Keith & Renee

Autumn B.- 24 years old MS/LA/AL

2012-02-02T22:21:00.000-06:00

I am alittle rusty at this blogging thing... I haven't blogged since like week 24 of my pregnancy and now Emilee is HERE and 7 months old.. HA! But I am doing this for one of my great friends. I have faith in Kelly's SUYL so here's hoping I am cupid!

This is Autumn!

Autumn is a 24 year old 2011 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS where she received her Masters in Accounting. While at USM she was involved in numerous school activites such as: Beta Alpha Psi, British Studies, Tau Sigma, Beta Gamma Sigma and the Business Student Advisory Council. (All while maintaing a stellar average)

Graduation Day!!!!

Honor Society Christmas tree decorating contest

This past summer she traveled to London to study!

She currently works for a succcessful accounting firm in the Foley, AL area.

After finishing college, she moved to the beautiful Alabama beaches! Well, sorta...she lives a few miles away but I can smell the salty air from her doorstep!

Autumn and I met in Junior College and immediately hit it off... since then...well the rest is history. I graciously turned over my presidency of Phi Theta Kappa when I graduated... she took it and brought it to new heights! Each time we get together is as if no time was spent apart and you can usually find us saying random things together that ONLY makes sense to us. I can go on and on about her great qualities but feel it's best to include some of her thoughts.

My (Renee) wedding day!

I asked her the 3 words that she uses to describe herself and she told me the following:
1. Accomplished

2. Respected

3. Adventurous

Where does she see herself in 10 years?
"In 10 years I see myself as a Senior Manager in my firm, very involved in my community, and hopefully with a husband and child(ren)."

What is her best quality?
My big heart!

Sold yet?? There's more....

She's a great Christian. She attends church regularly and really lives for the Lord. Which these days, is a blessing in itself.

Her family is fantastic. I love her mom like I love my mom. She cooks fantastic breakfast! I stayed with them a few years back and she had breakfast cooked daily for us! Shout out to Ms. Debbie! Her dad is a hard worker who has instilled fabulous values in her and her sister and brother in law are awesome as well. Your not just getting a great girl, your getting a PHENOMENAL family.

And finally,

Her sweet dog Rosie!! Package deal!

Seriously yall, Autumn is one of the strongest people I know. She has overcome obstacles in life that most people don't dream of... That is what makes her so great!! I could go on and on about her qualities...having her name three clearly wasn't enough but in the interest of time and hoping that someone will actually read ALL my ramblings... I hope this snapshot profile will do.

So, if your interested or know someone who might be. Comment here or email me at reneesullivan27@yahoo.com. I have to screen for crazies guys! HA!

Your getting a great girl. She will take you down at Putt Putt Golf on the beautiful beaches of Gulf Shores, or you can just spend the day doing nothing but reading the newspaper! Either way...this Autumn just isn't the name of a season...she could be the girl of your dreams!

OB appt 24 weeks

2011-04-01T15:37:00.000-05:00

We had our 24 week appt yesterday (Thursday) and we attempted to repeat the ultrasound since our last one at 20 weeks was interrupted by a fiesty little girl! Spoiler alert though...this one didn't go too much better! Emilee had a GREAT strong heartbeat at 137 bpm. Weighs in at exactly 1 pound, 8 ounces. She measures alittle ahead of schedule in some areas, right on schedule in most. So no change in due dates... We are still trucking right along to July! We also met with our midwife, Dana. I have honestly grown to love her sooo much more than I thought I would. Midwives to me are so "old days" but Dana is right there with me every step of the way and even gave me her number yesterday so that when I go into labor I can call her day or night and she will come deliver my child...Not many doctors will do that for you. In fact, I am not sure ANY will. So I really love her for that. And she cries with me, and laughs with me and we just click. Keith really likes her too, she is always showing him and teaching him how to feel the outlines of my uterus so we can watch my belly grow, and shows him how to find the baby and such. Of course, Dana said everything was right on track and had no issues with anything. Says my pregnancy is a breeze. We will go back in 4 weeks for our 28 week appointment and at that time we will do the glucose test again to test for gestational diabetes and then we will start going EVERY 2 weeks! OMG! So close!

As I mentioned earlier, our ultrasound was eventful again. She cooperated ALITTLE bit better than last but not much. She really loves to keep her hands and arms up near her face so we can't see anything. We did get to see her heart though which was most important to me. I read alot of blogs that have either lost children due to congenital heart defects or are expecting children with them. So I was super worried about it. But I am VERY happy to report her little heart it perfect. I personally counted 4 chambers, watched the blood flow through her heart, saw those valves opening and closing, and saw a really nice strong beat. So that relieved me so much. We still didn't get everything they need so I will most likely have to have another ultrasound but of course I don't mind that. However, Miss Emilee did show us her little mouth for a moment when she STUCK her tongue out at us! We were fortunate enough to get pictures of it but of course seeing in in real time was amazing. I know I will have a full time job on my hands with this little girl. She is going to be something! Her little legs never stop moving either. She is definitely very active! HA!

And that is it. Everything is going great and I couldn't be happier. Now if I could just pick out a stroller....

See ya soon!

Prego Mego- 23 weeks

2011-03-24T14:38:00.000-05:00

Here we are, again a few days late, at 23 weeks! Next week I will turn 24 years old...and I will be 24 weeks pregnant...I think that is so cool. Emilee and I have made some pretty big strides this week. She is definitely making her presence known lately!

23 Week Highlights

Weight Gain/Loss: I weighed this morning at have gained a total of 3 pounds...after losing nearly 30...But 1 of those 3 pounds comes and goes...so it depends on the day!

Gender: It's a girl! Emilee Sullivan

Size: This week, Emilee is the size of a.... Papaya! Again! Apparently this is the size we are going to stay at for a few weeks according to thebump.com.

Symptoms: This has been the biggest change for me this week.. Emilee is growing like a little weed and she is showing me how much by stretching me out! We have definitely been dealing with some growing pains. Last night (Wednesday) was the first night that I was completely totally unable to get comfortable due to the growing pains. Finally Daddy propped some pillows up ALL around me and I was able to get some rest. I find myself laughing soooo much throughout the day because depending on Miss Priss's mood, I can look sooooo pregnant and then look soooo not pregnant. When she wants to be known, she comes to the front and sticks it all out, but when I am stressed or anxious or if she is just being alittle trickster she will hide over by my hips and my belly that was there 5 seconds ago is GONE. I find my patients looking at me soo funny sometimes cause they are like...well I THOUGHT you were pregnant but your belly just disappeared! It's our act! HA!

The only other symptom to talk about is HEARTBURN! I swear I am growing a "Cousin It." Thankfully Tums relieves most of this so its not a big deal. Just want to stand up alot!

Maternity Clothes: If you see the above about Emilee's disappearing belly act you will understand that sometimes I clearly need the prego clothes, sometimes I don't!

Miss: Nothing.

Movement: She moves alot more lately. Not while I am at work...me walking keeps her snoozing most of the day but at night she gets busy! Still won't let Daddy feel her yet but I think that is Emilee being alittle trickster!

Sleep: I sleep great, a few potty breaks...not every night, some nights.

And this weeks update from thebump.com:
"Baby's little face is fully formed...minus the baby fat, of course. The next task at hand for baby: sprouting two teeny-tiny nipples!"

I can't believe that I only have 4 more weeks in the second trimester! Could this be going ANY faster?!?! I am so in love with my little girl and she isn't even here yet. I just know that she will be sooo special and bring so much joy. I can't wait to tell her ALL about her namesake and how much he meant to mommy and how special she is that she gets to be named after him. And how daddy goes to the stores with me and I end up having to drag him out before he spends our life savings. So many things I can't wait to show her, teach her but most of all... I just want to hold her!

As always, see you next week!

Emilee's Crib

2011-03-22T19:02:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday...two very important things happened... MY BIRTHWEEK began AND Emilee got her crib! What a way to start my birthweek! Birthweek's by the way applies to the week leading up to your birthday... As if that wasn't obvious.

None the less, MeMe bought Emilee her crib! It was a complete surprise and a very welcome one. We couldn't wait to get her crib home and put it together. I was alittle nervous about putting it together. I have heard LOADS of scary stories about hours it takes, etc.... I was nervous! Especially when Keith said "well as long as I use MOST of the screws..."

Keith unboxing the crib.... this box was the biggest box I have ever seen! So many pieces!

SOME of the boxes INSIDE the boxes!

Stil opening up those boxes.

Sophie checking things out......

IS THAT FOR ME?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Working hard for his little girl's bed.

Emilee watching all the action...

ALMOST DONE!

DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the only screws left are for the conversion kits that convert from crib to toddler to full size. I promise!

And that's our crib! It is currently still sitting in our living room, mainly because I couldn't WAIT to put it together but until the bed comes out of the nursery, there is no room for a baby bed. So Ms. Sue and Mr. Gary if your reading this....I have a bed that needs to come to Centreville! :)

Prego Mego- 22 weeks

2011-03-17T14:10:00.002-05:00

Here we are 22 weeks along...this week has been crazy to say the least. Lots of things have transpired over the last couple of days and to be honest my head is still spinning. Good thing I have this sweet little girl in my belly who encourages me to stay CALM! Other than that, just your normal prego update.

Week 22 Highlights

Weight Gain: 2 or 3 pounds according to my scale.

Gender: It's a girl! Emilee Sullivan!

Size: This week Emilee is the size of a papaya! Picture from thebump.com

Symptoms: None except...emotional, hormonal, all the "AL's" in life! I even cried during an epiosde of Saved By the Bell this morning....

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing them OCCASIONALLY. It depends on Emilee. If she sits in the front of my belly I will wear the maternity shirts...if she sits anywhere else, I continue to wear my regular clothes. It's funny because some days I LOOK pregnant, and some days I look so NOT pregnant.

Miss: Nothing much...

Movement: Every now and then.... But still not too frequently.

Sleep: Sleeping GREAT! Still on my stomach most nights or just on my side.

And this week's update from thebump.com:

"Baby's settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop."

Really no other updates to talk about. Wish I had more to say! We will continue to work on Emilee's room this weekend. Hopefully get all that furniture out of the room so we can really get down to the nitty gritty. So we will see. And we need to finish registering. Aunt LiLi is planning our baby shower and she has me all sorts of deadlines to hit! HA!

See ya next week!

Prego Mego- 21 Weeks

2011-03-10T16:27:00.000-06:00

Ok so this may be a few days late but on Tuesday I had the day off and spent the day working on Emilee's nursery and spring cleaning our home. I took pictures throughout the day of working on the room and will post them all in one big post. Before/After thing. I was just glad I didn't find another family living in my guest bedroom. I haven't been in that room in FOREVER and had no idea what was behind that door.

Week 21 Highlights

Weight gain/loss: Gained maybe a pound or two. It fluctuates daily.

Gender: It's a girl! Emilee!

Size: This week, Emilee is the size of a... BANANA! (picture from thebump.com)

Symptoms: Some heartburn but Tums fixes that right up. And some others that are not Blog mentionable! HA!

Maternity Clothes: Have them, don't wear them too often. They are so comfy though!

Miss: Nada. Having too much fun to miss anything. Since I have gotten pregnant, such wonderful things have happened in my life. I had a horrible 2010...and at the end I was blessed with this sweet little girl, and since then things have certainly changed. My relationships have changed, I have made some AWESOME new friends in the most random of places, Keith and I are so blissfully happy it is even disgusting to me sometimes! Life is really fabulous right now. I couldn't complain even if I wanted to.

Movement: I am feeling Emilee more and more. Alot at night. Poor daddy can't quite feel her yet and this upsets him, but he understands that his little girl is still just alittle small! But he can't wait!

And this week's update from thebump.com:

"Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion, and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, if baby is a girl, her womb is now stocked up with her lifetime supply of six million eggs (the number will drop to around one million by birth)."

Tuesday, as I mentioned earlier, I had the day off. It was Mardi Gras here in South Louisiana. One of my favorite holidays. This year though was SOOO NASTY! Rainy, tornado warnings, flooding rain at sometimes. So we decided to stay home. So I sent Keith off to get me and Emilee some pancakes from McDonald's... (funny, she will eat the breakfast but NOT anything else....we do NOT like Chicken Nuggets, which totally breaks my heart.)...so anyway, I am laying in bed relaxing and my sweet Sophie comes and joins me. Now she always lays with me, this is a usual thing, we are extremely close. She is my first little lady! But that morning she laid in a unusual space...she usually lays up on my chest, closer to my face, but that day she laid right on Emilee. So I start petting Soph, and she starts purring and Em goes NUTS. And I don't know if Sophie could kinda feel it maybe but Sophie would try to bury down in my belly more like she was getting close to Emilee. Awe! Sisters! Bonding already! Keith says it could have been Emilee trying to get away from Sophie. But I tend to go with my first thought. Here is quick picture I snapped.

Then, last nigt (Wednesday).... Emilee had some crawfish! I had had a few once before maybe back in December but now since Em can actually TASTE what I eat..I was anxious to see what her opinion of crawfish would be....well... in conclusion! SHE LOVED THEM! True little coonie after all!

See ya next week!

HALF WAY THERE!!!!!- 20 weeks

2011-03-02T16:19:00.000-06:00

Wow, 20 weeks pregnant. Half way through, in roughly 20 weeks I will be holding my little GIRL in my arms. My sweet little Emilee. My precious little baby. I am sooo enjoying my pregnancy that I have mixed emotions, I feel like it is flying by, but at the same time I am glad it is because I can't wait to have her HERE! BTW, I have been taking weekly belly shot pictures, when I remember, but I always keep forgetting to post them. Bad mom award!

20 Weeks

Weight Gain/Loss: Gained like a pound, but it seems to go and come.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Emilee Sullivan

Size: This week, Emilee is the size cantaloupe! Picture from thebump.com

Symptoms: Heartburn alittle more frequently. Most notably this week it feels like Em is hanging out wayyyyy low.... Which kinda concerned me because I was having some back aches and some cramping...but a quick call to the doc and I was reassured that everything is A-OK, just my body doing natural pregnancy things!

Maternity Clothes: Have them, don't really wear them. Although I can honestly say, Keith and I went to a baseball game Tuesday night and Emilee, who usually hangs on my HIPS or on my back bone, decided to move her little self to the front of my belly for the first time and wow did my belly finally look pregnant! I could barely zip my jeans and my shirt was alittle snug in the mid area! It felt so good for her to be OFF my hips but felt even better to actually look pregnant! Plus I can feel her alot better when she moves when she is out front instead of the "hip zone."

Miss: What is there to miss?!?!?!!

Movement: Everynow and then. Not alot, but sometimes. Which is still completely normal for this stage in the pregnancy.

And finally the weekly update from thebump.com:

"Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch."

As I mentioned, Tuesday night Keith and I (and EM!) went to the LSU vs. SELU baseball game. It was my first visit to the new Alex Box Stadium and it definitely won't be my last! Emilee and I enjoyed an array of food: chicken tenders, fries, corn dog, drink, etc. (no this wasn't all for me! Keith and I shared!)....if only I could have gotten them dang Cracker Jacks! We enjoyed the game and the Tigers pulled out a victory. Most thankful for the elevators at the new stadium because those stairs were killer but the sweet men let me ride them up and down as many times as I needed! It was so great to be at the ballgame. Emilee's cousin and namesake, Emile, was a great baseball player and had a love for the game like no other. I watched him play TONS of games from little league to high school. I hope to share his love for baseball with Emilee. Maybe she will play softball? Or maybe not. Maybe she will just love the game and the atmosphere like I enjoy. I played alittle softball (slow pitch...I was the pitcher!) when I was younger but never anything else. But I love to watch the game. It's an American Tradition. I sat in the stadium last night just taking in all the things baseball has to offer and knew that Emile was with me and I know he is watching over my Em.

