One Year Down, a Lifetime to Go! Who knew marriage could be so much fun? Such a blessing? It’s absolutely amazing! I continue to fall in love with Tim more and more each day. And today, it’s super easy to fall in love with him all over again, because we celebrate our First Anniversary today! Yep, it’s hard to believe it’s been an entire year since this. . . .

And

But it has been a year! Despite what so many told us, the first year really was so much fun! We’d been warned about how hard it might be, but we’ve really been blessed with a remarkable year that’s been full of fun, laughs, memories, and love love love!!!!!

Tonight we’re using Ally’s wedding gift ~ a gift certificate to Natalia’s ~ and treating ourselves to a delightfully scrumptious dinner at Macon’s finest restaurant. Yummy! Thanks again, Ally!

Best of all, I'm still this giddy

And to think we’ve only just begun. . . .

Birthday Poem(s)

This is more of a selfish post, really. I just want to make sure I document this for my own personal sake.

The most random talent I have is that I can make up silly, gay little poems at the drop of the hat. Any given day, you're likely to hear me singing to the dogs or Tim, making up the song as I go. So, with Brad's (Brad is Jodi's husband) birthday yesterday, I had the perfect opportunity to put this talent to good use! Here's what I sent him:

Happy Birthday, Brad! It’s the Big 3-0, but don’t be blue!
Long ago, we thought 30 was old, now we know that’s not true!
With Jodi beside you, Lawson and Bella in tow,
You’re sure to have a blast in your 30s, may your life glow
With happiness and love Tim & B wish you
A happy birthday and a great year, too!

Much love ~ B & Tim

Only Brad Sappe would have a snazzier, snappier response:

YO, YO,……… YO, YO, YO!
B,
Thanks for the rhyme,
It was sure on Time.
Friends like you help get me through,
It hasn’t been easy but you’ve sure been kind.
I’m glad you and Tim have been friends of mine.
As I start this journey on my next 30 years,
With Christ by my side I should have no fears.
I’m gonna truly enjoy my family.
Spend time with Bella, Lawson and my wife Jodi.

WORD TO YA MUTHA!!!!

Peace, I’m out

I love it! We have all laughed over this and will do so for many more times, I am sure. Happy Birthday, Brad. We're proud to call you a friend!

I’m new to google reader, and I’m really liking it. Only I find myself reading too many blogs during the day while I should be working. . . . oops! Skinkering Hearts is one of a handful of blogs I love reading just b/c she’s such a great writer. SH recently posted on contradictions in her life, and I couldn’t help but smile while reading it. I, too, am full of contradictions in my life and in my preferences. . .

- I’m the first to jump at a chance to eat whatever I please but also the first to complain about being overweight.

- Like SH, I like raw carrots but cannot stand them cooked. Something about the texture just turns my insides out.

- I like ketchup. . . . sometimes. Not always and not only at certain restaurants. Today I might want ketchup for my fries at Chick fil A, but tomorrow I might not. Totally depends on my mood
- I never have played rec sports or school sports, but I am extremely competitive all the same.

- I love to tuck my toes under Tim’s legs when we go to bed, and my hands are always also tucked under my pillow, but I cannot begin to imagine falling asleep with my head tucked under the covers.

- I am sure I’m claustrophobic but I oftentimes wake up with my entire body, head included, under the covers. So if I end up that way in my sleep, does that mean it’s all in my head?

- I love to eat shrimp, crab, and lobster. Tuna, most salmon, and any other fishy-fish grosses me out.

- I really want to be a faster runner, but I really hate getting up early in the morning for the gym.

- I’ve been known to only like “real” plots for movies and books. You know, no science fiction or the like, please. But I’ve become totally engrossed in the Twilight series. Tell me when vampires and werewolves became “real”?

- I love watching medical shows that show surgeries, blood, guts, and all the gory stuff. I often wonder if I should be a nurse. But I almost fainted twice during my niece’s birth a couple of weeks ago!

- I can talk to anyone until I’m blue in the face, but I could never sell a coat to an Eskimo.

- I listen to songs like “Walkin on Sunshine” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” while running, but my running hero – Amber, that’s you! – prefers techno and can’t imagine running to my music!

- I can’t stand cleaning a tub but I’ll clean a toilet any day of the week.

Ha! After reading this, I’m sure I’ve only skimmed the surface, and to think. . . . a couple of years ago, I honestly asked Tim, “Am I high maintenance?” No wonder he just smiled and kept quiet. God bless my husband's heart. . . .

Bah Humbug setting in?

I’m annoyed that. . . .

1. I’ve waited til the 10th of December to make some decisions about Tim’s Christmas and things are either out of stock or on back order. I’m pretty much back to square one with the exception of one thing. Ick!!

2. It’s warm outside and rainy. Maybe the rain will bring cooler weather?

3. My tummy hurts and my work neighbor just got back today after battling a stomach bug for days. . . . certainly I’ve not gotten it?!?!?!

4. It’s not easy to be a faster runner

5. We have friends who are experiencing heartache – again – with a miscarriage. I don’t understand God’s plan in this. Really, I don’t. They love each other and they love God. Why won’t God give them the desires of their heart?

