Happy Easter...

I woke up to Joe bringing me Starbucks. What a wonderful husband I have. Then the kids checked out what the Easter bunny brought them.
After eating some candy I spotted an egg on our new trampoline. I told Bryson that I think the easter bunny came to our house. They put their shoes and jackets on and they were off. The easter bunny left bunny tracks on our trampoline while leaving some eggs behind. They looked high and low until all the eggs were found.



That afternoon we had an Easter potluck. The idea came about last Sunday while cleaning house I asked Joe if the base was doing and easter egg hunt. He said that they were not, and I was shocked. They had one the previous year and it turned out really well. We have always done the base Easter egg hunt and this was the first year that the base was not having one. Anyway Sunday night was the night that my friend Staci came over and I asked her what she thought of the idea. She liked it and said she would come. The next day was St. Patrick's day and Staci's daughter Kate had her birthday. At the party I asked/invited everyone to attend and got some yes's and maybe's. My other friend Sarah said that she would help spread the word and get things together. Every family was to bring their own meat and then a side dish to share. I also wanted an easter egg hunt for the kids so each child hunting for eggs had to have 12 candy filled eggs. I believe their were 17 kids hunting for eggs, and 13 families all together. Everyone said they had a great time.

Carter and Kate before the egg hunt.

Some of the kids lined up at the start.













Those are a few pictures of some of my friends that came to the party. I realize that I didn't get a picture of everyone. Oops!

Look what I got....

Joseph surprised me with this today....

How I Met My Hillbilly Husband - A Love Story

I am in New Mexico right now. The boys and I flew in yesterday. I will write about our travels here, the other part of our Easter post and of course I will get back to the Disney World posts shortly. Today is Joseph's and my anniversary. He is back in North Carolina and I am here. This is our first one apart and though we are not heart broken about it, we do miss each other. So, without further adu this is how we met.


I would like to dedicate this post to my wonderful husband (who is pictured below). He’s such a great guy, and quite the looker, actually. I was purdy sure that my sister (and maybe even my brothers) had their eyes on him before I snatched him up. I think he’s a purdy good catch.



We met back in Tennessee one year at a skeet shootin’ contest (bet you didn’t know I liked to shoot skeet, did ya?) I saw him walking towards me from across the field. He was wearin’ his nicest pair a overalls with a green and brown plaid shirt that brought out the color in his eyes. When our eyes locked it was like the world went into slow motion all the sudden. I saw fireworks in the background and my heart started beating rapidly.


He walked right up to me and asked “Hey there purdy lady – would you a like to go on a date with a fine fellow such as myself?” I was so twitter pated I could hardly answer. It was like I was in the 8th grade all over again. Well, I actually never was in the 8th grade. I skipped it. And the 9th. And the 10th. And the 11th. And the 12th. But don’t you a worry – I finished up my schooling and got my GED down there at that there school for dropouts. After meeting Joe I wanted to be the best I could be. I wanted to be as edumicated as he was, cuz he’s a purdy smart guy. He tells me that all the time. Anyhow… back to how he asked me out… He told me he had plans to take me to one a them fancy-type restaurants and then out to see a movie. That night we had a lovely dinner at the Chuck-O-Rama there in town and then headed up on the hill overlooking the drive-in theater to watch the movie “How I married my cousin”. We couldn’t actually hear the movie because we weren’t in the actual theater. You see – Joe wasn’t allowed within 60 yards of the theater. It had something to do with a prior “incident” involving Joe, some explosives, an exhaust pipe, a skunk, and an ex-girlfriend. I’m not sure what happened exactly, but the police were called and Joe was banned from entering the theater ever again. We were just as content to watch it from afar.


After our date Joe told me how much fun he had and how much he liked me. He told me that he wanted me to have something of his, as a token of his affection. That’s right – he gave me the first place trophy that he won from the skeet shootin’ contest earlier that day. It had a figurine of a lady bowler and the year 1987 on it (I’m a little confused by that), but it was a nice, shiny gold trophy for heck sake. I was honored that he wanted me to have it so I placed it in a very special place when I got home; right on top of my microwave oven. It’s still there if anyone wants to see it.


We got married a few weeks later in a nice little trailer park right downtown. It was a lovely little weddin’ - decorated up all nice with crepe paper, balloons, confetti, and such. We even had a paper mache piñata shaped like weddin’ bells. We registered down at the pawn shop and got us some really nice stuff.


The rest is pretty much history. We went on to have two handsome sons who are just like their dad, only much cuter. We’re a hopin’ that they’ll be able to go on and win first place in that same skeet shootin’ contest we were in just 6 years ago. Maybe they’ll even find themselves a fine woman the same way their dad did. I sure do love my hillbilly husband, and I sure am glad I got to him before anyone else did.



