Today was going great...well ok, that is an exageration...today was going as good as a Friday can go after a LONG week! We were on our 7th day of school work in a 5 day period of time (yeah, we were playing catch up this week). The laundry was done, the kitchen and bathroom were clean, and I was working on the rest of the house in between school lessons. Cali was happily playing with her "babies" and her cars. They girls ate a great lunch and I decided to reward them with the last of the birthday cake (more so that it would be out of the house and quit temtping me).

I set Cali down at the coffee table with her cake while Melisa and I sat at the dinning room table working on History. Cali called out "Mommy, see my snowman." The good mommy that I am said "mmmhmmm" and went on with the history lesson without really looking up. This continued for about 5 minutes when I finally decided to go see the snowman. As I walked into the living room Cali announces "It melted." I looked down and she had built a snowman with the icing off her piece of cake and then flattened it all over my coffee table! There was icing EVERYWHERE! All over her, all over the table, on the floor and even on the dog!

So, Pidd..why is it your fault...the ONLY snowmen we made out of icing was with the ginger bread houses at your house, lol! OK...so I can't really blame you, but it was worth a shot huh? You can be certain that I am not going to do the "mmmmmhmmmmm" thing when food is involved again in the near future!

No worries, 15 minutes, 3 washcloths, a sponge bath and a little cleaner and everything was back to normal. Ahhhh, gotta love the adventures of Mommyhood!

I wrote this last Saturday, but never got to publish it...SORRY!

On Thursday Clark told me that the birthday celebration was not over and would continue on Saturday...and indeed it did. :-)

We slept in this morning...well kind of...we woke up at about 7:45 (which is a LOT later than the rest of the week). The girls were still snoozing away, so we got in a good workout. We don't have time to workout at the same time very often, so that was a treat. We did some timed sets of different exercises to see how many we could fit into the allotted time...we did pretty awesome if I do say so myself. It looks like we could both get 200 snatches in 10 minutes time for the certification test if we had to right now. WHOOHOOOO!!!

By the time we were finishing up, the girls started to stir so I set into make breakfast and got sent out of the kitchen since it was my "birthday." Everything I started to clean around the house got taken from me by Clark or Misa and they wouldn't let me do a thing...I felt spoiled rotten, lol. Clark did have to take a shower and Melisa got into an art project, so I was able to clean the kitchen and do some clutter control, lol. It was a relaxing Saturday morning full of cartoons and fun.

At 1:00 we met 4 of our friends from Carey at the brand new bowling alley in town. We ate lunch at the cafe (it is on the level of McAlister's Deli) in the bowling alley. It was delicious! After lunch we bowled two games and played games in the arcade (that was about the size of a ChuckECheese). We ended up spending 4 1/2 hours at the bowling alley!

We said good-bye to our friends and the family headed to Best Buy where I spent my birthday gift cards. I got an arm band for my iPod and an alarm clock that my iPod can plug into. I also got 2 movies (one for the girls and one for Clark and I). I think it was a successful shopping trip!
Once we got home Clark pulled out a cake he had bought for me that had 2 candles (a 3 and a 0). I think he chose to do it that way so the smoke detectors didn't go off. We enjoyed an easy dinner with cake and ice cream for desert.

It was an absolutely perfect day of celebrating. I don't think I would have changed one thing (well, maybe I would have done a little better on my second game, lol). Now, I am sitting here watching a movie with Clark while I download pictures and upload music, lol. The girls are getting ready for bed and calming down for the night. It is a perfect ending to a perfect day. :-) It is JUST what I needed today!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Saturday 9:45 am (Church time) will be here before I know it though, so I am going to close this out and head to bed soon!

Oh yeah...I forgot 2 other things that happened yesterday that are VERY much worth mentioning.

You see on Wed. we had a meeting in New Orleans. When the meeting was over I noticed we were driving around the city rather than getting on the interstate to head home. I asked where we were heading and I never really got an answer. Then, I saw it. the Korean Market, lol! We went in and had fun shopping for all of our favorite Korean goodies! I got a 5 pound bag of the GOOD rice! I also got some snacks, some dried seaweed, some sauces that we can get here and a few other things. I was so excited!

