Hicks Family Circus

Buckaroos 2012

2012-01-26T10:09:00.000-06:00

Since I've been such a blog slacker you have not had the pleasure of seeing how fantastic my little Cheerleaders have been doing this year. We started Competitions back in November 2011 and we've moved our way up each time. You've never seen anything like a group of proud mommies see their baby girls come in 2nd out of 8 tough teams like we did last weekend!! Well let me tell you, we threw caution to the wind and celebrated like they had won the whole darn thing!! We took pictures like they were celebrities. We were basically asked to get of the floor. Haha! This team has worked their little tails off this year and despite size and some strength issues out of their control they have become as Coach Kara stated, "a force to be reckoned with." You gotta love that!
We are proud to be a part of the Cowboys Cheer Center family and I am proud to be a Cheer Mom. Ridicule should you wish, but since we started this adventure, we've experienced that Competitive Cheerleading is - athletic, challenging, rewarding, tough, fiercely competitive, character building, etc. - it is a sport folks! ;)

Here are my sweet Cowboy Buckaroos at their last competition where they racked up that 2nd place trophy!

Love this picture of my smart, sassy and energetic cheerleaders!

Gracie, Clara Paige and Maggie

I will admit part of the fun for them is putting on the make-up. ha!

Check out these sassy yet cute-as-a-button dolls but don't let them fool ya. They are a team of hard working Cheerleaders!

The Pyramid! It looks great here don't ya think?! They hit it every time at competition but it's been, shall we say, a challenge for the girls this year. BUT they are working on a new and improved one for the next competition b/c our girls are working hard and gonna rock it out next time with harder moves and a full extension (cheer talk-sorry)! They are tiny but mighty! I think we get extra points just b/c they are so darn cute. haha - but I'm biased I know!
This was our 2nd competition- placing 3rd out of 9 teams. Again, you would have thought we'd won nationals, we were so proud of them!!

Not sure why this one is so small but this is after our 3rd place finish in December and let me tell you those girls were stoked! 3rd may not sound like much to you but out of 9 tough teams we were jacked up about getting that placement! I love how close all of our girls have become this year. They truly are a team and look out for each other. Isn't that part of what it's about? It is for us anyway. I cherish seeing the character building up in my little girlies!

Here are my girls with their awesome Coaches, Kaitlyn and Kara! Our girls wouldn't be where they are without this special duo! They have worked our girls hard but loved them much at the same time. I've been very impressed with the maturity and dedication they have given to our little ones. In the grand scheme of things our girls are the smallest competitors for our gym but so far have made such a big impact and so much of the credit goes to our Coach Kara and Coach Kaitlyn. Love you guys!

Here's a shot of the girls waiting to begin their routine at the competition last weekend at the BJCC! Don't they look adorable? I have more pics but will have to load them and post again soon!

And here they are the 2nd Place team with their coaches!

It takes a lot of work, time and yes money for these little angels to get to this stage of competition but after all the tough and stressful practices and issues, it is so well worth it to see our babies faces shine when they do well and to know they are proud of themselves!!

This is our 2nd year with Cowboys, we've made a home where our girls have grown in so many ways and made relationships that will last and I'm happy to be a part of such a fun and rewarding program.

We are a Cowboys Family!

More pics to come!

Just some good advice...

2012-01-16T19:06:00.004-06:00

I know I'm suppose to be keeping you up to date with my family's happenings but I just needed to take a minute to post a thought or two I found on Pinterest. (That's another subject I could spend a whole post or two on - Pinterest -ha) Anyway, I've found that worrying and over-analyzing things might be one of the things I need to seriously work on. I have lots of things on my mind and lots of people on my heart lately and I'm trying to keep my perspective clear so I can focus on what matters in my life instead of being bogged down with life and all it brings so I can be a light to those who are on my heart and around me. And I think the best way to shine is to pray with passion and be grateful to My Savior. Remembering our blessings and where they come from is so very essentially important to me right now and hopefully it is to you too. I fail consistently with this but remembering that I am not perfect and he still loves me strengthens me greatly. I am never alone!
I guess I just feel the need to renew myself right now. Don't we all need that at times? I need to take moments each day to re-focus and remind myself who's I am and how important He is to me.

I also opened up my Bible app on my phone yesterday and this what I read:

" So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." Romans 12:^1-2

^{This is from the Message but isn't it an interesting way to read this passage? Being changed from the inside out sounds so amazing and refreshing. Letting God work in us is what he wants. Reading this helped clarify where my heart needs to be and how it needs to get there with these issues that are weighing on me. There's so much more I could say but I just don't have time. Maybe another time. Sorry to have rambled but I feel better for having shared.}
^{Have a Great Week Eveyone!!}

Yes it's True

2012-01-04T20:44:00.000-06:00

I have let a New Year come and go and I've just fallen off the blog wagon. For someone who was so proud of her blogging accomplishments I have let myself down in the cyber world of personal blogdom. However, as I do not really make resolutions I do intend on doing a better job this year of documenting my families memories, journeys, adventures and accomplishments. It just seems life has take a turn for the busier and I'm finding myself either running from here to there, doing household chores or succumbing to my exhaustion. haha...

Anyway, here's to a fantastic, healthy, happy, drama-free, love-filled, Christ-seeking 2012 for my family and the same to yours!!!

This is just a cute shot of my girls back in the fall at Auburn. It has nothing to do with the New Year but I just thought you'd like to see their sweet faces!!

My Salsa Recipe

2011-11-04T20:59:00.001-05:00

So it seems I have at least one talent that other people really seem to enjoy. I have been asked many times and even threatened to share my SALSA recipe with the world so here it is. Enjoy!!

1 ripe tomato chopped
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/4 white onion chopped
3 garlic cloves (I use 1 fresh clove and 1 tsp of minced)
2 tsp jalapenos (I use the jarred kind instead of fresh)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (can substitute parsley- but I don't)
1 lime juiced
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

Hint - 1 tsp of sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic

Combine all ingredients and mix well. I use my food processor to get the fine consistency.

I usually add extra salt to taste.

There you go. That's all there is to it. Good luck on all your Salsa adventures!!

Just some Fun Pictures

2011-11-02T22:07:00.001-05:00

OK this will bring to an end my endless parade of pictures from our Disney trip but these were just too fun and cute to pass up from our last days in the parks.

Two of my sweeties carrying their balloons back to the room.

You almost can't take a bad picture of the Castle. It's just so pretty and magical.

Stitch was a hoot. He cracked my girls up with his crazy antics. They were all fast friends!

Just too stinkin' cute for words.

Modeling some rather fancy mouse ears!

Checking out the parade from Cinderella's Castle.

A great shot of Donald. Oohh I didn't see the scantily clad lady behind him though!! hahahaa.....Sorry

One last family shot in the Happiest Place on Earth!

We didn't want to leave and head back to reality but alas we had no choice.

And reality is was.... the air conditioning in the van went out when we were a couple of hours from home!! Those were some of the hottest hours of my life. My girls were so hot they had nothing left to do but fall asleep!! And that ends our magical adventure for 2011!!

I'd go back in 2012 if they would let me ;)

Love You Daddy

2011-10-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

So Wednesday marked the 3rd anniversary of my daddy's death. As time goes on, the pain subsides but the memories of that day are hard to run from. For the most part it was an ok day but hanging over October 26th will always be that event that was the worst day of my life. However, I look at this picture and see what is absolutely the definition of what I remember of my dad: smiles, love and selflessness!! I was truly blessed with unbelievable parents who sacrificed and loved so much that I only hope I can raise my babies half as well as they did.

I love you and miss you Daddy so very much and I am honored to be your daughter and fortunate to have all the wonderful memories of you!!

And Up Next was...Hollywood Studios

2011-10-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

So the last park we had left to visit was Hollywood Studios (which I still call MGM on occasion out of habit).

Just thought this was a cute and colorful one of my girlies at Downtown Disney.

Here was our pack mule for the trip. Aunt Wendy let us borrow her cool backpack and Alex ended up wearing it most of the time. He was not thrilled at how "girly" it was but he still took one for the team, manned up and toted that thing all over Disney World. Thanks Daddy!! (and Wendy)

Waitin' around on the Muppets 3D show. We love that one too. The little furry fella in the middle is Catty and he pretty much goes everywhere with Ms. Gracie. It is a miracle he made it back from Disney!!

The Rockin' Roller Coaster Guitar. We didn't get to ride b/c the twins were just barely too small so we didn't want to ride w/out them. We love it but we'll just hit it on the next time around!!

The Fam!

The Girls!

Acting like Star Wars Action Figures. Pretty cute ones don't ya think?? (notice Catty again-she gets around)

Posing outside of the Stunt Show. My girls absolutely loved it. Ya can't say they aren't well rounded. They did actually get a little of their daddy's love for vehicles too!!

Cool shot of a car in the air.

The actual Hen House from the Hannah Montana movie, in case you didn't know. That really was a pretty cute movie if I do say so myself!

Trying to stay dry on the Back Lot Tour.

Watching one of those entertaining Disney parades while eating our Popsicles to stay cool and refreshed.

Who doesn't love the movie UP? I just love how everything is so colorful and magical (it must be the kid in me)!

The Beauty and the Beast show was really good too! We had never seen that one before and it was worth the wait!

Gotta have a shot of the Magic Hat!

The New American Idol show was really cool and actual people really do compete each day. We got to vote and everything. My girls were in hog heaven!

See how excited Maggie was?!?!!

Groovin' to the music waiting for the show to start....

Ok, so I'm almost finished. I have a few random shots I want to post and then we will be finished with the 2011 Hicks Disney Extravaganza!!

Animal Kindgom

2011-10-21T12:38:00.000-05:00

I know this is the longest trip to Disney anyone has ever blogged about but I have to finish out our trip before I can move on. There's so much on my mind lately and this time of year although beautiful and full of fall fun brings it's own heaviness to it also for me. BUT this post is about my sweet family's adventure into the Animal Kingdom.....

Our Jungle attire.

My twins rode Mount Everest. It wasn't their favorite but they did it and lived to tell about it.

Here's me before I do my hair in the mornings. Haha. No I'm just dressed at the Yeti from Mount Everest!

I think the Lion King show is my favorite in all the parks! It's amazing! and so beautifully done!

The family that plays together stays together!

The Nemo show runs a close second to my favorite shows. The colors in this one are so pretty!

My little wild animals hanging out, taking a little jungle break!

It sure is tough being a bug. That show always cracks me up!!

And finally the Tree of Life!

The Magic Kingdom....

2011-10-05T20:39:00.002-05:00

And magic it is......

Our second day in the parks was our day at the Magic Kingdom.

I love that your first real sight once inside the park is Cinderella's Castle.

CP driving Nana at the race cars.

Sitting pretty in front of the Tea Cups

Riding the People Mover

Gracie with her Daddy and her Buzz. oh my how this Buzz will live in infamy. There was quite a little fit thrown that day because my precious baby girl was going to have this Buzz or no one else was going to have a peaceful rest of their day. (He is quite cute)

Who doesn't love "It's a Small World"? You are singing it now in your head aren't you? ;)

We love Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride

The castle sure is pretty with 3 pretty princesses in front of it! (notice Buzz under G's arm)

Nana even rode Splash Mountain with us. That was one of our favorites.

Gotta ride the train too. You can't miss that.

And after a long day in the park, we found our way to the pool again!

More from The Happiest Place on Earth....

2011-09-28T22:01:00.001-05:00

Here's some more from Epcot day during the Hicks Disney Trip 2011.....

Cute posing with Ariel at the pool. (plus the random girl in the background)

Hanging out with our pal Cinderella. She's so pretty. Well come to think of it, all the princesses in this photo are pretty!! (Yes, I am biased)

Playin' in the jumping water

Test Track with Daddy

Tasting something that apparently was nasty. I believe this was where you could taste different cola flavors from around the world. Whatever country this was gets a thumbs down from CP!

My girls LOVED the Kim Possible mission at the World Expo in Epcot.

Playing The Great Piggy Bank Adventure. It was really cute and educational all rolled into one! Gotta love that Disney for slipping some learning into fun like that!

More to come.....

Dads of Daughters

2011-09-27T15:03:00.003-05:00

I stole this from a post from a friend of a friend but it was too good not to copy and share with you. I know I promised to continue with our Disney adventure but this was too precious and important not to share. This touched my heart so much because not only did I have the best dad who exemplified so many of these but my girls have such a passionate and wonderful dad too! Daddies are so very important to their daughters. It make me think of that John Mayer Song, "Daughters"

Fathers be good to your daughters, Daughters will love like you do.....

So enjoy and take to heart these sweet thoughts and suggestions...

1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it is. I’d prefer good.

2. Always be there. Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest her. She needs her dad to be involved in her life at every stage. Don’t just sit idly by while she add years to her… add life to her years.

3. Save the day. She’ll grow up looking for a hero. It might as well be you. She’ll need you to come through for her over and over again throughout her life. Rise to the occasion. Red cape and blue tights optional.

4. Savor every moment you have together. Today she’s crawling around the house in diapers, tomorrow you’re handing her the keys to the car, and before you know it, you’re walking her down the aisle. Some day soon, hanging out with her old man won’t be the bees knees anymore. Life happens pretty fast. You better cherish it while you can.

5. Pray for her. Regularly. Passionately. Continually.

6. Buy her a glove and teach her to throw a baseball. Make her proud to throw like a girl… a girl with a wicked slider.

7. She will fight with her mother. Choose sides wisely.

8. Go ahead. Buy her those pearls.

9. Of course you look silly playing peek-a-boo. You should play anyway.

10. Enjoy the wonder of bath time.

11. There will come a day when she asks for a puppy. Don’t over think it. At least one time in her life, just say, “Yes.”

12. It’s never too early to start teaching her about money. She will still probably suck you dry as a teenager… and on her wedding day.

13. Make pancakes in the shape of her age for breakfast on her birthday. In a pinch, donuts with pink sprinkles and a candle will suffice.

14. Buy her a pair of Chucks as soon as she starts walking. She won’t always want to wear matching shoes with her old man.

15. Dance with her. Start when she’s a little girl or even when she’s a baby. Don’t wait ‘til her wedding day.

16. Take her fishing. She will probably squirm more than the worm on your hook. That’s OK.

17. Learn to say no. She may pitch a fit today, but someday you’ll both be glad you stuck to your guns.

18. Tell her she’s beautiful. Say it over and over again. Someday an animated movie or “beauty” magazine will try to convince her otherwise.

