Thoughts from Natasha

Change, I guess can be good

2006-08-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to add to my blog, I made some changes that I didn't want to make. I actually created a new blog in the process that is more of what I want. Please make the change if you have my blog linked to your page. The new blog address is http://momnatashaburris.blogspot.com/index.html. Sorry for any inconvience this may have caused. Thanks!

The Joys of Being a Stay at Home Mom

2006-08-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my wonderful husband, I get to stay home with my almost five month old daughter Grace. I also keep a little boy named Andrew that is six weeks older than Grace during the week. This blog will now be a collection of my thoughts and a record of the different events, adventures and stories that will follow as I go through the day to day with these two precious little babies. As you will also notice, I also changed the name of my blog. Hope you enjoy.

This is a picture of Andrew and Grace playing on Monday.

Grace and Her Big Girl Chair

2006-08-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

We have the most amazing high chair I have ever seen. We received it as a gift at one of the baby showers and it is awesome. It has seven different levels of height adjustment, 3 reclining positions, it folds up and it has a tray that can be opened from the sides or the front. It even has a parent helper tray. Anyways, sorry to ramble, but it is the greatest invention I have come across yet. I just remember feeding my nieces in their walkers and wishing I didn't have to sit on the floor to reach them!

Grace absolutely loves it. She feels like she can see more and that she is included instead of being so much lower than everyone else. She also loves to watch mommy cook while playing with some toys in it and watching tv in it. I think I forgot to mention that it's on wheels too so it's easy to move around.

Anyways, the picture is of her playing in the chair while I was cooking the other day. She was getting ready for a bath after a changing so pardon the picture but she doesn't have any clothes on.

Here is a link to more information on the high chair, its an evenflo expressions high chair.

Alexandra & Victoria's Visit

2006-08-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

My nieces (identical twins) Alexandra & Victoria came to visit and stayed with us for about 2 weeks. We had a great time visiting and we have missed having them around. We went to the beach,went swimming at the Bahm's (awesome pool), did crafts and made tons of food. It's amazing how much a ten year old eats, especially with two to feed!

Anyways, we had a great time and we took tons of pictures of the girls and Grace. They loved doing anything with her that they could. The called her "princess Grace".

Christian Scott McCain

2006-07-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

I should be ashamed that I haven't posted this already. Christian was born on July 6th. He was 7 lbs 8 ozs and 20 1/2 inches long.

He has a head full of hair! Anyways, here is a picture of him for those who would like to see.

To those of you who don't know, that's my sister's youngest son. Ironically, both my sister Tonya and Johnny's oldest sister Jennifer have two boys. So far, Grace is the only girl in our families!

Grace's Christening

2006-07-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Johnny, me and Grace at Grace's Christening on Sunday. She was so cute and good for the whole service. She actually sleep during the Christening. Johnny woke her up for the pictures we took afterwards.

You can also see more pictures here of the pictures at the church after the Christening and family photos at our house also.

Trying to catch up

2006-07-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ok everyone, I know that I haven't been posting regularly. We have been kind of busy. Actually June 30th was my last day at work! I am staying home with Grace from now on! I am so excited.

I just started thinking about it and taking to Johnny about it and we realized that with my job, minus the day care costs, I wasn't really making much and that it wasn't worth the hassle and the struggle I was going through trying to find someone good to watch her that I felt comfortable with and the emotional struggle of having to leave her all day.

So, at last I am home with Grace. I will be watching a little boy named Andrew come August when his mom goes back to teaching. He is 5 months old, just one month older than Grace. I think it's going to be fun to be home with her and watching Andrew. I am sure there will be some challenges some days, but mostly I am looking forward to the fun.

Grace is getting so active lately. She is talking up a storm and just kicking and scudding around. She loves to stand in my lap and play. She loves being outside. Her favorite things right now are the Baby Mozart, Baby Beethoven, her bouncy seat, and her farm gym. Anyways, her is a picture of her drooling in her bouncy seat singing up a storm the other day.

Grace's First Zephrer's Game - June 15th, 2006

2006-07-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Johnny, Grace and I took a picture with Boudeaux after her first Zephrer's Game. They played Round Rock and lost but it was still a great game.

Johnny brought Grace her very own baseball with the Zephrer's logo on it, so we had to get it in the picture!

First Scrapbook Page Completed Post Baby

2006-06-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is the only scrapbook page I have completed since I have had Grace. However, next Friday is my last day at work so maybe I will have more time to do some soon. I can't wait to use some of the adorable scrapbooking supplies that I received for little girls from various wonderful friends and family. :) I will also try to post more often, or at least post cute pictures of Grace.

Seth's 2nd Birthday Party

2006-06-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday, was Seth's 2nd Birthday Party. It was at the Fair Grounds Park in Franklinton. They all had a great time playing and Seth enjoyed seeing all of his friends and family. Pictured above is a picture of Seth, Grace and Pawpaw at the party.

Grace's First Burris Picnic

2006-06-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of me, Grace and Johnny at the picnic. Of course, we had to take a picture on the famouse Burris tree while at the reunion.

Grace's First Burris Picnic

2006-06-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is a picture grid of some of the photos I took at the Burris reunion this weekend. Grace had a good time being held by everyone and getting to play with cousin Owen. We all enjoyed ourselves and ate way too much.

Grace's First trip to Tech

2006-06-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day weekend, Johnny, Grace and I went to Ruston to visit some friends and so Johnny could run the Tech Dawg Track 5K (see http://johnwburris.dyndns.org/johnwburris_blog/?postid=193 to read Johnny's post about the run). This is a picture of Grace and Johnny at the track at Louisana Tech.

Grace's First Easter

2006-04-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

Grace in her Easter dress lying on the bed sleeping. She was wore out after a day of having to be cute for church, family and friends.

Grace is Here

2006-04-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Grace Nichole Burris

Born March 20th, 2006 at 5:36 PM

6 lbs 4 oz and 18.5 inches long.

She is a sweetheart. She is a wonderful baby and she sleeps alot! Of course, most of her sleep is during the day and not as much at night. We think she has her days and nights mixed up.

Regardless, she is the sweetest and the prettiest little girl we could have ever hoped for. She is smoothered in hugs and kisses and loved to pieces already at just 3 weeks old.

The Waiting has been

2006-03-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

For those of you I haven't talked to lately, the waiting has officailly begun. As of last Monday the 13th I have dilated 2 centimeters and she has moved into place. This week I have had a few contractions but nothing rythmatic or that has lasted very long. I have just been very uncomfortable and have a tons of pressure on the top of my belly. So the waiting has begun.

