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Bubby sings his heart out
2007-11-28 19:15:00
Bubby is a member of the 4th and 5th grade chorus at school. They recently participated in a local choral festival held at a local church. He was so proud to wear his chorus shirt for the first time. They were the youngest performers there and did an outstanding job. Those early morning practices are really paying off.
More About: Heart , Bubby , Sings

Tater was voted a "Terrific Kid" at school
2007-11-28 19:09:00
Tater's classmates chose him to be a Terrific Kid for the month of November. He was so happy and excited, as were his dad and I. Way to go, Tater Tot!
More About: School , Tater

SURPRISE and happy 85th birthday, Mamaw!
2007-11-28 04:31:00
On Nov. 10th, 2007 my family and I (along with 75 close friends) celebrated my Mamaw's 85th birthday. The party had been planned for weeks, the weather was perfect and all the guests were there........all we needed was Mamaw! My aunt, cousin and his fiance were to get Mamaw to the church for her very first surprise birthday party. In all the planning, I failed to realize that there was a Veteran's Day parade on the very day and at the very time of the party. So, they were slightly late, but it all turned out great in the end. They got her there by telling her Vernon (my cousin) and his fiance wanted to tour the church to get ideas for their wedding this spring and that they wanted her to join them. She reluctantly agreed, thank goodness!She was genuinely shocked, surprised and touched by the number of people that came out to help her celebrate her big day. I made sure she was treated like royalty and even gave her a pink feather boa and crown. She was truly humbled and just kept r...
More About: Holidays , Family , Happy , Birthday

Catching Up........
2007-11-27 04:48:00
Boy, do I have tons to share! However, I first want to apologize for not posting recently. Life has been catching up with me and something had to suffer....so it was my blogs. But, I'm back and going full force now so prepare yourself! I have my Mamaw's 85th surprise birthday party to tell you about, Darrin's new job to update you on, plus news about our impending move. Thanks ever so much for hanging in there with me and especially for coming back to check on me. Happy reading! :)
More About: Misc

What a GREAT party!
2007-11-12 19:28:00
Well, my grandmother's surprise 85th birthday party went off without a hitch on Saturday. She was truly surprised and everyone had a great time. Wondering why there's no pictures? Well......Darrin left from Oceana last night to start his Dick's Sporting Goods training class in Richmond, VA. The kicker is...he took my keys with him! So, the boys and I are stranded in Oceana with my car locked and no keys. Luckily he figured out he had them before he got out of WV. He left the keys in Beckley (an hours drive from Oceana) for me. My mom is on her way there now to pick them up. Then, we'll be on our way back to SC. I will post a more detailed post about the party with pictures tomorrow.
More About: Party , Misc , Great , T A G

Next week is IT!
2007-11-06 06:24:00
Darrin got the news today....he starts his training class with Dick's Sporting Goods one week from today (11/12/07). He'll be training in Richmond for two weeks and then will be working in Roanoke. So, if anyone has any advice I we can use it.... schools, housing market, corporate housing (until the boys and I get there).
More About: Week

Forget Mayberry
2007-11-05 01:22:00
A few weeks ago I posted about our impending move to Mt. Airy. Well, last week Darrin received another job offer. He has been waiting for this job off for months. It's the one company that he has wanted to work for since Heilig Meyers went out of business in 2001. It's taken a long time and relentless effort on his part but he has finally succeeded! We are now going to be moving to Roanoke, Va. He accepted a management position with Dick's Sporting Goods. He could not possibly be any more excited. As a matter of fact, we're all excited. This move will place us just three hours from "home" in Oceana, WV and only two hours from his parents in Mt. Airy, NC. He has to take a two week class in Virginia Beach, VA before he can begin work. He should hear from them this week as to when to report for class.He resigned from his position at Belk in Mt. Airy last Thursday and came home. I didn't tell the boys he was coming. He surprised them and walked into the living room at about 8:30 th...
More About: Family

Oldies but Goodies
2007-10-30 18:16:00
I recently uploaded several old pictures to my flickr account. If you get a chance, stop by and check them out! Shane 1976
More About: Misc , Oldies , Goodies

Yeah....we got to see daddy!
2007-10-30 01:47:00
The boys and I went to Mt. Airy Saturday evening and surprised Darrin. It had only been five days since we had seen him but it seemed like twice...no three times longer! I think he was just as happy to see us. The night before we left (before I had decided to go) Tater Tot said, "Mama, when can I see my daddy?" Boy, did that tug at my heart strings! Of course it didn't take long for me to then decide that he could see his daddy the next day. The boys just talked non-stop to Darrin. They filled him in on all of the happenings of the past five days. At dinner Tater asked his dad, "Guess how old I am now daddy?" Darrin replied, "well I remember how old you are Tater." Tater then said, "Oh, I was afraid you might have forgot." I guess five days to a seven year old seems like so much longer. Darrin was off on Sunday so we spent the whole day with him. How fast it flew by too. We left around 6:00 pm Sunday night and hated to leave then. On the way home Payton was in the back watching a m...
More About: Family , Daddy , Yeah