19. Teach her to change a flat. A tire without air need not be a major panic inducing event in her life. She’ll still call you crying the first time it happens.

20. Take her camping. Immerse her in the great outdoors. Watch her eyes fill with wonder the first time she sees the beauty of wide open spaces. Leave the iPod at home.

21. Let her hold the wheel. She will always remember when daddy let her drive.

22. She’s as smart as any boy. Make sure she knows that.

23. When she learns to give kisses, she will want to plant them all over your face. Encourage this practice.

24. Knowing how to eat sunflower seeds correctly will not help her get into a good college. Teach her anyway.

25. Letting her ride on your shoulders is pure magic. Do it now while you have a strong back and she’s still tiny.

26. It is in her nature to make music. It’s up to you to introduce her to the joy of socks on a wooden floor.

27. If there’s a splash park near your home, take her there often. She will be drawn to the water like a duck to a puddle.

28. She will eagerly await your return home from work in the evenings. Don’t be late.

29. If her mom enrolls her in swim lessons, make sure you get in the pool too. Don’t be intimidated if there are no other dads there. It’s their loss.

30. Never miss her birthday. In ten years she won’t remember the present you gave her. She will remember if you weren’t there.

31. Teach her to roller skate. Watch her confidence soar.

32. Let her roll around in the grass. It’s good for her soul. It’s not bad for yours either.

33. Take her swimsuit shopping. Don’t be afraid to veto some of her choices, but resist the urge to buy her full-body beach pajamas.

34. Somewhere between the time she turns three and her sixth birthday, the odds are good that she will ask you to marry her. Let her down gently.

35. She’ll probably want to crawl in bed with you after a nightmare. This is a good thing.

36. Few things in life are more comforting to a crying little girl than her father’s hand. Never forget this.

37. Introduce her to the swings at your local park. She’ll squeal for you to push her higher and faster. Her definition of “higher and faster” is probably not the same as yours. Keep that in mind.

38. When she’s a bit older, your definition of higher and faster will be a lot closer to hers. When that day comes, go ahead… give it all you’ve got.

39. Holding her upside down by the legs while she giggles and screams uncontrollably is great for your biceps. WARNING: She has no concept of muscle fatigue.

40. She might ask you to buy her a pony on her birthday. Unless you live on a farm, do not buy her a pony on her birthday. It’s OK to rent one though.

41. Take it easy on the presents for her birthday and Christmas. Instead, give her the gift of experiences you can share together.

42. Let her know she can always come home. No matter what.

43. Remember, just like a butterfly, she too will spread her wings and fly some day. Enjoy her caterpillar years.

44. Write her a handwritten letter every year on her birthday. Give them to her when she goes off to college, becomes a mother herself, or when you think she needs them most.

45. Learn to trust her. Gradually give her more freedom as she gets older. She will rise to the expectations you set for her.

46. When in doubt, trust your heart. She already does.

47. When your teenage daughter is upset, learning when to engage and when to back off will add years to YOUR life. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

48. Ice cream covers over a multitude of sins. Know her favorite flavor.

49. This day is coming soon. There’s nothing you can do to be ready for it. The sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be.

50. Today she’s walking down the driveway to get on the school bus. Tomorrow she’s going off to college. Don’t blink.

This is the actual link to the complete article:
http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/50-rules-for-dads-of-daughters

Disney 2011

2011-09-21T14:40:00.004-05:00

Ok folks, I won't bore you with too many details since this adventure was several months ago but back in May we took the girlies to Disney! We didn't tell them until Easter morning and that secret was hard to keep but was lots of fun. Their Easter baskets had lots of Disney themed goodies. We also had a scavenger hunt of sorts and downstairs was a sign telling them that they were going to Disney world. They were so shocked and excited!!

Here are my surprised and Very Happy munchkins on Easter morning!!

Here are the overly giddy girls on their way to The Mouse's House!! Don't they look excited?

Above is a shot of our first day in the parks at Epcot.

It seemed less crowded that day than the other parks so we started there.

Here are the girls in front of Lightnin' McQueen and Mater made completely out of organic materials.

Epcot turned out to be one of our favorite parks overall this time. There was a time in my life that Epcot kind of bored me. Not so this time. We all really enjoyed it this time. Soarin' was our favorite ride that day. Well, that and Fast Track.

A cute shot of the whole family!

We stayed in the Disney All Star Music Resort which worked out just great. Here CP is re-enacting the "Singin' in the Rain" pose but she had no idea what she was doing b/c she's never seen that movie. haha!! Our hotel had a great pool with games and movies on the pool deck each night. We didn't even make it to ANY fireworks this time b/c my girlies were either too worn out or wanted to go back to the resort and swim.

This is only their 2nd trip to Disney World but we seemed to have started our own tradition of new Disney Jammies for each trip. This was the 2011 version! This time like last time we surprised them with their Minnie Mouse pajamas the first night of our vacation! It's another fun little thing to add to the magic of Disney!

That's about all for now but my goal is to get more Disney posted before the end of the week. :) Wish me luck!!

I'm Still All In.....

2011-09-19T16:01:00.001-05:00

Just sayin........

It's True....

2011-09-14T22:30:00.000-05:00

I am a blog failure and have been for quite some time. I'm quite proud of the moments and memories I've captured here in my little corner of the Internet stratosphere for the last 4 years or so. However, I have done a pitiful job documenting 2011. I wanted so desperately to play catch up. I just don't think it will happen. So, other than posting some pictures from our trip to Disney World (back in MAY) I think I will just start from here and chalk the summer up to me taking a hiatus and hopefully I can find the strength within me to trudge forward and blog on. So, look for at least some posts from me soon!!!

Until next time...........

Ya know it is Football Season already so I must say,

WAR EAGLE!!

School Has Started

2011-08-15T22:19:00.003-05:00

We have officially started our 1st and 3rd grade years at the Hicks household at Creek View Elementary. Actually my baby girls started last Thursday. They were so excited! And we all did so well this year. Not a one of us was anxious or teary eyed at all. I was not allowed to walk them into their classes (by their request) and although I felt a tiny bit sad, I was so much more proud of how independent they were about it all. We were so very excited to learn that Clara Paige has Ms. Hayley Ramires as her teacher this year. This is for 2 reasons. #1 reason is that I've known Hayley most of my life as we grew up in the same church together. #2 being that Hayley teaches the ALL GIRL 3rd grade class. So CP will get to experience 3rd grade a little differently but I think she's gonna love it!! There are at least 7 or 8 of her best friends in this class and I'm quite confident Ms. Ramires can handle it! Should be lots of girly fun for her. ALSO, my twinkies are in separate classes for the very first time in their whole lives. And honestly, I'm convinced that the timing was right on the money for it. Neither Maggie, Gracie or Mommy was sad or anxious about it. I was curious to see how they would do but they are eating up the individual time they have and I'm thinking it will make them appreciate the time they get together more. Maggie has Ms. Vines and is so happy that she has all kinds of critters in her class this year like fish and hamsters. I think somtimes she lets the hamsters run around the class floor in their little ball! Gracie has Ms. Turner and from what I hear she's a great teacher with lots of hugs which fits my Gracie Goose just right.

SO starts another school year in our household and I think it's going to be a pretty darn good one!!

The Silver Black & Blue.....

2011-07-30T20:42:00.003-05:00

So my girls finished up their first year as Cowboy All Star Cheerleaders back in the Spring. We all really enjoyed their first experience and have decided to do it all again this year. However this year we won't be Tumbleweeds anymore, we'll be cheering on the Buckaroos!!

These are some pictures from a few of the competitions we attended. Watch out b/c this year we are going to rock out 1st place trophies all over the place!

We are a Cheer family and proud of it!
Mommy and her girls at the BJCC

We love Coach Kaitlyn and Coach DJ!!!!

We even get to keep Coach Kaitlyn this year! Yay!! We miss DJ bunches and wish him lots of luck as he cheers for Shelton State this year!! You should see this boy tumble and flip! Amazing! And he can even do it in cowboy boots!

Another Competition day all dressed and ready to go!

Coach DJ and the team w/our trophy!!

All our sweet Tumbleweeds. We'll miss our time on this squad but on to the 2011/12 Competition year. Watch out b/c....... we're here to prove, we are the best, the silver, black and blue!!!

COWBOYS!

One Last Post from Arizona, I Promise You'll Like It...

2011-07-22T19:54:00.007-05:00

So you see I think my problem is that I can't move on with my blog until I've shared everything I can about our once in a lifetime trip to Arizona. BUT I promise this one won't be filled with Orange and Blue (except for all our attire). Anyway, the day after the game we headed out to the Grand Canyon with 5 of our dear Auburn Alumni friends that happen to all go to church with us now also. I won't take the time to tell you all the details but we had SO much fun in that Electric Blue van that day!! We laughed so much and shared lots of stories and honestly became much better friends that day. It took us several hours to get there and back so needless to say we were exhausted when we got back but believe me when I say IT WAS WORTH IT!

I can not tell you how beautiful the scenery is in this part of our country. This is Sedona. Some of these beautiful Red Rocks are named Coffeepot, Cathedral and Thunder Mountain.

Here's the whole gang.

Aren't we cute?

Lots of celebrities live in Sedona and the Phoenix area. I've tried to find out who's house this one is but haven't been able to figure it out. What a view they have though.

All the gals outside the Chapel that is built into the mountainside.

Here's a shot of that Chapel. What a place to sit and pray or reflect!

And here are just a FEW of the Amazing shots of the Grand Canyon! I don't think you can take a bad picture here. There are simple NO WORDS for the magnificence and magnitude of this place.

I can not imagine how one could stand in such amazement and not believe that our God created such a beautiful wonder! I was humbled at my own insignificance and how small I truly am in the big picture of it all.

A quick shot of the "Ladies" as Nathan Click called us all day long!!

Here we all are with our friend the Eskimo. Oh that's really just Bethany but let me tell you she was WAY warmer than we were. It was COLD up there!And if I look a little scared it's because I was. I don't do well with heights like this! But I'd go again in a heartbeat. Everyone should experience this kind of beauty if ever given the chance.

And so goes the story of our trip to Arizona. Aren't you so glad I'm finally done 7 moths later? Oh well. As much fun as it was, it was nice to get home! And it was even better to get this nice message once back in our Birmingham airport. ;)

2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T10:25:00.005-05:00

Blessed is the nation whose god is the Lord.-Psalm 33:12

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July! Take a moment to appreciate the freedom we should hold so dear!

and you thought I had forgotten about my blog......

OK so I Know You've Moved on but......

2011-05-21T20:51:00.018-05:00

Yes, It's been like ,oh I don't know, like FIVE months since this event happened in my life and I'm still trying to finish telling you about it. AND in light of the tragedies (storms of 4/27/11) that have happened in our great state, I realize how small and insignificant football seems now. HOWEVER, I have seen through these trials and tribulations the two sides of our SEC infused state lay their pigskin battles aside to help one another in this time of need and it gives me an immense sense of pride to be from the GREAT STATE OF ALABAMA!!
So, I'm going to take a moment (or several) to attempt to finish my AUBURN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP story for you. And I must admit I'm quite disappointed in myself b/c I'm sure there's so much I've forgotten that I wanted to document but I'm gonna at least give it the ole college try.

Here I am with my AU buddies, Donna, me, Bethany and Michelle at the Tailgate party (while my determined husband is out searching for tickets)

You may have to go back a post or two to remind yourself that we were in Arizona on the day of the championship holding out hope we would indeed get tickets to the game. Alex was to meet a dude in a parking lot to buy a pair. At the same time this is going on, our friends who are with me get a phone call from one of their parents. Michelle's mom called to tell us that that someone she knows (apparently pretty high up dude at ALFA) was stranded in Alabama due to an incredible snow/ice storm and would not be able to make it to the game. He wanted to transfer his tickets to us. I can not tell you how incredibly grateful I was to him and to Michelle and Nathan Click for all that hard work TRYING to get those tickets to us. All of our friends were so supportive in trying to help us find tickets that day and I'll never forget that, thanks guys. So anyway, Alex books it to the Auburn Will Call office. After many, many, many phone calls, it is determined that since the tickets are not actually in Arizona then we can't use them. We were very deflated at this point, HOWEVER, the Auburn ticket manager (I would insert his name here b/c we owe him dearly but alas I have forgotten it) took pity on my poor hubby after Alex explained our crazy story. The manager told Alex that if he hung around the ticket office that he would work something out for us. Alex and one other lady who also had a similar ticket nightmare hung out at that ticket office for over 4 hours!!!!!!!!! Alex had not eaten since breakfast and was exhausted and pitiful (see photo below). The closer it came to the game, the more people who began to hang around and the ticket manager began to get testy about everyone hanging out and getting in the way of others coming to get their tickets. Alex was ready to give up at one point and everyone around us would not let him because he had waited so long. As game time gets closer and closer our friends decide to go on in to find their seats. I'm left standing to the side of the mob of people so, I found time to take pictures of and with a few former players and even got invited to an "after" party. hahaaa.....Anyway, right before kick-off the tickets that were not claimed (mostly due to the poor stranded people in Alabama) were sold and we were about the second in line to get these tickets. We only paid FACE VALUE for these tickets!! Alex and I raced into the stadium to find our seats. We ended up with amazing seats close to lots of former players, the band, the cheerleaders and of coarse the field. It was all like a fast moving dream or action movie and it took almost half of the first quarter for it to sink in that we actually were there! Let me tell you the atmosphere was indescribable!! I'll NEVER forget that feeling. SO, Mr. ALFA man who wanted to give us your tickets; THANK YOU because if it were not for you we would never have made it to the Will Call office and we might not have made it in that night. Things do happen for a reason and I believe Alex and I were meant to be there that night in that stadium to see our Tigers win it all!

Thank you also to the husband who never gave up, who never lost determination, who faced some fears in his life to make it to that game. I love you honey and we couldn't have made to Arizona and into that stadium if you were not such an amazing and motivated man!

Here he is, at that Will Call Office waiting as patiently as Alex Hicks is capable of doing.

Michelle, me and Donna with David Irons, a former AU player. We're all buddies now, can't ya tell?

My other new pals - Dontario Thomas, Brandon Cox, Karibi Dede and David Irons - it's amazing who you meet while begging for game tickets!
The demand for tickets really was un-heard of. No one was prepared for how many people wanted these tickets. While trying to get this picture, I overheard Brandon Cox (a former quarterback for AU) had only gotten confirmation of his tickets the day before the game. AND since I had nothing else to do while Alex stood tirelessly at that darn window, I decided to chat it up with these guys while of coarse asking if they knew of any tickets. Let me stop here to say, this is WAY out of character for me to just up and start a conversation with a stranger, much less one that all AU fans and most people around there that night knew of!! I guess desperation brings out the out-going side of me!