DISCLAIMER: JOSEPH CAN NOT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ANY INACCURACIES, EXAGGERATIONS, MISREPRESENTATIONS, OR UNTRUTHS IN THIS POST. THIS POST WAS BLOG-NAPPED AND CHANGED.

Time to color eggs...

After putting the trampoline together it was time to color eggs. The boys had a blast and we all ended up with dyed hands.

We have now joined the eye sore club!

The day started off with an Easter Egg Hunt with the town of Spring Lake. They were holding it were Bryson has t-ball practice. Joe took the kids out there as I had some errands to run.







After the egg hunt we had T-ball practice. The kids did a great job at practice and I think we are going to have a great team. Though Bryson's friend Reagan broke his finger yesterday. We officially have a player on the injured list and we are just in the pre-season. Send prayers that his finger heals fast, we need our players on the field not on the bench.

After practice we jumped into our borrowed truck and we were off to get a trampoline. My good friend Kim let us borrow her truck. The kids were so tired from the earlier events that they took a nap on the drive there. Carter woke up once we got there but Bryson even slept through us taking the trampoline down and loading it into the truck. Then we headed back to the house to put it back together. It's not the prettiest thing on the block but I bet it was the cheapest.




These pictures were taken while putting the trampoline back together. We got so carried away with jumping that I don't have a finish picture yet.

Why are we having an Early Easter?

I have heard a lot of people talking about Easter this year and how it kind of crept up on them. This got me thinking why it’s so early this year. It's fairly worthless information, as information goes, but fascinating nonetheless. I suppose I like fascinating, worthless bits of information.
As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. The earliest calendar date on which Easter can fall on is March 22nd, and the latest being April 25th. Based on the above, it is pretty rare when Easter falls on the 22nd of March. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!
Seeing Easter fall on the earliest possible date, March 22, is an experience that has not been, and (barring some remarkable breakthroughs in longevity) will not be, witnessed by anyone alive today: It last occurred in the year 1818, and it will not happen again until 2285.

The odds are considerably better for witnessing a late Easter. Many people are still around from the last time Easter fell on April 25, an event which took place in 1943, and a good many people here today will likely still be around when Easter next falls on April 25, which will occur in 2038.

Here are the facts:
• The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2160 (152 years from now).
• The last time it was this early was 1913 so if you’re 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!
• The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).
• The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.
• The last time Easter fell on the latest date possible April 25th was 1943.
• The next time it will fall on April 25th is in the year 2038 (30 years from now). Happy Early Birthday/Easter Mandy!
• My 21st birthday was on Easter. The year was 2000. My birthday just in case you forgot is April 23rd.
• I will never have an Easter birthday again, which is sad because I don’t remember much of my 21st.
• My father in law Norm will have an Easter birthday in the year 2019.
• My Niece Robyn will have an Easter birthday in the year 2057. She will be turning 53 years old.
So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!
Happy Easter,
Dawn

The tale of the stinky tree.....

Once apon a time not long ago (as in last spring), I would walk out my door and catch a whiff of this awful smell. I couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from. Every time I was outside playing with the boys and the wind picked up I could smell what I thought was a squirrel that had died and was rotting away. I started smelling my bushes and looking around the trash cans. I searched high and low for the source of the smell.

I guess I looked pretty funny and my neighbor and friend Terra came outside. She asked me what I was doing. I aksed her "Can you smell that smell?" Yeah she says, it smells like fish, or rotten meat. I told her that I was trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. It just so happened that she was standing underneath the tree and said "I think it is coming from your tree." I pulled down the branch and smelt the flowers, sure enough the smell was coming from my beautiful tree. It 's hard to believe that these beautiful flowers could have such an awful smell.

My lovely Bradford Pear tree is in full on bloom, and it smells like rotten meat in our yard. That's right people this tree smells like rotten meat, as my 9 year old neighbor put it "why does it smell like fish in your yard?" Brett I use to ask myself the same thing.


I also make sure to let people walking by or that come into my yard that it's my tree that stinks and not really my house. That is the last thing I need is for others to think that my house stinks.

This year as my tree was beginning to bud I was looking forward to the flowers and in the fall when the leaves turn bright red and orange, but the smell is something I can live without.

I wish I could insert a scratch and sniff here!

Trying to get ready for our upcoming trip!

“99 loads of laundry on the couch, 99 loads of laundry… fold one up and put it away… 100 loads of laundry on the couch. 100 loads of laundry on the couch, 100 loads of laundry… fold one up and put it away… 101 loads of laundry on the couch. 101 loads of laundry on the couch, 101 loads of laundry… fold one up and put it away… 102 loads of laundry on the couch…”

I give. I’m gonna “sing” a different song…

“99 glasses of Rum and Coke on my counter, 99 glasses of Rum and Coke… pick one up and throw it back… 98 glasses of Rum and Coke on my counter, 98 glasses of Rum and Coke… pick one up and throw it back… who cares about the stinkin’ laundry…”

We had a Moose in the house!

