Flashback Friday with some sparkle on the side

My parents did an awesome job creating and keeping certain Christmas traditions. One of these was going to McAdenville every year. It's been deemed "Christmas Town USA" (we saw it once on the travel channel and got all excited). As a kid, my parents and I would ride through the town, picking out our favorite houses and decorations, then head on over to a local favorite for dinner... BBQ King.

It's been there for forever, and it's definitely not somewhere I'd stop if I were just visiting. But for those of us that have been here know it's the best place for gross, greasy, yummy food.

I always ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. My mom would order onion rings. She was a total health nut, and only ate these once a year... and every single stinkin year, she'd spend the rest of the night sick as a dog. But she still says it's worth it. :)

(both photos courtesy of retroroadmap.com)

After my parents split, they refused to give up the tradition. Sure, the dynamics had changed a little, but there's always a silver lining, right? Well, this meant we got to go twice. And honestly, each time was special. We made memories with two sides of our family, and it was fun.

On my dad's side, all of us (my little bro, 2 stepsisters, stepmom, dad) would pile into his Suburban, and we'd pick up my great grandmother to take her with us.

As you've probably gathered, my mom is one of those over-the-top, fun, spontaneous types. She was the actress, dancer, singer, and the life of every party. When she went out with her bff, they used to go to the airport. As people got off the plane, they would scream, "Oh my gosh! How was your trip!?! I'm so glad you're HOME!!" and hug them. They'd probably get arrested now. But back then they'd get such a kick from people's reactions and spend all night laughing and having a ball. 

Anyways... so my mom went through this phase where she thought it'd be fun to rent a limo to ride through McAdenville. Turns out, those dark windows are hard to see out of, and we were lower to the ground, which meant we had to practivally turn our heads upside down to see the trees. And then my little brother discovered the sunroof. :)

Obviously, I'm the more sentimental type. I hang on to traditions, keepsakes, pictures... anything that's special to me. Needless to say, I was definitely taking Noah. So we went Wednesday night, and he loooved it. He liked the lights alright, but what he really enjoyed? Getting out of his car seat and looking at the lights while riding in my lap (yes, it's legal... the cars are moving at about 5mph and cops know about it). He especially loved holding the gear shift and helping his daddy drive the car. He thought he was SO cool.

(please excuse my "just out of the shower" look... we piled in the car in our jammies)

One of the best parts... the lake surrounded by trees:

Then there are the houses. The very elegant...

(Brad's favorite)

(My favorite)

...and the totally awesome tacky ones.



Sorry some of them a tad blurry. I had a monkey in my lap, along with fighting a moving car. Tricky stuff.

Flashback Friday: This Time Last Year (and also some Noah news)

I can't believe how much babies grow in just a year. It's not fair.We should get a little longer with them like this. But then we'd all be sleep deprived constantly, so I guess it's good they grow.

Oh, and enjoy Brad's baby talk.

This is coming from a man who, in college, made very clear that babies should be talked to like adults, so that their English would be correct. HA. It used to make me so annoyed, and then I started telling him, "Yeah, we'll see..." I love that he didn't stick to his guns. Because Noah loved/s it. :)

And in other baby news...

NOAH'S WALKING!!

And it's just too darn cute.

Unfortunately, he also has a stuffy nose and is grumpy. But we're going to focus on the happy today. :)

Flashback Friday: "Granddad"

It's my father-in-law's birthday today!
Actually, for the last 10+ years, I've been wishing him a Happy Birthday on the 11th. All of the kids debated which day his birthday was on (in front of him) at his party last week. And he informed us that it was on the 12th... not the 11th like Brad told me many years ago.
Luckily, Granddad has been gracious enough to never correct me... every year... for years.

The man is awesome. He's always there for his family... giving advice, taking care of them, providing for them, and loving them.

He's been a football player...

a mountain man...

:)

a smoke jumper...

(the view from one of his jumps)

a military man...

a husband...

a father...

and a granddad.



Happy Birthday, Granddad!

Flashback Friday: This Time Last Year

This time last year, I had a 3 month old. He was the cutest, chubbiest thing I'd ever seen.

He giggled and kicked and finally stopped crying nonstop.

And while I love the little boy he's grown into, some days I really miss these times...