Here's a shot of how close were were to the cheerleaders. I'm sure I had the zoom on but they were almost in our way at times because we were so close to the field. Again I can not begin to tell you how amazing it felt to be there that night. There are no words. The fans were amazing and it was pretty much a sea of orange and blue with a few yellows and greens thrown in. And aside from the two rude dudes a few rows in front of us the Oregon fans were pretty tame and respectful too. (oh and Brandon Jacobs-former AU and present NFL player shut them up pretty quickly at one point in the game as he was siting right in front of them. He's HUGEEEEE by the way)

Gotta catch a good shot of Aubie when ya can!!

This was right after one of our touchdowns. It was right in front of us. The guys were so pumped!

Kenny Irons (another former AU player) sat on the row behind us. I tried to get a picture with him but our darn camera died!! Really can you believe the luck for my camera's battery to die during the biggest game of my life?? Who does that?? Who forgets to charge their camera before one of the biggest events of their lives???? ME!!! That's who. I had to reserve the power for the last few shots I got that night.

Makes my heart proud to see this flag waving. Plus it means we scored some points!! This game was intense and I'll never forget it. It was a close game and in the end by a field goal, Auburn, my Alma mater, won the National Championship! It was a hard and long season but one that will never be forgotten! It will be discussed, argued over, cherished, and criticized for years to come, but for me it was a moment in time that only draws me deeper in love with what is the Auburn family and I am so grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to witness it first hand. This is what memories made of.

And here it is, after a hard fought battle, the score board that warms my heart. haha... Seriously, this is something so many of us never imagined at the beginning of this football season would have ever happened. Who would have thought that this team would have been so blessed and that this would be the result?! And we are sooooo very glad it did happen!!

And here are they are. Those two crazy AU fans that risked it by coming all the way out to Arizona w/out tickets in hand only to see their beloved team finish off the season with a National Title. These are the smiles of victory in more ways than one!!

(taken by my cell phone b/c you remember my camera DIED!!)

Me and my good friend Donna after the game. We are #1!

And here's the other halves: Alex and Keith. Among all the gushing I've done about Auburn football, one of the best things about this trip was spending it with our dear friends who were on this trip with us and making memories none of us will forget! It's that AU family thing again.

After the game, Keith wanted a shirt so we walked down toward the sales tables and saw Cam Newton's mom. Donna and I didn't have a camera at that moment so I went and got hers and came back and got a picture with Mrs. Newton. She's such a nice and gracious lady. Her son and his team mates had just won the game and she was taking time to take pictures with dorks like me. Say what you want but I like this lady and her son!!!!

And since we were apparently AU celebrity hunting that day, we also ran into Will Herring after the game so Donna and I got a pic with him too. It looks as if I'm all up under his armpit and loving up on him but I really wasn't. Haha! Will currently plays for the Seattle Seahawks.

So, that is that. That is the majority of how we got to the game, got in the game, and watched our tigers WIN, WIN, WIN the game!! There's lots more to this trip. I didn't even post any pictures of the celebration after the game. Maybe that will come 6 months from now. ;) And there's the trip to the Grand Canyon too.... I've got lots left to get me caught up but at least I can rest now knowing I've documented THE game!

As I stated in the beginning of this post, I am fully aware that there are bigger things in this life than college football and you might be tired by now of reading about it. You might not think we deserved this title. You might think I'm obsessing (maybe so). You might want to compare your titles to ours. BUT you know what? It's ok. All that matters to me is that my Tigers came out on top and I was with my best friend when it happened and I made good friendships even better from this trip out west!!
It's a GOD THING!!!!

Now on to bed because in about 5 days I'm heading to the Happiest Place on Earth. Oh and by the way, I'm stopping by the Loveliest Village on the Plains on the way.........

Have a great day and continue to remember the ones who lost so much so recently in the tornadoes that ravaged our state. Keep those prayers going.

There Will Be a Day..

2011-05-01T16:07:00.003-05:00

There will be a day with no more tears
No more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place
Will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

~Jeremy Camp

God Bless all the vicitms who are suffering from the horrible tornadoes that terrified our state and the southeast this past week. I am truly honored to be part of a state that has pulled up it's boot straps to help one another. It's through life's adversities that our human kindness shines through. And although it will be a hard and long road, it's refreshing to see all those who are jumping in to help. It's also a time to realize, as I have, how precious life is and how blessed we are to have each and every day to enjoy.

There is a terrific group that has been formed to help these victims. It is called Toomer's for Tuscaloosa but they are helping all over. Should you want to help there are numerous opportunities out there. Here is their facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Toomers-for-Tuscaloosa/127019264041188

So....the Rest of the Story (2 moths later)

2011-03-28T20:50:00.005-05:00

Ok, so I know I really, really stink at keeping up with this blog now and I hate it but life has kinda taken a front seat to my blog. However, I'm determined to keep it up b/c I want these things documented. SO,,,,,,,,,I sincerely apologize for leaving you hanging on my incredible, once-in-a-lifetime trip to the National Championship. I know it's kinda old news now but still part of the Hicks Family History so, here it goes......

Here's a shot of University of Phoenix Stadium. It was pretty nice and unique. Once we got there on game day, we had to drive around for what seemed like hours b/c our parking lots weren't opened till like 12 noon. Clue #1 that they had NO idea who they were dealing with. Us SEC teams get started early on game days! Keith, Donna, and I dropped Alex off on his excursion to find tickets. Anxieties were high for us as we hoped and prayed that something would work out and we'd get some tickets.

Just had to post a picture of the Ole Electric Blue. This was the van Keith convinced the rental peeps to give us. It worked out pretty nicely too! Good job Keith! And it was a nice omen that they just happened to give us BLUE! There's a huge Cabella's store across from the stadium so we had to check it out. Turns out Donna just had to get her pic with the Big Al they had stuffed and ready for us when we got there. OK, I'm sorry but it was just too good to pass up. We ran into some of our dear friends while walking the streets that were covered in a sea of Orange and Blue, by the way. We went to AU with Mitzi and Bart. Bart actually was in our wedding. Great friends, great memories, great times. Sorry we didn't pick a better back drop than some kind of power station. I can't even begin to name all the people we ran into that we knew that day. It was so amazing but comforting that it was like home away from home in a way! It's that ole AU Family and Spirit we discussed earlier. (See the end of prior post for a reminder)

So we met back up with Alex for a while so he could enjoy a little time with us during the day. They had a great little pep rally of sorts and threw mementos from this Under Armor trailer. The atmosphere was just amazing and I really can't do it justice with words. It was kind of like the biggest party ever with friends you didn't even know you had. At this point we did not have tickets but had the promise of getting some from a guy Alex was to meet in a parking lot. I'll tell ya just exactly how we got those tickets next time. Like I said before, it truly was a lot of faith and determination but we'll get to that later.

I do promise to get to posting again soon. I am determined to get this story told and move on to what's happened since then.

ALSO, today is the 13th Anniversary of the day I married my very best friend and partner in crime!! Love you lots Mr. Hicks!!

Some Faith and Lot of Determination

2011-02-04T08:40:00.012-06:00

Yes, that's what it took on our trip to Arizona: Some Faith and a TON of determination. I guess you could say that sums up the entire Auburn Football Family experience this past season but what I'm really talking about is our amazing story of how we got our game tickets. So, let me make my disclaimer now for those of you who may not like nor appreciate the next several posts from me. I will try to get my obnoxiousness out early so here goes: (and you may think it's been a month and we should be over it by now but----we're not!!!!)

WE WON! WE WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! I GOT TO WITNESS MY TIGERS WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! ALL WE DO IS WIN, WIN, WIN - NO MATTER WHAT!!!! ALL IN BABY!! WAR CAM EAGLE!!!

I could go on but I'll digress back to the story at hand......

As many of you know, less than a week before we were to leave for Arizona our ticket broker came up empty. As in he had no tickets for us. He did however refund our money, which was an ordeal in itself but not worth the time so I'll move on. Who would have thought it would have ended up being the most sought after ticket ever?! That's some AU family loyalty right there!! Never for a second did I consider not going to Glendale. Whether we had tickets or not the trip was planned and paid for. Our plan was to try to find tickets once we got there and if worse came to worse watch it somewhere close by. SO, I'll start from the beginning of the trip......(there's lots to tell and I want this documented so hang on to your seats folks b/c it's gonna be a long ride)

So we got up EARLY on Sunday, January 9th to head to the airport to leave B'ham. We were headed to Minneapolis, MN in route to Phoenix, AZ. Crazy right?! Well I can't tell you all the crazy routes to AZ we've heard of. Anyway, that was where we headed out to. And let me say, Alex did great. He has an anxiety of flying that has progressed over the years and he made this "deal" of sorts with the BIG GUY that if Auburn went to the Nat'l Championship, he would get on a plane and the rest is history as they say....
So here we are right before take off in Birmingham. Alex was all set with his music and I had some books and such to keep us occupied. I had not flown in over 12 years so it was quite an experience. However we were surrounded by orange and blue and just that made it more relaxing. Our flight attendants were great too. Once we landed in MN she played "Win, Win, Win" over the PA system and you know we all loved it!!!

Just a beautiful shot above the clouds. Flying is truly amazing if you don't do it all the time! It will surely make you rethink your life and I can assure you I said a prayer or two making sure me and God were all good! ;)

Here is about all I got to see of Minneapolis, MN. The temp that day was -2 degrees. The airport itself was huge and looked like a mall on the inside.

Our flight from MN to AZ was breathtakingly beautiful once the clouds cleared up. This is just one of the pictures I got of the scenery below us. I'm going to assume this is part of the Rocky Mountains. Again it made me appreciate the beauty of our country and the handiwork of our God. But this is nothing compared to some shots I'll show you later from our adventures after the game.

And once we landed in Phoenix, we met up with our buddies, Keith and Donna Strickland. They took the B'ham-Atlanta-Phoenix route. We were all staying in a hotel together and sharing our rental van. This is a pic of Grandpa Alex and Grandpa Keith reading maps and trying to find our way to the hotel from the airport. We took several wrong turns on our trip but hey, we were in a strange land on strange roads. Over all we did pretty good getting around!!

And since we aren't frequent flyers, we were all quite impressed with seeing actual road signs that had Los Angeles on them. (I know we are easily amused but what can I say, the farthest west I had ever been was Louisiana)

This is not a very good picture but this was one of the first things we saw once off the interstate. This my friends is some local "culture" I'll call it. There really is a house somewhere behind all that "yard art." Plus notice there is no grass. You have to look high and low to find any grass out there in the desert lands.

Later that night we met up with several of our fellow tiger family to eat dinner. It was our "Pre-Game Party" I guess you could say. Let's just say the PF Chang's in Peoria, AZ had never seen such southern charm!! haha...

In attendance were the Wes Self and his brother, us, the Stricklands, and the Clicks.

Oh wait, you thought I was going to get to the ball game today.... hahaaa... well I wish I could have but gots things to do so be on the lookout b/c you don't want to miss installment two of the best trip of my life!!!!

BTW- you will notice me referring to my AU family frequently in these posts. I would apologize should it get on your nerves but truth is truth and the AU family is not one to be duplicated. There's honestly nothing like it. So, I will refer to my fellow tigers as my family b/c they are. Period...end of story!

First things First

2011-01-24T11:00:00.004-06:00

I promise to try to post soon. I promise to post about the amazing trip to see our Tigers win the National Championship soon. I promise to post about the beautiful trip to the Grand Canyon we took after the game. I promise to post these things but first I must take a minute to say......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (a day late)

to the most beautiful, intelligent, amazing 8 year old that teaches me more about life and how to enjoy it everyday. Clara Paige you are so full of life and love and you live yours to the fullest. I could not be prouder to be blessed to be your mommy!! I can not believe 8 years ago I saw you for the first time and fell in love with being your mom for the first time.

What a blessing you are to me and so many others!!

Arizona or Bust!

2011-01-08T19:41:00.002-06:00

Well we're leaving on a jet plane bright and early tomorrow morning heading for Phoenix, AZ. We do not have tickets in hand but are hoping for a miracle that we'll get some when we get there. It should be a great trip and hope all goes well for all the Auburn people heading that way!

WAR EAGLE and see ya on the flip side!!!

We are Just In Denial!!!!

2011-01-05T10:55:00.002-06:00

Well, Well, Well, how things can change in an instant. We found out LAST NIGHT! Yes, just 4 days before we board a plane to head to Arizona to see our Tigers Play for the BCS National Championshiop, that our ticket broket has NOT come through with TICKETS!!

We are sad, dejected, devastated, in disbelief and probably in a litle denial HOWEVER, we have not given up! All my Blogger people we need your help. If you know of any last minute tickets that are not just ridiculously priced PLEASE let us know! Its one thing to want to go, it's another to think you have it all wrapped up in a pretty little package and someone comes and destroys that for you. We're still going with our heads held high but sure would feel better if we had tickets in hand before we head that way!!

THanks for your time as I know there are other things in this life more important but right this minute this is pretty important to us at least!!

WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!

Well Ok Let's Just Work Backwards

2010-12-30T20:56:00.004-06:00

Ok, see I'm just so far behind on this silly old blog that I have no idea where to start. I'm really overwhelmed to tell you the truth but tonight I have a minute or two to try and make a dent. SO, since I'm probably never going to get it all on here like I want let's just start at Christmas and work backwards. This is by no means our whole Christmas experience but it's a start so here we go.........

Christmas came a few days early for our girlies this year because Meme & PawPaw gave the girls their very own trampoline. However, daddy got the wonderful job of putting it together and since there was no way to surprise them he just started putting it together one afternoon. They were thrilled. Poor CP thought Meme had re-gifted and given them the trampoline from Meme & Pawpaw's house. haha....kids are so funny and honest sometimes.

On Christmas Eve we trekked down to Tuscaloosa to have our Hicks Family Christmas gathering. As you can see my girls are right in the middle of all their loot from that day. We loved going to Ttown any ways b/c we always drive by our old house to remind the girls but this year we went down that way for Christmas b/c Aunt Wendy had knee replacement surgery. It's not an easy surgery to recover from but she's doing just fine. All in all it was a great day spent with family.