Anyway, this week we also have our montly OB appt and an ULTRASOUND. Which would make on average a ultrasound every 2 weeks thanks to Autumn at First Glimpse who has been kind enough to give us a "glimpse" of Emilee so often! This ultrasound of course will be for the doctor so alittle more in depth!

See ya next week!

Prego Mego-19 Weeks

2011-02-22T15:44:00.000-06:00

Here we are... 19 weeks already! Next week, I will be saying "we are HALF way through!'.... AHmazing to say the least.

19 week update

Weight gain/loss: I weighed this morning and had gained a pound. 1 pound in 19 weeks isn't too shabby I don't think.

Gender: IT'S A GIRL!!!!...Emilee Sullivan

(side note: we are having problems deciding on a middle name, so if anyone has a suggestion, send it on)

Size: This week Emilee ( I just LOVE saying/typing her name) is the size of a mango! (picture take from thebump.com)

Symptoms: ALOT of bilateral hip pain and back pain. Miss Emilee loves to hang out on my hips and rarely moves from them, so it puts alot of strain on my back. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. Tired alot but that is COMMON with me, and not just because I am pregnant. HA!

Maternity Clothes: I have them and wear them, but don't have to..they are just so comfy!

Sleep: Still sleeping great. Wake up at least once to go to the bathroom. But its a PAIN to get up in the morning!

Miss: Nothing at all.

Movement: Some every now and then. Daddy still can't feel it yet, and mommy only sometimes does, but it feels great and I can't wait for her first big KICK!

and finally the update from thebump.com:

"Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature."

See ya next week for the MIDWAY post! And I am still working on the announcement party. Waiting on my pictures.

It's a.....

2011-02-21T16:51:00.000-06:00

Hush little baby.... don't say a word....

Mommy can now tell you...

that I am a....

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emilee (middle name pending!) Sullivan due July 19, 2011.

Post about our gender reveal party to follow once I get pictures!

Prego Mego- Week 18

2011-02-15T14:57:00.000-06:00

Today, I am 18 weeks pregnant! Soon we will be half way through this. It's kinda bitter sweet. I am enjoyng my pregnancy sooooo much... I don't want it to end but then again I want my baby here so badly! This week we also celebrated Valentine's Day, and we are busy preparing for our Gender Announcement party that is this weekend.

18 Weeks

Weight gain/loss: Still holding steady. No weight gain or loss.

Size: Baby Sullivan is the size of a sweet potato! See picture below from thebump.com

Maternity Clothes: I have them, I like to wear them. I don't need to, but I do. Last night, for Valentine's day I wore a really cute shirt donated by my sister. It was super cute. Other than that, it is normal clothes. Even blue jeans that I haven't worn since high school!

Sleep: Sleeping good with only minimal bathroom breaks during the night.

Symptoms: None really. Baby Sullivan definitely likes to hang out on my left hip bone. I can feel the pressure ALL DAY! He/she loves it there. I guess its comfy??? Maybe??? None the less, by the end of the day, I am kinda dragging my leg behind me and begging my child to move! Is it too early to ground my child? Other than that, still dealing with that no appetite thing. But I am handling it.

Miss: Not a thing. I am enjoying this so much I don't have time to miss anything.

Movement: I feel the baby every now and then, but not all day every day. I can't wait for that! I also can't wait for daddy to feel the baby. I know he will love it.

And finally: whats going on this week courtesy of thebump.com:

"Baby's become amazingly mobile (compared to you, at least), passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel her movements."

As I mentioned earlier, this week was also Valentine's day. Keith took me out to a wonderful dinner at the Melting Pot. It was divine as usual. I could eat there every single day. End of story. Unfortunately, my (maybe?) expanding belly or a baby sitting around the stomach area has decreased the amount of food intake! Here are some pictures from the night:

Getting ready to leave.

Melting Pot gave the ladies a long stem red rose when we arrived.

See ya next week!

Finding out what baby is....

2011-02-08T15:17:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in my last post, Keith and I found out what we were having last Wednesday. It was a complete serendipitous moment. One of those off chance happenings...

I was at work Wednesday afternoon (after fetching the hubby from the airport) and went to the breakroom to get a piece of king cake a rep had brought. Autumn, the rep, and I got to talking and turns out she works at First Glimpse Imaging and asked if I wanted to know what I was having that NIGHT! Who turns that down??? NOT this pregnant lady! So off we went! We got scanned for about 1.5 hours...it was fabulous. We have quite the mover and shaker on our hands. Baby Sullivan moved and grooved all over his/her little home!

So without further adue.....

Introducing.....

BABY SULLIVAN!

Ha! You dind't think I was going to blow the surprise did you!?!?! WRONG! Our announcement party will be the 19th of February so it stays locked up til then!

17 Weeks- Prego Mego

2011-02-08T15:11:00.000-06:00

17 weeks today! YAY! Breezing through this pregnancy if I do say so myself! So here is the update.

Week 17 Highlights

Weight Gain/Loss: Another pound lost!

Size: This week, baby Sullivan is the size of a onion! See picture from thebump.com

Maternity Clothes: None yet. Have started to look at a maternity scrub top... think I will just need one, but my little belly is starting to pull my shirt up alittle!

Sleep: Sleeping perfect. Few bathroom breaks a night.

Symptoms: Heartburn depending on what I eat. SOOO TIRED...and some back pain. But we recently had an ultrasound that showed that Baby Sullivan LOVES to hang out on mommy's hip bones and back bones.

Miss: How could I miss anything when I am so unbelievably happy?

Feelings: See above!

Movement: Maybe alittle, not much! Waiting for that first big sign of life!

Last week.... on Wednesday, we got the most wonderful chance of fate and found out what the baby is! SO WE KNOW! And can't tell! AH!

And the weekly update from thebump.com:

"Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. His umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes now feature one-of-a-kind prints."

16 Weeks

2011-02-01T10:51:00.000-06:00

Today I am 16 weeks pregnant! Almost to the half way point.. weird huh? I swear it's flying by... literally. So here we go!

How Far: 16 Weeks

Size: Baby Sullivan is now the size of avocado...which is a gross looking veggie (fruit??)...anyway, see picture below taken from thebump.com

Weight gain/loss: Holding steady at a 16 or 17 pound weight loss.

Maternity clothes: Have them, haven't worn them yet... Getting excited about wearing them soon though!

Sleep: Sleeping good. I am still sleeping on my stomach, which all the books say is a big NO NO, but I can't help it! I start out on my side, and then I end up on my back. So I go back to my side, and then end up back on my stomach. My sister, who is my go to for prego info, says it's ok...so we will go with that. I have noticed that the more I sleep on my belly the more frequently I have to get up to go to the bathroom at night, I think Baby gets squished up in there and kicks my bladder til I get up! HA! I told Keith that most likely I am laying on the babies foot and he/she are like GET OFF MOM!

Symptoms: Heartburn, some back pain...especially in the afternoon after working all day. And like I mentioned in the last post, the hormones swing the emotions all day long.

Miss: Mountain Dew. I haven't missed it til I was at WalMart the other day and saw one in the little cooler near the cash register... and I wanted it so bad. But didn't want to give the baby that MUCH sugar!

Feelings: Hormones...nuff said. I feel it all x100%.

Movement: None recently that I have noticed.

This week was a first for me, Sophie, and Baby Sullivan. Daddy went on a business trip that required a PLANE trip.. Remember those hormones that I mentioned earlier...you should have seen the blubbering pregnant mess I was in the New Orleans airport on Monday morning. I swear, I would have thrown myself onto the tarmac if I thought I could get away with it and not be arrested by TSA.... thankfully his flight got off and landed safely and he is enjoying Nashville, Tennessee....which is the home to this mommy's most favorite artist ever...Taylor Swift! I have sent him on a mini "stalking" mission to find her... Keith asked about moving there...I said thats cool! I can be BFF with Taylor! HA! However, the WINTER STORM of 2011 is possibly going to hinder his arrival home... but we are hoping not.

And finally the update from thebump.com:

"Watch what you say...tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean she can now pick up your voice. A few more minuscule changes: Eyebrows, lashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming." <---- does this mean that baby might hear me singing Taylor in my car at the top of my lungs!!?! Hope he/she is a fan too!

15 Weeks

2011-02-01T10:34:00.000-06:00

OMG! I forgot to do week 14 post...My bad... this preggy mommy is sooo busy its hard to do an update! So here is 15...at least I remembered!

15 Weeks

How far: (Tuesday) I made 15 weeks!! YAY!

Size: Baby Sullivan is the size of a naval orange. Can I just insert here how GREAT it feels to go to thebump.com and click on SECOND trimester rather than first? Anyway, see our naval orange below brought to you by thebump.com

Weight Gain/Loss: about 16 or 17 pounds down. But I seem to be holding steady, maybe we are evening out.

Maternity Clothes: None, I have some shirts that I can't wait to wear. I think I may finally be getting a baby bump...a very small one, but I think it's there...I can't wait to just POP there is the baby belly.

Sleep: Sleeping good, but getting up alot more frequently to use the bathroom than I did in the first trimester. But I have very much so increased my liquids. Baby Sullivan lets me know ASAP if I am not getting enough water... he/she causes back pains, kidney pain, and abdominal pains if I haven't drank enough.

Symptoms: The heartburn is back... good thing I LOVE me some tums.. I am more partial to the red... they need to make a whole bottle of red only. Like the "FavorREDS" starburst. Headaches are much better since entering the second trimester. Baby Sullivan has been letting me know about some foods he/she doesn't like.. Like my favorite food Chicken and Rice.... He/she HATED it...and this broke this mommy's heart..cause I LOVE IT.

Miss: Nothing at all. I am enjoying everything.

Feelings: You name it, I got it. I cry, get mad, swing every emotion in the book multiple times a day. I have noticed that around 2 PM everyday I get veryyyyy emotional..like go to the bathroom at work, have a small mini breakdown and then I'm good.

Movement: You may notice this a new one in my post, and I put it here because I THINK I may have felt the baby move recently. I had just gotten out the shower and was relaxing on the couch before going to bed and then BAM..I felt this tickle across my tummy...kinda like a little bug had scurried across it, or maybe that Sophie had tickled me with her whiskers. But Sophie was asleep on the bed, and I didn't see a bug. So I can only think it was the baby. Daddy was very upset he missed it and spent the next 20 minutes with hands on my belly begging baby to do it again. In due time daddy, in due time.

And finally: here is what is happening this week...taken from thebump.com:

"Continuing the march toward normal proportions, baby's legs now out-measure his arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably can't feel the movements just yet."

See ya next week!

So long first trimester...! Hello second!

2011-01-13T09:49:00.000-06:00

Everyone cheer! We are 13 weeks pregnant! Which means that we are almost out of the FIRST trimester! One down, two to go. It is literally flying by. I can't believe it. But for the first trimester, it was a BREEZE (much to LiLi's dismay)... no problems at all! Hear's hoping for a breezy second and third! So lets get down to the nitty gritty.

13 weeks and counting...

How far: We are 13 weeks pregnant!

Size: Baby Sullivan is the size of a peach which is one of daddy's favorite fruits! (see picture below from thebump.com)

Weight gain/loss: I have lost about 15 or 16 pounds since finding out I was pregnant. It seems to have stopped dropping off so maybe I am evening out... ?

Maternity clothes: I have them thanks to Me Me (my mom) and Grammy (Keith's mom) and some hand me downs from LiLi (sister) but I am not wearing them yet.

Sleep: Sleeping good, few trips to the bathroom but nothing major.

Symptoms: None really. Finally got the headaches under control which is GREAT. But I have been noticing alittle more nausea than normal. Not vomitting, just the nausea.

Miss: Nothing really. I am enjoying EVERY single moment.

Feelings: Nervous, excitement, anxious to find out what the baby is!!!!

Craving: Not much... Baby Sullivan did have his/her first taste of boiled crawfish the other day... it was a success and I didn't swell due to the salt in take! A+!

We had our monthly OB visit back at the beginning of Jan. We were blessed enough to listen to the heartbeat. It was a good strong 166.... now of course...finding the heart beat... another story! Baby kept running from us! Every time the nurse would find the heart tones, baby Sullivan would swim the other way. About 15 minutes later, we cornered the baby over by my pelvis and finally got him/her to sit still.... We clearly have alittle trouble make on our hands! A definite product of daddy!

We were also tested for early diabetes. I have a long family history of diabetes so my midwife and I thought it would be best to test me early in case I needed to take any extra precautions... so 1 hour and some orange drink later we had blood drawn. And it came back great! Passed with flying colors!

And here is what is going on with the bambino according to thebump.com:

"Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords...savor this, their nonfunctional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with his head now only one third the size of his body. And intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy -- much more convenient."

So there ya have it! 13 weeks down... soon we will know if we are PINK OR BLUE! AH!

See ya next week!

Prego Mego -Week 11

2010-12-28T09:55:00.000-06:00

Today, I am 11 weeks pregnant!!!! WOW! Almost out of the first trimester. Hard to believe. In this short 11 weeks, Baby Sullivan has celebrated Thanksgiving AND Christmas! Baby Sullivan received alot of great gifts for Christmas and one very special homemade gift that has been waiting for us.... I hope to take pictures and do a separate post on that. We also had our first Ultrasound. I have some video of that as well as pictures. But again, different post... I clearly have alot of things to write!

Week 11

How Far: 11 weeks

Size: Baby Sullivan is the size of a LIME! (see picture taken from thebump.com)

Weight Gain/Loss: 11.5 pounds lost.

Maternity Clothes: None but I got a few cute hand me down tops from my sister and a few really cute tops for Christmas!

Sleep: Sleeping really well except for potty breaks through out the night. And as I mentioned in last week's update, if I get woken up it is really hard for me to go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Headaches. OMG they are horrible some days. And some nausea when I smell certain things, but nothing ever comes of it. And I get nauseous when I am HUNGRY!

Miss: Not much. I am having moderate amounts of all my favorites.

Feelings: Excitement. Yep thats it. Just excitement. I finally saw my precious baby on the ultrasound last week and he or she was healthy, and hanging out just growing and I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief. Now I am just enjoying my pregnancy all the time instead of trying to sweat the small things.

Cravings: Nothing unusual. And not really cravings. There are things that I want, but not that I am gonna send Keith out for at 1 AM to get! Yet...

And this week's update courtesy of thebump.com

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

And there my sweet baby is! I can't seem to figure out how I upload pictures straight up to blogger but then they turn sideways anyway. It makes me mad!

Prego Mego- Week 10

2010-12-19T21:05:00.000-06:00

YAY! I am 10 weeks pregnant today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoop whoop!!! Is it flying by??? Yes, I think so. So, here comes the update.

Week 10 Highlights

How far: 10 weeks

Size: Baby Sullivan is the size of a PRUNE...ew... (see picture below)

Weight Gain/Loss: 11 pounds LOST!!!

Maternity Clothes: None. If I keep losing weight, I might not need them! :)

Sleep: Sleeping good, but if I get woken up it is kinda hard for me to go back to sleep, especially when there is a "daddy" SNORING next to me.

Miss: Not much, I was missing sweet tea, etc...but my OB said I could have SMALL amounts of it, so that helps alot. I love me some sweet tea. I am enjoying everything so much.

Feelings: Excitement. Tomorrow we have our first ULTRASOUND... I am soo nervous, excited, scared. I am sooo afraid of hearing... "umm..I will be right back, I am going to get the doctor..." NIGHTMARE!

Cravings: None really. I am really just breezing through this!!!!

