Sunday, July 31, 2011

I did it... a while ago, but I did it!

Hey y'all! I'm going to skip my next blog challenge topic to tell y'all about what I did! Ok, I guess it's really not that big of a deal and it's been 2 weeks, so the thrill of it is pretty much gone, but oh well... I'm going to share!

Just a few short months ago, this was me...


 


















Now, I want you to ignore the belly and the extra weight.  What I want you to focus on is the hair. Yes, that extremely long hair that literally rested on my big baby belly.  *sigh*
Fast Forward to a couple of weeks ago...
I made an appointment to get my hair cut- but I wasn't too sure how short I wanted it. Maybe just a trim, maybe some short layers just around the face, maybe chop it all off!!!  The day of the appointment, I still wasn't sure what I was going to do.  It wasn't until Kelly started to take me back to wash it that I made my decision.  I stopped her & told her I wanted to cut it off first so I could donate it to locks of love.  We put it in a ponytail and a few short snip snip snips later it was gone. Well, it was in my hand, but it was no longer attached to my head! I'd made up my mind before that regardless of what I chose, I would NOT have cutters remorse, and I didn't.  :) I was very happy with the length & style she chose.  I had another appointment that afternoon to get my hair colored with Krista & we were doing a little something different as well. 
Here I am now, after the cut & color change: 


I love it! I feel so much better and honestly, it was really hard for me to even find a picture of me with my hair down.  I always had it up in a pony tail, twisted in a clip or down in a braid.  So there ya go! My cute new "do".   This post was not as exciting as it could have been, but sometimes, that's a good thing!
I'll get back to my topic challenge next post. Night All!
 ~Summer

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

30 Day Challenge- My Parents

Hey there, Happy Rainy Wednesday to ya!
I have a couple of minutes on a rainy afternoon, so I thought I'd sit down really quickly while my little angel is asleep. I think I need to change my challenge from the 30-day challenge to the 30 topic challenge since I never intended to write everyday.
Oh well... today's topic is my parents.
Paulette & Chuck I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say about either of them. If you know me, you probably know my parents. We've always been really close, and I'm thankful to be able to still live so close to them now.
My Mom




My mom was pretty much a stay at home mom who was always there when we needed her. Whether it was for cookies at snack time, a ride to the mall (or dance, or gymnastics, or the ice rink...), or a shoulder to cry on, she was always there. I remember the first time she left all of us to go down to Florida to visit her friends, the house pretty much fell apart. My poor Daddy didn't know how to do any of the things she did, the WAY she did it. Ashlee & I were awful & he wasn't used to dealing with us all day like that. We all survived though!
My mom was always supportive of me- regardless of what it was. She allowed me to make mistakes and was still there to pick up the pieces when I needed it. She indulged me in all of my many obsessions and even supported a few of them by driving me all over the south east to see a certain boy band when I was twelve.

My Daddy



My daddy worked a bunch when I was growing up. He still works a bunch! We traveled around a lot when I was very little for his jobs, but regardless of where we were living, he made sure we had our little weekend adventures. Sometimes, he’d say, “Hey, I’m going for a ride, wanna go?” I’d ask where he was going and he’d respond, “down the road”. He usually meant it too… just down the road to see where it would take him.
He’s adventurous like that. He’s also a great cook! I wish I’d spent a little more time in the kitchen with him growing up. I must have inherited some of those cooking talents, since I’ve only thrown away 2 dishes I’ve made- and I cook quite a bit. (Not as much lately with Samantha, but you get the point).
He always reminded me a bit of Indiana Jones. Like I said, he was always up for an adventure, and he HATES snakes! Especially after being bitten by one in 2004!
So that’s it- my parents - still married after 40 years! (Unless you ask my mom, then it’s only been like… 30...) So, kudos to them! I know I’m lucky and blessed to have them both in my life and living so close!  