Flashback Friday: Halloweens Past

So for some of my newer readers, I guess I should go on and inform you that my family has never been big on Halloween. We just never got into the whole celebrating the "day of the dead" or whatever. It just seemed silly to have a day where murder was deemed cool. Or hypocritical to dress up as anything that represents evil, then turn around and celebrate Jesus' birth a couple weeks later. Anyway... I've since learned to lighten up a tad. Actually, I've participated in Halloween type stuff before. I even went trick-or-treating when I was 12. *gasp* I'm such a rebel.
Being married to Brad, it's pretty much impossible to avoid Halloween. He seems to think it's fun, so I've caved a little over the years. We dress up, hand out candy to the kids, and then we'd head over to a church for their fall fest (my old church used to have pony rides, games, one of those big bouncy slides, and that trampoline bungie jump thing, etc). It was a lot of fun, because we'd dress up our furry kids and take them... and they proceeded to eat all of the dropped candy off of the ground.
I'm not sure what's going on this year. Not many churches in our area are doing anything. Which really isn't a big deal. Noah's too little to do any of it anyway. We're going to take Noah around our circle, really just to show him off in his costume. I don't really want to get him started on the sugar addiction just yet (geez, I sound like such a Debbie downer, don't I?? I promise I'm a fun person!! lol).

Anyway, here's a sample of some of our past Halloweens:

Before a church thing... we could dress up as anything found in the Bible

(which also included any kind of animal).

Brad as a vampire. The coolest part about his costumes is that his mom used to make them all herself. They won the costume contest at their church every year. Once, his dad went as Miss Piggy. :)

Brad (on the bottom left) with his brother Ben, sister Leslie, and a bunch of their cousins.

He got to be his favorite Ninja Turtle, Raphael.

Brad and his family members spent a lot of time at the hospital, so they have a TON of hospital wear. This made our costume idea pretty easy that year. We took my little brother trick-or-treating that year.

I'd say he was pretty successful. Who could deny candy to this cute face?? :)

I had to post this one, just because it's too darn cute. It's my neice Skyler as a dalmation.

Carving pumpkins with my little sister Madison and neice (Madison's bff) Skyler

(she's the one that usually goes to the beach with us).

Weren't they the cutest??

Anyways, hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween weekend!! I'm pretty sure we're having trick-or-treaters both Saturday and Sunday night... so we're getting prepared and getting plenty of candy! Better to have too much than too little, right?? :)

And on that note... I fit into my skinny jeans this morning!!!

(ahem... I didn't say I was necessarily comfortable... but they're on and I can breathe... and there's not a serious mushroom top going on. I think I'll celebrate and have a KitKat.)



Flashback Friday: That "Miracle Mile"

Growing up, I spent every summer going to Myrtle Beach, SC. I know that's not a big shock, since we live so close. It's actually a huge vacation spot for a lot of people. We made friends there from places like Virginia, Ohio, etc.

My grandparents owned a condo down there at a place called Brigadune, and to this day, I can tell you exactly how to get there and which condo was ours.

[my granddaddy reading to me and my cousin Aaron, along with my uncle Clete.

Don't you just looove that furniture?? :)]

Anyway, something about riding down those streets lined with the tacky Wings stores and calabash seafood joints gets me all happy and excited about being there. Trying to decide which Putt Putt place we're going to go to this time, smelling the ocean in the breeze, heading to Piggly Wiggly (aka "the Pig") to grab the shampoo we forgot to pack, and stopping by the old Painter's ice cream stand after dinner... all of these mean summer to me. I've had some awesome memories made at Myrtle Beach; most of which I'll never be able to recreate.

But the one place that meant the most to me was a place called The Pavilion.
It was a seaside amusement park, complete with rollercoasters, log flume, arcades, the swings, and the infamous Catepillar and Hurricane rides. It even had a historic carousel that dated back to 1912.

On the really tall rides, you could see the ocean at night. It was gorgeous. Across the street was a nightclub for teens called the Attic... meaning you couldn't get in if you weren't a teenager. It was located on the "Grand Strand" which was always bustling with people. College kids riding around in the back of pickup trucks, usually making a lot of noise. Kids' eyes getting bigger as they approached the Pavilion. And lots and lots of music. This place entertained families for 58 years.