Love Letters
2007-10-27 18:03:00
Payton brought home a little love letter yesterday. I just had to share it!Payton's response? What's in the world in an anniversary? (for a better look, click on the picture)
More About: Love , Love Letters , Letters

Look-alike Meters
2007-10-27 05:38:00
I came across this nifty little toy and had to play around with it! I think mine is pretty much right. What do you think............However, I think my oldest brother, Jimmy's,is a little off. He looks way more than 4% like mom......Then there's my other older brother, Donnie Jr., I mean Rodney. I think he looks almost exactly like our dad!
More About: Fun , Meters , Look-alike

It's a Girl!
2007-10-23 22:21:00
Our family is happy to announce the arrival our newest family member:Princess Maddie May was born June 2007and weighed in at about 1 lb.she joined her new familySeptember 2007 We are loving having a little girl in the house. Her furry brothers, Bo & Chasie, are finally used to the idea and have decided it's okay that she's here. They're slowing learning that they have to play with her a little easier than with each other. She loves to play outside, aggravate her furry brothers and snuggle close to anyone that will let her.
More About: Dogs , Girl

We're off to Mayberry.....well some of us are!
2007-10-23 03:52:00
Darrin left this evening for Mt. Airy, NC. He accepted the management job with Belk. He starts tomorrow. We're so thankful that his parents live just ten minutes away in Pilot Mountain, NC. He will be staying with them until the boys and I join him sometime after the first of the year. There is no way we could have the house ready to put on the market before then. We have a few minor things to do (paint, etc.) before we put it up for sale. Then, we've even contemplated waiting until the end of the school year and moving up there in June. That way the boys wouldn't have to transfer to a new school mid-year. But, that' s long time for us to be separated from daddy! We miss him already and he's only been gone a few hours.He took all of his work/dress clothes, his 10+ pairs of dress shoes, his 50+ ties, etc. Our closet now looks so terribly empty! His drawer in the bathroom vanity...empty! His shelf in the shower.....empty! I hate that!! I don't want them to be empty. I know this ...
More About: Family , Well , Some

And we're off.......
2007-10-18 07:09:00
The boys do not have school this Friday or Monday due to "teacher work days." So, today after school, we're heading north.....to Lynchburg, VA. Darrin has a second interview with D*ck's Sporting Goods. If he gets this job we would be moving to Roanoke, VA. That would actually be ideal for us. We would then be about half way between his parents and mine. Plus, we love the area. However, for the moment he has accepted the job with Belk in Mt. Airy, NC. He is scheduled to start this Monday. That's actually our second choice, but he had to let them know something so he told them "yes." Of course if D*ck's offers him that job, we're there! We're going to take advantage of our trip and see from friends and family along the way. My dad lives in Claytor Lake, VA; Darrin's brother is in Christiansburg, VA; my half-brother works at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA; and we have friends in Pulaski, VA. So, we'll be busy. Then we'll swing by Darrin's parents for a night. Saturday we're...
More About: Family , Shane

Science Circus
2007-10-14 21:42:00
Yesterday I took the boys and a friend of theirs to see the "Science Circus ." It was a hoot! They learned about gravity, inertia, air resistance, centripetal force and gyroscopic stability all while being entertained. It was a short, 45 minute show, that was just long enough to keep the kids from getting bored with it. Who knew juggling, Chinese yo-yo's and unicycles could be so educational? Bubby & Tater Tot with their friend He was really good! Watching the showP.S. - We also saw a really cute skeleton made out of milk jugs!
More About: Fun

Good News......sort of
2007-10-09 12:54:00
Well since teasing you with the "...stay tuned for good news post" things have gotten a little complicated. I was all ready to post about Darrin accepting a job in Mt. Airy, NC as a sales Manager with Belk. He was formally offered the position yesterday (Monday). This would put us 10 minutes from his parents and move us three hours closer to my family. Not bad, huh? Well, while we were away this weekend he received a call from three other potential employers who would like to interview him. One he is particularly interested in.... Dick's Sporting Good s. That would be his dream job. Managing a store filled to the brim with sporting equipment? Please! That wouldn't even be considered work I don't think. So, he goes for that job interview this Friday. This job would land us in Roanoke, VA which would be absolutely perfect. It would be about half way between his parents and mine...just a few hours each way. Plus, even though there is no ocean nearby, we really like the area. We would...
More About: News , Good News , Shane , Sort

