And All the Men Begin to Gather...

This may not look like much to most... but it is the beginning of a major event in this small town. Here we are looking through some of the corn and sunflower fields...


My husband left this morning on our lawn mower, headed up the field to meet my Daddy. My brother drove by shortly on one of his tractors, going in the same direction. I was standing on our front porch to take this fascinating shot of all the men gathering at the tractor pull site.

Yes, I said tractor pull. It is held in August, right here in the old pea patch.

I do not kid you in the least!

It may sound a bit hokey the way I spun it above (sorry Daddy, I couldn't resist a little fun) , but the tractor pull is actually a very big event for this town, and we look forward to it every year. This will be the 14th annual Antique Tractor Parade, Show and Tractor Pull. My family, as well as many others in our community, work very hard to make it an enjoyable family event for everyone. In the past, our town has grown by thousands on that day!

And on this day, they begin the preparations.

There will be a parade of tractors to start off the day (much more on this later), and then the children have a chance to race peddle tractors on the pull sight. During all the actual tractor pulls (by weight), there is a Powder Puff race for the ladies, a slow race and more. My Uncle Milton puts on a show with his dancing Bob Cat routine (a must see, honestly) and there is plenty of good food. The T-shirt has become a popular item to have over the years, and so much more fun I just can't write it all down.

I'll be sure to keep you up on the latest, as it gets closer we women become more involved in these preparations as well. I'll be taking pictures to show along the way too...

And though I do jest sometimes, it really is a fun day, and the kids absolutely love everything about it. So do the adults, or it would have gone by the wayside years ago.

Oh yes, one more thing... just for the record, though we may have a Farmall or two in our barn, John Deere is king of this hill!

They Moved the Island?!

I watched 3 hours of my most favorite show last night... LOST!

The first hour I saw two weeks ago, but it was the night before we left to go to the beach, and I have been sunburned since then. It was the season finale, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole night...

If you don't watch LOST this will all sound crazy... but what an awesome crazy! If you haven't seen it yet, don't read any further - my rambling will probably not make any sense, but I don't want to spoil the show for anyone!

I am wondering if Charlotte is Annie, Ben's friend from childhood? And, as my husband will tell you, I was in near tears when Penny and Desmond were finally reunited on her boat (!) - I have watched that scene two or three times now... Sawyer jumping from the helicopter and swimming up on the beach to find Juliette drunk on Dharma liquor, and the freighter gone up in smoke was awesome/somehow so sad (that is why I love this show - it's all so unexpected!), and I could go on and on and on... the "frozen donkey wheel" Ben had to turn to move the island in any other show would have totally lost me, but in this case I believed it all. Yep - love the show... hook, line and sinker.

And, I used to think it was Michael in that coffin, but knowing it is Locke (Jeremy Bentham?) throws more kinks in the mix. Not that I ever knew what it would mean if it had been Michael... Jin dying so dramatically was horrible, and I really felt for Sun. I love Jack, but I think she is now gonna blame him for that somehow. He even said something to that effect in the end conversation with good 'ol Ben.

I will now be waiting a very long while for LOST to return (next winter!)... yall should all get Seasons 1-4 and catch up if you don't watch... see the crazy your missing?!

Where Dreams Come True...

While at the beach we took a day trip over to Disney World's Magic Kingdom. This is the third year in a row we have entered this particular kingdom of Disney, and though the adults are all interested in some of the other parks, we are thrilled to see the looks of excitement and joy on EJ and Cub's face as we arrive at this fairy tale land.

We usually take the ferry boat over to the park from where you buy the tickets... here are the kids with Momma and Diddy, Aunt Runelle and Uncle Gene. Geoff is standing behind them with the stroller...

Elizabeth was once again star struck when we entered the room with the Princesses... Sleeping Beauty was so kind and took a lot of time with EJ. She said EJ looked like she could be her sister, and now EJ tells everyone that Princess Aurora said this!

