Great Day at the Fair

We spent Sunday afternoon at the Ga State Fair with our littles, Ashley and Antonio. It's been years since I ventured to the state fair, and Tim had never been before! I'm happy to report that it was much better than all the negative hype I've heard in recent years.

I took tons of pictures of the kids on the different rides - Tim tells me I'll be "that mom" who's getting her kids to pose every second. . . I am not sure if it's just to please me, but Ash and Tonio seem to eat it up!! From the Fire Ball to the Ring of Fire and everything inbetween, they had a blast!

I wish I had pictures of all of us in the Bumper Cars; we all four rode on different cars and had a blast! My hardest hit by far was courtesy of Antonio! He nailed me so hard I jerked and heard a man watching go, "ooh, that girl just got creamed!" So much fun! The kids were afraid of nothing! Well, almost nothing. . . they refused to try the Gravitron. Sweet Ashley even got sick and kept right on going.

We left after a couple of hours, but it was really a great time! I think it's safe to say Ash was feeling better because she wanted a burger before we took them home!

I'm so thankful for these children and what they've taught me about life. I just pray Tim and I make a positive, lasting impact on them.

B & Ash on the Ferris Wheel
Tonio & Tim on the Ferris Wheel

Ups and Downs of Grey’s Anatomy

*If you haven’t watched all of the two hour season premier of Grey’s Anatomy, stop reading now!!!

Okay, so the starting scene totally freaked us out! Tim was in the office working on the computer, I was folding clothes. He ran into the room when I hollered that it was starting, and we both stood completely still in the middle of our living room watching in horror as Dr. Shepard died. . . . what a nightmare! What a hook to get us into the show!

Will Meredith ever be okay with her relationship with Dr. Shepard? I’m so tired of her being so wishy washy. . . Seriously, chick, poo or get off the pot!!!

Yang’s fall and being stabbed with a huge icicle. . . please! how ridiculous was that!?!? And then that it never melted before the hero of the show – Captain Know-it-All – abruptly pulled it out of her!

Speaking of Captain Know-it-All, I don’t like him! I was so upset when Chief offered him a job, but then thankful that he declined. Am I the only one who did not like that man?

Rose sucks! How low down dirty of her to stab Dr. Shepard during surgery!!!

Will George and Meredith’s sister ever get together? She has a major crush on him, right?!?!? He’s oblivious, too, which is precious!

I like Izzie’s hair cut, Meredith’s hair still bothers me some, and McDreamy’s hair is just that . . . dreamy

Loved the whole 12th ranking jazz, too. . . that just added so much to the entire show. I would not want to have been on staff during Chief’s come-to-Jesus meeting.

All in all, I cannot wait for the rest of this season! What a tease that they gave us two hours last night and now we must wait two weeks for another new episode! In the meantime, Tim and I will find ourselves glued to the TV for Desperate Housewives and Dirty Sexy Money.

**I'm looking forward to this weekend ~ yard work, runs with Belle, the Georgia game, and swapping out my spring and summer clothes for fall and winter outfits!!

Aggravated but Thankful. . . and sometimes laughing!

I’m Aggravated That. . .

* I’m such a klutz but thankful I only have bruises to show for it! No broken bones or scars from my recent fall in Walgreens, Wal Mart, or anywhere around the house!

* Belle’s been so hyper lately but thankful that we have two precious dogs who love us more than anything and are convinced we are the coolest cats on the planet!

* Tim’s job is so stressful right now and I can’t do anything to help, but I’m so thankful that he has a job that provides for us and takes care of us.

* After spending $800 on Patti, she’s started vibrating and humming at me this morning at a red light but I’m thankful my 10 year old car has been so reliable to me over the years.

* Sophie, our finicky cat, did not eat the salmon I put out for her yesterday and I had to laugh at how difficult she can be!

* We’re not getting Cost of Living Adjustments at work for the next year but I’m thankful that I have a job in a company that is a joy to work for. . . most of the time.

* My family’s having the age-old dilemma of when to celebrate Christmas and the fact that feelings might get hurt in the process but I’m thankful that I have a family that makes it a point to get together every Christmas!