Good News.......
2007-10-06 20:02:00
Stay tuned for good news coming soon!
More About: News , Misc , Good News , Good

God on the Mountain
2007-10-03 21:18:00
While Darrin is looking for another job I sometimes get discouraged and wonder if we did the right thing. When these feelings start to creep up, I listen to this song. It reminds me that "the God of the mountain is still God in the valley." And, no one sings it better than Lynda Randle.
More About: Shane , Mountain , Mount , The Mount

A New Life Adventure
2007-10-01 23:38:00
Take me home country roads.....The reality of life has taken over much of my time these days. Hubby and I decided about a month ago that there is no sense in us living so far from family. So, to change that, he resigned from his job and has been looking for another closer to "home" in southern West Virginia. After all, it's next to impossible to look for a job while you have one. Current employers aren't too fond of someone taking time off to go to out-of-state interviews after all. He's interviewed for positions in Oak Hill, WV; Salem, VA; Christiansburg, VA and a few others. Now we're just waiting to hear back. The employers don't seem to be in nearly the hurry we're in! Go figure. Anyway, if you could, just keep us in your prayers. Pray that God will open a door for us that will get us closer to family....it's time. We've been away for way to long.Picture from "West Virginia: ..." a West Virginia Travel Page by Stephen-KarenConn.
More About: Family , Life , Adventure , Misc , New Life

The Crayon Box that Talked activity
2007-09-25 03:20:00
I volunteer for SEEDS in Tater's class every Friday. I have 30 minutes to read a story to the class and then do an activity with them relating to the story. This week I read The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane DeRolf (I know, nice name!). It's the cutest story about a box of crayons. None of the colors get along with each other. Then, a little girl buys the box and takes it home. She colors a beautiful picture using all of the colors. The colors then realize that without each other the girl could not have made the sun yellow, grass green, sky blue, etc. Anyway, I gave each child a crayon template to color. They were to write their name on it and draw a picture of themselves. Then, I made their teacher her own box of crayons! She loved it and the kids enjoyed seeing her hang it up in the classroom. Here's the poem that I put at the bottom: Wouldn't it be terrible?Wouldn't it be sad?If just one single colorwas the color that we had? If everything was purple?Or red? Or blue? Or gr...

Tater Tot turns 7!
2007-09-24 05:43:00
Today Tater Tot celebrated his 7th birthday with a party at the park. Fifteen of his friends showed up to help him celebrate! It was a great day to be outside and the kids had a great time. We munched on chips, cake, ice cream and juice boxes before opening gifts and then bashing the monster truck pinata. After all of that there was still plenty of time to play on the awesome play structure at the park. I won't go into how it doesn't even seem like he should be 7 already........but it's so true. My baby is growing up way too fast. As always, for tons more pictures go to flickr.

Going Home for Homecoming
2007-09-18 05:37:00
Me, Darrin and the boys were lucky enough to be able to go "home" to WV this past weekend. The church I grew up in, Toneda Baptist Church, was celebrating it's 98th Home coming. We had the best time. We saw people we hadn't seen in years. We heard a wonderful sermon courtey of Dr. Rev. Tim Brown. He grew up in Toneda as well and is now the Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Clovis in California. (A l-o-n-g way from WV, huh?) The singing was also superb and brought tears to my eyes. My Papaw was in my thoughts of course. It just wasn't the same without him there. But, he's celebrating a much sweeter homecoming in heaven I know. Of course the food was outstanding as well. Those Baptist ladies sure do know how to cook! The best part, however, was the fellowship. Darrin and I saw friends we hadn't seen in years. It's truly amazing how fast times is passing us by. Anway, here are a few pictures I wanted to share: My dad, me, mom and brother Tater Tot & Bubby posin...
More About: Family , Activities , Going , Goin

Powerful video
2007-09-07 23:04:00
I saw this on Susie's site and had to pass it on.
More About: Video , Misc

A Sunday Evening at the Park.....the baseball park
2007-09-03 23:14:00
Darrin's parents and brother are down visiting so we took them to see a baseball game last night. It was absolutely perfect weather. It's been in the 100's here and really too hot to enjoy a baseball game even at night. But, last night was great. Perfect baseball weather. The Drive ended up losingn 5 to 2, but it was still a great family night out. Since it was the last night game of the season, they had a spectacular fireworks show right after the game. I never get tired of fireworks! The boys also made a card to send to the troops while we were there. Darrin's dad and brother, Tater, Darrin and Bubby The boys getting ready to make a card for the troops in Iraq Bubby and his Nana A shot of the field The mini Green Monster
More About: Fun , Family , Baseball , Sunday , Park

