today is our anniversary. nine years. it has gone by so fast and we have been through so much together...it's sometimes hard to believe. but i do have a story for you that ISN'T hard to believe...because you can't make up stuff like this. like to hear it? here it goes....
i got montezuma's revenge...on my honeymoon. sure did y'all. but that's not all of it. let's recap, shall we?
the BEGINNING of our honeymoon was great. we decided on one of those all inclusive resorts in riviera maya, mexico that lured us in with the promise of crystal blue waters and endless food and drink. i had packed all of my "cutest" outfits and bikinis and was so looking forward to a relaxing vacation.
to make a long story short, i'll just skip to the middle of the week...for THAT is where the real fun begins. after three days of eating mounds of meat and heavy meals, i was craving a salad! not one time did it cross my mind that maybe that wouldn't be so smart. after all..you DO have to wash the lettuce in water. the rest of the day was great. we went on to dinner and then spent the evening at a hilarious "michael jackson" concert. all was well until about 1:00am when i awoke with shooting pains in my stomach. and that is when i started praying to the porcelain god. and that is ALSO when i learned that brian can sleep through anything and everything. and i do mean EVERYTHING.
after an entire night of sleeping on the cold bathroom floor and emptying my entire body of every substance i had partaken of in the last six months, i crawled on all fours into our bedroom. with as much energy as i could muster, i woke brian and told him i was dying and i needed a sprite. he was confused and startled...as he new NOTHING of the lashing i had taken the night before. all i could say to that was...THANK GOD. it may have saved our marriage. but wait. it gets better.
we had to cancel our snorkeling excursion for that day...for i thought it would be much more fun to lay in bed and watch the news...in spanish...while sipping on a lukewarm sprite. i encouraged brian to go on outside and hang on the beach. just because i couldn't enjoy the honeymoon, didn't mean he shouldn't.
since that day was a wash out, we rescheduled our snorkeling for the next day...hoping i would be better. the following morning i decided to go for it. i would say i was about 50%...but compared to the day and night before, i felt like i could run a marathon.
we completed our excursion, and were laying on the beach...when i suddenly got EXTREMELY thirsty. (remember...i had NOTHING in my stomach and had forced down one sprite in two days). i asked brian to get me some water...so he started slowly walking back to the drink station. NO! i need water now...get it from the ocean. i was panicked. something was wrong. i felt like i couldn't breathe. he ran and filled up this tiny cup with water and brought it back to me. i poured it all over myself and still couldn't breathe. and then...it happened. i looked up at brian and suddenly he was charlie brown...talking in super slow motion...but it was echoing...like in a tunnel. and that was it. the next thing i remember was looking up and being surrounded by palm trees. i was being carried though a jungle and yelled at in spanish. weird dream. then the running stopped and people we throwing water all over me. what the heck? where am i? this is confusing. and THAT my friends is when it started making sense. the darkness turned to light and brian's face was two inches from mine...with eyes as big as saucers. every question the lifeguard/paramedic asked me..brian answered....until they finally told him to stop. that I needed to answer the questions. it was then that i realized i was sprawled out on a lawn chair(that had been used as a stretcher). oh my gosh. my pulse was being taken, people were pouring water down my throat and all over my body, and a crowd had gathered. lovely. just lovely. honeymoon of my dreams. after laying there for a while, i was able to get up and slowly walk to my room...where brian later told me the story....
right before i passed out, i had looked at him and yelled....BRIAN! my eyes rolled back in my head, and i hit the sand. if any of you know brian, you know he is quiet and does NOT like to call attention to himself. but...picture this. he picked me up, put his arms under my armpits, and started running through the sand screaming...HELP! the lifeguard ran over and they threw me on a lawn chair....several people came over to help...and ran with the chair into the shade(so THAT is where the palm trees came in)! unfortunately...i remember the rest of the story.
so between the montezuma's revenge and the beach pass out....ours was definitely a honeymoon to remember. i'd venture to say i deserve a redo.
happy anniversary brian. thanks for saving my life in mexico. ;) i love you more today than ever!
h
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
fashion comeback
i was out shopping with lainey the other day...and call me old...but...dang. i can say with certainty that i knew THOUGHT i knew of a few items in the fashion world that would NEVER make a comeback...and there they were. shining bright like a diamond.
