!

Packing Up and Heading Out

So today is my last day at work. I begin my new job on Monday. It's really bittersweet because I am really going to miss a lot of people here, but I'm also really excited about the new opportunities that await me.

Please be in prayer for me as I begin my new job. Change isn't easy for me, but I know that this is what I'm supposed to do.

I gotta run. I have lots of stuff to finish packing up. Take care!

P.S. I may be MIA for a little while as things settle down. Never fear though, (in my best Terminator voice) "I'll be back!"

My Record Shattered Into 1,334 Pieces

Well, I made it 3 years, 7 months, 26 days and 21 hours without having it happen.

But sadly, this morning at 6:00 my record was shattered.

I was forced, against my will, to watch Dora the Explorer, and my life will never be the same again. Because, y'all, that was 8 minutes of my life that I can never get back.

It's not so much that I'm anti-Dora, because I'm not. It's mostly that for 1,334 days I have been able to avoid Nickelodeon, and likewise, I've been able to avoid letting Jackson know that the channel exists on our home TV. I've considered our household one that only lives for the Disney channel, but it looks like those days are over.

It all started so innocently this morning when Jackson came into our room at 6:00 and tried to convince me to get out of bed. In an effort to salvage the last few minutes of precious sleep, I turned on the TV and found Handy Manny on Disney.

Jackson led a three year old version of the American Revolution and absolutely pitched a fit. So in my moment of desperation I started flipping channels and he happened to catch a glimmer of Dora's bare midriff and was sold.

Nick, Jr. invaded my house.

Granted, since I only watched about 8 minutes, and I was half asleep, my evaluations may be skewed, but I hardly think that I would ever really like this show.

I much prefer shows like...

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...

My Friends Tigger and Pooh...

And Handy Manny.

Somehow this Dora, with her monkey friend Boots, just rubbed me the wrong way. Was it because they repeated instructions to the kids no less than 5 times?

It couldn't be that because I repeat instructions to Jackson much more than 5 times....

Was it the fact that Boots has no clothes on but somehow needs to wear a pair of boots? It couldn't be that because I'm totally fine with Donald Duck running around with no pants on...
Was it because Dora's backpack talks? It couldn't be that because Handy Manny's tools talk and I'm fine with that. And seriously, there is no way that Manny could get his jobs done without those helpful tools!

Or was it because the fact that although Dora appears to be about 5 years old, she was busy driving firetrucks and airplanes?

It couldn't be that because Mickey flies all over the place and we all know that he doesn't have his pilot's license.

Or could it be that I just happen to find Dora and Boots annoying?

That might be part of it, but I also find Darby from My Friends Tigger and Pooh slightly annoying and that doesn't stop me from watching that.

I guess my biggest problem is that now that Jackson knows that Dora is at his fingertips (theortically speaking of course) that our next big move is to this show...

And y'all, I'm definitely not ready for SpongeBob, even if he does have his own house in a pineapple under the sea.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Jackson has learned some new songs from preschool choir. He finally was willing to let me video him. Enjoy!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Easter Roundup

We had a wonderful Easter weekend, but it was busy! It started off on Saturday morning with an Easter egg hunt at our church. Jackson was ready to go and had such a good time!

Before the Egg hunt

Check out that cutie!

Look, Mom! I found another one!

Wade Family photo

I'm surprised he's smiling in the picture above. It was taken right after Jackson ran full force into the glass window in the foyer of his church. I think we probably bribed him with some candy and told him that we would go to another church's Easter activity! We loved the pony ride at First Baptist!

He's so good, he can ride with one hand!

Such concentration!

Jackson's Easter basket from the Easter Bunny

His expression at seeing his basket!

He loved his goodies!

Easter Sunday at church with Luke, Nana and Grandpa

Wade family again.

Kellyn and I

I love my Easter eggs!

Jackson hunting for eggs again

I found one!

And we ended the day with a trip to the playground.

We had such a great weekend, but we were egghausted by the time the day was over! I hope you enjoyed the pics!

Where Did He Get A Perfect French Accent?

Jackson got another Tom and Jerry DVD for Christmas and he has been watching it constantly lately. Jeremy and I had conveniently forgotten how violent some of the cartoons we watched were as kids. Granted, it's funny stuff, but we have been surprised watching it with Jackson. It's made sword fighting and play hitting a constant event at our house!

Anyways, Jackson has developed a serious love for Tom and Jerry and he especially loves Jerry the mouse.

In typical Jackson fashion, this morning he wanted us to play pretend with him. Anything to prolong getting ready for school.

Jeremy and I were a bit surprised when Jackson asked us to play a few new roles this morning. Jeremy was assigned the role of "that big cat Tom" and Jackson assigned himself to play "that little gray mouse, Jerry" and I was just to play the Mommy.

Nothing new for me there...

So Jeremy was busy playing Tom the cat and Jackson was busy playing Jerry when all of a sudden Jackson stands up really tall, puts one hand on his hip and points the other hand up to the sky and yells, "Bouche' Bussycat" in a perfect French accent!

Jeremy and I just died laughing which of course just made Jackson repeat himself more. We think he's latched on to the swordfight scene of the "Touche' Pussycat!" episode of Tom and Jerry.

However he came up with, he's had us laughing ever since. Jeremy did make Jackson promise not to say that around school since the last thing we need is for his school to think that he's learned it from watching something like a"Bussycat Dolls" music video.

We just didn't think that would go over well at his Christian preschool, even if it was said in a perfect French accent!

He Is Risen!

Today is not about the Easter bunny or Easter candy or Easter Egg hunts or even Easter outfits. Today is about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Have a blessed day!

1-2 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."

3-10 Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.

11-12 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?"

13-14 "They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know where they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him.

15 Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?" She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him."

16 Jesus said, "Mary." Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" meaning "Teacher!"

17 Jesus said, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.'"

18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything he said to her.

19-20 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you." Then he showed them his hands and side.

20-21 The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."

22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"

24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We saw the Master." But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe it."

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."

27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. "Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don't be unbelieving. Believe."

28 Thomas said, "My Master! My God!"

29 Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."

30-31 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

John 20:1-31 (The Message

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben and Lacey

Jeremy and I want to wish his brother Ben a wonderful 24th Birthday. Ben is getting married in July to Lacey and we are so excited for him. He is a really great guy and we hope that he has an amazing day!

Happy Birthday Ben!!

Easterish Random Dozen

It's time for some Easter Random Dozen!

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps?

They are cute to look at, but I can only eat a few because they are just too sweet. My teeth feel sticky after eating them. I think the bunny shaped ones are really cute.

2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down?

Take a deep breath and try to relax.

3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains?

Briefly. Besides washing the pollen off my car it's nice to know that my garden (when it gets planted) will have some good rain for a few weeks.

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why?

I guess if I was forced to have a tattoo of someones face it would probably be Jeremy. I would hate for any future children to feel left out.

5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring?

Since I totally want a tattoo anyways, this is a pretty obvious answer. I'm thinking I would pick either a small butterfly, cross, or Jesus fish.

6. Do you have any special plans for Easter?

We'll dye Easter eggs on Saturday night and then go to church and then to my Mom's house on Sunday morning.

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs?

Cadbury all the way!

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of?

My Mom with Jackson and the Budweiser Clydesdale's.

9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one?

Last night I finished reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for probably the 10th time.

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning? Spring cleaning? What's that?

11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?

Let's see: sky blue, navy blue, royal blue, American flag, yellow, Army green, black, white, polka dots, another black, and another white.

12 pairs, but it's still not enough!

12. Which color makes you happiest?

Sky blue. It's the perfect color!

Take care!