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16 years ago....

16 years ago today, Brad and I went on our very first date. I won't bore you with all the details, but it wasn't a dream date. Since we didn't make it to the movies on time, we just snuck in. It wasn't a dream date, but I knew that night I would probably follow him anywhere. Was I crazy, or what? How we met is the interesting part.

I got a wild hair one day and decided I wanted to move in with my dad. He lived just in the next town, but it would mean a new school for me during my 10th grade year. During my first typing class (computers weren't the thing yet), I saw this guy come from the back of the classroom to turn in his work. Wow, he was so cute! He didn't notice me, so I just let it go. The following year, I was back with my Mom in the little town I still call home. I didn't know this until later, but Brad and his friend came to the Sonic where I worked after school. I delivered his order, but really didn't notice him. I was just focused on getting the order delivered and getting on to the next one. According to Brad (I still tease him about this), he turned to his friend and said, "I'm going to marry her someday." Whatever! Some time afterwards (it could have been days or months), my boss told me we would be expecting a new cook. She warned us girls to leave him alone. We asked for his name anyway. My jaw just dropped as I cut my eyes toward my best friend, Buffie. She remembered me talking about this guy just a year earlier. My heart was beating out of my chest as Brad drove up in his little black truck. After he had worked there a few days, we were scheduled to have break together. He asked me out not knowing I had just broke up with my boyfriend that same day. Later on, Brad told me the story about coming to the Sonic and me not noticing him. He went to his grandmother and asked her to help him get a job there so he could meet me. He didn't notice me when I first noticed him, and I didn't notice him when he first noticed me!

16 years ago, we went on our first date. Tonight, we won't sneak into a movie, have that first kiss, or begin a new love. Tonight, we will share a meal with our kids, have game night, and curl up on the couch to watch our kids play together. Well, we will probably be trying to keep Jayce from bouncing off the walls and keep Lakyn from climbing on everything. This is our dream! 16 years and counting!

Slap Me Silly!

My cake, my cake! Oh, Brad did a wonderful job on my birthday cake. Here's the recipe:

Slap Me Silly

1 box German chocolate cake mix
(eggs, oil, & water per cake box directions)
1 can sweetened, condensed milk
12 oz container Cool Whip
chocolate syrup
caramel syrup
2 Heath candy bars, crushed

Using a 13X9 pan, bake cake according to package directions. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke about 20 holes in cake. Pour the sweetened, condensed milk over the cake. Drizzle some chocolate syrup and caramel syrup over the cake, making a criss cross design. Cool cake completely. Next, frost with Cool Whip. Drizzle with more chocolate and caramel syrup on top in the same criss cross design. Finally, sprinkle entire cake with crushed Heath candy bars. Keep refigerated until ready to eat.

29....Again!

29....again! Ok, so I can't get away with the 29 anymore, but I'm thinking 33 is the new 29! It isn't as old as I once thought. I have learned so much about myself over the years. One thing I've learned is that the older I get, the more chocolate I need! Ha! I've also learned the meaning of family traditions.

Brad and I had been married for about 10 years (14 years now) when I finally broke down and told him it was high time he either get a cake, or make one for my birthday. I really wasn't a huge fan of chocolate when I was kid, but now it is a food group! It must be a hormonal thing that comes with age. Anyway, Brad has either bought a chocolate cake or made one every year since I threw my little fit. So far, my favorite cakes include the Dora the Explorer cake Jayce chose a few years back, the homemade non-dairy cake (for Lakyn's sake) Brad made last year with the single match stuck in the middle and my Moma's chocolate cake.

I remember getting off the old, rickety country school bus and running as fast as I could up the gravel driveway to beat my other four siblings to the back door. I ran especially fast on my birthday. There would always be a homemade chocolate cake waiting in its 9X13 pan on the kitchen counter. If there was a chocolate cake in the house, it was someone's birthday! After our mother prepared a favorite birthday meal (mine was always tacos), it would be time for cake and presents. There was no need to invite other kids because we had a house full of kids between my Mom's three and my stepdad's two. It was a chaotic household, but a fun one. Moma would lite the candles while everyone joined in for the birthday song. Tom would give us the birthday spanking with always "one to grow on." It wasn't the chocolate cake I longed for, but for the family centered around me in celebration. So, now I must have a chocolate cake on my birthday because it is family tradition. It takes me back to my childhood every time, and makes me feel like a kid again.