6. There will always be Negative Nancies at work. . . . or in life

7. I left those negative people hurt my feelings or bother me.

8. My new brown boots already have scuff marks on the toes. That’s what I get for buying cheap shoes, I guess!

9. John Tesh’s radio show is the only Christmas music radio station I can get in my office. He annoys me!!!

10. Nothing sounds good for lunch, so I’m just waiting for something to ring my bell!

11. I don’t have the patience of Job with someone who honestly can’t help it that he / she is aggravating as homemade sin. Seriously.

12. I’m letting the tiny things I’ve mentioned bother me! The big things are worth being annoyed (refer to Number 5).

Gee whiz. . . I’m going to lunch!

Is that real blonde hair? Because it should be. . .

Friday night was GNO! Also known as Girls Night Out, me and 5 of my closest, dearest friends, get together as often as possible for dinner, drinks, and fun times! This being December, we did an ornament swap, too! That was fun, if I must say so myself! We took ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, added some “rights” and “lefts” to the story, and I read it aloud. Each time I said “right”, you gave your ornament to the person to your right. Each time I said “left”, we gave our ornaments to the person to our left! It was fun fun fun, and I ended up with one precious ornament from Jamie!

We had a great dinner at the Brick in the ‘ville ~ Fun Times! ~ and enjoyed catching up with each other and everyone bragged on babies!

The conversation turned to the man / woman who had a baby last summer and is pregnant again, which apparently silenced Barbara Walters, according to Robyn. Robyn and Carol talked about how this person lives as a man but still has woman organs, so it’s really not that big of a deal that he’s having a baby. . . or is it? Anyway, before I knew it, everyone at the table is totally engrossed in this story, and they are referring to this notorious pregnant person as “Shim”. I finally say, “I heard the story but I didn’t follow it as closely as y’all. I’m impressed you know his name is Shim!”

Umm. . . everyone promptly started laughing and told me his name isn’t Shim! They’re calling him She-him ~ Sheim! Ahhhh, I get it now!

Daffy Aunt B Here

All my life I’ve heard people say, “Oh when it’s your own child, things are so different.” Blah blah blah. . . a week ago, though, my sister made me an aunt, and low-and-behold, all those folks know what they are talking about, I am sure! And I am just the aunt! Is it really just that Ellie’s is my sister’s baby? Or is she just as precious as I am convinced she is?

Tim and I are kind of behind many of our friends when it comes to marrying and having families. We’re still happy-as-can-be newlyweds having a blast being married! While we’re not ready for kids of our own, we do love when we spend time with any of our many friends who have babies or kids. Whether it’s a Friday night of pizza and piling onto Lawson’s “ship” (his bed) to get out of the "water" (his bedroom floor) and watching Bella laugh at Tim or if it’s a dinner out with Shaun and Laura watching Hannah smile at strangers, play with the crayons, and eat the crayons. . . . we do enjoy spending time with these kids of our friends!

But sometimes, I’ve found myself thinking some people are a little obsessed with their children. I mean, how many times do we have to stop our conversation to watch Cute little Baby hold a French fry?

And then my sister went and had a baby of her own.

Saturday afternoon I realized I was one of three adults hovering over a 5 day old baby sleeping soundly in her bassinette, all three of us holding cameras fighting to capture Ellie’s every move. Seriously! She’s sleeping, folks! Just sleeping. . . . We’ve gotten pictures of Ellie with her hand on her chin like she’s thinking, one where her pinky’s by her mouth like Dr. Evil, one where both of Ellie’s hands are up behind her head like she’s truly laid back and relaxed. . . and then this one:
She was disgusted about the Dawgs losing to Tech. Just disgusted. Yep, I’m daffy about this little angel! They say babies grow up too fast, and they do. But I watched a toddler today walking to her Daddy’s car, holding her Daddy’s hand, and she was chatting away and looking up at her Daddy like he hung the moon, and I thought, “Oh, I can’t wait for Ellie to know us like that, to be excited to see her Aunt B come pick her up, to be telling her Aunt B which playground she wants to go to, which slide she wants to go down, which flavor ice cream she wants. . . . Ahhh, yes, life will never be the same!

And I couldn't be happier about that!

Christmas Decorating at its Best!

Last Christmas was such a blur with our wedding taking center stage that I hardly remember much of the actual season. Don’t get me wrong, we had a fantastic Christmas, but it was really full of wedding bliss!

So, as we decorated for Christmas this year, it was so much fun! I feel like just about everything we have is a new gift! I’ve been full of oohs and aahhhs as I unpack our Christmas decorations! I totally forgot about our sweet nativity set that Karen and Lee Swann gave us! And the precious chip and dip set a cohort gave us? Totally forgot about it, too! I was also pumped to find the cute snowman sugar and creamer set that Mrs. Stella from Gordon gave us. He’s so cute! Oh, and the fat Santa cookie jar that’s so stinkin’ cute he’s our table centerpiece. . . yep, forgot all about him until I opened that box!

So it’s like Christmas is back with gusto at the Slocum house! And we love it!

Another weekend happening was spending lots of time with Miss Ellie! She seemed to enjoy hearing “Glory Glory” while the dawgs were playing, but unfortunately she soon became as disgusted as her Aunt B over the game.


She simply refused to watch. And I don't blame her!