(I got so sick on this thing!)

It was actually featured (and sung about) in Kenny Chesney's "Anything But Mine" video. I was so excited when I saw it (he's my fav country singer), because he was able to capture the heart of Myrtle Beach.

What makes me so sad is that I won't be able to share this part of my history with Noah. In 2006, they closed the park, due to "financial instability". I heard there were plans to turn it into a parking lot or a hotel or something. It's still totally blank. Nothing's there. Just a big empty hole. They saved a few of the historic rides, like the smaller ones I mentioned above. But the rest, like the old Haunted Hotel and massive Hurricane roller coaster (that cost them millions to make) were demolished. There were petitions going around trying to save the place, people begging for them not to tear it down, but it didn't do any good.

Fortunately, I was able to go just one last time. It was bittersweet. Brad and I had broken up that summer, at that point I thought it was for good (story for another time). We had been before together, so it's not like I never got to go with him. I was offered the chance to go with someone else and their family, and I took it. And although it's still a sore spot in mine and Brad's history, we're both glad I got to go the year they were closing. I rode all of my favorites. I wish I could've ridden them all. I got to play at the arcades for the last time. And I got to sit at the already closed Attic building, trying to soak in every flashing light, every squeal from the rides, and the smell of junk food mixed with salty air. I hate that I couldn't go one last time with Brad, but it was still special for me to be there.
What I hate even more is that I can't show Noah. I can show him some of the rides I used to ride at the "Pavilion Nostalgia Park", but it's totally not the same.

I'm just thankful for the incredible memories I have of being there... with my parents when they were still married; with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins; with my little sister and the rest of my family; with my bff Kelly; with Brad when we went with some of our closest friends; and then the final time when I was with people I'll probably never see again. Each experience there is so different, but still so fun. I'm so glad I was able to be around for it and enjoy it for so many years.

Me with my cousin Elizabeth

Me and my daddy on the carousel.

Brad, me, and our buddy Ryan

To see what it was like in action, go watch:
Anything But Mine

Flashback Friday: Those Ears

I have a story to tell you. This week's Flashback Friday was Brad's idea. I raided his parents' photo album cabinet (I could do a million FF posts just on his family pictures...). I'm a sucker for old photos and hearing people's stories.

For some reason, God felt compelled to bless Brad with elf ears. They poor guy's ears stuck out, which resulted in lots of teasing.
Kids called him all kinds of mean names, usually involving an elephant or some other animal with big ears. Kids can be so cruel. It really hurt his feelings.

One year, he got a really bad ear infection. It was so bad, in fact, that it rotted his eardrum. They had to do reconstructive surgery on his right ear. During the consultation, Brad asked if the doctor could fix his other ear while he was at it, so that they wouldn't stick out anymore. My husband asked for plastic surgery when he was seven.

Obviously, the man had a soft heart for this guy, so he did it. He fixed my husband's ears so that they don't stick out anymore.
When I was pregnant, Brad was very concerned that our baby would inherit his original ears. He actually said prayers about it. Poor guy was scarred for life. To his relief, Noah didn't get his ears. Although, I secretly think he'd be super cute with them. :)

Flashback Friday: The Simpson's

Most of you may not know something about my husband. He's a diehard Simpson's fan. He has all of the Simpson's board games, mugs, and even a Homer light (that plugs into the computer) that talks.

Every year, my family draws names for Christmas (at my grandparents), and every year, Brad gets something Simpson's related. Turns out, a few years ago, he received two of the same pajamas. I thought it was great. Why would I not? My boyfriend and I had matching pajamas!! lol.

We were so cool...

Flashback Friday: BFF's 4Ever

Yes, apparently, I'm still 13.

Anyways...

I've mentioned my friend Kelly several times on here, I think. But I've never done an actual post about her... who the heck she is, how we met, how we're still friends, etc. So here we go.

Our parents went to the same church together before we were born. They became best buds, hung out all of the time, had parties, and have some fun pictures to show for it (all at my mom's house though... sorry!).

When I was born, Kelly's parents (Stephanie and Brian) became my Godparents. They've done an awesome job, btw. They're my home away from home, and I know that I always have someone to go to for help if I need it. They prayed faithfully over me, gave me advice, and spent a ton of time with me as a kid.
Kelly came along about a year after me, and the same went for her... my parents became her Godparents as well.