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Birthday Wishes

Hi friends,

I'm taking a quick break from my 30 day challenge to say a few words about turning another year older...
For as long as I can remember I have LOVED celebrating my birthday! I've always had a party or at least had friends over to celebrate with me.  Heck, I've even thrown myself a surprise party or two! However, the past couple of years I've come to realize it's not so much the party, the cake or even the cards & gifts I enjoy so much.  It's just being with all of my family and friends. I love having the "excuse" to take time out of my day to sit and chat with someone who took time out of their day to call to tell me they were thinking of me & they loved me on my special day.  Thinking back on yesterday I'm so amazed and feel almost a bit overwhelmed at how blessed I really am! Everyone made me feel so special by calling, sending a card or simply posting a "Happy Birthday" on facebook. 
I guess adding another candle on the cake is worth it to be reminded once a year how special we all are to each other!

Thanks again... and know I really do love each and every one of you!
~Summer

I'll leave you with a couple of the pictures from my dinner with my family.  (Maggie was the party planner who brought the hats)

My cousin Heather & I in our party hats




Ashlyn with my cousin April




 Me - the birthday girl with Maggie- the party planner


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

30 Day Challenge Day 3: My First Love

Hello All,

My Day 3 Post is supposed to be about my first love??? How is that supposed to be manageable without offending/upsetting Shaun?  Oh well, here goes...

They say you never completely forget or get over your first love.  I guess that's true because as I sit down to write about him, it still tugs at my heart strings. It's hard to consider him my first love... I guess a piece of me still loves him and probably always will.  Surely if there's enough love in my heart for Shaun and my 2 precious daughters, there has to be a little room left over for him... after all, he was there first.

I'm not sure if my earliest memories of him are real or if they've been distorted over time. He still seems somewhat perfect- of course he wasn't... I mean- who is? Anyway, Let's get on with it...
It seems like I knew him my whole life.  He wasn't always a "constant".  He'd sort of come and go- in and out of my life as he or I pleased.  I knew it was really was love when I turned 16 and all I wanted was to see him.  By college, I was sure I'd outgrown him... but I constantly found myself drawn to him.  I'd find ways to be "close" to him without actually being able to see him.  After graduating from college I went to see him again... the first time in a while and I was immediately addicted to him again.   It became harder and harder for me to stay away from him after that trip. I came up with all sorts of excuses to go see him, so I did and as often as I could.  It was still not a constant though.  As happy as I was when I was with him, leaving was unbearable.  I would not be satisfied until I knew when I could see him again.  Buy why him???
I guess he always made me feel so happy.  Just thinking about him could bring a smile to my face. He made me laugh.  He had a great group of friends.  He was generally a "good" guy. Even though our time was always short, he was always happy to see me and never made me feel guilty about coming to see him or leaving.   I still see him sometimes... Shaun doesn't mind too much.  He's a great guy like that.  Anyway... I guess that's all I can say about him.  Some of you may know who I'm talking about and some of you don't.  For those of you who don't know him, he's still a great guy & maybe one day you'll get a chance to know him as well.   I'll leave you with a picture of us one of the last times I saw him...
~Summer










Tuesday, July 12, 2011

30 Day Challenge Day 2: What is the meaning behind your blog name?

Well, I have to say after my last super long post, I'm glad this will be an easy one.
My friend Hollie already made a reference to it in my comments section.  My laughing Place is taken from Walt Disney's Song of the South.  It's a song Brer Rabbit is singing while trying to escape from Brer Fox & Brer Bear. He told them about this great place- his laughing place, so naturally, Brer Bear wants to see this Laughin Place.  Brer Fox almost has Brer Bear convinced it's a trick when Brer Rabbit exclaims he sees it... right there in those bushes.  Brer Bear sticks his nose in the bushes only to find a bee hive full of angry bees.  when he says he thought this was a laughin place, Brer Rabbit replies through tears of laughter, "I DIDN'T SAY IT WAS YO LAUGHIN' PLACE, I SAID IT WAS MY LAUGHIN' PLACE, BRER BEAR"

Anyway, this is my laughing place, so I welcome you to laugh along with me if you like. I hope y'all have a great week!
~Summer

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Blog Challenge Day 1- A recent Picture with 15 Interesting Facts about Me

So... since having Samantha, I haven't exactly been jumping in front of cameras to get my picture taken, but I do have a very recent photo.  It was taken Monday, July 4th.  Maggie and Ashlyn are also with me, but it's the best I can do at this point. 


