*i heart this guy*

Sunday was my anniversary.
Shawn and I were married on June 28, 1997.

You may not know this, but Shawn is extremely thoughtful. Seriously. He comes up with stuff that I would never think of. Here's a perfect example. When I walked in "big church" Sunday morning after Sunday school, one of the giant screens had a picture from our wedding and the caption said, "Happy 12th Anniversary Shawn & Amy." He had secretly arranged a deal with our Pastor and our Media Lady so it would be there when I came in. I know! Who thinks of things like that? IT GETS BETTER!

He took one of our wedding photos that had the cake in it. We never got to eat any of our cake. We had that single bite that you feed each other, but we were so busy talking to our guests that we didn't actually eat anything. Some ladies made us a picnic basket with a sampling of all of our wedding foods, but we left it in our car at the hotel. It was late June, 100 or so degrees...we didn't chance it. Back to my story...I loved our wedding cake. It was beautiful, basket weave with fresh flowers. It wasn't your traditional "up and down" cake, it took up an entire table, each layer was a different size on a different level. Oh, I hearted it. HE HAD A REPLICA MADE FOR ME. It is just 1 cake, but come on...WHO THINKS OF THINGS LIKE THAT? Here's where it gets even more precious. The sweet lady that he asked to bake it actually had to make 2 cakes. The first one was a true replica of our cake. She made it and placed it in her freezer. Well, some people were doing work at her house and the freezer got unplugged . Cake was ruined. So, she had to hurry up Saturday night and make a different cake. So it didn't actually look like our cake, but what a sweet thought. I HEARTED IT!

I'm not supposed to know this, but I have another surprise on the way. Shawn has been going behind my back taking all kinds of pictures of us from the past 20 years. We have been together for 20 years. Ca-RAYZEE!!! Those pictures are now on 8 cd's in Louisiana. My brother the producer is putting them all on 1 DVD with music and video clips, and I'll be getting that at the beach.

Even if he hadn't done all this fabulous stuff, I'd heart him anyway. Throw all this stuff in the mix...I heart him even more. He is a wonderful Daddy, terrific husband, amazing dancer, master of impersonations, and nobody makes me laugh more. He is my soul-mate, the one created just for me. And I heart him.

Here's to many, many more anniversaries.

going green

Yesterday was Homecoming at church. There was so much food...so much food. Of course, as we did our good Christian duty and got at the end of the line, I was questioning if there indeed WAS enough food. I was also making mental notes of who was going back for seconds before some of us poor souls preferring our brothers were waiting with rumbly stomachs IN THE BACK OF THE LINE. Anyhoo, we got fed. I had a hearty lunch of grease and flour, bc I chose a MASSIVE piece of fried chicken from Wal Mart. Oh, I heart Wal Mart chicken. I could've chosen from a million delicious sides, but with 3 boys and 2 adults...fixing plates is tricky. I made a deal w/Griffin. I told him that we could share a plate, he could eat from my plate. He quickly informed me that yes, we could make a deal, but that it wasn't going to go down as I suggested. I could eat from HIS plate, thus eliminating many of my delicious side items. So I got 1 piece of chicken.

All Keith wanted was green jello. There was any dessert known to man, crafted by the finest Christian hands on the earth...and he wanted green jello. Of course, by the time we got to dessert...the green jello was gone. Blasted pigs. (forgive me, Lord). My sweet boy...he doesn't ask for much. Shawn looked at me and made this vow, "I WILL get Keith some green jello...I will." And he did. Last night @ 10:30, he went to Winn Dixie and came home w/green jello.

Flash forward to this morning. It's the darnedest thing...as soon as my kids wake up, you can bet you'll hear this, "I'm starving. What's for breakfast?" We almost always do healthy stuff. NO sugary cereals, no pastries, etc. It's usually a healthier cereal and fruit, sometimes biscuits, sometimes pancakes, sometimes granola bars. Not today. Today calls for something special.

on the lookout

So much has happened since we last spoke! Mom and I saw my sweet friend LISA steal the show in The Sound of Music. It deserves its own post...be on the lookout. Today is my 12th Anniversary. Shawn is so thoughtful...I can't wait to share all the sweet things he did for me. Be on the lookout. We had a photo shoot with our FAVORITE photographer, Kamin. I don't want to give away too much, so I'll just offer this tease - antique tractor, baseball gloves, Ninja Turtle. Be on the lookout.