Santa sure did spoil our girls this year. They were so good he brought a Wii and all kinds of goodies. The big black mat and the rolled up thingy are gym mats that the girls can practice their tumbling and cheerleading on. The girls had asked their daddy for one back in the summer. Funny how Santa just knows these things!!! ;)

As with every year we get these precious shining smiles on Christmas morning. They truly are our blessings and we are so lucky to have such special girls to call our own. The pressures and hustle and bustle of daily life can get hectic and we forget to treasure the things that matter most but I think that's why I love Christmas most. It's all about family!! It's about slowing down and reflecting on our lives and how blessed we are to have each other.

And I think I'll end for today with this lovely shot of everyone trying to figure out the new Wii. Christmas morning pictures are priceless, aren't they? And as you can see, we don't dress up for the occasion either. Why would we, it's just us and that's all that matters! And that concludes the first installment of our Christmas. More to come,,,,,maybe........

Love you all and have a very Happy New Year!! May 2011 be nothing but a blessing to you all!

Merry Christmas to You!!

2010-12-24T18:50:00.002-06:00

Merry Auburn Christmas and Happy Tiger New Year to you!!

Seriously, we hope you have a wonderful holiday full of love and laughter!

Happy Ho, Ho, Ho to you!

Cowboys Tumbleweeds Link

2010-12-16T09:16:00.001-06:00

Check out my Little Tumbleweeds:

http://www.tumbleweeds2010.blogspot.com/

Cam

2010-12-11T13:42:00.002-06:00

From one Cam (the Elf) to another: All the AU family is pulling for you tonight!!

BCS and all...

2010-12-07T20:52:00.002-06:00

OK I know I have much catchin up to do but these are the faces of two very happy AU alum that are well on their way to see their Tigers play for the BCS National Championship in Arizona!! We have everything except the most important thing.......the game tickets!! But we're working on that!!

War Eagle to all my beloved Auburn friends and family out there!! What a Christmas present our Tigers gave to us all this year!!

I Know, I Know...

2010-12-03T17:59:00.002-06:00

I know, I know...I've lost touch with my blog and it's made me very sad. I have good intentions of catching up but well maybe I'll just have to hit some major highlights for you soon. This is turning out to be the busiest holiday season ever for the Hicks!!!

Don't give up on me yet......;)

A Few Random Shots

2010-11-16T19:51:00.002-06:00

So I'll never get caught up if I don't just post some random pictures from the last few months of our lives.

I know this is a horrible photo but my baby girl is in the pink shirt at the microphone during the 2nd grade program. She had a speaking part and did excellent!!!

Here she is waiting on her turn at the mic! They all did such a great job singing their songs. All of my girls still break out in the "High Five Hand Jive" every now and then!

Showing off our "AU Girls Love Aubie" shirts our Meme got for us. They are so cute!! We love anything orange and blue ya know.

Here's one of their bright and shiny faces in case you forgot what they look like! ha!

And here's one from Hat day at school. It's the schools sneaky way of making money. You pay $1.00 then you can wear a hat to school. It's fun for the kidos and the school makes a buck or two! And yes I know CP looks like she's off to play baseball. It was not intentional. It just worked out that way. She'd make a pretty darn cute one don't ya think??

Oh more to come. Don't you worry. I have all kinds of AU shots for you. I know you just can't wait!! And there's Halloween and our First Cheerleading Competition!! Whew, I've got lots of catching up to do! and so is the story of my life......

my Dad

2010-10-26T21:31:00.000-05:00

Fall Leaves, Football, Pumpkins & Me

2010-10-25T20:50:00.006-05:00

I wrote this about a month ago but I just wasn't ready to share it with the world then. I am now. Tomorrow will be a hard day for me and my family but not nearly as hard as last year nor the year before. More fun and pictures to come soon. I love you all!

This is a time of year that brings with it cooler weather, fall leaves, FOOTBALL, pumpkins and maybe a sense of ease to many. I get that feeling too in the fall. Fall is one of my favorite times of year with Spring being my favorite. However, I find this year that with fall brings a subconscious feeling of let down or maybe just a little melancholy. A long while back I told you guys that this blog was a kind of therapy for me. It truly is. Whether for good light-hearted fun, cherished memories or more serious issues, I find myself satisfied by sharing these with you and self-reflecting on my life. I know most of you are aware my dad passed away almost 2 years ago in October. I really didn’t expect the unexplained emotions that have hit me lately as it’s been long enough that the horrible pain has subsided but then I kinda figured these recent feelings out. I realized I was testy or sad or just plain weepy b/c my own mind/spirit knows me better than I do. Isn’t that crazy how the time of year and the slight changes in season have that great of an affect on me?! I miss my dad daily. I still wish I could see him again or talk to him. I hurt for my girls not growing up with him in their lives. BUT this isn’t a sad, make you cry and feel sorry for me kinda post. It’s really not. I just need an outlet to express how I feel. I feel like sharing with you not only helps me but helps my family (b/c they are the ones who have to deal with me) and maybe if just one of you can relate or take one tiny thing away from this, then God has worked through me to help you too.
I’ve had lots on my mind lately. LOTS! It's not totally centered around my dad so much but just life and all its complexities. I’m amazed at how things can be rockin’-n-rollin’ along and then things shift and that silly old dark cloud comes along and tries to settle over my house and my friends & family. Well Alex & I have made the decision not to focus on those things and put our faith and hope in greater things. When we do that, we cope better with what Satan throws at us and we can live in a more peace-filled and joy-filled life.
I choose not to feel sorry for myself for self pity is for the weak in spirit. And honestly self-pity may be needed at times or even unavoidable but I see it as a sign of losing faith. Faith that has led me through my darkest days and places. Faith in a God that is so much greater than I could ever begin to imagine. So, maybe this post may ramble and it may not even make a lick of sense to you but it does to me and when I look back at it I hope it refreshes me. I hope it helps me cope on those harder days. I hope it helps me see the blessings God has given me.
I want to challenge myself to see the good in all things. I want to challenge myself to praise the God that designed this world and allowed us to love and worship Him. I want to focus my heart on Him and where he leads me and my family. I do feel His presence and peace about me always and so, with this change of Seasons, I challenge you to admire the fall leaves, pumpkins, cooler weather and all it brings with a deep breath of God’s peace and Joy.

"Whatever, Whenever, Wherever, I want to serve God" – that’s a direct quote from someone very near and dear!

Love to all.

Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Psalm 66:1

Hi There

2010-10-20T22:35:00.001-05:00

Hi guys. I haven't forgotten you. I've just been busy and had lots on my mind. Maybe I'll share some of it with you soon! Love to all.

I'll get back to bloggin real soon. I promise.

Auburn vs. Clemson Weekend

2010-09-27T20:01:00.006-05:00

Yes, I know I'm a game behind but I'll get caught up don't you worry your pretty little heads about it. And I'm not throwing out my AU disclaimer anymore. You should know by now there's gonna be a lot of Orange and Blue. So let's get started. Alex and I headed out for the AU/Clemson game a couple of weekends ago expecting a good game but Whew, what a nail biter it would turn out to be.

Al & I always love to get to AU early and walk around campus and check out anything new. This year we have our brand spanking new Basketball Area. And it's NIICCEE!

Here's a shot of the front of it. It's taking me some getting use to the idea of an arena versus a coliseum however it's much bigger inside than it looks ladies & gents. And also an excellent place to get in out of the 120 degree weather.

I had to get a shot of the score board. This picture does not do it justice at all. It's so pretty with its bright colors (orange & blue of coarse)!

There was some kind of practice or something going on so I caught a shot of that too so you can see the new floor. It should work out to be an excellent addition to the campus. Of coarse there are offices in it but supposedly you can rent out spaces too should the need ever arise.

Most of you know it was ESPN Game Day at AU and might I say this bus sure was an excellent color if I do say so! And I must say Kirk Herbstreit is now one of my favorite announcers. His comments about Auburn made me even more proud to be a Tiger.
If interested the link is here:
http://www.wtvm.com/global/story.asp?s=13174739

Here's a shot from one of AU's most infamous traditions: Tiger Walk. It's where you and a couple thousand of your friends get together to encourage and cheer on the players and coaches as they walk into the stadium. Many try to imitate it but none can duplicate it. It's awesome!

And oh yes, There's our Cam! This guy was holding up this sign while waiting for Tiger Walk. We love all our players but Cameron Newton is just so much fun to watch. I must admit the AU family is quite impressed with him and so are others (even Finebaum likes him)!!

And what's a game day without that fuzzzy feline we all love: Aubie!?!

He draws a crowd no matter where he goes!

There was even a dude up on a tree leading cheers before the players made it down to where we were standing. He was nuts but quite entertaining!

And here's our Auburn Network guys recording the Pre-game radio show. This one's for mom b/c I know she really likes Mr. Stan White. He was quite the QB in his time and now he's quite the radio announcer. Also on that stage should be Rob Bramlett, Quentin Riggins (former AU linebacker), & Paul Ellen. Impressed? Don't be I looked it up. And I don't know who the other dudes are.

Here's me & Donna hanging out before the game. We had on our Navy b/c it was ALL IN/ALL BLUE day. It was great seeing all fans supporting and wearing their navy.

This is a shot of the student section right after we won the game in OT! They even handed out special blue shakers just for this game. It was such a great ending and let me take a moment to mention how impressed Alex and I were with the Clemson fans. They were very courteous and it was a pleasure having them in Auburn.

Me & Al after the game. See those large goofy grins? That's what you get after a long, hot, exhausting Over-Time win in Jordan-Hare Stadium!!

Until Next Time.....

CREED in the ATL

2010-09-24T13:02:00.005-05:00

So back in August we headed out on a grown-up adventure to Atlanta with our pals Keith & Donna Strickland. It was an awesome weekend getting to hang out with our friends, see some sights and listen to some of our favorite music!

Here we are waiting on the concert to start. Alex got us these "VIP" seats which was pretty cool. We weren't right at the stage but had our own little box of 6 seats that we got to share with Big Bubba #1 & Big Bubba #2 but they ended up being pretty cool!
Here's our good friends Keith & Donna at the Hard Rock Cafe - 0nly fitting don't you think since we were headed to the concert after our dinner that night?

Skillet (a Christian Rock Band) opened for Creed and they were Awesome! We have several of their songs and really enjoyed watching them. They were very entertaining and great musicians! We even converted Keith to their music(verdict is still out on Donna)!

And here's the man of the hour - Mr. Scott Stapp. I'm no photographer so you'll have to use your imagination to get a good glimpse of him but that voice is amazing to me! Creed probably is my all time favorite band with Daughtry at a close 2nd. This was mine & Al's 3rd time seeing them live and they did not disappoint at all! They still put on an excellent show!

Here's a shot toward the end. If you look close you can see Stapp and Tremonti (guitarist) standing together. With that voice and that talent on the guitar you can't help but get lost in the lyrics and music.

The next day we headed to the World of Coca-Cola. I had not been there in YEARS. Actually I had not been to this location at all. This was the new and improved version. I must say I was impressed and we had a great time learning about my FAVORITE beverage ever!! And folks I'm ready to admit that I'm addicted I must say. Me & my Coke (regular only) meet up every morning to start the day. Forget your coffee. I'm a Coke girl! Only other Coke lovers understand me.

Here's me and my man looking stellar with our Coke 3-D glasses. They have this cute little 3-D movie kinda like at Disney where the seats move and all. It was hilarious! I think I screamed a couple of times like a little girl. Ha!

And check out these two hot babes lounging in the Coke Art Gallery. They don't come any finer than this folks!

And toward the end of your tour you get to try all the wonderful Coke products made across the World. Can't you tell how refreshing this one was that Alex tasted?! Truthfully, some were ok and some were just awful. But that was the fun of it!

I had to throw this last one in. This is where you pick up your free bottle of Coke before you leave to go to the Gift Shop. The sweet little guy who hands you your bag for your bottle asked Keith if he was my dad!!! HAHA!!! Yup, poor Keith! I don't think he looks old enough to be my dad but I'll take it any day!!

Have a great weekend and be expecting another AU post soon.

Yes, It's Here & We've Been Waiting

2010-09-12T14:18:00.008-05:00

It's that time again. Ladies & gentlemen here I come again. I consider everyone of you all my friends.....However, if you do not love my Auburn Tigers then you may choose to skip the next few months on this here little ole blog! So there's your warning.

Now for those of you that love me no matter what, let me continue on with the first official AU weekend update. LAST weekend we headed down toward AU to Lake Martin to spend some time with our very dear family friends, the Clemens at their lake house. Alex was in Atlanta working the Nascar race so it was me, Nana and the Hicks Chicks in on this adventure. So, while we were at the lake we did what ya do at the lake.....

We did some boat riding (drivin')

Some more boat drivin' (we start 'em young)

And some more boat drivin'.

Thanks so much to Mr. James for being so patient and trusting my munchkins so much with his boat! They did wonderful. We got a few close up views of the shore line but not too bad.

Caught a cute shot of Ms. Linda and CP having what looks like a pretty interesting conversation.

Then it was on to the event of the weekend! The first AUBURN Home game of the 2010 season. And I'll say it till I die, those are the cutest lil' AU Tigers I've ever seen!

Since Nana and Maggie chose to head out and tour Auburn during the game, only Gracie and CP braved the rather large mass of people to watch the game w/me.

Here's my Clara Paige enjoying the all important Frozen Lemonade to be had at every Auburn football game they attend.

Please notice Gracie showing off their new Tiger Rags t-shirt. I love that place. I could stay for hours but on game day that's not quite possible b/c you are there with as many of your AU bros & sisters they can fit in that place. It ain't that big a place folks.

I must stop here to say that during the game my babies were EXCELLENT! We were squished b/w some very large grown men and my girls didn't complain one time. Also, Gracie Goose was very interested in the game and asked her mama many footballish questions. I'm sure I was quite amusing to the very large grown men sitting by us as my answers probably would have embarrassed Alex but I did the best I could. I love me some football but not so much an expert on the rules and explanations behind it all!

Also, before we headed out that night we ran into one of our fellow Cowboys Tumbleweed Cheerleaders. This is our friend RK. She and her family are as much Orange and Blue as us Hicks are. Me thinks I'm gonna like these new friends.

All in all it was a great first game. As you know, we won by a pretty decent margin. We have lots of work to do but I know my Tigers are up to it. I did take some shots of the game but they weren't good enough to post so I'll leave you with my best attempt at capturing that gorgeous AUBURN sky we in the upper deck were blessed with that night!

War Eagle my friends. Here's to a great season.....