Last night when I got home from work I was even more excited to smell all those goodies. Clark fixed my favorite Korean dish and a pot of that perfect rice! Oh, it was the best dinner I could have asked for.

On a more serious note, God laid a little baby on my heart. One of the ladies that works out at the gym came in, in tears. A young mother gave birth to her first child yesterday. The baby was 2 months early and the mother had not been tested for Strep B yet. The baby is not in good condition. God laid this little baby on my heart. I was able to spend an amazing hour with the Lord while I cleaned the gym petitioning for this sweet little baby. His name is Colby. I don't know how he is doing, but I will find out this afternoon. So, I ask each of you to join in with me and pray for that sweet baby boy!

Well, today was that dreaded day...the day I hit the BIG THREE-OH! I joked that I was dreading it and that it was NOT going to be talked about, but let me tell you, today was one of the best birthday I have ever had! It was absolutely wonderful and amazing and I haven't once been sad or down that I turned 30, lol!

We really started celebrating the new milestone wtih a special ending to my 20's. We ordered pizza last night, spread out blankets on the trampoline and the whole family cuddled up for a cold picnic while watching the lunar eclipse. It was neat to share some quiet moments with my family as I ended this decade of my life. It couldn't have been more perfect!

My day started out today when my hubby woke me up with a good morning kiss. We sat in the living room for 30 minutes watching the news and chatting. It was a quiet and sweet morning. At 7:30 the phone rang and it was the first of many phone calls for the day. My grandparents called to wish me a Happy Birthday. When I got off the phone with them, I checked my e-mail and had a great birthday e-mail from Dad. Then, I got the first of what was going to be many sweet messages on facebook, myspace, and cafemom! Everyone was so sweet throughout the day writing me notes and sending sweet wishes.

Clark took off for work and the girls and I started our normal days routine at about 8:00. We ate, got dressed, made beds, ate breakfast, started school work, did some laundry and just had a normal day. Well, kind of normal...throughout thgere morning we got phone calls from 3 friends, my Dad, and my Mom. Mom sent me a sweet card with some gift cards and a message that some new Under Armour gear was headed my way. Papa called and let me know that he was sending me money to be used on a new bike since mine got stollen a few months ago! Then, we had another surprise. Clark came home for lunch and then took me to the sports store to get me some new tennis shoes before I had to go to work.

I went to work at Curves and was met with a sweet card that the morning shift had made for me and a phone call from my boss. The afternoon flew by and before I realized it, I was heading home. When I got home, I was shocked to find that my girlies and Miss. Kristy had been busy bee's! They had decorated the house in streamers and balloons for my birthday. It was SOOO sweet! I can't believe they did it! I was also greeted with my "big" present. Clark and the girls got me a Nano Ipod...and I have spent the evening figuring it all out.

Clark has informed me that the birthday celebration will continue on Saturday when we will have cake and go bowling with some great friends. After bowling, rumor has it that the firiends are babysitting and I am going to get to go on a (dare I say it) DATE with my husband!

SOOOO, turning thirty wasn't that bad at all. In fact it showed me just how blessed I am. I have an absolutely AMAZING family and WONDERFUL friends. I don't think I have felt more loved or spoiled on a birthday. Thanks for making it so special everyone! You are all awesome!

Hey everyone! WOW...I have been quiet for a while haven't I? That isn't like me now is it? LOL! I am in the process of writing a LOOONG blog to catch you up on the last month and a half of our crazy lives. However, today/tonight needed a blog of it's very own. We had been planning a cookout for our International Students for the past week but didn't have much of a response so we cancelled it. Well, this morning the tides turned and we ended up having 12 students decide they wanted to do it after all. SOOOO, at 2:30 I started planning a cookout for 18 people (12 students, the 4 Masons, and 2 neighbors). In 3 hours, Clark and I got the house cleaned and food bought and cooked. WHEW...I never thought we would get it done!!!