I will keep everyone posted as best I can.

Wish us luck and hope she comes soon. Have a Happy St. Patrick's day!

Grace is Almost here!

2006-02-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

This is an awlful picture (hair not fixed, no make-up and I had been cleaning around the house), but for those of you who haven't seen us in a while. This is what my belly looks like at the start of 36 weeks pregnant. Just four more weeks to go!

I saw my doctor last Monday and she said that anytime after 37 weeks she would let labor progess if it started on it's own, but not before then.

The good news is that we shouldn't have her until after the 11th, which is the last day of Johnny's mid-terms. Funny how that worked out, or at least we hope works out.

She is moving around alot and we are almost done with her nursery. Just a few things left to hang up and then I will be getting her stuff ready. I will be washing up clothes and sterilizing bottles soon. Maybe tomorrow.

I will let you know how it progresses to the best of my ability and time permitting. Have a good week and enjoy the Mardi Gras break for those of you who get one!

Thumb Nails from the baby shower on Jan 15, 2006

2006-01-16T15:08:00.000-08:00

Mural # 3 for Grace's Room

2006-01-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

Mural # 2 for Grace's Room

2006-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

Mural #1 for the Grace's Room

2006-01-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

It's A Girl

2005-11-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since a post. Things have been kinda crazy around here lately with work and stuff.

Anyways, this last Thursday we went to the doctor for our 20 week ultrasound. They told us we are having a little girl! We are so excited. We have even chosen the name. It's going to be Grace Nichole Burris.

I can't believe that I am already 5 months into the pregnancy. It has flown by! Anyways, I am going to try and get my photosite updated and I will include the ultrasound pictures.

I hope everyone is doing well. Let us know how you are doing too.

I will try and post more regularl. Until then I will update the pictures.

Update

2005-09-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick update on how things are going down here in Franklinton:

I started a new job last Friday at the school board office. I am the inventory clerk for the parish schools. We have 13. So far I really like the job and it's only 4 minutes from my house.

As a bonus, I get off at 4pm and I get state benefits. Including a week and 1/2 off for Christmas. I also can take up to 6 weeks off for maternity and I have retirement.

Johnny has been extremely busy. He has been going to school all week, working his labs on campus and then coming home to work on his contract jobs he is trying to finish up, grading papers and doing school work. The commute to Baton Rouge since Katrina has been killer on him too. It normally took him about an hour and 20 minutes to get home, but lately the average has been around 3 hours! We are praying that the traffic sitution will eventually straighten itself out as the refugees get use to Baton Rouge.

We have power, internet and direct tv, but still no home phones. Our cell phones work when they want to and not when we want them too.

Also, we just heard today that FEMA is about to shut down our gas stations. They want to conserve gas for the Rita Hurricane victims. Johnny and I both went and filled up today and we have 2- 5 gallon gas cans full. We just hope this doesn't last too long. There was already a gas line in Amite, LA (about 40 minutes from here) that was about an hour wait today.

Anyways, Johnny, me, Maggie and the baby are all fine. We hope to here from everyone so we will know what's going on with yall too.

P.S. If you get a chance, look at this blog from Johnny and the September 5th post titled "We're OK" to see the picture of the tree that fell in our yard.

Great Day

2005-09-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

I had a doctors appointment today and I finally got to hear the heart beat. It was beating at 168 beats per minute! The doctor says that anything over 120 was good, but the high rate just meant that the baby was busy during the exam.

After the appointment we went to Target and got our baby bed. We are getting excited and starting to work on the nursery now that we are almost done cleaning up from the storm.

We have chosen our nursery theme to be barn yard. I have found an adorable set from Target that I am going to immiate. I picture of the bedding actually titled "farm yard" can be found here.

Of course, I am not going to pay 250 for 4 pieces of bedding so I have some ideas on how to make this myself and maybe enlist the help of some friends to get the same affect.

We Are Ok

2005-09-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Johnny and I are ok. All of our families are too. We had extensive tree damage in our yard, but nothing hit the house. We have water and gas, but no electricity. We are in Baton Rouge today getting supplies and trying to get a generator that works.

We have purchased one already and it didn't work. Luckly we were able to return it. We have purchase another one this morning and it doesn't seem to work either. Right now Billy and Johnny are down at the store looking for another one and/or trying to get the people at the store to look at it and see why it's not working. It runs but when anything is plugged into it, the item plugged in doesn't work.

Last night we stayed in Baton Rouge with Billy and Lacy (Johnny's brother and our sister-in-law). They finally got power back yesterday, so we all had a good night's sleep in the air condition. Hopefully, we will find a generator and be able to go back to the house for a few days and get some of the mess cleaned up. When we need refuge, at least we can come to Billy and Lacy's and have power, internet and air condition.

Johnny is out of school until Tuesday. We will probably be staying with Billy and Lacy when he starts school back until we get power back on in Franklinton. They are expecting it to be several weeks last we heard. I will try and keep you updated as much I can when we come to Baton Rouge. Our cell phones work in Baton Rouge, but not in Franklinton.

Just to let you know how bad communication is: the police station is using teenagers on four wheelers delivering hand written notes to all the first response personal and other city officials.

- Tasha

Internet Finally Up

2005-08-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry for not blogging. Our internet has been messed up. They finally came today to fix it! I'm so glad it's finally up! Check back soon, the blogging will begin.

This week thus far

2005-08-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

This week has been a crazy week. I will not even try to remember all of the things that Johnny has accomplished, but it is a list about a mile long. We have all boxes unpacked except the bathroom boxes. The bathroom has been an ongoing project, but it looking great.

On Monday, I worked around the house in the morning and got our gas turned on. Johnny and I got the office set-up and I started working on the den. That afternoon I went with Mrs. Ginny (mom) to Wal-Mart in Covington to get some things we needed and then came back and fixed supper and worked some more in the den. Johnny and I went to choir practice, then we called it a night.

On Tuesday morning I ran errands, paid bills and went to the grocery store. I did a few things around the house and then after lunch Billy, Johnny's brother came in and helped Johnny with the bathroom some more. We ate pizza with mom, dad, and Billy for supper. Mom and I went to their house and watched a movie while the guys worked.