PS- a quick tid bit of info, if you heard that awesome song while waking into the stadium last weekend here's a link to it. I can't get find it to put on my playlist but it's by our very own Travis Williams called "Tiger Walk."
http://widgets.clearspring.com/cscallback/urlexchange/4a37fac83c457251/facebook.html?x=uHH3HfBLpR2gRPAf90n0TvZN7kihTfQZ8Rn3SPcZ8Bj3SvdR9x3wRPJI.kmiRPtM8kvyRA

Do You?

2010-09-11T15:20:00.003-05:00

Do you remember where you were and how if felt that day? I bet we all do. I'll never forget!

Yes They are Big Girls Now

2010-09-03T09:07:00.009-05:00

The Slide show isn't working so here's a link to it. Grrr!!!!

http://s238.photobucket.com/albums/ff6/shell1029/?action=view¤t=5032e742.pbw

I must admit it that my babies are no longer babies! I know school started a few weeks ago but we've been buzy little bees. And it seems to never stop as we are headed to AUBURN this weekend for the big football season kickoff. I'm sure you can't wait for those posts!!!! Anyway, my Maggie & Gracie are now Kindergarteners! It's still hard to beleive but it's true. It seems like it wasn't all that long ago that Dr. Bolton said, "yes there's two." "TWO WHAT?" Well it was two of the best surprises Alex , myself and the whole family ever received! Who would have ever guessed that we would be blessed with two little identical gifts that have impacted and made our lives whole. I cherish my Maggie with her quick whit and vibrant spirit. I adore my Gracie with her inquisitive mind and adorable spirit! God bless you both as you start this journey through school and the rest of your lives my babies. Your family will always be here behind you, loving you and supporting you all the way! Gotta go now, I've driven myself to tears!!!!

Have a great weekend and as my darling twins say it - - WAR EAGLE!!!

It's almost that time again......

2010-08-19T21:04:00.002-05:00

Yes, football fans it's almost that time again. And if you cheer for that other team then it's about the time of year to overlook or dismiss or just ignore my multiple AU posts. Anyway, several weeks ago we headed to the AU Fall Kickoff hosted by the B'ham Area Auburn Club.

Here's our future AU students posing by the AU balloon art.

(I guess that's what you call it)
Check out that Eagle! Amazing to be so close to such a regal and graceful animal.
War Eagle indeed!

Coach Chiz signing some autographs. He also spoke at the event and man he's committed and fired up about this season. Can't wait to see what we put on the field this year!!

And while we were there we just had to get our faces painted. What else would you get other than a Tiger face at an AU gathering!!

So, here ya go: My Little Tigerettes!

I'll just leave it at that for you now folks but you just wait, there's a more orange & blue a coming your way soon......

Also, don't think I have forgotten that this was my babies' first year of school. I'm still working on that and kinda still denying it a little bit too I think! haha....

School has Started

2010-08-12T16:34:00.003-05:00

Yes the 2010-2011 school year officially started today in Shelby County. AND my sweet twins started KINDERGARTEN today along with their big sissy starting 2nd grade! Where oh where has all the time gone? More to come later......

Beach Finally or Beach Finale!!

2010-08-12T16:19:00.003-05:00

So I will end our LOONNGGG journey through our beach trip. Remember that fateful night with CP? (If you don't then scan down a post or two) Well unfortunately we were not lucky enough to escape it that easily. Maggie, Meme & PawPaw all came down with it also. So much so that Meme & Pawpaw left early. We hated to see them go but we trudged on with our trip......

Me with my beach babes
One of our last nights in PCB we juast had to eat at Shuckums! Alas we had no oysters well because we don't eat oysters but we had a great time. The girls loved looking at all the signed and colored and decorated dollar bills posted everywhere.

And as always I force my darlings to take some pictures on the beach. Yes, I admit willingly that I am not photographer! (thank goodness we have several in the family) However, I do try to at least get a few pretty shots of them, squinty eyes and all.

I can always count on a good "looking at the water" shot.

And I'll bid farewell to our 2010 Beach trip with our final picture of the Hicks Beach Divas in their Sun Shades!!

Until next year........

Beach Part 4

2010-08-09T21:11:00.003-05:00

I know, I know - it's the never ending Beach Trip but oh well guess you'll just have to grin and bear it! One day I'll be so glad I took the time to document all this.

Doesn't everyone do cartwheels on the beach??

Family Portrait at Pier Park. We really enjoyed that place. It has everything you could need and more. There's the souvenir shopping, great restaurants, cute boutiques, a Target, a mall, a movie theatre & even some of the old rides from the Miracle Strip for the kiddies to enjoy.

PawPaw & Meme with their grand-girlies!

AND we found these hilarious hats at Ron Jon's Surf Shop. They were hilarious!! Seems "Crazy Bach Hair" runs in the family!! haha...

Here's Alex w/the girls in one of those old Miracle Strip rides. They loved it. So special that they saved these rides and to see my kidos enjoying something from mine & Alex's childhood!

Sorry but there's still a little more to come but it will be painless I promise.

Beach Part 3

2010-07-25T11:46:00.002-05:00

So, let me being with saying that first night at the condo seemed quiet enough. We were all tired from the trip and worn out from swimming. We all settled into our respective bedrooms and around 11pm my Clara Paige wanders into my bedroom and announces so pitifully that she has thrown up. Now I will spare you the gory details but it was ROUGH!!! She had gotten sick in the bunk bed in the glorious bunk room that the girls had so excitedly claimed. One small miracle was that she was the one sleeping on the bottom bunk that night. It was just awful. I have images seared in my brain of me cleaning up, pushing CP into the shower, flying by waking Alex up and putting him on CP duty, throwing the covers in the tiny top/bottom washer/dryer, re-washing the covers, sliding into the bathroom myself b/c it was just too much to bear.....anyway you get the picture. My poor baby girl had gotten a stomach virus the 1st night of our vacation. She finally settled in and slept most of the night. I, of coarse, slept with that one eye open hoping all went well until morning. She woke up feeling better so we headed for the beach. She did just fine till on the way back up to the room she had one more abrupt mishap on the board walk. Yeah, that was fun! Anyway, for the next few days everything was all good. Meme & PawPaw arrived and the trip was in full swing.

I love this picture of my most favorite people on earth! Climbing on daddy in the pool was a favorite pass time.
And since we're all involved in this cheer leading thing now, we just had to perform some stunts in the pool. This is the "Daddy Pyramid."

And here's Clara Paige strutting her stuff.

The water was just so clear and pretty the whole week. We had lots of fun jumping the waves. And it's always more fun with a little help from dear ole dad.

Just one more jumpin' the waves shot. There were more adventures ahead in our week so hang tight....

Beach Part2

2010-07-19T19:57:00.003-05:00

So still on that first day of coarse my babies had to go to the beach and swim in the pool. No waiting till the next day for them. Me and Maggie stayed in while the others took to the beach and while we were sitting on the balcony there was a beautiful rainbow over the ocean from the storm that passed through earlier. It was so amazing and such a reminder of how awesome God and his creation are.

Here's a picture of that wonderful rainbow. One quick story, Maggie looked at that rainbow and told me that "God Lied." ????? What are you talking bout Mags?? "Well God said he sent that rainbow when the earth was flooded and he would never flood again but he didn't flood the earth today."

That girl. She's so funny. She had part of that Bible story right but wow, she thought God had to flood the earth EVERY time before he sent a rainbow. Oh to be young and so literal and innocent again!!

My Maggie and Gracie stopping for a quick pose for their good ole Mom. Love those goggles!

My girls got pretty good at swimming and jumping in on this beach trip. The longer we were there the more brave they were with the water. I was so proud of them!!

Here's Gracie with her face underwater. I know to most of you that's no large feat but for this momma it's a major milestone.

~And here's their first shovel full of sand for 2010~

I haven't forgotten that teaser I gave ya in that earlier post, I'll get there and it wasn't pretty!!

Most of the trip was wonderful but this, not so much!!

Beach Trip 2010

2010-07-12T20:41:00.004-05:00

So you know we hit the beach this year. Our usual haunt at the Beautiful and sadly tainted w/oil Gulf Coast is the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area. Our trip wasn't scheduled until this week actually. But with the current conditions there we upped the trip to June and headed to Panama City Beach, FL. We headed down on Monday and Meme & Pawpaw followed on Tuesday. We had not been there in 12 years. A lot of it has changed for the better. Lots of new and nice condos and Pier Park is great. Some of it is still the same ole PCB of old. Anyway, here's my first installment of the Hicks Panama City Beach adventure.....

The trip down....still fresh into it here. I don't think we had even stopped in Clanton for Ice Cream yet so we're looking pretty calm yet excited.

Here we are somewhere in the middle of the trip getting a little van happy and antsy. If we heard, "how much longer?" one more time I think we'd have sold them for gas $$!!

And here we are hanging out the window b/c we were past our patient point and were stuck in some road work traffic about 30 minutes out of Panama City. (Particular child in picture:Maggie-who else?)

And once we arrived we stopped to eat some lunch before check in b/c check in is always so darn late in the afternoon. Anyway, here's my girls sitting outside Sharky's.

A quick shot of me and Al waiting on our food. While waiting one of those summer beach storms popped up and you would have thought Maggie had seen the coming of the end of the world. She lost it, I mean LOST it so bad I had to take her into the souvenir shop until Alex got our table moved inside. And once he did the bottom dropped out. However, the meal was good and we enjoyed watching the rain come down (b/c we were dry inside and not outside)!!!

Our condo was beautiful and so relaxing with great amenities but here you see the piece De resistance. Yes, folks, bunk beds was all my girls needed to set their hearts on fire. They were blown away and to top it off there were two sets of bunk beds so no one had to fight over where to sleep. They took turns and did so quite nicely I might add!!

The water was gorgeous the entire time we were there. There was a day or two that we had small amounts of seaweed but otherwise it was this pretty turquoise color the whole time! Prettier than I've seen it in a long time-ironic since there's oil out there somewhere lurking in them waters!

Also, the first day we arrived the condo (Sterling Breeze) happened to have a party for the kidos that day. They got glitter tattoos (being displayed above), several balloon animals and played games for candy!! It was a nice little extra for the girls and started the trip off on a good note - however that was not to be for long......more later!!

Freedom....

2010-07-04T19:11:00.002-05:00

So I have some great Beach pictures and stories to share with ya but today it's the 4th of July so I'm gonna take a minute to celebrate that. I hope you take at least a minute of this day to realize how truly precious our freedom is. I know I take it for granted daily but hope that I can sincerely begin to appreciate it's blessings more and more! I think in this day & time it is vital we cherish the freedoms we do have and with it certainly comes the right to worship my God and Savior freely! Hold dear to those freedoms and take time to honor and give thanks to those who have served in any capacity to preserve and guarantee those freedoms! We are a blessed nation and I pray that we continue to be so for the rest of our days!

There's a Kenny Chesney song that I always enjoy listening to that makes me remember and appreciate what freedom means.

Here's the part that hits me hardest:

"Through the joy and pain that living brings
Don't we all want the same thing

Freedom, sweet freedom

Its what the junkie needs that the needle cant give
depressed and forgotten are praying for it
Its what the brave and courageous are fighting for
An open sail on a distant shore

Freedom."

God Bless America!

Happy Daddy's Day

2010-06-19T21:18:00.001-05:00

We're heading out on vacation soon but I couldn't let this get by without taking a minute to honor the most important men in my life.

I looked up Father's Day and this is what I got:
"Father's Day is a day honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "

It's a little bit more to me than that because a good Father is something everyone should get the opportunity to experience. However, not all do. I am so truly blessed and fortunate to have a husband and best friend that is all things to my daughters that any dad should hope to be. He's there for them. He protects them. He loves them unconditionally. Plus so much more.

Daddy & his girlies!

PawPaw reading to his grand babies! He's such an awesome man that has done such an amazing job at being my girls grandfather!

And I can't let this day pass w/out honoring my Dad. Time goes on and although I think of him daily and miss him every minute of every day, I know his legacy and memories are what me & my family hold on to and cherish. He was the best dad and Pappy any girl could ever know. My family are the lucky ones who got to share in & receive that love and devotion. Who he was and what he stood for I hold dear and share with my girls constantly.

Father's Day is a time to love the ones that mean the most to you. It is an excellent time to also remember that our Heavenly Father is the one who set the original example of what a father is and should be. Strength, Devotion, Honor, Compassion, Protection & Ultimate and Unconditional Love!!

Don't take a minute to take anyone you love for granted! Happy Father's Day to you all!

Bye Bye Preschool & 1st Grade...

2010-06-15T22:16:00.003-05:00

So I'm trying to catch up before we head to the beach next week. SOOooooo, my babies are now officially all school girls. The twins have finished Preschool and CP is now a 2nd grader. Where did my babies go?? They are now little girls that are full of life, love and happiness. Here are a few snap shots of their end-of-the-year parties with their classes.

Clara with her wonderful teacher Mrs. Donna Ferrell. We will miss her next year but sure we'll get another great teacher.
Cp's friend Sophie,her little sister and CP snacking on some delicious Snow Cones from Kona Ice. The truck came to the school just for CP's class. It was a fun time playing outside blowing bubbles and hangin' out with her friends.

Maggie, Ms. Lori & Gracie. My sweet girls loved their Ms. Lori so much this year. I hope they get a wonderful Kindergarten teacher that they will love just as much as Ms. Lori. They will miss her very much.

And here's my munchkins partying it up with their buddy Chloe. You may remember at the beginning of the year we were told by my precious twinkies that her name was "Glowey." Haha. Well here's to the last year we've had before I have all my girlies in school come August. We'll save those tears for the fall. Now off to summer and all it's adventures!!!

Cowboys Cheernastics

2010-06-08T21:31:00.003-05:00

So, my girls have been taking "Cheernastics" for a couple of months now and we've been more than pleased with their love for it and progress with it. First, let me say that I know these pictures are terrible. I promise (once I find a great camera to borrow) to get some really great ones for you because these do not do them justice at all.

Anyway, my baby girls are learning so many things that it's amazing to see how quick they pick the stuff up. Basically, this is a competition cheering company that is locally owned and very well run. So when I refer to "Cowboys" well, this is what I'm talkin bout. My girls love it so much that they are now also officially members of the tiny but tough and terrific Tumbleweeds squad. They are still learning the basics now but come fall they'll be heading to local competitions and they can't wait! So, here are a few pictures but like I promised, you'll see more and you'll actually be able to tell what they are doing.

Gracie midst her famous cartwheel. Her legs flip over like a windmill! This also happens to be what they all do all over my house and anywhere there is an open spot on the floor these days. We should rename our living room the Cowboys Practice Room.