However, it was a sad night. One of our students will be leaving us on Monday. Her leaving isn't under the best circumstances and she will be greatly missed. Her smile and laughter could always brighten my day. I will never forget the driving lessons I gave her or our chats in the car to and from the airport. She has amazing potential and I pray that she will continue to allow us to have a place in her life even if she isn't here with us. Knowing that she was leaving soon made the night bitter sweet.

Tonight was also a big night, in that we made a big announcement to our students. We told them that we have officially resigned from our position at William Carey. We will work through May 31st and then we are leaving. We know that it is the right thing, but it didn't make it easy to tell our "kids" that we are leaving. To see them cry litterally broke my heart. To hold one student in my arms as she sobbed tore me apart! My heart aches as I sit here and type this.

As I stood before them telling them that God has called us on to a different place I realized something that I already knew (does that make sense?). I realized that what we have done for the past year was far more than a job...it was an investment. We invested our lives into the lives of these precious students and they now hold a precious spot in my heart. They are really my kids. I want to see them succeed and I have the best! It breaks my heart that once we leave there will not be anyone here to take care of them the way we have done. However, God has told me it is time to go. Why does it hurt so much to do the right thing? Why is it so hard to do what I know is right? I may be leaving Hattiesburg in a few months BUT I am not leaving the students...they will come with me in my heart and will remain close to me always!

So, to close out this blog, I want to say "I love you!" to all of my ISO students. No matter what happens, no matter how far away we may be...I LOVE YOU!!!! You are each precious and amazing! I know things will be hard, but I believe in you! I am only an e-mail, facebook message, or phone call away and I don't want you to hesitate in calling me! And remember, we may be leaving, but we God is still with you and He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you! I will miss you each dearly! I love you all!

I am back by popular demand...well...not really. I am back because of my one faithful reader who wants to know where I have been (thanks for the love Joy)! Besides the daily battle with the dusty bunnies and the ever growing pile of laundry we have been pretty busy. So, busy I don't even know where to start!

When we got back from our trip home for Christmas, we jumped back into our normal schedule feet first with a running start. It was back to work at Carey and Curves. It was back to schooling, gymnastics and ballet. We haven't really stopped since we got back either.

The first weekend we were back we headed out the mall and spent our gift cards. Now, that's my kind of shopping. We got all kinds of new stuff and didn't spend any actual money...whooohoooo!!!! We went to Belks and got both of the girls new winter jackets (theirs disappeared on vacation...imagine that). There was still some money left on the Belks card that we ended up spending at their little shop called LibbyLu. Melisa got her ears pierced again! It wasn't planned, so I don't have any pictures of it...but it was special. She is so excited to have them pierced and is taking really good care of them this time.

We also went to Old Navy and American Eagle and got Clark and I some new clothes (it has been a LOOONG time since I went shopping for myself). I had noticed my clothes were all loose at home, but I never thought about it. Well, I decided to try on smaller clothes and I am excited to say I am now a solid size 6 again. Everything I bought was size 6 or a small! Working at a gym and living with Clark and the kettlebells have paid off! I got 3 new pairs of nice pants, 1 pair of workout pants, and about 4 tops. Clark got about the same as well. The best part to all of that is that there is still money left on the gift card...if only we could find time to go shopping again!

We had another busy week after our shopping spree weekend. When we woke up the next Saturday our yard was a blanket of white. Yep, it actually snowed in MS! We got about 2 inches and spent ALL day long playing in the snow. I am glad I got the girls new coats the week before, lol! We built a snowman, had about 4 different snowball fights, made snow angels, and took a ton of pictures. We would go outside until our fingers were red and sore and then come in and warm up with hot chocolate just to go back out and get cold again! It was great. Unfortunately...or maybe fortunately...it didn't last that long. By Monday morning all of the snow was gone and we had another normal, but busy week!