Cinderella has always been EJ's favorite, though I must say Ariel and Sleeping Beauty are a close second. Here is EJ with her treasured Princess... she barely took a breath while talking with her she was so excited!
Cub was thrilled to see his idol, Buzz Lightyear!!! He too was all star struck and wide-eyed at being so close to him in real life - he gave Buzz many "high-fives", and was squeezing me so hard I thought I might not be able to breathe...
(I love my son so I show yall this picture - I look a sight, but again... I love my son, so I show it anyhow! It was mighty hot, and it had been a long day at this point!)

We caught the end of one of the afternoon performances as we left Tomorrow Land... this is also the spot we came back to when we watched the Electric Light Parade that night...

After the performance, we took the kids back to the Peter Pan ride. It was there that we were stopped by Katie, who picked us for a few of the Magical Moments they randomly do at Disney! Quickly, we were leaving the ride and someone called my son's name - then this girl also called my daughter's name! I looked twice and saw Katie, a friend of mine from the ranch I used to work at in Colorado... she was a little girl then, but has now grown up and works at Disney. I haven't seen her since 1995, but we keep up in email, and she gets the pictures I send of the kids. She didn't know we were at the park, and was just standing there looking for a family to pick, so it was by God's hand we ran into her... for me the magical moment was seeing her, but it was also a nice treat for the kids.

EJ and Cub were given magical coins to toss into Cinderella's Wishing Well, and as you can see Cub wanted to jump in it too! Katie also showed them a magical chest... they looked into a keyhole and saw Tinkerbell flying around inside! Cub was made an honorary Lost Boy, complete with certificate, as well as Prince for the day. EJ was made Princess for the day, and Pooh Bear's special guest at his part of the park. She got a certificate signed by all the characters, and the rest of us were made Honorary Citizens of Disney.

This is Katie with EJ... I can't believe little Katie is all grown up! I can't believe it was so random that we ran into her either, and after only seeing my children in pictures through email she recognized them.

Best part of our Magical Moments came at the end of the evening...

After the Electric Light Parade was over we were to go meet some very nice Disney folks back in Tomorrow Land, at the Astro Orbiter. We had places of honor on top of that ride to watch the fireworks display from the best seats in the place. It was truly a magical day with some extra special treats - one we will never forget! (Thanks Katie!)

One down for the night - one to go... and it wasn't too long after this picture he was out too!

Another Cocoa Moment

The Sand Castle

Geoff is a great sport... he admittedly would rather vacation in the mountains than at the beach, but has found many reasons to love Cocoa Beach and look forward to our annual vacation every year.

The kids joy at being there is one, of course. The close proximity to NASA is a biggie too, and last year we went to Titusville for awesome seats to watch a space shuttle blast off into outer space... even for a non space fanatic like me it was very, very cool!

There are more , but another that comes to mind involves a "real" shovel and lots of sand... he has turned his "boredom" of being on the beach into fun...

Here is where we staked our tent for the week... you can see Geoff just beginning to dig the hole for a mound of sand to work with.



The pic above is where he left it for the day... he had made it look more like a sand castle earlier, but Cub had a lot of fun tearing it down (!), so this was the beginning for the next day... I had to get my two cents in with the Cocoa Beach shout out.

A few days have gone by this next picture, and my brother BB is now on the beach with us, ready to help build a sand castle. During the week we had lots of family with us, and on Wednesday BB, Reynie and her parents came down. My parents were with us the whole time, and my Aunt and Uncle came the first part of the week. Momma and Diddy have two condos that we stay in, and it is like home we have been for so many years now.


BB and Geoff have been like brothers for a very long time now... they have many adventures under their belt, and I used to kid Geoff in high school of dating me to spend time with my brother. Even when we broke up during all those crazy years, Geoff and Billy were best friends, and my parents second son.

This was gonna be fun to watch....


The rest of us layed out in the sun, read magazines, played in the water with the kids, went for walks on the beach and looked for sea shells... during it all the kids went in for short naps and played at the pool too.


Many folks came by while they were building this, and many came by after as well... it was a great way to meet people... They did a great job, had lots of fun, and drank lots of beer (!). Okay, and water... Another great day on the beach!

EJ and Cub / Cocoa '08

I have tons of pictures to share... this is just one of many!