exhibit a: the cropped tee
exhibit a: the cropped tee
i had one several of these and was probably thinking at the time...."don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?"...and i'm sure everyone wanted to say..."she's hotter". ;) i even wore croppy toppy with those high waisted jeans...which was NOT smart when you are hippy helen like me. although now, i would do just about anything to trade in my stretch mark muffin top stomach for my 15yr old stomach. why wasn't i more grateful? oh yeah...i must have been...i wore a cropped shirt...with pride.
exhibit b: the fanny pack
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! there is no possible way. my mom was the queen of fanny packs in the 80's and early 90's and we were brutal to her about it. secretly she still totally loves them and will be thrilled when i show her this picture. it's quite possible that she can dig one out of the top of her closet. but for me...this is an absolute horror for sure!
exhibit c: the acid washed jean
good golly miss molly. i never. so ugly and so unflattering. but there they were....right beside all the jeans at american eagle. my heart may or may not have leaped for joy when lainey declared she "hated those".
what about you? any "fashion comebacks" that you declared on your life you would never wear again? :)
happy tuesday!
h
Monday, August 19, 2013
short and sweet
the kids are back in school...which means two things. we are again waking up when it is still dark(boo!) and my house is cleaner than it has been in months(yay!). i have been in purge/organize mode and it makes my heart happy. this is embarrassing to admit, but i get downright giddy hauling stuff out of my house!
and while clothes and furniture are heading out, photographs are going to be marching in. this is the year to FINALLY print some of my photos from the computer. i will NOT admit on this blog how many months years it has been since I have actually held a real photograph in my hand...but i will tell you that i'm working on change that statistic.
and....on that note...this whole instagram thing is my fave! i discovered this app a few weeks ago...
...installed it on my phone, uploaded the pics i wanted to print, paid, pressed confirm, and in less than a week...i had adorable little 4x4 instagram prints delivered right to my door. shout out for technology! woot! ;)
once again...i am going to TRY and start writing more...but most posts will be short and sweet...like this one....so i don't have a chance to get too wordy and start rambling! ;)
happy monday everyone!
h
Monday, July 15, 2013
sewing machine before and after
so much for the second part of hutton's story. i'll finish that after the kids start school...
here is a short and sweet post. about 6 years ago i bought an antique sewing machine at this store called...EVERYTHING $99. and i mean everything. furniture was piled to the ceiling and the owner was shady. cash was the only thing they accepted...which explains why when i went back two weeks later the place was deserted and out of business... uh oh....
anyway, i'm not exactly sure WHY i bought that thing. it seemed like a good idea at the time. sewing was my enemy and i'm pretty positive it wouldn't have worked even if i DID know how to sew! i figured i would use it as a table of some sort. we had our tv in our bedroom on it for a little while, and then of course i had to move it somewhere else. so it has been in our den/paneling room/office for a few years...which might actually be some sort of record.
about two months ago i decided to try a furniture make-over. brian ripped the sewing machine part out and we were left with just the base...which is the only part i really liked. i got a pre-cut piece of pine, stained it, painted it, painted chevron stripes on top of the white, then sanded it until it had the distressed look i wanted. now i LOVE it! i was able to actually style it and am working on making this a cute corner of the room. it has also lightened up the space...where as before...the wood was the same color as the walls...and that color is called...blah.
the photos are from my phone...but i'll take better ones once i figure out what is going on the wall behind the table...and please excuse all the nails. the picture gallery had run its course. ;)
here is a short and sweet post. about 6 years ago i bought an antique sewing machine at this store called...EVERYTHING $99. and i mean everything. furniture was piled to the ceiling and the owner was shady. cash was the only thing they accepted...which explains why when i went back two weeks later the place was deserted and out of business... uh oh....
anyway, i'm not exactly sure WHY i bought that thing. it seemed like a good idea at the time. sewing was my enemy and i'm pretty positive it wouldn't have worked even if i DID know how to sew! i figured i would use it as a table of some sort. we had our tv in our bedroom on it for a little while, and then of course i had to move it somewhere else. so it has been in our den/paneling room/office for a few years...which might actually be some sort of record.
about two months ago i decided to try a furniture make-over. brian ripped the sewing machine part out and we were left with just the base...which is the only part i really liked. i got a pre-cut piece of pine, stained it, painted it, painted chevron stripes on top of the white, then sanded it until it had the distressed look i wanted. now i LOVE it! i was able to actually style it and am working on making this a cute corner of the room. it has also lightened up the space...where as before...the wood was the same color as the walls...and that color is called...blah.