Clara working on her back hand spring.

Maggie is over there on the wall doing her hand stand.

And again bear with the quality but we were so proud of this one. This is Gracie standing on that dude's hand. Not his hands: his (singular) hand. We couldn't believe it!

So, here's to another adventure for the Hicks Circus!

But I think it's going to be a fun one for us all!!

Take Time....

2010-06-07T12:56:00.002-05:00

I hope you take time this week to enjoy and appreciate the good and beautiful things in this life. I'm reminding myself to do the same.

Have a nice week!!

The majesty of God's hand bringing beautiful flowers for us to enjoy.
A pretty, sunny Summer day looking off my back deck!
Ahh.....take a deep breath and relax!

Tiger Prowl 2010

2010-05-30T15:56:00.005-05:00

CAUTION: Auburn post below. Just thought I'd give ya a warning since it's not football season!

OK so a few weeks ago we stopped by on our way to Wednesday night church to check out the Auburn Tiger Prowl bus. It was pretty darn awesome! Our good friends the Stricklands & Nana met us there too. I know it's a ways off from football season but this was a great boost to get our blood pumping for the upcoming season.

Here are the girlies hanging out at the back of the bus under their coach. You know, Coach "Cheezit" or "Chizzy" as my girls call him.

Here's our new basketball coach Tony Barbee. I was impressed by his obvious intelligence and passion for basketball and enthusiasm for being OUR basketball coach. He's got one heck of a new facility to do his job in and can't wait to see what he accomplishes while at AU.

Coach Luper spoke next and was very inspiring and it is obvious why these guys are so good at what they do whether it be recruiting or coaching. They care about family and have certainly adopted the AU family as theirs. They care about those boys they coach and want the AU fans to keep up their support and spirit for the university. No problem there with us.

Here's a shot of Al and the girls walking up to the bus.

And here's Coach Trooper Taylor with all our girls. He's exciting to say the least and such an inspirational speaker. He means what he says and already has a tremendous love and respect for the Auburn family. It was really awesome to be so close to the coaches and feel the excitement and energy they bring to the atmosphere. It's a shame the NCAA put a damper on the whole Tiger Prowl idea as it is such a great idea for promoting and recruiting the university or any university at that matter. I know that other SEC schools have done similar things. Oh well whether we have a bus or not, it won't stop people from being drawn to what is the AUBURN Spirit.

Below is just a snip-it from Coach Trooper's speech explaining a little bit about the AU family you are probably tired of hearing me talk about! He takes the words right out of my mouth....

McWayne Center

2010-05-27T18:25:00.006-05:00

OK since school is already out for the summer I thought I'd catch you up on the field trip I was so honored to chaperon. The 1st grade took a trip down town to the good ole McWayne Center. Now, let me admit to you that the McWayne Center is not my favorite place to be. Call me a bad mom but I'm just not that into the place. Science and such do not amaze me. However, I am very interested in my child and her education so since she wanted me to go I gladly went. How many more years do I get where she WANTS me around ya know?

The IMAX movie was on bugs. Strike #1 in my book. It was kinda gross in a lot of ways that I will spare you the details. But after that we were free to roam the halls. I was graced with 5 beautiful but energetic little girls to keep up with. Yup, 5! Me thinks Mrs. Ferrell overestimated my abilities. We did fine but I was absolutely 100% exhausted from the trip. But the girls had a good time and all ended well.

Here they are: Clara Paige, Sophie, Kinsley, and in the back Sabrina and Amani.

Petting the sharks and sting rays!

Clara and her school buddy Sophie.

One of those sharks we all got to "pet." I did actually stick my arm in the pool and touch the guy and he felt slimy and like rubber in case any of you ever wondered!

AND......

in news unrelated to the field trip, we have a new toy at our house!! Alex and his "Horse Trading" ways has acquired a SeaDoo for the Hicks Family. Thanks Mr. Vince for such a fun new toy. We got to try it out last weekend so maybe I'll get some pictures up of that fun soon!

A few more Easter Pics

2010-05-26T17:20:00.002-05:00

OK just a few more Easter pictures then I'll move on. Hopefully once school is out tomorrow for the summer, I'll be able to ignore my household chores, and such to sit and stare at my computer and come up with witty banter to accompany the cute pictures of my family more often. At any rate, enjoy these few pictures till I return to the blogging world.

The 5 amigos at Meme & PawPaw's

My family!

Us & Nana on Eater Morning!

Easter....Finally

2010-05-10T20:46:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I'm just now posting Easter pictures. Sorry! Anyway, here are some photos from our Easter Celebrations this year!

The Easter Egg hunt at our church is always a lot of fun.
Some of my favorite kidos at Granny's waiting on time to hunt those eggs.

My sweet identical egg hunters.

A special picture of my Granny, my mom, me and my girls. 4 Generations in this one! We have a picture similar to this from when Clara Paige was about 3 months old. I'm so grateful we got to get another one with my Mags & Gracie too!

All those Lawson Great Grand kids with their Granny!!!

Sisters....

2010-05-04T20:43:00.002-05:00

So last Sunday while at my mom's for lunch, Clara Paige and Gracie were arguing. (Not an unusual event these days.) I told them if they didn't quit they would have to give each other a big kiss. I left the dining room to finish getting their plates ready and I hear Maggie say, "You better get your lip balm ready girls!"

Really, I don't know where she gets this stuff. Mom & I had to stay in the kitchen and try not to bust a gut laughing to ourselves.

My Jeep Girls....

2010-04-23T13:51:00.002-05:00

So I know I've been MIA. Call it ignoring the computer somewhat and spending more time cleaning and hanging with my family if you want. However, I still need to document our lives so here's just a sweet glimpse into the Hicks Chicks ride in my Jeep on a sunny day with Daddy. I think we were actually on our way to an Easter Egg hunt or something and we all don't fit into the Jeep so guess who got to drive by her lonesome in the Van that seats 7. Yup, you guessed it but at least I could take these cute pictures of my family doing some joy riding and soaking up the Sunshine in MY Jeep!!

Check out those cute little heads poking up from the back seat. They wore hats so they wouldn't get so windblown!

Daddy buckling everyone in. Jeep seat belts aren't' the easiest things in the world.

And it wouldn't be right without a photo-op of my girlies on the top of the Jeep! I'm so glad they took after their momma and are Jeep Girls!!

Bowling w/the Family

2010-04-05T19:14:00.002-05:00

Last month, (yes, I'm still catching up-you might get Easter photos by 4th of July) we celebrated Meme's birthday at Vestavia Bowl. It was my twins' idea but it turned out to be lots of fun, especially for the kidos. We might not be winning any tournaments anytime soon but it was fun watching them roll those balls down the lanes. Here's a few cute pictures I got during the festivities....

Gracie, Park (my nephew) and Maggie watching Park's ball roll SLOWLY down the lane. This time they even got all comfy and laid down. It's dark because half way through they put on the "cosmic" lights so we could bowl under the black lights! WooooHoooo!
Clara Paige rocking her unique form for getting that ball to the pins.

And still watching that ball lazily roll down the lane.......Nothin like a little moral support from your cousins.

And finally one more shot of my baby girls watching that lane. Sorry but I didn't get one shot of any one's face that day! Haha!

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-03T08:24:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

Beach With the Nanas

2010-03-31T20:19:00.002-05:00

My Bestest girl friend, Rachel and I planned a trip last month with our moms to Orange Beach, AL. We needed the break and knew for sure that our wonderful moms did too (both are otherwise known as Nana to their grandchildren)! We stayed at a beautiful condo and made some great memories on our special weekend together. Our condo, the Phoenix West, was right next to the Big Blue House in Orange Beach if you are familiar with the area. I have posted just a few picutres from our journey. We ate at some great places whether they be local favorites (Doc's) or newer finds like Cosmos (love that place). We found some adorable shops at the Wharf and watched Evan Lysacek win the Olympic gold and tortured ourselved through the strangest movie (Elizabethtown). If that's your favorite movie, I'm sorry if I offend but then again you might need therapy if that's your favorite movie because it's weird!! Heehee... We even stopped at the Casino on the way home for a potty break. Fun place to stop just for fun. No gambling occurred so rest easy there everyone. I don't know if we'll make this trip an annual event but I certainly cherish the time we spent together. Maybe it can be a bi-annual trip. We'll see.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures......

What is Amblyopia???

2010-03-25T19:43:00.003-05:00

Well if you are my Gracie then its a great excuse to get to wear pink glasses made just for her.

To make a very long story shorter - I took the twins for their 5 year old check up. Our new pediatrician, Dr. Dudgeon (we really like him) discovered that my sweet Gracie had a vision problem with her left eye. Of coarse this distressed me greatly as a mother. How did I not know this? How long has it been that way? Why hasn't she said anything? - There aren't any real answers to those questions but the next week I made appointments for all my girls with good ole Schaeffer Eye Center. Great folks there too by the way!!

It seems my baby girl's left eye is just plain old lazy. I always thought "Lazy Eye" was when one eye didn't look in the same direction as the other. I was apparently ignorant and wrong. Her left eye does turn in a little bit but very slightly and that's not the real problem. She sees much worse with her left than her right so - Pink Glasses it is. She's never hesitated or questioned having to get them. She even cried when I told her she could not get them the day of the examination. She's so darn proud of them it just makes my heart hurt and smile all at the same time. I've already dealt with my mom guilt and worry about it. I'm past it because she's handled it much better than I have. SO.......
do not feel sorry for her because she thinks she's just the hottest stuff in those PINK GLASSES and I think so too!! I think it makes her feel like an individual and I can understand that can't you? One small sad thing for me is that everyone now will know which twin is which. I know that sounds crazy but it's just been a part of our lives for the last 5 years so it's kind of a melancholy feeling. Maybe it's because they are growing up and I'm just having to admit that more than I like. I better start preparing for those teenage years because they'll be here WAYYYYY sooner that Alex & I will be prepared for them!!

OH yeah - like her shirt?? - funny huh?

Adventures of an LPSO

2010-03-21T18:39:00.004-05:00

Don't know what an LPSO is? Well then you don't have a young girl the ages of 5-8ish then do you? LPSO stands for Littlest Pet Shop Online. Clara Paige got one for her birthday which she so lovingly named "LollyPup." Cute name I thought. It's kind of their version of a Webkinz (but much harder to use online). Anyway, it seems our LPSO upon arriving at our house seemed to have taken a trip around our living room to settle in her new surroundings and some small budding photographer took it upon herself to record the journey. It could have been a collaborative effort though.

Here she is in all her glory defying gravity and sitting alone on the arm of our sofa. Looks like we could have picked up the video camera and got some actions shots too. I might have to check that out! I think she must have gotten a little sleepy and stopped to snuggle up and catch some "ZZZZZ's" before leaving the sofa.

Next, LollyPup seems to have stopped by to do some sit-ups with Gracie on the floor or possibly she's just staring at the ceiling fan. Not real sure.

Seems she might have been frightened by something and jumped onto the top of the sofa for safety. Maybe she was hiding from that big spotted monster that lives in our house who's been known to tear up a stuffed animal in her day. And again the video camera, plus a Bible and a pink Solo cup with the remnants of some Coke in it. Isn't that what everyone has on their end tables?

And finally after her exciting trip around our living room she found her way home to her momma, safe and sound all swaddled up and ready for bed.

Goes to show, ya never know what's going to end up on my camera!

Have a great week everyone.

Back in January...

2010-03-16T20:02:00.003-05:00

this little girl I kinda am attached to had a birthday so I need to go back and share that with ya. Hope you don't mind.

This was the b'day cake my CP requested and she wanted to be sure it had orange and blue butterflies on it! Oh yeah, she did!! Can't say she isn't being raised in an ALL AU family.

Her party was a girly-girl sleepover complete with make-overs and a fashion show! Look at all the beauties that were there. Man, if you weren't there, I hate you missed it! A special belated thanks goes out to our hair stylist, Mrs. Rachel Dodson and our manicurist, Mrs. Kimberly Lawson. Couldn't have done it w/out ya girls!

Here's my baby girl looking all too teenager-ish but very posh and chic and ready for the cat walk!

And here is Gracie struttin her stuff down the run way. Please note each girl had an array of styles and articles of clothing to choose from. Each model styled herself for the evening.

And of coarse our local Fashion Police herself, Ms. Maggie, was also very much made into a high fashion diva for the evening!

Here's my Gracie providing mid-morning entertainment the next day using the Barbie Karaoke machine. We were honored to hear various renditions of Barbie songs throughout the morning by various artists (party participants)!!

There's more but I've got to get myself upstairs and head off to bed!! Later....

Playing Catch Up

2010-03-13T12:51:00.003-06:00

I have NO Idea what all I have to play catch up on with this blog but since I've been MIA for so long I'm gonna hit the highlights for ya. Here are a few shots of the pretty but fleeting snow we had a couple of weeks ago plus a few random pictures for you. Coming into our Neighborhood. It was pretty and then gone; just the kind of snow I like!

Through my windshield on the road to our house.

Our house in the snow. It never quite covered the ground so the girls weren't too interested in making a snow man this time.

My pretty Valentine tulips from my Alex. Tulips are my all time favorite. Forget the roses and get me some tulips any time.

And a late Valentines greeting from My Little Mermaids. The costumes were an excellent steal from the Disney Store last month. I've got Halloween all wrapped up already!! Woo Hoo!!

Hooray!!

2010-03-12T16:19:00.001-06:00

Our computer should be back today from the Tech Hospital (again) today. Having to use the hubby's work computer for a second. Hopefully I'll get back to posting for you very very soon!!

Earrings & Broken Ankles

2010-02-22T21:39:00.002-06:00

So most of you already know this but as this is my virtual scrapbook, I am documenting it all anyway so sit back, relax and enjoy....

My baby Gracie announced one afternoon to her Nana that she wanted her ears pierced! That Day! Right then! At that moment! After much convincing mom (Nana) reassured her that it would not happen that day but we would work it out! So work it out we did, the very same day as my Clara Paige's Birthday Sleepover Party (update coming soon)!! At first, Gracie was the only brave soul to want to jump into the right of passage that is a girl's first experience with ear piercing (and my only one btw) but then the other two eventually joined her! They couldn't let her be fashionably ahead of them now could they?! They were so cute but knew exactly which pair they wanted and were very brave girlies! It was a special day of memories for me, my mom and my girlies we'll never forget....