On Wednesday Johnny and I had our first doctor's appointment in Covington for 9am. We left around 8 to make sure we were on time. We really liked the doctor and the nurse. They verified for themselves that I was pregnant and estimated that I was about 6 weeks as of today. They asked us alot of questions. Some crazy but mostly about family history. They did a general exam and then had me go to the lab for some blood work. They took 5 things of blood from me! They scheduled me for an ultra sound on August 16th and then my next check up for August 31st.

After we left the doctor's office we met dad at Home Depot to pick out our new cooking range. The luckly had the one we wanted in stock and we brought it home. Dad joined us for lunch at Ground Patti and then headed back to Franklinton. Johnny and I still had errands to run so we stayed and proceeded to go to Lowe's, Wal-Mart and Target. Mostly we just had things to return and building supplies for the bathroom to get. I did get a Classic Pooh scrapbook set at Target through and I looked at baby stuff. After we got back, I worked around the house a little and then went to Wednesday night Fellowship at church with mom while Johnny and Dad installed the range.

Today I have worked on the curtains for the living room and did some laundry. We had the guys come in today to install our new hot water heater and to finish the installation of the stove.

Tonya and Seth came by after she got off work and dropped off a house warming gift and some baby gifts. She got us a lullaby cd, classic pooh hand print and foot print frames and a rubber ducky outfit gift set. Kevin, Chris and the girls came by and dropped off a dresser that we will sand and fix up for the nursery.

I made Jambalya for supper and mom and dad came and ate with us and they brought salad and vegetables to go with it. After supper, I cleaned the kitchen and Johnny went and got Maggie. He washed her and tonight is going to be our first night in our new house. We had our puppy, hot water and our bed. Sounds like a good night to me.

Great News!

2005-07-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

Johnny and I are expecting.

We found out last Thursday, but were not able to see mom and dad till today. Of course, we couldn't post it until we were able to tell them, but now we can.

We have been waiting a whole week and two days to post this!

We are all so excited. We can't wait to see everyone and tell everybody.

We are Moved!

2005-07-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today we are officially Franklinton residents. We have completed the move. We are not staying at our house yet, but will be soon. I have to go get the gas turned on Monday so will be have some hot water and the Direct Tv people will be here then too. After that, pretty much everything is turned on.

We have been truely blessed by the tremendous amount of help we have had moving and getting things setup. The first weekend, Billy and Lacy came in and helped us move the big stuff in. After we unloaded, Billy and Johnny worked on the bathroom and Lacy and I worked on the kitchen. Lacy's brother Matthew came and helped too. Tonya and Seth also came and helped us on Saturday.

Dad and Mom have been a tremendous help also. Dad has helped Johnny with several things like mowing the yard, going to the dump, working on the bathrrom and all sorts of things. Mom has been wonderful. She has made sure we have had great food to keep us going. Today she made some Chicken Parmasean for lunch and it was awesome. She has also helped me put things up and run errands.

Today not only did we have mom and dad's help, but Alyssa and Laura came and helped too. They unpacked my entire kitchen! I couldn't believe how much they were able to do. We lined all the cabniets and then put everything up. It was awesome.

I will post more as it goes on. On a finale note, thanks to everyone who has been helping us. We really really appreciate all the help you have given us and how much you have done.

We are on a move

2005-07-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is it. This weekend will be our big move. We have the uhaul rented and the boxes stacked. We had our garage sale this past Saturday and then took the leftovers to goodwill in preparation for the move. I have been packing in the evenings, but still have more to do.

We are trying to get as much moved as we can this weekend. The reason we are doing it this weekend, is that if you pick up and drop off the uhaul at the same location, it's much much cheaper than a one way trip. So of course, cheaper is always better.

We will basically be camping out in our apartment next week, but we will hopefully have most of the big stuff moved. We are ready to be moved and to get settled for sure.

Fourth of July Weekend

2005-07-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

Friday Night:

We drove in and went to sleep.

Saturday:

We woke up and Johnny and dad started mowing the yard and cleaning out the storage room at grandmothers. I went with mom to Winn-Dixie, Babingtons, and Farmer and the Dell. We met up Billy and Lacy at Farmer and the Dell and then we all went to the Clifton Wal-Mart. My purchase was a spice rack for $2. Afterwards, we came back to mom and dads and started getting lunch ready. Johnny and Dad took quick showers and then Billy helped them with the burgers on the grill. Liz arrived and we all ate and sat around and visited. After we ate, Lacy and Liz wanted to see grandmothers, so we went over to the house to show them. Everyone started heading home after a mean game of Mind Trap. Johnny and I watched a little TV and then went to bed ourselves.

Sunday:

We got up and went to church. It was communion Sunday on top of Fourth of July. The attendance was kind of low thought. I guess everyone was visiting or traveling for the weekend. Afterwards we went to Sophia's to eat.

We came back to the house and I went with Tonya and Seth to Wal-Mart in Covington and Johnny and Dad continued cutting the yard. They did a wonderful job! It looks great.

After they finished the yard, we all headed to John and Alyssa's new house for a visit. It was beautiful! They picked a very pretty house. While we were there with mom and dad, Aunt Monica and Uncle Barry came by and when we pulled up Alyssa's parents were there. We had a great visit with everyone. We left there and went an ate at a Mexican restaurant in Mandeville.

We came home after a quick stop by Wal-Mart for a DVD part and then went to bed.

Monday - July 4th

Johnny and I slept in a little. We woke up around 9 am. We both got up ate breakfast and headed over to the house to get busy. Johnny was going to paint the bedroom while I cleaned up the kitchen and masked the walls for him to paint.

Dad came over and worked in the flower beds pulling some weeds and educated us on what the plants were. Mom cooked fill em up for us for lunch since Johnny and I were still working on the house. We were suppose to cook lunch for them though. We will have to this weekend for sure.

After lunch we came back and got busy working again. Tonya and Seth came over for a little while to see the progress and to visit. Johnny did an awesome job on the bedroom! It took two coats because of the grooves in the paneling, but it looks awesome. He did a great job.

I used Murphy Oil soap and cleaned the counters and the cabinets. I also wiped down all the walls to prep it for painting this weekend. I vacuumed the living room and cleaned the windows in the kitchen and the living room. I also wiped down the bookcases in the living room. Johnny also cleaned the range. It looks like a new stove he did such a good job!

This weekend we are going to attempt to remove the border in the kitchen, paint the kitchen, line the cabinets and maybe prep the guest room for painting. I am also making the curtains for the kitchen and hanging the curtains in the bedroom. We will be picking up a bed from Tonya to put in the guest room sometime during the weekend too.

Anyways, its getting there and so far it's been a lot of fun. Johnny and I are enjoying working on and being at our first house.