And finally.... the weekly update from thebump.com:

With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)

As I mentioned earlier.... Tomorrow we have our first Ultrasound and I am crazy anxious!!!!!!! I am pumped. And nervous. And Keith is counting down the hours...literally... "In x number of hours we get to see the baby..." HA! It's so cute....

In other news, yesterday I met the Volturi and Jasper that are apart of the TWILIGHT cast! Yes, this pregnant lady sat outside in the cold for like.... 5 hours...waiting to get autographs... I am not crazy I am not crazy I am not crazy... I will post pictures soon... It was GREAT!!! One of the actors actually talked to Baby Sullivan!!! AND I made some great new friends, Debbie and Miranda. I can't wait to get to know these ladies better.

This week is Christmas and I can't believe that next year at Christmas I will have a little baby in my arms!! AH! Can't wait to celebrate with my family this week. It will be great I know.

So, that was the 10 week update. I can't believe that in 2 weeks I will be out of the first trimester! CRAZY!

See ya next week! Merry Christmas!

Prego Mego- Week 9/OB appt

2010-12-12T11:43:00.001-06:00

Today I am 9 weeks pregnant with Baby Sullivan! And we also had our first OB appt.

Pregnancy Highlights: Week 9

How Far: 9 Weeks

Size: Baby Sullivan is the size of an Green Olive!

(picture below taken from thebump.com)

Weight Gain/Loss: I have LOST almost 10 pounds since finding out I was pregnant on November 9. But total to date: 7.5 pounds lost.

Maternity Clothes: None

Sleep: Sleeping good, but if by chance Keith wakes me up when he gets in bed at night I am WIDE awake for at LEAST an hour or so.

Miss: Not much at all. Just enjoying everything.

Feelings: Excitement. Our first OB appt was this week (more on that later), and I was soo glad to finally go to the doctor.

Symptoms: Nausea when hungry, Headaches occasionally, Sore Breasts.

Craving: Starbucks...which is very weird cause I am not a HUGE Starbucks fan. I can't even remember the last time I had Starbucks... But I want it now!

And finally this week according to thebump.com:

"Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like...well...a baby!"

The picture above was taken in the exam room of our FIRST OB APPT! I tried for 10 minutes to rotate it properly and it never would. I am not sure what I did wrong.

Our first appt went really well. It was alot of questions, 8 TUBES of blood drawn, an exam, a snooping husband (what does this do?), and a nervous new mommy. But all in all it went really well! MeMe joined us for our first appointment and sat in the waiting room proudly as NEW MEME TO BE! Keith and I enjoyed having her there with us.

Where I work, our OB/GYN is composed of Doctors and Midwives. A requirment for new OB patients (me), is to see a Midwife first. Mainly because the first appointment is usually the longest and they want you to be able to spend all the time you need with someone. So you see a midwife. I admit, I was NOT happy when I found this out. A midwife? How medieval times is that!?! But I saw Amy Linn, and my feelings changed. She was great. Attentive, helpful, knowledgable. Keith and I both got great vibes from her and really liked her alot. Which is important, cause this is my baby and I want to deal with someone I like. I will see my doctor, Dr. Huynh, a few times, but unless there is a problem there is no reason to not see the midwife. And if I have vaginal delivery, Amy will most likely deliver instead of a doctor. Interesting, huh?

We get to have our first Ultrasound done on December 20 and I can hardly wait. In case your wondering.... 8 days from now. We will finally get to see our little "green olive" ha! After our appt, we went to have some yummy food at Jason's Deli.

Prego Mego- Week 8

2010-12-05T09:00:00.001-06:00

Today... I am 8 weeks pregnant with Baby Sullivan! This is flying it seems at times! So, here is the update.

Week 8 Pregnancy Highlights

How Far: 8 Weeks

Size: Baby Sullivan is the size of a Raspberry! (see picture)

Weight Gain/Loss: Actually, I weighed and it seems I have lost about 4-5 pounds. I blame it on giving up the caffeine and watching what I am eating. But hey, it's ok to lose alittle weight..right?

Maternity Clothes: None, but I want to try to buy some next week after my OB appt while the summer clothes are on clearance so I can get some good deals!

Sleep: Sleeping good. Only up once or twice to use the bathroom. Crazy dreams at times. Other than that, I can pretty much fall asleep anywhere!

Miss: Not much, ok maybe sweet tea. But that's it.

Feelings: Awe.

Symptoms: Heartburn, some nausea at times, sore breasts.

Craving: Not much. I haven't really had much of an appetite lately.

From thebump.com

"Baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs, and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy."

This week we head to our first OB appt. I am so excited, nervous, antsy, and a whole lot more feelings but most of all excitement. I will post an update after that. And I plan to try to take some pictures of that first appointment. So finally will have some other pictures to put on here! And as another special treat, my mom is going to be going to our first appointment with us. I know Baby Sullivan will LOVE his or her MeMe.

See ya next week!

Mid 7 week update

2010-12-02T15:44:00.000-06:00

So I just wanted to get some things typed out on here that I wanted to remember about this week. I was just telling my sister earlier that I didn't "feel" pregnant all the time, of course she reminded me it won't be long til I will "feel" pregnant all the time, but sometimes I still am just in awe that in my belly, there is an actual PERSON growing. He or She may be the size of a blueberry, yes, but that is MY baby. Women are the coolest, we make people.

But the more I think about it, the more I do see some small signs/symptoms of my pregnancy. For instance:

1. Tired. All. The. Time. <--- I know most people that know me say I could sleep all day anyway, well mulitply that by 10.

2. Nausea. I might not be getting "sick"...but when I am procrastinating on eating, or when I smell certain foods, smoke, etc...I get this wave of nausea. Sometimes it leads to gagging, but usually nothing more than that.

3. Headaches. These are not bad at all. I still think it's me missing the caffeine.

4. The "ladies" hurt. Even water pressure from the shower hurt them! Plus, we have grown in size! HA!

5. Emotional. <--- this isn't funny. I cry at everything. Commercials, Rockefeller Tree lighting, TV shows, I cry because Sophie won't sit with me. I cry in the shower because I'm in awe that God blessed with me a child. My point is.... I CRY! Keith finds it hilarious of course.

These are only a few things....but my main point is that next week I have my first OB appt and this is all going to become super real. And I pray that that appointment goes good. I pray that we might get to hear a heartbeat???? I pray that I am progressing and that my little dumpling is just cozied up in my belly!

Please, please pray for peace and calm. Keith (even though he won't hardly admit it) and I are extremely nervous. Being in the healthcare field I always ALWAYS go to the "bad place"...I am what if this, what if that. You can't think that way, but I am alot better at negative than positive sometime. So pray for the positive. Pray for ME to be positive. Pray for my little angel.

See ya soon!

Prego Mego- Week 7

2010-11-28T13:37:00.000-06:00

Today I am 7 weeks pregnant!!!!!!!!!

Here is a look at what is going on this week:

How far: 7 weeks

Size: Baby Sullivan is the size of a BLUEBERRY!!! (see picture below)

(picture from thebump.com)

Weight gain/loss: None

Maternity Clothes: None yet.

Sleep: Sleeping GREAT! Ok, that is a tad bit of a lie.... I am having CRAZY dreams... for instance, last night, I had a dream that a GIGANTIC Spider formed out of the chocolate cake batter and started chasing me around the house! OMG! Other than that, sleeping really well...

Miss: Sweet tea.... Cherry Limeaids from Sonic, ok...so its caffeine!

Cravings: Not really anything specific.... I just want all of my favorite things all the time.

Symptoms: Nausea, no vomitting. And leg pain when I sit too long...the book says because the blood flow is slower returning to the heart because of the uterus. IDK though.

Best Moment this week: Thursday, Keith and I traveled to Mississippi to his parents house. Upon arrival, I was greated with belly rubs, hugs, smiles and more. But the greatest thing.... Keith and my nephew, Branden, gave us the card (pictured below). In case you can't read it, it says "Renee I can't wait for you to have a baby." Isn't that the SWEETEST thing you have ever seen. I know this baby is going to born into a family full of love.

Lastly here is what is happening this week in the belly from thebump.com

Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about one hundred new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

See ya next week!

Pregolicious- Week 6

2010-11-21T09:00:00.001-06:00

Today, I am 6 weeks pregnant....well according to my calculations at least! :)

So here is the 6 week wrap-up.

How Far: 6 weeks

Sizee: Baby Sullivan is the size of a SWEET PEA! (see picture below)

Weight Gain/Loss: None

Maternity Clothes: Nah, way too early for that!

Gender: Don't know yet but I think Daddy and I both have our special "wishes."

Sleep: Sleeping GREAT! But I just feel like it's never enough.

Miss: Sweet tea...and Medium Rare Steaks! HA!

Craving: Ham & Cheese biscuits from Vine's

Symptoms: Nausea, but no vomitting....yet...they say this starts around 6 weeks..

Best Moment: When Keith gets home at night from his shift, he gets in bed, and sometimes he doesn't know I am awake but I am, and he tells the baby he is home and that he loves it and rubs my belly for a minute. It is the sweetest thing EVER!

Taken from thebump.com

Also from thebump: Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks, and chin. Those little hands and feet -- still webbed like paddles -- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!), and blood is starting to circulate.

Our first OB/GYN appointment has officially been scheduled for December 9. I am sooo nervous but sooo excited. It feels like it is FOREVER away!

Hope you enjoyed this weeks update! See you at the 7!

5 weeks Pregolicious

2010-11-15T16:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I made 5 weeks pregnant!!!

***(hang on real quick while I still try to digest that I, Renee', am pregnant!)

I want to try to do these weekly journal entries so I can remember EVERYTHING about growing this little miracle. Eventually I will put some "belly" pictures maybe... who knows... I am just gonna go with the flow. So here goes.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 5 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Sullivan is the size of an apple seed. (see picture below)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: None!

Maternity Clothes: Nope

Gender: Won't know for awhile yet.

Sleep: I sleep but I swear its never enough, I am always sooo tired.

What I miss: Nothing really - 2 words....SWEET TEA

Cravings: Not too many, just hungry... Grammy (mother in law) is

making me some chicken and dumplings this week though! yum!

Symptoms: Tired, some lower abdominal pain

Best Moment this week: Just knowing there is a baby in there!

Funny Story: Last night (Sunday) Keith and I were laying on the couch. Well of course

prego mego ladies have extremely sensitive smells...so I smell something burning. Kinda like the smell of hair buring in a hair dryer. So I immediately get up to investigate..what I was gonna do if there was a fire, I don't know, but I was gonna find it! Well Keith gets up too and starts walking around swearing I am crazy and nothing is burning but I insist. So apparently I look quite silly walking around with my nose in the air sniffing and Keith says "sniff it out blood hound, sniff it out!"... so there you have it.... I have the senses of a blood hound. But hey, this could be useful!

5 weeks from thebump.com

Still hard to believe that I am having a baby, but each day it sinks in alittle more. I can definitely say my big problem right now is I am sooooo paranoid! Everything I feel makes me wonder "what if?" so prayers are appreciated for some reassurance. I have been reassured by everyone including doctors that all is well...but I can't help but be nervous!

Our first OB/GYN appt is scheduled for December 9, 2010. I believe that MeMe will be attending with us. So that will be exciting!

See ya next week!

Did you hear the news????

2010-11-11T15:04:00.000-06:00

Of course you did! But if you didn't....

We're PREGNANT!!!!

Let me back up, cause I want to make sure I get all of this story right. Because it is definitely a story for the books. So here goes....

Monday Night/Tuesday AM I woke up with a horrid stomach virus. OMG it was terrible. I was calling my friend Ralph, and I think he was having a party. So needless to say, I called and said "I will be coming up there today but not to work, to get some meds!"

So I arrived to the clinic at I guess around 7:20 AM and was rushed upstairs to Lab to do a Urine Pregnancy Test (UPT). Start with the basics huh?!?

I did the test, came back downstairs and was brought back to see our nurse practitioner, Cathy David. (shout out David!) She came in, checked me out, etc. Left and came back in and said ok well your UPT is negative. Insert devastation here. Mainly because I was already a day late and I just knew I was.... but sadly no. So I am like ok, just fix me. So a shot of Phenergran later and a trip back to lab to test for H. Pylori, etc. I was headed home to SLEEP. (I was hoping to anyways.)

But, I am getting ahead of myself. While in the lab for the second time, the lab supervisor ran around the corner and said "wait! wait! we need more labs for her!"...mass confusion set in, I was NOT in the mood to be stuck for the 3rd time that day but was like, ok whatever. Didn't even ask what the test was. Figured it was some random thing.

About an hour or so after I got home, I had FINALLY gotten comfortable in bed and had dozzed off. And my cell rang, it was the clinic. I rolled over, collected my thoughts, made sure I wasn't slurring my words, and said "hello.".... I was greeted on the other line by Ms. Kathy Kilgore, Cathy David's nurse. Don't get those 2 confused, there might be a test later. HA! She said that she needed me to come back up there because they had results for me. Of course, I know that most of the blood work I did took a few days to get results, so I was like "what?" and she insisted I come back up there and because I had a phenergran shot, it was imperative Keith drive me. Ummm...Ok...on my way....

We arrived back to the clinic, and I began to think I should have just worked today because I have clearly been up here more than I have been at home. So I get there and Ms. Kathy comes to get me. She puts me in a room and says we will be right back. Ok whatever. So Cathy David walks in, and starts to explain....

The UPT test came back negative, but then they looked at it again and it said positive. But it was after 3 minutes, therefore making the positive result still invalid. So I had them run an HCG lab on you. And.... Renee'.....(wait for it, wait for it)....your pregnant.... I can't tell you what was said after that because I was pretty much a blubbering mess of tears, queasiness (remember, stomach virus?), and squeals.

So basically, in the time she said "its negative" to the time I got to lab, they had realized it was positive and had called down to report it to Cathy.

So, I found out I am expecting my first child through....LAB ERROR! I always thought it would be in my own bathroom, with a little stick, with Keith and Sophie...but so much for the best laid plans right....

So that is our story. Stomach virus. Lab error. CELEBRATION!

We are due July 17th, according to my calculations, but won't see our OB until December (must be 8 weeks.)

Please pray for the health of our sweet baby! (who is the size of a poppyseed today...by the way...)

"I have prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him"
1 Samuel 1:27

Bayou Country Superfest

2010-06-08T20:27:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day weekend for the Sullivan's got started off with a BANG at the BCS! We saw David Nail, Kellie Pickler, Keith Urban, AND TAYLOR SWIFT! Good friends and family of mine know how much I love Taylor Swift. So when Keith called me that Friday afternoon and told me he could get us FLOOR seats at the stage....needless to say, I told him to do whatever he had to do to get those tickets.

The day was great. It was hot! But we had a tent and a fan and of course in true LSU tailgating style, a BBQ pit where Keith made some great hamburgers. Right before heading in to the stadium, the bottom fell out of the sky and we were drenched....that didn't stop us though from having a great time! Besides, it NEVER rains in Tiger Stadium....right? RIGHT?

Our VIP floor wrist bands.....

So anyway, here are some pictures from the event. We had a GREAT time and couldn't hear for the next few days! It was AWESOME!

David Nail

Chance of rain????? NEVER!

Kellie Pickler

Ever wonder what a football players sees from the field of Tiger Stadium??? THIS! I know I have been on the field before AFTER big win games and such but to see the stands full and everyone screaming..brings a whole new meaning to "Death Valley"...Maybe it should be "DEAF Valley"!!!

Hello Keith Urban!

Yes, we were THIS close....

This guitar changed colors throughout the song.

"YOU BELONG WITH MEEEEE!!!!!"