It was a short week though, because Monday was a holiday and we took Friday off. A 3 day work week can never be THAT bad can it? On Friday morning we woke up bright and early, loaded up the car and headed to FLORIDA! We drove and we drove and we drove some more. The trip went smooth except for a mini emergency that involved a nasty, itchy, unexplained rash on Cali. We spent 8 to 9 hours in the car, but it was worth it when we got to the hotel and got to see Papa (my Dad) and then later on TJ and MaryBeth (my brother and sister-in-law).

Friday night we ate dinner at an awesome restaurant and then turned in to get a good nights sleep. Saturday morning we woke up to rain, but it was OK, because it gave us a good excuse to enjoy a lazy breakfast together. By the time we were done with breakfast and got everything loaded up it was only raining on and off at a light sprinkle. We headed out in the boat to Three Sisters Spring and were surprised to see great visibility and tons of manatee. The "boys" couldn't resist hopping in (and did so without the wetsuits). My girls of course followed, but MaryBeth and I chose to stay warm in the boat. Melisa lasted about 15 minutes while Cali didn't last past her bottom getting wet. Dad got some great pictures, so I am glad they got in. :-)
After the cold boat ride and quick swim we warmed up with hot chocolate at a tiki hut off the water. The girls ran and played in the grass and made new friends. When we were finally warmed up we headed back to the hotel to meet up with some other friends for a shrimp boil (yeah, I had something else to eat for those of you who know me well). The girls and I headed to bed pretty early, but from what I have heard the party lasted way too late, lol!

We were up at 5:30 to meet at the tour boat by 6:15 and we were on the water by 6:30 am. Let me tell you, for FL it was COLLD! We were sad that the visibility wasn't as good as yesterday and there was already a crowd out at the springs, but we still put on our wetsuits and hopped in for a fun swim with the manatees. We saw quite a few, rubbed their bellies, and watched them swim around so peacefully. If you have never swam with manatees you are missing out on an awesome experience! Clark and I took turns sitting with Cali in the boat and swimming with Misa. We were out until about 10:30 am and then we went back to the hotel, showered off, and met back up for one last good lunch. Then it was back on the road and on to Mississippi again. But, man was it a fun weekend!!

Unfortunately, it was back to work on Monday and life resumed on a normal schedule of work, school, and play, lol. The next weekend rolled around and we spent it doing "spring" cleaning a little early. We raked up 6 bags of leaves out of the back yard and cleaned the house better than it has been cleaned in a long time. We threw in a trip to the bowling alley and books-a-million in there for good measure. The weekend of cleaning was followed by another normal week of William Carey, Curves, Homeschool, Gymnastics, Tap, and Ballet...that is enough to keep us busy every week isn't it? Then another weekend at home...well kind of...Clark and the girls ran students to the airport while I manned the Saturday shift at Curves. Then we met up for a nice dinner at Chick-fil-a and another trip to Books-A-Million. We like those quiet kind of weekends just as much as the adventurous fun ones!

Well...I guess that brings us to this weekend, which I gave you a good rundown of in my last blog. The only other thing that has happened that is news worthy is Melisa and her gymnastics class. The owner of the gym has invited her to a second class (that is invitation only) on Fridays. This class is 2 hours long and is called "pre-team." YEP...you read it right...she is in the process of being trained to be on the competition team. She is at gymnastics 3 hours a week now and Cali is there 1 hour...so it is our second home! Mrs. Kim has told me that Melisa has a natural ability coupled with a love for it and a determination to learn all she can. She has told us she is more focused than most and has great potential! I am SOOO excited and proud for her. She is also learning her recital dances in tap and ballet and can't wait to show me all the new moves every week! To top it all off, last 9 weeks she had all A's with one B but has pulled the B in Language back up to an A and is once again a Straight A student! She is truly excelling right now!!!

Cali is doing really well also. She moved up to the 3 and 4 year old gymnastics class. Even though she is the youngest and smallest she does awesome! She loves gymnastics and Miss. Mandy (her coach). She does great on her forward rolls and is amazing on the beam...she is even starting to do small jumps (yes, Cali is doing jumps on the beam at 2 1/2)! Do you think I have 2 gymnasts on my hands or what? I think we will have to put her in dance next year as well because you should she her copy the dance routines that her sister does...it is amazing! She is going to be a natural just like her Sissy!