Pictures on Photo Site Updated

2005-06-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. I updated the pictures on the Photo Site. I now have some new pictures of Maggie, pictures from Seth's first birthday party, pictures from the Zephyr game and pictures from Billy and Lacy's cowboy themed party. I hope you enjoy!

The Plan Changing Conversation

2005-06-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

As I said in my previous post, we had a conversaton that changed all of our plans. Of course, as I am sure everyone knows, going home, makes you want to stay at home. It certainly doesn't make you look forward to the trip back up. Anyways, over the course of the weekend Johnny and I had a really good time visiting and seeing friends and family. On our way back to Ruston, we started talking about how great it would be to be able be closer to home all the time.

I was telling Johnny how I was going to start pushing even harder with my applications to jobs in the Baton Rouge area over the next week. We were talking about where we should look for an apartment in the meantime until we were able to get a house once I found out more about my pending job...etc. etc.

Johnny all of a sudden said, wait, Tash, I know we brought this up before, but what do you think about us staying in Franklinton instead of Baton Rouge and living in grandmother's house? We started talking about it and started analyzing the pros and cons of the option. The more we talked, the more we realized that it was possible. Not only possible, but I could stay home if were to live there instead of Baton Rouge.

It took me a minute to let everything sink in. I was going to be able to stay home, not work, live in Franklinton and we would have a house! What could be more perfect! This is exactly what Johnny and I have dreamed of one day being able to do. We just didn't think we could do so this soon. Immediately, we called mom and dad to make sure no one had dips on the house. We told them our thoughts and asked them if that sounded good to them. Of course, just like we are, they and other family members have expressed their concerns with Johnny having to commute to Baton Rouge. (This was originally why I said no to the Franklinton option) .

But, as we explained our logic and that we were looking at the quality of our lifes as a whole and not just the commute, I think maybe they understood. Of course, with this option and me being able to stay at home, Johnny and I have decided to start trying to have a baby! (After the move of course!) Anyways, we feel like we have been riding cloud 9 since the conversation. We know that we will have lots of adjusting to do, but I can't imagine anything more worth it.

Let me know your thoughts and comments . . . We would like to know what our friends and family think too.

Weekend of June 11th

2005-06-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

What we did last weekend:

Friday
We had some friends of ours come over for dinner. Johnny made some awesome enchilidas and I made some mexican rice and refried beans to complete the meal. We had a great time visiting and ended the night by watching a dvd of the Blue Man perforance group. We got to bed around 1:30 - 2:00 am.

Saturday
We got up and left our house around 7ish I think. We were heading in to Franklinton for Billy and Lacy's wedding bash. On the way home, we stopped at a church garage sale in Natchez. I found some really cute shirts. I got four shirts for a buck! You can't beat that. Afterwards, we pressed onward towards Franklinton. In Clinton we decided to stop by "The Clifton Wal-mart" to check things out. We didn't find anything we needed there, but it's always good to stop in.

From there we heading home and were just in time for lunch. We ate lunch with mom and dad. After I finished, I went to Winn-Dixie with mom and Johnny stayed with dad. When we came back, I took my shower since we left so early so I could get ready before the guests arrived. Billy actually arrived before Lacy and her parents. They were checking in at their hotel and decided to check out Dirt Cheap. They came in as I was finishing up helping mom put together the hostess gift baskets. I think they turned out adorable! Lacy and her parents came in and we all visited for awhile and ate some wonderful blackberry cobler with some homemade bluebell vanialla icecream. They left to go get some rest and get ready for the party and we all decided to take naps ourselves. I think Johnny and I slept from around 3:30 till about 5:30pm! We all then got up and got ready to be at the party for 6:30.

When we arrived it was all set up in a cowboy theme. All of the decorations turned out really cute and the turn out was amazing. There were so many people there. The food was wonderful, the dessert was delicious and the band that was playing, kept the dance floor busy. It was really nice to see everyone and get to visit with lots of people from Franklinton all in one room! The party was certainly a hit.

Johnny and I realized how old we were getting when we decided to stay home and go to bed early instead of going out after the party. I think we had had our fill while we were in Pensacola. We went to bed at about 10 o'clock.

Sunday
Johnny woke up around 6 to run with dad and amazingly, I woke up at about 6:30. I watched National Treasure with mom and laided around and ate breakfast before getting up to go get in the shower. Interestingly enough we actually made it to church on time! After church we went to the Country Club for lunch and we had a great meal. A new owner has taken over the kitchen and the food was wonderful! The dessert was really good. Bread Pudding and Peach cobbler. After lunch we went home and hung out for a little while before leaving to go visit with Tonya and Seth for a little while before heading back.

He is getting soo big! He is even starting to get the sheepish grin when he knows that he is doing something he's not suppose to. We had a great time visiting with him and seeing his mama's temperment coming out in him. After an hour or so, we realized how late it was getting so we headed out.

We went back to mom and dad Burris' to pack up and get Maggie to head back to Ruston. It didn't take us long to pack up and dad did us a big favor and washed Maggie for us before we got back to the house. We loaded up headed out. The drive was great. Johnny and I winded up talking the whole time home. We made great time and had great conversation. A conversation that would change every bit of our previous plans for the move!

Ok..so I can't keep up

2005-06-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

It has been proven that I can't possible, go all the way back and completely catch up blogging from where I left off. So, instead of trying to do that and getting overwelmed with all the information; I will start posting the newest news. If anyone gets lost or if they would like more information, please post a comment and I will respond to it as time allows.

Quick Catch up

2005-06-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

To quickly catch up everyone on what's been going on. Johnny and I were on vacation the week of May 16- 20. We were in Baton Rouge from Monday - Wednesday morning.

During that time, Johnny hung out with Billy and I tried to get a job. I had an interview set for Monday morning with a company in Baton Rouge that I wasn't able to interview with until Wednesday due to a confusion in the company's schedule. (They scheduled me to come on a day the interviewer wasn't going to be in the office.) Needless to say, we went out of our way to make sure I could make the interview and the job fail through.

After the interview on Wednesday, Johnny Billy and I headed down to Pensacola. We had to get Billy there in time to get their marriage license. We dropped Billy off at Lacy's mom's house and then Johnny and I headed to Navarra beach to have a little time to ourselves.

