Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The one where we try to get back to Normalcy....

Normalcy, not sure what that is anymore... We have been traveling so much lately I have forgotten what it is like to relax, which makes it tough to do when I have time. I feel like I always have to be doing something, I always have to be multitasking. I feel like sitting on the couch is wasting precious time!! I often have to tell my self to chill out!! Josh is the same way, you know him... always moving.

CHEESE!!! Look at all my teefers!!
Anyway, so we had a "normal" weekend this weekend and actually stayed in Georgia. Shocked, I know, so were we. The weather was gorgeous here and only getting better. We got things done around the house, cleaned, organized, and shopped- all of my favorite things!!! Cooper got to play out in the yard in his new pool daddy got him instead of sitting in a car seat for 6 hours, talk about a happy kid! He loved the pool, especially the whale that shoots out water! Everyone always says, cherish these times now, because soon they won't be so amused at the little things. Cooper is really becoming more vocal and brave... standing on his own. He LOVES screaming at the top of his lungs for no reason (I think just to hear him self). He will be walking SOON. Although we aren't sure if we are happy or sad about that. Last night Josh was sitting on the couch, I was sitting on the floor and Cooper took a few steps from Josh to me! He is totally wobbly and the steps could have been by default, he was already falling into me.... in any instance, it won't be long before we are chasing him. Now is the time to get my new running shoes.
#1 GATOR BABY
POOL TIME WITH DADDY 




We finally got all the furniture in our dinning room, so Thanksgiving is a GO!! I still need chair covers and paint on the walls so this isn't the final product, but at least we will have "normal" seating arrangements this year, yay! Everyone is welcome, the more the merrier. I guess I don't get out of cooking this year. Last year I had a good excuse, this year, not so much! Good thing I like cooking :) AND we finished Coopers bookshelf and moved it to his room. Next thing I have to do in his room is paint. It is always something when you own a home. I still have so much I want to do... baby steps!




Doin what he does best! yummmmmm



 Love

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The lord has taken an angel home...


This week we honor and remember Grandma Mimi. “GMa” as we all called her, is Joshua’s grandmother who passed last Thursday, September 8, 2011.  And while I had only known her for about 3 years, that was enough of time for her to make an impact in my life. She taught us that the little things don’t matter, that we don’t need money and materialistic things to be happy. She offered us great advice and told us many stories of her own life. But most of all made us laugh. Whenever I was there, I always sat in the spot next to her on the couch. That was the best place because you could always hear her mumble something under her breath. I could always hear her jokes and wittiness. You had to be sitting right next to her to hear it, but it was always something hilarious. In sitting next to her, she wanted me to help her with her crossword puzzles. Like I was any smarter.... But I tried. And for those 3 years of going down to Gma's I think I got one answer.

She had a sparkle in her eye every time Josh would walk in the room. She loved him so much and just lit up to the sky when he walked in. There were times when we would not tell her we were coming down and just show up and every time she would do a double take when Josh walked in. I can still remember her words to distinctly with such excitement, "Oh-My-God, I don't believe it!" I can still hear Gma saying those words. There's nothing like a Grandma being around her grandson. It is a beautiful thing.

Last Christmas I was able to experience the infamous aker peas and rice Josh spoke so highly of. Now when I found out how much he loved aker peas, I said What? You like what? Coming from the guy who doesn't even like sharp cheddar cheese on his hamburger. So I knew if he loved it, then it must be good.  So that Christmas eve, I stacked my plate with aker peas and rice, and you know what I like 'em.  Nothing beats a Grandmas cookin. They can make anything taste delish. I cooked them for Josh recently, and while GMas still takes the gold, I got a "they're good". Hopefully one day, my kids and grand kids will love my cooking as much as Josh loved hers.

I didn't get to know Gma, like Josh knew her. Although I wish I had. I am thankful for the time I was able to spend with her. She was an amazing woman, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She was so wise and witty. So artistic and lovable. So thoughtful and humble.... I am so very happy she was able to meet Cooper and laugh with him, hold his hand and hug him. Josh and I will have many many stories to tell him of his Great Gma one day and how awesome and cool it was for her to take a beer funnel at a party in front of Josh and Chris's friends. She swore it was just water in there, but we all know how much she loved her Old Milwaukee :)

We will miss you dearly Grandma Mimi!!

There will be a celebration of her life Sunday September 18th at 3pm at Karen's house. Everyone and anyone is more than welcome to join. Please come share your fondest memories as we celebrate her long and happy life!





Love always

Sunday, September 11, 2011

The day that will not be forgotten....

10 years ago today, we remember the horrific terrorist attacks against our country and the thousands Americans who lost their lives. I've been up all morning watching the coverage on fox news, remembering and mourning. It is a very emotional day for America. We must not forget what happened, we must teach our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren about September 11, 2001 as it changed America for ever. I still remember exactly where I was when I first heard of the attacks. It seems like just yesterday. And while I really didn't understand exactly what was happening, I knew it was devastating. Going back through all the video footage and photos, my heart aches for those soles and their families. I can't imagine what was going through their heads during this time. This photo is bitter sweet. It represents America will stand together and prevail even in the hardest of times. I AM proud to be an American! Thank you to all who have fought for our freedom!



God Bless America!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

The one where I turn 26 years YOUNG...