A Sunday Downtown
2007-08-27 04:00:00
The boys with mouse #1My three boys on the trolleyWe spend the day downtown today. We're so fortunate to have such a great downtown! We try to take advantage of it as much as we possibly can too. We started off by eating at one of our favorite places, Sticky Fingers. Then we began out journey to find the "Mice on Main." It start with a bronze statue of a little mouse with the book "Goodnight Moon." They, by following clues, you have to find eight others that are scattered around downtown. Let me tell you, it's no small feat either. Then, we took a nice relaxing ride on the downtown trolley which is always fun. After that, we headed on over to the Children's Garden. It's the cutest little kid's park nestled underneath an overpass about a block off of Main Street. What an excellent use of that space I think. It's full of fun things for kids to enjoy. And, it serves as a great shelter when a thunderstorm rolls in! After waiting quite a while for the storm to pass, we decided to m...
More About: Fun , Family , Downtown , Sunday , Bubby

Back to School Time
2007-08-20 22:32:00
Boy, did summer fly by or what? That was the fastest summer I can remember experiencing since I was a kid! The boys started back to school today. Bubby is now a 4th grader and Tater Tot is in 1st grade. Tater was excited and wanted me to walk him to his class. He didn't even mind posing for a few pictures. Bubby, on the other hand, was a harder sell. He informed me that this will be the last year I walk him to class the first day of school. I did manage to snap one picture of him in his new class before he ushered me out the door. They both had a great day and said their teachers are "really nice." Tater said after coming home, "That was fun! I want to go back!!" I informed him that this was his lucky day because he gets to go back tomorrow...and the next day...and the next day.... Bubby's annual "first day of school" poseAnd...Tater's annual pose Bubby in his new class. (pink shirt) Tater at his new desk. Ready to take on the challenge of first grade! A few Tater insights..........
More About: Time , School , Back , Back to School

Ahhhhh, the Sound of Sweet Silence
2007-08-18 19:34:00
Hubby was off from work yesterday so he volunteered to take the boys and their friend to the water park. I was happy to let him! I surmised that I had approximately four hours to do with as I pleased. I could have chosen to clean the house, do some laundry or even pay the bills. I chose to do none of them. I chose to do absolutely nothing that could be considered the least bit productive. The thought of having pure silence for four straight hours was quite appealing to me. I wouldn't have to be a referee and break up a fight. I wouldn't have to then be judge and jury and hand down a punishment. I know the day will come when I might actually miss those two duties, but that day was not yesterday. The puppies and I curled up together and took a long, relaxing two hour nap. Then, we woke up, stretched and I read for a bit. It was utter relaxation. I was care free for those 240 minutes and it was delightful.
More About: Sound , Sweet , Shane , Silence

Male vs. Female sketch
2007-08-13 22:56:00
I find this amazing. It's a little on the long side but you can move the slide bar at the bottom to speed things along if you wish.Via: Video Blog
More About: Fun , Female , Male , Sketch , Etch

Vacation Recap
2007-08-08 23:57:00
Okay! I'm unpacked and the laundry is almost finished. So, here goes..............Our vacation didn't quite get off to the best start but it ended wonderfully! We were supposed to leave for Myrtle Beach on Saturday, July 28th. However, Tater Tot woke up at 5:00 a.m. with a 101 degree fever and vomiting. That lasted for about 12 hours. So, we were able to leave the next day. We were all a little bummed though because Darrin couldn't go with us. He had to stay and work until Wednesday. We did the usual: Broadway at the Beach; Barefoot Landing, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, ate at Nakato, etc. We had a nice time although it was all starting to seem a little old. Isn't that awful to say? We've been to Myrtle Beach so many times that we've done and seen everything. We needed a little change in scenery so after leaving the condo on Saturday, we headed south to Charleston, SC. Well, when I say "we" I actually mean me, Darrin and Tater Tot. Bubby opted to go home with Nana and P...
More About: Vacation , Recap

I'm back and oh so refreshed!
2007-08-07 19:16:00
We returned from our vacation last night and boy do I have a lot to share. We took an extended vacation and visited a wonderful, historical coastal town for a few days in addition to our beach vacation. I have tons of pictures and am excited to tell you all about it. After I unpack and start the laundry I'll be back to fill you in. See you soon!
More About: Fun , Family , Back