the photos are from my phone...but i'll take better ones once i figure out what is going on the wall behind the table...and please excuse all the nails. the picture gallery had run its course. ;)
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Hutton
dear hutton,
you are about three months away from the age lainey was when i got pregnant with you...and oddly enough...you have started asking me constantly to have another baby. it's funny the questions you come up with...some that probably shouldn't be answered just yet. but...you have made me start thinking about WHY we haven't had another baby. and i have pretty much decided that the answer is...FEAR. you see...for the first two years of your life and the entire time i was pregnant, i worried about you so much that it paralyzed me. and here is why....
fertile genes run rampant on both sides of our family, so before i even had time to blink, i was pregnant. and from that point on, i started worrying.... i knew all along you were a boy. i never even thought about pink or lace or dresses...just ball caps and sports.
the dr. appointments were fine...until they weren't. damn you triple screen test. nothing can prepare you for the phone call from an insensitive nurse who proceeds to say three things...
1. your numbers for spina bifida are extremely high
2. does spina bifida run in your family (what???)
3. i already made you an appointment with a fetal specialist at 2:00 tomorrow. see you then.
i remember hanging up the phone in slow motion..hardly able to comprehend what just happened. i called daddy who was already on his way home...and then i called grandaddy...and sobbed like a baby. the next few hours were a blur of tears and prayers and phone calls and google(which i do NOT recommend). i silently remodeled our house in my head...moving your room to the bonus room so your wheelchair would be able to fit. i had been through hard times before...at least this time we had daddy...so i knew we could do it again.
to say that the next day was the longest of my life, would be an understatement. when we walked into the dr. office, i felt like i couldn't breathe...like a 300 lb weight was on my chest. and i wanted to scream at the nurses who smiled at me and asked how i was doing. HOW AM I DOING? i am on the verge of hearing terrible news about my unborn child...I'M FANTASTIC.
they led us into the dark room, squirted gel on my belly, and turned on the ultrasound machine. about 10 min. in, the tech asked us if we wanted to know if you were a boy or a girl? poor daddy was so scared, he didn't even answer...so i quietly said yes....but to be quite honest, at that point it didn't even matter...we were way more concerned about your health. and what should have been an exciting day...we were having a BOY...was consumed with worry and fear. after 45 min of scanning and clicking and scanning and clicking...the tech left the room...without saying a word.
finally the dr. came in and told us that as of right now, we don't see anything...but we can't tell you 100% that there isn't something wrong. you will need to come back for ultrasounds every 3-4 weeks. then they sent us to a genetic counselor...who proceeded to tell us that if we were going to "do anything" about the baby, we need to do it now. after we calmly explained to her that abortion was NOT an option and that we love you...no matter what...i asked her one last question. have you ever seen numbers this high where there wasn't something wrong? after her polite "no"...we turned and walked out. and at that moment, i loved you even more.
we continued many ultrasounds through out the pregnancy, which all ended the same way. we don't see anything, but can't tell you 100% until he is born.
on your birthday, we had a team of people there in the room...waiting for you...in case there was a complication. and when your 8lb 10oz self was born, the dr. flipped you over, ran her hands along your spine, and declared you totally healthy. and only then...as i watched that team of nurses trickle slowly out of the room, did your daddy and i finally start to breathe again. until two months later...and the scariest day of my life....
(part 2 tomorrow)
you are about three months away from the age lainey was when i got pregnant with you...and oddly enough...you have started asking me constantly to have another baby. it's funny the questions you come up with...some that probably shouldn't be answered just yet. but...you have made me start thinking about WHY we haven't had another baby. and i have pretty much decided that the answer is...FEAR. you see...for the first two years of your life and the entire time i was pregnant, i worried about you so much that it paralyzed me. and here is why....
fertile genes run rampant on both sides of our family, so before i even had time to blink, i was pregnant. and from that point on, i started worrying.... i knew all along you were a boy. i never even thought about pink or lace or dresses...just ball caps and sports.
the dr. appointments were fine...until they weren't. damn you triple screen test. nothing can prepare you for the phone call from an insensitive nurse who proceeds to say three things...
1. your numbers for spina bifida are extremely high
2. does spina bifida run in your family (what???)