Well, now that I caught you up on EVERYTHING we have done in the past 2 months or so, got my Mommy Brag time in and probably bored you to death, I will finally close this blog out! WHEW...I am worn out all over again from just writing out all that we have been up to! I think I am going to go take a nap now!!

Ok...I wrote this a while back (like 3 weeks ago) and never posted it here. Sorry I am posting such an old post, but I figured it would help me catch up more quicky. :-)

I know, I k now...I have been back for almost a week now and this is the first time I have gotten on here to type! I have been playing catch up from a 17 day trip! This week I took down Christmas decorations, made my way through the mountain of laundry, found a home for the Christmas loot, cleaned the house, helped dh pick up some of the 18 students that flew in, went to work, homeschooled Melisa, and all kinds of other fun stuff. So...that is why I haven't been on-line this week...but I think I am caught up and should be back some.

Now, before I tell you all about the trip, my title needs some explaining. Do you remember the blog about "Run Away Ernie?" For those who don't the story is that our hermit crab had help from my 2 year old escaping and running away. He was MIA for over 3 weeks. I knew I was going to come home from vacation with a stinky house because of a dead Ernie. Well, much to my suprise the house was not the slightest bit stinky. However, there was no sign of Ernie for the first few days. Then on Wednesday we came home and low and behold Ernie was having a party in the school room. Just hanging out in the doorway. WHOOHOOO! He was alive and well. Now, what scares me is that he found enough to live on for over 3 weeks...what does that say about my cleaning skills? YIKES! It is good to have him back in the cage though!

Now, on to the trip! It started with a wonderful two days stop in GA. I got to see my roommate from college (until the 21st we hadn't seen each other in 7 1/2 years). We had the best visit and it was just what I needed! She forced me to sit down and rest. It felt like old times (with the addition of 5 children and 2 husbands, lol). I also got to see a different good freind get married. It was so special to be able to be there and see that special day for her! The GA part of the trip went by WAY too fast and I was sad to see it go.

On the 23rd it was off to SC. We spent 6 days with Clark's family. The girls got enough cousin time to make up for a year of being gone. We had a great Christmas and Santa was extremely good to the girls even though we were traveling. Grammy even watched the girls for the day while Clark and I had a date! We headed up to Pretty Place (the outdoor chapel that we were married in). We hiked in the mountains and had a great time getting to be a couple! I think it was my favorite part of the trip to SC. We didn't do a lot other than that, but spending time with family was wonderful!

On the 30th we headed to FL. That drive was absolutely miserable. What usually takes up 7 to 8 hours took 12 hours! There was one accident in the other lane that involved 6 cars with one completely burnt to a crisp. It was a heart breaking sight. Around that accident it took us 3 hours to go about 60 miles. Of course our DVD player decided to break right before the trip. UGH!

We finally made it to FL and it was worth the drive. We took the girls and thier two cousins to get pictures made and they turned out ADORABLE! The girls had a second Christmas and got WAY too much! Again, we didn't do a whole lot, but we did spend time with family and it was so very special. We got to spend New Years Eve at my moms house. We had a few small firecrackers and the kids did sparklers before we put them to bed. Then we watched the big firework show over the lake from the pool deck at moms. Oh, it was beautiful. The girls got to ride four wheelers with my Dad (Papa) and play with their cousins. They both got cameras for Christmas in FL and let me tell you there are some interesting pics now. ;-) It was a special time and I am glad we were finally able to get away!

We finally got back late on Sunday the 6th. Monday it was back to work and the same old schedule as before we left. Let me tell you, it was hard to jump back in this week. But like I said above, for the first time since we have been back I feel like I am caught up and have time to sit and relax a little.

I have tons of pics from the trip and will try to post some this weekend. I hope everyone has been doing well. I look forward to catching up with everyone again...sorry I was MIA for so long! It's good to be back!