It was really pretty. Johnny and I got a hotel and then went to the beach for a little while before we came back to get ready for supper. Johnny and I had a great time on the beach. Once I could stop stressing out over the interview in all of its inconvience that I put on Johnny, Billy and me not to mention on the mood of our vacation, I started to have a good time. I laided out on the beach for a little while and Johnny went for a job along the beach. He came back refreshed and got me to come play with him. We walked along the beach and winding up with me piggy backed on Johnny as we went out a little deeper in the waves laughing and having a great time. We came back and sat on the beach for a little while and then decided it was time to go get some supper. We saw a snowball stop on our way back to the hotel so we stopped to get one and then headed in for showers.

Once we got showers, we went to a restraunt called Cancun's for some real Mexican food. It was pretty good. Afterwards, we were getting pretty tired so we went back to our hotel to get some sleep. The next morning, we woke up early around 6:30 and went back to the beach. I was so pretty, it was just us and a few fisherman. Johnny and I just sat in the sand and enjoyed being there for a while. Afterwards, we got up and started looking for seashells and we saw a small shark. We didn't get in the water after that, but we walked along the beach some more. Finally we sat and enjoyed it a little longer before we went back to the hotel to get ready to leave. We went and ate some breakfast and packed up and headed to Gulf Breeze, which is were Lacy's mom' s house is.

Billy had called that morning and wanted to go and see Star War's with Johnny so we went and picked him up and went to eat at Barnhill's which is kinda like a Ryan's. It was pretty deciant. The desserts were great. Anyways, I dropped the guys off to see the movie and I went shopping. I was looking for a dress for the wedding. (Too long of a story to tell as to why I didn't already have this dress before the Thursday before the wedding.) I went to Beall's which is kinda like a department store. I found a few things that would work and I just looked around for a while during their movie to pass some time. Anyways, after the movie I picked up the guys and then brought them back to help me choose my dress. They choose the one that I had picked out so I was set. We checked out and then headed to Ruby Tuesday's to meet up with the Burris parents and chill out for a little while before the Bar-b-que that night. Lacy picked Billy up from there so he could help get things ready. The bar-b-que was nice. We had hamburgers, hot dogs and baked beans. It was good to get some real food and to visit with Lacy's mom and stepdad Lee. After dinner we followed mom and dad Burris back to their hotel and stayed the night with them. We set around and watched the Blue Collar comedy tour for a while and then all went to bed.

Friday was already here. Johnny got up and ran with Mr. Bill and the running crew. I got up, got dressed, and headed down to breakfast. Johnny came in as I was heading down. Breakfast was awesome. It was a hot breakfast with oatmeal, waffles, sausage, biscuits and fresh fruit. After breakfast I went with mom to the grocery to get snacks for the hospitality room, went to the rehearsal dinner place to make sure we had our ducks in a row, and went to pick out flowers for the head table at the florist. Johnny went to pick up Billy, go eat Chinease with him and go pick up the chairs for the wedding. I stayed to help We came back and met up with dad and went to eat at McGuire's for lunch. It was so neat. They had dollar bills hanging from every inch of the ceiling and plastered all over the walls. I had the pull apart pork sandwhich and it was great. It could have feed about 3 people and actually I think it did. After lunch we went back to the hotel to wait on other family to arrive. Jennifer, Chris and Carter arrived shortly after so I got to play with him for a little while. Next to arrive was Katie and then Liz. Johnny and Billy came back and we all hung out for a little while. Uncle Barry and Aunt Monica, John and Alisha, Laura, Tony and Anthony had all arrived too.

Afterwards, the groomsman, Katie and the burris parents were all leaving for the rehearsal, so Jenni and I got ready and ran some errands for mom. We ran by the rehearsal dinner place called Hall's seafood to bring them the champaign, sparkling grape juice and the toasting glasses. I was also checking to make sure the flowers had arrived from the florist. All was set, but we realized that all the out of town guests thought the dinner was in walking distance and it wasn't. I called the front desk, asked for room numbers of everyone that I could think of that was coming and arranged for them to meet me in the lobby and we would caravan down there so they would all be in the right place. We all made it and it was great.

The food was awesome, the speechs were touching and the bride and groom were full of smiles, having a great time, I am sure. I think there were about 58 people there. Big rehersal dinner for sure.

to be continued.....

Our Weekend of Engagement Parties, House Hunting and a Bridal Shower

2005-05-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Johnny and I traveled to Baton Rouge to start our house hunting process, to attend an engagement party for Johnny's cousing Jessica in Clinton and so I could attend Lacy's bridal shower at Centenary in Franklinton on Sunday.

First, our house hunting trip, althought not successful was great. We drove around Walker and Denham Springs looking at the neighborhoods the houses. I think we may have a plan of attack now. A construction company called MA Allen builds tons of houses around the Baton Rouge area with a lower end price range. I think Johnny will be talking to them soon and maybe next time we get a chance to go down, they can show us our options.

The engagement party for Jessica was fun, but really really cold. It was outside on some friends patio. The wind just made it even colder. However, Johnnny and I learned alot about the areas of Livingston Parish by talking to some of the cousins and aunts about our move and our prospective house. All in all, it was great visiting, great food and tons of information.

The bridal shower at Centenary was great. I was able to see lots of people that I hadn't seen in a while and visit with them. Billy and Lacy racked up on the gifts. They really got some pretty things. So much stuff that once we filled up Mrs. Ginny's car, we still needed room, so we packed the rest in Johnny's Tahoe. Of course, the hostesses picked on me asking if what was in the Tahoe went to Ruston. I smiled and said, althought I certainly wouldn't mind, I would make it to Billy and Lacy. :)

All in all we had a great weekend. It's always fun to go home and visit with family and friends. In fact, Johnny and I were a little sad as we had to pack up and come back to Ruston! We are looking forward to the move. I will keep you posted.

- Tasha

We made it through April, May here we come!

2005-04-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

Johnny and I had a great weekend this past weekend. The Burris' where in town for a conference and we had a really good time visiting with them. April was particularly busy for Johnny and I but May looks like it may have April beat. We will be heading to Baton Rouge for the weekend on Friday. On Saturday morning we will be looking around Baton Rouge to get a feel of where we should be looking for a place to live and to get a general idea of the area. Also on Saturday night we will be going to a party for Johnny's cousin Jessica and her fiancee'. On Sunday we will be going to Franklinton for a bridal shower for Lacy, our future sister-in-law. Then on Sunday we will head back up to Ruston to get ready for the week.