Yesterday I had the privilege to watch my friends little girl. She is almost 6 months old and one of the best babies ever. Sarah brought her over while Carter was still sleeping. When he woke up and came in the living room this is how our conversation went.

Carter: You got me a baby sister?
Mom: Yeah, you like her?
Carter: I love her.

He played trains with her and laid right next to her. About an hour later it was time to go get Bryson from school. I put her in the stroller and Carter rode his power wheels. She is such a good baby Bryson didn't even realize she was there until we got back home. Then this is how our conversation went.

Bryson: Where did you get that baby?
Mom: From the store, she's pretty cute isn't she?
Bryson: Yeah, I really like her.
Mom: What are we going to call her?
Bryson: (He thinks for a second) I think we should call her Moose My Moose.
Mom: What do you want to call her?
Bryson: Moose My Moose, and we will call her Moose for her short name.
Mom: (Smiling and internally laughing) That's a great name!

He laid down with her and was petting her head. He kept saying that she was so cute.

Here are a few pictures of our little Moose for the day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.....What a day!!

It all started off early this morning while making Bryson breakfast. He told me he had a bad dream. I asked him what it was about and he said "Carter was shaving his face and then he put the blade in his mouth and he cut his tongue." What a dream huh? Then while he was eating he told me this "Last night before I went to sleep I saw people above my bed." He had mentioned to us about these people before, last time they were sitting on his bed looking at him. So, I asked him what were they doing? He said "They were walking into shops and driving cars, like a movie." I was a little shocked and didn't know how to respond so I asked him "Where they looking at you or just shopping?" And he told me "They were looking at me." So then I asked him "Are they being nice to you or mean?" He then said "They are being nice." Thank goodness I thought!

Next stop it was off to the barber shop, Carter's hair needed a trim. We walk into the shop and the barber was on the phone. He said he needed to report an accident. I should have known right then that his mind was pre-occupied. After about 10 minutes he says he is ready and I put Carter in the chair. I told him that I wanted a trim on Carter's hair. All the sudden the guy grabs the clippers and buzz...he buzzed the side of Carter's head. I stopped him but the damage was done. He said "That's what you wanted right?" "Um NO!! I said a trim!" He then said "Well let me do the other side and then trim the top." "Um NO again!" I said. We left with half of Carter's hair cut and had it fixed at Walmart. So much for trying some place new.

I then let my friend dye my hair. My hair is so thick that I have to use two bottles. Well, she wasn't use to may hair and needless to say two bottles wasn't enough. So, half my hair is darker than the other. Not quite sure what I am going to do with it yet. Maybe wear it in a pony-tail until it fades.

Then we had baseball practice today. Joe and I are coaching the team. Usually Carter does pretty well and wanders around the field while we are coaching and bugs the other players. All the sudden one of the mothers yells to me and says "Your son is on top of the car!" I look out and sure enough Carter is on top of my Tahoe(SUV). He had managed to climb all the way on top and was hanging out on the ROOF!

We did have a great birthday party to attend today. Carter's friend Kate turned 3. Here are two pictures that I took yesterday. Her family came over for a bar-b-que last night. This is the last picture of her at the age of two. How sad, the babies are growing up.
I think they look like an old married couple here.


Here is a picture of her father Playing Guitar Hero. He told Joe this morning that he dreamt of the Wii last night.

Staci, Kate's mom has a twin sister and she was visiting for Kate's birthday. This is her little girl.
Here is Bryson wishing he could be a big brother again to Kate's little brother Luke.

This is one St. Patrick's day for the books!

Sloppy Joe or Blink Eye

Those were answers to one question. One question that I asked Bryson two days ago while Bryson and I were doing homework.

"Bryson what would you name our hamster if we got one?" Bryson thought for a moment and then said "I would like to call him Sloppy Joe." "Sloppy Joe" I said and then his reply was "Yep!" I wasn't quite sure what to think but had a good laugh afterwards. The next morning we got up and while we were getting ready for school I thought I would ask him again "Bryson what would you like to call your hamster if we got one?" Once again he thought for a few moments and then said "I would call him Blink Eye, so that I could Blink at him. (He then starts blinking his eye at me and showing me exactly what he would do)." "Really" I said. Bryson then tells me "yeah and I could call him Blinky for his short name and Blink Eye for his long name."

This morning we went on a journey to the pet store and purchased a cute little Blinky.



This is their Easter gift and they seem to be very happy with him. So does Road Trip(Roads) our kitty. Roads is waiting for us to become careless and I am sure at one point we will as history is always bound to repeat itself. I had hamsters growing up and I don't think any of them ever died of old age.