I’m flat out thankful that I found my long lost camera after two months of being missing; that Jenn and baby Ellie are healthy and growing normally; for Facebook and the long lost friends I’ve found on it; our Belk’s gift cards; and friends!

From A to Z

A. Attached or Single? Attached as in Married!
B. Best Friend? Tim, my momma, my sister
C. Cake or pie? pie
D. Day of choice? Saturday
E. Essential item? Diet Coke
F. Favorite color? RED
G. Gummy bears or worms? gummy bears
H. Hometown? Gordon
I. Favorite indulgence? massage
J. January or July? July ~ beach, 4th of July Celebrations, sun sun sun!!
L. Life isn’t complete without? God’s grace and LOVE!
M. Marriage date? 12.15.2007
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 1 awesome baby sister
O. Oranges or Apples? I like ‘em both!
P. Phobias? heights and birds. Birds just make my skin crawl
Q. Quotes? Collosians 3:12 - 17
R. Reasons to smile? beautiful Saturday weather, great morning run, incredible husband who provides for me, awesome family. . .
S. Season of choice? Fall
T. Tag 5 people: To do what?
U. Unknown fact about me? I'd have to say that I'm such a rule follower
V. Vegetable? green beans
W. Worst habit? food
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? only had an x ray once
Y. Your favorite food? Mexican!!!!
Z. Zodiac sign? Scorpio

Runner's Retirement

I, Buddy Ro Miller Slocum, do hereby announce my retirement from running.

Until recently, I have always gotten so excited when I see my mom or daddy pull out my leash. I usually run in circles, jump up and down and all around, and dash like lightning out the door! Belle, my sister, is usually rushing ahead of me; she’s super competitive and believes she must be in front of me. I let her have that satisfaction. . . We love running!

As my mom has improved her running – she thinks she has mad running skills – I’ve gotten slower and slower to her. The last time I ran with her, she was being pulled by Belle while she was pretty much pulling me. I can’t help myself, but I am sure I’m to stop at every possible bush, plant, mailbox, and fire hydrant to mark my territory. We men must do these things, you know? It drives mom nuts! So, she’s begun ignoring my stops, pulling me until I give up. My final run even included my pottying in the middle of the road because the mean ole’ lady wouldn’t let me stop to pooh!

So, I turn over all running responsibilities to my younger and much more hyper sister Belle. Belle, she’s all yours. Run with her like you always do – pull her all around the neighborhood. But by all means, when you return home, there’s no need to rub it in my face. No, just sit yourself down spread eagle on the floor and cool yourself down. That’s how runners do it, Belle.

It's been fun, y'all. . .

Buddy Ro Miller Slocum“Grandpa” to my biggest fans

Just When You Think. . .

The morning of our wedding, I realized I hadn't bought any panties for the big day! Horror! I mean, we are at the church, getting dressed, and as I strip down to my birthday suit, I realize this: I have no panties!!! Serious Horror! Momma LaDon to the Rescue! God love her bones; as if she'd not already been running here there and yonder for the past few days on my behalf, she was there again, ready to help. So, she ran to Stein Mart and returned with five of the prettiest, girliest white undies I've ever seen!

Fast forward 1 day shy of 9 months (that's today!), Tim and I are on our way home today from Columbia, for some reason, I remembered this random fact about our wedding day and that I'd probably not ever told Tim this story, so I did.

He smiled and said, you know what, the morning of our wedding, I realized I didn't have any black dress socks, so Dad and I made an emergency trip to Stein Mart ourselves and bought about five pair of black dress socks, just in case some of the guys didn't have any either!

Funny. . . Stein Mart really did rescue both of us on our wedding day! Just when you think you've relived a day as special as our wedding day was to us over and over and over again, there's a small story yet to be told. It just warms my heart. . .

I'm thankful for Tim's parents who are always so gracious to us when we go visit. And, I'm thankful for the fun shopping Christy always has in store while we're in Columbia!