Sorry this picture is turned...I thought I had fixed that before uploading. Oh well. Just showing off Taylor's LSU jersey!

"It's a love story, baby just say YES!"

"It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something.......It's FEARLESS!

(this was Keith's on photography task. To take a picture during MY most favorite part of Taylor's performance. Basically she says the line under the picture and then during a music interlude thing (is that what its called) raises her hands and makes a heart...) You can see my heart in the picure, but unfortunately Taylor is blurred.... Oh well...no one said Keith was a photographer)

Keith said I reminded him of a 12 year old girl screaming and stuff....but I don't care. I love Taylor Swift!

Over all, it was an awesome concert. I am hearing that they are planning to do it next year, so we wil see if we will make that....depends on what acts are there! I feel so blessed to have been part of the FIRST EVER concert in Tiger Stadium! And even more blessed to have been given the opportunity to have floor seats at the stage....THANKS HONEY!

Fly High

2010-04-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

These pictures have been on my camera for like a month now, and I am just getting around to uploading them and blogging about them.

At Centreville Academy's first home baseball game, the teams honored my cousin, Emile. Emile was #2 and played left field. The memorial service began with a sweet prayer and story about Emile. And then the Junior class took the field and placed a banner in left field in honor of Emile while "Turn the Page" played.

CA played ASC, a rivaling school about 15 minutes away. Of course, the small towns we grew up in are all very close and we are all friends. ASC's players wore shirts with Garrett on the back in purple. (They are the Rebels). What a wonderful thing to do.

Then the teams presented my Aunt with flowers and my Uncle threw the first pitch of the game.

Fly High #2.

Emile's jersey hanging on the fence.

Emile's "NayNay" with his jersey.

The first batter took the box and during that first game pitch, left field was left open in reminder of the player that stole every one's hearts.

It was an awesome game and the presence of Emile was definitely felt there as Centreville rocked homers out of the field and beat ASC.

The t-shirts.

Here are some more pictures from that beautiful game.

Coach Mann gave Emile his very first "real" baseball that Emile played with.

Spitting image of Emile.

The Junior Class Emile's Team

First pitch

Balloons for E.

ASC's Jersey

My love.

Take a look into my soul

2010-04-22T10:07:00.000-05:00

Disclosure: This is going to be an awfully long blog, so you have been warned! I hope you stick with it and read it because it is coming straight from my heart.

Last night, was a bad, great, sad, angry, and everything in between night.

I was so excited yesterday to receive Angie Smith's book "I Will Carry You." I have read Angie's blog faithfully and even though I don't know her personally, I feel like I do. She has inspired me in more ways than I will ever be able to type into this blog.

I poured myself into this book as soon as I got it yesterday. I couldn't wait to read it, and it hasn't disappointed AT ALL. You should totally read it. She says in her book that through all of her trial of knowing she would lose her child that she kept saying to herself "He is Enough." Wow. What an honest, humble, and completely selfless thing to say. "He is Enough." Here you are fighting for your unborn child's life, who every medical professional has said will not live, but yet, you cling to this one small statement.

The book goes on to say that she went to a doctor's appointment and they advised a C-section because without one, they feared the baby would "not be born whole." Seriously? I can't get the image out of my head on that one. So she said she went home and poured over the calendar and circled April 7. She said, "We had to decide the day our daughter would die." Re-read that sentence. Angie and her husband Todd had to decide what day their daughter, Audrey Caroline, would die. They were choosing the day that she would come into and leave this world. I can't even begin to wrap my head around that.

Reading last night brought out a lot of emotions in me. I broke down in what was to become an emotional rollercoaster that I would ride for the next few hours.

I cried, hollered, wailed, and fought. I cried for Angie, I cried for Audrey. I cried for Keith, who was sitting there with this look of fear on his face, but never once let go of my hand...and when I got to over heated and started "bahoffing" as my dad says, he got me some ice water and a wet towel. I cried for Jay, the friend we lost in 8th grade. Wondering "where would he be today?" I cried for Josh, the only other guy I would have ever considered marrying instead of Keith. I cried for Josh's wife and his sweet baby girl that looks just like him, and prayed that she would know her fathers love and how great he was. I cried for an unspoken reason. I cried to just cry.

But mainly, I cried for my Emile.

Emile's brother, Stephen, he saw him. He saw Emile. And Emile said "I am ok, don't worry about me." The jealousy that consumed me was unbearable. Why didn't I get that? Why didn't I get to see Emile? I believe whole-heartedly that Stephen was more deserving than I to receive such a special encounter in his dreams. After all, that is his brother. But I am his Nay Nay. I am the one who his parent's entrusted him to for more than 6 years. Why didn't I get to see him? I was angered, hurt, and jealous. A combination no one likes. Don't misunderstand, I do see Emile in my dreams, but more along the lines of things we used to do, I dream about the times on the boat in New Roads and Emile skiing. Or playing Guitar Hero and Emile once again schooling me on how bad I was at it. Or, Emile singing along with Solid Gold Saturday Night....."He stopped loving heeerrrrrr today...." In that sweet, sweet voice.

As I lay in bed, I asked God why did he take Emile. I begged Him to explain it to me. Ok, more like demanded. I demanded God tell me why. Why he was never gonna be the god father to my child, why was he never gonna graduate high school, why was he never going to LIVE. I was angry, and I tried to tell myself that there was a greater plan than my plans. And that "He is Enough." But, that wasn't enough last night. I begged God to let me see Emile, I begged him to let Emile tell me himself that he was ok. I said "Lord, please let me see him so I can have peace. Let me know he is ok so I can have peace Lord. I just want to know he is safe." For those of you that were at the funeral, or know me. One of the things that upset me the most was that Emile was in that casket alone, and he was put in the ground, alone. In the cold, hard ground. Now, I know Emile wasn't there, it was just his shell. But still the thought of the "shell" that I loved so dearly was in the ground, tore me to shreds. And everyone told me that. But even now the thought of him in the ground makes me shutter. Especially on the cold days we had in Jan and Feb. I would have loved nothing more than to wrap him up, cause he was always cold.

So I prayed. And prayed. And tired to listen to what the Lord was telling me. And in the midst of that, I fell asleep.

I haven't slept well since Emile died. Because each night as I lay in bed, I think about it. I think about the accident, how if only I could have been there. Would that have made a difference? I know better, I know that it wouldn't have, because the Lord wanted him then. But I still wonder....... Or....is he ok? Is he making friends in Heaven? Does he have a guitar? A bow? Is there deer in Heaven? So I go to sleep each night with a heavy heart. For myself, for my family.

But last night, I slept. I slept HARD. Let me explain: I am used to waking up multiple times at night, I switch pillows multiple times at night, and I am not meaning I turn them over to the cold side. No, I literally have 1 pillow under my head, and 2 more on the floor and all night long I wake up, and switch them out. I get up to use the restroom. I wake up to look at the time. I wake up because I am somehow afriad I am smothering my sweet Sophie who is cuddled next to me.

But last night, I slept. I never woke up, woke up with the same pillow I went to sleep with, never went to the bathroom, never dreamed (and everyone knows I have CRAZAY dreams), AND slept through 2 alarms this morning. Keith said I couldn't even be woke up for him to tell me bye.

Did God answer MY request to see Emile? No. Did He answer the request for peace? Yes. He gave me my answer. Not by seeing Emile. But giving me rest. I woke up this morning feeling better than I have in a long time. I slept and in sleeping, I knew that Emile was where he was supposed to be, and that he was ok. And in that, I slept.

Today, I will move from our apartment that we have lived in the past year. I will never again sleep in the bedroom that the phone call that pierced the silence of the night and told me the worst news of my life. Today, I will hopefully begin healing. I have been waiting for it to happen. My dad was telling me the other day how good I was doing. And I pasted a smile on my face and agreed but what he didnt' know, and what no one knew is that I was far from ok. It's easy to pretend. It's much harder to really tell people how you feel. But you know, why should I burden my family who is also grieving with my grief? But today, I hope to begin healing.

I know Emile is sitting here beside me right now. I can feel his prescence. And if I sit still long enough, I can almost hear his voice and feel his touch.

I am changed. I will never be the same. But I am changed and it is for the better. I am learning a new found following of God. I am eager to go to church and listen to the Word. And I am eager to do my Bible study.

I thank Emile and Angie Smith.

Sorry for this long blog. If you read all of it, I thank you. I thank you for reading in to the bottom of my sole. Please pray for me as I continue this journey.

My hubby

2010-03-02T16:46:00.000-06:00

I just felt like typing a few things about my husband this afternoon as I sit here and think about him.

Keith is so good to me. I swear it. I don't deserve it.

He will do the dishes, wash the clothes, whatever and never complains.

He will say on a Sunday afternoon for me to go take a nap and he will fold the laundry

He works mulitple hours a week so he can give me nice things.

He wants to be a dad more than any man I know.

He is humble and sweet.

He takes my mom and me out to lunch on random Sunday afternoons.

My sister says we are "disgustingly" happy.

He sends me flowers on Valentines Day

He goes out of his way to surprise me.

He brings me home a candy bar just because he was thinking about me.

He holds me up when I am sad, lets me cry on his shoulder, and makes me laugh.

I don't know why God blessed me with such a great man, but I thank Him every day for it.

Sometimes......

2010-02-24T16:42:00.000-06:00

Sometimes..... I am okay......

Sometimes..... I can deny the reality.......

Sometimes....it hurts to breathe.....

Sometimes....The reality of it cuts me like a knife....

But all of the time.....I miss my Emile.....

No Title Needed

2010-01-15T11:50:00.002-06:00

January 6, 2010....11:45 PM.....I'm up, I don't know why...I go to the bathroom, and get back in bed.....

My phone rings, I'm thinking...."this better be good"...I notice it's my mom....

I answer....and the next words I hear will forever impact and change my life as I know it.... "Emile is dead."

At that moment, my heart literally broke....not just into two pieces, into a million pieces.

Emile was my 16 year old cousin who if you ask anyone in my family....they will all tell you "I raised him." I babysat him for YEARS! Literally YEARS. I took him to football practice, baseball practice, hair cuts, dentist appointments, doctor appointments. You name it, I took him. We spent everyday, all day together during the Summer. He was my sidekick, he was MY baby. He was my Emile. And we have forever stayed close.

I often have told Keith that if it ever came down to having to choose between rescuing Emile from a fire, or rescuing Keith....that I would have to choose Emile....Why? Because I could find another Keith, I know I would never find another Emile. And I assure you to this day, I know I will never find another Emile. And I'm okay with that....besides no one would ever be able to measure up to my Emile!

So, this past week....I found out how much people knew about Emile and I's special relationship.....

As of today, I have received about 8 emails from people, some I know, some I don't, that all have a special memory of Emile, and they all include me....Many emails say "You dont know me, but everytime I think of Emile, I see you right beside him holding his hand or smiling down at him." Or, "My best memory involves you and Emile, because of your special bond."

These emails are such a blessing to me at this time.... That people who I dont even know know how much he meant to me, and how much I hopefully meant to him. Because he was my heart. A piece of me went to Heaven with him. I read them and feel so overwhelmed with PRIDE. Pride that I made an impact on Emile's life. That I was his babysitter for so many years. That when people think of Emile, they think of me. It is such a great feeling in this great time of sorrow for me.

The good news???? Is there any good news in all of this???

YEP! Because Emile is in Heaven now. And he is preparing a spot for me to join him one day. AND, when Keith and I have a baby....he will be there....right there with me.... Watching over me and my unborn child...and he will make sure that everything is perfect. He is watching over my family and taking care of us all.....He is definitely talking God's ear off, and probably Jay's too. Most importantly, I can talk to him WHENEVER I want to now and I know now he can't just ignore me! He has to listen! And boy do I talk to him alot! So one day, when my time comes, I can't wait to see my Emile, wrap my arms around him and give him a big kiss on the cheek. And mess up his hair.... He will be there waiting, I know it.

On Tour.....

2009-12-14T13:38:00.007-06:00

Hi! And welcome to our home!

We are so glad you stopped by! I hope you enjoy looking at our Christmas decorations! Please leave me a comment so I can check yours out too!

Let's get started.

To start off, this is our tree. Keith and I cut down a tree each year and always have a blast. Well I do at least, Keith complains that I take too long to pick it out, but its always fun. This year, I was in the recovery stage from surgery so the pain pills were really talking to me! I love our tree, even if the base of it is slightly crooked....causing it to fall over after I got all the ornaments on it....

Quite possibly my favorite thing about my tree is the HUGE bow on top that my sister made for me. I love it!!!!

In case you haven't figured out my Christmas "theme"....it is red and green....lots of red and green! I found this red/green polka dot paper this year at HollyDays in Baton Rouge and bought it immediately. I even got boxes...the smaller boxes came from Wal Greens....everything must match!

Our stockings, these are new this year, and I am not sure if I like them yet...I love Soph's but I think I want some with Keith and my name on them...Soooo I am working on that....

Quite possibly one of my favorite pieces of furniture..Keith made this table for me out of really old wood found at the bottom of the MS River and old church pews...I love it!!!!!!!! I have 2 small trees on this table and a decanter with glittery swizzles...

This book is also on the table. My mom and dad used to collect these books and I have taken them now...I love them! I read them every year...even though I know exactly what they say.

This is hanging above the door that leads into the study....

Our counter has garland lining it with lots of red and green balls in it....Sophie loves to try to tear this down daily!

This year, I decided I wanted to start collecting something "Christmas" and I decided on Santa Clause's.....so Keith went out and bought me my very first Santa...I love it...I hope to get a new one each year...

This is probably one of the most meaningful Christmas decorations...My late Uncle Skipper hand painted this Nativity set...Well my mom said he did, I personally don't remember it. But I have always loved this set as a child and this Christmas my mom passed it on to me. I nearly cried I was so excited. I am so thrilled to have this in my house. I loved my Uncle Skipper and I love this Nativity scene.

Santa's Helper...Sophie's hat...

Also this year, Keith and I decided that since we hope to have children soon that we wanted to go ahead and get our "elf" and have it as a part of our tradition. Here is the book, beside it sits 2 red tree things that I got from Hobby Lobby.

Ernie the Elf.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Goodnight!!!!

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You.....

2009-12-10T14:59:00.001-06:00

I'm Back!

And I'm on tour!

See you then!

Special Prayer Request

2009-10-06T12:30:00.003-05:00

Fred Rein of Fort Worth, TX was brutally beaten by 3 teens while delivering pizza's in Fort Worth Saturday night. He was left for dead after being beat repeatedly by an aluminum baseball bat. Mr. Fred is currently in ICU with severe brain injuries.

You can read the whole story HERE

Please please please send up your prayers for Fred Rein and his family as they search for a miracle and for justice.

People describe Fred as the nicest person you will ever meet, and when I was listening to it on KKITM on my way to work this AM, I couldn't help but tear up as they talked about it. It broke my heart. This is someone's dad, someone's pawpaw, someone's husband. And he was beaten for a free pizza and some cash? Are you freaking kidding me!

Please pray for them.

It's KIDD's KIDS DAY!!!!!!

2009-10-01T09:01:00.002-05:00

I listen faithfully to Kidd Kraddick in the Morning....Have for years. And each year they take a group of chronically and terminally ill children to DISNEY WORLD! They give these kids and their families the trip of a lifetime...for some kids...this is the only happiness they get...for some kids...its the last trip they might take...

This touches my heart so deep. 1 day a year, KKITM has the annual Kidd's Kids Day where they raise money for the trip....

So, with that being said....I CHALLENGE each person that reads my blog today to go HERE and donate to this wonderful cause...

I am so blessed to have 2 healthy nephews that I love sooo deeply. I don't know what I would do if something was wrong with them...I admire so much the families that have the strength to push on...I don't know if God blessed with me that strength...