3. i already made you an appointment with a fetal specialist at 2:00 tomorrow. see you then.
i remember hanging up the phone in slow motion..hardly able to comprehend what just happened. i called daddy who was already on his way home...and then i called grandaddy...and sobbed like a baby. the next few hours were a blur of tears and prayers and phone calls and google(which i do NOT recommend). i silently remodeled our house in my head...moving your room to the bonus room so your wheelchair would be able to fit. i had been through hard times before...at least this time we had daddy...so i knew we could do it again.
to say that the next day was the longest of my life, would be an understatement. when we walked into the dr. office, i felt like i couldn't breathe...like a 300 lb weight was on my chest. and i wanted to scream at the nurses who smiled at me and asked how i was doing. HOW AM I DOING? i am on the verge of hearing terrible news about my unborn child...I'M FANTASTIC.
they led us into the dark room, squirted gel on my belly, and turned on the ultrasound machine. about 10 min. in, the tech asked us if we wanted to know if you were a boy or a girl? poor daddy was so scared, he didn't even answer...so i quietly said yes....but to be quite honest, at that point it didn't even matter...we were way more concerned about your health. and what should have been an exciting day...we were having a BOY...was consumed with worry and fear. after 45 min of scanning and clicking and scanning and clicking...the tech left the room...without saying a word.
finally the dr. came in and told us that as of right now, we don't see anything...but we can't tell you 100% that there isn't something wrong. you will need to come back for ultrasounds every 3-4 weeks. then they sent us to a genetic counselor...who proceeded to tell us that if we were going to "do anything" about the baby, we need to do it now. after we calmly explained to her that abortion was NOT an option and that we love you...no matter what...i asked her one last question. have you ever seen numbers this high where there wasn't something wrong? after her polite "no"...we turned and walked out. and at that moment, i loved you even more.
we continued many ultrasounds through out the pregnancy, which all ended the same way. we don't see anything, but can't tell you 100% until he is born.
on your birthday, we had a team of people there in the room...waiting for you...in case there was a complication. and when your 8lb 10oz self was born, the dr. flipped you over, ran her hands along your spine, and declared you totally healthy. and only then...as i watched that team of nurses trickle slowly out of the room, did your daddy and i finally start to breathe again. until two months later...and the scariest day of my life....
(part 2 tomorrow)
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
bathroom remodel
***WARNING: this post has gobs of pictures....
feast your eyes upon this! here is our upstairs hall kids/guest bath....and up until a month ago...it made me cringe to even walk past the door. i had visions of what i WANTED it to look like, but money certainly doesn't grow on trees now does it? 1974 ugly.
(this pic is when we were closing on the house!)
apparently i didn't even know where to begin with decorating. circus theme anyone?
(what in the world??!)
at some point, i painted the window and vanity white(they were off white/cream) and purchased new hardware for the vanity. how about blue and white this time? i would say it helped about....10%.
after that, i just called it a day and saved my pennies.
nice way to clash some blues...
builder grade mirror....yuck!
notice the spray bottle...that was my sorry attempt at removing the
wallpaper...with fabric softener. MISTAKE! four hours and 2 blisters
later...i had about 1/16th of it removed. but god bless ms. brenda...who
for $200 removed the rest in 2 1/2 hours. three cheers for angie's list!
and then came my favorite day in the history of this house. DEMO! as i sat downstairs listening to the cracking of tile, i was praying i would not look up and see someone falling through our kitchen ceiling.
we also changed the plumbing so it is now a single knob shower faucet...
holy loveliness....
tile all the way to the ceiling...
delorean gray grout for hiding the dirt! ;)
new vanity with soft close drawers and doors...which hutton promptly opened and closed 376 times the first day.
i LOVE the rectangular sink...
new faucet
one of my favorite things....i have been eying these lights for years!
AND.....
TA-DA!!!!
(photographer i am NOT...the light was horrible...and this room is very tiny, so it is hard to take pics...but you get the point!)
i still need a curtain and a shower curtain...and the amount of hours i have spent looking...is probably illegal...but i don't buy something unless i L.O.V.E. it...and nothing i have seen so far is screaming to me! we will also be replacing the bulbs with something "prettier".
besides the fact that i am so happy how everything turned out...i am proud of this bathroom. i designed it from top to bottom myself (ok...and pinterest! ha!). honestly it is MUCH easier starting from scratch then it is to go into a room and work with what you have. my dream would be to build a house...and design everything from start to finish to suit our needs and style. i mean really...how fun would THAT be?
so...now that this project is done...guess how many more i have swirling around in my head? ;)
happy happy wednesday....
h
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