Man, I'm not good at this blogging thing

Well, I haven't blogged in over a month and that seems to be the case every time I blog. So, I'm going to get better...new goal, one per week. I think I can do that. This blog is going to have lots of pictures :)

St. Patrick's Day came and went and we almost missed it, it seems. Last year we went to the parade, but this year we were not in town. So on the actual day we made green beer, green mashed potatoes and meatloaf. All in all it was a great night.

So, last month was absolutely crazy. Amanda was on Night Float for the first half of the month...meaning I basically didn't see her very much for a few days at a time, because I would be at work during the day and then she would work at night. Can I just say...I do not want this to be our life, so thank goodness that is not normally the case. She went to Birmingham for a weekend for Aiden's birthday party and baseball game. She had a blast and realized that they are getting so big.

Easter weekend was short but fun. I had to work on Saturday morning, so we left after that. We went and had dinner with Amanda's entire family, saw her Uncle Danny's new house and then of course we made the bunny cake!!! You have to make the bunny cake. I think Amanda did a great job!

Harper loved her bunny ears that we gave her. They were egg hunting around the pool.

I missed my family on Easter this year, but they did some beautiful pictures. Emily took the this one...pretty good for a 4 year old that's short.

Spring has finally happened in New Orleans. The pollen is no where near as bad as Georgia, but it got kind of bad for a few days. The weather has been amazing here lately. It's a little cooler in the morning and a litter warmer in the evenings...just perfect! I don't think that the people here know what to do with themselves. We've done a little yard work to try and catch up with the rest of the neighborhood - it's a little better, but still not as good as everybody else. We're learning and it's hard because neither of us like yard work. Ha. Last weekend we had the best weekend ever. On Saturday night we went to a Michael Jackson Tribute Band named "Who's Bad" and it was awesome. Of course we had our own Michael Jackson...Nicole, pretty awesome! On Saturday we went to the last day of French Quarter Fest. It was great. We were down on the river and listening to music with the sun shining, just perfect. That is until we got home and we were so burnt...our first burn of the season and hopefully the last.

So that has been our life here for a little bit. Of course today Amanda got home and somebody hit her bumper when she was parked at Children's Hospital and they must have done it while she was on call yesterday. Ugh. Now we have to deal with that, but that's okay. Everything else is going wonderful.

Hope all is well!!!

Wii Fit

So, I need to put this out there so that I can be held accountable. I have started a venture of trying to lose weight. A couple of years ago I lost a lot of weight and I have gained about 15 lbs back since then, give or take a little bit. I feel like I need to get back down to where I was a couple of years ago. Now, I'm not going to put my exact weight on here, but I will put how much I'm gaining/losing. We got a Wii Fit for Christmas and I have been using it over the past few weeks, it's pretty cool. You can get your BMI, Weight, Play games, etc on it. I love it. So, that's how I will keep up. So, let's start with last week...I had lost 1.3 lbs. Today, I had gained 1.87 lbs back. Boo. So...moving onto tomorrow. My goal is actually set in the Wii for 12 lbs...so we shall see. I'm excited! I'm ready!

Happy Reading!

So, it's Tuesday night and normally I am ready for my week to be over...but I have to say that this week is not like that. I'm in such a good mood, just ask my co-workers...they can't believe it. Ha, no really, I'm just in a good mood and nobody is going to bring me down. :)

I finally finished the 5th Harry Potter Book and it was good, but now I need a break from all of that. I tend to really only read on my lunch break at work, so it of course takes me 10 years to finish a book. So, since I needed a new book, I went onto the bookshelf and saw "It's not about the bike: my journey back to life" by Lance Armstrong. I've gotta say he's a very inspirational person, so I thought...sure. Amanda said she had read it a long time ago and it was good. I started it today and I've only read the first chapter and I already feel like it's going to be really good. I've had a lot go on this year already and I have learned a lot, so I'm hoping that this book can teach me something about myself; about picking up and moving on and learning new things in the process.

Happy Reading!

It's the end of February already...

This month has been a whirlwind of things to do. Trying to get over last month has definitely been something that has not been easy. I find myself sometimes breaking down and really over nothing. I think my emotions are shot and I can't wait until we go on our vacation that we are currently in middle of scheduling to Purerto Rico -- can't wait to just sit on the beach and drink a drink and do nothing for a week :)

Mardi Gras came and went really fast this year, probably because of the Saints winning the Super Bowl!!! So 2 weeks of this month were spent with Saints, parades, and beads. My family came down and it was nice to see them, because last month was not really a "good" visit. Emily is growing up so fast and it's hard to believe that she is already 4 and forming her very own opinions...and there are a lot of them, but I wouldn't change that for anything! Here's a picture of me and Emily on our way to the parade!