So please donate today, and help send these kids on the trip of their life. They deserve it. Plus it will make you feel good inside.

PS....You can donate anytime...not just today!

Have a great day!

Luke Does Love His Nannie!

2009-09-30T09:11:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in so long!!!! :(

I have tons of stuff to report, but haven't had time to sit down and do it!

I will get to it, I promise....maybe this weekend...

Until then, please read THIS (click on the word "this") post my sister did today about ME and my precious Godchild Luke. We will be attending Centreville's Homecoming festivities this Friday night and I am taking Luke to eat at Vines. I know he is so excited, maybe even more excited than his Nannie is!

Happy Hump Day!

Beginning tonight at 9/8c!!!!

2009-09-24T09:24:00.003-05:00

ITS BACK!!!!!

I put on a roast in the crock pot this morning, so supper will be ready when I get home this afternoon....and then...the entire house will go completely silent at 8:30 PM...(I say this because I DVR the first 30 minutes without watching, that way when I begin at 8:30 I can fast forward through commericals!....ok so maybe I have this down to an art...its Grey's what do you expect?)

I need to get some kleenex ready because I am sure this will be a tear jerker...

Happy watching!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-14T12:10:00.003-05:00

I know this post is supposed to be about my exciting trip to see Taylor Swift, but I have even more exciting news to share!!

My former boss, Amy and her husband David have struggled with infertility for many years. They began the process of adoption about 3 years ago. Since then, Amy and David were devasted twice when a mother had agreed to give her baby up for adoption, and then at the last minute, changed her mind, shattering David and Amy's dream of having their family. However, they knew that when the time was right, God would bless them with their little boy or girl. And then, He did.

Isabella Morgan Killingsworth came into David and Amy's lives in February 2009. However, last week.....THE ADOPTION WAS FINALIZED!!!!!! Now, Amy and David can rest easy knowing that Bella is and always will be their little girl. When Amy texted me with the news after court was ended. I cried and thanked God for providing these wonderful people with their missing piece.

So today, I send out to the blog world a huge congratulations to Amy and David and sweet precious Bella.

Congrats!

Here is a picture of Isabella Morgan. We call her Bella.

Fearless

2009-09-12T23:48:00.003-05:00

I am back from the Taylor Swift concert in Birmingham! I have TONS of pictures to upload, I will probably make collages that way I can put alot of pictures without taking alot of space. I do want to include these few and tell you that I ALMOST TOUCHED TAYLOR SWIFT! I can also honestly admit that, I love Taylor Swift. Her music speaks to me, and reminds me so much of things that have gone on in my life. I always keep her CD in my CD player, and whenever I have a bad day, I put on alittle Taylor and I feel better. Last night, seeing her up there on that stage, feeling her energy, her emotion, her passion, it was overwhelming. At one point, she started tearing up because it was as well, just overwhelming to her, and sure enough, I cried right along with her. Not a hysterical cry, just a few happy tears. I hope she stays the same forever and does not get carried away with fame. It was fabulous!

More pictures tomorrow! Good night!

Here is a new Recipe!

2009-09-11T08:56:00.003-05:00

I call this: Recipe for a GREAT weekend....

Take:

2 best friends...

Throw in:

2 FLOOR seats to see Taylor Swift

And add:

1 6 hour trip to Birmingham, Alabama!

And you have got the BEST WEEKEND EVER!!!!!

Pictures to come!!!

Oh, this also completes items 29 & 74 on my 101!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-10T12:15:00.002-05:00

A BIG Congratulations are in order for my very best friend Crystal Whitaker Mudd. She found out Tuesday that she expecting baby number 2 and he or she will be arriving in May 2010!!!!!!!

Big brother, Nathan, is sooo excited as am I! I can't wait to start shopping for the new bundle!

Please pray that Crystal has a great pregnancy. Please pray for Bryan, her husband and Nathan their son, as they embark on this wonderful 9 month journey!

If you ever get the chance, ask me the story of how we met. Its hilarious!

Congrats Crystal, Bryan, and Nathan!

Start Your Day the Indigo Way

2009-09-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

This morning our FABULOUS community provided breakfast for the residents!

As each resident went to the gates this morning, we were greated by the smiling faces of the office personnel. They greated me with a big GOOD MORNING RENEE! And handed me this bag:

I said "whats this?" and Laurie said "Its breakfast, we hope you have a great day and we will see you this afternoon!"

In my bag I found all the essentials:

Banana, Orange Juice, and a Banana Nut Muffin.. (Keith got a choc chip!)

I tell you, I love living here. You just don't get this kind of greatness from owning your own home! :)

I also have a special prayer request today. My friend Rachel is having major surgery this morning in New Orleans. She will hopefully be released to come home today after her surgery, but there is a chance she may stay. Please Pray that her surgery goes well, and her recovery time is quick and not complicated. She has become a really really great friend of mine. As I hugged her goodbye yesterday I teared up, its hard seeing your friend scared, nervous, and more. I know she will be fine though, and she is most excited about me bringing her supper a few nights a week while she recovers! Clearly she doesn't know I can't cook!!!!!!

Have a happy day!

Its my Friday...wanna know why!!!

CAUSE TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT IS FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where in the world has Sophie been!?!

2009-09-09T20:59:00.003-05:00

Well....lets look around the house and see...!!!!

I been here, lounging around in the living room.

And HERE! Hiding behind the shower curtain, waiting on the first unsuspecting person to sit down on the potty!

And hiding my toys in my daddy's shoes...

And sitting on top of the DVR player, its soooo warm on this thing...

Then, Mom made Dad give me a bath....

Not a happy kitty....

And then I took a trip to the kitty spa to get all the hot hair shaved off!!!

And now I'm back on the DVR player, waiting on my hair to grow back....

Until next time,

SOPHIE!
(via Renee')

Happy Birthday MOM!!!!!!

2009-09-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today is a very special day! It's my mom's birthday!!!!!

So happy birthday mom, I love you!

I love you,

Beach- Days 2 & 3

2009-09-07T21:50:00.006-05:00

The wireless internet was not fast enough in our room for me to upload pictures! So please refer back to my post about Beach-Day 1, by clicking HERE

First, say it with me! GEAUX TIGERS! Great job on Saturday!

Beach days 2 & 3 were sooo much fun!!! Saturday morning, Keith got up and headed deep sea fishing! I refused to send him with the digital camera so I bought him a disposable so the pictures from that will have to wait til I get those developed. He did catch Red Snapper, Mackreal (sp?), and some other kind that escapes me! He brought home a big bag of fish and now all I hear about is deep sea fishing! He is addicted!

Mom and I slept in and then headed down to the beach! Where your NEVER going to believe who I saw! SPEEDO man!!!! I finally got a picture of him! I must admit that for an old man, he was pretty buff.

And here he is!

Saturday night, we cooked at home. We met some people at the grill from Baton Rouge, and I can honestly say, the college team rivalry was in full force. On one end of the pool at the grill stations were your Bama fans, and at our end, LSU fans. There was maroon and white, purple and gold, red and blue, and orange and blue everywhere. Everyone was supporting their team. There was some tiget bait yelled, and around the bowl and down the hole! All in good fun! This is what we cooked! HUGE thanks to my dad for providing the veggies and shrimp for the kabobs! They were superb!

YUM!

After we eat, it was putt putt time. I won of course! I am after all the putt putt champion. Think I get that from my dad. I had 2 holes in one, mom had 1, and Keith, well....he had none.

Everyone was jealous! We had the entire beach sniffing around the grill.

Keith putting.

Hole in 1 number 1 of 2

Mom's hole in 1.

After putt putt, we raced go karts. However, mom kept calling them golf carts, and Keith whooped our butts all over that track. I came in second...I think we each lapped mom a few times!

Oysters

Crabtrap

Shark!!!!!

Day 3 was very calm and laid back. I didn't take alot of pictures, because honestly, I was kinda pictured out! We laid on the beach, did the ocean thing, swam in the pool, sat in the hot tub, and just relaxed. We went to the Crabtrap in Perdido to eat and it was sooo good! Keith had raw oysters of course. GROSS! After dinner we did some souvenir shopping and then called it a night. We were EXHAUSTED!

And today, our last day. We got up and packed up, said goodbye to the beach and headed home! Not before stopping at LuLu's to eat though! And guess who met us there!!!!

Taylor Swift in T-Minus 3 days! Whoop whoop!

Beach- Day 1

2009-09-04T22:42:00.004-05:00

AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! My week long vacation got 10 times better today as I awoke to the sound of the ocean and seagulls. It was fabulous. Here is a run down of today's events and some pictures! I am gonna try to upload a pic from my blackberry of the man in the speedo...I WISH I had my camera but had left it upstairs after lunch.

We got down to the beach at about 10:30 and met Mr. Gorgeous (AKA, Brendan the beach attendant)...he hooked us up with chairs for the stay and kept mom and I comfortable all day by adjusting our umbrella, etc.

Hi!

Keith headed for the ocean and I opened Twilight to read it for the millionth time. Next thing I know, Keith was the life of the ocean party and had tons of people surrounding him in the water. How does he do that!?! He met people from TN, AL, LA, and MS.

Later, I decided I would join in on the fun, and got out in the water. Little did I know that hurricane waves were going to come! I almost drowned, broke my sunglasses and almost lost my hat. Needless to say, that ended my ocean activities.

There was alittle ocean pool in front of our chairs from an early morning shower. So I played with Jenna, a little girl, and 3 other little boys that I never caught their names but we had tons of fun chasing sea gulls, drinking the water, and eating sand. I cant wait to continue that tomorrow.

View from our 12th floor balcony

Keith

Lounging.

After a long day at the beach, we came in and got primped (Mom and I actually threw a breaker from running hairdryers, straighteners, and curling irons at the same time...good thing I married an electrician) and went to eat at The Hangout, a new place in Gulf Shores. We had the best fried pickles ever! And the food was pretty good too. There was actually a band playing there from LA. So the Auburn, Alabama, and LSU rivalry was in full force. There was also a bachelorette party of girls from Meridan, MS., and I couldn't leave without partying with them for alittle while! We enjoyed dancing, singing, drinking, and eating there!

Ready to eat!

Fancy

This band was from New Iberia...They gave the Bama fans hell!

Shots with the Bride to Be!

These girls were from Meridan. We had alot of fun doing shots with them!

Keith and the Bride

That about wraps it up for Day 1. Mom and I are sending Keith on a big Deep Sea Fishing trip tomorrow morning so I need to get him packed up and ready to go to that! Maybe we will dine on some fresh fish straight from the Gulf tomorrow night.

Until then,

UPDATE: I just realized none of my pictures uploaded to my post...I am not sure what happened but I am gonna go back and add them again hopefully tomorrow AM...must sleep now...

What does.....

2009-08-27T16:05:00.003-05:00

This.....

This.....

And this....add up to equal???

You guessed it!

We are beach bound in 7 days!!!!

Thanks to Kelly's Korner blog, we have found a million new places to eat! I can't wait to try out The Hangout and The Cobalt!

Tomorrow begins my big vacat!

Come on Christmas!

2009-08-25T12:47:00.002-05:00

Can you feel it? Christmas is only 120 days away!

YAY!!!!

I was reading some blogs today, passing the time, and came across this one blog that is just Christmas wonderland! This blogger did a blog hop of Christmas decorations and I so enjoyed looking at everyone's ideas, and got a few of my own! And with this unusually cooler South Louisiana weather that we are having that is fabulous, it finally feels like fall, and that means Christmas!

So I have added a countdown under Sophie's info section and put it on here as well!

Christmas Countdown

Have a great day!

They've got the fever people!

2009-08-24T16:05:00.002-05:00

Ok, I admit it. Only to you bloggers...some serious baby fever is going on around the Sullivan house!!!

I saw the above graphic while surfing earlier and couldn't help but laugh out loud. That's so something I would think about.

Let's talk this out. I work on the OB floor of my clinic. I see pregnant people all day long. I cry with them, laugh with them, and usually I am one of the first people to know the baby's gender before the family does! (Only because when they come out, I ask as they are calling to tell everyone!) So I get to experience all the joys, its like having a huge family. I also experience the sadness...with joy there comes sadness...and thats never fun. I cry with them, and give them big hugs before they get on the elevator.

Secondly, there are currently 8, count them, 8 prego ladies here at my office. I am surrounded! You can't help but want a baby when all you hear about is baby stuff!

Third, my wonderful husband told me the other night that he wanted a baby! I was like WTH IDTS! (which in my world means what the hell, I don't think so!)I talked him out of it the best I could, but he seems to have it in his mind. Let's face, I got alot to do before having a baby. I just started back to school!!!!

I did let him venture down the baby aisle in Wal-Mart last night in hopes that his fever would break, unfortunately it fueled it. I think I may need to borrow the newborn baby my friend Yolanda just had and keep it a few nights!

The worst thing about all of this, is you have so many people who tell you "you don't need to have a baby." Or my favorite "You can't have a baby right now." Umm...excuse me, Yes I can and if I want to I will! Yes, I am young, but I want to be a young mom, yes Keith and I aren't the richest people in the world, but I know people who make it on alot less. Yes, we have things to do, but why not share our experiences with our kids? I have been to a small number of states and have not seen many of the beautiful wonders and creations God has provided to us, but my husband has. His family loaded up the kids and showed them these things. Having a kid shouldn't hinder your experiences, it should make them better! So that's where I stand on it. Besides, in the long run, God is not gonna let you create that perfect child until he thinks your ready for that perfect child. Everything happens for a reason!

None the less, the fever is in the Sullivan house!

Pray for us!

Have a great day!

This Sunday

2009-08-23T19:00:00.001-05:00

Enough said.....

Happy Sunday!

Countdown to the beach: 11 days.

Last Sunday.....

2009-08-22T22:26:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday, my favorite little 4 year old in the world came over. We swam, cooked hamburgers and hotdogs, ate cookies, made a trip to Dollar General (because Nannie doesn't have enough swimming toys) and had a blast! Here are some pictures...

This Sunday (tomorrow), I have alittle something different planned...laying by the pool all day drinking tropical drinks and reading a good book. Might even squeeze in a nap.

Happy Saturday!

Birthday Festivities Part 1

2009-08-21T01:00:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Keith's birthday yesterday and last night with some good food, laughter, and funny cards!

I will let the pictures do the talking...so here we go!

Sleeping Old Man

Waiting for the birthday boy

Yummy meal!! Crawfish Julie, Green bean bundles, garlic bread, ceasar salad

Fixing the plates

Everyone eating

Cake

Make a wish!

Ice cream and cake and cake...

Sisters

Daddy and his girl

Sophie wishing her daddy a happy birthday

Keith's birthday cards

Bottoms UP! This is the card mom gave him!

This weekend we will travel to Centreville to continue to celebrate Keith's birthday. His mom is making homemade from scratch chicken and dumplins' and Mississippi Mud pie. We will certainly enjoy that!!!!

Keith surely enjoyed his birthday. I so enjoyed throwing his little get together, he loves chatting with Uncle Kenny! I sent Uncle Kenny home with my copy of New Moon, so I know he will enjoy reading that!

Have a great FRIDAY!!

Happy Birthday!

2009-08-20T10:17:00.002-05:00

Today I am wishing my sweet husband a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! He turns 24 today!

Last night, I took him on a birthday eve dinner at Sammy's where we enjoyed boiled crabs, and all that good stuff! We had a great time visiting, and then took a trip to Wal-Mart! Of course...