Also, Maggie has learned a new trick. She has figured out that if she breaks up her bathroom break into parts, she gets a treat for each part! I figured out that she was doing this after about the third time she had to use the bathroom after just a few minutes. I tell you, she is a smart dog! Anyways, she is getting bigger every day and of course more spoiled as she gets older. Speaking of, I am about to go home and take her for a walk before our couple's bible study tonight.

This has been a particularly long week for Johnny and I. I hope we get sometime to relax a little tomorrow before the big weekend. I hope everyone has a great weekend too. We will talk with you soon. Oh, real quick, last night I ran 2 miles with Johnny. I was so proud of myself. I wasn't even sore today, although I hasitate to say that, he may make it longer next time! :)

Last Garden Show! Yes.....

2005-04-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend Johnny and I traveled to DeWitt, AR to our last garden show. I couldn't be more thrilled. Finally, no more weekends taken up by work!

We left Friday evening and arrived at our hotel after about five hours and a good meal at Red Lobster. I had the stuffed flounder and Johnny had fish and chips. Really good meal considering we were surrounded by rice fields.

We had to stay 40 minutes north of DeWitt in Stuggart because DeWitt didn't even have a hotel! Of course we had to get up even earlier to get to DeWitt in time to setup before the show. It wasn't looking like a good day after we were rushed for setup time because the hotel clerk forgot to enter our wakeup call and the fact that no one was at the show and we were both tired. However, Johnny saved the day. He went out to the car and took about an hour nap and then came back and kept me entertained by talking to me and well mostly picking on me. Funny how sometimes that can make my day :)

The show was horrible, total of 5 subs and about $60 bucks in book sales. Usually sales for one hour, not one day. Regardless, Johnny and I had a good time. He made me laugh almost all day. Our driving time wasn't bad either, we finally had some time to catch up with each other! Not to mention that we were able to come home on Saturday night instead of on Sunday so it sorta felt like we had a weekend. When we came home, we went to the store, ate dinner, and went to bed early.

Today we got up and went to church and afterwards we went to Tia Maria's and ate the best queso around and some incredible enchiladas. I had a baby shower to go to at 2 and Johnny went for a run. We played around the house, grilled for supper and I made another baby shower gift for a baby shower luncheon on Tuesday. And I got to post on here!

All in all we had a great weekend, thanks to my sweetheart! I hope everyone else has a good week.

Baton Rouge Here We Come

2005-04-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. We have been really busy this last week.

To catch everyone up that hasn't heard, Johnny and I got the greatest news on Friday. We are moving to Baton Rouge this summer. Probably around the beginning of August. Johnny was accepted into LSU's computer science PHD program with all tuition paid and an assistantship. We are ecstatic with the news. We finally get to move closer to home and be by family.

I am going to start working on my resume and looking for a job very soon. Actually I have been working on my resume this weekend, but I am going to get some people to review it before I start sending it out. Johnny and I are also thinking about trying to buy a house around Baton Rouge instead of finding another apartment. This is also very exciting to me! Anyways, we will keep everyone updated as we move along. If anyone has any comments or suggestions in either of these matters, please feel free to comment.

One more to go...

2005-03-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

Well we finally had a chance for a weekend. We went to Franklinton on Friday to spend Easter with our families.

Johnny and I got in around 11pm on Friday and shortly after went to bed. Johnny decided to run with the running group on Saturday morning so he got up around 6am, but I did sleep till around 9am. After Johnny got back we both got ready for the day, but just winded up relaxing around the house visiting with Mom and Dad.

After a little while, Johnny's little bit of rest that he got during the week and Friday night, combined with the early morning run, got the best of him. He decided to take a nap and took a pretty good one till around 3pm. I am glad he got some rest, he really deserved and needed it. While Johnny napped, I rode around town and visiting family that I hadn't seen in a while. I actually visited my grandparents for about 3 hours. It had been awhile since I had seen them, I think maybe Christmas. I also went to Cato's and found a cute Easter dress to wear for church on Sunday.

Johnny and I decided to cook dinner for mom and dad since they are soo nice and wonderful so we got busy working on that. Johnny had earlier decided he wanted to do chicken n dumplins. Well, Winn-dixie didn't have any so we had bar-b-que pork chops, a new pasta roni and some corn on the cob instead. Oh, and some bread pudding too. Jennifer's recipe of course.

We had dinner and visited on Saturday night. Billy and Lacey came in around 10pm so we visited with them for a while and then went to bed. We woke up on Sunday morning and got ready for church. Johnny and Billy sang in the choir, so they left around 10:10 and Lacey and I finished getting ready and went to church at 10:30ish. After church we took some pictures and got ready for lunch. We had ham, lamb, butter beans, peas, carrots, stuffed eggs, cornbread dressing and rolls. For dessert we had strawberry shortcake with icecream and whip cream. It was sooo good. The shortcake was still hot so it was one of those melt in your mouth kinda desserts.

After tons of food, Johnny and I told Billy and Lacey bye and then headed to Tonya's to see them for a little while. She had everyone there! I thought that it would be Tonya, Dale and Seth, Kevin, Chris and the girls and maybe dad. Brenda and Bob, his grandaughters, Joyce, Molly, and Tyler where all there too. Well, at least I only had to go to one place to visit! Johnny played horseshoes and a golf game while I visiting and played with Seth.

We started seeing the clouds come in, so we told everyone bye and started heading back to the Burris' so we could pack up, visit a little longer, bath Maggie and head back to Ruston. We left around 5pm and made it back to Ruston around 10:30ish. Not too bad. Maggie slept the whole way home. She continued to sleep all night, and has slept all day. I think the other puppies made her tired.

She is actually going to have her girl surjury tomorrow, so we will not have her tomorrow night. We can't decide if we will be sad or happy for a little time for ourselves since we have been going so much. My guess is that it will be a little of both, glad to have some time, but sad that she's not here.

I hope everyone has a great week, we will be in Baton Rouge this next weekend at a garden show. Last one, or so they say, and so we hope.

So far...we have made it.

2005-03-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

So far this spring, Johnny and I have made it through our first two shows. The trip to Little Rock and the trip to Hammond. Not to say it's been great or anything, but somehow we have survived. We just have two more to go.

This next weekend we will be in Folsom for a show. We will be staying in Franklinton while we are in. It has been soo nice of our parents (Burris side), to let us stay with them. We always enjoy a chance to go home for the weekend and visit! I think Maggie likes going to see Shelly and Prissy too. She has fun playing with them over the course of the weekend.

Anyways, just wanted to update everyone. I hope you all have a great week!

Scrapbooking Nights

2005-03-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

I have found my favorite day! Tuesday.