Remembering 9.11.01

The Face of a Hero
Offering to give blood ~O+
Cemetary covered in the dust
Memorial to those who lost their lives





On this day 7 years ago, I was in class. I overheard a girl frantically telling someone her fiancé was in NYC and was supposed to fly home that morning. She was all kinds of worked up and worried. Me, having no clue what was transpiring, was thinking she needed to chill out.

The class ended, I left class, and I remember overhearing all kinds of chatter about an explosion, the twin towers, and so on. I quickly become aware of the attack that had happened that morning. But I still didn’t get it. . .

To this day, I don’t know that I really understand it. I don’t know that any one human can completely grasp the terror, destruction, and anguish the 9.11.01 caused our country.

I am including these pictures of the unknown heroes, brokenhearted friends, and the epitome of “what can I do to help” people that make up this great land we call home! May we never forget, may we always remember. . . God Bless America!

Totally stole this from someone else's blog. . . she said it's from InStyle magazine.

Enjoy!!

Obsessed with… being the best wife I can be, running, Facebook, Ellie’s upcoming arrival, and great blog ideas

Happy I bought… the cute Dooney knock-off wallet at Chichester’s

Necessary extravagance… my hair cuts and highlights

Looking forward to… Ellie’s arrival

Dreaming of… successfully running the Zooma Half in November

Listening to… IT guys talk IT stuff that’s greek to me.

Dropping by… Fresh Market today was fun! Stay tuned for more. . .

Wishing for… more juice in my Izzee sparkling peach drink glass, weight loss and easy runs

Driving… myself batty with random thoughts like while zooming down I -75 at 80mph, if I open the window to let a trapped gnat out, will it survive the wind at that speed?

Speed dialing… Tim

Addicted to… Tim and food

Carrying… Ginger, my all time fave purse

Can’t stop watching… Invervention, the Dawgs

Just Another Manic Monday

It was a great Monday morning. . . We both ignored our alarms that would typically wake us up for the gym. Rather, we slept in. It’s good for us, right? We’ll go to the gym tonight. . . So, we got ready for work. It was a typical morning around the Slocum house ~ making coffee, folding laundry, letting the dogs out. . . just the basic things we do before leaving for the day. As I was getting the dogs inside, Tim was leaving. No worries! I can handle this! But, as I hear Eddie (the Explorer) drive away, I realize I only have my keys and my sunglasses! No purse! No phone! Oh My Gosh!!!!!!!!!

I drop everything and run – literally run – out the door, down the driveway, into the street, all while screaming, “TIM! TIM!” I watch as he pulls away, oblivious to my panic. Okay, I think, this is fine. I have keys; I can get to work. Aha! Maybe if I hurry, I can catch up with him on Vineville Avenue.

Off I go! I drive Patti (the Pathfinder) up Overlook Avenue, race down Belvedere to Ridge. On Ridge, I’ll admit I was likely going too fast, but not terribly fast because I know I’m driving without a license. Still, too fast. . . I hit a cat. I saw it coming, I hit it, and I watch it dart off. . . on any normal day, I’d stop immediately and search high and low for the poor little cat to see if I can save him, call his owner, do something. But today is no normal day. . . So I keep zooming down the road.

At last, I hit Vineville, and I’m still praying Tim’s getting all the red lights while I catch green ones so maybe, just maybe, I can catch him. At last I do! As I pass him, I’m honking the horn, waving like a mad man who’s gone completely off his rocker. Sweet Tim sees me, waves, and continues his conversation on his cell phone, completely oblivious to the fact that I’m freaking out!

So, I pull into a gas station, jump out of my car, and promptly begin waving him down. He drives by, and I watch as the look on his face goes from “Hey!” to “What in the world is my wife doing?” He hangs up his phone, wheels into the parking lot, rolls down the window and says, “What is wrong?” I see panic in his eyes now!

“My purse! My purse is in your car!” As I’m running to get my purse, I can see him shake his head. . . I know what he’s thinking. Only my wife. . . only Bethany.

As I give him the run down of how I chased him up Brooks Street, flew down the road in an attempt to catch him, he just watches me in pure amazement. So this is the life of Bethany. . . yes, dear, it is.

“You hit a cat?”