Then last night, we got home and I went straight to bed exhausted, Keith who is always full of energy, told me that he was gonna stay up and watch some tv until he got tired...Well he came to bed at 2 AM this morning! When I got up this morning, I walked into the living room and found out that maybe it was MY birthday...he had cleaned the entire house! I asked him what he did all this for, and he explained that he had a piece of choc cake and got a sugar high and him and Sophie started cleaning! I will take that! So we had breakfast together this morning, and celebrated his birthday!

Tonight, we are having dinner at our house. My Aunt Lou has graciously provided crawfish jouliee (spelling??) so we will have that, green beans bundles, salad, bread, and of course cake and ice cream. YUM! Will post pictures of Keith's big day tomorrow I hope!

Have a great day!

Happy birthday honey! I am so blessed to have you as a husband and I love you so much

Where in the World

2009-08-15T20:42:00.006-05:00

Wow. It feels good to be back on here. I took an unexpected blog hiatus. Not by choice, but clearly by lack of TIME!!! I haven't even checked my email and answered emails yet! So I have about a week to cover, not everyday but some of my fav's. And even more important, Indigo pulled out ALL the stops for the GEAUX INDIGEUAX party last night!! Just wait til you see the pictures from that that I managed to take!

Just in case you forgot the STAR of our household...here she is! I literally believe she becomes more spoiled each day. Is that even possible?

Last Friday, I took off work early and headed to Alabama to see a dear friend of mine, Autumn. She needed a girls weekend, I needed a girls weekend, and her parents live at the beach...enough said!

Here are some pictures from that weekend.

This is literally the tallest bridge I have even been on.

Bayou La Batre -Think Forrest Gump

Beach Bum

Beach Bum 2...yes I should have turned that around...Oh well...

Feet

Seagull

Attack of the sea gulls

Beach front

Little windy out there that day!

Sign welcoming me to Biloxi

Thursday night, I had my mom, Liz, and my 2 favorite boys over for dinner. We had delicious meal thanks to Kelly's Korner!!!

Wii...Your better at it in your underwear...So I hear

Bowling

Zach and his MeMe...He loves his MeMe

Flex those muscles!

Ok so now to my weekend, Friday night was GEAUX INDIGEAUX! And boy did we GEAUX! We had 4 kegs, 2 daquari machines, catered food that included jambalaya, boudin balls, shrimp and crawfish quesodillas, and alot more! Oh and the DJ...and did I mention a SPACE WALK...Yeah, I live in THE coolest place EVER

Dance off... Winner got a Visa gift card

Swim off..I advised not diving into the shallow end of the pool but thankfully no one was hurt.

Kegs...We are starting our own support group here.

THE SPACEWALK

Best Tiger Growl contest

Unfortunately, my batteries died before we got to the coolest part of the whole night...beer pong...My husband and I say this without using slang...KICKED A**!!! By the end of the night, he was beer pong champ along with Richard, a fellow electrical guy who now comes to Keith for everything! And I was no longer Renee', I was "this is Keith's wife" or "Aren't you Keith's wife?"...Yeah I'm THAT wife now...that's ok though, I enjoy being Keith's wife!

We had a blast, drank and ate too much, and poor Keith got up to go to work this morning! Bless him! I went and got my hair done, spent some time in McComb, and then headed back home. Not before stopping at Debec's though and getting a new flag. I will take pictures of it tomorrow and post!

Have a GREAT NIGHT!

Out for the weekend

2009-08-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am writing this post on Friday and will autopost it on Saturday AM.

I hope everyone's weekend has gotten off to a great start! I am spending some time with a friend of mine in Alabama this weekend so I will have lots of pictures to post after this weekend!

Thursday night, I went to Zachary, and met my dad and 2 precious nephews for dinner while my sister and BNL went to Luke's new school! (TEARS)

We went to all our favorite. Sammy's. Luke of course wanted fried shrimp. Zach had sweet potatoes and apple sauce. And dad and I had fried shrimp topped with crawfish etoufee! Oh and don't forget about our onion ring appetizer and MILKY WAY PIE dessert! I even sneaked some of the pie to Zach but shhh...don't tell my sister! ;)

I can't believe I forgot my camera at home though! So I had to rely on the Blackberry to take some pics of the night. So sorry they are so bad! I hope you enjoy though!!!

P.S. I have my camera in my purse so I will be sure to get pictures this weekend!

Kelly's Korner (Show Us Your Life)

2009-08-07T07:10:00.000-05:00

Today is reception day!!!! I am super excited again to be sharing memories of my big day. Oh, and Keith's! Ha! Makes me think of when I was planning it I always referred to it as MY wedding, not OUR wedding...poor guy! I am so lucky for him to have put up with the "chiefs", myself, my sister, and everyone else who went to planning OUR wedding!! hehe

Let's get started!

This first thing I wanted to mention, that I realized I should have done last week was talk about my arbor. As I was looking through a bridal magazine one day I found this picture of a lakeside wedding that I fell in love with. More importantly, there was this arbor in the picture. I had to have an arbor. It was decided. But I couldn't just have any arbor, I wanted MY arbor. So my mom, bless her soul, found someone to custom make me an arbor!!! He designed with alittle help from me and my mom. We told him what we were envisioning and he took it over from there and it turned out perfect! Everyone gave so many compliments on it. It has been used in 2 other weddings. One for my best friend Chelsie, and the other for a friend of ours. I have now retired it from the wedding circuit if you will and it now sits at my mom's and one day will grace our backyard when we move into a house. I can't wait. It is something truly special to me that I will tell our kids about it one day. So here it is.

Introducing the new....Mr. and Mrs. Keith Daniel Sullivan.....!!!!!!!!

Our first dance. Ms. Stephanie sang George Strait Cross my Heart.

Father/Daughter Dance. Tim McGraw's..My Little Girl

Here are some pics of other's dancing!!! We had a live band so we were rocking the house!

Isn't this the funniest!!!???!!!

During the reception, the band got the groomsmen, and later myself and my girls up to do alittle song and dance! The guys definitely outshined the girls! Here are some pictures of it!

Cake cutting and speeches. Seth's went alittle something like this "I hope the kids are as pretty as Renee', and I hope the honeymoon is as rocking as they sat it is!" Gotta love Seth!

Yes, I did....And it was hilarious!

Lucky catchers!

One of the things I did with my cake was a cake pull. 6 trinkets were placed in the cake during baking and each bridesmaid pulled one out. There were trinkets of next to be married, blessed with children, etc. I can't remember what everyone got but it was alot of fun.

Everyone eating.

Wayne plotting our demise as we get ready to exit! He filled cups up with the birdseed. I was literally getting birdside out of my hair for WEEKS!

See what I mean? We were SHOWERED! And Daniel, a groomsmen poured a whole cup of seed down the front of my dress! Of course, I had one of those sticky gel bras on, and needless to say, it had to get thrown away!

Thats it for the reception!!!! I can't wait to see yours! I am enjoying Kelly's blog hop so much! Can't wait to see what else she has in store!

Happy Friday!

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

2009-08-06T14:27:00.002-05:00

I am so excited I can hardly type this but I wanted to share it!!!

Keith got a PROMOTION at work!!!!!!!

He will have new fabulous hours (no more getting up at 2 AM to go to work), off weekends, has an OFFICE (which I will send pictures of me and Soph), and has people that work under him that he supervises! I am so proud of him and all his accomplishments!

More importantly, he received a "white" hat, which apparently in that world means he has arrived!!! I remember my daddy used to have a white hat when he was the big dog at his mill. So he has his white hat now!

So, please join me in congratulating Keith on his big promotion!! Moving on up!

buy harry potter books

Hump Day

2009-08-05T07:32:00.002-05:00

Here we are half way through the week. Thank goodness. It has been a wild week, and I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel....I think....

I am running on pure exhaustion fumes. My Aunt Barbara is currently in the hospital due to C. Diff. I was at the hospital with her Monday night. She is doing better, but still needs medicine to finish beating this thing.

Keith has been having night sweats for about 3 weeks now. I finally had enough of it, and we took him to the doctor. I thought maybe his hormone levels were alittle out of wack, but the doctor disagreed, and now Keith is going through rounds of testing for TB. Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously? I NEVER in my wildest dreams would think it was TB. And I hope I am right. We will hopefully know something today after his chest xrays, and even more on Friday when his PPD screen comes back.

So thats my first 3 days in a nutshell. I have no pictures, I have no funny things to say. I'm just tired. And ready for the weekend.

My dad and I have plans to have dinner tomorrow night. I am super excited to spend time with him. We don't get to do it enough, so it is special to me to be able to have father daughter time with him. I can't wait.

Do have a few prayer requests I wanted to get out there.

First, my aunt Barbara. Affectionately known as Weazer (think Steel Magnolias). May she get better.

Second, the awesome girl that cuts my hair Lisa. Her mawmaw fell yesterday and broke her leg. She is having surgery this AM.

Third, Ms. Kim Jackson. She was my 5th grade teacher and I love her. Her daughter and I were a year apart, but always spent alot of time together at the country club pool growing up! She had an allergic reaction to some medication and is in the hospital being treated for that.

Fourth, my sweet Godchild Luke. He has the stomach bug! I hope he feels better soon!

Lastly, for my dear sweet husband. He isn't scared, but Lord knows I am. I know he will be fine, whether it is TB, or hormones, or he is just hot! He is holding up great though, but I guess with the medical knowledge I have, I am not so good. He is fine though I keep telling myself. I spoke with his doctor yesterday and he seems to have a positive outlook on it as well so that helps.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Is it seriously almost Monday??

2009-08-02T20:17:00.003-05:00

Sophie's new hang out.

I am sitting here blogging instead of getting my clothes ready for the work week that starts again tomorrow. Maybe if I put it off long enough, I can take another day off! I am counting down the days though until my 11 day vacation from work! It will be fabulous!

This weekend was much like the others, busy at times, but slow enough to enjoy time with Keith. Its so corny but I just can't seem to get enough of him sometimes! I just love to lay on the couch with him or just walk around the complex holding his hand.

Friday night, we went and made groceries. We went to a new place and it was so relaxing and not Wal-Mart and I could walk and think, and calmly make my purchases. And the best part, no lines! While we were there, we rented a movie and headed on back home. We ended up calling it a night pretty early!

Saturday, Keith made me the usual breakfast in bed. I swear he moves so silently. I never even knew he had gotten out of the bed and the next thing I know he was bringing me coffee milk and the usual eggs and biscuits. We ate breakfast in bed together and watched some tv. Then, we decided we would go do some shopping. Keith's birthday is coming up in 18 days and he has decided he wants a new tv. We found the perfect one at Best Buy and hopefully will go get it this week if all goes as planned. I think its gonna be too big for our living room but its what he wanted! We will definitely be the place to watch LSU games in 36 days! Then we had lunch with my mom and Aunt Lou at Ralph & Kacoo's. It was fabulous. Keith had never been so it was a treat for him. After that, more tv shopping and then back home to get ready for putt putting, go karting, and playing games at Celebration Station. I tried to get alot of pictures, but none of them turned out that well.

I kicked Keith's BUTT on street car racing!! He didn't stand a chance with a girl in a canary yellow porsche!

I won. Naturally...

My fav- Cookie Doughn't You Want Some from ColdStone. The perfect end to a great night!

And then today we went back to the country and ate a delicious lunch at my grandparents. This city girl though couldn't handle it too long and we were headed back home after a great meal, good visiting, and picking apples off the apple tree!

Now, I'm off to take some cookies out the oven, love on my sweet Sophie, and watch Army Wives. Have a great week. My little cousin Emile starts school tomorrow so I pray that he and all the kids have a great first day back! See you later!

Show Us Your Life- Wedding Party, Flowers

2009-07-31T08:32:00.000-05:00

Its another Friday edition of Kelly's Korner, Show Us Your Life. Today we are showcasing wedding flowers and wedding party. I could show pictures all day. So I have tried to narrow it down, and keep it short and simple while showing off all my beatiful flowers and all my beautiful friends/family. So with that said, if something or someone is left out, don't be upset. I still love you. Let's get started!

These lovely ladies are my bridesmaids. From Left to Right as follows:
Liz- My sister, and Matron of honor
Meagan- Highschool friend (she is getting married in a few months!)
Crystal- Best friend through a random meeting by Keith's best man
Kendall- Friend through school and college years, Maid of Honor
Mallery- Great friend (she is getting married NEXT month!)
And the girl beside my face is Autumn- we met on a random school trip and have been the greatest friends ever since. We get alot that we look just alike.

The bridesmaid wore Mocha brown 2 piece dresses from David's Bridal. With long skirts, a mini train, and a basic top. The bust of the top has a row of beading under it that matched their flowers! I had their jewelry especially made for the dresses and the wedding, of brown pearls.

Now to my little babies! My 2 nephews and my niece. Branden, Luke, & Kaylea

All 3 of the kids wore Strasburg "coutour" haha. I didn't want my boys to be in just regular tuxes. I think kids should be in sissy clothes at weddings! So Strasburg, white knee socks, and white shoes were in order for the boys, and a big white poofy dress for Kaylea with a wreath of baby's breath flowers. Aren't they beautiful!

I wanted to include this picture just because it is the sweetest most beautiful picture! Luke just loves Kaylea so much! They have gotten to grow up together which is really cool because Luke's mom (my sister) and Kaylea's mom (Keith's sister) actually graduated high school together! Maybe they will be sweethearts!

Here is the whole wedding party. From left to right. (I already introduced to girls, so we wont do that again)
Daniel- Keiths friend since like birth I swear
Alex- Football buds
Mac McDaniel- Keiths best bud (more on Mac later)
Emile- My cousin, I babysat him for literally FOREVER!
Wayne- Keiths brother
Seth- Best man, my best guy friend, and Keiths main man. About 10 minutes before the ceremony. Seth came into the room I was in, sitting on the bed with my dress literally surrounding me, and he pushed over my dress, sat beside me, and said "Ok honey, last chance to run away with me. Let's go." It certainly took all my nerves away. He then told me I was beautiful, kissed me on the cheek, and left. I just love him!

The guys wore Calvin Klein 2 button pin strip shadow tuxes with black vests. Complete with square toe heels. For you girls planning a wedding, square toe is the way to go. The guys told me they were so comfy! And I think they are more stylish then the round anyways.

Now let's talk flowers!

I love this picture. I can't remember who I was on the phone with, or what they said that obviously struck a nerve with me, but I assume it was something I didn't want to hear!

This is my bouquet. I found this picture on the internet of one similiar to this and made some tweeks and then had the job of finding someone who could name all these rare flowers and get them shipped in from places! It took me and the florist about 2 hours one day to name just ONE of them! I think one of them is originally from South America. There were alot of rare flowers in it mixed in with calla lillies. Calla's definitely dominated my wedding. Yellow, orange, and red calla's. My bouquet I swear weighed 5 pounds or more and was a beast to carry around but I managed to do it and loved every minute of it! I still get compliments on my bouquet.

Here are some other flowers that could be found throughout.

I didn't include other arrangments but it pretty much followed suit. They just got taller and bigger!!! Ha!

So here is a picture of the back of my bouquet. Notice that Keith and my highschool class rings are in it! We have been together since high school! It meant so much to me to have our rings in my bouquet. It truly symbolized that we have been together FOREVER! You will also notice that the cover off my baby Bible cover is included (something old). And lastly, the white rose. In highschool, Keith and I, and the rest of our wedding party to be exact, lost a very dear friend in 8th grade. Keith's very best friend in the entire world, Jay, was killed in a car accident. Jay was also Mac's cousin who was a groomsmen. There is no doubt that if Jay was alive he would have been our best man. Keith and Jay were lifelong friends. We wanted to do something to remember Jay during the wedding in our own special way. So the white rose was put in my bouquet and over that rose, Keith and I took our vows, promising each other our lives. And Jay was there watching. As the ceremony concluded, we took the white rose out of my bouquet and presented it to Jay's mother, Mrs. Laverne. I won't include a picture of that, because it was a special moment for us. And I don't want to cry!