....and my little baby turns 10 months. HOLY COW!! Where has the time gone? I can't believe he already has 4 teeth. The front 2 on top are breaking through now, he is almost walking, standing longer solo and saying momma, dadda and bye-bye. He is starting to wave when he says bye-bye. I swear he is the cutest little thing ever. It is so much fun watching him grow (as much as I dislike it). He is in to everything. I can tell he is going to be so smart! He's a thinker and solver.
We went on our last trip to Florida until Christmas (minus Shannon and James wedding in Sarasota). But we are traveled out!! We went down to Boyton Beach to see Erin and Ben for my birthday. What a life. If we lived down there, you would have to kidnap me and force me to work everyday. The water is gorgeous, the town is fun and the food is great. What more could you ask for!? We were on  a boat everyday, one of the days was a 61 foot Viking. Ben's friends parents own it and it needed to be run, so a group of us went off shore fishing. Erin and I of course got sea sick (along with one other girl) and ended up sleeping half the morning. We let the guys do all the work. And when I say work, I say that VERY loosely. There are about 10 lines dropped in the water at any given time.  When the guys saw the line moving they would electronically "reel" in the fish. Isn't that cheating? I was kinda hoping for some blood, sweat and tears.... I am not really complaining because the fish was excellent!! We cooked it Sunday night and it tasted exactly like lobster. AMAZING!!! We partied, watched UF and UCF win and had another boat day. It really reminded me of Silver Glen, a place my folks and I used to go on our boat when I was younger. Only now I understand why Silver Glen was so much fun!!!

One of the fishies we enjoyed eating!!!

The Boat





Josh is out of town on business again. This time he is in Albuquerque. Which is pretty cool cause his Great Grandma McCarty lives out there (Grandpa Butches mom), so Josh is going to stop by tomorrow night and have dinner with her. Good ole grandma cookin, I'm jealous!!! So it is just me and the Coopsters. Some of my girlfriends and I are going to dinner tomorrow night, so I will have some company.

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes. I had a great day spending time with the hubby and the little one. You can never have too much family time. The days just seem to fly, maybe now since we aren't traveling they will slow....

LOVE

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The one where we have been "Newlyweds" for 377 days...

I was logging on to an old wedding website to search for ideas for Kelly's wedding and was greeted with a CONGRATULATIONS Allison and Joshua, you have been Newlyweds for 377 days! So not only does it do a wedding day count down, it keeps on counting baby! I would like to check it in 20 years! Do you think it counts that high?


Speaking of Newlyweds, our anniversary cruise was AWESOME. Great family and friends joined us to celebrate.... and it was Josh's first cruise. He fell in love.... and not with me all over but with Carnival and the food and the drinks and the BLACKJACK table. That's right, you learn something new everyday I tell you. I didn't know he loved to gamble so much until this cruise. He didn't lose money like anything serious, but he totally was addicted. So addicted to leave the sunshine, beers, bikinis and open seas to go in a dark confined room with a bunch of men! Hurricane Irene was also making her way through the Atlantic parallel to us, our cruise was changed slightly. Instead of Nassau and Freeport we went to Key West and Freeport. How Ironic?? We went BACK to our honey spot unintentionally. I got to do things I wasn't able to last year, like drink a fruity alcoholic beverage at Fat Tuesday as well as ride a bike up and down Duval St. I think it is a sign. We are going to have to go to Key West every anniversary one way or another. So anyway, we were there just for the day scoping out all the bars and hot spots for when we return for Kelly's bachelorette partttaayyyy next year!! The cruise was so relaxing. We laid out in the sun every day with a drink in one hand. As you know we didn't take Cooper so we were extra relaxed and extra partied out when we returned home. Freeport is a dump! I don't even know why Carnival has a port there. When you pull up to the Island, nothing screams paradise. It is so industrial with cargo ships and boxes. It is UGLY. You have to drive 20 minutes to the nearest city which is about as big as our neighborhood to sit on a beach as big as my back yard. I mean there is nothing glamorous unless you stay at an all inclusive resort with a private beach. Everyone tries to sell you t-shirts, jewelry and braids. Guess who is the sucker to get her hair braided? That's right ME! I needed a sexy anniversary braid. I even got to pick out my own bead colors. Other than that, there is nothing to do there, unless you wait 30-45 minutes for a boat ride or something. Being on the cruise ship was by far the best time. We went dancing probably in every room inside and outside they had, tried to Karokee but were never picked and ate in every room! they had food 24 hrs. Josh and I acted like we had never been around food before. We would eat at the midnight buffet and then head to our room and order room service. No wonder we gained 5 lbs on the thing!! They had a gym there (or so we heard).... we never saw it. The 4 days went by WAAAYYYY to quickly. We are back on the grind at work and turning around to head back south again for the long weekend.









We are Delray Beach bound tomorrow at lunch. Mr. Cooper is staying with the grandparents one last weekend while we celebrate my birthday. The big 26, watch out!!! Erin lives down there. We have been promising her we would make it down there. Ben bribed us with his boat and fishing all weekend, so how could we say no?? haha Just kidding. I can't wait. It is both our first times in Delray, so I am sure we will have some fun stories :)

This is our LAST Florida vacation/ weekend trip for a while, possibly until Christmas. Thanksgiving us at our house again this year. The door is open!

Love!

Happy Labor Day!