Finally, Gigi surprised me w/an anniversary surprise. I guess it was for my anniversary. Or it could be just for being an altogether super awesome amazing daughter. Yeah, that's probably what it was for. Anyhoo, she did these w/her very own hands. She's super crafty and talented. And for the record...I heart these silhouettes. And Gigi.

More to come this week. Be on the lookout!

the day the music died

I remember this poster.
I had it on my wall when I was in the 2nd grade.
I loved it.

I remember when MTV first came on the air. There were no trashy dating shows, no disgustingly lewd documentaries. There were these cool things called music videos. I lived for them. We all did.

The best videos were by Michael Jackson. His videos were like movies. No lie...they really were. When a new one would debut, people would make plans to stay home and watch them. There was no Tivo. No DVR. You cancelled everything, sat in your living room, and watched.

I remember Thriller. I remember the album. The real, vinyl album. I had it. I also had the cassette version. Not one, I had 2. I wore one out and had to get another one.

I remember Thriller the song. I remember Thriller the video. I remember Thriller the movement. Thriller is the background music for my elementary school years. PYT. Wanna be Startin Somethin. Human Nature. Beat It. Billie Jean. I heart those songs...and I remember them.

I remember We are the World. I remember that Michael Jackson wrote that song. I remember seeing all of those celebrities standing together, singing it. I remember singing along. I remember thinking that we really could make a difference, if we all stood side by side and worked together. "It's true we make a better day, just you and me." I remember.

I remember hating Pepsi even more, since MJ's hair caught on fire during a Pepsi commercial. Sheesh...Pepsi has always been inferior to Coke. That's just a little bonus here...back to Michael Jackson.

I remember the jacket. Yes, I had one. Mine was pink. With silver zippers. Mine came from TG&Y. Oh, how cool was I in that jacket? I never got into the glove phenomena, but it worked for Michael. I remember that sequined glove.

I remember trying to moonwalk. He made it look so easy...effortless. I remember trying - and failing. I can moonwalk, yes. But not like Michael could.

I remember "The Wiz." Do kids today even know about "The Wiz?" Oh, I hearted it. I wonder where I can get copy of it. I want my boys to see The Wiz.

He was the King of Pop. He was the Elvis of my generation. He was the greatest musical icon probably of my lifetime. He was 50. Are you flippin' kidding me? 50? Gosh, I'm old. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was in the 2nd grade, and Mom and I were at Brenda Lowe's house for dinner, watching Thriller? We were amazed at his dancing. His performance. His talent. That was just yesterday. Now he's gone.

Lots of time has passed from then to now. There have been highs, and lows. Shady stuff. Physical changes. Lots of them. A marriage to music royalty. More physical changes. More shady stuff. I won't try to deny any of that. I won't dispute any eccentricities, problems, or other general weirdness. I will, however choose to remember other things. Other days. Earlier days. I will remember the days where this very poster hung on my wall. Michael Jackson in his yellow outfit. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. Michael Jackson, the voice of the music of my childhood. I don't deny the issues or problems. I simply choose to remember the magical side.

I feel old today. I woke up, went about my day like usual. When I heard about Farrah Fawcett, I intended to blog about her. Then came the news of MJ. Both were such integral parts of my childhood, pop culture royalty. It's hard to be a child of the 80's today. I am sad. I am healthy, have a wonderful family, I am blessed beyond what I deserve. I am a wife, a mama, a teacher. But the little girl inside of me is sad. Pieces of her childhood are fading away. And it makes her feel old. Distant. Lonely.

I remember where I was when the Challenger blew up. I remember where I was when Kurt Cobain killed himself. I remember where I was when the Berlin Wall fell. I remember where I was when the 1st Gulf War started. I remember where I was when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died. I remember where I was when JFK Jr. died. I remember where I was when Chris Farley died. I remember where I was when Princess Diana died. I remember where I was when my beloved President Reagan died.

I remember love, love, LOVING Thriller. And now, I remember where I was when my beloved King of Pop died. Justin Timberlake, Kanye West...you guys don't have a clue. Talented? Yes. Iconic? Nope. Michael Jackson...he was an icon.

And I will always remember.

Stuff we heart

When I was a little girl, I loved getting new stuff. I mean, I HEARTED it. My kids heart new stuff too. I also heart a good deal. My boys, they have always just liked stuff - the price of the stuff was no concern. Until now. I have introduced my children to an amazing place, a virtual heaven on earth. Kind of. I have revealed the secrets of the Thrift Store to my boys...and they heart it.