Here's Gracie displaying the finished product for you all to see.
Clara was surprisingly the most apprehensive but she didn't cry. She wanted to but she didn't!! Isn't the bear they give them to hold onto so cute? It has like 20 piercings in her ears. That was fine for the bear but I had to explain that I would not pay for any more piercings for my girls. They were on their own with anymore and hopefully would not be living in my house should that time arise.

This is my Mags waiting so patiently for her turn. She was a trooper too! Not one tear was shed at all. Not even by me!! :)

And last but certainly not least b/c she actually went first is my Gracie Goose. She never flinched or anything! She was so very proud of her new accessories!

We are still cleaning them multiple times daily and tuning them but soon they will be able to be proud, true, certified earring wearing babes!!

My how time flies, before I know it they'll be going on (sigh) dates and driving cars!!

Now on to one quick thing that I have to document. You see last year my family went through this awful temporarily life altering and unfortunate accident that my lovely husband had on a 4-wheeler. It was a bad one with surgery and all if you don't happen to remember. Well, several weeks ago he calls me at work telling me his foot and ankle hurt pretty badly. Why do you ask?? Well let me tell you it was b/c he fell off a fence after having climbed it while working! Yup! You got that right ladies & gentlemen! The details aren't necessary. Call him if you don't already know and just have to find out all about it! He'll be glad to tell you. It's a hum-dinger all right. I have to say it is a far cry from the severity of last year's injury but never-the-less he's hurt again. Right now he's pretty much on the mend but for several weeks he had to wear one of those lovely, big, black boots everywhere!! For the faint of heart you may want to skip the picture below. It's not too bad but his foot was pretty swollen and blue!! I just had to post it for proof that he did indeed FALL OFF A FENCE!!

Love you hon!! I can only imagine what your next injury could be. Let's just hope it's minor and many years down the road!

What?? One can dream can't she??

Have a great week everybody and BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!

Gatlinburg 2010

2010-02-13T14:38:00.002-06:00

I know you think I fell of the face of this beautiful planet. I did not. I have been busy and just tired. Hopefully I can get back up on the blogging bandwagon for you guys. We took a great trip to Gatlinburg, TN with our awesome neighbors the Vegters about a month ago. It was a wonderful trip and I hope we can make it an annual thing. Thanks to the Stricklands for being so gracious to rent their cabin to us. We had so much room and it was a ton of fun. Here's a few highlights.

There was some snow left as we drove up. It was just a winter wonderland!
Nightly ritual of kids in the hot tub. I didn't even make it in once. Bummer on that but the kidos loved it!!

Family picture at Ober Gatlinburg next to the tube slides. We didn't ride them but they looked fun. Maybe next time!

Cute little buddies riding the tram down to the town.

Zack, Gracie & Nicholas

Here's the whole group next to the big marble ball outside the Ripley's place.

We had so much fun!! It's so awesome to go places with great friends and make such memories!

My Baby is 7!!

2010-01-25T20:09:00.002-06:00

Our Internet has been whacked out for the last few days so I missed my baby girls birthday. She turned 7 years old on Saturday at 8:23 pm. It's so hard to believe that it's been 7 years since I first laid eyes on my precious angel girl. She's growing up faster than I care to admit but she's got a light and spirit about her that I can't deny.
Hope you had an excellent birthday my sweet girl!

Many things to post including sleepover birthday photos but I just had to get my Clara Paige's Birthday post up first!!!!!

Last One I Promise..

2010-01-18T21:07:00.002-06:00

Ok so it's so far past Christmas you probably don't even want to read about it but for memories sake I can't move on until I post some pictures from our annual lunch at my Granny's house. We gather every year together for a meal, usually the Saturday before Christmas, all 50+ of us! It's always an interesting day but so full of family you almost can't stand it!!

My sweet Clara Paige ready to do some scrap booking on the front porch.
Aunt Charlotte (aka Red Charlie) had the excellent idea for the kids to bring pictures and do Christmas scrap books. My girls LOVED it! Thank you so much Red Charlie for that idea and for taking the time and effort to organize and oversee the project. We love you.

And here they are waiting for the highlight of the day: Presents! Cousin Emma, Clara Paige, Gracie, Maggie and Cousin John Brady sure are waiting patiently. This is, of coarse, is before all the chaos of unwrapping begins. But hey, the kidos love it!!

And as promised that concludes our 2009 Christmas experience! You may proceed to your regularly scheduled blogs now.

So, next post spoiler - some body (or bodies) get their hair cut (lots of hairs cut)!!

Highlights

2010-01-10T14:30:00.002-06:00

I still have highlights from the Holidays to share with ya so hang on for a whirlwind tour.

CSI (Casualty & Surety, Inc.) Christmas Party 2009.

This is Cassie and me showing off our Tiger pride. It was a dirty Santa game. The tie was suppose to be a gag but ended up with and AU fan anyway!
Me & two of my work buddies, Linsey and Andrea!! We clean up pretty good I think.

My babies were in their first School Program at Preschool. They were my bright and shining stars at the First Baptist of Alabaster K-4 Christmas Program. They sang the sweetest songs and loved the attention!! Nana and Meme & Pawpaw came to see them perform.

We also went to Callaway Gardens to see the Parade of Lights that they have there every year. It really is a pretty sight but no in freezing, rainy weather!! Here is Alex with his CP trying to stay warm.

We went w/Rachel and her family and our family friends, James & Linda Clemens. We made the best of it through the frosty noses and wet shoes because we were with family and friends!!!

And here's a picture of the crew while we took a quick reprieve into the Butterfly House at Callaway Gardens. We didn't see many butterflies but it was warm and dry and the girls had fun!! More to come so stand by and maybe I'll move on from the Holidays soon!!

Have a great week everyone!

Prayers Needed....

2010-01-06T07:57:00.003-06:00

I have things to post and catch you up on but I need a Prayer Favor from you guys first. Well actually I need a few. I'm home from work this week with a nasty respiratory infection so I thought I'd take a few minutes while I'm coherent to fill you in on the last week. I hate reporting sad news but these folks need some extra thoughts and words sent up to our Lord for comfort....

First, The Feltman/Lowery families out of Berry, AL need our love and prayers as they lost a precious life this past week. Michelle Lowery Feltman passed away unexpectedly after a surgery on her ankle. She leaves behind a husband and precious 8 year old daughter. I've met Michelle several times at my cousin's children's birthday parties. She had a special love of life that you could feel from just being around her. We always had conversations about having the same maiden names (Michele Lowery & Michelle Lowery). Anyway, there are a lot of folks hurting because of her loss. I hope they can find the strength and comfort needed and that her sweet daughter can find the peace and answers she must need right now.

Second, The Stanfield family needs prayers for the loss of their daughter/sister Sarah Stanfield. I did not know Sarah but I did grow up with her brothers at Homewood Church of Christ. She was only 26 years old and I know they too need the Lord to surround them and love on them.

Finally, I am asking that you pray for a friend of mine's daughter. I've talked about her before. Back in November she had surgery on both of her legs. She is still in a lot of pain and she and her parents desperately need answers and comfort. Her name is Bailee Bryant. I went to high school with her mom/dad and they are a precious family!

Thanks guys. I know the power of prayer and believe in it strongly. So I'm gonna hit my knees in a few then head off back to bed to rest. Have a nice day and stay warm in all this cold weather!

Maybe it will snow. I'm not a big fan but everyone else around here is.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T13:08:00.002-06:00

So Christmas has come and gone once more. It was a busy time for my family so I'm having to hit the highlights for you.

We always go to Al's family for Christmas Eve. Here's all the Hicks grand kids ready to open presents.

A sweet moment caught with PawPaw reading a book.

Here's the loot from Santa all pretty and organized.

Here's the tornado that ensues once they are let loose on the loot.

My babies with their new BFC Dolls. These cute girlies were on top of my girlies list so they were very happy. We had a pretty good Christmas. Lots of presents and lots of love. It was still tough with out my dad there but my girls were happy and that makes all the difference for me.

More to come soon....

PS- Happy New Year - Here's to a new year and new beginnings. I wish nothing but good things for you this year. I'm starting mine with an Auburn win (I hope)!!! War Eagle!!!!!

Riverchase Christmas Party

2009-12-20T13:14:00.002-06:00

Every year our Children's Ministry has a Christmas Party for all the families involved. And as you can see Santa even comes to pay us a visit so the kidos can put in their requests!! And let me say this picture is a far cry from a few years ago when I HAD to be in the pictures w/Santa b/c my babies were scared of him. They've figured out that he's a good guy who brings them stuff!
My CP, Maggie and my "adopted" daughter Miss Megan. She's basically part of the family!! When I say, "Hey, my girls smile please." She gladly joins in!!

Here we are making our all important visit w/Santa to tell him all the goodies that we want! I sure do hope Santa gets it all right this year.

There were fun craft projects and coloring sheets to keep them busy. Then we had a devotional, a great dinner and finished by decorating Christmas Cookies. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful church family!!

Hope you've got your shopping done!! Only a few more days till Christmas!!

2009 Hicks Family Express

2009-12-14T12:02:00.003-06:00

This year we were privileged to be a part of the Gardendale Christmas parade! Every year we ride in PawPaw's Christmas train in at least 1 parade so this year it was Gardendale!

I was so happy to have so many of my friends show up to ride with us! Almost everyone that rode with us knew us from church, life long friendship or work!! Thanks everybody for coming. It was so much fun!!!

Here's my buddy Donna with her daughter Erica and my Gracie! It was cold but not too bad because we had so many cozy blankets to cover up with.

Clara Paige and Keely had loads of Christmas fun waving at all the parade watchers!!

Here's a shot of all the kidos that were so cute waving and shouting "Merry Christmas" that we won 1st place!!! I knew we were a pretty good looking, fun, cheery group!!

Holiday Cheer...

2009-12-11T13:40:00.002-06:00

I need some; cheer that is. This has been a hectic season so far for me. I keep reminding myself of the reason for the season. With my purse being stolen and all it's been a little hard to see the positive side but I'm getting there. I love the festiveness and all the decorations but the hustle and bustle are almost too much for me. However, I love Chrismtas time!! I really do. It is a magical time so I plan on putting my inner Grinch up and enjoying the rest of the season with my family and friends with a much more serene heart!! The innocence and excitement of childhood on the faces of my girls this time of year put my attitude in check daily. I do hope you all have a great Holiday and that Santa puts what you wish for under the tree!! I'm just wishing for my family to be together and a warm cup of cider while my girls enjoy their presents on Christmas morning! That is what its about to me.

Build-A-Bear Party!!

2009-12-08T20:26:00.004-06:00

So my baby girls who are not babies any more chose to have their 5th birthday party at Build-A-Bear Workshop. It was so much fun. We had so many friends come and share their "1/2 way to 10 day" with them!!

Here the kidos all are waiting to have their bear stuffed. I think Maggie named her bear Sunshine while Gracie named hers Sarah!

We had cake and opened presents in the food court b/c that's how it works at the lovely Riverchase Galleria!! It was a good spot though because we were kinda off to ourselves!! They got such wonderful presents but most of all they were so blessed to have so many people come out to share their day. Thank you all!!

Here we are all loving on our new and huggable/lovable Build-A-Bears!! (Of coarse we had to head straight back to the store to dress our bears after the party. Can't go around with a naked bear now can we??)

Marathon Post.....

2009-11-30T20:49:00.003-06:00

So this will be a long post hence the title's warning. So many things have been happening at our house that I have no idea really where to start but if you can hang with me for all the chatter there are pictures at the end. All of you with short attention spans can scan and move on to the pictures but you might miss something if ya do!

I've had all kinds of things on my mind lately. With the Holiday Season upon us, I have lists upon lists of things to do and remember. And more things pop into my head by the minute. I'm sure you probably feel the same.
We have a very busy December creeping up on us so I do hope not to neglect the blog too badly. I hope to take a moment here and there to really take in the essence of the season and appreciate it's meaning and festiveness. I hope you do too.

First I have a quick prayer request - a sweet high school friend's daughter had a major surgery today. My friend's name is Rhonda and her daughter's name is Bailey. Although I've never gotten to meet Bailey she seems to be a delightful young lady who needs our prayers. She seems to be in a lot of pain so let's all ask God to ease her distress and lift her up to Him!

My babies are now 5 years old as I mentioned in an earlier post. They had an excellent birthday party at Build-A-Bear Workshop and I will share those pictures with you soon. I tell you I just can not relate to you how amazed I am that these past 5 years have gone by so quickly.

We made it through Thanksgiving barely. To update you all, my purse was taken from my van on Thanksgiving Day. My advice to you is just be careful out there. Although this is the joyful Christmas Season there are so many out there that unfortunately are dishonest and desperate. I'm thinking this year it might be worse with our struggling economy and so many out of work. I don't know if that is what happened in my case or just a mean old meanie who took the $$ I was to spend on my babies' Christmas on Friday but I sure wish I could rewind that day and take more precautions so I wouldn't have to live this nightmare. There are so many worse things that could have happened but just getting a replacement driver's license alone felt like a major undertaking. I've had multiple conversations with the bank and had to cancel everything. There are many more things to mark off my list before I can get to where I feel more like myself again but I'll be just fine. And I find myself realizing just how much stuff I kept in my purse. Wow, from the obvious important stuff to my favorite lip gloss, I miss it all. Man, it stinks. Anyway, just be safe and be cautious!!

AND, you may have thought you got through the regular college football season without anymore rantings from me about my Tigers BUT oh how wrong you were! So I don't have any amazing pictures with my beautiful little AU cheerleaders for you but let me say how proud I am and will always be to be an Auburn Tiger. As dejected and down as I was on Friday after learning my purse was MIA, the fact that my Tigers put up a darn good fight in the 2009 Iron Bowl against a No.2 ranked UA was enough to bring a smile to my face. We may not have come up with the win but we came out of it stronger and with much more respect as a team than before. I am so thrilled at the fact we pulled together as an AU family and supported our team even after the loss like many just can't understand or believe. If you don't get it, don't worry, you probably never will and that's ok with me. I'm Orange and Blue, Tried and True Always! There, I'm done with that (Until Next Season that is)!!

Ok so I guess I'm done rambling until next time. Enjoy my mixture of Halloween-ish pictures so I can move on to more seasonally appropriate posts for you!!

Trick or Trunk at our Church with good friends Keely & Erica Strickland

Clara Paige's class on her field trip to Hargis Retreat Center for lots of fun Fall activities. What a great group of kids. Quick tid-bit of info: The little boy on CP's left side has a dad who is an Alabaster Police Officer. He just so happened to be the officer who took my report about my stolen purse. Small world!! haha! Thanks Officer Johnson!

