8

Today, the number 8 holds a special place in my heart... it's how long I've been married to my love, Sammy. There have been many changes, struggles, deaths, births & several other life-changing events in the 8 years we've been married, but throughout it all, we have grown closer & deeper in love. And, I thank God for that every day! I thank God for working on us continually so that we can be a model of love and devotion to our children. I thank God for softening my heart at times when I wanted out. And, I thank God for softening Sammy's heart at times when I'm sure he wanted out, as well. I thank God for being involved in our marraige and for shaping us to "be as one".

Sammy, thank you for being such a wonderful husband, friend & father. Our boys are so blessed to have you as their example of how a husband should treat his wife. And Sydney is blessed to have you as an example of how a lady should be treated.

I love you! Happy anniversary!

Like I said, ALWAYS the last to know...

So, after talking to Sammy's aunt, we discovered that his great-uncle does indeed own that lodge in Baffin Bay. And, we found out from reading it in a magazine!! How random is that?!?!

Now, if this were my family we were talking about, this would be normal. We don't have very close relations to our extended family. In fact, I have cousins and a whole slew of relatives in California that I've never even met. But, Sammy's family is pretty tight. They have family reunions constantly, Sammy used to work for his great-uncle and used to live down the road from him in Kingsville. We still see them pretty much every time we visit South Texas. It's obviously been a while since we've visited.

So, if you're ever in South Texas (and by South Texas, I mean really South!) and are needing a place to stay, be sure to look up Baffin on the Rocks and enjoy some good saltwater fishing!

Texas Highways

In January, I made a comment to my Mom about how I love the Texas Highways magazines I read while I am at her house or at my Grandmother's home. So, she sent me a gift subscription! Thanks, Mom!! I have received 2 subscriptions so far & I devour it from cover to cover. The state of Texas intrigues me & I really do love living here. In this most recent issue, they featured a section on Baffin Bay, which is right where I grew up. Actually, I grew up in Kingsville, but we all considered Baffin Bay part of Kingsville territory. So, as I'm laying in bed last night reading this section on Baffin Bay, I read about a new lodge that just opened up for fishermen, hunters, bird watchers, etc. (Baffin Bay doesn't attract much more than these people.) In the article, they listed the co-owner as Curtis Dawson, which is Sammy's great-uncle in Kingsville. So, I woke Sammy out of his snoring slumber to ask him if he knew anything about Sonny (his name is Curtis, but his family calls him Sonny) owning a lodge near Baffin Bay. He had no idea, which is so typical, because we are ALWAYS the very last in his family to know anything that happens. So, I'm about to shoot an e-mail to Sammy's aunt & ask her. Maybe it's another Curtis Dawson, but I highly doubt it. It's too small of a town for that coincidence. We'll see...

However, getting back to the TH magazine, I really enjoy all the issues I've read & I am so excited to be receiving it monthly now! And, by the way, Mom, did I mention how much I like your Suburban...

Samuel's New Low

Yesterday, Samuel (my son, NOT my husband!) announced to us that his toots smell good. Ewwwwww! He is JUST like a man!

Laundry & Debt

Somebody recently commented how it was great that I could keep 4 kids (my own 3, plus the one I babysit during the day) and get all my laundry done. HA!!! What a joke! I have a love/hate relationship with laundry... I HATE having so much laundry to do, yet I am so very thankful for all the clothes/linens that we do have. And, I am thankful that I own a washing machine & a dryer. It's always hard to feel sorry for yourself when you think of the alternative.

We are $60 away from paying off one of our bills that we had originally put on the back burner. YEA! This really feels like a huge accomplishment & makes all the little extra odd jobs we've taken seem very worthwhile! I am anxious to make an even bigger dent in our debt. So, if you see me spending frivolously... STOP ME!

Doggy Heaven

Before Christmas 2004, we had our oldest dog, Mystery, put to sleep. She was 14 years old & had suffered from arthritis for so long. We felt putting her to sleep was the most humane way to end her life. This was my dog since 1990, so I asked Sammy to please take her while the kids & I were away visiting my parents. I didn't want to have to take her myself & I really didn't want to be there when it happened. She was a very special member of our family. So, while we were gone, Sammy did the deed & then told me about it later. Anyway, fast forward to 2006... the kids have been asking a lot about Mystery lately. It's amazing to me how much they remember, since they were only 2 at the time. But, they ask for her constantly. And, they ask if we can go get her & bring her home. I've given them the "cutesy" simple answer that Mystery is in Doggy Heaven and she is healthy & happy and she wants to stay there because she likes it there. Sometimes they'll protest, but they mostly give in & move on to another topic. Well, this evening, the twins & I were running errands around town. We were going to Old Navy, which happens to be right next door to Petco, which is where we take our youngest dog, Dallas, to be groomed. So, while I was parking, Sydney points to Petco & asks me, "Mommy, is that doggy Heaven? Are we going to get Mystery?" It was so cute & so sad at the same time. I guess I need to explain Doggy Heaven a little better...

Freakin' Out!

Sydney has this bad habit of asking people "What are you doing?", even when she can clearly see exactly what they are doing. For her, it's like saying, "Hi, how are you?" to someone. She does this ALL the time! So, this morning we were sitting at the breakfast table. All 3 kids were eating waffles & I was feeding them to Nicholas. (He still has a tendency to throw his food on the floor, which really annoys me! I'd rather just feed him myself than help him to learn his independence.) In the middle of breakfast, Sydney asks me, "Mommy, what are you doing?" She can obviously see that I'm sitting across the table from her feeding Nicholas, so I just give this exasperated sigh & then Samuel chimes in, "She's freakin' out."

Hmmmm... wonder where he heard that?!?!