I'm driving my Willis in the China Grove 4th of July Parade.  Well, actually, we were waiting for the parade to start.  I was in line.  I would have decorated it a bit more if I'd had some notice.  Daddy woke me up at 8:30 to ask if I wanted to be in the parade.  It started at 10 am, I needed to be lined up before then and had to get there via dirt road.  Yes, I do live in Alabama.  Anyway, I was expecting maybe 50 people to come out and see the parade. Boy was I mistaken! There were THOUSANDS of people there!!! Not only would I have decorated my Willis better, but I would have decorated myself as well. Ha ha!

Ok, That was my picture. Now I guess I need to give you 15 interesting facts about myself.  I don't suppose I could count that I drive a Willis in my spare time as one of those facts, huh? Oh well.  Here we go:

1. I hate feet.  I can get physically ill looking at a nasty foot or even at the thought of touching one.  Blah, just thinking about it makes me squeamish.  I don't mind either of my daughter's feet right now, but that may change as they get older and their feet are not "cute".

2. I'm pretty superstitious.  I don't walk under ladders, don't open umbrellas in the house (nor do I let Ashlyn).  I don't walk with one shoe on one shoe off, rock a rocking chair with no one it it... you get the point.  Shaun makes fun of me, but when bad things happen, it's usually his fault!

3. I don't have a tattoo.  I'm not willing to subject myself to any type of unnecessary pain, especially one involving a needle puncturing my flesh over and over again.  I am also very fickle.  I change my mind too often about what I think is "cool".  I'm VERY glad I didn't get a yin yang on my ankle when I was 16!

4. I love to play games. I enjoy board games, puzzles, video games, handheld games... pretty much all types of games.  My favorite is probably playing board games with my family or girlfriends.  I have more than 50 games in my hall closet.  Too bad I don't ever get to play them.

5. When I was 14 years old, I was on the Mickey Mouse Club.  At the time, it was known as MMC.  My family was at Disney and they filmed the show in what was then MGM Studios (now Disney Hollywood Studios).  I was chosen to play a game.  There were three guys all claiming to be the brother of a Mouseketeer (Lindsey).  We got to ask questions and guess which one was telling the truth.  I didn't win, but I was on TV and I got a tee shirt!

6. The summer after my freshman year in college, I began a "don't say no" policy on dating.  I made a pact with myself that if a guy asked me on a date, I would go- at least once (as long as I wasn't in a relationship with someone).  I met a lot of nice guys, a few not so nice guys and a couple of straight up weird-o's, but I stuck to my guns and gave every guy a chance.  There were a lot of single dates, but I have to say I had a lot of fun and I can't be accused of not giving anyone a chance.

7. When I was in 1st grade I was the lead in my class play, "A Day at the Circus".  Another girl and I were the ring masters which meant we were the only two kids who got to talk.  I fell in love with the audience and always wanted to be on the stage.  Apart from an "extra" in my high school play and church dramas, I didn't set foot back on stage until 2009 when I was in Conecuh People at the Red Door Theater.  That Christmas I was in Holiday Memories, but last summer, I got my first lead in a play! About half way through rehearsals, I found out I was pregnant and was super sick, had ZERO energy and didn't get to enjoy the experience as much as I would have liked.  Hopefully one day, I'll be able to get back on the stage again.

8. I keep a diary.  I have written in my diary since I was 14 years old.  There have been bouts of abandonment, but I have more than 15 years worth of words I've written.  Wow, when I say it like that, it sounds either really impressive or really pathetic.  Especially since no one will read them but me!

9. I studied Spanish in college.  I loved it so much I just kept taking classes.  One day my professor, Dr. LaBrant asked me if I was majoring in Spanish. I said, "No, Why?" He said, "Because if you take 3 more classes, you'll have a major".  I took those classes and graduated with the ability to speak pretty fluently.  Sadly, I didn't have anyone to speak with once I got home so I've lost most of it. There are only so many things you can say to strangers who speak Spanish. 

10.  I've never been hired for a job based on an interview (other than being a server).  I usually started off in a lower level position after being placed through a temp agency and was offered the job after working a few weeks.  This has happened at least 4 times that I can recall.