Just a Little Crazy

Yeah - that's me... just a little, but boy do we have fun!
I didn't do much in the way of unpacking yesterday... I was plum tuckered out, and besides, it was Memorial Day! We ventured down to BB and Reynie's last night for a bit, but otherwise most of the day was spent in the yard on on the couch, asleep.
So, today was my real unpacking day.
Well, that was until my friend CJ called with a proposal we just couldn't turn down! She is a freelance writer with an Atlanta children's magazine and they wanted her to write a story on the new Thomas the Train kids area at Six Flags... she had 6 tickets and asked if we wanted to come along?
Oh yeah - today CJ, her two boys, EJ, Cub and I packed up and went to Six Flags for the day. I only thought I was tuckered out yesterday!
For the record, Thomas the Train was fun... the kids loved it. Her boys are 4 and 2, the same as our kids, and so they are the best of friends too. It was a long and tiring day though... we are still exhausted from our vacation and they just came back from a long weekend as well, so there was a bit more whining and crying than usual. Still, through the meltdowns (the kids, not ours, though I think we both could have joined them once or twice!) it was a nice day, and we certainly appreciated the invitation and spending time with our friends.
Needless to say the bags are still sitting... I have dug into them for clean clothes, but tomorrow is it... the clothes and bags must be put away or my sanity will be in question.
And then some awesome pictures and funny tales from our beach trip... I can't wait to show yall the sand castle Geoff and BB made!

There is No Place Like Home

We are back...
It was a terrific trip to Cocoa Beach- the past 10 days were so much fun, and we already miss the ocean, sand, pool and everything else...
But, there is just no place like home!
There is so much to tell, and I will... after the unpacking and reorganizing is over.
A few highlights include the wonderful trip to Disney (where we were picked for some of the extra special "Magical Moments"!), a monstrous sand castle, EJ learning how to swim under water, Cub jumping in the pool and going under water, and many many more special times with our family.... it really was a fantastic vacation...
See yall soon!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love Ya, Tomorrow!

Cocoa Beach or bust!
Hmmmm... where did this particular saying come from?
Anyhow, it works... and I can not wait to get it all done today, and head out for our vacation early tomorrow morning!
So much to do!

But, by tomorrow morning it will done, or just delayed/forgotten, and then the family heads out for a nice rest (?) at the beach.
(I only question myself because we will also include a trip to Disney while there, and though it is always exciting and fun, is it truly relaxing?)

Doesn't matter, as we all enjoy the kids pure joy and excitement while in the Magic Kingdom, and the rest of the vacation will be more relaxing... Diddy got a big 'ol tent for us to park ourselves under/around while on the beach, and then the kids can play, I can tan (yes, I know I am a redhead, but thank goodness I can tan!), Geoff can make those huge sand castles and Momma and Diddy can join in. Uncle BB and Aunt Reynie will join us next week for more of the same, as will Reynie's parents and our Aunt and Uncle. It's going to be a lot of fun - and all of us are really looking forward to this!
I will obviously be away from this Mac for awhile (whoo hoo!), so I will catch up with yall when we get home -Have a great week, and Memorial Day weekend coming up!
(Oh yes, we are gonna be gone that long!)

PS - When we get back Reynie is gonna help me spruce up the look of this blog! I am clueless, but she does an awesome job, so hopefully it will look much different sometime soon!

Happy Mother's Day Yall!

Happy Mommies Day - I have had a beautiful one... we all went to church (where EJ sang so sweetly with the children's choir!) and then hosted the family gathering here in the rock garden. I will post more pictures tomorrow, but for now here is one from today of me and my babies!

Our Little Graduate

Elizabeth Jo graduated from Pre-K on Wednesday...
Yes, I cried!
It is so true that time flies....
It seems like yesterday she was just learning to walk, but in the fall she will begin kindergarten!

Here she is with her teacher, "Miss" Amy as she received her certificate!

Got Lots to Show and Tell, but No Time to Tell It!

Let me see, there is EJ's Pre-K graduation day and party, her pre 5th birthday party with her best friend at school (they both have July birthdays, so it was an early one so they could celebrate with their school friends...), and a few other things from our super busy week...