I took them for a date day a few weeks ago. We went to Chic-fil-a for lunch, and to the Thrift Store. I told them that they each could get 1 bag of goodies. You know how the Thrift sells stuff in those clear bags...it's like getting a goodie bag of treasure. You can see what you are getting, and there are literally HUNDREDS of bags to go through. And we went through all of them. I knew that Keith would be in Heaven with the Hot Wheels and toy horses. My 1 bag rule, it didn't last. How could I only get 1 bag, when there were awesome horses, Hot Wheels, AND army men? And all 3 were cheaper than 1 blasted toy at blasted Wal Mart! Zack isn't into cars or action figures, so he wasn't really impressed. Yet. Griffin found lots of action figures he liked, but nothing that he really hearted. Until we went to the magical place called...the showcase.

Ah, the showcase. The place where the true treasures are located. I happened to look behind the glass counter and what did my eyes land on? The holy grail. The jackpot. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle carrying cases. Not one, but 2 of them. Be. still. my. HEART. To say that Griffin likes the ninja turtles is like saying that it's warm outside. He HEARTS the ninja turtles. He hearts them a lot.

I asked the sweet lady working the showcase if those TMNT cases had anything inside. She said, "Girl, I don't know. Here...look." She handed me the cases. They were FULL. Griffin was in full hyperventilation, seizure, hysteria. I guessed there to be about 25 TMNT figures inside. I told him that if we got them, that would be all he could get and he'd have to put back his other stuff. He was cool with that. Each case...$12.88.

Zack quickly realized the magic of the showcase when he spotted his prize...a binder of baseball cards. He asked if he could see the binder, and the sweet lady handed them across the glass counter to him. The heavens opened up and angels descended and for a minute, I think I heard the Hallelujah chorus. It. was. FULL. Chock full of cards. Once we got home, he counted and told me exactly how many cards...252. It was a good day.

Once we checked out, we realized that it truly was a magical day. The turtles were 30% off. They were a green tag item, green tags were 30% off. The baseball cards...70% off. Are you KIDDING ME? It was SO meant to be.

3 happy boys, 1 happy Mama. A little Clorox water bath and voila...those toys were like new. On a side note...those TMNT cases actually held 48 TMNT characters. Most of them can't even be bought today, except for on Ebay. Just last night, I found one on ebay for $39.99. 1 Turtle. I got it, plus 47 more for less than that. That my friends, is why I HEART the thrift store.

We're BAAAA-AAAAACCCKKKKKK!

Yeah, I was tired of the old blog. Plus I hadn't posted anything since February. What's new with you? We've been great. Busy, but great. I'm sure that I'll devote some postings to things we accomplished over that last 4 months, but not tonight. Tonight I just wanted to let you know that unlike the Gosselins...we're in it for the long haul. :) I always loved their little mantra, "It might be a crazy life, but it's our life." Somewhere along the way, they lost sight of the "our" part. I'm afraid it became "my" life for the adults in the equation. I have loved that show since day 1 and will pray for their family. In the meantime...I look at my house full of boys. I hear their loud voices. I feel the walls shake as they play basketball...inside...AGAIN. After I took the darn nerf ball away...and hid it on top of the refrigerator. I see the milk glasses on the table that they *forgot* to take to the sink. I see the wet swimsuits on the carpet floors, waiting for a Mama to pick them up. I see the action figures arranged PERFECTLY, all 1,375 of them. I see the tractors, monster trucks, army men, and baseball cards. Treasures. Thrift store purchases...priceless to them. I see my 3 little boys transforming to 3 big boys...and it makes me sad. Just yesterday K and Z were new. 3 and 2 year old "newborns" to us. And G...wasn't he just born? Now he is starting kindergarten. Oh, my heart aches. And my face hurts - from smiling. These kids are hilarious. They are wild, lively, loving, beautiful messes. I heart these boys. And their Daddy. It may be a crazy life indeed, but it's OUR life. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

**DISCLAIMER*** Given the recent Jon & Kate drama, I would like to make a few things clear. First of all...don't expect me to cut my hair in some scary asymmetrical backwards mullet. Won't happen. Secondly, if you're looking for Shawn on the bar scene at night cuddling up to some young teacher...you're wasting your time. He's got all the teacher he needs right @ home. :) Also, he will not be sporting fancy 3 carat diamond studs in his earlobes anytime soon. If any bling is to be purchased...it will be for Mama. Maybe this will clarify any confusion you may be having. For those of you not familiar with Jon and Kate, you probably think I have lost my ever loving mind. Just play along...you know Amy...she's crazy like that. :)