11. My first car was a 1993 Mitsubishi Eclipse. I LOVED my Eclipse. It was white and smooth, the ones with the bubble on one side. I named her Breeze. She was "Summer's Breeze".  My Daddy bought it for me without telling anyone, not even my mom. He surprised me on Father's Day a month before I turned 17.  He took me to a car lot to "look around".  I walked right up to that beautiful little car and peeking in the windows asked, "Daddy, How much do you think something like this would cost?" He said, "Why do you like it?" I said, "Yeah, but Momma would never let me get something like this" He replied, "Well, I hope you like it because it's yours".  I was confused until I saw him pulling the sales papers out of his pockets.  He then asked if I could drive a stick shift.  Through the biggest grin ever I said, "I can now!"  That is still one of my favorite days ever!

12. I have an unexplainable urge/desire to be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  I don't have to be a guest.  I can be someone he interviews on the street or an audience member with a question.  Heck, I'd even play dumb to be a Jay Walker!

13.  I'm 6 feet tall. If you know me, you obviously know that, but sometimes I forget.  I'll see a really tall girl out somewhere and say, "Wow, that girl is really tall..."  Whoever is with me usually gives me a funny look and says, "you're the same height as she is" or "you're taller than her". 

14. I love love love to read.  I love getting wrapped up in a really good story.  I read for entertainment. I want to be drawn into an alternate world where I can see, hear, sympathize with, fear, love and hate the characters.  I'm not really into reading for "education" purposes anymore.  I'm way too selfish for that now.  However, after reading an incredibly good book, I'm always left with a sense of loneliness.  Sometimes, I'm just not ready for it to be over.  That's when I have to go pick up another book and force myself to move along... I know- I'm weird like that.

15. I saved the best for last... I'm a total Disney Nut! I love all things Disney! Disney movies, cartoons, parks, music, history, trivia... you name it! At the time I'm writing this, it's been 7 months since my last Disney vacation and I'm going through withdrawals.  I have friends who call me when they're going to Disney because they know I can answer their "travel questions".  
I've loved Mickey for as long as I can remember. I have traces of Disney sprinkled all throughout my house.  I have almost all of the Disney Animated Classics (Disney Cartoons) on DVD (or VHS) and actually watch them.  I love introducing the old movies to my oldest daughter.  She knows the songs and I'm so proud of her when we go to the park and she knows Baloo as well as the Princesses and Minnie. 
So yes, I'm definitely one of "those" people, but I'm fun and I won't ever try to ruin any of the magic for you.  Hey- I've even made a few amazing friends being a Disney Nut! Thankfully, Shaun indulges me and my love for The Mouse.  Between you and me... I think he's a closet Disney fan too!

Well, that's it... 15 interesting facts about me.  I'm not sure you could call all (or any) of them interesting, but they are all about me.  I hope every day isn't this complicated.  I'm tired.  Night world...

~Summer

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Back to Square One?

Hi There.  You might be thinking I have given up on blogging, but the truth is: I don't feel like I have anything exciting to say. So... exciting or not I'm going to attempt a 30 Day Blog Challenge.  I stole it from my cousin April, the same sweet cousin who suggested I start this new little hobby. To view her blog (which I highly recommend) click here: The beholder of beauty
I think the challenge is to write every day for 30 days, but I'm not going to do that. Let's get real... I've only sat down at my computer maybe 5 times since having Samantha, so I'm going to shoot for once or twice a week.  No particular days, just what I can when I can. If something exciting should happen, I'll interrupt my little list to let y'all know!

And here are the topics for my 30-Day Blog Challenge:

Day 1- A recent picture 15 interesting facts

Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3-Your first love

Day 4-Your parents

Day 5-Your siblings

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7-Favorite movies

Day 8-A place you've traveled to

Day 9-A picture of your friends

Day 10-Something you're afraid of

Day 11-Favorite tv shows

Day 12- Celebrity Crush

Day 13-A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?

Day 14-A picture you love

Day 15-Bible verse

Day 16- Favorite Quote

Day 17-Something you're looking forward to

Day 18-Something you regret

Day 19-Something you miss

Day 20-Nicknames

Day 21-Picture of yourself

Day 22-Favorite city

Day 23-Favorite vacation

Day 24-Something you've learned

Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26-Picture of your family

Day 27-Pets

Day 28-Something that stresses you out

Day 29-3 Wishes

Day 30-Yet another picture

I changed a few of the topics, but most of them are the same.  We'll see how it goes. 
Happy Reading!
~Summer