Janet Evanovich

I am definitely addicted to the Stephanie Plum series. I can't get enough. I have read ever single book Janet has written to date. Here are some quotes that show why I love this series. I can't wait for Takedown Twenty

"Itu2019s the Boy Scouts who are always prepared. Cops are always hungry." - Joe Morelli, Hot Six

"I swear I donu2019t know how you ever make a capture." Vincent Plum,Seven Up

"I'm disappointed. Usually when I'm with you a car explodes or a building burns down." Ranger, Hard Eight

I also loved The Heist

"Sure," he said. "We don't get nearly enough quality father-daughter time." - Jake,The Heist

And Pros & Cons. I haven't found anything she had written I don't like. 

Don't forget that The Con is On

The Perfect Marriage

I was asked what I think the perfect marriage is and how do you make marriage last?

My answer there isn't one!

But here are my thoughts on what you need if you even have a chance at making it last.

When you get married the bible tells us that two become one and I believe that but staying that way is all up to you!

I think you need to find someone whose biggest fear is losing you not because they cant be alone but because without you they are not complete. I think you should fight like a married couple but make up like your life depends on it. Talk like you are and actually be each others best friend. Always flirt with each other like you did when you first fell in love. Protect each other like siblings. Never go to bed angry, always kiss each other goodnight and always always always make sure your better half never has a single doubt about how much you love them.

Because if you ignore them they will ignore you. If you don't have actual conversations (not questions with one word replies) then you will reach a point when you just won't speak anymore at all. If you don't put any effort into it eventually neither will they and the two that became one will just be two again. Leading totally separate lives even if you are under the same roof.

Marriage depends on you and what you put into it. The first thing you should put in it is God. You reap what you sow. And you get out of it what you put into it. I pray daily for God to make me the kind of christian woman, mother and wife I need to be for him, my husband and my family.

That is my answer!

Another School Year

Well it's been a crazy busy summer but here we are starting another school year. I can't believe that Haylie is a sophomore. I have empty nest already and she hasn't even left the house yet!! Honestly I hope she lives here the whole time she's in college. We did have a great vacation I love our time together on the cruises with no electronics and even though there is the constant if we had our phones this and if we had our phones that I think deep down the girls are thankful for the break from electronic communication, even if they do have to actually converse with each other and us. (GASP..if you can imagine)Cruel and unusual punishment for teens I know. Haylie will be showing PorkChop the hog at the wc fair this year so that should be interesting. I have to say for an hog he is quite sweet and he and her together are very entertaining to say the least he's more like a HUGE puppy than a hog! I am very proud of her for all she has done this summer the hog, her job through the week and her other job on the weekends. She is growing up to fast I'd like a rewind button but instead I'll just be grateful that she has a dedication to serving God and a good work ethic!

Random crazy busy time

Well things have been crazy and busy lately. I feel sometimes like I am butting my head against a wall. There are days I don't know if I'm coming or going or remember where I've been! I know where I'd like to be but the problem is climbing the mountain to get there. I just cling to my faith that God will give me strength and see me through it! I know he will because I know he always has in the past. I am praying morning noon and night that I might have the patience and sense to just shut up and listen to him so that I can figure out the changes that he has in store for me. Hopefully I can fully embrace them and know there is a blessing in all this somewhere. Good news is doctors appt on Monday and the plan is one more month on my final treatments and then I will have completed my years of faslodex/tamox and no lump recurrences outside the normal realm...Yeah!! No meds in my system hopefully means I can get my complexion back. No more nasty skin hemorrhage's!! I hated that my meds sometimes made me look like I had a skin disease of some kind but it is a small price to pay for what it cures! God is truly great and I am so thankful he loves me regardless of how truly unworthy I am!

Haylie is the best thing that God has ever blessed me with and these days of being the mother of a teenage girl are so truly stressful, irritating, draining and a wonderful blessing at the same time. She is a great young lady and very respectful to others and considerate of their feelings. When I hear people tell me about things she has said or done it makes me very proud of the young lady she is becoming so it tells me we must be doing something right even if I feel like I'm always doing it wrong! However with me where there used to be a sweet hug and a kiss and mommy can i help you mommy can i do it. Those days have been replaced by MOM....UGH...and slammed doors (though I know it's only because of that hard headed stubbornness she gets from her dad). I just try to remember that God has given me the most important job ever and that is to be her mother and teach her the way to be not to be her friend and let her do or say whatever she wants. She doesn't have to like me right now in fact most of the time she doesn't but by the time she appreciates me being a mom to her and not just a friend. Maybe she will figure out maybe just maybe I was right she will probably have kids of her own... I wonder if this is why mom gets such a chuckle at mine and Angie's frustration with Haylie and Bayli. I'm guessing yes...