On Tuesday's I join some friends at the church to scrapbook. It is so much fun and I have gotten a good bit done. I am currently working on the scrapbook for 2002. It's good to reimish and look at old pictures and things we did. The best part about scrapbooking night though is that I get to see all the neat things that Sarah does and to some extent how she does them. She has the cutest scrapbooks and the neatest ideas!

Oh, the other reason I like Tuesday's is that it's Gilmore Girls night.

We finally have a weekend

2005-03-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

Johnny and I decided not to go to Franklinton this weekend since we will be gone for the next 4 weekends. It was soo nice to finally have some time to do some things we needed or wanted to do.

On Friday's, our friends James and Shelly and thier daughter Alyssa come and have lunch with us. After lunch when Johnny and I go back to walk Shelly and Alyssa stay at our apartment and take a nap. After James gets off work, he comes and picks them up. However, this week we went with them to eat at Monjunni's and then we all went to a friend's parents house to watch a movie with other couple's from our bible study group. We watched Napoleon Dynomite in their theater room.

Now Chris, you would have loved it! When they built their house they put in a theater room. They have big leather chairs and soafs to sit on. It has surround sound and a screen that comes down from the ceiling that is the size of the wall. The walls are also padded so it sounds awesome to watch anything in there. It truely feels like you are sitting in a movie theater.

Anyways, the movie was surprizingly funny. We had a great time visiting with everyone. We got home, played with Maggie a little bit and went to bed. We slept till around 12. It felt soo good to get some rest. When we realized what time it was we got up and started getting ready for the day. After we had gotten dressed and were heading out the door to go eat, the mail came. In the mail was an acceptance letter for Johnny from LSU. He has been accepted if he decides to go. We were excited, so we decided to go celebrate. We went and picked up some bar-b-que from Hot Rod's to celebrate. Anyways, I hope everyone has a great week.

Spring is officially here...well for work anyways

2005-03-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. Work has been extremely busy lately. Considering we publish a gardening magazine, spring is a busy time for us. We also publish a month ahead of time, so instead of thinking about March, we are just finishing up our April issue!

Johnny and I have also had alot going on lately. Johnny has sold his El Camino and is now the proud owner of a Chevy Tahoe. I am sure we will be taking pictures of it soon and I will share them. It's been raining alot so we haven't had a chance.

This past weekend we had to go on a trip to Little Rock because I had to work a garden show. We left on Thursday afternoon, right after Johnny got off work. We made it into Little Rock about 10:30ish and finally found the convention center. After unloading the show materials, we went to our hotel to get some rest. I had to be at the convention center by 8am on Friday morning. The show was from 8 - 6pm on Friday and Saturday.

I worked all weekend with help from Johnny. He was such a sweetheart! The show was doing well and I ran out of flyers and Johnny winded up searching all over Little Rock for a copy place so I could have some more flyers. It took several trips and some exploring. I think he winded up finding one on the complete otherside of the city.

Anyways, the show was a success. My boss set a goal for me of 90 subs for the whole show. I got 93 just on Saturday and ended up with 202 by the end. He was happy and I was proud to have done so well. In the mean time, I had lost my voice from talking so much and Johnny and I were exhausted. Without getting a weekend, this will be a long week!

We are thinking about going to Franklinton this weekend to take our first official trip in the Tahoe. We will see how tired we are by the end of the week. Our schedule for the next few weekends is pretty crazy as is.

March
Weekend of the 11th - garden show in Hammond, LA.
Weekend of the 18th - garden show in Folsom, LA.
Weekend of the 25th - Easter weekend in Franklinton, LA
April
Weekend of the 1st - garden show in Baton Rouge, LA

Sounds like fun huh? Good thing is that they are all close to home, so at least we can visit with family. Anyways, I hope everyone has a great week!

Weekend and week so far

2005-02-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

Johnny and I had a busy weekend.

We sorta had an impromptu party at our house on Friday night. Which of course, when you do something spontaneous, something will go wrong. For instance, our bathroom decided to have a plumbing issue. Nevertheless, Johnny the hero, fixed all of the problems and still managed to entertain our guest and himself.

On Saturday morning I had errand to run and then Johnny and I went to Monroe to do some shopping. We had planned on going to see Hitch, but didn't make it in time. We went to Target first where I redeemed a wonderful gift card for some work clothes. Next we went to the Mall. Johnny found a new Game Cube game that he wanted and some books. After we left the mall we went to Hobby Lobby, my favorite store. I only spent about 20 minutes in the store and we had to go. Johnny's boss had called and they were having some problems with their servers. Anyways, we came home, I made supper and then we went walking with Maggie around Tech. We actually walked for about an hour and half!

Sunday we got up and went to church. After church we came home, eat lunch and then we went shopping in Ruston for some brown dress shoes for me. Needless to say, their are no closed toe brown dress shoes in Ruston. When we got back I started cleaning the house while Johnny watched some much needed football. He had a really hard week at work. I am glad their was football on that he could watch. The rest of the afternoon we rested and cleaned in preparation for the week and Johnny took me to Chili's for dinner. It was a nice surprise.

Anyways, I hope I haven't bored you so far. We will be leaving for Little Rock, AR on Thursday to go to a garden show. In the mean time I will be trying to get ahead at the house and at work to make up for the days gone. I hope everyone has a great week!

P.S. Maggie is getting bigger by the day. Also, I did added some graduation, mom's piano recital and Seth pictures to the photosite this weekend.

The Weekend

2005-02-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been interesting...

It has been sad because Johnny had to go on a business trip to Dallas and I couldn't go with him. It has been good thought because some friends of ours, Shelly & James, invited me to stay with them and their two daughters Julie & Alyssa. I have had a good time and I really appreciate them letting me stay.

Maggie however, is not a happy puppy. James & Shelly have a puppy, but its a small poddle and she stays inside in a crate. They have a fenced yard, but they have an uncovered swimming pool and some other dogs have crawled out under the fence. Giving these uoptions, Maggie has had to stay in a smaller kennel than what we have a home this weekend. I have been taking her walking and playing with her more than usually so she won't be so upset, but today it has been raining, so this hasn't been an option.

Anyways, I am sure she will be fine but she is ready to go home. To be truthful, I am too. Johnny should be here to get us in an hour or so and then we can go home. I had a great weekend and I really enjoyed spending time with the McClung's, but home is home and I am ready to be home with Maggie and Johnny. :)

I hope everyone else had a great weekend and that you all have a good week. Goodbye until next time...