(I'm on the right)

Since our parents hung out so much, our friendship was kind of inevitable. Over the years, we've had countless sleepovers, spent hours chatting on the phone (much to her dad's dismay... "What do you two have to talk about for that long??"), came up with some pretty creative adventures for Barbie, babysat our brothers and sisters, gone on vacations together, went to the prom, stayed up late planning our weddings (when we were 15), agonized over boy problems, planned my wedding (she was my MOH), had a stupid fight or two, had plenty of double dates, decorated more Christmas trees than I can count, were there for eachother's grandparents' funerals, welcomed my first baby, and overall... just been there.
Now that we're both all grown up (although some may argue with that), we don't get to hang out as much as we'd like. The one awesome thing about having a best friend? It doesn't matter. We can go for a good two months without talking, then randomly pick up the phone and talk as if no time has passed. For example, I called her on her birthday a few months ago. It was snowing, and we were both stuck at home. She was reading in her pj's, I was cuddled up in bed watching tv, and we ended up talking for 3 hours.
She's an absolute blast to hang out with. She'll make you laugh, and you're sure to have fun with her whatever you're doing.

(I was spending the night with Kelly one night after Brad left for his mission. In an attempt to cheer me up, we had a sleepover and made cookies to send to him. Unfortunately, we somehow burnt the bottom of the cookies. We refused to throw them away, so we took turns scraping off the burnt parts. Turns out, you  have to bake cookies differently when you send them to Colorado. Apparently, the evelation has an odd effect. Brad opened up his package to find cookie dust. Oh well. We still had fun making them.)

 

(the infamous Queen Esther for "All Hallows Eve" at church)

And a bunch of other totally random pictures...

 

She and her boyfriend Brad (yep, we both have Brad's) are coming over for dinner tonight. It's a much needed reunion. We haven't hung out with the both of them since I was pregnant!

Flashback Friday: My Favorite Sport

I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but when I was a kid, I was obsessed with horses. I have a huge collection of those Breyer horses, and I loooved My Little Pony. :) My granddaddy owned a few horses, and he told me one of them was mine (which I knew better, but it was still fun to hear)... her name was Glory, Hallelujah; but we just called her Glory. Anyway, I still remember him letting me ride her when I was really little.
My aunt also owned horses. She used to take me riding a lot, and I would help out at the stables, mostly brushing them and watching her take care of them.

So naturally, my parents thought it'd be a good idea to get official lessons. To this day, I regret ever quitting. That was probably the best therapy ever. I could forget everything and totally concentrate on riding. It was so fun and an amazing experience. I gained some confidence there. I fell off and would get back on. One time, my horse Rudy (the one in the first picture) tripped over his own feet and fell on top of me. I wasn't too hurt, and I refused to quit. I was taught English riding, but I could do some Western style too. I did the jumps, and I even learned how to do a little bit of dressage (you know, the dancy type moves?). But seriously, there was nothing more exhilarating than doing a simple canter (slow gallop) around the arena, getting ready for a jump... when all of a sudden, your horse decides he wants to do something more fun. I was riding a Thoroughbred named Night Owl, and he wanted to go a little faster. Oh my gosh, we flew. It was so fun and terrifying all at the same time.

Someday, I will start riding again. If it wasn't so darn expensive, I'd own my own horse by now. Or at least borrow one. I don't want lessons again. I just want to take a horse and go for a ride.

my super cool husband

My husband has always been the "cool" kid.

It's part of why I was so attracted to him. He was confident (borderline cocky), cool, incredibly

cute, independent, and totally hilarious.

I was not.

I was the super goody-goody, Christian girl who freaked at the thought of

getting anything below an A- on a test.

As for the "cute factor"... well... you all saw the perm post.

See the difference?

Him:

Me:

Yep. Match made in heaven.

Why is it good girls always seem to fall for the "bad" boys?

When I was head-over-heels for him, he was....

...smooth and incredibly confident...

...spontaneous...

...had a healthy disrespect for authority and public property...

...well-liked and popular...

...and pretty darn funny.

Life with Brad is definitely an adventure.

I've loved every second being with him (even when he's being annoying lol).