I'm seriously thinking of changing my relationship status to single or widow. I feel like I am most of the time. My hubby is always gone to this meeting or that meeting. He is always so preoccupied with all of his elected to positions and clubs that he belongs to. All of his extra time he has goes to doing the other things he needs to do but hasn't gotten done yet! Well as you can see that doesn't leave much time at all for him just to be home! I am very proud of my husband he works hard and gives freely to others without expecting anything in return. What makes me sad is my main connection with him right now in this busy and crazy time is playing his secretary...though I told him I need a raise!!

He is about to run his 3rd marathon and I couldn't be prouder this one in honor of Emma Grace Hampton to raise money for St. Jude and he is taking donations on his website. www.mystjudeheroes.org/jcdobbs



Please go and give and help this great facility take care of the kids that need them. So in December JC Haylie Bayli and I will be headed to Memphis. JC to run 26.2 miles and us of course to cheer him on! Trip to Graceland of course and whatever else we decide to do.

That's all for now thanks for reading and sorry for boring you!

Current happenings

Well we have had alot going on lately. Just as I think we are going to catch up something else starts. Oh well I wouldn't have it any other way. Crazy fun is the best way to describe our household. Our 17/21 year anniversary is this Friday! That's just crazy!! We will be spending our anniversary weekend in Little Rock as Haylie, Bayli and I root JC on running the Little Rock Marathon. Haylie is 14 and Bayli will be 15 in May and that's even crazier!!! Haylie is going to take her written drivers test this week or next week and Bayli passed her driving part last week and now has an official hard copy of a drivers permit though she does like her picture. It seems like they are just growing up way to fast..no way should they be driving...Well that's all that is going on right now... so later

2010

Well we made it through another year and God has blessed us in so many ways. I am so thankful to be a child of God and thankful for the life and the family that he has given me. JC and Haylie are the best blessings that He has ever given me. 2009 is over and this is a new start to a new year I just pray that God continues to bless our family and I pray that he would also bless all of yours. My resolution for the year is to love more, forgive more and try to be more understanding. Afterall if God can do it for me then shouldn't I do it for others. I hope that everyone has a blessed year and we could all start our year by rededicating our lives to God and to our families the way it is intended.

God Bless and Happy 2010

What's Happened

O.K. I know a ton has happened since my last post but I will spare you with trying to fit everything in here and I am going to TRY and do better I promise.....Some of the best highlights my newest niece Brinley turned 4 months old...my newest nephew Korbin started walking...My oldest nephew Taylor got to come home for a week, but is now headed to Afghanistan for about 2 years....Cody and Kaylie got married.....We are all healthy and happy and we went on vacation...Yeah!!!!

here is a run down of our vacation:

We left on 07-04-09 in the morning headed for Galveston with three teenage girls...YIKES!!! But we all had a good time. we stopped at Dave and Busters for dinner in Houston



Then we went to Galveston Beach



We drove all the way to Galveston but every hotel was booked so we backtracked from Galveston and called every hotel until we found a suite in LaPorte Texas...and it turned out to be very nice... We unloaded the luggage and went to Kemah Texas to Joe's Crab Shack and the Boardwalk




Then the next day the girls suckered JC into taking them shopping at the Galleria Mall in Houston that thing is huge...We ate at Rain forest Cafe look at the yummy dessert (the price of which sent JC into convulsions but it sure was yummy) and of course finished with a trip to the Candy Store...Teenage Girls on Sugar...YEAH!!!





Finally we got out of the car and onto the boat on Monday morning



The outfits are of course what they suckered JC into buying them at Hollister...he can always tell me no but for some reason he doesn't tell them NO...Oh well that's what makes him a great Dad and Uncle I guess

We had a great time in Progresso and Cozumel and on the cruise in general the girls didn't fight and JC actually smiled in a few pictures...We got to dress up for the Captains Dinner one of my favorite parts of cruising



Follow this link to view all of our Vacation pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2028166&id=1334709568&l=6aa15a5290

Then we got home early early Sunday morning just in time to catch exactly 40 winks and get up to go eat with Taylor and the family before he had to go back to his base in San Diego and leave for Afghanistan for about 2 years...



If you want to see the rest of these pictures go to

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2028230&id=1334709568&1=cbbf7d0c13

That's all for this post and I will TRY to post at least once a week..

God Bless You All!!!