Other than the flowers, we had someone sing The Lord's Prayer and Ave Maria during our ceremony. "Dr. J" as we call him lovinly, married us. He did such a great job. My dad gave me away, and I swear for a minute I thought he was having a change of heart! We were married outside lakeside on October 27, 2007 at 6:00 in the afternoon. It was the perfect fall day. Chilly but not unbearable. Perfect for those of us in 10 pound wedding dresses!!! Keith actually picked our wedding location which was awesome to me. I had looked at numerous places for the ceremony and he came home one day and asked if I would come look at something he thought we be good for the ceremony, and it turns out. It was PERFECT! I married the greatest man!

So thats it! I will leave you one more of my favorite pictures. As Branden pulled Kaylea and Luke down the aisle! Have a great Friday! I can't wait to see all of YOUR flowers and hear all about YOUR wedding!

NEW BLOG!!!

2009-07-29T13:55:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I am so excited to introduce my new blog. Renee Sells Aloette! As many of you know, I am an Aloette Beauty Consultant and love doing it on the side. And since blogging is such a fabulous way of connecting with other people I thought, why not make the world a more beautiful place by advertising and selling these wonderful products through blogging! So the new blog was born! I hope it takes off. I can ship anywhere! And I offer lots of freebies! So HOP on over to the new blog, check it out, leave some love, and let me know what you think. Click the link below.

Renee Sells Aloette

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gloomy Monday

2009-07-27T15:16:00.002-05:00

It's nasty in Baton Rouge today...and I honestly can't find the words to make this blog fun. I wish I could be sleeping in this rain, rather than working in it!

Few things though:

I wanted to give an update on Adrianna. Last week she had surgery in New York to remove the tumor. It was a long long surgery and Adri came out GREAT! The doctors say they have removed ALL of the tumor! She is still in ICU in the Big Apple, but the doctors have high hopes for her. She still has a long journey ahead, and is in a lot of pain her parents are reporting, but we continue to pray for this precious little girl. Check out her blog here.

Secondly, Baby Stellan. In the womb, he was diagnosed with heart failure, suffering from Supraventricular Tachycardia, hydrops and heart block. At 24 weeks the doctors told his family that their gravely ill unborn baby would surely die. Much to his parents surprise, and surely showing that God is in control, Stellan was born a healthy baby boy! However, Stellan began to suffer from SVT again at 4 months, was additionally diagnosed with PFO, a hole in his heart, and had a partially successful heart procedure performed at 5 months. He is currently back in the hospital in SVT again, going on 4 days now total. His body is just crumpling according to his mother, and it breaks my heart for this beautiful family. Please lift them up in your prayers. And read about Stellan in his mother's blog...

Hope everyone has had a great Monday, and we will see you tomorrow.

My 2 favorite men

2009-07-26T17:32:00.005-05:00

I am laughing to myself as I originally was going to do alittle "ranting" in this blog. But after typing it, and reading it, I felt alittle better so I deleted it. After all, some very wise people once told me you can't preach to the people who don't care what you're preaching about. So in an effort to save alittle face, and keep the harmony. You get this. I make no promises though.

This weekend was a really good one! Friday night, Keith told me we were going out to dinner and that I needed to dress fancy. So, I did and we ended up at the Melting Pot, where he had made us reservations for dinner. I love that place, and it certainly didn't disappoint! The fondue was great, the atmosphere romantic, and my husband went above and beyond to spoil me that night. Ladies, that's the man I married! One that will still give you butterflies even after marriage and years of dating.

Saturday morning, Keith unfortunately had to go into work for a few hours, but that
was ok. Soph and I slept in. Big time. When he got hime, we loaded up and took of to New Roads to stay the night with my mom. We decided that we just couldn't allow her to cook for us, so we took her out to dinner. At one of my favorite Mexican places, Que Pasa. It was great. We invited Elizabeth, and she brought Zach and Luke of course. So it was so nice to see them too. Just don't get to see them as much as I would like. But as usual, Luke came back across the river with us to spend the night. That night, we went boat riding, did alittle fishing, and played with Uncle Kenny and Aunt Lou, before retiring to bed. Luke cuddled up with MeMe, and Keith and I sharing a full size bed...war would definitely ensue...

At Que Pasa
2 of a kind.... Zach and Uncle Keith
Sunset on the Mississippi River...so pretty...

This morning, Luke was in our bedroom bright and early, explaining to Keith and I that "the sun was out" and it was time to go bass fishing. I said no til after breakfast and that is when Keith and Luke took off to the kitchen to start cooking. The next thing I know, Luke is going "Nannie, what kind of eggs do you want?"...I opened my eyes to see the most beautiful blue eyes staring at me. I grabbed him and loved and kissed all over him! Breakfast was fabulous by the way! :) The boys took off and left the hens at the house and went and did alittle fishing while mom and I visited. It wasn't long before they were back, Luke had lost his sunglasses in False River and had to have a new pair. So I got dressed and off we went to Wal-Mart. A pair of sunglasses, a new bathing suit, and some candy later we emerged ready to take on the day. Luke of course did some tubing. Then Uncle Keith, and then Uncle Kenny, and then Uncle Kenny and his dog Lady! We had a blast on the water. No fish catch to report, but thats ok.

We had some visitors stop by...

Keith's hair reminded me of RPatz as Edward Cullen...hehe

Uncle Kenny tubing...He was a spider monley! I hope he doesn't regret that tomorrow morning.

Lady taking her turn!

After a delicious lunch of fried Amberjack fish, coleslaw, french fries, fried Okra (Luke's favorite) and ice cream and cake for dessert, it was back into the water for alittle bit more fun in the sun....Well....Until.....I will just stop there.

Have a great week!

Number 66- Give Blood

2009-07-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

Today, Ochsner held a blood drive for the employees. They do it about every 9 weeks, and get all of the employees to donate to keep the blood bank in good stock. Well, since I have a particularly rare blood type, they came and grabbed me first! Luckily, I had had a good breakfast and was able to donate. I always like to give my blood because I can only receive blood of my type but yet I can give to anyone. So if something happens to me, and there isn't any of my type I am out of luck! :)

So here I am donating my blood and crossing off another thing on my 101 in 1001.

Have a great day everyone! Stay safe in the hot summer sun!

Kelly's Korner (Show Us Your Life)

2009-07-24T07:03:00.000-05:00

I am participating today in Kelly's Korner "Show Us Your Life" Friday's. Today's feature is "Show us your wedding dress." I am super excited about this because I absolutely loved my wedding dress! So here we go!

WELCOME to Renee's Wedding Dress! I am Renee', your host. Lets start with just a basic picture of the entire ensemble and then I will break it down for you. So put on your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!

I looked long and hard for my wedding dress. The first place I went, David's Bridal, I thought I had found "the" one but I was dead wrong. Turns out, David's Bridal was not the place I needed to be, so the search for the wedding dress was on. My mom, sister, and I went to every dress shop in Mississippi and Louisiana I swear. Dress after dress I just never felt right in it. I didn't like it, there was SOMETHING wrong with it. And the few that I did like, my mom wouldn't like, or my sister would point something out I had not thought about...THEN...We were in Baton Rouge at this shop on Airline Highway, and were looking through dresses, I must admit I was pretty discouraged at this point, and was pretty sure I was going to get married in a potato sack dress. But my mom found this one dress and just loved it. I was immediately turned off from it because it was a halter top, and I was hell bent on NOT having a halter top dress. But to satisfy my mom, I tried it on. (Secretly cussing the whole time) Well, when I walked out of the dressing room, and onto the platform and looked up.... My mom, sister, and the salesgirl were all crying. I admired myself in the mirror, and started crying myself. It was the dress. The dress that could bring tears to your eyes. It was MY dress. I left with it that day. No one was touching my dress!

So..lets start with the front of the dress.

As I mentioned the it is a halter top dress with a V cut chest. The top part of the dress is completely beaded with lots of sparkly beads that I loved. The beading continued down where the dress had a "shadow" opening that revealed an under layer with more beading. The dress itself was white satin of course. Beading went along the bottom of the entire dress.

I will note, that I am not very good at desribing things in great detail. Thats why I am glad I got some good pictures of it!

To the back!

As you can see, the back also had intricate beading and satin buttons running down the back of the dress. One of the buttons served as the button to hold my bustle after the wedding. My train (the one picture I couldn't find) was pretty long as you can see in the first picture. So I was nice to have that bustled after the ceremony so I could dance the night away!

Another picture of the back. You can continue to see the buttons going down the back, and another shadow opening like the front with the beading running down and around. The train also had these little wing things that gave the dress alot of depth. I really liked that part, my dress with the shadow openings and beading gave it so much depth.

Now, to one of my favorite parts, and the part that I was not going to change my mind on. The veil.

I had my veil picked out before I even got my dress! I had seen it in one of the early stores we went to and decided that was the veil I WOULD have. I might have been swayed on a few things, but that veil was not a subject to try to change my mind on. This is the best picture I could find of it. Basically, it is layers and layers of tulle with tiny beading throughout at random places. It was also trimmed in satin on each layer. The beading shined and sparkled when hitting the sun. It has these little diamond beading as well that really made it stand out with my dress. Yes, this was not just a average veil! I didn't care how much it cost, I was getting that veil. And I did, and it was beautiful, and everyone loved it. And I still have it and look at it. And I still love it and don't regret spending as much money as I did on it!

And lastly, shoes. I won't post a picture of them, I just wore satin ballet slippers. Nothing fancy. I wanted to wear flip flops but I got married in October, so those weren't really the best option for me at the time! However, I was determined to do 2 things....I was NOT wearing stockings and I was NOT wearing heels. Besides, who cared what my shoes looked like? They had my dress and veil to look at! So ballet slippers it came to be. No heels, no stockings, and better yet, comfort! They eventually were taken off sometime during the reception because I'm from the South and I like to run around barefoot, but while they were on, they were fab.

So thats my wedding dress. I feel so bad that it now sits in a closet wrapped up and may never be worn again, but thats ok. Maybe I will wear it for my 50th wedding anniversary! Maybe my daughter will wear it one day. But if not, it is and forever will be the dress that brought the store to tears, brought me to tears, and made my husband eyes light up as I walked towards him to promise him forever.

Feel free to comment on my dress! I would love to hear what you think of it! I hope that you as well participate in Kelly's Blog Hop because I would LOVE to see your wedding dress! Until then, thats all folks!

Have a great weekend!

I need YOUR help!!!!!

2009-07-23T12:28:00.002-05:00

Ok world!

I need YOUR help!!!!

I am trying my hardest and have everyone I know trying their hardest to come up with a cute name for my blog! Unfortunately, our brain power is running low...so thats where YOU come in!

Submit your ideas in my comments section for possible titles of my blog!

I will choose my top 3 and then submit those for a final vote!

PLEASE help me with this!

Thanks so much! Happy Thursday!

Few Words Wednesday

2009-07-22T08:27:00.002-05:00

Hello Blog World,

I will tell you that this week finds me dragging bootay big time! I just can't seem to get going. On my second cup of Joe this morning and still could lay my head down and pass out. Maybe its the weather dragging me down, I don't know. But it is my usual Wordless Wednesday (I will be honest, I am so tired, I spelt Wednesday wrong in the title 3 times...I just couldn't wrap my head around spelling this morning.) But I do have a few things to share, then I am going to shut my mouth and try to remember to stay awake.

Baby Izzy is doing GREAT! Paige and Haynes were able to see her and hold her yesterday so that lifted everyone's spirits. I can't wait to see her myself and love on her!

Secondly, I made my sisters crawfish pasta last night that she posted on her blog yesterday. It was so good! I have some left over for lunch today that I can't wait to dig into!

Have a great day!

This pic is of my sweet Godchild and me. I love him so much. He is my heart.

Blog Hop- Recipe or Favorite Dish

2009-07-21T13:12:00.003-05:00

Today, I am participating in McLinky's weekly blog hop. This is my first time, so I hope I did it right! If you are reading this from McLinky, I want to say Thank YOU for stopping by! Please leave me a comment with your blog link so I can follow you and maybe we can become blog friends!

Roll Ups-

You will need:
Here in the South, my husband hunts alot so we use deer backstrap, but you can also use just a regular roast.
Marinade of your choice (we use Italian and worcestershire)
Onions
Bell Peppers
Philly Cream Cheese
Bacon
Tony's (seasoning)
Bamboo Ka Bob sticks

What to do:

The night before, cut your meat into small sections, as thick as you would like (we make ours thin) and put in your marinade in the fridge over night to really soften your meat and let it absorb the juice.

After marinating, compile your ingredients and get ready to craft!
My husband and I do this together, its great quality time and its one thing we can work on together and not kill each other!

Cut up your onions and bell peppers into small pieces. Keep in mind you will be putting these in the sections of meat, so don't make them too thick.
Next, take a piece of onion and bell pepper and put them together using a dab of cream cheese. The cream cheese will hold these together in the meat.

Place the onion, bell pepper roll in the middle of a piece of meat.

Holding the sides of the meat together, wrap the roll up in bacon. We generally cut the pack of bacon in half to produce more servings of roll ups. Plus, I am not a HUGE fan of bacon so less is more to me.

Stick the roll up through the middle using a ka bob stick. We usually will fit up to 5 roll ups on a stick.

Sprinkle Tony's on top of the roll ups to give it that extra kick.

Throw these on your grill over medium flame and let them cook! We like our meat to be more on the medium side so ours don't take long to cook. Remember, the longer you leave them on the grill the crispier the bacon and meat will get. So its all about personal preference here. Just make sure it gets cooked! I don't want any of my blog friends getting sick!!! :)

I make a potato and a veggie to go with them. Its really your choice! They are super delicious and even better the next day!

ENJOY!

P.S. I have to give a shout out to my wonderful dad for showing and letting me help him make these roll ups when I was younger. It was something that he and I did together and I enjoyed each moment of it. I passed on the recipe to my husband and now he and I make them. If not for my dad though, I would never eat one of my FAV dishes! So thanks dad, I love you. Maybe we can make some roll ups soon.

Have a fabulous day!

Happiness in yet so much emotion

2009-07-20T12:56:00.002-05:00

Hello world,

Today is a sad, yet joyous day for many reasons. It is Monday, and I admit I have a case of the Monday blues. But it is a beautiful day outside, and that I am thankful for as well.

I am also sad because today, July 20, was a very dear friend (ex-boyfriend even) birthday. Tyler passed around October 4 due to a MVA. Today Tyler would have been 23 years old. As I think about Tyler today and all the laughs we shared, I am so thankful that while he was on earth he was able to touch so many lives. Including mine. He is greatly missed by all of us. And we know he is watching down on us. So Happy Birthday to you Tyler Paul.

We are joyous today however for the birth of a new baby into our family. Izabell Garrett was born July 20, 8 weeks early, weighing in at 8 pounds, 14 ounces. She is currently in NICU at Woman's Hospital. Mother, Paige, is doing well. Haynes, Izzy's daddy, is my cousin who I love very dearly. Just last year we went to Las Vegas to celebrate Haynes and Paige's marriage. I am so thrilled for the new addition to their family and can't wait to hold sweet Izzy. Please keep Paige, Haynes, Izzy, as well as my family in your prayers during this time.

So as you can see, today is a sad, yet wonderful day. As I think about Tyler and all the wonderful things he did while here, I hope that Izzy will do wonderful things as well. I know she will. She is related to me after all! :)

Have a great Monday everyone.