Geoff and I went to the Doc today about his knee - it is fractured instead of the torn ACL or meniscus, so that is good - no surgery. But, it still hurts him to walk, so he will have to give it time to heal.

So much to talk about, but I have no time to linger as I am cleaning house. On Sunday we are hosting the Mother's Day gathering in our rock garden, and my house/yard is a mess... as of now the total guest list includes almost 40 folks! It will be so much fun, and I am looking forward to it..

Once everything is clean that is!

Happy Mother's Day yall!

GeGe, A True Southern Lady

Fannie Rozar 12/16/1916 - 05/06/2007

One year ago today GeGe went to be with our Father in heaven, and though we miss her very much, we know she is in a wonderful place. In that we have peace, and know that we will one day see her again.

She was fun and feisty, with a strong will and lots of energy. She loved the Lord, and was a true southern lady. Later in her 80's, her knees just wouldn't let her use that beautiful energy to do what she wanted to anymore, and then a series of strokes kept her bedridden until she passed last May.

She used to talk about the dances they would go to when she was young, so I am certain she is in heaven organizing lots of dances for the other angels, and Granddaddy. Or, she was once a beloved lunch room lady at the elementary school in the small middle Georgia town my Momma grew up in, so she is probably fixin' the angels fried chicken and biscuits. Maybe some fried peach pies for dessert as well.

The December before she died she turned 90 years old, and the family had a huge party for her at my parents house, where she had lived since her knees gave out. There were 90 roses in her honor, and lots of great stories being told.

And, lots of love for GeGe. Lots and lots of that...

I miss you Grandmomma!

Why? When? How?

My two year old son, who is approaching three (in July) is at that stage...

Yall know what I am taking about, right?! I know the Mommies do.

This is how our morning began. Please picture little Cub with sleep still in his eyes and his pajamas on... EJ is fully dressed for school by now, and I am supposed to be making her lunch as well as getting them breakfast. Playhouse Disney was surely on, and the Dunkin' Donuts coffee I love was going to take too long to grind, then brew, so I was downing a Diet Coke instead.... my other addiction.

Oh, and did I mention we are probably running at least 5 minutes behind? That is just normal for me and the kids, so I know it to be true.

"Mommy, where are we going?" Cub asks...
"To take Sissy to school, and then back home" I say....
"What is school?" he asks...
"A place kids go to learn and play" I say...
"What is learn?" he asks...
"Hmmm... it's when you are looking at something new and you remember it when you see it again" I say, beginning to get frustrated as it was too early for my brain to work so much.
"How will we get there?" he asks...
Ahhh, I think, an easy one! "In the Jeep" I say...
"Where is the Jeep?" he asks...
"Outside, Cub" I say as I try to figure out a way to end the interrogation without a fuss...
"Where is outside?" he asks...
Grrrrrrrr..... "You know where outside is, you silly boy!" I say, tickling him to distract him from the next question.
"Why am I silly?" he asks, now grinning from ear to ear...

I give up! They never said being a Mommy was easy, but I still wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Flashback to 1989, High School Graduation

This was my boyfriend Geoff (now husband!) and myself at my parents house right before our high school graduation...


Okay, yall... no jokes about the big hair and earrings! I am brave enough to post this picture of Geoff and I right before a rite of passage in our lives (!), but I already know what is coming... so, let me explain that I really was so "in style" for that era! If you attended our school then you know that the bigger the hair, the better. As a matter of fact, I think my hair is looking a little flat for what I could do with it back then, but maybe I was running out of my Stiff Stuff hairspray? (That is seriously what it was called... I was addicted!) Or, I cried a lot that day, so maybe it was just squashed down from all the hugs - I tried not to be such an emotional basketcase, but I boo hooed through most all the speeches, and as our whole class walked by to get their hard earned diploma... we were a close group.

Our graduation party was held at my parents house, and in the front field. It was busted by the police, which is funny now, but not so funny then... some of the people in a house far far away called them to find out what all the noise was, and the rest is history. Most of our class headed out for a week of fun early the next morning - to Panama City Beach, FL., or as we call it the Redneck Rivera.