The cutest darn lil' Cowgirls in these here Southern parts
you'll see anywhere. The girls had Cowboy/Cowgirl day at pre-school so this was their get up for the big event. They even had a real pony come visit at school that day.

My silly girls holding up their goofy faced monster pumpkins they made this year. We didn't carve a pumpkin so I found these funny mix-n-match pieces.
I know you are so over the Halloween stuff but I just had to post this one. We went Trick-or-Treating with Rachel's kidos this year. My kitty cats joined the Wicked Witch and Dorothy to wander through the neighborhood in search of candy. It was a great time!! I still have too much candy left over!

I love you all and hope you feel as blessed as I do even in adversity! Here's to the start of an excellent Christmas Holiday Season!!

Happy Turkey Day

2009-11-26T08:56:00.007-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!

ENJOY THE FAMILY, FOOD & FUN!

PS- WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!

BLessed

2009-11-25T19:05:00.003-06:00

Today I am thankful for the fact that I have a job. I have a home that is comfortable and cozy. I may not be wealthy by today's standards at all but I am wealthy in the fact that I have a happy home full of love and am well taken care of. I am blessed beyond measure and for that I am honestly and completely grateful.

Tonight we had our second of what we hope to be weekly Family Nights. Last week we had Family Game Night which went over great. Tonight we had Family Movie Night and it was just as much fun. We watched Santa Buddies and it was a very cute movie to start out our Holiday Season with. More importantly Alex & I want our family to be close and have memories of simple times that we spent together. If we start now while our girls are young, hopefully it will instill a sense of family unity and spirit so they will cherish and look forward to it in the future as they do now. I know all too soon they will not want to spend so much time with us. Although that will tear me up inside when that time comes, I hope they will always feel close to us and be able to confide in us because of the times we took out of our week to spend together as a family unit. It is so important to me.

Half Way to 10!!

2009-11-24T20:01:00.011-06:00

My babies are surely babies no longer as they are now officially 5 years old today! November 24th, 2004 changed our lives forever. Two of the most precious blessings were placed in mine & Alex's care on that day!! They are truly 2 of the many angels I have here on this earth! I love you to death my sweet girlies!!

Happy Birthday Gracie Michele and Maggie Nicole!!

I hope your day was as precious today as it was 5 years ago when I met you both!! You may look alike but your spirits and souls are so individually priceless to me and your whole family!!

HOWEVER, you will always be my babies!!

Today I am obviously thankful for the gift of my sweet Maggie & Gracie! However, I am also thankful that I am never alone! Huh?? Yes, I am not alone, ever. I am thankful that I have a Father that loves me without abandon, unconditionally and who is always there for me! When there is no other person around, He's there with me and I know it and feel it! His power and love makes me strong when I am weak. And believe me I'm weak in many areas all the time. I am so grateful that I am His!! There is nothing like the Love of a Father! Surely you've figured that out from my posts about my dad, so how great is it to know that there is a Heavenly Father waiting and longing to put his arms around us all and for us all to belong to him?! I am so lucky and blessed to know Christ and his love and to understand the sacrifice he made in order for my Father to know me.
So, I am thankful for my faith in the one, true God and the freedom to recognize and praise him. Let's not let that go! Let's be thankful everyday for that!

Remember...

2009-11-23T13:40:00.004-06:00

Remember to be thankful this week and every week for all the blessings in your life. I know I try to appreciate all the things that God has given me! Sometimes I fall short and forget to give Him all the glory but at the least we have this time of year to focus on that very thing!

I'm going to try to be thankful for a different thing each day this week. Today I am thankful for my precious family that provides me with the love I need. I am thankful for a husband who is my strength and motivator. My girls are the ones who inspire me to be great and dream beyond my abilities. I am certainly thankful for that.

Have a great week. Don't eat too much and be safe!!

I couldn't find this song to put on the playlist yet but I already love it. It's a great way to look at being thankful forour loving families!! Lyrics are below:

Trace Adkins
All I Ask For Anymore lyrics
Songwriters: Beathard, Casey Michael; James, Timothy A

It was a home run when the game was tied
A pick up truck when I could drive
One pink line when Katie said I'm late

It was a passing grade, a pretty girl
All the money in the world
What mattered then kept changing every day

But when I bow my head tonight
There'll be no me, myself and I
Just watch my wife and kids please Lord
That's all I ask for anymore

Now a days it's crazy how
A passing storm, a siren sound
Can make me drop it all and pick up the phone

To hear her say that all's okay
Is all I need to know these days
Can't wait to see their faces when I get home

And when I bow my head tonight
There'll be no me, myself and I
Just watch my wife and kids please Lord
That's all I ask for anymore

Let 'em outlive me by a hundred years
Let their laughter dry up all their tears
Let 'em love and be loved back like I have been

When I bow my head tonight
There'll be no me, myself and I
Just watch my wife and kids please Lord
That's all I ask for anymore
That's all that matters anymore

The Great Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-16T21:07:00.004-06:00

So, you'll just have to bare with me on the catching up. I know that they have crammed the Christmas Season upon us (which I don't mind) but I have some Halloween posts I can't pass up on. I can't miss out on documenting our families lives on my blog and in the words of my dear friend Kim Bowling, It's My Blog so this Halloween related post revolves around my twinkies and their first field trip. This is their first year of Preschool so they thought they were HOT stuff getting to go on a real live class field trip!! We went to the Grand Old Pumpkin Patch in Clanton. Check out the excitement in their faces below before we got out of the van!

Cuteness just pours out of them don't you think? Well I do even if I am their momma.

Momma just could not pass up some pumpkin pictures of my little punkins! I LOVE pumpkin patch pictures for some reason. I think it's all the fall colors and the brightness of the orange. Unlike some folks, I happen to love the color orange in case ya didn't know. ;)

Here they are with some buddies on the Hay Ride to the patch to pick out their pumpkins.
(Gracie is on the left. Maggie is on the right.)

And at last one more cute picture. It was quite a chilly day but such a good time for me and my girlies to spend together!!

Mardi Gras Girlies

2009-11-15T12:19:00.002-06:00

While on our NOLA trip we picked up some Mardi Gras masks for the girls. They loved them plus the beads and ORANGE & BLUE boas we brought back. They looked hilarious but precious all at the same time!! Check out the pictures below.

More to come soon......

NOLA 2009

2009-11-14T09:01:00.008-06:00

** I need to edit here for a second - a great big thank you to Alex's cousins the Shoenenbergers for inviting us to stay in their time share. Without them we could not have taken this little get away!! (Hope I spelled the name right)**

OK so I'm gonna attempt to post with my crippled computer. We've been so busy busy that it's been neglected. I've just been using other computers just to stay up to date with you guys. SOOOO, without further hesitation I'll get started with my marathon blogging while crossing my fingers it all goes well and my comp cooperates.

if you've never been to New Orleans, Louisiana then you are missing quite an explosion of local color, culture and cuisine! You either love it or hate it! Alex and I happen to enjoy it. My first trip was when I was 17 with a church group. Yes, I said church group. Can you believe our parents let us travel to the South's Sin City all those years ago? But I did fall in love with the architecture and the culture of it all.

Since I have so much to catch you up on I'm just going to hit some of the highlights you can't miss while visiting N'awlins.

Jackson's Square & Cathedral - beautiful place to take pictures.
Voodoo Museum we went to all those years ago when I was a teen that made it through the hurricane and all. This one happens to be located on Bourbon Street. (The true "Sin Station" of New Orleans but part of the city's fame) Our Hotel (Avenue Park Hotel) was situated in a lovely part of the Garden District. There was a quaint balcony on the second floor. If you look closely on the street behind me you can see the street car tracks. That was our mode of transportation on the trip. It's fun but quite an education on the stature of the locals!

Here's a local band playing in one of the bars we passed. It's not Billboard standards but it was amazing to see one guy play the accordion and the other play the modified washboard and it sound pretty darn good!! Excuse the poor girl who got to show off her back tat in my picture. I didn't want to go all the way in to take it so just over look her please.

And of coarse the beautiful French style buildings and houses. There's no other place like it and it's situated right here in the South ready for you to visit should you be brave enough.

We also saw the Superdome, street bands playing and dancing, we barely missed the USS New York sail down the river, Oh and there is the Riverwalk, Harrah's Casino, Cafe Dumonde for beignets, great creole cooking and much much more!!

still here.....

2009-11-11T18:26:00.002-06:00

I'm still around just waiting on the computer to be fixed. I hate not being able to fill you all in on all our antics. Maybe I will be back up and running soon!

And Happy Veteran's Day to all. Be sure to thank a soldier or a Veteran should you get the chance.

Hang on for Me....

2009-11-03T09:35:00.002-06:00

Well at this rate I'll catch up on posting next Christmas. The computer is on the blink again. Who ever came up with the evil plot of computer viruses should be hung upside down by their toenails! I'll see what I can do until the comp is back up and running! Maybe I can squeeze a few posts in until then. They just aren't fun w/out pictures. Have a great rest of your week!!

October 26th, 2008

2009-10-26T09:25:00.010-05:00

"My best friend gave me the best advice, He said each day's a gift and not a given right" -Nickelback

I have many fun and interesting things to post for you guys so you should have lots to read in the coming weeks but today I have to stop to do something else. Please bare with me on this one.

I wasn't sure how today would affect me, and honestly, I'm still not sure. The date listed above is not a typo. I did mean for it to read 2008. You see if you haven't already figured it out it was exactly one year ago today that I will remember for the rest of my life. I know as time continues to pass for us all the feelings and memories will not come back to cause so much pain but that day was the worst I've ever encountered, EVER. I lost my daddy that day. My girls lost their Pappy, my mom lost her husband, my bother lost his dad and so on. The hardest part so far for me is the memories of that day. I'm doing ok with remembering the good times and knowing what an excellent man my dad was. It's just hard when your mind takes over and leads you to places you don't want to remember. And those are memories that can be haunting if you choose to go there. So I'm not going to relive that day right now. That is not what this post is about.

Anyway, over all we've come through this year ok. All the 1sts were difficult but we pressed on through them. There have been good times, great times, bad times and sad times but I feel like I've never let any of them steal my joy in the fact that my dad was my hero. When I picture him in my mind, he is always smiling. That is how I remember him. Smiling and full of love.

The very hardest part for me is missing him. I wish for just one more time I could hug him and hear him tell me he loved me. I wish I could see him stand in the driveway when I left mom & dad's house as he waved goodbye until we were out of sight. BUT I feel like that is why we were blessed with the ability to remember: So we can cherish and honor those things we hold dear to our hearts.

I don't remember much from the sermons yesterday at church (preoccupied, I'm sure you can understand why) but I do remember one of the thoughts was Selfless Love. That's what my dad was to me and everyone he knew. He loved with all he had. He gave what he had so other's could be happy. I hope that is how I am. I think if there's one thing I learned from my dad it is to love others with all I have!

My dad died on my back deck. For months I could not set foot back there. It was too hard for me. Eventually I slowly made my way back out there but not to the area where it happened. Earlier this summer, my Alex re-built our back deck with the help of his dad - for me. I didn't realize it at first but it was his selfless act of love for me so I could enjoy our back deck again. My dad spent a lot of time out on back decks at our house and his so this is amazingly special to me. I've saved these pictures since then, knowing I wanted to share them with you now. They probably aren't significant to you but they are to me!

Thank you Alex for loving me and my dad so much that you did this for us.

They did an excellent job but that's not why I'm sharing this with you. I want you all to understand how powerful love is. It makes you do things you never thought you would do. It makes you sacrifice yourself for others, like Christ did for us. Yesterday, at church I had an experience that was moving for me. I do not want to go into details but there was someone who was obviously hurting. I saw her and it moved me tremendously. I'm not one to like attention or want to be the hero and save the day but she needed someone. I approached this person and I hope I helped her. This is significant to my dad and this post because it made me aware that we are all hurting in some way or another. It might not be too bad or it might be life changing but I'm not the only one with struggles. I personally, think God moved me into that situation yesterday so I could be reminded of that. I'm pray she gets some peace soon.

I want you all to do me a favor, love with all you have, never take a day for granted, and put yourself out there to help others. I'm not really great at doing these things myself but I constantly remind myself of that. We aren't guaranteed a tomorrow but we are guaranteed a forever!

Mom- I love with my heart more than I can say. You are my confidant and friend. I'm so blessed to have you and pray for you continuously.

Alex - Thank you for loving me and being there for me. I couldn't have made it through as well as I have without you. I love you wholeheartedly.

Jonathan - I want only great things for you. Know I love you so very much. I'll always be your big sister and am here for you always.

My Girls - I have such a special place for you in my heart. I will love you forever. I pray that I can sacrifice for you daily and that you can live your lives as happy, Christ loving individuals. Pappy would love that.

Wendi & Todd - I will never forget or be able to repay you for your efforts on that day last year. I love you both more than you know.

Rachel - Thanks for listening to me and being there when I needed to talk. I love you like family because you are in so many ways.

All other Family & Friends - Just in case you haven't figured it out - I love you too. You may not think you've touched me significantly or really helped in any way but so many people have reminded me throughout this last year and recently how caring and loving you all are. Your love and prayers have made all the difference.

Live each day like you mean it guys.

Committ a Selfless Act of Love today.

Roastin Marshmallows

2009-10-16T12:12:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we used Alex's Father's Day Gift for the first time. He wanted a fire pit so that's what we got him but it was WAYYYY to hot then to use it. So we used it about 2 weeks ago and the girls loved it. We roasted marshmallows and made Smores. It was a wonderful way to spend an evening together as a family!! I'm thinking there will be lots more fire pit nights in our future.
Clara & Maggie roastin' some mallows!! I like mine a little burned. MMMmmmm.... that's the best way.

And pardon our "fabulous" attire. This also happened to be the week we were all recovering from our flu/pneumonia battle so we weren't feeling like "dressin" up for photos!

Daddy showing the girls how it's done!

And there's me and Gracie enjoying our evening by the fire.
ALSO, ignore the mattress you see in the background. We have a much needed trip to the dump in our future also so I hope you'll forgive our Samford & Son tribute and instead think of the warmth of the fire, the smell of the burning wood, the taste of those delicious Smores melting in your mouth!!
Oh I love Fall!!

~Heading down to the Plains today for the KY game. Let's hope for a win! I also have my New Orleans pictures to share with you so I'll be planning some great blogs next week!! Have a great weekend everybody!