We sat on the 20th row of the Hornets game and I have to tell you, that's awesome. We were in the seats that they will bring food to you instead of you having to get up to get it. Pretty awesome!!!

Work has been hard here lately. I feel like I am being pulled in every possible direction and I still haven't come back since being gone so long in January. I'm frustrated and I really need to get my mind settled back into a routine there so I can function properly and "leave it at work" instead of bringing home all the emotions that the day has held. I'm working on it.

Last night we got all of tax stuff together to go to the tax office today. We shall see what happens. It seems like it could be good news, getting money back, but I am always scared.

My birthday is soon and I'm excited. Amanda booked a hotel room in Biloxi and we're just going to go over and relax for a night. That's what I wanted, that's what I need. Can't wait.

I'm ready to just feel normal again and it doesn't seem like things will ever be back to normal. The other day I literally picked up my phone to call my GG and I thought...wait, she's not there and that's a hard thing to really realize. She is the first person that has been close to me to pass away and I'm having a hard time adjusting to it. I really believe that Amanda and I have grown closer together because of everything. I have tried to put my faith in knowing that she is with Jesus and one day I will see her again....it's not an easy thing. We've been going to church more and realizing that we really want that part of our life back. Here's to new beginnings...

Oh...and we gave up Red meat for Lent...we shall see!

New Month...

We're finally in February and Amanda and I couldn't be happier. We are moving past our January hard times and looking to better days. We are so thankful for all the love and support that everyone gave us throughout the month and still continue to give us, we couldn't ask for better people to surround ourselves with right now in our life. February started off with a bang because we were offered free Hornets tickets on the bottom level. I have never been on the bottom level, so it was really neat to hear the "swoosh" of the basketball net and the "screech" of the basketball shoes on the floor. It was so nice of our neighbors to give us their season tickets that they were not using that night. The 2nd of February we went and saw the off-broadway musical "Mamma Mia." We have had the tickets for quite a while and have been anticipating the show as well. Amanda has gone around the house singing all the songs for quite some time. The show was so good and we had such a good time, even though we were on the top row. We can't wait to go to another one...next on our list "Wicked." So, we can't wait to see what else this month holds for us. The Black & Gold Super Bowl is this weekend, so needless to say this city has gone completely crazy. We are living in this wonderful place at the right time in our lives. Can't wait to see the big game and then on Tuesday go out and watch the Saints parade! Along with all those fun things, there is Mardi Gras stuff going on all the time. Next weekend is the big weekend and we have people coming into town - Amanda's cousin Lawanda and her husband Rob, my sister, my mom, and my niece. We are so excited!!! Now, all we need to do is clean the house!

Until next time...

GG

This week has been such a blur...it has literally been the worst week of my life. Sitting in a room watching your grandmother die is not something I would ever make anyone do. As I sit there I watch her stomach go up and down. All the while thinking about the many great memories that we have had over the years. Larry, one of the ministers said it best when we were in the ER and she was intubated, that isn't it funny all the good thoughts you have for someone at times like these instead of negative ones. All we have done this week is laugh at the many memories we have created with her and then the few more we have added this week with her as well. After her ER visit we moved her to hospice across the street and that is where she has been. The day after she got moved she actually started talking, I know that medicine wouldn't be able to explain this, but it happened...and my Aunt said it was our little miracle. And in a small way that is true, she came back just as grumpy and ornery. Haha her telling us to "leave her alone." It's funny, in a sense. Yesterday all she did was sleep and occasionally she would begin to choke. She's taking about 7 breathes a minute and it's just agonizing to watch. I have sat in a room with her for the past 3 days watching her die. I know she's ready to see Jesus, we are just waiting for Jesus to be ready.

This past week...

Last night we went to Biloxi to visit with Mema...it was the happiest I have ever seen her.

This past week has been a bit of a blur. Last weekend we got a call from Amanda's cousin that Mema had had a stroke and was on her way in the Ambulance to the Emergency Room. Amanda was on call, but once she got home we were on a way to try and figure out what was going on. After it was all said and done, we found out on Sunday that she has Lung Cancer that has spread to her brain. Even re-reading that last sentence it doesn't seem like it could be real. Thinking back about last night and how happy she was, you would never know that she has this black cloud hanging over her. It's funny though, even with all this bad news this week, I was talking to her on the phone tonight and she has a very positive attitude towards everything. She is such an amazing woman! Tomorrow morning is the brain surgery to take the mass out and then we shall see what needs to be done about the chemo.

When something like this happens you truly understand how a family can pull together and take care of each other. I am so glad that Amanda has myself and her family support to get through these tough times.

Please keep her and her family in your thoughts in the morning...