It is hard to believe, but next year (2009) we will have been graduated from high school for 20 years. A lot has changed - big hair for one, and thank goodness - but much has stayed the same... I have been in love with this guy for a very long time. Our paths took some crazy detours along the way before we finally got it all together, but I love that God had a plan for us that began at the age of 14!

(Or earlier if I go back to summer day camp when we were children, but boys were "yucky" then, and he thought I was a silly girl...)

Playing Softball

First of all, I am pretty much finished with the switching of the seasonal clothes, thank goodness! The kids went with Nana last night to see Aunt Betty Jo, and help feed her horses... while they were gone I got most of their clothes swap completed. Now all I have left is mine, and that is not as daunting a task.

Geoff had another softball game last night with our church team... it was a late one, so we didn't plan on going. As I was watching LOST (wasn't it awesome?! I am so glad Kate is with Jack, even though I love Sawyer too...and, I know it ain't over yet!) I looked out to see him hobbling from his car - he had hurt his knee while running from first base to second, and it looked bad. He could barely walk, and I am surprised he was able to drive home as he has a stick shift.

This morning we took him to Urgent Care, and after x-rays the Doc started tugging on his lower leg and knee area. I thought Geoff was going to scream out in pain, and I could tell he wanted to, but he held it together. The swelling was bad, and he had a lot of blood built up around the joints. The Doc went and got a big 'ol needle and a few syringes, plus a nurse ... as I held Geoff's hand, he took out nearly 3 large vials of blood. Have I mentioned I am not so great with the sight of blood? A little bit isn't that bad, but large amounts of it make me a bit woozy. The Doc had to ask if I was okay, which is silly as I was trying to comfort my husband. I am sure the color had left my face...

So, Doc then says he feels it is a torn ACL, and may need surgery. He has an appointment on Monday for more tests with a specialist.

Geoff is really bummed as he knows he can't finish out the season playing softball... but we will be there to support the team as they make their way to the championship!

That is unless they keep having those late night games when the kids should be in bed, and LOST is on!

Since I last sat down to write...

...we've had a busy week! Let's see, the rainbow was last Friday evening... so, Saturday we worked outside a bit after Geoff got home from the Men's Breakfast at church. We also went over to Grandmomma's house to take a few pictures of the old chicken coop in the yard. I bet she was grinning down at us from heaven!


Diddy has "fond" memories of the chickens that stayed in there, and before it falls down he wanted a picture. I remember the chickens too, but I was very young... we also had pigs back at the pond when I was a kid, and lots of cows in the field. The cows weren't really ours as my Grandma rented the land to Mr. R.F. He was her cousin, and he helped take care of things around the house.


While at Grandma's house, the kids were thrilled to have their Grandiddy there to play with them. Since tax season is over we get to see more of him, and that we love! Last Saturday I especially loved watching my Daddy show the kids how to blow "dandylions" and make a wish - I will file that away as one of the sweetest things ever, and I want to remember it always. It was a simple and quick lesson, but they were so excited. Even Grandiddy! Precious...

After more yard work there, we had a wedding to attend that evening. EJ and Cub were thrilled to go visit with their best friends, Kyle and Seth and their parents while we went to the ceremony and reception. It was beautiful, and Uncle BB looked handsome as one of the groomsmen.

Sunday was church (my parents joined by transfer of letter!), then a spaghetti lunch put on by the Awana children. Some catch up house cleaning after that, and Geoff and Diddy helped me plant a little garden in our backyard... Monday was fun as we kept our "cousin baby sister" Addyson, and Geoff played softball with the church. Tuesday was pre -k, cleaning house, a play date with Isabella and dance class... Wednesday was pre -k, library laptime, changing email stress and then church! Nana came in town from Charleston, SC last night as well, so today has been more pre -k and playing with Nana. I know I have forgoten some things, but this is the jist of it...

Is it Friday yet?

I have been trying to clean out the kids rooms and switch seasonal clothes this whole week - I am still trying to accomplish this goal!

Maybe it'll happen before our beach trip? If not we'll be on the beach in our sweaters and coats, but at least we'll be at the beach!