“Yes, I did!”

“Is it okay?”

“I don’t know, Tim! Remember, I was racing down the street trying to catch up with you!”

We wished each other a great day – again – and left for our respective offices. What a start to a Manic Monday! Hope you all have great Monday, too!

Will I Be a Good Mom Someday?

I’ve been keeping the one year olds at church on Wednesday nights for a couple of years now, and I love it more with each passing week. They are so much fun, and each year I enjoy getting a new, young group and watching them grow, learn, and develop over the year. As is typical, now they’re only saying things like “mama” and “daddy” or occasionally “milk” or “juice”. One of the older kids last night was like a parrot, repeating what I said. Towards the end of the night, she laid her head on my shoulder, and I said, “Is Lucy a sleepy girl?” She said, “Sleepy girl sleepy girl sleepy girl”. So precious!

My hopes have been that in keeping these children, I’ll learn many things and hopefully, it will help me be a better parent. It always helps my morale when someone compliments me, and last night was no exception. The lady working with me is also a mother, and she told me I’ll “make a great mom” someday. I appreciated that more than she’ll ever know! I certainly hope to be a great mom. There’s no doubt about that! May God give me patience, though. . . lots and lots of patience and energy!

Some things I’ve learned include:

* Babies are much more likely to “brush it off” after a fall if the adult acts like the fall was no big deal. I am a drama queen! It is hard for me still to not act like it’s the worst thing ever when one of the kids trips and falls. And those trips occur often considering my kiddies on Wednesdays have just recently learned to walk!
* Juice can solve many heartaches
* It’s an unwritten rule that a parent always has his / her child’s name on the sippy cup. They get passed around, given to others, handed to me many times over in the course of two hours. I can’t remember if Lucy has the Elmo cup or the Princess cup, but I know which one’s hers if her name is on it!
* Bubbles are a miracle! Kids LOVE them! The squeals, laughter, and smiles that bubbles create are priceless!
* Play-dough left unattended = play-dough everywhere!!!!
* How to “feel” a diaper and know if the child is wet.
* Ten one year olds for two hours can wear out a 28-year-old!
* Teachers are majorly underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked
* Singing can almost always quiet a bunch of teary kids. I still haven’t decided if it’s the songs or how terrible I am at singing them, but it works!
* Most Importantly: Children are a true Gift from God!

Thankful For . . .

After a long weekend, I am thankful for. . .

1. Holidays like yesterday that give us days off to hang out and do whatever we please!
2. Dawgs ~ there’s just nothing like watching a game ‘tween the hedges
3. Good running shoes & socks ~ I bought some new shoes Saturday and ran the 10K yesterday with them. Except for a little burning sensation on the ball of my right foot, my feet did great!
4. Supportive Friends ~ Our friend Laurie got up early on her Labor Day to stand at the end of her street to cheer us on during our race! She has no idea how much I needed to see her and hear her cheers! Thanks, sweet friend.
5. Pedicures ~ Momma and I enjoyed pedicures Saturday afternoon together. How relaxing!
6. Creative Friends ~ Scrapbooking with Amy and Ashlee was so much fun! They are so creative and have so many ideas. I learned so much from them and hope to do a scrapbook night again soon!
7. Aleve Sinus Headache ~ It’s taken some of the pressure away today!
Football at home ~ the new TV was perfect for watching the Dawgs Saturday! Fun times with the Mock family coming over!
8. Small SS Classes ~ Tim and I substituted Sunday morning and kept the 3-year-old class. We only had 6, and they were so well behaved! So much fun!
9. Gov. Sarah Palin ~ I am thankful for such a down-home candidate with a family so much like a family you can find just about anywhere in the USA these days.
10. My New iPod Shuffle ~ I didn’t realize how spoiled I’d become exercising with music. . . until my iPod died. It’s just not the same running to an old Country song that’s slow and twangy. I need music to pump me up!!
11. Gma’s Zucchini Bread Recipe ~ As a child, I never dreamed I’d be making it myself one day. Gma was delighted to share the recipe with me, and I must admit, it’s good bread!
12. YOU!