I love Sunday's

2009-07-19T15:41:00.002-05:00

Sundays are probably right up there with Fridays on my favorite day of the week list. Even though its the day before Monday, it is always just so relaxing. It is wonderful. Plus is means BREAKFAST!!! Last night, Keith and I were supposed to go out with some friends, but my poor husband, exhausted after working 13 hours Saturday (after his full 80 hour week mind you) passed out on the couch, leaving me and Sophie to entertain ourselves. I went to the pool for alittle while. No swimming, just enjoying the nice night on one of the lounge chairs. When I got back in, I was abandoned yet again by Sophie who was sleeping on the couch with her daddy. So after watching a movie, Mamma Mia, I decided I would go lay in bed and read. I fell asleep leaving Keith on the couch. I'm not sure what time he eventually woke up and joined me.... :) BUT thats not my point, to make up for bailing on me last night, my sweet husband got up this morning, careful not to disturb "sleeping beauties" (Me and Soph) and made me breakfast. Not just breakfast, breakfast in BED! He even put on my favorite movie, Twilight, and let just lay in bed, relax, enjoy my awesome breakfast, and spend time with him. It was so nice. Today, we are being lazy. Picked up the house, and doing some pool time.

I hope everyone has Sunday's like this. It's a great time to just be with the ones you love. And that is what its all about.

Have a great week!

Enough Said.....

2009-07-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

Dr. Glover

2009-07-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today is a very sad day for me. I will travel to McComb and say goodbye to one of the doctors I used to work for when we lived there. Dr. Glover was soooo much like a father to me. He helped me through some of the toughest times in my life. Times when no one else would understand, when no one else cared, when everyone else was going through the same thing, but yet I was taking it differently. He was there. He performed surgery on Keith and did a fabulous job. He even looked at a few moles on me, gave me a script a week before my wedding so I wouldn't break out with the horrible "infection" my so called friend had came down with. He is my Dr. Glover. He is an Ole Miss fan so the team rivalary was always at its best with us. We had a few bets everyone now and then, and lets just say I won them. He now wears an LSU scrub hat as part of that punishment. I have laughed, cried, and looked up to Dr. Glover for along time. I am glad he is moving on to explore other opportunities. After all that is the same thing I did. But it will be weird to not think of him sitting in his chair, feet propped up on his desk, tennis game on ESPN, and the sound of his snores coming from his office. I can't wait to see everyone again I used to work for. It will be a great day. I am even getting to have lunch with a great friend of mine Chelsie. I can't wait to buy her a drink as she just turned 21!!!

So, please pray for Dr. Glover and his family as they make this move. Pray that it is what is best for them and that they will settle down and be comfortable!

I can't wait to see those guys! I love all my doctors so much!

Here is a pic of Dr. Glover I took right before I left. He was always pulling the craziest things out of his closet of fun as I called it. This was a wig he found in there! I laughed all afternoon as he walked around the clinic in it.

And here is the result of the lost bet!

Hump Day

2009-07-15T20:15:00.005-05:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Took alittle blog hiatus to get my head back on straight, its still not quite on all the way but I'm working on it. Is it just me or is this week SUPER busy?!?!?!?!!?

Monday I took a much needed day off of work. It was actually the day Keith was supposed to have his wisdom teeth out, but that didn't happen, so while he went to work, Sophie and I held down the fort...Why oh why can't I just be a stay at home Susie Homemaker? Dreaming.....

Tuesday was another crazy day. Just can't seem to get caught up with myself. Maybe its just vacation calling my name....I hear it in the distance on a padded chair next to the ocean with a little tropical drink complete with umbrella calling my name...At least we do have padded chairs at our pool and a cabana and I suppose I could talk Keith into delivering me said drink if I asked nicely...I swear if you don't see or hear Nicholson Drive you wouldn't know you weren't at the beach! Love my house.....

This week we were lucky to have our niece Kaylea and nephew Branden come visit us. Along with Papa Gary and Hannah (I just call her Banana.) Branden had a dentist appt so afterwards everyone came swimming. Branden tortured poor Sophie. Between my sweet Luke, and Branden...she might need counseling! Here are some pictures from the visit. I completely forgot to take my camera to the pool with us. Which is odd because I swear its been attached to my hip like an IV line much like my ever present Blackberry, but I guess it happens!

Weekend Wrap Up

2009-07-12T19:25:00.009-05:00

Alright! Here we are at another Sunday, and as I am sitting in our study looking out the window at the pouring rain, I can honestly say that today I have been one lazy lady. I have literally slept off and on all day. Watched a few movies in bed, played with Soph, took a nice hot bath, etc. It has been great. So let's get to the weekend.

Friday night was not too exciting. Just the normal. Went to bed early.

Saturday morning we got up around 10 or so and had some delicious breakfast as usual. We then got dressed and headed to Zachary to pick up my precious nephew Luke. He was going to ride with us to our old hometown McComb to get Keith a new cell phone. He was mainly in it for Mr. Whiskers which is a local McComb favorite, they have all you can eat fried catfish, shrimp, etc. He loves Mr. Whiskers...and thats really an understatment. After getting the cell, we ran to Wal-mart because Luke told me that he needed "a few" toys to keep at Nannie's house. So we did that of course. He got a bow/arrow, gun, a bathing suit, etc. We then headed out to Percy Quin State Park, which just so happens to be where Keith and I tied the know almost 2 years ago! Keith's parents were camping with our other nephew, Branden, and our niece Kaylea. I will let the pictures do the talking now.

Best Buds!

Here we go!

The 3 Amigos.

Say it with me: What goes up....

Must come down!!!!

"Hey, where are those boys going?"

Mr. Whiskers Bound

I left this out til now, on our way to McComb, we passed through Clinton, LA. We got onto Main Street and were met with a total disaster zone. I swear it looked like a gang of hoodlums had gone through and destroyed the place. Only, everyone didn't look upset. Little did I know we were right in the middle of a TV show being filmed! That's right, HBO's True Blood was in the middle of filming right in small town LA. We couldnt stop to get a good look at that time, but on our way back it was really cool to see a hollywood tv show filming. I couldn't ever get a good picture mainly due to the cops everywhere, but it was certainly neat to see magic being made. Keith says that as close to Hollywood as I may ever get. Luke loved looking at the dressing trailers and the big lights and everything. He was more into that then the actors!

Day 1

2009-07-10T14:59:00.003-05:00

Alright. I will be honest. I completely forgot to keep track of what I ate yesterday. I last weighed Wednesday night, and this morning (Friday) I had lost 1.5 lbs. So yay for me! Great start, don't ya think? I know I didnt lose that weight over night, I started about 2 weeks ago with giving up sugar. And a week later of headaches, I think I finally kicked that habit. So that myth is true, if you give up sugar you can lose weight!! I do however, remember what I did eat. So here is that run down.

Breakfast- Grits and Nestle Diet Green Tea

Lunch- Subway Oven Roasted Chicken Breast on white (I know) w/ American Cheese, Lettuce, Onions, Pickle, Lite Mayo, Mustard, and some ranch dressing. I skipped chips and had a cookie with a Diet Dr. Pepper (DDP for future references)

Dinner- Leftover chicken poppyseed. Water

No snacks in between, I did have a few bites of yogurt just to get me through the rest of the day. I'm not too fond of yogurt but I try. I am working on it though, I promise!

So thats that. Waiting on our food to come in from our HMR program. Then we will really start things head on!

No exercise Thursday. I was dog tired after work. Baby steps though!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Oh, and today- I had grits for breakfast, with water. And for lunch, I had a salad and cup of potato soup.

Happy Friday!

Number 4. The Great Weight Loss Challenge

2009-07-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Alright. This is it. Time to get serious. This afternoon, Keith and I will be meeting with a specialists at the Lady of the Lake about losing weight. It will be something we will do together, hand in hand, supporting each other fully through out the whole process.

My goal is to lost about 60 pounds. I would love to lose more, but I set my goal at 60 pounds. I won't tell you how much that will put me weighing but it will be in the mid-100's. So here is how this is going to work. I promised that I would blog about my progess with my 101 and I will. I won't however post a before picture. I did take one in just my undies, and let's just say, that will stay locked up for a very long time! Talk about motivation though. If you ever want to lose weight, take a picture of yourself half naked and you will never want to eat again.

Each day and or night, I will post pounds lost, dietary intake for the day, and probably my disposition at the time. I know without sugar and sweets I can be alittle cranky so that part should be interesting. As I hit big milestones, such as 5 pounds down, or a size lost, I will post that as well. Then at the end, I will do the great closet clean out, go buy me a fabulous new wardrobe and be the person I was in high school!

Feel free to follow along with our journey. The more people you have to support you, the better chance you have to succeed!!!!

Have a great day! Will be posting soon!!!!

**Picture taken from Biggest Loser Website**

Wordless Wednesday (sort of)

2009-07-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love my husband so much!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

White socks, black shoes

2009-07-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

Alright. I know my sister thinks I am crazy, and maybe I am. But I think that Michael Jackson's death is a defining moment in the history of music. Just like Elvis' death that I am too young to remember, his death defined a generation and now Michael's is doing the same. I was truly shocked to hear of his passing and honestly swore it was just a publicity stunt for the longest time. And I am not saying that I am a huge fan of MJ, I appreciate his music and I admit that I have a burnt CD complete with Billie Jean, Thriller, and that Free Willy song (Will be there or something?) I even remember in high school a good friend of mine used to sing Billie Jean quite often. And every Halloween, my dance line would dance to Thriller complete with zombie costumes we made ourselves. So yes, MJ was apart of my growing up and I see it right to pay tribute to him.

Yes, he might have done some things that were wrong. And he is paying for those things, whatever they may be now. That doesn't take away from the fact that he is a legend in the music industry. And boy could he dance! We can't judge someone by speculation. That's not our job, thats the Big Man upstairs job. But we can remember him for the greatness that was Michael Jackson. ABC...it's easy as 123! And every Christmas I can't wait to hear the Jackson 5's version of Santa Claus is coming to town.

So the day after MJ died, I wore white socks and black shoes to work. Everyone immediately got it. I was so worried that the fashion police would come arrest me for the horrible look I was sporting, but everyone that saw me immediately got it and loved it. And turns out, I was not the only one! I tried to find a picture of him in those black shoes and white socks, but never could seem to find a good one...oh well....

So, here in this blog, is my tribute to Michael Jackson. May he rest in peace. May his music live on. May we remember him for what he was in the beginning and not what he came to be and what the media wanted us to believe.

I will be watching the CNN live broadcast of the memorial service today. So that one day, I can say yes I did see it, and yes I remember it. I think it will be important to know one day. It is a defining moment in my generation and I will be there to see it.

Have a great day everyone!

**Picture taken from Yahoo! Images.**

What's behind the blinds?????

2009-07-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

It's my sweet Sophie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great day!

Number 68 & 95

2009-07-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

Ok so I AM working on my DayZero project. I am also sorta revising my list to make more of my things fit into actually 101 days. So anyway, he is an update.

Number 68- Find a fragrance and make it my own. DONE!!!

Introducing my new favorite smell. Escada. I spent more than an hour today at every store in the mall smelling fragrances, getting samples, going back and forth, and finally, found THE one. I love it. Keith loves it. It's mine.

And number 95 to keep a day planner. I DO have a day planner and I am working on keeping it updated and trying to remember to store things in there instead of my handy blackberry app personal reminders. So more to come on that.

I have a few other things in the works that I will posting on soon. I did notice in my blog ticker that I am getting alot of blog views from the dayzero site. I would love your feedback on my list and I invite you to follow my blog and invite me to yours so I can follow you and we can keep up with each other's 101! Maybe you can give me some better ideas on mine. I will admit that when I started my list, I wasn't too excited about it and only did it at the mercy of my friends at work!

Have a great day!

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-04T10:00:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July. Will post pictures of our 4th activities soon! Until then, be safe! And thank a soldier for giving us the freedom to live in this great country!

4th of July Eve

2009-07-03T23:20:00.000-05:00

Hello Dahlin! Coming to you live from Baton Rouge! If you are new to reading this blog, welcome!! Glad you are here!

Today was a great day. Keith and I are NEVER off on the same day and for once, we were! YAY for the holiday falling on a Saturday right? So, we slept in. I mean slept in til like 11. It was fabulous. We got up and had some lunch. Raisin Cane's. A Louisiana favorite. After eating, we were getting ready to go to the pool when we decided it was just too hot to be outside for extended periods of time, so we decided to do some retail therapy instead. The mall was PACKED, and the sales were in full swing. We got bathing suits, shoes (I have a shoe addiction, if you know of any 12 step programs, please send them my way....My name is Renee' and I am a shoe addict.), and some new bath stuff from Lush. If you haven't experienced Lush products, then you don't know what your missing out on. Find you a Lush store and give in to the wonderful products. I am currently smelling like "Sexy Peel" bath wash. It is great. So anyways, after a day of shopping we came home loaded down with bags. We then went to the pool, where a whole different story took place.

I don't have time, energy, or enough blog space to get into everything that went down at the pool. As always, there was alcohol as far as you could see, everyone was enjoying our "hot tub" which is what we are calling it since the water is so hot its not even really refreshing to swim and the complex managers were grilling for all the residents. After a lengthy discussion on breast implants, politics, beer, and the warmth of the water, a discovery was made. There was an alligator on the property! ONLY in south Louisiana can you see, catch, and maintain an alligator literally out of your backyard. We do think that he unfortunately was alittle injured because he sure was easy to handle! And that's how "Artie" that alligator came to be. I do believe as I type this that poor Artie's life has now ended because the men here just seem to think they can't live without fresh alligator meat. Anyways, see pictures of Artie here. He was the coolest thing to hang out with us for that short time. We swear he was even smiling at us. Maybe because he wanted to eat us or that the pool was so refreshing to him?

Now, we are back home. A trip to Cold Stone for Friday Delight later. I am in my pj's putting up my new clothes, hiding them from my sister who steals them all. Hope everyone has a great 4th. I know we will. Love love!

My sweet husband. MUAH!

Roll ups, beer pong, and treadmills

2009-07-01T21:11:00.006-05:00

Happy "Thursday" to everyone!!! Since tomorrow is my Friday, today I celebrated my "Thursday."

So no doubt, you read this title and thought WTF. I know, I know. Let me explain. Read on.

Sophie says hello and wants to know when supper will be ready....what are we eating??? That's easy. Its one of my favorite meals, and its none other than roll ups.

My dad invented these delicious works of art. Its deer meat (or whatever you can get), bacon, onions, bell pepper, philly cream cheese. Roll that all together, stick a skewer through it, and wah lah roll ups! These are my favorite. When the grill master was cooking them earlier, he got asked alot when supper was served. I wish we had enough to feed everyone, but we all decided next time!

I make these to go along with the meal. I call them little taters. Just little bits of taters, sprinkled with Tony's (the LA seasoning of choice) and some butter. Bake and YUM!

Finished product. Corn is just a steamer bag. I love those steamed veggies. It's ok if your mouth is watering. You should have been here to have some!

After dinner, we got on our clothes and took off towards the pool to log alittle gym time. But, considering we live in a college town, and in a very young community, we were distracted when we noticed a game of beer pong going on in the pool. We had to join. We all need A.A. here. Seriously. For those of you that might not know what beer pong is, look it up and try it out. It's fun! Reminds me of the LSU game when the students asked my dad to borrow a cup for beer pong, we had to explain the game, and I am pretty sure he wanted to go play really bad!

We did get some treadmill and exercise bike time in....alittle....that counts, right?

At the end of the night, we came home. I was outside watering and tending to my little plants and caught Soph gazing out there at a bug I am sure. She doesnt get much outside time, so it definitely holds her interest! I thought she was just adorable.

Have a great night!