Ride Ride and Slide Slide!!!

This weekend I had a Saturday afternoon meeting so I left Brooks with John. He loves being outside with his Daddy more than anything. On this particular day, I left with him playing in the Suzuki while John was finishing up a welding job on the muffler. Man, that sounds so redneck.

Anyway, he was in heaven playing in daddy's "ride ride" as he calls it. He usually gets upset when I leave but as I handed him his juice and crackers to snack on while John finished up he said, "Tay tu Mommy, bye bye!" No hesitation this time.

As I was driving home John kept calling me wanting me to hurry and watch what Brooks could do. He was on the neighbors playground set, a BIG play set, climbing up a very tall ladder and booking it down the slide as fast as he could, over and over and over again! Although he has climbed ladders and gone down slides before, he just seemed so much more grown up and capable this time. Just another sweet reminder that that he is growing up too fast and I really can't stop it!

I captured some cute pics on my phone of him in all of his slide glory... dirt caked on the face! Another reason he likes being outside with Daddy... Daddy lets him get dirty! Mommy let's him get dirty too, it just seems like he ALWAYS gets dirty when he is left with John!

Sliding on his tummy, whichever way he fell or twisted he went that way. As long as he was going FAST, he was happy!

Getting ready for take off!

Very dirty and very happy little face!

New Prayer

I interrupt my current reading session to bring you a precious prayer! I am currently reading the First Born Series by Karen Kingsbury. This summer I read the Redemption series, which I highly recommend, this is her follow up series to Redemption. For those of you who are not aware, Karen Kingsbury books are Christian Fiction and often quote Bible verses.

Anyway, every night before we turn out the lights we say a little prayer with Brooks. My favorite part of his bedtime is when he says, "Amen," even if he says it all slurry through his pacifier! Anyway, I was reading my book last night and read a small prayer that I love and want to memorize so I can say it to Brooks. Thought I would share it with you all, it is so simple but sweet...

"God, please now my future see, make it clear where I should be. Open windows, close the doors, not my will, my God, but yours."

Seven Years Ago, Today...

Seven years ago today, I was 20 years old working at the Georgia Club as a cart girl. It was the summer after my Sophomore year in college and I was two weeks away from making my big, exciting move to Nashville (well, technically Murfreesboro, but Nashville sounds way better!) I worked a long shift at the golf course on this day, seven years ago. My friend Kelly Marlowe talked me in to going downtown Athens with her that night. I was tired and REALLY just wanted to stay home but I was coaxed in to a night out on the town.

John was 22 and had moved from Athens to Arkansas where he was working on a rice farm. He was living the simple life, by the river in an old cabin. He came home to Georgia to help his parents move back to their old stomping grounds in Arksansas. He had gone downtown Athens the night before and was worn out from that night out. His friends talked him in to another night out out on the town...

I was wearing a black baby doll type shirt and a knee length blue jean skirt. Both conservative and cute but not my style right now! I had on a circular turqouise necklace I bought from Target. I loved that necklace!

Kelly DRUG me to Firehouse, a bar on Clayton Street. The first hour or so there was pretty dull until we found a group of folks we knew and starting hanging out with. I do remember sitting at a table and literally wanting to fall asleep I was so tired. Slowly, but surely, August 3rd turned to August 4th and it was two hours until closing time. I was talking to some random guy because I noticed he had a military tag on and I made some comment about it so he stopped me to talk. He was very friendly but he just kept talking and frankly, he was boring. I was looking for Kelly and thinking about how I was going to get away from this guy when I turned around and saw a vision... oh, I'm so dramatic. Little did I know that vision was...

MY FUTURE HUSBAND!

What I really saw was an old worn out Stetson that some guy was wearing. I turned back around to the guy who was still rambling and said, "Hang on one second." I turned around and walked right up to John. (So, I picked him up, just for the record!)

Well, at the time, I was not aware he would be my husband but he was standing there, tall and thin and very cute, and very tan. I remember everything he was wearing that night but the only thing that caught my eye was the old worn out Stetson. I had a "thing" for the cowboy/country look if you will! A phase, some people call it. He was wearing Levi's and a short sleeve button down shirt. He remembers not particularly liking what he was wearing that night. I walked up to him, took off his hat (how annoying, why did I do that?) and he said, "Why does every girl take off my cowboy hat."

Kind of embarrased, I put the hat back on his head and turned to walk away. "Wait!" he said. I turned back around and we started chatting. I remember trying to listen to what he was saying. Something about his dad being in a band and him coming home to help his parents move to Arkansas where he was living. I told him that I was just a couple of weeks away from moving to Tennessee. But all I could think about the whole time we were talking was, "I wonder if he's wearing cowboy boots." I remember I was standing very close to him because the bar was crowded and I really wanted to see if he was wearing cowboy boots. He remembers me awkwardly looking down and wondered why I was staring at his feet. It was dark and crowded, so it took me a while to figure it out but finally I saw them... Yes! Cowboy boots! (My my, I was young and apparently this was a very important attribute at the time!)

Kelly remembers me finding her and saying, "Kelly, guess what? I found my cowboy!" Can you believe seven years ago, RIGHT NOW, I was getting off of work and was about to meet my husband and the father of my two precious little boys? What a GREAT DAY! I'm SO glad John was wearing the hat that caught my attention and I am so glad Kelly coaxed me in to going out that night!

And just for the record, we must repeat the pick up line he used when he called me two days after we met. Kelli Magee, you remember this because you were with me! He called and my voicemail picked up and he said, "Hey girl, I was just wondering if you saw the sunset today, cause I ordered it for ya... this is John." Oh, wow... let's just say he better be glad he was wearing that Stetson!

Brooks wearing the hat that brought his mommy and daddy together!