The family tradition is carried on by my husband and precious children. I'm thankful to the good Lord for allowing another birthday to come my way. I'm thankful for my husband, my children, my family, my friends, and for MY chocolate cake! Oh, I'm the 2nd kid from the left in the photo.

School Closed!

Ok, it isn't snowing outside, but school is closed. Huh? School is closed due to extreme cold temperatures. This is a first for me. I've never heard to such! So, if this isn't a snow day, is it just a cold day?

The cold front (didn't know you could have a cold front when it was already cold) moved in at around midnight causing the temperatures to dip into the negative numbers. According to weather.com, we woke up to -7 degrees, but feels like -29 degrees. The wind chill today is supposed to be something like -10 to -15 degrees. Insane!

So, what does that kind of cold feel like? Don't ask me because I'm not going out in it. I can tell you that my body knows the difference between 6 degrees and 15 degrees, and 15 degrees and 24 degrees, and 24 degrees and 32 degrees. I don't need a thermometer or a weatherman to tell me the temperatures on most days. I don't think my body will ever get used to it being this cold. I like temperatures of no lower than 52 degrees outside and no higher than 65 degrees inside.

I think our little family will thaw once we move to Texas. According to weather.com, the temperature in Del Rio this morning is 66 degrees warmer than here. That is also insane! It will be a big change for us. We will be going from one extreme to the other.

So, those of you enjoying above freezing temperatures today, be thankful! Enjoy the simple things like walking out to the mailbox without getting frostbite, driving over a river that isn't frozen, only wearing one layer of clothing, and your kids being able to go outside and play!

Happy Winter!

It's MY Party, and I'll Cry If I Want To!

It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to, cry if I want to, you would cry too if it happened to you! That is pretty much how Lakyn's 1st birthday party started off. She just wasn't having it! Once she stopped crying, she realized there was a cake in front of her. Of course, she had no idea what to do with it. After lighting the candle, she seemed to perk up. Her little face lit up right along with the candle. Jayce and Brad dipped their index fingers in the cake to give her a little taste. She still wasn't having it. Little Miss Priss had to have a spoon!. She would eat her cake in a dignified way! Dignity went out the window after about 5 minutes. She still held on to the spoon, but she dug in with her hands. She didn't talk, and she didn't smile. She just ate! Now for the fun part....the bath!

Lakyn loves to be in the tub. I believe this was one of the big highlights of the party. Jayce was a big help when it came time for opening presents. She loved all her presents including the photo album, toy phone and dolls.

Lakyn's party resembles her personality. She can be quite dainty with a spunky flare. She needed a spoon for her cake, but had a time dancing on the pile of presents.

It is hard to believe our precious, baby girl is a year old. She has brought so much joy to our family this year. Happy Birthday, Lakyn! We love you!

My Valentine

Almost a year ago, my little Valentine was in NICU. Those 90 1/2 hours Lakyn spent there felt like a month of Sundays! It was a tough time, but we all survived it.

My heart was in my throat as we made the 15 minute trip to the hospital the day after Valentine's Day. We would finally bring our daughter home and live as a family of four.

The nurse and I dressed Lakyn in her going home outfit. Her great grandmother had made it for her 32 years earlier. She died when Brad was only 2 years old, so she would never meet the baby girl in the knitted, yellow, drawstring gown. Great Grandmother Mary lives on in Lakyn.

Jayce's smile lit up the tiny waiting area as I walked out of the NICU with his baby sister. He had waited for this moment just as long as his parents. After a brief visit with his daughter, Brad rushed out to get the car. It was time to take his precious cargo home. Our path home was covered in a blanket of pure, white snow. This day God had made was so beautiful. All the prayers from family and friends had been answered.

I look at my little, round faced girl with only two bruises on her forehead today. Her blonde fuzzy hair is standing on end all over her head. Her little white t-shirt is stained from breakfast and from the cherry lollypop I gave her so she would allow me to write, her striped pants are hanging well below her waist, both socks are missing, and she is giggling as she sucks in both of her lips. She is proud to be standing on the train table even though I have retrieved her from it a dozen times today. She hears the phrase all too familiar..."No No!," but she is still smiling at me. She is happy and healthy. She has a kind heart, an adventurous soul and a determination to be admired.

Happy Valentine's Day!