Mardi Gras

2005-02-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Today was Mardi Gras and you wouldn't have known it if you were in Ruston. Of course, growing up in South Louisiana, I know that today is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday as some people refer to it.

I was a little sad today when I was sitting at work and my family called to wish me a happy Mardi Gras while they were out enjoying festivities or just relaxing at home. I just wanted to say that I know what Mardi Gras is suppose to be like, visiting with family and friends enjoying the day.

Even though we live in Louisiana, north and south Louisiana are completely different. The food, the culture and the festivals. But for now, up in north Louisiana I will celebrate listening to the Mardi Gras Mombo dancing with Maggie. :)

P.S. - I will not even talk about the quality of King Cakes up here. (I miss Dad's King Cakes, they were the best).

The Weekend & Carter's Birthday Party

2005-02-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Johnny & I went to Houston this weekend for our nephew Carter's 2nd birthday party. Johnny had to work late so we didn't get to leave for our 6.5 hour trip until 8 o'clock on Friday night. The drive was really hard. We had to stop several times to get another wind and start going again. To make it even harder, my car was acting up. It was jerking us a good part of the ride. We finally got to the Veillon house around 2:45 on Saturday morning. Johnny and I came inside, got dressed for bed and went to sleep almost immediately.

I actually woke up around 8am and went to see everyone. Carter gave me the sweetest good morning hug. He ran to see me, hugged me and then sat in my lap for a while and hugged me. He is so sweet. Johnny woke up about 10am. We all got ready and started helping get ready for the party. I helped with goodie bags and decorations. I was glad to help and we all had a great time. Johnny helped Chris and the other guys set-up tables and other party equipment outside. The theme of the party was Sesame street and everything was decorated so cute

Carter had a ton of friends come and they had a ball. The moon walk was a hit. All of the kids, and adults really had fun in it. They also had slides and other toys outside for the kids to play with. It was kinda cool but the kids didn't seem to care. They were all running around with their shoes off and eventually all had wet socks from the grass. I think they all had a great time. Johnny walked around with the video camera to capture some of the excitement.
Jennifer and Chris threw a great party!

Some pictures of the party are on my photosite. You can follow the link at the top of the blog to see them.

Johnny and I watched Carter open presents last night before he went to work on my car. He, Chris and Timmy changed the spark plugs and then they went for a test drive. They came back and said everything was good to go.

This morning, we got up and got ready to go. Johnny and I slept late to get ready for the drive again. We ate breakfast and packed up to go. Before we left we all went to Cafe' Adobe to eat lunch. It's a Mexican Restaurant in Sugar Land that has become a Burris favorite. We went to eat their to celebrate mom's birthday that actually is on February 9th, Tuesday. We had a good time visiting with everyone, but it was time to go. We still had a long drive ahead of us.

On the drive home, we started having some car problems again, the check engine light kept coming on and then going off, coming on and going off. We were praying we would make it back to Ruston! Thankfully we did. On our way to our apartment, we stopped by Auto Zone and had them put their montior thing on it to see why the light was on. It's said that their was a cylinder misfire. Johnny knew what this meant and went inside to get neccessary supplies. While we were in Houston, he had replaced the spark plugs, but they said we now needed some new spark plug cables. We bought these and then when we got home Johnny installed them, while listening to the Super Bowl. Kinda not the way either of us wanted him to hear the game, but he was insistent on gettting it done. After he finished, we went for a test drive to the grocery store and everything was great. Johnny of course peeling out leaving the house, and immediately said, oh yeah, she's good to go.

Anyways, all is well in our household, except we can't pick Maggie up from the doggy motel till tomorrow morning, so it's a little lonely without her. But, we can get her at 8 am in the morning and we will all be happy again.

I hope everyone has a great week and we will talk to you soon.

Yes...Wireless Internet Again!

2005-01-30T11:27:00.000-08:00

Last night, Johnny and I went to Wal-mart to get a new memory card for his Game Cube. While we were there he purchased a really cool wireless internet option for me. Instead of the card that goes in my computer, it's a USP Plug Wireless connector.

I accidently broke the other card slot, which made my wireless not work for several months. I am really happy to have the wireless back. My blog entry's may increase, due to the ease of data entry. :)

My Week Thus Far...

2005-01-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

This has been an interesting week.

Poor Johnny was sick Monday and Tuesday. Thankfully though, on Wednesday he was doing much better. Even when he was sick he continues to be so determined with his running. I really admire his committment to it and to himself. He ran on Monday night and again on Wednesday.

I am going to try to start working out at the Intramural center so maybe i can run with him someday. Even if it's in cycle's where I run with him, he runs circles around me and while I walk to recover, and then run with him again. I am hoping to figure something out like that.

Anyways, Maggie has become even more spoiled this week than she already was. (Believe me... it is possible). Since Johnny has been home, Maggie has been able to stay inside and keep Johnny company. She was upset when she had to go outside yesterday.

Tonight, Johnny and I will be going to our couple's lifegroup. I am teaching the chapter tonight on Tending your Career out of the book we are currently studying called A Wife After God's Own Heart. I am interested to see how the conversation goes.

To be honest, this study kinda hit me hard. I have always known that my priorities should always be: God first, Johnny second, our children third and our house fourth, but when I studied the book, it said that even after those things and serving God's people is your job. I had always assumed that your job just kinda falls where your situation allows.

For example, since we don't have kids, my priorities should be God, Johnny and then my job. I had always thought that my house and serving fit in as time allowed, not that they should be of more importance. Boy was a wrong!

Looking back I can see how God has been working on my heart trying to align my priorities the way the should be. Johnny and I have discussed this several times and I know that our ultimate goal is for me to be a good wife, to stay home and raise our children and to serve at the church, I just never realized that those same goals where exactly what God wants us to do.

I know that for a while things will remain the same. I will still be working, which by the way, I really do enjoy. But, as our life changes I will be happy to step back away from my "career" to pursue my "career" as a wife after God's own heart and in the meantime, I will try to remember that everyday I need to make sure to keep my priorities in order to the best of my ability and that when I am at home, all of my energy and my being is there. Not thinking about work, what I have to do next week or what's going on. Just enjoying my family and the time I have to spend with them.

On that note: I am looking forward to Saturday. Finally a day to relax, spend some time with Johnny and Maggie. Who knows, maybe we will have a movie fest and stay on the couch all weekend or if the weather lets up go to the park and teach Maggie to fetch a frisbee. Either way, time with my family: Johnny & Maggie would be great.